[ October Event ] The Black Stag Casino

[pumpkinhollow]

**Plain text version here. [Pending - pardon the delay! Plain text version will be created and added within the next 48 hours.]

THE BLACK STAG CASINO

THE LODGE

{ CONTENT WARNINGS: Mild unreality, lapses in memory }

Wake-Up Call

You wake on the morning of October 26th in the most comfortable bed you have ever laid in. Regardless of what accommodations you’ve been used to in the past, no matter how lavish, you cannot remember the last time you felt so perfectly cradled by a mattress or slept at such a perfect temperature. You wake to the sound of a pleasant little chiming sound, repeated over and over until you address it.

You sit up and realize you don’t know where you are.

It’s not that you don’t remember coming here--- in fact, you very much do. Though the action itself is a bit of a haze, you can recall being approached by a stunning woman dressed in all black, with a wide-brimmed hat that had long tassels which concealed most of her face. She handed you a beautifully printed invitation, though you can’t recall the text, just the image of golden antlers and blue flowers on black paper. Then you went home, packed a bag of your things--- clothes, personal items, toiletries, medications, money, things you might need on vacation--- and then when you opened your door, you were standing in a forest. You recall following lights in the distance until you reached a large, ornate wooden door and then---

Well, now you’re here. In a beautiful hotel room decorated in lavish navy and black decor, possibly with others, and there is a ringing sound.

When someone answers it, despite the advent of the speakerphone having yet to occur, the golden handset phone on the desk can be heard at a pleasant volume which everyone in the room can hear. A woman’s voice speaks.

“Welcome to the Black Stag Casino and Lodge!” she says. “This is the wake-up call you ordered when you checked in last night. Just a reminder--- you are visiting us with an all-inclusive package from now until November 4th! All food services and amenities are free with unlimited use, all entertainment is included at no additional cost, a no-cost service to take care of your affairs at home has been added for you, and you will be receiving 50 free casino chips when you visit! The only things that have a cost to them are the shopping areas and additional chips. Check-out starts at 11am on the 4th, and not a moment sooner! If you have any questions, please see our front desk, open 24/7. Also, please be aware that all interpersonal violence is physically impossible outside of the arena, and no weapons are permitted inside the lodge. Enjoy your stay!”

And enjoy it you must, it would seem. When you look out your windows, you will see the misty pine forest sprawling out endlessly in every direction as far as the eye can see. While you’ll have an opportunity to verify it later should you choose to, you likely already have a sense that there is no way to leave. But at least there seems to be plenty of ways to make the best of things. Time to take a look around?

Amenities

The Black Stag Casino’s lodge is well-outfitted with only the most indulgent of luxuries; the beds are just a start! Each room has a pair of enormous king-sized beds with plush bedding and always the exact right amount of pillows. Rooms can each house between 1 and 4 people. (Please feel free to check out and add yourself to the room assignment chart as you see fit. It should be noted that only those chosen by Dahlia Leeds or Prince Aster are permitted to stay in the VIP suites.)

The bathrooms are equally luxurious, each with remarkably advanced independent plumbing, full-sized bottles of shampoo, fluffy towels and even monogrammed black bathrobes customized to each guest. A handy card informs you that you can even keep the robe when you leave, which is wild.

Each room also has a balcony overlooking the expansive lodge grounds and surrounding forest. The views are eerie, but beautiful in their way.

And of course, each room has several copies of a map of the resort, showing the locations of its underground shopping promenade, numerous performance stages, always-open front desk, lavish spa, buffet, restaurants, bars, and expansive casino floor. There’s also something out behind the lodge called the “arena,” though its purpose is unclear just from the map.

Finally, you will also find a phone number and impressive menu for room service, whose prices have been concealed. A card is attached reminding you that anything you ordered is included in your package. Truly, all expenses are paid. If this place were not clearly the work of a demon, it might be a dream vacation. But considering that anyone in the know could easily clock this as the work of a demon representing indulgence and consumption, the message is clear.

Still, perhaps it can’t hurt to enjoy it a little bit. You are trapped here for a while, after all.

