[TOY] Plaything

[King-Clod]

I uh... dooon't know how much I should say, but uh.

It basically asked me not to report if I see someone harass them in the future. I tried to understand where it was coming from, but...I told it I couldn't do that. If I leave something unreported, that means that that person will stay in Laurie's until they hurt someone else, and if I could've stopped that I'd feel awful. I want to keep Laurie's safe.

I did ask if leaving its name out of my hypothetical future reports would help, and it said it would, but they still seemed unsatisfied. I don't know if I'm making the wrong call here.

[skinstealer]

You…aren’t sure how much to say, but…

POLKA DOT: …weird vibes, honestly.
POLKA DOT: Not bad! Just…
 

You shuffle in place a bit. 

POLKA DOT: It pretty much asked me not to report it if I see somebody harass it in the future. 
VINE: So, Roulette was the one you saw yesterday?
 

You nod.

POLKA DOT: I tried to understand where it was coming from, but I just…couldn’t agree to it.
POLKA DOT: I can’t just leave something unreported!
POLKA DOT: If I did that, the person who did it would still be here, until they hurt somebody else…
POLKA DOT: If I could of stopped that, I’d feel like shit.
POLKA DOT: I like it here…I want to keep it safe.
 

Vine nods along, taking in your words. 

VINE: So…what was its reaction?
POLKA DOT: Well, I also made sure to ask if leaving its name out of any possible reports in the future, and it did say it would…
POLKA DOT: But it didn’t seem super satisfied with that.
POLKA DOT: …I don’t know if I’m making the wrong call here.
VINE: Well…
VINE: Hm.
VINE: I think standing your ground on reporting people is more than commendable.
VINE: That’s the kind of attitude we want at Laurie’s.
VINE: But…
VINE: That kind of request makes me worry about it.
VINE: I can’t help but wonder if it’s being threatened…or at least, feels like it is in some way.
VINE: Even if there’s not a person or thing actually putting it in danger…
VINE: Something has to be sticking with it to make it want to hide things like this, and nothing good at that.
VINE: It could just be a personal hang up…
VINE: But it might be a good idea for us to keep our eyes peeled.
POLKA DOT: …yeah. Will do.
 

Tim comes over to join you, bags in hand.

TIMOTHY: S-sorry for the delay! My money got all crumpled up, and I had to flatten it, even if the cashier said it was fine, I-
TIMOTHY: You know how it is!
VINE: You’re looking like you had a successful trip, Tim. Good job.
TIMOTHY: I ended up having fun, yeah!
VINE: Well, it’s the pawn shop up next.
 

As if on cue, Marlowe’s voice comes over the store’s speakers.

MARLOWE: Okay, everybody involved with the Laurie’s trip, please come to the front as soon as possible for headcount! We have a lot more to see- if you’d like to head back early, we’ll have a smaller group traveling back to the Place.
VINE: Guessing you want to keep going?
VINE: Still have to get you a weapon, after all.
TIMOTHY: I need one too…but I’ll go with whatever Ribbon’s up for.

[sarcovyn]

(i got ninja'd becos i forgot to REFRESH )

[Lilium Mortem]

Honestly even if I don't buy anything Id like to go to the pawn shop. Like who knows what you'd find in there?

[King-Clod]

Might as well go to the pawn shop. We need a weapon, yeah, but it'd be interesting to see what else we could get. Like... some crafting supplies or something. Would be nice to get into our old hobbies again.

[skinstealer]

 

POLKA DOT: Might as well go to the pawn shop. Even if we don’t buy anything, sounds like you could buy anything there.
VINE: Just about…
POLKA DOT: Besides, I need a weapon.
POLKA DOT: ..maybe some crafting supplies too.
VINE: Those might be a bit pricey…
VINE: But if it helps you get a hobby and you’re willing to pay, I can spring for that.
TIMOTHY: I’d like to see if there’s anything that rings any bells for me, too…
TIMOTHY: Let’s go!
 

