[ it's pretty big and heavy. a metal cage with a simple lock that pickles wouldn't be able to open from the inside, no matter how smart this sweet dog is.
he whines louder in recognition of daan, his soft little 'woo...' that sounds a bit defeated. he tries to lift his paws to help indicate to—something? but that's approximately when daan might hear some footfalls approaching, and when he looks behind him, he'll be able to recognize those putrid yellow eyes.
[ ENOUGH! ENOUGH!!! He turns around with his back to Pickles, glaring at this shitty furry with tension in his body. He's so sick of you, haunting him throughout everything, every waking moment, in this neverending nightmare. He swallows thickly, leaf-dagger in his tight fist.
Hilarious, reflects on conversations he's had with Pickles, something something dog chasing away cats. That's how he knows / is convinced this is just fucking with him. ]
[ pickles barks at the appearance of the pocketcat, growling as his guard dog instincts have truly only been enhanced through the course of this game. but pocketcat just regards daan in that leisurely, menacing way. ]
Oh, hear me out. This isn't my usual dealing, but I've been guided by a certain hand to explore. Maybe you should, too.
Leave this little doggy with me and I can certainly make it worth your while. Give you a taste of what you could be, if you just cared to make a deal with me.
[ His stomach drops like a stone. He stands his ground, his best to be defiant, but his knuckles are pale where they grasp around his makeshift dagger. ]
I've fended off your deals and offers for long enough, I don't see why you think I'd take it now...
[ Barring that he's been turning it over in his head for so long. He glances behind him at Pickles, trying to think, if there's any cave vines inside the place. ]
[ there were the lamp-grass at the very beginning, but that's the terrible thing about caves and decay. if there was anything here before, it's certainly very, very dead now. it'll be difficult for daan to summon anything that could easily come to his will. ]
You're faltering. Do you think I can't smell it on you? Oh, I know just a bit longer and it's inevitable.
You were called here, weren't you? In the darkness. It has something to offer you. One mutt won't be much of a loss. You know it, and I know it.
[ There's a part of him that does feel it, that this is a stupid illusion -- Pickles died ages ago. They all ran around solving his damned murder for nine hours. He wouldn't really be giving up Pickles to the damned cat, probably... but it's a matter of principle. He thinks of his last conversation with Pickles, the separation from his owner, the crushing weight of loneliness and abandonment he felt. ]
No.
[ Emotionally, middle finger. Fuck you Pocketcat.
What is this lock like, can he try to smash it open with the handle end of his leaf-blade or saw through any of these bars. Lampgrass come to him, light-blast this bitch out from his radius. ]
[ the leaf-blade is still too thin to get through any of the bars, but he can do his best to try to smash at the lock! it's a little old, a little creaky. a good few hits will probably be enough to get it open. pickles wiggles impatiently, worriedly.
the lamp grass will wiggle from where it's placed further away, beginning to rapidly grow toward his call. ]
Oh, I can't allow for that. Won't you let me lend you a hand? Maybe I should take one of your fingers, or slit your throat, or run you through the middle.
[ whoa daan which one of these absolutely deranged options do you pick. whether by unseen force or strange compulsion, it seems like you can't make another move without selecting one ]
[ THE OPPRESSING ENERGY OF POCKETCAT'S INEXPLICABLE FOURTH WALL ABILITIES. The obvious answer is to say no to all of the above, because he's not fucking insane, and yet, he's locked in via these three inescapable dialogue box options that he can't escape from unless he closes the game. Unfortunately simply never responding again to this CYOA is not a choice.
Two of these three options sound more obviously lethal than another. There's only one choice he can make while his head is held figuratively under the water. ]
Take a damn finger and leave me alone.
[ Frozen until he makes the choice, looking down at Pickles. He's given up an entire arm before, what's a finger in comparison? ]
[ SURPRISE FOURTH WALL DEMAND..... IMAGINE JUST CLOSING OUT OF THE WHOLE CYOA AND STARTING OVER. SURELY NO ONE'S EVER DONE THAT BEFORE. but pocketcat smiles at the invitation before doing exactly that. with one sickening wrench, daan's right pointer finger is twisted and ripped off from the rest of his hand. he really got caught on a bad day, didn't he?
blood drips onto the floor of the cavern in little plip plops. pocketcat smiles real wide and gives a friendly wave with daan's finger in toe. ]
Until next time.
