#[story post]

[ask-the-pioneer]

[On the way to Five Pebbles, Marbles saves two scavengers from the terrible fate of becoming dinner. She puts the pink lizard to sleep with a swift and precise hit to its major pressure point. Marbs is then invited to trade at a local a merchant tribe, which the two scavengers are a part of]

// Rubble Atop Rubble (brown scav) and Pollen Dancing in the Wind (pink scav) belong to @pinustree!

[atomicinsantiy]

I remember 5 years ago, when I was playing Iceborne for the first time, thinking it was going to be easy; but it was only until my defender armor wearing and weapon using ass was told: "Get good" by this fucker

[ask-the-totally-real-peppino]

Wait why would you need to say sorry to Noisette?

Pep: "..."

Pep: "Reh ot deil I... I..."

(Flashback Begins)

Noisette: "Is someone out here? We are open!"

Noisette: "Omigosh, hi there!!! Come in, come in! There's no need to be shy!"

Noisette: "You're just in time for some fresh pie! Not that it was gonna go anywhere, since no one's come in today... But still! If that growl was you, you must be starving!!!"

Noisette: "Now you just sit right here! Don't move an inch! I'll be right back!"

Noisette: "Tada!!! I hope you like cherries! It's on the house!"

Pep: "...?"

Noisette: "Are you asking if it's for you? Of course, it is, silly! D'you see anyone else in here? Now, eat up! There's plenty more where that came from!"

Pep: *happy Pep noises*

Noisette: "Oh, I'm so glad you like it!"

Noisette: "Now, if you don't mind me asking, where did you come from? I haven't seen you around here!"

Pep: "..."

Pep: *uncomfortable gurgling*

Noisette: "Oh, do you not speak...?"

Noisette: "Well, that's okay! Do you know any sign? I'm pretty good at it!"

Pep: "...?"

Noisette: "Oh! I can show you some!"

Noisette: "I-I mean, if you'd like! If you wanna just have the pie and go, that's okay too, of course! Hah."

Pep: "..."

Pep: "...!"

Noisette: *happy squealing*

(Flashback End)

Pep: "Deneppah. Tsuj ti dna dekcinap I, eil ot naem t'ndid I..."

Pep: "Em. Gnieb yb gnihtyna niur ot tnaw t'ndid I, yppah dna dnik os tsuj saw ehs tub, reh llet ot gniog saw I..."

Pep: "'Lamron' eb ot retteb eb d'ti thguoht I."

[intramoon]

Nes + Erin: partners in crime & platonic soulmates & always dressed coded (+ Erin all grown-up. ;-;)

[ask-cosmic-conundrums]

[ You find yourself lost within a mysterious forest, where no pokemon seem to inhabit the area... Amongst your searches, something off in distance between two similar looking trees catches your eye. It appears to be a necklace, or amulet looking object. Your curiosity compels you to know more about the strange object. ]

-> What shall your next move be?

[ask-diane]

The next morning, Diane and Sammy said their goodbyes to their friends of Saroka- and began their journey through Imaros.

Diane of course is thrilled to be finally making a move on things...

"Come on Sammy!," Diane says as she speeds a head of Sammy down the trail.

Sammy tries to keep up the best he can with her, but fails repeatedly. He pauses for breaks every so often, then continues to chase after the skitty. After a bit of trial and failure, Diane decides to simply walk, for Sammy's sake.

Finally able to catch up with her, Sammy blurts out with exhaustion, "Man it's been a minute since I've run like that. I stay in Saroka so much anymore- I don't really go many places anymore. Let alone considering to dash somewhere."

Diane giggles, "Well at least this trip will benefit you too, huh?"

Sammy chuckles.

"Well you know I'm not really going on this for my benefit, right?," Sammy says with a smirk on his face.

Diane playfully smacks Sammy with her tail.

"Oh yeah mister- you keep making fun of my sense of direction all you want~ Though someday it'll come back to bite you in the tail "

Both Diane and Samny try to keep straight faces, but fail miserably. Both burst with laughter. Once the laughter dies down a bit Diane purposes a question.

"Alright alright- In all seriousness though, is there anything that you want to do or want to go see while we're doing this?"

Sammy thinks for a moment.

"Uh- well yeah there are some things I hope to do while we're out n about in Imaros. I've got some old friends that have probably missed me for a minute- and there are some old shops I'd like to visit if any are still open."

"Well as your friend- I promise to stop wherever you'd want to go on this journey."

