Clover Calling

[wooliefrand]

WHO: Clover
WHERE: ????
WHEN: ?????

[ready to make some elicit DEALS?

Do so here!!]

Comments

[jerkalope]

All the attention went into haircare.

But that doesn't mean the person who put safeguards on this book is an idiot. Especially if the crow means what I think it means...

[failsaver]

What's that?

[jerkalope]

That looks a lot like the thing that sprang up from the paper flower in the last ritual. The last one where a lot of unnecessary violence took place.

[ he wiggles a bit like he's checking his back foot ]

[failsaver]

Capital-R Ritual?

[jerkalope]

That's the one. And it started with a few demons hanging around too, which is unusual. I didn't recognize the others, but one was the Vengeance Demon, the one Ceo summoned the first time Clover tangled with him.

[failsaver]

That's —

[ snickers. he can't resist. ]

A little on the nose.

Let me guess: you lost a foot?

[jerkalope]

Temporarily, I lost the ability to keep my tendons attached to my bones. But if they were going to take it as some kind of rabbit's foot they would be getting more than an earful from me!

[failsaver]

[ sooomething clicks into place. ]

Wait, did Clover...?

[jerkalope]

Yeah, that ritual involved them gambling with my toes in place of chips. See, I'm not just empty talk about putting old sins aside for some proper intel gathering.

[failsaver]

Yeah, people usually try to kill me for that kind of thing.

[jerkalope]

The torturing or the end result of being tortured?

[failsaver]

[ stares. ]

Uh, I'm not into torture.

[jerkalope]

Accidental torture can happen! You don't have to be a hobbyist to end up in that situation. Sometimes you can be forced into a kill-or-be-killed situation. Sometimes societal obligations require you to show up for a coworker's tone deaf child's recital and you have forty minutes to reconsider your life's choices.

[failsaver]

... yeah, I know. It's not hard to hurt someone that's on the opposite side.

[ not quite meeting Warden's eyes tho ]

[jerkalope]

Humans do a lot of hand wringing over the motivations on why they hurt each other. As I see it, as long as we're aligned in wanting to figure out why we've been trapped here and nobody makes it personal, then bygones.





...although apologies are nice. When sincere.

[failsaver]

[ presumably the bickering is happening around the same time in Forever Snake timelines. ]

Mm. Looks like you guys have it handled.

[ "handled" ]

Did you get a full heal, at least?

[jerkalope]

Yeah, because my team has a couple of sadists on it that were happy to do some extra credit and give us a win.

[failsaver]

"Unnecessary violence"...

Was it some kind of who-can-be-the-most-sadistic competition?

[jerkalope]

Pretty much. Whoever spilled the most blood seemed to get the rewards of full healing after the fact.

[failsaver]

Right. Definitely a capital-R Ritual.

[ ... ]

How'd Clover do? Gambling with toes doesn't seem...

[ rubs the back of his neck, clearly not wanting to be rude ]

[jerkalope]

They didn't win, if that's what you're asking. Bad luck for them getting a tiny sacrifice like me! But they also didn't completely lose, since most of them survived the ritual without dying.

[ for the rare purposes of propriety, he will not say who ate shit. Clover can discuss that amongst themselves. ]

[failsaver]

[ frrrowns. not at the lack of specifics; that's not surprising. it's something else. ]

Interrogate 'em more later, got it.

For what it's worth, I'm glad you didn't die. And thank you for helping us.

[jerkalope]

Interrogation is the only way you'll get answers 'round here. Might as well start practicing with your flockmates first! They'll only be mildly annoying about their secrets...

Hmm, I appreciate that, Greenie. Death is one thing! But having my professional expertise not taken for granted is a worth a lot.

[failsaver]

Healthy survival instincts go a long way.

[ a beat. ]

Even if you did walk—ride—headfirst into the wolf's den with us.

[jerkalope]

Heh, I would go under my own power, but since you have to keep hold of me to navigate the mist, it's easier for me to ride one of you than the other way around.

And I do have a healthy survival instinct. I just also know that death here isn't the same as being purged. Unpleasant but also impermanent...