---

The walk to the pawn shop is easy, just a bit down the street…Tim seems to be regretting forgetting to put on his new pants, but you can tell by the way he keeps glancing back at Devo that he’s not too upset by getting distracted. Vine keeps an eye on the both of you, making sure you don’t get too wrapped up in your conversation to be unaware of your surroundings. 

The store itself has two floors, and when you’re welcomed inside, you’re taken aback by just how much stuff is in here. There’s floor to ceiling shelves and stuff mounted on any shred of open wall space, and you can barely hear Marlowe’s opening spiel. 

VINE: Okay…you’ve got another twenty five here. It’s gonna be a bit harder to pick stuff up for cheap, so choose wisely. 
VINE: Should be able to get a weapon and…well, a sewing kit and some scrap to work with, maybe.
VINE: Take a look around.
 

Well, they’ve got pretty much everything…what do you look around for?

[MarxzVulpez]

ok, if our memories are anything to go by we're probably pretty good with blunt weaponry so we should look for something suitable for that even if it isn't perfect. intent will help some and all that

let's see if they have any sewing supplies, even if it's like an emergency kit it could help the stuff we already have go a long way.
as for craft stuff, maybe a sketch book, some cheap pencils and some cheap colors? could help us with fashion design stuff and also as like, a journal.

let's also keep an eye out for other potentially useful things

[King-Clod]

I think some sewing supplies and scrap could be good, could be useful if we want to help someone in Laurie's fix themselves up, too. Though, I gotta say, if we can find some watercolors, or painting supplies? I think that'd be worth a try.

Maybe they have a piano here...while we wouldn't be able to afford it, I want to try playing it and see what songs we remember how to play. Maybe it can help bring back some memories.

We can...we can figure out the weapon bit later.

[skinstealer]

You start wandering around, starting with the craft section- it’s full of scraps of all different kinds of material, but they’re definitely…scraps. You’d probably have an easier time ransacking cheap clothes from the thrift store and making new fashion from that than trying to piece stuff together here. Maybe you could make some accessories?

You pick out a sewing kit- five dollars. That’d be necessary for sure.

There’s…the names of fabric start coming back to you as you look stuff over. 

Velvet, silk, terrycloth, leather….what kind of textures and colors should you look for?

[MarxzVulpez]

Hmm, it's currently winter, do they have warmer materials like flannel or wool? I think we should be able to pull something off reasonably well with those, both in a practical and fashion sense

[King-Clod]

Leather! I love the way it looks, been meaning to make myself some leather things. Plus. We could look hot in it.
Maybe for colors we could go for purple or black?

[Lilium Mortem]

do they have any laptop? if that's too expensive maybe an old tv? something for on-demand entertainment in our room.

[skinstealer]

You decide to look around for something warm to start….sure enough, you find some flannel and wool, in mostly neutral colors…

There’s some black leather, too.

Flannel is 7 bucks for a yard, 8 for wool, and…there’s only a few scraps of leather, but if you were to pick them all up, they’d be 12 bucks. 

What about…a laptop? Or a phone? Something you could get in-demand entertainment with…

You have to go to the top floor to find the electronics, and god, all the plastic here is really banged up- but there are options. Laptops are 50, a phone is 30.

Hm. Decisions, and you still want a weapon-

TIMOTHY: Hey!
POLKA DOT: Oh, hey.
TIMOTHY: I found this-
 

He holds out a plastic sword, all one solid color- red, of course.

TIMOTHY: It’s not great looking, but it should cut, right?
TIMOTHY: It’s discounted, probably because nobody wants it…
TIMOTHY: But…
 

There’s a look in his eyes you can’t place.

TIMOTHY: I see promise in it.
TIMOTHY: But… for now this is all I want to pick up.
TIMOTHY: I’ve got some extra cash, though…
TIMOTHY: So I want to make you a deal!
POLKA DOT: Huh?
TIMOTHY: If you help me research some stuff for my munch next week, I’ll give you twenty bucks for the trouble!
TIMOTHY: All it’d be is looking up stuff in the library when we’re off shift, might take some coordination…
TIMOTHY: But I figure a friend could help me look twice as fast!
TIMOTHY: What do you say?

