sticksandbones | Netbook;

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Is anyone else worried those things are still out there and we still don't have any way to defend ourselves?

I know the inn's been safe so far, but it's not like we can stay inside forever.

[Although Min-Gi hasn't been overly social this month, he's finally at a point where he's spending more time in the communal area. If anyone wants action instead then feel free to come across him messing with his mini-synth to see if he can get its powers working again.]

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There has to be some way out of this, but I can't think of what. Maybe something to do with the gods?

I don't know. This seems like something we're going to have to deal with ourselves.

After all we've been through before now, I don't know why it refuses to let us use magic now. Ugh.

My guess is we have to do something, we just haven't figured it out yet...

I don't either. It seems strange that even magic from this place isn't working the way it should.

Also does stuff like this just always happen at this time of year or what??? We got snowed in when we first got here too

[He is literally perched on the arm of a chair three feet away from Min-Gi like a gremlin. He doesn't need to write this down literally at all, but here he is.]

[Three feet is so far away... at least compared to how clingy they've been within the confines of their room lately.

Min-Gi doesn't set the book aside, but he does choose to respond out loud instead of writing anything down.]

It sucks, but I still prefer this to last year.

[There are reasons for this that are probably not difficult for Ryan to guess.]

[They have been so clingy with all this time alone together. On the upside, it's been exactly what they needed for kissing practice. But on the downside...well. It's a lot of time to be holed up together, even for them.

Clearly that isn't stopping them from hanging out still. Ryan smiles and shuts his own netbook to give him full attention.]

Yeah, me too. Like, it still sucks, but...I dunno. It's easier this time around, already being here. Not having to deal with getting dropped in spooky woods alone...

[He peeks up and looks around to see if anyone is around and paying attention. For the moment the coast is clear though, so Ryan playfully tilts back so he can reach out and nudge him in the side with his socked foot. Not a kick, but a goofy poke.]

Plus we've both got great company.

[Each other! :)]

[Min-Gi's face burns, but he doesn't shy away. He'd noticed Ryan look around, and trusts he would have noticed if someone had been looking.]

Yeah. I guess it's not so bad being stuck with you.

[He's still awkward, but his attempts to flirt have definitely come a long way over the past month or so.]

Pfft. You guess?

[He's teasing, and not even remotely offended. He slides down from the arm of the couch into the seat, not so much to sit correctly, but to be just a little closer to Min-Gi. An acceptable, not at all suspicious amount closer!]

Well...I guess it's not so bad being stuck with you either.

[This is all very non-suspicious and normal, no different to any other public interaction they've ever had.

Of course, there are more than a few people who have never thought friendship was all there was to their relationship. The bar is not high. Min-Gi has the biggest grin as Ryan moves closer. If they were back in the room there's no doubt he would have moved closer, but they've spent enough time together lately that he doesn't feel like he's missing out because they're not touching now.]

Really? I thought you'd get tired of being shut in all the time way before now.

[Knowing that he would move closer if they were truly alone is enough for Ryan - they've had an absurd amount of alone time to practice since their first kisses, so he's feeling significantly more secure about that. The big smile when he moves is a bonus on top of it.

Mention of being stuck indoors does make him shudder though.]

Oh no, I'm definitely tired of that part. But, you know. At least I'm stuck with you and not like, I dunno, by myself or with someone else.

[He has friends here, but not anyone who he's entirely convinced wouldn't be sick of him by the one day mark if they were trapped together.]

[That makes Min laugh. They've had a lot to keep their minds off being stuck inside, but Ryan's reaction is not the least bit surprising. Even he's starting to feel restricted at this point, so even having Min-Gi as a distraction it isn't shocking that Ryan's desperate for a change of scenery.]

I know we've been kind of keeping to ourselves, but... you don't have to just be stuck with me. There's lot of people staying here.

[Which Ryan knows. Obviously. But Min-Gi doesn't want him to feel like just because they're dating now he can't still spend time with other people.]

It absolutely does! My first year, we got trapped inside an ice castle and besieged by countless frozen knights! Which I would much prefer over the bugs, to be blunt.

Wow, getting locked in an ice castle sounds way worse than getting locked in a regular castle.

[That seems like it needs more explanation, but none comes!]

Too bad we don't have the knights now though. We could hide and then just kinda treat them like creepy exterminators!

Much worse! Cold doesn't usually bother me, but that was unnatural. Oh, it's cute that you think they wouldn't both continue hunting us! The Forest's constructs recognize its toys from the next living thing, the same as these creepy crawlies do.