THE CASINO

{ CONTENT WARNINGS: Gambling, violence, potential character death }

Game Tables

The first thing you’ll see if you enter the casino floor is, of course, a wide array of game tables run by dealers both humanoid and monstrous. However, the vast majority of dealers appear to be… the exact same woman. Specifically, a woman in a tight black dress and long black gloves, wearing a wide-brimmed hat with tassels that conceal most of her face. They each wear a gold name tag just below the plunging neckline of their dresses, and each and every one of them reads “Daphne.” (On rare occasions, the observant watcher may be able to catch one of these women phasing into a pair of mirrored copies, indicating that these are all very literally the same person.)

The games are all fairly standard casino fare. Betting is simple--- if you win, your bet is doubled. If you lose, your bet is forfeit.

Casino Rules

Each guest starts with 50 free chips and is responsible for keeping track of them on their own. Chips cannot be used for anything outside of the casino and must be redeemed at the prize counter. More chips may be purchased with Brass at a rate of 50 chips for 200 Brass. Chips cannot be redeemed for Brass once purchased and cannot be transferred or pooled between guests. Chips are not transferable between players.

A guest may bet as much as they’d like on each game, which does not have to occur within a thread (although some should, because that’s what we’re here for!) and can play until they run out of chips or wish to stop. Each game will use dice rolls (or a roulette wheel) to determine winnings, which means that all casino games rely entirely on chance to win. You are on your honor not to fudge results! We have four casino games that we have simplified for text-based RP:

Blackjack

Roll a D10. Rolls 2-9 are number cards of any suit. A roll of 10 can be a 10 number card or any face card (Jack, Queen, King) valued at 10. A roll of 1 represents an Ace, which can be valued at either 1 or 11, per the player’s preference. After the first roll, players can decide if they wish to “hit” (roll again and add the value of the additional roll to their previous) or “stand” (abstain and stick with their current value), with a goal of getting to a total of 21 or as close as possible without going over.

Players may continue to roll until they either decide to stand, or until they “bust” (exceed 21). A dealer will roll against them, which the player can either roll themselves OOCly on behalf of the dealer or recruit another player to roll for. Whoever gets closest to 21 without busting is the winner. Players who are able to “get Blackjack” by rolling to 21 exactly get triple their bet!

Craps

Actual Craps is somewhat complex and not conducive to RP, so this is an extremely simplified version. Roll 2D6. This value will determine the “point” for that round. From there, you will have 7 rolls to attempt to roll the exact same value. If you fail to do so within 7 rolls, you lose and your bet is taken by the house. If you manage to roll the point, you win. If you at any point roll “snake eyes” (a pair of 1s), you automatically lose, unless it is the first roll to determine the point, in which case you may roll again.

Poker

Due to the numerous steps in Poker and the fact that it is meant to be played with the other people at the table as opposed to the dealer, most of a Poker game will be done ICly or handwaved.

Poker requires a minimum of 2 or a maximum of 5 guests and D20s. Place bets to enter, roll your D20 once, then keep the number to yourself. Based on your roll, determine whether you wish to “call” (double your existing bet for the opportunity to win) or “fold” (forfeit). Players who folded will not be eligible to win. All players who called will then reveal the number they rolled on the d20. The one who rolled the highest wins. Rather than doubling their own bet, however, the winner receives all money bet by other players, including those that folded.

Roulette

The Black Stag Casino, like most casinos, has a roulette wheel in the center of the room. However, when you approach, you see that it is not like a traditional roulette wheel.

Instead, all the tiles that should be red are blue, and marked with gold lettering that reads “WIN!” and the black tiles all have gold text on them that reads… well, each one is something different.

The rules are simple. Place a bet of your liking and spin the wheel. If you land on a “WIN” tile, then your chips are doubled as usual. If you land on any other tile, you are subject to the effect of that tile. You may interpret it however feels right to you, and one of these effects even supersedes the “no violence” rule! SPIN HERE!

Most Dangerous Game

On the far wall of the casino from the main door, you can see an exit onto a large balcony with seating overlooking what appears to be an enclosed area of the forest, marked as the “arena” on your map. Beside the doors, you can also see a bookie working at a betting counter. Above the counter, you can see the name of the game, which is simply listed in a stark font as “PREY”.

Additionally, you can occasionally hear a crackling audio that sounds a bit like an old intercom making announcements asking that various people (usually two names, sometimes more) to report to the arena booking counter. There are times listed for “matches” on the wall with people’s names listed, and you can place bets on each “match.” The bookie doesn’t care much to tell you what the premise of the game is, just that he’s the one you can sign up to play with if you want to participate, and that there’s a pretty significant windfall for winning.