Sammy gives Diane a smile with his eyes.

"Heh, alright. But promise youll keep your word?"

"I promise! That's a Diane guarantee."

"Well alright then."

"Hang on though- Uhhhh where are we headed first again, you said? I forgot hehe..."

"Our first stop? Its Tulip Town."

...

*Diane and Sammy have officially begun their quest*

[burgrr-tower-crossover]

Now what will happen to harmburger ??

Crash: "OH DON'T YOU WORRY ABOUT YOUR OL' HARMBURGER BUDDY! HE IS DOING GREAT WITHOUT YOU!"

"IN A STUPID WAY THAT GREY ZONERS CAN UNDERSTAND. WHEN BUZZERS CAN ATTACH THEMSELVES TO SOMETHING SMALL AND WEAK, LIKE A GREY, IT'LL TAKE A LOT OF FORCE TO GET THOSE PESKY BUMBLE BEES TO LEAVE YOU ALONE!"

"BUT WITH PATTYMAN, IT'S TOUGHER TO HANG ON BECAUSE UNLIKE YOU FLESHSACKS, HE IS A CULINARY CONCEPTOID OF THAT COOL FOOD BUSINESS. IT SUPPLIES ME MY CHEESY PUFFS! HE IS WAY HARDER TO GET A GRIP ONTO."

"BEE-CAUSE YOU BARELY HAVE A HOLD ON THE SAMMICH, WHEN HE ENTERED THAT SUB-ZONE, IT KNOCKED YOU GUYS CLEAN OFF OF THE FELLA! THAT LEAVES YOU ALL LOST AND ALONE."

"UNFORTUNATELY, THAT MEANS I WILL HAVE TO BABYSIT YOUR ANNOYING SELVES UNTIL THE PATTYMAN IS FINISHED WITH WHATEVER HE IS DOING. UGH."

[askteamslipstream]

Two Pokemon sit on a beach, watching the sun sparkling over the water. They seem to be in a conversation, talking animatedly to each other.

“C’mon Molly! It’ll be fun! We can go and register right now and be done with it! Then we’ll be official, we can earn money and standing and everything!”

“I know that, River. But then we’ll have to do more work and have a schedule and have to answer to people. Why can’t we just keep doing our own thing?”

Even though the two of them are chatting, they seem approachable! River and Molly are available for asks!

[aggravateddurian]

Cyberpunk 2077: Chorus

Judy Alvarez (2077) and Vega 'V' Hawse (2077)

If you could pull the lever to carry on forever Would your life even matter anymore? Sure it’s a calming notion, perpetual in motion But it’s not what you signed up for

The Rare Occasions - Notion

"Time's runnin' out, Judes... don't have a lot of time left. Relic Malfunctions gettin' worse... sometimes I'm out for half a day," V explained, "...fuck... I feel bad for draggin' you into this, Judy."

"No," Judy sternly replied, grabbing her chin, "We both knew what we're getting ourselves into. You'll find that cure. If there's anyone who can make magic happen, it's Vega Hawse..."

She leaned closer, "Also, you wouldn't want to make my abuela angry by dyin' on me, would you?"

"Fuck no!" V responded, "...but what if curing me meant we had to be apart for a while? What about us, Jude? Wouldn't be fair to you."

Judy's thumb reached up to her lips, hushing her, "I'll be waiting for you, calabacita."

Warning: Sad story below

Some Time Later...

"We almost never come up here, V... we can see the whole city from here."

"Yeah... there's some memories associated with this place. I can't remember the original feelings I... we... she... fuck, I dunno, had at the time... but I remember the events, and I can't help it... I hate this place."

"What happened here?"

"Two years ago, not long before I... we joined the Aldecaldos and went into Arasaka Tower... just helped Goro Takemura kidnap Hanako Arasaka..."

So Mi raised a concerned eyebrow, "...long story. We stayed the night with Judy, and then we came up here, on the way back from Laguna Bend."

Vega turned towards the city, "Looked out upon the city and asked her how she'd feel if my getting cured meant I had to be apart from her for a little bit. She told me that she'd be waiting for us."

"...Vega..."

"It's in the past now. A different life... can't help but feel somewhat betrayed, So Mi. V's last two years before Arasaka Tower were rough. Disowned by our father, kicked out of the clan, Jackie... I guess I picked up this feeling that V has an aura of death around her... everyone close to V either dies... or they leave, move on, find something better."

