I Like Big Boats and I Cannot Lie

Ahoy! Nah, I'm just kiddin'. The name's Nagamasa Kitaura; how's it goin'? Ask | Submit

[zephyrocs]

more buff ocs. more jojo poses. will it ever end?

i have some groups in mind to which to apply this guy

[shslpirate]

gonna reuse this nerd somewhere but not sure where yet...

[niconbazz]

[shslpirate]

A Show of Strength // 07 // Natsu

[shsltennisbabe]

Natsu could feel her face flame up red from annoyance, both from his easy going, callous attitude regarding the subject and his patronizing sarcasm. Knows what he’s doing? Nobody’s in control when the temper gets hot and fists start swinging! How couldn’t he realize the potential for accidents, for miscalculation, for just taking too hard a swing?

"I can have basic expectations on another human being, Nagamasa-kun! And one of those expectations are that you don’t go breaking somebody’s ribs in a place where we’re all, like, already hanging in a life or death situation! I mean, is that too much to ask for?"

Tears pricked at her eyes, a physical response rather than an emotional one (for once) and she gave an ‘Ugh!’ of frustration, holding the jacket sleeve to her eye. Any strong emotion and the waterworks turned themselves on, but this time she’d try and will her body to suck it back in. Enough anger should be able to do that, right?

"Like, this situation is stressful enough without grown people acting like kids! Honestly!"

She refolded her arms and looked away from him, still fumingly red in the face but focusing her glare on a speck on the ground a few metres away instead.

[shslpirate]

Nagamasa sighed. This was just going to get difficult and emotional, wasn't it? Sheesh, emotions were a pain in the ass; he hated having to deal with them. Well, if Natsu wanted to be so serious about it, he supposed he could oblige.

"Look, I know ya think I'm some sorta menace," he said, and the air of lightheartedness seemed to evaporate out of his voice, "You can think whatever ya want, I don't care. But for what it's worth, I'm very much for the notion o' not getting into other people's business without reason - 'n fightin' with someone counts as that."

He let out a soft exhale. "If you don't mess with me, I don't mess with you. If yer civil to me, I'm civil to you. I treat everyone the same way they treat me. So if ya got a problem with how I'm conductin' myself around Shoujiki-san, maybe you should talk to her 'n see how she was conductin' herself around me." And that was all he had to say on the matter; Natsu could take it or leave it.

"As for the fightin', I was still very much in control o' my emotions 'n shit, 'n very much in control o' my own body. I think you'd be surprised, y'know."

[shslpirate]

Just Me and the Ocean // 08 // Open

[♪♪♪]

When EDO started talking motives and family members, Nagamasa was legitimately curious as to who would show up on that screen. Off the top of his head, there was no one he'd think of that could be used as incentive for him. But then...

Ah. His friend Jin. Actually, not much of a friend, they were just- well, it was an interesting relationship. He exhaled. If Jin was shot in the head he'd probably miss the guy. But he wasn't going to stick his neck out for him, either. Sorry, Jin, but them's the breaks.

Instead, his attention was better spent on those around them. There were an awful lot of parents up there, and one of these idiots was gonna go for it, for sure. Hell, probably wouldn't even take very long. He had been feeling pretty safe here until Tokaji got taken down, and only now was Nagamasa starting to clue into the fact that he, too, could get killed if the circumstances were right. His hand made its way to his pocket and gripped a certain metal object that had been there since day one.

This would require a plan: No hanging around during night time, no going off alone without some sort of protection, and most importantly, no trusting the others. Not that he trusted them to begin with.

After the announcement was over, he was hanging around in the promenade around the door rooms, specifically hovering by his own door. Someone was approaching; although he looked like he always did, slouched against the wall with his hands in his pockets, his hands had a firm grip on his source of defense.

"This one's a real doozy, ain't it?" he said casually to the newcomer.

[shslpirate]

A Show of Strength // 07 // Natsu

[shsltennisbabe]

Was he really admitting to it just like that? Natsu’s face creased up into a frown, and she felt herself flare up in irritation. You couldn’t just go around having fights and then act like it wasn’t a big deal! The fact that he didn’t even dislike Setsuko was even more disturbing, and made Nagamasa seem just a bit more dangerous to be around - and not in that appealing rogueish way, either.

"Like, who started it isn’t even the point, Nagamasa-kun! I mean, like, sure, Setsuko-chan is a pretty physically strong girl, but you still totally wrecked her- I mean! What if it was someone else? There are lots of people here who couldn’t take what you dished out."