- HOW TO PLAY -

- PREY -

Any Pumpkin Hollow resident can play the game in the role of Prey, either by deliberately signing up or by ICly “drafted” to play against their will. (OOCly players would still be volunteering their characters, it’s just an opportunity for you to force them to play if they might not want to.) ICly, the Predator that they are matched with is chosen by Aster with the aim of being an interesting and well-matched fight, though the Predator does get some input. (Again, OOCly this is decided by players entirely.)

Prey are entitled to any weapons or tools they request, but have no input on the environment. Their goal is to escape, incapacitate, or kill their Predator. There will be at least one escape route per arena layout whose location and escape conditions are determined by the Predator. The winner is determined by a combination of dice rolls and player communication.

Prey who win their match-ups will receive a significant prize--- a flat prize of 200 chips, plus 50% of all bets made against them. (Bets from NPC demons will be determined on a D100 and PC bets will be added in after, if there are any.) Prey who lose get 50% of all bets made in their favor, but are dead by normal Pumpkin Hollow rules for the rest of the day. No death certificate is needed for deaths occurring in PREY. Sending Stones do not function inside the arena. No other guests may enter the arena, even as ghosts.

In the PREY Betting thread below, it is the Prey’s responsibility to set up a top-level for their match-ups betting pool. This is done by simply replying to the betting thread with the names of the Prey and Predator as the comment’s title. (ex. [Prey name] vs. [Predator name])

- PREDATORS -

Predators are VIP guests specifically brought in by Aster for this purpose, who signed up to participate via a special character claim. No more can be added. Their goal is simple: to kill their prey, by any means necessary. Predators are given some leeway on who is chosen as their prey and are provided with any weapons or tools they desire. They are also allowed to have the arena magically modified to their liking. However, they cannot modify their environment during the match unless that is specifically one of their existing powers, and they must install at least one escape method into their arena. Predators who die are only dead for a few hours before Aster sets them right, and they are not rewarded or penalized for winning, as they are already being rewarded just for being here by Aster (who has promised them each some sort of wish) and are simply here to work.

The Predators available to play against are below the cut. The Predator is responsible for the starters for their match-ups in the PREY thread below so that they can set up their arena, unless otherwise discussed.

Predator Options

Acrid || Risk of Rain
Nama/Anri || acrid_rain

Allyin Kailius || Original Character
Yarrow || allyin

The Butcher || Malevolent
Meghan || sometimesfortissimo

Brooke Augustine || InFamous: Second Son
QV || helltopave

Chase Collins || The Covenant
Dee || bastardofipswich

Dahlia Leeds || Pumpkin Hollow
Rose || thethirteenthchild

David Xanatos || Gargoyles
Batya || still_got_the_edge

Fenrir || Original Character
Kalineh || odinsbane

FUTURE || SAYER
GladHatter || for_humanitys_future

The Goose || Untitled Goose Game
Jesse || a_anser_horribilis

Hol Horse || JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Sentis || emperorcard

Itazura Unmei || Final Fantasy XIV
constellation || bloodyscalesemptyheart

Jack Spicer || Xiaolin Showdown
Kai || howiruletheworld

Julia Montauk & Trevor Herbert || The Magnus Archives
Blue || tapetumlucidum

Leshy || Inscryption
Harvey || scrybeofbeasts

Mary || Identity V
Mira || predation

Max Jagerman || Nerdy Prudes Must Die
Rose || whowillprayforyou

Ned Low || Our Flag Means Death
Rin || forthelulz

Nikola Orsinov || The Magnus Archives
Rose || dancetheworldnew

King Oberon & Puck/Robin Goodfellow || Folklore
Guildenstern & Bash || oberlord & tailorcries

Spamton G. Spamton || Deltarune
Harvey || nowsyourchance

- SPECTATING & BETTING -

In order to bet, please make a comment in the appropriate betting thread stating which character is placing the bet, how many chips they are betting, and who they are betting on to win the match. Please do not use meta knowledge to influence your bets. If you bet correctly, your bet will be doubled as usual.

To spectate a match, grab a seat on the balcony overlooking the arena! The arena may be enclosed or have scenery that blocks the view, but not to worry--- two large magical screens will be tracking both the Predator and the Prey. You cannot communicate with anyone inside the arena.

