Complete Private Solvale New Horizons

[Tick Tock]

"A little fun never hurts, doesn't it?" That was her first instinct, the first thing to come to mind once she saw him reach for his face in frustration, the growl only making Tick giggle as she adjusted back on her seat once again. "Oho? Practice? Have you been lying to others? To Tick?!" She pointed an acussatory finger back at him, with a wrathful expression mustered for a few seconds before fading away at the punchline of her jest.

His hopes, however, were yet another fool's errand in her ears, but that's a tale worth listening to for the puppets. The deep, thoughtful look must seem alien to others, yet it's times like these were it simply happens. "Tick wonders if you gonna keep calling them 'Boss Fights' once you are locked in." She mused outloud, too loud in fact. Her eyes had lost focus on Ash, relocating to his face once she snapped out of that trance like state. "Oh well, we are reaching -your- destination soon enough, Tick supposes Papa plans to go and find out more?" She grinned, a question that needs no proof, as Ash himself is empirical evidence he would- Afterall, he fought back the threat that is the Mother of Machines... What's a group of cultists in comparison?

"Tick heard rumours of masked people with mysterious powers... Aaaand that's all! No one seems to know more than that, nada de nada." Her hands closed then opened, gesticulation to imply them poofing away. "Not a shred of information not a pinch of knowledge, not even a direction. Oh but Tick is sure they will find you if you don't find them first." Her voice grew somber at that point, serious on the face of a warning, specially to someone she cares for. "They are after us. Well, 'Starcalled' in general, or so the hearsay goes."

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

"This is an illegal game. You've committed to lying by the second login." It was a very obvious evasion of the question. Another lie, really, but what was another on top of everything else?

He met Tick's mock wrath with flat annoyance, then looked away once her expression had faded. It was only once she mentioned the possibility of being UI-locked that he looked back at her, ears pinned.

"If this game kills me, then whatever gets left behind can decide what it wants to call them."

There was more spite in his words than there needed to be. He didn't want be reminded of Terrasphere's lethality, of the deadly dance he consented to with every minute spent in game. It was for the sake of others, or so he told himself.

When you spent so much time lying to yourself, lying to others was child's play.

"...you've picked up a lot of information," he said, turning his mind away from death. It was impressive, and it showed in the tone of his voice. "An anti-player cult... to be honest, I'm surprised there wasn't already one."

He crossed his arms thoughtfully, then gnawed at one knuckle thoughtlessly. "If they're actively hunting players down... definitely need to put that on the blog. Thank you, uh... Tick."

Ash was pretty sure this was still Tick, unless they'd swapped out while he wasn't looking. And while he could use Investigation Mode to confirm it, it would be pretty obvious that he was.

@Tick Tock

 

[Tick Tock]

Tick pursed her lips, tapping away at her chin, yet try as she might no flaws on that logic for her to point out, it was an absolute truth she had to address as such. "True! Fortunately for Tick and Tock, some are pretty bad liars, or roleplayers living their fantasy in this game." Her head bobbed to nod once, twice, thrice, mostly to herself than to Ash.

Thoughts pulled off from her mind as he addressed death with vitriol. Not defiance, but mere acceptance should it happen, something Tock could have commented on were she not manning their carriage. "Tick can't tell apart corpses from 'real' people, but that's okay, you will always be Papa Ash to us, 'till forever, even after death!" She met his spite with a pearly smile and naive cheer.

"Tick doesn't trust it. It loses it's form like jello. Tick likes something concrete, like concrete! They could have lied to Tick for all Tick cares." No, her pride wouldn't allow her to take the praise he granted her. Her word had to be of the most reliable, and panicking citizens is far from that... "Buuut maybe they always existed, who knows? After mama Szofrit's little number, if Tick was some master cultist head honcho, Tick would certainly begin her show riiight now." The cart then came to an abrupt stop, and the horses snorted like their living counterparts...

"Here we are, Honeyhome! Tick assumes this is where we say goodbye? But not without a gift..." The fact the villagers weren't unsettled by the cart would only tell Ash Tock had begun to play illusions yet again.

Spoiler: G i f t

Tick rolled the C U B E off her pockets. Completely scrambled and ready to be solved. "If Papa ever finds himself in a life & death situation where EVERY second counts... Just solve this super simple cube and we'll show up to help." A broad smile formed on her lips.

In closer inspection, Ash can tell that the lights coming from within the cube were clearly not part of the original toy, and possibly proves it does more than it seems.

@Ash Vargold

 

[Ash Vargold]

"Roleplayers... right." Like he had started, though not anymore in theory. Ash shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He'd been in this cramped carriage for too long, and the brief reprieve he'd gotten was tainted by the circumstances. For a brief moment he entertained the idea that this could be a trap...

something something Papa Ash something

"Why do you keep calling me that." He eyes snapped towards Tick, half-angry, half-terrified. It didn't have long to linger after those mumbled words, his attention following Tick's theory on the cult's emergence. Which was a far more comfortable thing to talk about other than... that.

Even better was the cart finally clattering to a stop, and the familiar sounds and smells of Honeyhome trickling into the carriage. Ash took a deep breath, recomposing himself. He had a sort of reputation here, and staggering out of the cart looking like he'd lost a fight with a forest wolf wasn't ideal...

Ash took the cube and frowned as he examined it. It felt odd, and looked odd. Some magia technology? "Uh, thanks. Though I think it'd be easier if I added you two to my friends list..."

He was already a menu deep as he spoke, going through the menus by muscle memory-

Notice

Player Tick not found!

...ah.

Could Tick detect the subtle shift as Ash recategorized her existence? As she transitioned from person to character? Not even Ash was aware of the change trickling through his perception.

This strange woman (and probably her companion) was UI-locked. Dead.

Ash closed his hand and the menu with it. His attention went back to the cube. Clack, clack, clack, it went in his hands, the only display of the budding anxiety that revelation had planted. "...but, I guess I can make this work. Thank you, Tick."

His smile was weak as he nodded his head and opened the door outside. The cube was slipped quietly into his clothes, to be stashed properly later when there were fewer witnesses. He stepped out and stretched, then turned his attention to Tock outside the cart.

"Thank you for the ride. Stay safe on the road." The bow was automatic, but it was proper here in Honeyhome. And there was something distantly comforting about letting that mask slip back on while he ruminated on the new information he'd seen.

@Tick Tock

 

[Tick Tock]

"Tick has her secrets too, you know? Buut if you want to know, you remind Tick of someone, so Papa Ash it is..." She smiled; Nay the truth, but Tick knew better, as the truth was... Boring. Too boring for her tastes, and what's life without some dramatics?

Yet she shrugged, as the SIX-sided and colourful, yet VERY powerful object was put in question over some meta concept such as a 'friend list', waving displeased at the notion. "Nope nope, Tick does no friend list thingie, Tick has more class than that, and so does papa- Tick means, just look at that coat, it's suuper stylish." The tailor should get a rise, her eyes spying great detail on it's craftsmanship, as if it were meant for a rich man...

Perhaps that's what Ash wished so adamantly to hide with his lies? Tick was left to guess, however, as the awoo man begun to make his descent from the cart, pearly teeth flashed on a smile of hers as she waved at him a few more times, leaning closer to get a view of him 'till the carriage's door would finally close itself once again. "Bye byeeeeee, keep in contaaact!"

"See you later, Nephew Ash!"

"Tock" chuckled, following her old man act, even if her voice quite mismatched the body she was disguised as right now, giving one last smack to the fleshy-totally-not-concealed horses and begun to ride off to the distance.

@Ash Vargold