victory_road | [text + action]

Entry tags:

[text + action]

Who: Loop + You
What: Evolution, psychic Pokemon, the perils of snomstorms! ~~Half of everyone Loop knows in One Single Building!~~
Where: Goldenrod City
When: Early December for text post; December 14-16 storm for action
Warnings: Nothing specific, just the usual chance of Loop's warnings coming up in threads!

[Text, early December]

I got told about evolution, so I was expecting one of my Pokemon to change shape eventually, but.

Did I just miss hearing the part where they start beaming images into your head?

[Orrery has discovered telepathy! Let's not talk about how long it took Orrery to get Loop to realize it was her.]

[Snomstorm! Goldenrod, between Dec 14th-16th]

[A]

[So it's a good thing Loop went and caught a fire Pokemon recently, because the vending machines at their inn (motel?) are both de-powered and emptied to the last dregs. Loop's had to emerge from the depths of their room to get groceries. And in the fifteen minutes they've been outside, slogging through the snow and trying to find a place that's open despite the power outage...]

[Their Metang has somehow managed to get herself frozen to a fence. Loop is currently trying to coax their new Cyndaquil - who is draped over their bag - to wake up and melt her free.]

[They like naps as much as anyone else, but:] Come on, you've barely been awake for five minutes since yesterday...

[Orrery, meanwhile, is letting out a baffled whirring sound. She's not used to having arms or being so big, and apparently she generates JUST enough heat to slowly melt snow, then get stuck when she touches something colder and it refreezes. Like someone licking a metal pole. But she only has one arm stuck, and surely she can use the other one to lever herself free?]

[- whoops, no, now she has both of them stuck.]

[B]

[Or maybe it's a bit later, and Loop is ducking under the eaves of the Game Corner next to you. Why? To avoid a sudden shower of falling Snoms from the roof! The surprisingly heavy bugs thump into the snow like little icy missiles, whizzing by terrifyingly close.]

[C]

[Or, as the snow has intensified and REALLY started to pile up, you've found yourself completely turned around! (Unless you know exactly where you are, and you're actually looking for someone or something else? Did one of your Pokemon run out into the storm, maybe?)]

[Whatever the reason you're out, it seems like there's a fire flickering in the distance - if you approach, you'll find Loop, shivering and holding their Cyndaquil to their chest. Burnoît, fortunately, seems to have woken up and figured out what Loop wants! The lil guy is flaming a path through the snow.]

[(For once in their life, Loop has returned Orrery to her ball.)]

[Wildcard!]

As usual, happy to figure something else out, just DM or Plurk me!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...how many were there before?

[They are still probing, but they're also legitimately taken aback - the stream of people has felt unending as is!]

[Hm. They sure do end up getting to know children who try to feed them... well, not a lot, but something something two nickels and it's weird that it happened twice!]

[They're not sure they're actually hungry again yet, but in the interest of keeping the conversation going -] I've never had peanut butter crackers.

[They may or may not have had peanut butter in general!]

_{[THE QUANTITY OF CLOWNS THIS CAR IS CAPABLE OF CARRYING WILL CONFOUND YOU!]

[Wrath shuts one eye, seemingly in thought, his lips moving silently as he counts in his head. There was a time when he would have needed to see his fingers for that, but he is older and wiser now. He can do numbers without looking!]}

... Seven.

Um.

Maybe eight?

_{[Scar had... come and gone more, back then. And there had been other humans too, sometimes.]

[But he shrugs. That was then. This is now.]

[And the blue cat who is no longer blue or a cat has never had peanut butter crackers.]

[Wrath makes a noise-- a sort of incredulous, businesslike scoff, and beckons Loop to follow.]}

You have to try peanut butter crackers.

_{[TIME FOR KITCHEN 2.]}

Eight...

[Sure is a lot of people! It explains this house feeling so lived-in, even if it's utterly baffling... and now they've got an upper bound on how many people could be here right now! Less than seven? Six max?]

Have you known all of them for a while? I've only met...