Prize Counters

When you’ve earned enough chips, there are some exceptional prizes available at the prize counter! Choose from any of the following options:

Cheap Souvenir - 50 Chips
Some kind of weird junk. Can be nearly anything you like, within reason. Fuzzy blue dice, a bag of weird candy, a poorly made trophy, a Black Stag Casino branded pen, or a very ugly stuffed animal are all great options.

Bottle of Generous Garlic Powder OR Vanilla Extract - 100 Chips
A small bottle containing seemingly infinite high quality garlic powder for cooking or vanilla extract for baking, one or the other (you can get both but you must buy each separately). Not for the faint of heart, as in order for the bottle to retain its endless quality, you must always use its contents to excess each time you cook with them. If you follow the recipe, you will find them empty the next time you reach for the bottle.

Decanter of Endless Spirits - 200 Chips
A stunning crystal decanter that will contain an endless supply of an alcoholic beverage of the pourer’s choice. It is always of the finest quality. Be warned that those who drink from it will feel a slight temptation to overindulge.

Deerbone Dice - 300 Chips
A pair of 6-sided gambling dice made of deer bone, with the dots inlaid with gold. They feel very lucky. Anyone who owns these could add +3 to the result of any dice rolls they perform in any context for the duration of the game.

Silvertongue Amulet - 400 Chips
The wearer of this silver pendant would find themselves permanently more persuasive whenever wearing it, and would find it easier to get people to do things for them or give them information. It works even on the most powerful supernatural creatures, though the success may vary on demons, elder gods, or goddesses somewhat.

Infernal Service - 500 Chips
A ticket promising the services of one infernal servant under Aster, for any task that does not directly conflict with Aster’s interest in a non-negotiable way. Which Infernal Servant will be at Aster’s discretion and dependent upon availability.

Unholy Talisman - 700 Chips
A protective ward in an array of designs that will allow the wearer to resist the influence or workings of Nyarlathotep. Would only help with non-physical/mental effects, physical damage would not be preventable.

Fallen Angel Investor - 1000 Chips
A certificate indicating that Aster will personally fund an Entrepreneur career, paying for you to open a business of your choice. The funded business will automatically be a Level 3 business and there are absolutely no catches aside from Aster being a little nosy about how numbers are.

THE EXTRAS

{ CONTENT WARNINGS: Potential for overeating, heavy alcohol use, mental manipulation }

Food & Drink

Considering it's Aster’s specialty, you know that the food has to be good. And the staff is more than willing to identify everything in the food! It’s not human, they promise. (For once it’s genuinely not. Besides, lying was Mendel’s game. The Dark Feast prefers to skirt around the truth instead.)

There are two main places to eat. The first is a high end, luxurious restaurant with rich and well-made food, some of which is unique and a bit experimental. It’s the finest money can buy, and it’s all yours for free. A great place for a date! Never tried caviar? You can get it here.

The second is a buffet. The food here is also fantastic, though with significantly less bells and whistles. It’s all hot, fresh, and widely varied, and it’s never empty.

Additionally, there is also a stunning bar, whose bar-top is carved from dark wood and whose decor incites a close, intimate feel. There is a VIP room that intends to be specifically for Aster’s guests, the Predators and his family members, though others can join them if invited.

It’s worth noting that each of these places make it fairly challenging to stop consuming, and time seems to pass strangely in them, becoming easily lost. It takes a bit of willpower to leave them, and ordering room service doesn’t seem to really circumvent this problem, as you’re still left wanting more once you’re finished. However, the effect seems fairly mild--- except in the buffet. It is extremely easy to get trapped in the buffet, overindulging in the food there and losing hours and hours of time, and once you go the first time, you feel compelled to go back each time you get hungry. Overconsumption is Aster’s game, but it seems particularly potent there.

Shopping

On the bottom floor of the lodge, which is underground, there is a sprawling indoor shopping area designed to look like an outdoor promenade in a fancy commercial district, with stone shop fronts and gold-lettered signs and tasteful street-lamps lining the herringbone-pattern brick walkway. There are a fair few shops down there, some of which don’t seem completely compliant with the time period Pumpkin Hollow exists in. The shops are as follows:

Wolf’s Clothing: A high end boutique with stylists who can put together the perfect outfit. Everything is magically tailored to fit the wearer perfectly.