So Mi crossed her arms, "Plenty of people you worked with... helped... who're better for it, V. River? He's thriving, same with Randy, Joss and the kids. The Aldecaldos took a hit, but with Panam and Mitch at the helm, they've never been better. Dorian and Kaylee are doing... fine."

Val raised a brow. Dorian may have been physically fine, but years of reflection on his shitty corpo enforcer career had led him to go full Johnny Silverhand, wanting to set the whole city on fire. Kaylee, his closest friend, had spent years in the NET doing God knows what, and came out the other end... different.

"You always know what to say, So Mi."

"Not worried I'm quickhacking your hormone levels, or emotionally manipulating you?"

Vega furrowed her brow, "Have you been talkin' to Johnny?"

"Yeah, crazy conspiracy theory... you wouldn't even guess he's never been able to hold down a woman."

[ask-the-elders-four]

Wo @ Wo: "I am always fascinated by multiples of myself, so I had to come over. May I ask you about yourself, and if it is alright if I write down your answer?"

"Oh a fellow Wo Chien! How delightful- I've never seen another one of me before, ho oh~ And but of course! Feel free to also me anything, and record any details as you please. Let me give you a little intro about myself too!"

"I go by Wo Chien, or as my grandughter, Gia calls me- Grandpa Wo. I'm happily married to my wonderful wife, Chi-Chi. I have a brother, Gruff. Then I've got my four kids: Kai, Powder Snowz Avalanche, and Bytez. Lastly I have one grandchild that I've mentioned before, Gia. Is there anything else youd like to know about?"

[Featuring Wo, from @the-feral-one]

[tollstuck]

It is a wonderful day in the Forty Winks superstructure, and you are a terrible scug.

Start reading - Story / Questions

Welcome to The Misshapen Misadventures, which can be colloquially referred to as Tollstuck! here you can follow the life and times of The Misshapen, a slugcat scavenger hybrid who has every disease, created by its resident iterator "Forty Winks".

Utilizing the ask function you can do things like sending it a

>Command

or perhaps a

[Question]

both preferably formatted in this manner for simplicity. all other attempts at communication can be done outside of these formats.

above all else: be respectful and have a good time. the game begins.

[electricopolis-net]

Life in Exile Pt. 3: Stormy Weather

The days turned into weeks, then months. Bob wasn't sure how long he would have to spend out in the relative wilderness of Junk Town, but some time after he arrived, the air began to warm and turn towards summer.

The passing year brought drastic changes the likes of which he'd never seen before. The seasons in Electricopolis were all very samey, with only the feel of the air and the changes of television and coffee shops indicating the passage of time. Out here, the earth grew softer, the air grew warmer, and the grass began to green while flowers sprung up from the earth.

The changing seasons also brought a familiar crackle in the air that made the hair on the back of Bob Sparker's neck stand on end. When he felt it, he raced back to his and Percy's ramshackle house on the beach almost as fast as the rumor that spread through the town: A storm is coming.

He'd been putting away bits of metal and discarded gadgets for just this occasion. He latched them together and wrapped them with wire, a collection of antennae from long-discarded radios and automobiles until he had a long, flexible rod that swayed and twanged in the air.

"What's that for?" Percy asked, but Bob only looked at him, grinned, and raced out into the plains that surrounded Junk Town. In the distance, thunder sounded.

Percy looked after him, and then his face paled. He closed the book he was reading, jumped to his feet and ran out after him.

It was exactly what he had thought. Bob Sparker had grabbed his homemade lightning rod and was waving it back and forth in the fields, cackling. "Come on!" he shouted, his lightning rod going thwipp in the air as he whipped it back and forth. "Is that the best you've got?"

Percy cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled towards him. "Bob!" he called out. "Stop this foolishness and come back inside!"

"I'll be in in a second!" Bob said, still waving the thin, flexible lightning rod in the air. It bounced off a nearby tree. The clouds began to darken. "Just give me a minute!"

Realistically, there wasn't much Percy could do. If he got close to Bob, there was a good chance the lightning could strike him too, and it would do far more damage to him than it would Bob. While he was contemplating this--

CRACK

--a bolt of lightning flashed in the air. There was a thundering BOOM with it, and Percy nearly flew backwards. Bob's laughter paused, his breath catching in his throat--and then he cackled louder than before. "Now that's more like it!" he hollered, jumping to his feet. "Again! Again!"

