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[brother_nature]

@banditking

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delivery

[calmomile]

[ As promised, two days after their fun(???) hangout, Chobe gets a little package wrapped in brown paper that's neatly bundled up with twine. Inside, there's a cool stone and a note: ]

As requested.
Apply water (1 drop) when you want to test it out.
P.S: Don't use this in your room. It should be obvious but now you can't say I didn't warn you.

-M

Re: delivery

[brother_nature]

[If he had a nickel for every time someone's left him a package as part of a deal, he'd have two nickels. Or he would if he knew what nickels were.

He looks it over, then frowns at the note. How dare someone tell him what not to do??? Who does she think she is? A witch cop?!

Holding up the stone, he looks skeptical.

. . .

What happens if he spits on it.]

[calmomile]

[ He better find a mop, because that stone starts to A) dissolve, and B) emit rapidly thickening fog at an alarming rate.
Congratulations! Whatever space he's currently occupying is about to turn into a special effects set worthy of Hollywood — pounding rain with a side of lightning strikes.

Fortunately the 🌩️THUNDERDOME🌩️ effect only lasts for about five minutes or so. Have fun! ]

1/3

[brother_nature]

[He's absolutely doing this in his room lol. Thankfully he doesn't have much more than a mattress and some clothes, but looks like he'll be taking a shopping trip eventually. Despite the rapidly escalating situation, he's...in awe! Ain't seen shit like this before, and he's seen a lot!! So excuse him as he marvels as an actual storm manifests in his room.

And then. . .]

2/3

[brother_nature]

[What sound does a tree-man make when struck by lightning in a shitty underground basement one-room apartment?

Who knows, but Chobe just found out!!]

3/3

[brother_nature]

[WELL. That fucking hurt! Like a SEARING PAIN he has not yet felt before!!

But once the storm clears out of his room, his body, does in fact, recover. Takes a bit longer due to basically being set on fire from the inside out but. Whatever works. The recovery is a bit graphic, but she doesn't need to know that.

Sometime, probably hours, if not a day or so later, Chobe is trudging toward the gardens again to see if she's hanging out there. He looks the same as ever, aside from his very charred pants, or at least what remains of them, and like, zero shirt. He's going to have to go get shit later.]

[calmomile]

[ Mayou is in fact in her usual spot! Currently with a book spread open over her lap and a faint furrow on her brow, one hand with two fingers extended under a steady tongue of flame. See, fire's always been her worst element. Too finicky, too unpredictable, too unstable to really go for the big, impressive spells like she wants to. And oh, does she want to.
Alas. A sharp 'crack' noise precedes the abrupt snuffing out of her flame and a disappointing puff of smoke from her fingers. ]

Still off? Damn it.

[ Mayou waves away the sooty cloud with an annoyed flap of her hand, eyes flicking over to the approaching (self-proclaimed) Bandit King; boy, does Chobe look a whole lot scruffier than she remembers.
Looking up—
Looking down— ]

...........you ignored the warning, didn't you.

[brother_nature]

I didn't ignore shit.

[He chose to disregard it. Totally different! He sneers at the puff of smoke from her hand. He's had enough of being set on fire and fried for one day. ]

Just though you'd like to know? I'm still standing, couldn't keep me down. Maybe your lightning ain't so strong.

[calmomile]

Hm.

[ Pointedly staring at his ragged ass pants. If he's just here get snippy about not being fatally electrocuted, she's going to go back to paging through the book on her lap.
Interesting... so he can withstand the portable stuff just fine, huh? ]

Noted. Seems like you'll need something more hands-on than just a fulgur stone.

[brother_nature]

A what now?

[He feels like he was just called something vulgar?? But no, she's referring to the stone. He squats, frowning. He may be physically fine now, but he's very much irritated. Partially because it was his own fault, and partially because it wasn't a stronger hit.]

If you can make shit like that, you could be tearing this place apart, ya know. What the hell are you wasting time laying around for?

[She could be committing casino terrorism! Why would she skip out on that??]

[calmomile]

Fulgur stone. You know... crystallized lightning? [ The witch drawls, flipping forwards by a couple pages. ] A bit on the weaker side, admittedly, but it's tough to beat for convenience.

[ Chobe squatting in her light gets an irritable noise in complaint and a lean further to the side without looking up from her book. Rude ass. Can't he see she's in the middle of something important here? If he asks for a refund she might snap at him for interrupting her study time! ]

Anything bigger takes way more time and energy, so... why bother with all that headache? I don't care about chips.

[ She's lazy!!!! Get off her case, Chobe! ]

[brother_nature]

Never heard of it til now. It may not have taken me out, but a normal person probably would be dead or scarred up to hell right now.

[He leans over in her light more!! Mostly squinting with his good eye--what is she reading up on?

Though, he's quickly distracted from his snooping at that last bit. Chobe doesn't really have to worry about chips--he'll just steal shit and deal with the consequences, but even he knows every world runs on money. He cocks his head.]

Hah? You don't care? How are you even alive?

[calmomile]

I said "I don't care"; not "I'm totally broke".