Quarry’s Demise: A shop that sells powerful magical armor and weaponry from the mainland. Purchase will be sent to the buyer’s home directly, as weapons are not allowed in the casino.

Flames of Yvelas: A shop selling powerful magical items and potions that you can’t get on the island. Combat products will be sent directly to the buyer’s home.

Complete Sustenance Market: a food market selling high end specialty products and health foods, many of which are not available in Pumpkin Hollow. Perishables will be sent directly to the buyer’s home.

Nightingale’s: A well-to-do bakery with fancy cakes and artisanal bread. Also serves coffee and tea. Occasionally you can see the baker, who is evidently a large wolf-monster with open throat lacerations. This does not seem to impact the quality of the product, or the sanitation of the kitchen. Apparently he just looks like that.

Buckskin Spirits and Liquors: A liquor store with everything imaginable.

Spacetime Super Store: an interdimensional clothing store that has clothing from other time periods, ranging from medieval to futuristic.

Ye Olde Pokemart: A shop that sells Pokemon supplies. It has a bakery counter in the corner that sells Pokemon-safe desserts called PokePuffs.

DreamThrift: a thrift store of some sort that seems to sell gadgetry, decorations, or mundane items from various worlds and time periods. Much of it is middling quality.

Spirit Halloween: Exactly what it says on the tin. How did this get here?

Ennui Perfumery: A perfume boutique that sells beautifully bottled perfumes named after abstract concepts, whose fragrances somehow smell exactly the way one expects the concept to smell and also evokes the feeling of that concept.

Price Guide

The specific items found in each shop are up to players, within reason, and are categorized within a set of broad categories. You may use your best judgment to determine the price of something. If the mods receive a massive influx of price check questions, we will explode, so please use the price menu to the best of your ability and reserve questions about pricing for things that you truly have no frame of reference for. Things are expensive because all of them will be things you cannot get back home!

Follow this link to view the price chart!

Entertainment

In addition to shopping and games, there are plenty of other fun things to do at the lodge. You could take in a show! There are magicians, acrobats, musical performances, and a stage that is dedicated to a 24-hour cabaret that becomes distinctly adults-only after dark. There’s also a spa where you can get massages, a magically-heated hot tub and swimming pool, and a dance hall. Take a break from gambling and check out the other indulgences available.

Grounds

Attempting to exit the casino is entirely possible, but not advisable, as you'll be met with a long and grueling journey through an endless woods full of increasingly violent predators and thick fog. Conveniently, however, once you turn back, you'll find the path very easily traversed and the lodge only a minute or two's walk away, even if you've been traveling through the woods for hours.

CHECK-OUT

{ CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A }

We Hope You Enjoyed Your Stay!

On November 4th at 11am, you will be allowed at last to exit as normal. But will you want to? Perhaps some of you will struggle with the temptation not to extend your stay. Remain a while more. Indulge, consume, obey.

Or not! We hope to see you back soon!

Comments

"Slasher Face" Jean

[restingslasherface]

Rat from the Backstreets | Around | Open

Oh, the nugget is not doing well here. Over the course of their stay it becomes increasingly obvious; they refuse to touch food or drink anything other than tap water, and even then fairly sparingly. Staff members that attempt to interact with them are ignored at first; after the second day, this becomes snappish responses uncharacteristic of Jean, rude, cutting, and venomous. They do not intend to engage with this. They are quite willing to die over it.

...Well...actually...

A Solemn Heart | Spacetime Super Store | Closed to Zelda

Jean goes missing on the second day, but the casino is only so large. Their Captain eventually finds them in the Spacetime Super Store, clearly caught up in a moment, compelled by...

Well. There is a suit which is on display, priced at 500 Brass. Even at a distance, hell, at the entrance to the store, Zelda can hear its familiar voice murmuring to her, greeting her as a friend in mourning and inquiring after her health. Jean stares at it, unnaturally still.

A pocketful of Brass clinks and rasps in their hand.

Life For A Daredevil | Closed to Aster

Day four. Jean is a thin shell of their normal self, haggard and slow, breathing hard. They really should not be making decisions in this state, but spotting the Prince of the Dark Feast from across the casino wrenches something in their fierce little heart, which still remembers leaping in the way of blades for their team. Perhaps...yes...

