Audio | @lucky

[mindofathief]

[The texting function is so finicky and takes forever, so this voice messenger works much better. There's half a minute of Duster poking at the tablet, checking if it's working.]

Oh.

Hello? Can everyone hear me? I'm at the scrapyard near the edge of the forest. I met a spirit that threw a locked box at me, and I need help breaking it open.

[Why couldn't the spirit be like a normal ghost and leave behind a present box instead?]

...If whatever's inside is important, I don't want to accidentally break it.

Comments

@riku; text

[equinoctials]

[ When you can't call a locksmith, call a Keyblade wielder? ]

I can help. Are you able to get to bonfire square with it?

@daylit; audio.

[sunborne]

Oh whoa! That was pretty aggressive of the spirit to do.

You're not hurt, are you? Are you okay?

[mindofathief]

I'm fine. I think it was supposed to be a gift?

[The sound of Duster pulling on the lock.]

If we have any cutting tools at the village, we'll need them.

audio

[mindofathief]

[Text!! He hits the voice recorder even if it will make communication clunky.]

It's kind of heavy, but I think I can make it.

[He hadn't trained all his life to be unable to carry his spoils.]

[equinoctials]

I can come to you. It'll take a little longer. Do you feel safe where you are?

[mindofathief]

Yeah. There's just junk, and I haven't had any attacks yet.

[So he'll sit on the treasure chest and wait for Riku.]

[equinoctials]

OK, hold tight.

[ It's a long trip from the Museum, less so with the electric bike, but without anything brighter than his lantern to go by, he can't travel faster than a brisk jog. He could walk it. But Riku doesn't know what he'll find. If they'll need transport back to town.

Besides, it's the scrapyard. He might be able to find parts for creating a version of a headlight they can power with a candle from the bonfire, or something.

Over his usual clothes, Riku wears a pullover gray hoodie and a black leather bomber jacket to ward off the winter chill. ]

audio, @purrsona

[survivaltricks]

[. . . man the spirits sure are something, aren't they?]

Diiiiid you do something to piss it off?

[mindofathief]

[There's a person approaching, and Duster can guess with great certainty that this is the guy coming over to help. He stands, putting most of his weight on his left leg, and waves Riku over.]

[mindofathief]

I said "hi" and showed off one of my tools. It make noises and then this dropped out of the sky.

I'm pretty sure it's a gift. [It's pure logic.]

[equinoctials]

[ There's not really much else to see here besides the scrapyard, so this must be... ]

Lucky?

[ Sometimes their network handle ends up being their name, sometimes it's just something they like, or in some rarer cases, it's just one ridiculous typo. He's even more of a man of few words (with strangers), but mainly because his throat - while healed - isn't quite ready for extensive use. ]

...Riku.

[mindofathief]

Just Duster. Lucky's my stage name.

[It hits him that Riku was referring to the name he used on the tablet. Duster scratches his cheek while staring at his bike.]

Anyway, I got this treasure chest. [He gestures at the box behind him, sealed with an old and rusty lock.] I was walking some ways into the forest, near a river. I couldn't find a bridge, so when I turned around I saw this spirit, tried to talk to it, and...I guess it's his present for us.

[equinoctials]

Stage name?

[ Riku climbs off the bike, setting the stand to prop it upright, rubbing his bare fingers before he digs them right into the lined pockets of his jacket. To anyone from a more temperate climate, the cold probably isn't terrible, but to his islander blood it's pretty uncomfortable.

He regards the chest as Duster explains. For a moment, he looks about to say something, and after the sort of headshake that indicates a changed priority, Riku asks: ]

What did they look like?

[ He stoops to get a closer look at the chest. ]

[mindofathief]

I was a musician back home, played bass in a band. DCMC was the most popular group of entertainers on the Nowhere Islands.

[He turns his head to follow Riku, swiveling in place to see him look over the chest.]

I tried picking it.

So that spirit. It looked like a giant bat. It just made noises at me. Why, do you recognize it?

[equinoctials]

Jack of all trades, huh?

[ Nowhere Islands? Funny enough, that sounds like a perfectly plausible name. ]

I don't.

[ He has since stood up, looking thoughtfully at the chest. A moment more, and Riku puts down his hand, closing his fingers around what first appears to be a crystalline glimmer, except this casts no light, condensing into a broadsword-like weapon that resembles...

Well. It kind of looks like a car key.

There's no outlandish flourish - his heart's really not in it, honestly - but he taps the chest with this conveniently-appearing weapon--

--and its lock falls open. ]

[sunborne]

There could be some tools in the general store that could help with unlocking it.

[ at the very least- there's gotta be something to force it open. ]

If you want- We can meet up? I'll grab what I can and I'll meet you somewhere.

[mindofathief]

[Inside the present, there was...

a set a playing cards?

Duster crouches in front of the treasure chest and takes one card in his hand. No wonder this thing was heavy.]

...What are they for? [They certainly don't have these where he's from.]

@shigeru: text

[mysophobic]

I might be able to help too, if you haven't already gotten it to open. But did a spirit here really give it to you?!

[mindofathief]

I'm at the scrapyard.

[Fortunately, Riku will have already come and used Keyblade Magic to open the lock, but it's the thought that counts.]

audio, still

[mindofathief]

[He turns on voice after a few minutes.]

Hi? We have it open, but...there's a lot of stuff in here. Do you have any bags?

[equinoctials]

[ As Duster crouches, Riku starts to stand, exhaling a disappointed sigh. A bunch of cards? Apparently he's lost interest, as he looks away as he speaks, resting one gloved palm against his hip. ]

Beats me. Looks like a bunch of junk.

[ That's probably thousands of dollars worth of trading cards though, to be honest. A fan out there is frothing at the mouth over such heresy. ]

Something can probably be made of it. Recycled into materials, maybe. You want me to take you and this thing back to town?

[mindofathief]

They could have protective powers. [Like an amulet. Keep one in his shirt pocket could grant him a boost to his defenses in case spirits attacked him like with that feast people were talking about.]

I can call some people over to help carry this back to the village. I can look after it until we figure it out.

[equinoctials]

[ Riku doesn't see this stuff protecting anything greater than a table. They're about as useless as a coaster, in his opinion, but he's the opposite of someone who would be interested in collecting trading cards.

He doesn't want to burst his bubble, though. ]

If you're sure. Want me to wait around until they arrive?

[mindofathief]

[A weak nod. Duster uses the edge of the chest to lower himself onto the ground, where he pulls out a tablet and waits for more responses.]

...How far have people gone into the forest?

[equinoctials]

Hard to say. People are exploring all the time...

[ Riku doesn't exactly settle in, if anything, his cautious glances around and spread stance suggest he's standing guard. Duster would be better off asking someone with a map who can show him what's been found.

A moment later, an opportunity occurs to him. He glances at him, adding: ] The town hall meeting is coming up, right? You could ask there.