[Hm. They actually also have to pause and count. Heather, Envy, Scar, Wrath... (and Lust and Henry, in fact, but they haven't seen them in the house yet!)]

...three so far. Four counting you!

[Loop snorts softly and gamely extracts themself from the couch, leaving The Hat behind. Sounds like they have no way out of it! Crackers forced upon them!]

[(Their hair is kind of a mess without the hat, but how does it compare to Wrath's? That's the real question...)]

_{[There is... actually a decent-ish chance that Loop's hair could be messier! This is, of course, due exclusively to the fact that Wrath has submitted to regular showering (and even brushing and drying) on Lust's request. The boy's hair will always have a... wild quality to it, but being too worn-down by life to object to a normal grooming regime has its silver lining.]

[In any case, Wrath is already digging into the cupboards as Loop trails after him into the kitchen.]}

Envy and Lust, yeah. And Scar too, I guess.

_{[Although he'd known about Scar, he'd never actually... talked to the man, before encountering him here.]}

Henry and Heather are from somewhere else. They were Envy's friends, first. He met them here. In this world.

_{[Withdrawing from the cabinet with a jar of peanut butter in one hand and a box of saltines in the other, he stands on one foot to bump the silverware drawer open with his knee. Because just putting his loot down to free up a hand like a normal person is just not the Wrath Way, apparently.]}

[It's a miracle... Wrath has neater hair than Loop... Loop's is clean, it's got that going for it, but an actual brush hasn't touched it since at least when they showed up here.]

[Envy's name they know, but Lust... they're picking up on a theme.]

Is... Scar also called Wrath, or something? [They hesitate a little over Scar's name - they're still not sure they should be calling him that, not unless he introduces himself that way, but saying Tall One right now would be much more confusing.]

[Little do they know they are about to be even more concerned about names!]

[Wrath kneeing over the silverware drawer, on the other hand, doesn't even make them blink. Seems entirely reasonable, carry on. (Though he still has no free hand - hold on, is Wrath about to pick up a knife with his foot??)]

_{[THEME SUCCESSFULLY DETECTED, but of course the guess is then a swing and a miss.]

[Wrath looks back over at Loop with a puzzled frown.]}

No, Scar is Scar.

I'm Wrath.

_{[BOOM. Name dropped, and the puzzle cube that is this bizarre little organization of weirdos clicks closer to solved.]

[Turning his attention back to the task at hand, Wrath realizes the dilemma he's created. Instead of going monkey-mode and using his feet, though, the solution he chooses is to shove the cardboard cracker-box into his jaws and pick up the knife with his now-free hand. Like a civilized person.]}

You're...?

[Who in the world names a kid Wrath??]

[Was it one of the others??]

[Is this a cult.]

...did the same person name all of you?

[This cracker solution also seems reasonable! On that Loop has no objections to raise.]

_{[Carrying the peanut-butter payload over to the kitchen island, Wrath dumps it all onto the counter with a clatter, and catches the jar just in time when it lands on its side and starts to roll towards the edge.]}

Yeah, our Master.

_{[The 'm' word has a faint, bitter note when he says it... it would have been stronger had he not been preoccupied with getting a new sleeve of crackers open. His automail fingers aren't the best at gripping the plastic-- but then it rips, sending crumbs flying all over the place. He does not remark on them, and instead just dumps some saltines out onto one of the leftover grilled-cheese plates from earlier.]}

We didn't have any names before her.

_{[Said matter-of-factly as he starts to wrestle with the jar of peanut butter.]

[It doesn't occur to him that Loop may still be lumping 'Scar' in with the Homunculi-- if it had, he might have found it sort of funny. Ah yes, the eighth sin... post-injury blemishes of the flesh.]}

[OH THIS IS ABSOLUTELY A CULT.]

[Is everyone in this house in the cult?? Heather and Envy seemed pretty normal, but aren't cults supposed to be pretty good at seeming normal? Scar seemed... hmm. They are reserving judgement on whether Scar seemed like he was a cult member or not.]