They approach, bold as anything, their teeth bared in a feral slasher grin, the beast from their employment at Lobotomy Corporation emerging as their body continues to frantically, and fruitlessly, inform their brain that they are dying.

"Are you placing bets yourself, parasite?" Jean rasps, and in their eyes there is only hate.

Cat from the Alleyways

[lahire]

Day Two. A spindly-fingered dealer at a card table invited him to sit, and Jean did the snappy thing. But the reaction on this one isn't quite like the demons, and especially not the Daphnes. His eyes widen at the snapping, and then he ducks his head, breaking eye contact.

"As you say." Not trying to fight back, not trying to seduce or sweet-talk or tempt. It's just immediate folding like a cheap piece of cardstock. The tension in his shoulders is nothing like the brash confidence the demons tend to display, especially here, in a place that is clearly a bastion to them.

[restingslasherface]

Hrm. There's a twinging in Jean's chest they don't usually associate with hunger -

- oh. That's their conscience.

They close their eyes and take a deep breath. Count back from ten. They're still furious but their voice is calmer when they say: "Please let me make your job somewhat easier; I will be playing no games and participating in no entertainment. I do not need to be offered services or informed of the Casino's amenities. I am self-selecting out of any duties you might otherwise have towards me."

[lahire]

“Thank you for informing me. I will keep that in mind. Though I doubt any of the other members of staff will recognize and comply with all that.”

This is incredibly awkward now, but the dealer sort of squares his shoulders. “I am curious if you will be able to abstain for the entire length of your stay. If so, that will be a remarkable demonstration of willpower.”

That doesn’t come out sounding like a challenge. If anything, there might be a note of envy? Mingled with respect? From one who didn’t have that willpower, who has never had it. Who has just. Kept. Falling.

[restingslasherface]

"The ability to die on purpose is not one I'd associate with willpower, but I've done it before. I can do it again."

(And the Floor of Language said: consume us in the name of victory.)

Their gaze slides away; eye contact is a little much right now for Jean, hilarious coming from Agent Weird Eyes themself but it is what it is. "...Mind you, hahaha...my preference would be to leave no stone of this place standing on another! But that seems! To be off the table." Their hand, at their side, curls into something claw-like, at the end of a trembling arm.

[lahire]

The eye contact breaking suits the dealer fine. He ducks his head again, but this time it’s not the ‘service worker judo versus a Karen’ sort of duck. Just making sure he’s not staring at Jean.

“Outside the arena, at least. No, that is not me trying to offer or suggest it for you.”

[restingslasherface]

"...The arena may be a different story, depending. I have little regard for your Manager but we're both somewhat arrogant people, hahahaha...we'll see if he'll play ball."

Jean clenches their fist, unclenches it slowly. Closes their eyes. "You have a more outwardly human appearance than I generally associate with employees of the hostile concerns."

It's not phrased as a question, but it is one.

[lahire]

"From another person, that might take the aspect of a compliment." There's some forced humor there, the desperate humor one uses to hold others at arms length, instead of the warm humor of a shared in-joke.

"I am a new acquisition for the master of this casino."

[restingslasherface]

"...Please understand that I'm not trying to be insulting. I've only been around non-human life for a little over a year." A bit of chagrin shows on Jean's face, in their voice. "Any non-human life. Trees and flowers are still new."

This dealer is an exception to an observed pattern. Jean is curious.

[lahire]

The dealer looks at the nugget for a moment, trying to figure out if that means they, for all their...everything, are human.

"I am not insulted. But I do not know what to tell you. I started out human."

[restingslasherface]

"Implying a transformation?"

Life for a Daredevil

[daemoniumexmachina]

Aster tips his head ever so slightly Jean's way when spoken to, hardly able to be bothered to look up from his drink. An Old-Fashioned with rich golden whiskey and a large square ice cube in the glass. He cracks an odd smile, flashing his wolf-like teeth. A rare gesture, considering most times his face doesn't move at all.

"Now, is that any way to speak to the one who gave you a way to finally get your revenge on Mendel?" he asks, bemused. "Listen, Agent, it's deeply regrettable that my oh-so-eloquent elder brother gave you the impression that I'd claimed some sort of ownership of you, but I assure you that my favor is no more a claim on your person than Kora's is. I haven't done anything to you."