[ because of course there will be a next time. the footsteps retreat again, leaving daan with a voiceless, trapped pickles, a red cavern pool that's only growing redder, and one less fingie. ]
[ It's fine. It's fine. It's fine. What's a finger to an arm. What's an arm to an eye. What's another set of organs he can live without. The body is just an alternate price to pay to keep himself intact. He doesn't want to bend to that here. It's so early in the CYOA to be doing that :(. ]
Shit --
[ God damn it. He's bashing this lock with all the strength he's got then, driven by adrenaline to break it and get this dog out. HIS DOG!! And looking at the spread of blood while he tries to think. His hand hurts, obviously, but the blood dripping from there isn't nearly as big as the pool and he objectively has more of it to spare than Pickles does. GET OVER HERE PUPPY, ARE YOU HURT SIR. ]
[ sooooo early. it's just monday! daan you paid such a price, wowee. pickles is going to rush over, worriedly whining after daan. he is hurt. blood trickles down his puppy face from where he tried to escape, along with his paws. also it looks like his tail has been... chewed on... a few stray fangs still embedded into it.
[ Fuck it, he's just picking this dog up and they're gonna head the hell out of this place. He checks that tail briefly but as long as Pickles doesn't have any wounds that sugest he's going to bleed out very quickly and very soon, getting the hell out of here and back to the room takes precedence. He maybe has some blue herb seeds, that's healing grass. ]
It's fine.
[ It's fine. It's fine. Fuck you demons if you stare this is his dog rn. Staff don't stop me now.
It's always a matter of what if. He gave up a body part, again -- this time, maybe he can actually save someone, receive what he paid for. ]
[ healing grass!! oh daan the way that you somehow brute force yourself into having hands that heal. pickles doesn't have any wounds that suggest he's going to die instantly in the next four seconds no, but he is going to look worriedly toward's daan's own hand. what the hell was all that, king.
[ It's all he knows and blue herbs are like 90% of the way you end up healing because you use that or just condense them into blue vials I'm sorry, it's just all plants.
Don't even ask Pocketcat is so much to explain man. He's going to head up to his room and set Pickles down on a couch, he does not care if you get blood all over the place, and get a towel to cover up both his own hand and Pickles's wounds, and then get some of that blue herb going.
He is just swearing all the way. What the HELL are the other guys doing. Can he do a room service and request more towels and maybe a first aid kit please. ]
pickles is going to keep bleeding everywhere, still filled with anxious energy, but also exhaustion coming now that he's brought somewhere safe. his ears flatten down against his head in the way that dogs do when they're tired, though at every new sound in the hallway he's on high alert again.
hilariously daan can absolutely get room service and a first aid kit. this place has better service than the actual scawwy village. i hope he enjoys it and the shower "it's a literal death tournament" yes but no longer stinky.
that said, pickles is now in guard dog mode and definitely barks at the room service person. no bother daan ]
[ Okay thanks room service guy. He's going to be very irritable but try not to get on the staff's bad side. It just kind of comes across as bare-minimum politeness for the working class... how far he's come... but no, it's really just a curt thank you as he closes the door and starts digging into the kit.
His finger!! That fucker just really took it. I'm going to be mean and say it was his right ring finger, goodbye marriage. Wrapping that just enough so that it's not going to be hellish and unsanitary to touch someone else's wounds, before he does quick patch-ups on Pickles. His broken translator... ]
What happened -- why were you in a cage?
[ He vaguely was able to communicate with Pickles before he got his translator back, or when his translator broke. It's worth a shot. When is the tournament itself beginning, anyway? ]
[ it's okay i have no idea how to get this info to cloud but when the door closes, the staff calls back 'Don't forget your fight starts soon, s... sir!' (he didn't want to call daan sir. really forced himself there.)
BUT I CAN'T BELIEVE DIVORCED ERA IS HERE. pickles can't believe it either. he calms down slightly once the room service guy is gone, letting himself be treated with quiet, reflexive whines. as for the question... ]
Woo....