Natsu had always believed that being strong meant that you had to be more careful and act responsibly - set a good example, as it were! Nagamasa seemed deadset on acting out the opposite, and it was bothering Natsu to no end.

"…Like, I’m… Just trying to say, it’s so easy to totes overestimate how much damage somebody can take before crossing the line, right? I mean… Four people are already dead, nobody needs an accident to happen."

"I just mean, you know. I’d have expected better from you, given the situation and all."

[shslpirate]

Oh, come on, was he really going to be getting a lecture. He rolled his eyes at the words. He put down the hammer and crossed his arms in front of him - a slightly less easy-going stance - and fixed Natsu in his blue stare.

"Funny enough," Nagamasa said, "I'm pretty good at judgin' how much a person can take. It's almost like this ain't the first time I've done this." Sarcasm was displaying his maturity, for sure. "I had no mind to kill her at all, y'know. If I had, she'd be dead, but since I wasn't, she's not, y'see? I know what I'm doin'."

He let out a whoosh of an exhale. The big meta strength game was close, and he leaned back onto it with a dull thump.

"'N what's this about expectin' shit of me," he remarked flatly, "You can't expect nothin' o' me. You don't know jack shit about me, jus' the same as I don't know a thing abut you. Fer all you know I really am a pirate, a smugglin', thievin', murderin' lowlife who really does kill people in fistfights 'n is just holdin' back here. Or maybe I'm jes' a kid who likes boats 'n has a bit of a temper. You don't know, so how can you 'expect' anything o' me?"

[shslpirate]

A Show of Strength // 07 // Natsu

[shsltennisbabe]

Totally a while after the trial, Natsu finally decided to drag herself out of her room where she’d tiredly been hiding out, unwilling to investigate this particular area. She had thought it was awful and morbid in the worst of ways, a mockery of poor Sachie-chan and a painful reminder that their lives were just being toyed with. That opinion still held strong, but her need for social interaction eventually outweighed her general disdain of the place.

Walking across the rooms, she opened one of the doors to find a sight that made her heart near stop. She couldn’t quite see from this angle what he was swinging at, but that was Nagamasa- and he looked fucking pissed! Was he in another fight? And that hammer - was she about to witness a murder?!

"Ah-!!"

Wait, people’s heads don’t go ding when they get hit. She sure was getting jumpy in this place… Still, she’d been planning on giving Nagamasa some Words since she heard about that little incident with Setsuko, so with her best friendly-but-stern expression, Natsu puffed her chest up to stand tall and marched over to him.

"Nagamasa-kun! Like, what do you think you’re doing?"

…Wait, wait. That wasn’t how she was supposed to start this - for starters, that was a bit too aggressive and she didn’t even give him a chance to get to know what the topic was. She sighed, folded her arms, shook her head and tried again.

"I mean, uhm. Like? I totes heard about what happened with you and Setsuko-chan? And, like. I’m mega-dissappointed."

[shslpirate]

What did he think he was doing? "I think I'm playin' with this weird hammer game, that's what," Nagamasa replied flatly. It was true.

Oh, wait, that was what she meant. The head of the hammer planted firmly on the ground, he leaned easily on the handle, not showing any discomfort at all with the topic.

"Yeah, I beat her up," he shrugged, as if it was completely normal. Actually, where Nagamasa was from, it was completely normal. Fistfights were just a fact of life. Then, childishly, he added, "In my defense, she started it."

"C'mon, it ain't like I just go 'round whackin' people upside the head willy-nilly, or anything," he stated, as if that made it any better, "C'mon, this kinda thing only happens if the situation calls for it. I got nothin' 'gainst Shoujiki-san at all, b'fore or after our little scuffle." Well, he would have something against her if she got up in his business again, but a quick brawl like that would let her know that it wasn't cool to do that. Same went for the rest of people here. Hell, he'd even take on that tree, Yuugiri.

"Anyway, what've you been up to, Natsu-chan?"

[shsl-drum-major-001-deactivated]

Decrescendo for… what? | [Challenge 7][Open]

[shsl-drum-major-001-deactivated]

Sass for sass, it was expected. Setsuko really couldn’t help it around this guy though. She had slowed down her pace as she walked away when he spoke. She had only made it halfway to the door but she turned around.