[ UM????? Excuse you sir can you not?!
To nobody's surprise, the book she's reading is boring academia shit on thermodynamics, airflow, combustion, etc. Lots of confusing diagrams and word spaghetti that looks like a scientist got way too drunk and started making up terms with a can of alphabet soup.

Aaaaaaaanyway she's gonna shove his face out of her space pronto. Get outta here, dude. ]

[brother_nature]

Ggh--!

[It's like shoving a cat away from from a glass of water. Let him stick his nose in it!! He swats lightly, clicking his tongue.]

How the hell do you get chips? You look like you'd call gambling "too much trouble." And more importantly, what's all that gibberish? You gonna tell me magic's written in books now?

[calmomile]

...don't tell me you're such a bonehead you don't know how fire works. If you think that's magic, then I can't help you.

[ That's absolutely not what he means. He knows it. She knows it. Still gotta sprinkle in a couple barbs here and there to keep up appearances, you know? God forbid things get too buddy-buddy.
AHEM. Anyway. Back to the topic of chips: ]

You realize hooking up with someone comes with a fat bonus of chips for your account, right?

[brother_nature]

[Well that fucking works!! He clicks his tongue, full offense.]

I know how a fire fucking works, and ya don't need a book for that. Should I demonstrate by burning yours?

[Not that he could. Chobe's talent lies in his raw strength and the manipulation of his plant like body. Even if most fire can't permanently kill him, he still rather not deal with it.

But he's distracted from thoughts of ruining her personal property, looking genuinely surprised.]

. . .Eh? You got some takers? Well damn, guess some folks like 'em young.

[He will not acknowledge she's as old as his brother. Hypocrisy what hypocrisy.]

[calmomile]

[ OI what's that 'you' emphasis supposed to mean, Chobe?!

The book on her lap gets shut with just a tiny bit more force than necessary. Technically she's not done with smacking her head against this frustrating lack of progress just yet, but how is she supposed to concentrate with this bandit bastard throwing off her train of thought like this?

Mayou's reply isn't all spit and vinegar over having her game questioned like this, but boy she is not impressed. ]

I'm eighteen.

[brother_nature]

. . .

. . .

. . .

Nah.

[He simply decides to reject that reality. Not because it's unbelievable at all, she's a perfectly normal 18 year old, and he's from the 1700s, girls were getting married at 15 and 16. Nah, he's just firmly slotted her in his head as "younger" and figures it would annoy her. Because isn't that what matters?]

You shouldn't lie, it's real uncute of ya. You're just too much of a kid, I'm afraid!

[calmomile]

What's that?

[ Mayou cups a hand by her ear performatively - the good old I can't hear you~ act paired with the most uninterested monotone voice she's ever uttered in her lifetime. ]

You don't want a better thunderbolt? Well alright, if you say so...

[ Look, she's already figured out annoying Chobe and then ignoring him gets results. Anyone could see this coming from miles away. ]

[brother_nature]

[Pinnacles of maturity, both of them!! Chobe does indeed twitch slightly at that, but he's not relenting yet, gosh darnit.]

Hoooh? That implies you could do any better. It's okay if ya can't, yer just a little tike after all!

[calmomile]

[ Ha ha! Oh, buddy... like that's gonna make her spite any less potent? Gotta learn from past mistakes one of these days!

Behold her grand revenge: Mayou yawns theatrically, scoots around so her back faces him, and promptly resumes her very best Error 404: Chobe Has Ceased To Exist act without the slightest hint of remorse. Woooow the cloud screens are extra... uh... screen-y(?) today. ]

[brother_nature]

[!!!!

He really has no reason to be bothered. So she ignores him, so what! He has better things to do. And he's a grown ass man, he doesn't need the validation and attention of some brat.

. . .

So anyway he's down on all fours trying to peek over her shoulder like a horrible gremlin man. PAY ATTENTION TO THE BANDIT.]

Oi, you think playin' dumb is gonna get ya off the hook? Showin' yer back to someone is a good way to get stabbed, ya know!

[calmomile]

[ Mayou turns her head... and gets an eyeful of nosy bandit occupying her personal space like a mouthy gargoyle. ]

Hmmm.

[ She really should be more upset about this, but -------- nah. Playing it cool seems to be the best silver bullet for dealing with his particular brand of chaos, so she's content to observe Chobe's sunny disposition with the polite disinterest of someone roped into a surprise MLM party.
The expectant pause stretches.......... ]

Do you even have a knife on you?

[ ...she's legitimately curious, alright. What's with this fascination for stabbing—? ]

[brother_nature]

[Truly he's like a cross between a thug and a cryptid. Still internally vibrating at the silent treatment, mostly out of pride, he gives a big jagged grin when she finally responds. ]

Hoooh? That get your attention?

Knives, swords, pokers--all great for stabbin'! But I don't need any of 'em to get the job done.

[calmomile]

[ Ah, yes, a perfect occasion to give him a (mostly) gentle elbow in the ribs, as is tradition. ]

...so the answer is 'no'. Don't puff yourself up over nothing.

[ Sounds an awful lot like this bandit King has no clothes or stabbing utensils. Bandits these days are so unprepared smh ]