[Stars. What are you even supposed to do if you discover a child in a cult?? Tell someone? Kidnap the child and worry about it later??]

Is she... around here too?

[They absently hold out a hand, offering to try opening the jar.]

_{[IT'S ABSOLUTELY A CULT!!!]

[... Well, a... former cult, at this point. But Wrath has never known how to be reassuring. Only ominous.]

[Speaking of, he noticeably stills at the question. It's a brief pause, and with all the lights out (and his hair spilling over a lot of his face...), it doesn't necessarily give away much of Wrath's internal thoughts on the matter... but it's a pause. As though a chill went through the room.]}

... No. She's dead.

_{[Said quietly but emphatically.]

[And then, with a quiet puff, he plops the jar into Loop's proffered hand and proceeds to just stand there.]}

[Loop's immediate impulse is "Good," but they stop themself right before it comes out of their mouth. They can feel that the atmosphere's changed, but they don't know whether that's because Wrath is glad she's dead or... the opposite.]

[...]

[They take the jar.]

[It's a lot easier for an adult with no automail hands to open. They pass back the jar.]

[...so! Dead cult leader. They think they're understanding what Son might have meant a little more now. The question is... is this a "half of us are recovering from a cult" situation, or is this a "still a cult" situation? They're not really sure how to ask.]

[...]

Then, is someone else in charge now...?

_{[FORCHUNETLY for Loop... they are speaking to Wrath now and not... er. Two-to-six years ago.]

[Because while the boy is certainly not "all better" from his little lifetime of servitude to Dante (and neither are Envy or Lust for that matter), one thing he isn't anymore is "brainwashed".]

[So as he takes the jar back, his answer is fast and firm.]}

No.

We're free.

_{[NO MASTERS! NEVER AGAIN!]

[Picking up the knife, he plops a generous blob of the peanut butter onto one of the crackers and holds it out solemnly.]}

Here.

Peanut butter cracker.

_{[EAT IT.]}

Edited 2025-03-25 03:31 (UTC)

[Loop doesn't realize how tense all this was making them until they feel their shoulders relax. They take a deep breath in, then out.]

[This time they feel a lot safer saying, also emphatically,] Good.

[They're still not entirely reassured by... whatever it is that's going on with Wrath, but it sounds like it could be much worse. Maybe Envy and Heather and Scar really are normal. (Ish.)]

[Peanut butter cracker!]

[Loop accepts it, which means Wrath now gets to bear witness to the spectacle of someone discovering peanut butter for the first time! After some very determined chewing, they joke,] If you wanted to glue my mouth shut, you could've just said.

[But now they can finally answer!] I do. [...] Like peanut butter crackers.

_{[WAIT TILL THEY FIND OUT THAT HEATHER ESCAPED FROM A COMPLETELY UNRELATED, DIFFERENT CULT.]

[Nodding some of his hair out of his face, Wrath finally looks squarely up at Loop, and there's the tiniest little gremlin smirk on his face. Because yes, that WAS sort of his goal. Can't be asking nosy questions when your mouth is full of peanut butter, after all!]}

Of course you do, they're the best.

You gotta drink cold milk afterwards though. I'll get it.

_{[He clanks over to the fridge to do just that, leaving the jar, the knife, and the crackers for Loop to do with as they please.]}

[~~CULT ESCAPEE HUT~~]

[Good news for Wraths! Loop is done being nosy. For now.]

[They haven't forgotten that Wrath was originally planning to get himself some crackers, either - by the time he comes back there's a little row of them lined up on the counter. They have based their estimate of the Appropriate Peanut Butter Blob Size on the cracker Wrath gave them first.]

[There is also a soft hum coming from the living room, where Orrery has fallen back asleep.]

_{[WRATHS STAY WINNING]

[He arrives back at the counter with the milk-carton and two glasses, regarding the line of artfully peanut-buttered crackers with mild-- but pleasant-- surprise. Then he wastes no time popping one into his mouth whole and munching on it while he starts to pour the milk.]