“Yes, thank you for enlightening me.” She was tired of this already but she didn’t want to leave just yet. And this guy was suggesting that someone eat one? Wasn’t that exactly what Setsuko was saying not to do?

“And if you’re referring to me…” Her thoughts went completely negative. “If you’re going to wish death upon me, why didn’t you just kill me when you had the chance?” She was almost sure that was what the pills would do anyway.

[shslpirate]

Oh, she had stopped after all. How nice.

"Well, not you specifically," Nagamasa shrugged, "But basically if it kills ya slowly I'd wanna hear it, though. Hell, that'd be exciting." That would also be really fucking morbid. Sometimes, though, morbid and exciting crossed over.

"But d'you really think they're gonna kill us?" he said lightly, shrugging off the weight of the last sentence, "Strike down six of us all in one go? C'mon, EDO wants to see us twist in the wind a bit, wants to watch us suffer. It wouldn't just axe a bunch of us real fast like that. C'mon, maybe it's somethin' bad, but it ain't completely deadly, if ya ask me." Leave it to the storyteller to be pretty genre-savvy. Hopefully, he was thinking in the right genre. Besides, if EDo told them all to drink the metaphorical kool-aid, Nagamasa sure as hell wasn't going to go first. No, he'd let the rest of them do it and then watch the aftermath. He wasn't an idiot.

[shslmagics]

[Challenge 7] A Spoonful of Sugar || Nagamasa

[shslmagics]

Oh, a practice sword? Well, that’s slightly less exciting! Still more useful than the paper stars, though, even if they are cute. She tucks all but one away out of sight, holding it up to the glare of an arcade machine to get a better look at it as Nagamasa speaks, although she does look back at him from time to time. 

Stories… though she’s not usually overly interested in other people and their exploits — preferring to talk about her own at every given opportunity — she makes an exception for other interesting people. And Nagamasa certainly fits the bill!

"Who, me? Oh, there’s a lot of pulling furry critters out of hats, that’s true! But there’s all kinds of disciplines of magic, y’know? There’s escape artistry, mentalism, street magic, table magic — all sorts! My specialty’s big, exciting stage magic, but I can do allll the other stuff, too! I wouldn’t be very Super High School Level if I couldn’t, right?"

"But hey, I’m a performer, not a talker! If you wanna see what I do some time, I’ll give you a show — charitably free of charge, of course! Well, free except for a story or two. I’m dying for some entertainment that doesn’t come from that stupid robot."

She focuses her attention fully on Nagamasa again, absently but dextrously passing the paper star between the fingers of one hand as she does so — it’s an idle motion to keep her hands occupied, and not showing off at all, no sir. Okay, maybe a little, but it’s mostly just idle, honest!

"Tell me a tale of high adventure, then, Kitaura-kun! Or at least something exciting — the metaphorical floor is yours!"

[shslpirate]

Dying for some entertainment, huh? Nagamasa off-handedly wondered how literally Emi meant that. Just a figure of speech and all that, but these were also more interesting circumstances.

"Those words don't mean a thing to me," he admitted with a laugh through his nose, "Guess you'll have to just explain 'em to me later, huh? I'd love ta see you perform some o' yer big stage tricks, though; I'm always down for some furry critters in hats, but I'm sure you got some even more exciting things up your sleeve."

"A tale of adventure, ye say..." he repeated. He certainly had some of those!

"Okay, y'know how in the trial I said I got a missin' tooth, yeah?" he said, and with one finger pulled down his lower lip to reveal that there was, indeed, a missing tooth; the molar behind his lower right canine was just gone, only a gap remained.

"I lost it at a solo race in Fukuoka. Y'see, we don't all start sailin' at the same time. Rather, we go one at a time, 'n at the end o' the day the guy with the shortest time wins. So that day, I was at the back o' the line, the very last one ta go out that day.

"The race went way out into the sea, not a big circular loop but instead way out to a buoy 'n back. So there I was in my li'l skiff, goin' as fast as I could, passin' checkpoints with great time. I noticed there was some real angry clouds on the horizon, but I figured they were far 'nough out that I didn't have to worry." He stretched his hand out, indicating said clouds on the invisible horizon. In fact, he was peppering the story with lots of such hand gestures, putting a real physical element into the tale.

"I was makin' the best time out of any o' the others, 'n I was sure I was gonna win. So when they started radioing the contestants, tellin' 'em to come back b'fore it stared to storm, I ignored it - hey, I'm gonna win this thing, 'n I'm goin' so fast I'll make it back in time, for sure. But just as I reached the buoy, way out into the sea, so far that the land was just a liiittle smudge out there on the horizon -

"It started to storm.