"You idiot," Percy grumbled. "Didn't you learn your lesson last time?" He cautiously drew closer to the laughing man and reached out a hand to grasp his shoulder. Then he pulled back, hissing in pain. "Ouch!"

"Sorry, boss," Bob laughed, and the familiar high-pitched mania was back in his voice once more. "I'm a real live wire! Didn't you know that? Hee hee hee!"

"You're a menace, is what you are," Percy growled. He took off his coat, turned it around, and used it as insulation while he grabbed the squirming Bob Sparker in both hands. "You're coming with me!"

---

Bob was a nightmare. Percy barely got him across the threshold of their house before he began thrashing and banging his heels against the floor. "Stop that!" Percy snapped. "You're going to bring the house down if you do that!"

"I don't care!" Bob howled. "I wouldn't have to live here if it weren't for you! I hate this place!" he wailed, sparks flying. "I hate everything here! I hope it burns!"

Percy gritted his teeth. "It will burn, if you're not careful," he admonished. "This place is nothing but wood and scrap metal, you idiot!" He reached out and grabbed a coil of rope from off of the floor. "Stay still!"

"No! You're not tying me up! Not like that no-good Dr. Flask!" Bob protested. He smacked Percy's hand away, then heaved him backwards until they were rolling around on the floor. He straddled Percy's hips and grabbed at the older man's shoulders, banging him backwards against the floor. "I won't let you, you hear me?"

Percy could barely think. Out of desperation, he pulled an arm back, cocked his fist and rammed it straight into the side of Bob's face. Bob yelped, falling back, and Percy scrambled to sit up.

Bob was dazed, but he was bristling all over, as if the electricity within him was causing his skin and clothes to shudder. He sat up, then lunged at Percy, who quickly wrestled him around and wrapped his arms around him from the back.

Bob's head was craned backwards, his body stiff and arched, his eyes wild. His teeth were gritted and his jaw was set so tight that Percy was afraid he would bite his own tongue. "Calm down," he insisted, wrapping his arms around Bob tightly. "Calm down!"

I need to get him to discharge, Percy thought. There's no good way to do that...there's nothing to ground him here. Except...

Percy placed his free hand on the ground, then tilted the other and shoved the side of it, the meaty side, into Bob's mouth. The uncontrollable man immediately latched on to it, bringing his teeth down so hard Percy had to fight not to let out a yelp. Immediately he felt the waves of electricity rip through his body, tensing his forearm up. He couldn't have pulled his hand away even if he wanted to. 

It felt relentless, but the entire ordeal likely only lasted for a couple seconds at most.  As Percy's vision blurred, he slowly slumped against Bob, groaning, a horrible buzzing still vibrating in his ears. His hand hurt--it was clearly bleeding, but it also burned, as if it had been held too close to a fire. His muscles slowly relaxed, aching, one by one. It was as if he was feeling all the pain in his body in bits and pieces, too much to process all at once.

Bob sat up against him, panting and heaving. Slowly his tightened jaw dislodged, letting Percy's hand fall, and Bob let out a hiss of pain as he rubbed at his chin. "Percy?" he croaked, his voice hoarse. "Mr. King?"

Percy said nothing. He only sighed, exhausted, his weight pressing down on Bob's back. The other man turned around, extricating himself from Percy's grip and grabbing his shoulders. "Mr. King?" he said again. "What happened?"

Percy would have laughed if he could have. Instead, he closed his eyes.

---

Percy woke up some time later. He expected to see the white walls of a hospital, but instead, to his immeasurable disappointment, what he saw was nothing but a ceiling of wood and tin. 

"Mr. King?" Bob Sparker leaned over him, craning forward. "Are...are you okay?"

Percy lifted his sore and aching hand. "I'm all right," he wheezed. He turned his hand back and forth, realizing it had been awkwardly bandaged with a cloth. "Did you do that?"

Bob nodded. "I know it isn't much. I'm--I'm sorry," he choked out. "I hurt you really bad, didn't I?"

"It's fine. I gave you quite the black eye, myself," he sighed. "I didn't have much of a choice."

"I didn't even notice." Bob gingerly touched the bruise around his eye. "Mr. King...Percy..."

"Yes?"

"Why'd you do that? I mean--let me shock you."

Percy thought. And after a moment, he responded: "It was the only way to make sure you'd be safe."

Bob collapsed on his chest. "You're just like her," he wailed. "Margaret did the same thing!"