It was just a thought! It's not like I actually want more things around attacking us anyway! :P

We got held hostage by a living castle once though. It was a lot of getting strangled by clothes and hit in the mouth with mini-quiches. Plus she had living suits of armor pointing axes at us. She even threw a whole mattress at me!

You know... as unpleasant as the rest of that sounds, I think I would endure it for the mini quiches. What does the inside of a living castle look like? Flesh or stone?

Edited 2026-01-28 17:32 (UTC)

Honestly, not as fun as it sounds. picture like, a batting cage but the baseballs are mini quiches and you don't have a bat. ...or use of your hands.

Stone! Her name was Morgan. Mostly she just looked like a regular castle except there was this big booming voice from nowhere and she could move stuff inside her around? She wasn't all bad but she was REALLY pissed off at the time.

I don't know what those are, but I'm assuming I would still have my mouth...! [they are just being a brat right now.]

How fascinating! I can't imagine it was too pleasant, though. All manner of heavy and sharp objects could be in a castle... Luckily, we eventually got the both of you here in one piece!

Oh, right. uhhh...it's this machine that throws balls really fast, and you're supposed to take a bat and see how far away you can hit them. But it throws them SUPER hard so with the quiches it would be like POW POW POW POW POW in your face. You'd have a mouth but you might not have teeth anymore? Or a black eye or something.

[He's trying so hard to explain without explaining All of Baseball.]

Yeah! But luckily we got out way before we got here. Super long story. And honestly she chilled out a little by then anyway, sort of.

[After lowkey trying to kill them but at least she didn't stop them from leaving for real.]

Sounds fun! A sort of target practice. I suppose I would prefer the food be thrown at me a bit gentler. How does one get an enchanted castle to "chill out?"

Apologizing to it, apparently!

Not us - we didn't wrong her. But the person who did finally apologized after avoiding it forever. It wasn't a cure-all, but it helped a lot.

Huh. You know, that tracks, actually. ;)

It sounds like you've been thinking about it a lot. Do you have any suggestions?

[He does not and it's very rude to call him out like this. B[ ]

If I did, I would have started with them.

I'm not exactly a fighter, but it seems as though even people who are have been having trouble. The only safe option seems to be to never leave the inn, but that can't be a permanent solution.

[they're just asking!! maybe he's just shy, or something. (they know exactly what they're doing.)]

Well, there are some venturing out regularly to cull the numbers. Surely that has to count for something, as well?

No offence to anyone who's been trying, but I don't know how well that's been working.

A lot of people have been badly hurt.

I imagine that even more would be, were it not for their efforts. It's only too easy to criticize when we're not the ones with our boots on the ground.

I'm not criticizing. I get that people are doing what they think they need to. I just think there have to better options than staying inside or probably getting yourself killed.

Let's think, then. Oh, you would have loved our fortress defense training! There's a lasting stock of food at the inn, so we don't need to worry about that. Boarding up your windows from the inside is better than trusting glass, but be sure to leave a gap or two for an embrasure! Even if you can't shoot a bow, you could still throw rocks. Oh, but if you leave a window open, you can always pour boiling water onto an assailant...

I'm pretty sure you're making fun of me, but if someone can defend themselves better than I can wouldn't it make more sense to try something like this?

My good man, I am a proud Knight Commander. This may be a joke to you with your gravy potatoes and your fancy lightning-powered pianos, but these skills or lack thereof can spell life or death in my home!

- Poutine
- Synthesizer

It could be life or death here, but that doesn't mean I can pour boiling water on someone. That's why I liked having a magic shield to protect myself.

That's what I said! It really isn't that hard. You've boiled pasta, haven't you? Carried it to the sink to drain the water? You know, I'm trying to give you more options, since what is available doesn't sound adequate to you. As you yourself said, hiding in the inn will only protect you for so long, the same as wielding a shield.

Sure, but I've never poured it onto anyone.

Boarding up our windows isn't a bad idea just in case anything does figure out how to get in. It's a shame to ruin the frames like that, but it's better than getting killed.

If you feel it would truly help, I would advise that you do so before they learn how to enter. Once they know, you won't have the time anymore.

Yeah. That's true. I'm sure there's something in the inn we could use.

I'm sure you could ask someone to bring some inside on one of their trips! I would offer, but I fear I'm not much help at the moment...!

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Netbook;

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Netbook + Action for Min

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