PC: Will Solace

[rizomata]

Comments

Weekend 0, Sunday

[rizomata]

[the npcs have come and gone, and rita is just going to complain to whoever's in earshot. sorry will, that's you.]

Ugggh! This is so stupid. All this nonsense about a "competition"... and now the only people who know anything about anything have gone and run off on us again!

[stunwhistle]

[that's fine, he's a good listener.]

Yeah. Would've been nice if they could have stuck around and explained a little more, that's for sure.

[rizomata]

Seriously! What could be so important that they have to keep running off like this?

Week 0, Monday

[rizomata]

[Rita's looking at the fountain that just exploded I guess.]

I see this "be heroic, don't destroy things" deal is going just as well as expected.

[Amazing job, everyone.]

[stunwhistle]

[help.]

What the heckie... [WHY IS THAT WHAT "HELL" TURNS INTO. help him. this effect is destroying me.] There was just a guy perched on here earlier. And now it's all blown up?

[rizomata]

Yeah, I feel like some people here can't sit still for like, ten minutes.

week 0, friday

[stunwhistle]

[will has a newspaper clutched tightly in one hand. he nods to rita when he spots her.]

I was wondering when the other shoe was gonna drop.

[rizomata]

[rita doesn't look too pleased, herself.]

Yeah, it kinda figures that something like this ended up happening. That furball wasn't exactly the cautious sort, either.

[stunwhistle]

Dunno. He was cautious enough to bring a gun to the convenience store last night.

Week 0, Saturday

[rizomata]

[Some time after the trial, Rita's just standing out in the street, arms folded and staring at the police station, where the holding cells are.

Unfortunately, whatever her power is, it is not laser vision, and no amount of staring in furious silence seems to be doing any damage to the building.]

[stunwhistle]

[oh. mood. will is... also here?




after a few long moments - ]

...are you also thinking about the logistics of a jailbreak, or...

[rizomata]

More or less.

The team leaders were saying that they came up with something to nullify powers... but there should be something we can do.

week 1, sunday

[stunwhistle]

[flipped a coin and it gave me library! so, will comes across rita here. he keeps his voice down when he greets her because being quiet in libraries is what people are supposed to do.]

Hey, Rita.

[rizomata]

[she doesn't look up from her notes, but it looks like she knows his voice by now.]

Hey.

... Wonder if every weekend's going to be this exhausting.

[stunwhistle]

Gods. I hope not, but...

[it's probably just going to get more and more exhausting as time goes on and they get to know each other better - because the more they all know each other, the likelier it will be that one of the victims is someone they care about.]

This doesn't seem like the kind of situation where it's just going to stop. Even if someone doesn't decide to pull an Argalia and kill someone just for kicks, who's to say there won't be another accident?

week 3, friday

[stunwhistle]

[coming to check in with rita since her teammate died. hello rita!! where are you.]

Are you winning, Rita?

[a beat.


he frowns.]

Sorry. Internet meme thing. What I meant to say was, how are you holding up?

[rizomata]

[ it's okay, she has the same curse so maybe she understands. maybe. ]

... I'm fine.

[ she says, tensely and un-finely. ]

I mean... you know. But I'll live.

You?

Week 3, Saturday

[rizomata]

[ After the trial, Rita can be found out in the park, just sitting on the grass somewhere away from the paths and the people, in a spot that has a little bit of light.

She looks pretty much deflated, sitting with her notebook closed beside her. ]

... I'm such an idiot.

[stunwhistle]

[oh, what.

will takes a seat next to her.]

...you're the last person I'd ever think of as an idiot, Rita.

week 4, tuesday

[stunwhistle]

[this whole thing with the animated comic book panels would actually be pretty cool if it wasn't so invasive. will is not really a fan of seeing the events of his life play out for everyone to see in full color and high definition - but there's no stopping it.

when he raises a hand to wave to rita, a set of panels pops up.]

Will heard a splatter from behind the rock.

He nearly jumped in fright. Next there was a sickening tearing sound, then a pained cry. Had the cynocephali found another victim first? Were they eating each other? He fleetingly wondered if this had bought him some time, and he suddenly knew he couldn't just sit there and wait for them to attack first.

He was a demigod! The son of Apollo! And his boyfriend needed him now.