"I realised then 'n there that I was in deep shit. Storms are way worse out on the water. I hiked the sails 'round 'n made my way for shore, fast as I could, but the weather was gettin' crazier by the minute. Rain stung my face 'n blinded me - I still had both eyes, then - 'n wind blew my sails way outta control 'n blew me off course." His voice grew louder, faster, more energetic as the tale approached its climax.

"I veered way off course, but I didn't have time to panic. I yanked those god-damn sails back under control, told 'em I was the boss o' them, but then there was a real strong gust, and-

"Wham!"

"Slammed me in the side o' the face and knocked me the fuck out. Just a flash o' light 'n pain, 'n that was it. Thought I was a goner, for sure. Next thing I know, I'm on the boat o' one o' the race officials. I'd been out for over 'n hour, 'n they found me jus' floatin' out in the ocean with the splinters o' my boat around me. Said I'd be dead if they'd found me any later. O' course, I never did find my tooth, but the li'l scar in my mouth is just a permanent reminder o' the danger o' the sea 'n the weather 'n Mother Nature. Ya can never let yer guard down or get too cocky, 'cause the moment ya do, yer screwed."

The tale done, he let the pause ring out. Wow, that ended up deeper than he'd intended.

[shsl-drum-major-001-deactivated]

Decrescendo for… what? | [Challenge 7][Open]

[shsl-drum-major-001-deactivated]

Civil? CIVIL? There wasn’t even a moment of realization before that voice started blabbing. Setsuko looked up to where her hand was pointing and well wasn’t this a awful surprise- coincidence surely. Coincidence for every time single time… definitely.

She didn’t jump or act any bit surprised that it was him. She just thought about the few things he said- a toughie huh? She wanted to know that she completed it with more ease than him but she honestly wasn’t that great at puzzles either… it took a while for her but she wasn’t going to admit that.

“Hmm. Y’know I don’t really have a clue as to what these are or what they’re for. I was going to see who had gotten them and warn them not to take it but then again I’m sure most wouldn’t need that kind of hint.” Civil? Sure. She could be civil. She still hated his guts.

She made her way to an exit away from where Nagamasa was standing. She would leave it at that if he didn’t stop her, she really couldn’t tell if talking to him would be more productive than taxing. If he intended to stop her from leaving it better be with words.

[shslpirate]

Aw, Setsuko was leaving. That wasn't cool. And here he thought their conversation was going so well! It was a shame that she was apparently going to hold onto this, but hey, if she didn't like him, it was her problem; no hardship for Nagamasa.

"Well, for what they are, they're pills," he said flatly, as if she needed his sass, "It's what they do is the real mystery. But hey, they got an 'important' label on them, yeah? I'm sure this ain't just some red herring plot point. I'm sure we'll find out eventually."

"Then again, one of us could always just eat one," he shrugged, "Y'know, for science, 'n all that. I was gonna wait 'n see if someone else gave it a shot. Hopefully someone with a real loud mouth, so we'd all know what was goin' on 'n come to look. You wouldn't happen to know anyone like that, would'ja, Shoujiki-chan?" Yeah, rile up the girl you already beat up, why don't you? Excellent plan.

He didn't make any move to follow her, of course; he simply spoke to her turned back as she walked away. He didn't care if she left altogether, either, but somehow he figured his words would prompt a reaction.

[shsl-drum-major-001-deactivated]

Decrescendo for… what? | [Challenge 7][Open]

Finishing that puzzle in the arcade took a little longer than expected without being able to block out noises from the senselessly violent and gore-y games in the room. She didn’t finish the puzzle to appease EDO or whoever set this up but rather to get rid of a suspicion. But now she had this pill bottle.

“Important huh…?” She wasn’t pleased with this sort of result. What the hell were these pills for? They could possibly kill someone considering there was no labeling. This kind of item would spark curiosity in most but this was the kind of thing Setsuko stayed far away from. No telling what could happen if someone were to take these…

She made her way to the auditorium. She wanted answers. But when she got there it wasn’t likely she’d get any. The room was dark and the TV screen seemed like it was off.

“Hey, EDO.” She waited a few moments staring back and forth at the surveillance cameras in the room. “I know you’re there, answer me!” With a few more moments of stubborn rambling she gave up. She wasn’t going to talk to an empty room forever.