Percy paused for a moment as Bob sniffled. Then, he raised a hand and put it on Bob's head, resting against his fine white hair. "Bob," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I mean...about everything that's happened. The city. You. Me. Margaret..." He let out a long, slow sigh. "I really made a mess of things, didn't I? All because I was too afraid to do the hard thing. The right thing."

"I...I messed up too." Bob sat up, still trying to stifle his sobs. "I'm sorry. I kept saying I didn't want to hurt people anymore, but look what's happened again." His voice betrayed his frustration. "I never wanted to hurt you. Not like this."

A long silence fell between them.

"Bob," Percy said hesitantly. "I know it's not my place to ask this, but..."

"What is it?"

Percy placed his wounded hand on Bob's shoulder. "Let's not fight anymore."

Bob grasped it in his own hands, as gently as he could. "Okay," he whispered, nodding. "I'd like that."

...They didn't notice it, but far away, through the woods and over the dusty valley beyond, the clouds above Electricopolis had begun, quietly and gradually, to disappear.

[ask-the-totally-real-peppino]

Puts a flower crown on your head :)

*Confused but gentle burbling sounds*

[black-suns-rim]

Perseverance

Wow, been a while since I've made a short story. Anyway, this one is about Big Papa seeking out help and pulling through.

The days were going by too fast. They blurred together, and they were getting hard to keep track of. Days merged into weeks, and weeks were hard to distinguish between months. But he still kept going despite being so tired. Big Papa was updating his inventory after the week he spent in one of the merchant stalls.

He was a bit slower than usual. He would've already been done by now if he weren't so sluggish. He would usually have some help, but he allowed for his crew to have some time off from their duties since they had been working hard all week. After cataloging everything, he sat down on the cold metal floor, leaning his back up against one of the metal shelves that came out from the wall.

He looked at the ceiling and sighed. His mandibles slowly moved as he thought about what he wanted to do next. But he didn't want to do anything, though he knew he should do something. He didn't like to sit around when he knew he could get stuff done... he huffed as he got up from the floor. He headed out from the storage room and made his way to the cockpit of his ship, sitting down in the pilot's seat. He pulled up a holo screen on his wrist gauntlet, checking to make sure all of his crew members were on the ship. Once he was sure they were all on board, he prepared the ship for departure from the planet. He had an idea of where he wanted to go, and he acted out of a desperate impulse.

The ship was a smooth sailer, and at times, the crew never noticed when it landed or took off from planets or stations. It was also a silent flyer. It made very little noise. Inside and out. Though it did eminate a soft, low, soothing hum from the inside.

Once Big Papa had his course set, he let the ship fly on autopilot. He leaned back in the seat and rested his eyes. The next thing he knew, one of his crew members was waking him up. He slowly opened his eyes to see Rajneesh, the crew's moral support and event planner.

He was holding a large plate of food in his hands and saying something, but Big Papa was too groggy to catch what he was saying. The next thing he knew, Raj placed the plate of food in Papa's lap. Before he could thank him, Rajneesh walked off with a spring in his step, cheerful almost. Papa looked down at the plate full of food. He stared at it, somewhat dredding it. He couldn't remember how long its been when he actually had an appetite and wanted to eat. He stared at it for a while before he forced himself to eat at least something on the plate, even if it wasn't much. He ate all that he could without feeling disgusted and then checked to see how long it had been that he had been asleep for. "4 hours?" He thought to himself, "Long nap..." He moved the plate from his lap and stood up, stretching all his muscles.

He looked at how much longer it would be to arrive at the desired location he had placed into the computer, only to see it would take 3 more hours. He couldn't think of what to do during that time besides showering, so he did. There was only one showering room on the ship and it was shared, though Big Papa did split it up into 2 sections since his crew explained to him that human men and women often showered separately from each other, unless they were a couple. He did find that strange in the beginning, but after learning more about their culture over the years of working with them, it made some sense to him.

He felt so tired, even after that long nap. He didn't want to stand. He didn't feel like standing in the shower, so he sat as the water pelted his back and head. He watched the water run down his body, mesmerized by the way it trailed down him in ever-changing patterns. He didn't realize how long he had been sitting on the shower floor until he heard his name being called by another crew member. He turned his head to see Ehud, the security officer.

"Are you alright? You've been so still for a while, Pops." Ehud had a towel wrapped around his waste and wet hair clung to his face. Big Papa stood up and turned off the water, ignoring the question. He grabbed a towel from one of the cabinets nearby and dried himself off. Ehud was still a little concerned.