[ coupled with a little shake of his head. the puppy does not know either, daan. sometimes you end up in places and situations ]
Also okay, so he basically just fucking wandered out before the tournament started and found his cr in a cage for some inexplicable reason and had to fend off his horrible stalker evil inner demon. He will never explain this to anyone, I assure you. He's just going to show up without a finger and everyone will simply have to deal with that. ]
Alright. That's fine. You can rest here.
[ A little softly. Even if it's all just something made to fuck with his mind... he was pretty fond of this dog. Gives him a slight, very light pet on the ear, wary of his injuries. Maybe he wants to make up for the absolute miserable way they parted, some closure after all that misery. ]
[ HELP HE'S NOT EXPLAINING IT TO ANYONE fair enough daan.... fair enough..... everyone has time to kill before their rounds in the fight and look what you've all gotten up to. silly fun times, seeing your friends. ]
pickles will close his eyes underneath the pat, gently butting up against daan's hand... they're both pretty beaten up... but at least they're here ]
[ I feel like he would. Try to contact his teammates here and be like hey assholes I found PICKLES IN A JAR (CAGE) in a CAVE OFF IN THE WOODS what the fuck is up with that! But they're all off doing their own things and nobody is in their own rooms. You're all useless.
Takes that shower, bandages his hand, and hangs out with the dog. ]
[ what the FUCK is up with THAT!!! but truly maybe aventurine is coming back at some point and that's about it. daan is free to do whatever he needs to prep for the upcoming fight. he'll be made aware (probably from turning on the tv) of the time he has to show up with the rest of the doods....
truly he already got a finger wrenched off i'm like what else can do i to him. nothing. ]
[ Thanks for the break time he really is just turning this room into a full-on plant jungle out of stress and irritation for everything and the world except for our perfect prodigal sonboy Pickles who deserves a hearty nap and a long rest. May he be spared from tournament things, he has been through enough. This sort of counts as abilities practice, maybe? A handful of these are those carnivorous snapping plants that are specifically honed in on cats. Fuck cats, me and my homies all hate 'em.
Daan is forced to acknowledge the Nood Doods is a thing because of the news article and because he actually looks at things most of the time, and has noticed his IDV fit has that embroidery, and he realises everything really does solely exist to torment and grief him in various ways. Amen.
Everyone else really is having learning conversations while he just exchanged a finger for more trauma, amazing. But you know what they don't have... a dog... and room service... sends for an extra pillow, water, and whatever food is safe for dogs, thanks. ]
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he whines louder in recognition of daan, his soft little 'woo...' that sounds a bit defeated. he tries to lift his paws to help indicate to—something? but that's approximately when daan might hear some footfalls approaching, and when he looks behind him, he'll be able to recognize those putrid yellow eyes.
hello again. ]
I don't know if you want to do that.
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[ ENOUGH! ENOUGH!!! He turns around with his back to Pickles, glaring at this shitty furry with tension in his body. He's so sick of you, haunting him throughout everything, every waking moment, in this neverending nightmare. He swallows thickly, leaf-dagger in his tight fist.
Hilarious, reflects on conversations he's had with Pickles, something something dog chasing away cats. That's how he knows / is convinced this is just fucking with him. ]
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Oh, hear me out. This isn't my usual dealing, but I've been guided by a certain hand to explore. Maybe you should, too.
Leave this little doggy with me and I can certainly make it worth your while. Give you a taste of what you could be, if you just cared to make a deal with me.
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I've fended off your deals and offers for long enough, I don't see why you think I'd take it now...
[ Barring that he's been turning it over in his head for so long. He glances behind him at Pickles, trying to think, if there's any cave vines inside the place. ]
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You're faltering. Do you think I can't smell it on you? Oh, I know just a bit longer and it's inevitable.
You were called here, weren't you? In the darkness. It has something to offer you. One mutt won't be much of a loss. You know it, and I know it.
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No.
[ Emotionally, middle finger. Fuck you Pocketcat.
What is this lock like, can he try to smash it open with the handle end of his leaf-blade or saw through any of these bars. Lampgrass come to him, light-blast this bitch out from his radius. ]
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the lamp grass will wiggle from where it's placed further away, beginning to rapidly grow toward his call. ]
Oh, I can't allow for that. Won't you let me lend you a hand? Maybe I should take one of your fingers, or slit your throat, or run you through the middle.