It was somewhat peaceful in there though despite the atmosphere. She turned away from the screen and cameras to think for a moment. What could these pills possibly be? Her mind had gone immediately to lethal consequences but what if it was something else? It was hard to think about them being any bit beneficial but that kind of thought crept into her head for a moment. She was interrupted mid-thought by someone else using the auditorium entrance.

“Oh-“ she didn’t care who it was, she needed to know. She gripped the pill bottle in one hand and pointed with the other. “Sorry to be blunt but did you happen to complete the puzzle that was in the arcade?”

[shslpirate]

Well well, for someone who had just practically gotten her face knocked concave, Setsuko was acting pretty civil with Nagamasa. Then again, he had every intention in the world of being civil with her. Let bygones be bygones and all that, right? If you held a grudge for every little bump, bruise, cut, or missing eye, there'd be no time left for other things! He was just glad that Setsuko seemed to feel the same.

Well, he made his way over to her, hands in pockets as usual, feet scuffing against the floor as usual. He hadn't had a smoke since his last shower, so he didn't even smell bad! Maybe that was why she was being so comparatively friendly.

"Sure did," he responded, "The puzzle was toughie, huh?" Two hours of life, never coming back. Then again, he had all the time in the world here, so what was two hours anyway?

He fished the little bottle out of his pocket and tossed it once, before grabbing it out of the air, causing a faint rattling noise. "You got one o' these two, I see. Got any clue what it's for?"

[shslpirate]

luv u edo

[shslpirate]

[shslmagics]

[Challenge 7] A Spoonful of Sugar || Nagamasa

[shslmagics]

Ah, now there’s a voice she would recognize anywhere. Nagamasa Kitaura, resident pirate of the group of imprisoned students. Another one she’s not sure what to think of — on the one hand, he was far less interested in becoming her assistant back when they were still in the school area than she would have liked. But on the other… he was one of the people in the last trial who actually spoke sense! Emi gets the feeling it’s more out of simple pragmatism than any particular affection towards Sachie — but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. 

With interest, she turns away from the arcade machine and moves over to Nagamasa’s side, watching him put in two coins (how come he got more than one? Unfair!) one after the other. 

The first thing to come out is a flurry of little paper stars, and Nagamasa looks so perplexed by the fact they’re going all over the place that Emi can’t help but giggle, making no attempt to help him gather them up. Her laughter ceases abruptly, though, when he pulls out the second item.

"…That is a sword. Sheesh! Some people have all the luck!”  The stars are a paltry consolation prize in comparison, but… they’re kind of cute, and she can probably make a trick out of them. Ah, what the hell.

"I’ll take some, sure!" she declares, holding out her hands for Nagamasa to deposit the stars in. "They don’t really suit you, anyway — you look way better with a sword than trying to pick up a bunch of little pieces of paper! What with the whole pirate thing, and all."

A thought comes to her, and she peers up at Nagamasa after a moment, thoughtfully.

"—Come to think of it, what is it you actually do, Kitaura-kun? The little ID thing EDO gave us says you’re a sailor, but is it like a sporty competition thing or a round-the-world-in-80-days kind of thing? Enlighten me a little! I mean, I don’t really know anything about you, you know? I’ll feel sort of bad about that if you end up…”

She trails off, inclining her head back and forth to indicate a word she doesn’t quite want to say — ‘Dead’. "…You get what I mean, right?"

[shslpirate]

Most of he people here, in fact, didn't know much about Nagamasa. For the most part, that was intentional, of course. He went over toward Emi and handed her a fistful of the scraps of paper. They would be lingering on his person for a while, wouldn't they. Days from now he'd shake out his coat and still find little stars coming out of it. What a pain in the ass.

"Nah, they ain't really my style, huh?" he agreed, "Neither's this sword, really." Making sure not to point it at her, he unsheathed blade and looked it over. "No blade on it or anything, that's boring. Guess it's just for practice, huh?"

He put that away again. Maybe Ginchiyo would have a use for it. Or maybe he'd just hold onto it in case anything came up.

He turned back to the magician. "My sailin'? It's a bunch o' things, really. On the one hand, I got the sporty sailboat racing; that's fun, 'n it pays well if ya win. I also used to run somethin' of a business ferryin' people and cargo from the mainland to the islands 'round my city 'n back again."

He paused. "Those're the things Hope's Peak was interested in, though. They ain't actually that interestin'. Really, I just like sailing 'n bein' out on the water. I visit China 'n Korea a lot, just for the hell of it."

