holds up butterfly is this king midas

[survivaltricks]

WHO: some wayward thistles and visitors!
WHERE: thistle barn
WHEN: early morning, day 6

[if you're an early riser, you may see a trio of thistles— two of them covered in blood and one of them with an arm of solid gold— stumbling back to their barn!]

[it's fine!!]

Comments

[literal_trainwreck]

I meant Yongen-Jaya. It's hard to imagine anyone else being attached to such a quiet little district.

[survivaltricks]

[. . . ah. . .]

[his gaze flicks away, and he gives a little shrug]

There's a lot to love about Yongen-Jaya.

[. . .]

A lot to love in it.

[literal_trainwreck]

...Of course, it's natural to be homesick. You were spirited away, after all.

[he can be sympathetic sometimes]

[survivaltricks]

[he is very homesick, and very obvious about it]

Yeah.

[what he says next is carefully even]

. . . but it's not just that. My probation ended, so I moved back home.

[literal_trainwreck]

[noting that]

You've never spoken about your life there.

[survivaltricks]

[with forced levity]

It isn't very interesting. Country life can be pretty boring.

[literal_trainwreck]

[we can do levity]

Mm. This is my first time out in the country, and I can't say it's winning me over.

[survivaltricks]

[yes good, let's not delve into hometown feelings]

This is way more country than even I'm used to. The lack of public wifi is the worst.

[literal_trainwreck]

It's a travesty. How am I supposed to know if I'm trending?

[survivaltricks]

[oh my god]

You'll just have to ask the sheep instead.

[literal_trainwreck]

Yes, I suppose talking to sheep wouldn't actually be different than interacting online. Although I'm not certain how I'd pull off the sockpuppets.

[survivaltricks]

[OF COURSE AKECHI HAS SOCKPUPPET ACCOUNTS]

Dress one in a top hat and monocle and teach it to heckle people.

[literal_trainwreck]

[he is under the assumption that everyone does]

Tempting. Although I'm refusing to teach them anything as a matter of principle.

[survivaltricks]

[not Akira!! unless you count his account on Tanaka's Shady Commodities]

Yeah, me too. In protest of all of the bullshit going on here.

[literal_trainwreck]

I wonder if others are more keen to play along...

On that subject, what are your impressions of the other groups?

[survivaltricks]

I've met a few people who are.

[not that he thinks wanting to take care of the sheep is a bad thing, per se. . . he is just cranky about being dragged here unwillingly to do so]

And I don't really have impressions of the groups as a whole as much as I do individuals on it.

Vivace on Bluebell is. . . kind. A bit naive, but she hopes and strives for the best. Her team was originally going to abstain on the blood sacrifice; I'm not really sure what changed.

Bluebell's Shepherd is pretty cool. A real goofy guy, but I bet it's an act. It usually is.

Blood Fiend on Rose is a little twitchy and has trust issues. Considering everything that happened, I can't really blame him. That said, he doesn't seem like a bad guy.

I get along really well with Biscuit on Daffodil, and their Shepherd seems pretty willing to negotiate and haggle. I can see myself working with them in the future. . . except for the fact that they have strong connections to other teams.

Lily seems— [hm] — I don't know, exactly. I'm appreciative of their old guy being honest about maybe offering us up as a sacrifice, and their Shepherd is pretty strait-laced and serious. I guess they seem trustworthy? But again, they have a lot of off-team connections.

And finally, Spinel on Clover is way too young to be here. She acts tough, but I think she's scared— and who can blame her? Clover's Shepherd seems like she's doing her best, too. I feel like I'd want to protect them, for Spinel's sake, but. . . [a light laugh]

More off-team connections.

[literal_trainwreck]

[listening carefully]

All those built-in connections don't bode well for us, do they?

[survivaltricks]

[. . . a small shrug]

[carefully, lightly]

I think it's fair to assume we'd be at the bottom of most people's priority list, yes.

[literal_trainwreck]

[chuckles humorlessly and shrugs]

Well, that's nothing new for me!

[survivaltricks]

[LOKI]

[sometimes he finds Loki's methods of coping to be deeply concerning, but u know what. this time, he'll let him have it]

Not really new for me either, the Phantom Thieves notwithstanding.

But hey-- that's why we rely on our power, right?

[literal_trainwreck]

Precisely.

You won't like to hear this, but it may behoove us to make greater shows of that power in the future. Particularly with our limited numbers compared to the other groups. They should know that we aren't to be trifled with.

[survivaltricks]

[arches a brow, then shakes his head]

You're right; I don't like it. It's not how I operate.

. . . if anything, it's the complete antithesis of what I was fighting for.

[literal_trainwreck]

[see, but that gets a small smile out of him]

I thought so. Ever the story of you and me.

[survivaltricks]

Some things never change, do they?

[lightly teasing]

Are you going to quote Hegel at me again?

[literal_trainwreck]

Don't tempt me.

But I'm curious, do you know why I chose Hegel?