"Pops," He walked over to him as he was drying off, "Is there something wrong? You know you can talk about anything with us."

Papa was growing a bit agitated, "Nothing wrong." He spoke in English. Ehud knew he was lying, but he didn't want to push him, so he nodded and let him be. Big Papa went to his personal room once he was done drying off. He didn't feel like getting dressed at that moment, so he laid in his bed. He fell asleep once more. He woke up a couple hours later to the sound of his gauntlet beeping. He got up from his bed and rubbed his face as he grabbed his gauntlet in a groggy state.

He pressed a couple of buttons, letting a holo screen pop up. His ship had arrived to the planet he had set course to, and it was now in orbit. Papa sighed as he placed his gauntlet onto his left arm and got dressed. He left his personal room, heading to the pilot seat to prepare the ship for entering the atmosphere of the planet manually. He usually didn't like autopilot to land the ship unless he couldn't see well enough to do it himself.

The landing went smooth, and he was able to touch down close enough to the destination he wanted. It was currently night on the side of the planet he landed on, which lined up with the crew's sleep schedule. Though, it was probably a couple of hours off. Papa took with him a heavy fur cloak and a couple of other things before leaving the ship, making sure it was secure before heading off. He didn't want any unwanted gusts entering his ship while his crew was asleep. Many animals lurked around this place during the night.

About an hour of walking later, he arrived at the Nomad Clan's mother ship. Granted, it was small for a clan mother ship, but the clan was also small though growing steadily. He walked up to one of the entry doors and held his gauntlet to a sensor, which unlocked the door, making him able to enter. He wasn't a part of the clan, but he was a trusted ally who was granted all-time entry access into the mother ship when needed or wanted. He made sure to step lightly since most occupants of the mother ship were asleep at this time, but knowing the yautja he wanted to visit, he wouldn't be asleep like the rest.

He entered a neatly organized and well lit room with various scientific instruments. In a corner of the room, a yautja was sitting at a raised desk, looking into a microscope. Papa knocked on the metal door frame to get this yautja's attention. The yautja looked up to see the brown toned yautja standing in the doorway.

"Well, if it isn't 'Big Papa.' I wasn't expecting you to be here. Especially at this time." Furious Scalpel left his desk and grabbed two bottles of c'ntlip, "come in, friend." He pulled out two chairs as Papa entered the room. Scalpel handed a bottle to him as they sat down.

"What brings you here so unexpectedly?" Scalpel popped open his bottle while Papa just held onto his for now.

"I just... felt like I needed to talk to someone." He looked down at his bottle and rubbed his fingers on the cold glass.

"What do you need to talk about?" Scalpel could tell something was bother him. Something was off.

"I... don't know... just something. Anything."

Scalpel sat back into his chair, thinking for a little bit. "How's your trade been going? Got any more unique items?" Scalpel drank from his bottle.

"It's been good... I've been getting lots of business at almost every stand I pitch." Papa placed his bottle off to the side, "I have acquired a couple of items you might take interest in."

"Nice. And do tell me about these items. I would love to hear what you have obtained."

"A couple of... substances that may or may not harber potentionally dangerous bacteria and or other lethal compounds." Usually, he would be excited to tell Scalpel of what he's gotten that he might take interest in, but his spark wasn't there as he spoke.

"Very tempting. I might just buy those off of you. I don't know how you find these things, but you always end up surprising me with them." Scalpel took another sip from his bottle.

"You can take a look at them in the morning if you wish." He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. He wanted to sleep again, but he knew he shouldn't since he's been sleeping so much lately. Scalpel took notice of Big Papa's physical state. He felt concerned.

"Yeah, that would be nice. I have been collecting a bunch of different bacteria samples lately. It would fit in perfect with my semi-lethal collection." He attempted to be a bit humorous, but he failed to amuse Papa.

"Tell me, what's really going on? It's not like you to come here without a heads up. You haven't touched your c'ntlip at all, and you haven't taken your cloak off."

Papa was silent as he looked at the ground, spacing out. Scalpel sighed before scooting his chair closer to him, "Hey, I'm concerned for you. You staying silent won't help." He placed his drink down and leaned forward, looking Papa in the eyes.