[ whoa daan which one of these absolutely deranged options do you pick. whether by unseen force or strange compulsion, it seems like you can't make another move without selecting one ]
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Two of these three options sound more obviously lethal than another. There's only one choice he can make while his head is held figuratively under the water. ]
Take a damn finger and leave me alone.
[ Frozen until he makes the choice, looking down at Pickles. He's given up an entire arm before, what's a finger in comparison? ]
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blood drips onto the floor of the cavern in little plip plops. pocketcat smiles real wide and gives a friendly wave with daan's finger in toe. ]
Until next time.
[ because of course there will be a next time. the footsteps retreat again, leaving daan with a voiceless, trapped pickles, a red cavern pool that's only growing redder, and one less fingie. ]
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Shit --
[ God damn it. He's bashing this lock with all the strength he's got then, driven by adrenaline to break it and get this dog out. HIS DOG!! And looking at the spread of blood while he tries to think. His hand hurts, obviously, but the blood dripping from there isn't nearly as big as the pool and he objectively has more of it to spare than Pickles does. GET OVER HERE PUPPY, ARE YOU HURT SIR. ]
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oh no :( ]
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It's fine.
[ It's fine. It's fine. Fuck you demons if you stare this is his dog rn. Staff don't stop me now.
It's always a matter of what if. He gave up a body part, again -- this time, maybe he can actually save someone, receive what he paid for. ]
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is it back to the hotel for you, dynamic duo ]
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Don't even ask Pocketcat is so much to explain man. He's going to head up to his room and set Pickles down on a couch, he does not care if you get blood all over the place, and get a towel to cover up both his own hand and Pickles's wounds, and then get some of that blue herb going.
He is just swearing all the way. What the HELL are the other guys doing. Can he do a room service and request more towels and maybe a first aid kit please. ]
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pickles is going to keep bleeding everywhere, still filled with anxious energy, but also exhaustion coming now that he's brought somewhere safe. his ears flatten down against his head in the way that dogs do when they're tired, though at every new sound in the hallway he's on high alert again.
hilariously daan can absolutely get room service and a first aid kit. this place has better service than the actual scawwy village. i hope he enjoys it and the shower "it's a literal death tournament" yes but no longer stinky.
that said, pickles is now in guard dog mode and definitely barks at the room service person. no bother daan ]
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His finger!! That fucker just really took it. I'm going to be mean and say it was his right ring finger, goodbye marriage. Wrapping that just enough so that it's not going to be hellish and unsanitary to touch someone else's wounds, before he does quick patch-ups on Pickles. His broken translator... ]
What happened -- why were you in a cage?
[ He vaguely was able to communicate with Pickles before he got his translator back, or when his translator broke. It's worth a shot. When is the tournament itself beginning, anyway? ]
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BUT I CAN'T BELIEVE DIVORCED ERA IS HERE. pickles can't believe it either. he calms down slightly once the room service guy is gone, letting himself be treated with quiet, reflexive whines. as for the question... ]
Woo....
[ coupled with a little shake of his head. the puppy does not know either, daan. sometimes you end up in places and situations ]
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Also okay, so he basically just fucking wandered out before the tournament started and found his cr in a cage for some inexplicable reason and had to fend off his horrible stalker evil inner demon. He will never explain this to anyone, I assure you. He's just going to show up without a finger and everyone will simply have to deal with that. ]
Alright. That's fine. You can rest here.
[ A little softly. Even if it's all just something made to fuck with his mind... he was pretty fond of this dog. Gives him a slight, very light pet on the ear, wary of his injuries. Maybe he wants to make up for the absolute miserable way they parted, some closure after all that misery. ]
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pickles will close his eyes underneath the pat, gently butting up against daan's hand... they're both pretty beaten up... but at least they're here ]
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Takes that shower, bandages his hand, and hangs out with the dog. ]
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truly he already got a finger wrenched off i'm like what else can do i to him. nothing. ]
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Daan is forced to acknowledge the Nood Doods is a thing because of the news article and because he actually looks at things most of the time, and has noticed his IDV fit has that embroidery, and he realises everything really does solely exist to torment and grief him in various ways. Amen.
Everyone else really is having learning conversations while he just exchanged a finger for more trauma, amazing. But you know what they don't have... a dog... and room service... sends for an extra pillow, water, and whatever food is safe for dogs, thanks. ]