[Mafia] The Aurora Project - [END]

[Zanreo]

"Agh... why isn't this fire working properly anymore?"

"Maybe fire isn't the solution to everything... no... that can't be it...

[Caret]

Bow has been hugging Sherry for quite a while now. The Sylveon could cling onto somebody until she perishes, for all that she cares, but even she – a particularly cuddly member of a Pokémon species already known for being openly affectionate – has her limits. If she spends the rest of her existence hugging someone, then what can she possibly accomplish? 

Having made up her mind, Bow lightly taps Sherry's back and loosens her grip on the girl from a bad future. "Ummmmm... you've been hugging me for a while. Hugs are very good, and I could easily spend my entire life hugging, but ummmm... can you let go now?"

[KungFuCutbug]

[Upon hearing Bow's quiet urging, Sherry opens her eyes and just...awkwardly places Bow back down on the ground, laughing nervously.] "Aye, ah... Perdón. Heard you mention a gun and sort of... went on autopilot, huh. Sorry about that!"

[Caret]

Bow's cheeks turn slightly red. "Aw, it's fine. Having a near-death experience scared the spirits out of my feelers anyways, so phew, that was calming. Your hug was a tad bit too tight, thoughn, but I didn't really care about that.

Bow ponders in her head. Why exactly is Sherry mortally afraid of guns, to the point of her pulling the Sylveon into a bearhug at the mere mention of almost shooting herself? ...Now is probably not a great time to ask, Bow decides. She doesn't want to accidentally trigger a panic attack in the time-traveler, or worse...
...
Suddenly, Bow remembers a dream from last night. It involved her participating in a blood sport that ended in a literally chilling premonition. Just to be on the safe side, she'll look for something to keep her warm.

> look for where the blankets are stored

[Cassie]

> Where are the blankets

...they're in Bow's room, and her room only. Not even the storage room are they found. Man, that's a lot of blankets.

[Caret]

Weird. Bow does not remember stockpiling all those blankets in her room. Could it just be a matter of conveniently choosing a room that might have doubled as a storage closet at some point? Maybe she carried them out of Storage after her foreboding dream and she somehow forgot about that? Or perhaps... someone, just someone, put those blankets in her room as a gesture of friendship? Whatever the case may be, this strangely specific occurrence does seem, to put it in words, a bit... off to the Sylveon.

Bow then trots over to where everyone else is, looking utterly puzzled. "Ummmm, I found where the extra blankets are. They're in my room for some reason. I swear that didn't put them there this time. Anyways, have you guys been staying warm and comfy enough? If not, then feel free to take some extra blankets off my person."

[Oggy123]

"Don't mind if i do!" Nintendo said as he picks one.

[Kennifer]

"I could probably do with an extra blanket; I tend to be pretty sensitive to the cold. Thank you."

Holly will also take a blanket.

[PointMaid]

Ruby blinks her compound eyes. I'm just a little sensitive myself. I don't want to deprive you of warmth at all and it looks like you might want a few of these... but I'll take one if you're offering and leave you plenty. Thank you, Bow.

[KungFuCutbug]

"Blankets?" [Sherry takes a moment to consider it.

In Punta Ceniza, cold temperatures usually meant one of two things. Either it was nighttime, and you needed to find a place to stay for the night before you froze or got ambushed in the dark; or something beyond your control had gone horrifically wrong, and either you needed to hide immediately or it was already too late. Sherry never really particularly cared for the cold for that reason—it always spelled disaster if you were too slow on the draw. (Which makes her wonder why she decided taking a business trip to the mountains was a good idea in the first place.) Here, it doesn't seem all too different. Thanks to the traitors, the already-low temperature becoming even lower is an omen of death, a sign that someone isn't going to wake up the next day. And there's always a chance that someone could be her... one that grows higher with every night that passes and every body that drops.

...Well, if she's gonna die here, she might as well make herself comfortable. God only knows the traitors won't grant her that luxury themselves.] "Seguro, I'll take one."

[awe921]

Russell overhears Bow's offer, but first decides to search through his pockets. He's glad the molten metal didn't damage them any further.

