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

[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?

[survivaltricks]

Nnnnope.

[he knows shit about german philosophers, Loki]

I didn't even know who Hegel was until you brought him up.

[literal_trainwreck]

Have you heard of a little thing called a search engine?

[you could have googled it!!!]

[survivaltricks]

What's Google? I've never heard of it.

[AREN'T YOU GOING TO TELL HIM WHY YOU CHOSE HEGEL, LOKI]

[literal_trainwreck]

[huffs, but yes, obviously he wants to explain]

Hegel wrote about dialectics — the pursuit of truth through reasoned argument. Two people, representing two ideas, stand in opposition. Both are in genuine pursuit of the truth.

[survivaltricks]

[a thoughtful hum]

You honed in on our opposing ideologies from the very beginning, then.

[. . .]

Did. . . you think I'd be able to help you reach your truth?

[literal_trainwreck]

In a sense. A game of cat-and-mouse is not so different from a dialectical conversation.

[survivaltricks]

[hn. that seems to draw a grin out of him, features pensive]

Sometimes the best communication doesn't involve words at all.

[literal_trainwreck]

[ok, let's test that. what do you think of this smile?]

1/2

[survivaltricks]

[. . . . . . . . . .]

[gay]

[survivaltricks]

-- what? Why are you looking at me like that?

[literal_trainwreck]

[chuckles]

I think I'll stick with my words.

[survivaltricks]

[snorts]

It's a little different now, anyway. Everything's out in the open, so. . . neither of us have to hide our cards from the other.

[literal_trainwreck]

Feels a bit strange, doesn't it?

[survivaltricks]

[earnestly]

Just a little.

[they spent so long dancing around each other that honesty is very new and very weird, but--]

I don't mind it, though.

[literal_trainwreck]

It's certainly easier. I never realized how draining the act was until I stopped.