[restingslasherface]

"Answer the question." Jean's body is weak. They have not been eating; they have not been indulging. To be frank that they're upright enough to have this conversation after four days of not so much as a fucking Saltine is only because their life on the Backstreets has taught them how to starve; this short temper is as polite as they're getting. "Circumstances would need to change to an extreme degree for our relationship to be anything other than open hostility. This offer of a bet is all you will ever get from me. Do you want it or not?"

[daemoniumexmachina]

"No," Aster answers simply. "Not really."

Sorry Jean, you won't get him to play ball while refusing the devil his due. You'll have to get a little more persuasive. But the no doesn't have to be permanent.

[restingslasherface]

"Suit yourself. Enjoy your inevitable and agonizing death."

He who can walk away controls the deal. Jean is walking away. That and...well, here in this place they have been deprived of a great deal of their freedoms and comforts. Their house with Zelda and Link. Their work, which they truly enjoy. Their familiar places, their notebooks, their routine. What they have left is their pride, and it is not for sale.

[daemoniumexmachina]

"Same to you," Aster remarks, already back to minding his own business. "You're well on your way."

After all, Aster has pride of his own to think of. And being called a parasite, truthful as it may be, doesn't really fit into it. If Jean wants to play games, there's a whole casino full of them.

Rat from the Backstreets

[actuallyawolf]

While Ylva does not know Jean well, she has indeed met them once or twice, and that's enough to raise her eyebrow when she comes around a corner and witnesses one of these venomous exchange.

She hangs back, at first, but once the staff has withdrawn, she moves closer. "Um. Are you all right?"

Solemn Heart

[hyliasblessing]

As soon as her eyes fall on the suit, Zelda can hear the voice speaking to her, pleased to inform it that she is in fine form, thank you. She enters the... frankly bizarre store, far more modern than anything she's ever seen. It looks like a Wal-mart decided to add a Galactic Bowling gimmick. The lights are irritating.

But she approaches Jean, nudging them lightly. "You're not thinking of buying me another expensive gift, are you?"

[restingslasherface]

"The Funeral is here. In this store. Like it's just a thing."

Jean's voice is quiet. They remain uncharacteristically still; their eyes don't move from the suit.

Brass rasps.

"It...should not be here."

[hyliasblessing]

"No, it probably should not be," Zelda remarks. Though she can't tell if the Funeral has any particularly strong opinions on the matter. It appears, for all intents and purposes, to be just vibing. "Do you think if it's left alone, it'll just vanish back into the aether with the rest of this?"

[restingslasherface]

"...I think, in its own way, it came to a dangerous place to try to save me once." Jean sighs, swaying slightly in place; they're so hungry, worn and drawn. "...I don't want to pay the demon. But."

[hyliasblessing]

"...I do wonder if refusing is even... doing any good," Zelda muses. This is something she's been thinking for their entire stay. Something she's been wanting to say to Jean, but failing to find the right time. "I've been considering the meaning of the Dark Feast. Indulgence. Control. Consumption. And I think that outright refusal is an indulgence in its own right. Indulging one's sense of pride. Exerting control over the self. Perhaps even being consumed. By desire, by fear, by hunger. And I'm of the opinion that the only true counter to the Dark Feast, the only way not to feed it, is moderation. To buy the things you think you need and nothing else. To eat when you are hungry and stop when you are no longer so. To have nothing in excess."

[restingslasherface]

This provokes a period of quiet thought in Jean. If it weren't for the rasp of Brass in their hand, they could be asleep. Eventually, though, they speak in a distant tone, familiar by now to Zelda as them quoting something:

"Sayeth the Buddha: the poor man and the glutton are both slaves to their hunger, and the glutton is worse only because he is also slave to his greed." They sigh. "...There is such fury in me, Captain. He took us from our lives. But that isn't the Funeral's fault. Would you...wear it? If I bought it?"

[hyliasblessing]

"We are taken from our lives constantly," Zelda reminds them. "We live through constant cycles of peace and terror. This one just has a face. Of course I would wear it."

[restingslasherface]

...

Jean leans their head on Zelda's shoulder, and sighs. "I'll buy it. Take it out of this place...I don't know if the Funeral has a want, or a need, to, to change, the way Vah Midna did. But I know it tried to help. It...should be treated better."

They pause.

"...I'm taking a match. An excuse to meet someone who was sort of like an old friend."