"The really good stories come outta those trips across the sea. That's where ya meet people, 'n get into trouble, 'n cool things like that." He could elaborate, if she asked, maybe tell a story or two.

"Why, what about you? All I know 'bout bein' a magician is gettin' up on stage one in a while 'n pullin' furry li'l critters outta strange hats."

[shslmagics]

[Challenge 7] A Spoonful of Sugar || OPEN

"…Huh?"

Emi stares down at her prize, an expression of extreme discontent painted all over her face. As of this morning, the water is back on and the area’s shifted again — gone are the city streets, replaced by a grim mockery of a carnival. The fact that she’s been able to drink, shower, and stuff her face with churros in the food court until she was nearly sick makes up for the cruel irony some, but the red splatter on the carousel meant the greasy carnival fare went down even harder than it should have.

After her usual exploratory loop, the magician found herself lingering in the arcade — that’s where the EDOmachine is, after all, having spat out the card that’s currently stashed safely in one of her pockets. More to the point, though, the strange little peg game caught her attention far more than any of the arcade machines. Quite by accident, she ended up frittering away a large amount of time there, popping pegs here and there, determined to win — until she finally did, and the game spat out the small bottle she now holds in her hand.

"…’Important’? What’s that supposed to mean?" Frowning, she gives the bottle a rattle — and the sound makes her open it up and tip the contents out into her hand. One, single, lousy pill. What the hell? What a crappy prize!

…Still… knowing the way things work here, it might be — well, important, as the label on the front says. So, she replaces it in the bottle and stows it on her person, safe from prying eyes.

At a loss for what to do next and with no leads for any sort of ‘stop-killing-us-you-fricking-frick’ investigation against their robotic overlord, she decides to try her hand at some of the arcade games. Blood and guts were never her style when it comes to games, especially now they hit pretty close to home — but she has her eye on some of the things behind the ticket counter, so she can bear it just this once. As she approaches a machine, though,  she spots someone else entering the room, out of the corner of her eye.

"Are you here to use the EDOmachine?" Emi asks, not looking at the intruder as she examines the machine she’s chosen. Doesn’t look like they take EDOcoins — good thing, since she doesn’t have any left. "Show me what you get, okay? If you get something you don’t like, maybe we can trade!" Her voice is chipper enough, but it sounds a little forced — the events of yesterday, the ironic surroundings  and the too-fried food sitting heavy in her stomach have worn her down noticeably, if only just.

[shslpirate]

"Matter o' fact, I am here for the machine," Nagamasa said to Emi as he entered the room, his heels scuffing on the floor and his hands in his pockets. It was true! He had gotten two coins after the trial, and he intended to use them. There was a third still stashed in his room that he would deal with later. Or not. Can you really blame a pirate for wanting to hold onto coins?

Humming some merry little tune to himself, he stuck the two coins in the machine and waited for items to come out.

"A bunch o' paper stars," he said. Oh fuck, they were spilling everywhere. Thanks, EDOmachine. He got the majority of them gathered into his hands just in time for a loud clonk. He dumped the stars into his pocket and pulled out-

"Shit, that's a sword." He was keeping that. "Eh, whaddaya think?" he then asked, hooking the scabbard to his belt, "Want some li'l paper bits?"

[shslpirate]

shsl preschooler

[shslpirate]

Importance // Reaction

Nagamasa had literally spent the last two hours sitting in the arcade room, fiddling with stupid little wooden pegs and a stupid little wooden board for some stupid little puzzle. This was bullshit.

Had anyone walked in, it would have been a funny sight to see the giant sailor crouched over the game table and getting angry at a puzzle. Yet there he was. Two hours later.

Why h was doing it, he really didn't know. Maybe it was stave off boredom. After all, frustration was better than dull nothing, or something.

Exactly two hours, four minutes, and eighteen seconds after he started, he slammed the last peg down with a thump, fully expecting it to be a failed combo again. Wait, what, something was happening. Holy shit, had he gotten it? He'd fucking gotten it.

"Fuck yeah!" he shouted, letting out a whoop of celebration. The prize thing opened up, and...

"Eh? The fuck is this?"

He inspected the pill bottle and its one inhabitant. Well, that wasn't what hhe had expected. But, if it was here at all, then that meant...

He stashed it in his pocket alongside many other odds and ends and left the stupid game behind.