psychoshenanigans | GRATIA // PSL

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GRATIA // PSL

The first thing he feels is the cold.

It permeates everything down here on the lower levels. What little warmth humans have made for themselves is greedily gobbled up by the stone walls that surround them on all sides. Despite the stirring of people in the streets, in their homes, and around corners, this place feels like a grave. A similar sense seems to loom over the heads of most who make their way through this deep, dark part of the world, hovering around them like a cloud of inevitability. No one has been outright sentenced to death, but they may as well be.

Upon waking, Tek will have found himself in a dark, wet alleyway. Attempts to orient himself reveal that he has been brought, somehow, to an impressively large network of tunnels that all lead, more or less, to three or four larger chambers. There is far more vibrant life above him somewhere, far, far above the layer of caves he's in now, and there is also a very deep, sluggish form of life somewhere far below his feet.

No one is coming to get him. No one follows him in his immediate vicinity--the few stragglers hanging around doorsteps and windows don't give him a second glance, or even a first one. The place is crowded, but not busy. Everyone keeps their heads down. The people are all dressed poorly, in rags and robes and bundles that suggest a certain level of consistent poverty all throughout the level. The buildings in these tunnels look man-made, either built from scrap or carved straight out of the rock of the cave, but the majority of the actual roads and cave walls seem to have been formed with very little help from human hands.

The place is lit with lanterns and dirty-looking florescents suspended high above in the cave ceiling. The air is thick and stuffy, the smell of mold and mud prevalent over even the smell of human stagnation. It would not be hard to drag someone off, and he gets the immediate feeling that if he did, it's unlikely that anyone would come looking for them.

What does he do?

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[Tonic had said once before that he loves games, and that fact has not changed between their night at the party and their afternoon here today--so he responds with an interested sound, both of his eyes going a little wide with excitement.]

Ooh, will it be dangerous?

[he laughs at his own question, which was asked with no particular concern, even if he would like to know as a matter of courtesy. he starts looking around either way, scanning his shelves for something they could use as counters.]

[at the mention of danger, it's a cute giggle. and while Tonic looks ready to go searching for counters, Tek compulsively starts making the area around him more comfortable--dragging pillows closer around where he assumes he'll be camping out for some time, propping them up nicely.]

I suppose it depends on what you want to play for. I was going to suggest that the winner owes the other a fantastic massage, but I'm very open to suggestion. Do you have any pillows in the other room? [--one thought running right into the other.]

[Tonic lets out another free, easy laugh.]

A massage sounds fine to me, honestly. And yes, there are more...

[which he takes as his cue to slither into the other room, propelled mostly by his arms. he disappears behind the tent-flap for a few minutes, periodically shoving cushions and pillows back under the "door" for Tek to presumably scoop up.

a few things rattle audibly in the other room along the way; soon, he comes back with an armful of pillows and a metal tin filled with something small and numerous.]

Buttons will probably work, right?

[he drops the pillows, sets the tin on the middle table between the food and the candles. just as Tonic suggested, it's full of large, mostly-round buttons.]

The last time I played a game like this, we'd used small cookies... so, yes. Buttons will probably last much longer.

[and Tek has taken his role as pillow-wrangler very seriously. by the time Tonic returns, the two places at the table have coalesced into the beginnings of one very comfortable two-sided nest. especially with the cozy space of the backroom and the collection of candles, it's rather reminiscent of their first evening together.]

And you should ask Robin about the place I learned this game from, sometime. The next time he's bothering you, mention "the Court" and watch the face he'll make. You should get a good laugh out of it.

[Tonic returns to his spot at the table, crawling back into place and slithering himself into a comfortable position--reclining against a large pile of pillows, but still propped up enough to fiddle with things on the table, moving their food slightly out of the way and finally putting the candles in some sort of sensible arrangement.]

"The Court", hm? [Tek can tell that he has committed that one to memory, as he finally settles back to let the other explain the game. he rubs at his bad fingers with his other hand while he thinks.] I'll remember to do that.

[oh, how he hopes in his heart of hearts that Robin will visit Tonic soon, returning home to him with that annoyed and haunted expression that Tek can imagine so well...]

It was an awful fever-dream of a place, but they did know how to have fun.

[he makes one final check of his surroundings as he explains--propping up the pillows behind him, moving the tin of buttons to be spaced right between the two of them and look nice with the candles that Tonic is arranging. he also begins to unbuckle his shoes, which seems appropriate now that they're dealing with something that looks halfway like a nest.]