... oh goodness, he lost EVEN more stuff, more than he already did when he came over to this frozen hellhole in the firstplace. That includes his elemental resisting scarves; the cold one was nowhere to be found in his inventory. He's lost his stuff, he's for sure far behind this task too despite his best efforts and now once again his life hangs on the line. Not that he cares much about that last part, but he for sure knows he wants to enjoy his proper sleep and comfort, which were miles above the beds at prison. Russell almost feels strange, for he was unsure if someone like him really deserved this kind gesture.
Okay, that's enough thinking.

Russell sighs.

"... Sure, I'll take one."

[Caret]

Bow nods, and hands out blankets to everyone who asked for one. Warmth is good, but the Sylveon doesn't to end up overheating while trying to sleep. Besides, she doesn't want to come off as greedy, especially on a freezing cold mountain peak.

"I have fur, so I can stand the cold if I really have to; it's just that the cold bothers me if I spend too much time it. Hopefully, I won't have to deal with something like Sheer Cold, but..."

...If the Sylveon does meet her end here, then she would prefer to die buried in a mountain of warm fluff rather than on the frostbitten floor.

[MadameButterflyKnife]

...Don't need a fucking blanket. Seriously. I can handle the cold. Can barely feel it...

Voi's dozing off a bit as she says this. Still, she grabs a blanket.

[Caret]

Bow giggles at Voi. "Hey, you said that you didn't need a blanket, but you're grabbing one anyways! Looks like your logic is a bit faulty, huh?"

Bow sets aside 2-3 blankets for herself, enough to keep her warm and comfy over the bitterly cold nights, while not going overboard to the point of being uncomfortable. She could get by with just this and her personal pillow and quilt—a reminder of home; more specifically, her friends back at the place she calls home. She was hoping to at least establish remote contact with them via her phone, but the conspicuous lack of cell coverage had dashed those hopes. Still, she always has the chance to make new friends here. Sherry has already grown on Bow a bit, disregarding her unprompted hug. Even then, that was sorely needed for the then-frightened Sylveon. Holly and Ruby also seem pretty friendly. Russel's a bit taciturn, and Voi can be abrasive at time, but Bow doesn't care about that. Who knows? Maybe she can introduce her new friends to her existing ones back home, assuming that she escapes unscathed.

...but, there's always a chance that the people she met are traitors, that whatever form of friendship she has with them is insincere. She hopes that is not the case, but... she's going have to learn how to get over her inherent willingness to forge bonds if one of her "friends" turn out to be murderous monsters.

[Despair's Archon of Memes]

PLAN!

1: Use infrared rays to melt the snow like a microwave
2: Use your eye lasers to pry the barrels of the gun and missile turrets open, dejam the barrels, and then Solder them back again using the eye lasers.
3: Salvage whatever you can from the mess (I.E., wood, metal, a tool to use, etc.), Clean up the mess using sorting boxes, And then Solder the protective covering using any metal gathered and any tool salvaged from the mess.
4: Use sound/shock waves in order to shake the snow away, then use a shovel to clean up the rest

[Despair's Archon of Memes]

PLAN!

1: Use infrared rays to melt the snow like a microwave
2: Use your eye lasers to pry the barrels of the gun and missile turrets open, dejam the barrels, and then Solder them back again using the eye lasers.
3: Salvage whatever you can from the mess (I.E., wood, metal, a tool to use, etc.), Clean up the mess using sorting boxes, And then Solder the protective covering using any metal gathered and any tool salvaged from the mess.
4: Use sound/shock waves in order to shake the snow away, then use a shovel to clean up the rest

Corrected Plan:

PLAN!

1: Use infrared rays to melt the snow like a microwave
2: Salvage whatever you can from the mess (I.E., wood, metal, a tool to use, etc.), Clean up the mess using sorting boxes, And then Solder the protective covering using any metal gathered and any tool salvaged from the mess.
3: Use your eye lasers to pry the barrels of the gun and missile turrets open, dejam the barrels, and then Solder them back again using the eye lasers.
4: Use sound/shock waves in order to shake the snow away, then use a shovel to clean up the rest

(I mixed up steps 2 and 3)

[Cassie]

PLAN!

1: Use infrared rays to melt the snow like a microwave
2: Salvage whatever you can from the mess (I.E., wood, metal, a tool to use, etc.), Clean up the mess using sorting boxes, And then Solder the protective covering using any metal gathered and any tool salvaged from the mess.
3: Use your eye lasers to pry the barrels of the gun and missile turrets open, dejam the barrels, and then Solder them back again using the eye lasers.
4: Use sound/shock waves in order to shake the snow away, then use a shovel to clean up the rest

Reisen rolls...1, 2, 1, and 3, yielding an abysmal 7 points. This can only go well...