In response, he placed his elbows on his knees and put his face into his palms, "I... I am just having a hard time... I don't feel passionate about anything anymore. I'm always so tired but I've been sleeping so much... everything is going so good for me and my crew, but I feel nothing for it." He started getting choked up, so Papa grabbed his c'ntlip bottle, opened it, and began to down it as if he were dying of thirst. He didn't want to cry in front of Scalpel. He didn't want to be embarrassed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Scalpel took the bottle away from Big Papa, "Drowning out your feelings with this won't help you. I know, trust me." He placed the bottle off to the side, "you need to get through this in a healthy way." Scalpel stood up from his seat and made Big Papa stand up too, "why don't we go for a walk?"

Papa nodded and followed Scalpel out of the clan ship. There wasn't any destination in mind. There was only the intention of getting Papa to relax. They walked in silence for what seemed like an hour before Scalpel decided to speak.

"How long has this been going on? The tiredness and such?"

Papa sighed, "Too long... hmm... a couple of months, maybe? I don't know. I've stopped keeping track of time..."

"Have you been doing anything to help get you out of feeling this way?"

"I did try a couple of things. But they didn't work much."

The both of them stopped walking once they reached a large lake. They sat on an old fallen tree that had a good view of the lake.

"Have you tired medicine? I could whip up a remedy for you." Scalpel suggested.

"I'd rather not take medicine... something is causing me to feel this way. I'd rather find out what it is and fix it than take something that suppresses what needs to be fixed."

"Fair enough... I'm afraid I can't help you with that since, you know, psychology isn't my strong suit."

"It's alright... being able to talk with you, though, it helps me, even if it feels like you can't help me." Papa leaned forward, crossing his arms and resting them on his legs, looking down at the ground. He felt like he was going to cry, but he choked back the tears again.

Scalpel could tell Big Papa was trying not to cry in front of him. Feeling bad for him, he hesitantly placed a hand on Papa's shoulder. He hated any kind of physical contact, but he knew his friend relished it. But for him, he felt like he needed that comfort. Papa covered his face in embarrassment as those choked back tears began to pour out from his face.

The gentle comforting pats that came from Scalpel were surprising to him, but he didn't swat away his hand. Scalpel felt a little awkward watching and listening to Papa cry since he had never done so before right in front of him. He also felt sympathy for him, knowing as these were tears that had been held back for so long. He could feel the pain in Big Papa's sobbing.

After a while, he calmed down. He whipped the tears off from his face, and Scalpel removed his hand from Papa's shoulder. He kept his eyes on the ground, feeling very embarrassed. The both of them didn't know what to say, so they kept silent. Listening to the sounds of the forest, Papa and Scalpel found a sort of peace in it. No words needed to be spoken in this moment, and they were fine with that.

Papa was starting to doze off again, so he slowly stood up and took off his giant fur cloak. Leaving it on the fallen tree they had been using as a seat, he walked to the lake's fresh water. Bending down, he cupped his hands and slashed the water against his face, waking him up in a freshening way as well as washing away his dried tears. The water was so cold and crisp that it was addicting to splash against his hot face a couple of times before going back to sit down again, followed by more silence.

It was merely broken by a simple and quiet "thank you."

Big Papa spoke meekly but sincerely. Scalpel nodded, "Anytime." He didn't feel as awkward now. The both of them got up and headed back to the clan ship. Big Papa felt a bit better, and Scalpel could tell.

"So, do we need to go find a subject to torture now? I know a place that has been a hideout for all types of crooks and criminals."

Papa let out a chuckle, "How about you show me your deadly virus collection cause I know you have one."

"Me, having illegal viruses? How dare you say something like that about me?" Scalpel remarked with heavy sarcasm. They both looked at each other and laughed.

Once they got back to the clan ship, they chatted about various. Some of their interests, philosophy, and possible crimes they could get away with. All hypothetical. The rest of the time was spent in silence. A peaceful and relaxing silence. It didn't take too long for Big Papa to drift to sleep in one of Scalpel's seats. Scalpel, on the other hand, continued his work until he heard the first of the clan members beginning their morning. That's when he knew it was time for him to be overcome by sleep.

[contest-winning-pest]

We're on the road with Brendan.

Feels nice not to have pressure.

My team comp has changed again.

He's asking about Contests. Apparently he saw my...

oh my episode of Lisia's Contest Scouting has aired.

oh

[thewriteidea]

Wrting Prompt #17

He stormed into the room, slamming the door behind him. How dare they have no respect! Couldn't they see that he had done everything for them?