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

[equinoctials]

[ Just JRPG hero things.

Honestly, Riku could definitely see Aziraphale doing something for nothing. He's the type. The thing is, Riku doesn't feel too good about directing someone else to take advantage of his generosity. ]

Doesn't seem too different from doing favors anywhere.

[mindofathief]

I'd think that if a bridge has to be built, everyone would chip in. It's how we did things in my village.

[The few times he was awake in the day, his dad took him to a house raising project. Everyone pitched in, it seemed.]

[equinoctials]

[ He doesn't think there were probably too many in Duster's village who were routinely recovering from severe, sometimes life-threatening injuries, or struggling with significant trauma. Or were keenly aware that they had less than two years, at most, left on the clock before they faced the real likelihood that they would meet with a fate so terrible, the Lighthouse keeper would rather reset.

Seems like a lot to heap on a guy who just got here.

Riku exhales. ]

Maybe, if that was the only thing going on. Ask around at the town hall, I think you'll get a better idea of the situation.

[mindofathief]

["Just ask."

He's getting better at that part. He'll just do that and actually ask people for more information. Duster lets out a sigh and leans back.]

How long have we been on Beacon?

[equinoctials]

[ He asks a lot of questions. Riku, who can tend to be a bit more pessimistic than some of his other friends, leans against his bike and folds his arms, thinking it's less about any interest in particular and more about killing time until others come.

He could stand to give people a little more credit. ]

Half a year, I think? Ours was the first ferry since the previous group was reset. Back then, we had just Rastus, Dr. Ingram, and Winters to guide us.

[mindofathief]

[That's not a lot of time. But it's also a lot. There's so little of this island (he assumes it's an island) that's been explored in six months.]

We've only come this far?

[Though Riku's answer will have to be quick: help is arriving]