It's another truth game, of course. One version of it is a little more involved, calling for each player to tell two truths and one lie--which, we can switch to if you end up getting bored with the first one, but I have to warn you that I am almost unfairly good at it.

[he pauses to quietly gloat and peel off his first boot before continuing.]

The simpler version, however, only requires you to make a truthful statement about something you have never done... and if it turns out that your opponent has done it, you get a point. So, you can both catch them in things that you already know about them, and make guesses about the things that you don't. Either way, you're trading a small piece of information about yourself in exchange for theirs. And if you're playing it correctly, it becomes hilarious.

[see, the laughing is really what he's going for here. he's never been able to play a drinking game properly before, so he is pretty excited to finally get close.]

[Tonic has many more questions about the place that Tek has deemed fit to call "an awful fever-dream", but he does not find a chance to ask them before the rules of their game become a higher priority. maybe he'll save them for later... or maybe he really will have to go ask Robin himself.

either way, he listens carefully, absently biting down on the pad of his thumb to have something to fidget with while Tek is rearranging and unbuckling his boots. he nods along when appropriate, and eventually laughs as something occurs to him.]

Oh, I have played this. You had to take a drink as punishment.

[he shakes his head at the memory, smirking.]

Suffice to say, the game itself didn't last long.

Was that because you were very good at the game, or very bad? ...Or had you also been counting down minutes until something stronger hit your system?

[because he's not expecting this game to last nearly as long as their previous, infamous one had.

and there goes the other boot! they both get moved off to the side, near Tonic's forgotten leg.]

And if this sounds like an acceptable game to play, would you like to begin the first round, or shall I?

[he chuckles at the first question, but shrugs innocently, at least half of his face curled up in a cute smile.]

I think it had less to do with my level of skill and more to do with everyone else's rapid consumption of alcohol.

[with that particular crowd, it quickly turned from sips to shots, with his own participation as minimal as possible. that time hadn't been particularly fun, but he has a feeling the two of them will have better luck here.

besides... it's not like he's got many more secrets to give away, if he's being entirely honest with himself. if anyone is in danger here, it's Tek.]

Sure. I'm in, babe. [he puts his hands behind his head, making a show of relaxing... and deeply enjoying the feeling of sinking back into the pillows.] Why don't you start us out?

[yes, Tek has much less to gain here strategically, but that's not what he's in it for this time. at the moment, he's less interested in secrets about his friend than he is with entertaining pieces of trivia. something to laugh over or tease him about would be ideal.

and--by nature of the game--if he does give up any of his own secrets, they'll be the ones that Tonic actually wants to know. he considers that prospect to be more dangerous to his friend than to himself.]

How about a nice easy one to start us off-- I have never sung out loud, in front of anyone I was not related to.

[only time will tell if Tonic can actually handle the stress of asking questions in general, since it seems to lead him to stressful revelations more often than not... but for now, the drops of Rapture have done a good job of making him feel like any truths he stumbles into will be just as laughably absurd as all of the others.

maybe this really can be a game just for fun. besides, it's already cute--he leans onto the table again, resuming the posture of keeping the bad side of his face perched on his bad hand and fixing Tek with a lopsided smirk.]

What, not even for fun? [he sounds a little surprised, even, by the reveal.] But you have such a lovely voice...

[he will, however, reach over to the tin, pluck out a single button, and slide it towards Tek. he definitely has sung in front of other people.]

[despite the flattery, despite the satisfaction of having surprised his opponent with the reveal, he still wrinkles his nose in a cute expression of distaste.]

It's flattering that you think so... but "fun" is still not the term I would use for it. I think I may be lacking the impulse entirely.

[he slides his first won token over and holds it up to gesture at Tonic with, then.] --I see you feel differently, though. It's a charming thought.

[seeing Tek's face makes the admitting entirely worth it, and he reclines again with a light laugh.]

Yes, every once in a while. Mostly just open stage nights, parties, that kind of thing.

[he waves his hand, as if sweeping the topic away.] But only to entertain, darling. I'd never do it professionally.

You know, I was going to say that I'm surprised, but... I could very easily picture you flaunting for a little audience, now that I think about it.

[and he's not even really teasing him--how about that? he seems like he means it. the idea of Tonic deigning to sing for fun, in front of small group of people lucky enough to see it, does not take as much effort to imagine as he'd initially expected.]

[Tonic has to give one more dramatic flourish of his hand, maybe a little shoulder shimmy, before coming up with a statement himself. he finds it a lot easier to think of strange things that he has done, rather than strange things he hasn't.]