There was another grouping of stones a few metres away, so Will pressed his hands and feet into the ground and sprang forward, racing to the rocks and diving behind them. He was overjoyed to see his backpack sitting there, and he quickly pulled out his hoodie and put it on. Then he hoisted the pack onto his shoulders. Another bright flash illuminated his surroundings, so Will poked his head above the rock.

He could not believe what he saw.

An entire pack of cynocephali were fighting a large, translucent, glowing cat. The feline hissed and growled at one of the dog-headed monsters, then swiped an enormous paw at it, drawing blood. The big cat leaped onto the cynocephalus and tore at its neck, then jumped out of the way as another member of the pack tried to attack. The cynocephalus on the ground jerked around a bit, and then its body dissolved.

The cat turned in Will's direction, and he was able to see its fierce front fangs, which hung down below its bottom jaw, red with the blood of cynocephali. It had a spotted pattern over its coat, making it look a whole lot like a –

Wait.

Like a sabre-toothed tiger.

"Small Bob?" Will said, rising.

The feline's ears perked up, and then it bounded in his direction. For a moment Will believed he'd made yet another terrible mistake, but the cat skidded to a stop in front of him and shrank. Seconds later, it was a... a cat.

A regular house cat with an orange-and-brown calico coat, and it was purring, slipping in and out of Will's legs.

"You're kidding me," muttered Will.

He wanted to kneel down and pet it – because it was evil not to pet a cat that was being so friendly – but he had a more immediate problem to deal with.

The other cynocephali were closing in.

The lead one lifted its top lip in a growl as it advanced. Will quickly counted, and once he got to twelve he realized that maybe he had a better use for his time.

"Small Bob," he said. "If you can understand me, I need you to do that sabre-toothed-tiger thing again."

The cat purred and rubbed his head on Will's leg.

"Right now would be great!"

Small Bob meowed.

"Any second now!"

The cynocephali circled Will, and the leader lowered its head, preparing to pounce.

"Please don't scratch me," said Will as he bent down and picked up Small Bob. He pressed the cat to his chest with his hand covering Small Bob's other ear, and with his free hand he put his fingers to his lips. The lead cynocephalus leaped at him.

And Will let loose an earsplitting whistle.

The cynocephalus dropped in mid-jump and cried out in pain while the flock of Stymphalian birds fell from the air. The rest of the dog-headed men tumbled all over themselves and one another, giving Will what he needed – a temporary advantage. He let go of Small Bob, who jumped out of Will's arms. Before the cat hit the ground, there was a flash, and Will could see the skeletal outline of Small Bob as he grew, his legs and paws and body swelling and elongating until a full-fledged sabre-toothed tiger hit the packed earth.

Small Bob wasted no time. He decimated as many cynocephali as he could while they were incapacitated, and Will stood there in shock, watching the spirit-like cat lay waste to nearly a full pack of dog-headed monsters. Blood spilled on the ground, and the dead cynocephali disappeared, sent back to regenerate here in Tartarus again. Small Bob had killed nearly all the creatures when a new sound rang out from down the hill.

A voice.

"Get back here!" it snarled.

And there, darting in between some intact regeneration pods, was Nico and his glowing purple sword.

"Nico!" Will called out, his heart leaping in both excitement and terror.

He briefly glanced back to Small Bob, who was fighting three cynocephali at once.

"You seem to be doing just fine here," Will told the cat. "I'm gonna go save my boyfriend!"

Small Bob roared. Will thought it sounded a lot like a roar of encouragement.

[rizomata]

[ whoa. rita's eyes widen, and she is visibly impressed. ]

That's a pretty incredible cat...

week 5, tuesday

[stunwhistle]

[rita gets a text...]

Okay, so - have you actually been to the hot springs yet? Because it looks like paying it a visit is one of our tasks.

[rizomata]

It's pretty out of the way, so
Not yet.

Week 6, Saturday

[rizomata]

[ Some time after the trial, Rita shows up at the jail. She's not entirely steady on her feet, and once she's there, she leans with her back against a wall. ]

You sure caused a lot of headaches... sheesh.

[ rita fucking slept through half the trial and has no right to say this. ]

[stunwhistle]

[he's sitting in his jail cell, his shoulders hunched and his knees drawn up to his chest.]

...I know.