[He'll get another glass to take back up to Son in a minute, but for now he is Sharing Human Discoveries with someone-- someone who he has decided that he likes, nosiness and all.]}

M'fhry id.

_{[That's 'Try it', as he slides one of the glasses towards Loop.]}

[Loop has also quickly discovered that shoving an entire cracker in your mouth is honestly just the easiest way to eat them. At least if you don't want crumbs exploding everywhere.]

[This means their mouth is too full to answer Wrath aloud when they take the glass and try the two together.]

[So instead, they deliver their verdict with a resounding thumbs up.]

_{[Wrath shoots back a small grin-- the closest he comes to 'beaming', these days-- and then goes to get another glass. One plate is plenty, though-- Son can't usually eat more than a couple of these things before he feels full.]

[As he starts pouring milk for both himself and his Pokemon, he speaks up again.]}

So.

Do you have a name?

_{[It's not AS pointed a question as it could be, coming from someone else. As Wrath had mentioned earlier, not having a name is something he's not unfamiliar with! But since Blue Cat In the Hat is not a Pokemon afterall, Wrath's experience with humans leads him to believe that Loop probably does have one!]}

[Sometimes having a mouth full of peanut butter is very useful, actually! It gives you a second to collect yourself.]

Nope! I used to, but I traded it away for a star.

[They've perfected the cheerful are-they-joking-or-are-they-serious tone by now. Pick your poison!]

_{[Peanut Butter Cracker truly is a double-edged sword.]

[In any case, this answer gets a tilted head out of Wrath.]}

Oh?

I didn't know you could do that...

_{[There is a little less ambiguity on Wrath's end here... he is taking Loop's reply completely at face value.]

[Screwing the cap back onto the milk carton, he tilts his head the other way, letting this new concept roll around a little in his head.]}

... What's it like to have a star?

Oh - I don't have it anymore! I ate it.

[They keep the same tone as before but this is, uh... this really did happen, very literally.]

...not a lot of fun. People aren't meant to have stars; they're too far away. You end up... [...stuck far away from everyone too.]

[Hmm. That might be a little bit too true, even being that vague. Time to Make Joke.]

Well, I give the experience one out of ten stars~! [Heh heh.]

_{[THEY ATE IT? A WHOLE STAR??]

[Wrath is not usually the one caught by surprise when someone says 'I ate it' about an unexpected non-food item-- usually HE'S the one saying it!]

[He pauses with the fridge door half-open in the process of returning the milk carton, looking over his shoulder at Loop with big eyes. And he's quiet for a moment, because the moral lesson being delivered is obvious enough even for him to notice.]

[But also... he can't not be curious...]}

... What did it taste like?

Edited 2025-03-26 02:16 (UTC)

[A WHOLE STAR!!]

[Honestly, even Loop isn't sure what the moral lesson was! It really sounds like a children's story about ambition or something, from the outside, but. All they wished for was for someone to help them. "Don't wish for things"? "Sometimes the Universe just decides you're going to be miserable"? Or were they being punished, for giving up -]

[No, no, stop thinking about it. Maybe it's just "don't eat stars," teehee!]

[They wrack their brains about The Star, Specifically.]

Honestly, I mostly remember it being really fizzy? Hurt my teeth, a bit.

[How would you even describe it...?] And kind of like biting into a lemon, except not sour. Some other taste.

_{[Wrath takes in this description, nose slowly wrinkling in combined disgust and awe.]

[If the moral lesson is indeed "don't eat stars", it has been successfully imparted, because Wrath HAS bitten into a lemon before and he did NOT like it, and the idea of it being fizzy on top of all that is...]}

... That sounds awful.

Maybe you should have kept your name.

[Loop nods solemnly.]

I definitely should have.

[Maybe, if they'd just held on for a bit longer...]

[Well, it doesn't matter anymore, does it?]

But it's someone else's name now! So.

[So they don't have one. Clearly the only option.]

[text + action]

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me, triumphantly typing Wrath's name in dialogue,

HEHEHE

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circus music in the background begins to slowly get louder

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