How about... [he covers his mouth to hide a small, stupid laugh.] I've never been swimming in a public place without clothes on.

Never? Really?

[he didn't mean to sound so surprised about it... but he does, and that's probably pretty telling. almost immediately, he covers his own mouth with his hand, looking just a little bit sheepish over his fingers.]

...Can I ask what counts as a public place?

[oh, that is damning! looks like his hunch paid off, and he cackles into his own fingers as well.]

I think if you have to ask, I think that's pretty telling...

[he shrugs and gives in to a clarification, assuming it isn't going to change Tek's answer in the slightest.]

But I'd imagine it's anywhere that other people are supposed to be able to access or view, you know. Open lakes, park fountains... [he waves his hand a little, smirking.] Whatever public pools you rich people lounge around in all day...

It wasn't a fountain, don't be ridiculous.

[--and that is literally the only point he can actually defend himself on with this one. defeated but holding his head high, he dutifully fishes out a button for Tonic to keep as a trophy.]

I happen to like swimming. And I think some rules are stupid. [he shrugs, because can he really be blamed for his actions??]

[he will accept his button with a smug look, thank you, plucking it up and adding the first of his victories to what he hopes becomes a nice little pile on the table next to him.]

And I imagine it's fun to try not to get caught... Not that I'd know.

[he sticks his tongue out. just a little, just to be a bit of a brat.

he may regret it in a moment, but...]

[oh, that look pulls a little sharp-toothed smile from Tek, before he puts on his mask of false-offense again. picking up the big, flat button he'd won the round before, he starts it expertly tumbling back and forth over the fingers of one hand while he takes his turn.]

I don't know what kind of filthy, crass person you think I am, but I an insulted. For instance... I'll have you know, I have never been involved with more than two partners at a time.

[he's going far out on a limb with this one, but he'll feel so satisfied if it happens to land.]

[he starts to open his mouth, about to refute such a vulgar accusation... but he stops, mouth still open, staring into the middle-distance as he realizes a couple of instances in which there were... definitely more than two people involved.

and then he closes his mouth. and reaches forward. and fishes out a button to toss at Tek's side of the table.]

Rude, honestly. I feel attacked.

[but even though he crosses his arms, trying to put on a show of being offended... he's smirking pretty hard, obviously trying to hold down a laugh.]

[Tonic may be successfully holding back his laughter, but Tek immediately loses the battle. as soon as that button skitters across the table in his direction, he indulges in a good triumphant giggle. and picking it up, he leans to admire it in the candlelight as if it was made of glittering gold. (as it is, it does at least have lovely texture to it, quite absorbing to run his fingers over.)]

I'm just impressed, honestly. That's a lot. I would be exhausted...

[and Tonic can't keep up his show of control for long, snickering and covering his own mouth again, much the way that Tek had been doing before.]

Well, it's... I was a younger man, back then...

[much more energetic, probably had more limbs to work with. he shakes his head, trying to free himself of mental images from years ago... but when no other questions come to him immediately, he decides to throw out one that doesn't take much thought, maybe just to buy himself some more time.]

Okay, how about this: I've never been rained on.

[he pops another one of those (now turning room-temperature) leftover nuggets into his mouth, fully expecting this one to be an easy win.]

[it might be an easy win, but maybe the expression that slowly dawns over Tek's face will make it satisfying anyway. him realizing the truth in Tonic's statement, and then realizing the scope of the other implications of it--no breeze, no stars, no clouds--has him suddenly gazing off to the side, looking unsettled.

it has apparently never occurred to him before. the man from up-top hasn't actually thought all that hard about what life below the surface would be like... or, at least hadn't thought hard enough to really apply it to his fun new friend.

still fidgeting with the button from the previous round, he settles back in the cushions while he thinks. the look of surprise fades very slowly, until he can finally think of something clever to say.]

...Well, you're not missing out on thunder and lightning. Those really are the worst features of nature.

[Tonic is, perhaps, a little surprised to see such a strong reaction out of his friend. he could believe that it hasn't occurred to his privileged friend that these things aren't commonly available to people who live under the ground... but he didn't think it would be worth thinking about for this long.

so he waits, trying his best not to look surprised that Tek looks surprised, and fidgeting with his own button while the other finally finds something to say.

Tonic looks a little wide-eyed at the mention of thunder and lightning, though. something of a haunted expression, a little like when he had been describing his instinctive fear of the sky.]

I've heard stories... And you can hear a little of it on the top level, when a storm comes through. Honestly, I can't imagine having to live Up-Top when that happens.

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