Yeah, no, bitch, this is why you shovel the snow out first! Look at you! Drenched as all hell and there's still unmelted snow remaining!

Well that went (sarcastically) well! The sorting boxes do jack shit in organising the mess, and the protective covering has lots of holes in it. Too much, really.

...bruh. THE TURRETS EXPLODED FROM THE EYE LASERS! Well that makes fixing them far more hellish, not to mention you got scarred by flying shrapnel.

Ack. Sound waves do jack shit in properly driving the snow away. Should've used heat, man...

For not digging (-2), cleaning up the mess BEFORE patching up the hole despite the great method to patch it (0), a pretty unique way of fixing the turret (+2), and another unique method of cleaning up the snow (+2), Reisen's final score is...9 points!

[Cassie]

"Alright, fellas, turns out we ended up with three people who managed to yield the highest score, but since the attic is only for one, the Pianist and I discussed a bit on how the winner would be decided, and we agreed to look into the point modifiers.

Code:

Holly - +3 +1 +1 +1 = +6
Sherry - +3 +2 0 +2 = +7
Russell - +3 +2 +2 +2 = +9

"With that said...Congratulations, Russell Seager, you get to stay in the attic!"

[KungFuCutbug]

[Cue a quiet but extremely irritated groan from Sherry.] "Attic has only room for one, mi culo... It's like they want us dead by this point. Well, whatever. Nicely done, Russell! 'Grats."

[Despair's Archon of Memes]

Reisen is now even emptier inside. And proceeds to fall flat down into the snow.

[MadameButterflyKnife]

Voi watches the absolute mess that is Reisen attempting to do anything. It was so bad, it was almost funny. And all that after Reisen's terrific streak of luck literally just yesterday.

In Helium City, there was a common superstition that luck was like money. You never could have enough, and you never should spend it all in one place lest you face disaster. Whenever anyone got a jackpot, or a long winning streak, or defied death itself, people would treat them like they were about to die. And when someone went through hell and back, there was always that feeling of hope and fortune beyond for them, as if they were saving up their luck for a beautiful day. To be lucky was to invite the shadow of misfortune soon after. To be unlucky was to strike gold.

Voi never really thought much of it, honestly. Some damn coping mechanism to imagine that you could be rich in some way. Some hope for karma, maybe. But there was something in her that thought there could be some truth to the idea. Like watching the perpetual loser in a cage fight blast a supersonic knockout against the reigning champion.

Or being a shiny, custom made toy, having everything, being everything, before being thrown away for something new and shiny.

Or whatever the fuck Reisen just went though. Was that sharpnel?!

HEY! Bunny girl! You need like, some fucking first aid or some shit?!

[Magolor]

"It really is harsh out here. Lemme help you guys out a little."

In an act of (real?) compassion, the Pianist grabs some gauze, disinfectant, and such to help out Reisen. She seems somewhat experienced with this, rolling out the gauze like that. Given Reisen's condition, she doesn't wait for any approval, either.

[Despair's Archon of Memes]

...

No response. It seems that this murdergame's driven Reisen to madness already.

[awe921]

Russell looks surprised. A 14 year old did better than two adults...?
That weird feeling spurs again. I mean, he did a good job, right? Despite his knife failing on him at the worst possible moment and his clothing having burn marks and holes on them thanks to the molten pieces of metal, he still did a barely good enough job to get a visit to the attic. But... why does it feel weird then? It almost feels as if... something's trying to crush him. It's a light squeeze at the moment, but... Russell has the feeling that this indescribable feeling is going to squeeze tightly, then crush his soul as the days go on by.

Russell holds a hand to his head, before shaking his head and looking back up, towards Sherry.
"... um. Thanks... Sherry, was it?"
"You... did a pretty good job too..."
"..."
"R-right. I guess I'll take a peek inside the attic. See if it isn't a scam or anything like that..."

[PointMaid]

...Um. Is she okay? That looked... rough. Maybe she needs something warm after that?

> Check Reisen's pulse, breathing, eye dilation...