15strangers | W͜͏̶Ę͏E͝͠K͝͞ ̧1̵͟

W͜͏̶Ę͏E͝͠K͝͞ ̧1̵͟

[The national council just announced the blight to the country.

There was no sugarcoating it anymore. This was a critical time. Saving all of the vines is paramount, but what does one do when the blight hits? It keeps encroaching on the grapes, day by day. Entire clusters, entire bunches, dead and rotting, while allowing the blight to spread, and the leading botanists and viticulturists cannot identify the origin or the cause. They can't even successfully isolate the culprit in their labs; it seems to disappear like air no matter the precautions taken.

It is a catastrophe that seems to be beyond science, and it will result in the complete collapse of the entire country's wine industry. Already, embargoes on this year's crop have forced other grape-growers to close shop for the year after they'd sold their previous stock; it is all too possible that no grapes might ever be grown here again if a cure cannot be found. The tourists have stopped coming. The towns have grown silent.

You, meanwhile, are devastated. With the way your business is going, it will be on the brink of bankruptcy within the year. You will soon have no choice but to close shop and let every grapevine die, let the land go fallow. There must be a cure for this, there must be. Yet everything that can go wrong is.

Then, as you watch the news, it happens. Breaking news. The blight has been found in another country.

It is a pandemic-and it is only getting worse.

-

Well. This is...what else can can anyone say? You all know the deal. You all know what situation you're in. All that is left is to figure out what you can do about it. If there's anything that can be done.

You still feel that compulsion to distrust. To know you cannot win. To know that only the hosts have your best interests in mind. It would be easy to just do all that. But would it be the right thing to do? You can't be completely sure. Indeed, nothing is certain here, except for that damned ticking sound. If only you could stop it.

But you can't stop it. It is inevitable.

There are 15 strangers in this place.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[A fox finds a dog chasing a goose down the street... This sounds like the opening to a really bad joke. Kurama sort of wants to just laugh, but he doesn't want anyone thinking his mother didn't raise him right.

So he moves to try to cut off the goose's escape path. He can appreciate your instinct for thievery, goose, but this is not the time.]

I'll admit I'm just as glad you aren't a hunting breed.

[The goose halts before getting to Kurama, and while he does try to turn to the side to evade him, it gives King enough time to jump on his back.]

GOTCHA!

[Unfortunately, it's only that it becomes apparent that King didn't have much of a plan. He tries to fight the goose, but at best it's an even match, and at worse...

…you might wanna help him a bit more, Kurama.]

[Oh dear.

He's not laughing, he swears. ~~That's a downright lie.~~

Okay, he'll help King pin down the goose. Even without his ki, he's pretty strong for a physical teenager.]

From the machine, I take it?

[~~Goodbye Dignity, it was nice knowing you.~~

He's grateful for the help, even if his face isn't showing it. Instead he's got a scowl as he stares at the bird.]

Indeed. Maybe we should treat it like any other thing that comes out of a vending machine and eat it.

[…is it possible for a goose to sweat? Because this one might be.]

[~~Dignity is overrated?~~

Kurama clicks his tongue thoughtfully at King's reply, watching the goose.]

Goose is very fatty but some people like that.

[The goose struggles, but let's face it, it's not really strong enough to get out of a human's grip, especially Kurama's.

King 'Hmm's about it, before shaking his head.]

On second thought, I think I'll just take the feather back. He'd probably taste like everything else here.

[And meat textured sand still has the taste of sand.]

[Kurama grimaces slightly at that. Yeah, he's tried the food. He's been settling for the pills since then.]

Unfortunately possible. I suppose that means his punishment can be to have to eat to survive just like the rest of us.

[King grabs the feather from the goose’s beak, earning a HONK to the face, but seemingly unperturbed.]

Yup. And now I’m not even going to be nice and share my popcorn with him. Because he doesn’t deserve it.

[SCREW YOU GOOSE]

Agreed, he doesn't.

[They probably don't mean it the same way, though. Kurama disapproves less of the stealing than of the getting caught.]

The food is a sharp downgrade this time around, but I suppose you get what you pay for. Should I let him go?

Unless he's yours, yeah. I'd prefer not to have to deal with him anymore.

[Whether the bird somehow lives or gets frozen by a cold warp is up to the bird now. He doesn't care.]

Speaking of which, is this feather yours?

No, birds and such don't tend to like me much. He isn't mine.

[Maybe because you're their natural predator, Kurama? Either way, he releases the goose and stands back up properly.]

Nor is the feather, though it is very pretty.

[The bird stands up, gives each of them a HONK, and then waddles off.]

Yeah, I think I can understand that.

Any idea if it belongs to anyone here, then? I'd prefer to get things back where they belong.

[Like the pendant that's...currently hanging from his neck. Somehow undamaged from his (shameful) battle with the goose. ~~It's the little miracles I guess~~]

I'm afraid not, it doesn't look at all familiar. If I examined it more closely I could likely tell you if it's dyed or natural but not-

[Kurama's voice dies as he catches sight of the pendant, eyes going wide. King might or might not notice that he's not even breathing for an unnaturally long moment.]

That's...

[For one lonely word, there's an awful lot of raw pain packed into it.]

[Well, that's one Hell of an emotional shift!]

Are, uh...

[He looks down at the pendant, holds it in his paw, then looks back at Kurama.]

Is it yours?

[A...small part of him feels like it is, if only by a technicality...]

It was never mine... but I'm sure I must be the reason it's here.

[Kurama's voice is a little rougher than it was before. His eyes follow the pendant unerringly.]

It belonged to someone very important to me, a long time ago.

Ah.

[That's all he says for a little bit. He looks at the pendant for a second, before removing it, making sure not to disturb the bandana and scarf that were already there, before offering it to Kurama.]

Here.

[Kurama takes it with slightly unsteady fingers but the sort of care only given to precious things. He just holds it for a long moment before hanging it around his own neck and hiding it under his shirt.]

Thank you.

[It's quiet and deeply sincere.]

[He gives a small nod.]

It's no problem.

[People deserve to have what's special to them, after all. Especially in a situation like this, when you don't know when you're ever going to see it again, let alone certain people.]

You're a kind person, I think. That's good to know.

[Especially in a situation like this, yes. Sometimes, most times, kindness is very important.]

Hey, I'm just doing what a decent person should do.

[He doesn't really see it as that much. What kind of person wouldn't give someone something that's important to them?]

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