[Lilium Mortem]

I still think that should be a food thing... but sure, I'd be happy to help.

[skinstealer]

You try to hide your excitement at the premise of having some extra spending cash.

POLKA DOT: Sure. 
POLKA DOT: I can do that.
TIMOTHY: Cool!
TIMOTHY: So…
TIMOTHY: What are you thinking of picking up?
POLKA DOT: Uh…
POLKA DOT: Already picked out a sewing kit for sure, but there’s some fabric I’m considering…
POLKA DOT: But…
POLKA DOT: A phone could be nice too, though it’d take like, most of my money now that I’ve got a bump up from you. 
POLKA DOT: I’d only have 15 dollars left for either a weapon or the fabric…
TIMOTHY: Hmm…
TIMOTHY: I think the phone’s a good plan! I’m considering picking one up myself.
TIMOTHY: We could put each other in our contacts!
TIMOTHY: Aside from that, hm…
TIMOTHY: Weapon would be a lot more practical.
TIMOTHY: But…it could be good to get into a hobby again.
TIMOTHY: What’s your call there?

[knux400]

How much is the sword Tim's got? That would give us a sense of scale as to how much weapons cost here.

[King-Clod]

I think the phone would be a good idea, and we can get the sewing kit for 5, leaving us 10 for a weapon. Any extra we can use to pick up some fabric. But fabric or no fabric it should be useful for maintaining the clothes I already have, and maybe fixing up some of what I got from the thrift store.

I am. Tempted to see if we can shoplift a scrap or two or leather scraps, since they'd be relatively hard to miss, but... might be best not to try to push our luck while we're still new.

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

I'd say look into a slashing weapon of some kind, you don't want to need it and then not have it.

[skinstealer]

POLKA DOT: Well…how much is your sword?
TIMOTHY: Ten bucks! But…
TIMOTHY: Like I said, it’s heavily discounted.
TIMOTHY: There was some other discount stuff there, though!
TIMOTHY: Something’s better than nothing!
POLKA DOT: Guess so…
 

You take a second to pick up a plastic phone the size of your palm, startled when a little keyboard pops out of the bottom when you apply a bit of pressure- well, a keyboard sticker, anyway. You get the feeling you’ll be able to type on it just fine, and the sign next to it says that wifi still works. You…aren’t sure what wifi is, but hey, if it’s advertised, that means it must be good, right?

You put it in the crook of your arm along with the sewing kit, and let Tim lead you over to the weapons section.

You get a strange sensation as you approach it, seeing plastic pieces of all shapes and sizes- including some you’ve never seen before in your life, greebled and highly detailed. You don’t even know how someone would use them…

TIMOTHY: Okay, here’s the discount section!
 

Oh, boy, these are really beat up. You’re presented with a rack full of scratched up plastic, but try to focus on what you think would work despite its condition. Maybe a slashing weapon, something sharp-

Your wing finds itself already touching something, and when you refocus your eyes, you’re holding a dented, scuffed baseball bat.

The shop suddenly feels...quieter, somehow.

Feeling an odd sensation, you turn and look up.

Across the store, you spot Roulette.

It's holding a bulky adjustable wrench, the robot in the middle of the same motion: looking up in your direction.

The two of you catch each other's glances simultaneously.

Something's...

You can't place it.

But the bat in your hands feels heavy, and you can feel your wing-fingers clench and unclench around it, seemingly unconsciously.

It feels like something is bubbling up within you.

A half-formed memory of something you'd really rather not remember.

You could risk it and dig deeper, 
or shake it off and leave it buried.

[MarxzVulpez]

I sayyyyy lets leave it buried for now, we have a bat not a shovel. We could potentially ask someone about it later, in a safer, less public space