[log] The Pit [open]

[snowblindmods]

Characters: Anyone participating in the Pit event.
Location: A room.
Date: Day 330
Summary: You wake up in a room.
Warnings: general warnings; potential for morbid/suicidal thoughts; note specific warnings in subject line, please!

Comments

[sharktrash]

Fair enough.

[ Squalo takes off a couple layers to produce a jacket, then puts the rest back on before going through his pockets and his bag. In addition to the jacket, he lines up a box of adhesive strips, a pair of scissors (cleaned up, but there might be small traces of blood left in the creases of the bolt), and two taper candles. ]

This is a fuckin' robbery, by the way, but I really need that goddamn brush.

[bywolves]

You offered and agreed to the terms. [ Royce says mildly, watching Squalo unload all his things. It really is a robbery, honestly. A brush is so not worth all of this stuff, but Royce will definitely take it. He pulls all the things closer, and then gestures for Squalo to crouch down. ]

[sharktrash]

Yeah, well, I was desperate.

[ Squalo, you look many things, and desperate is not one of them. ]

[ He crouches down as instructed, a slight smirk on his face. He makes no motion to stop Royce, so he's clearly just bitching for the sake of bitching and not because he's genuinely unhappy with the arrangement. ]

Do I at least get a discount for my next purchase?

[bywolves]

[ Royce looks vaguely amused, holding out the hairbrush. He does it discretely, so nobody sees Royce handing Squalo his loot. ]

Sure. I'll keep the possibility of a discount in mind. [ No promises, but hey. ] You kept your end of the bargain. Says good things about you.

[ He says this almost like it's a joke. It kind of is. ]

[sharktrash]

Hey. I'm a man of my word.

[ That's not even a lie, but probably part of the reason he actually almost never promises things to anyone. ]

[ He snags the brush with a smirk and caringly tucks it into his backpack. He's about to get up, but pauses for a moment. ]

Actually, while I'm here. Got any toothpaste or razors in that pile? Can't say I've got anything good left, but. [ He inspects his belongings. If only he hadn't dropped those bags when they ran into an anomaly... then again, he'd probably be dead in that case. ] Swabs? Nails? Dish soap? War and peace?

[bywolves]

[ Royce tilts his head over to glance at Alfie before answering. He's got a few things, he thinks, but he's not so willing to give them up without consulting his partner. ]

[devoutish]

Mm. Razors are hard to come by.

[And he only has one. He only has one tube of toothpaste, too, but at least he finds more semi-regularly.]

War and Peace - not the book, surely?

[sharktrash]

I've noticed.

[ He bares some teeth in what's probably supposed to be a roughly friendly expression, and pushes one cheek up with a finger, showing off a scrape on his jaw no doubt left by something not really meant for shaving. ]

No, I'm just offering to start a feud between the kingdoms for ya.

[ As he speaks, he pulls the book out (it probably takes up a whole tiny bag, the goddamn thing) and wiggles it a bit. Unfortunately, it's all in Russian. ]

[devoutish]

Well, look at that. Shame I can't read the letters well. I speak the language, you know, but didn't learn the writing much. No need for it, in England.

[He touches the cover. It's a luxury item, which means it would be very silly to trade actual supplies for it - but damned if he doesn't want it.]

[sharktrash]

[ Go on, touch it. Squalo will even let him hold it if he wants to, because damn if he can't smell the interest, reluctant as it is. ]

I could write up a transcrip table for you. Letters and sounds. You'd get the hang of it in no time.

[ Not necessarily a big compliment to Alfie's learning abilities, Squalo just really does think it's easy. Comes with speaking eight or however many languages "for work". ]

[devoutish]

You speak Russian?

[Bro.]

Yeah, if you could do that, I'd appreciate it.

[And now he wants the book even more - luxury item or no, telling himself he's not going to trade good supplies for it or no.]

[sharktrash]

[ He's not entirely sure how, but it seems like he's hitting the jackpot here. Well, why not show off a little bit. ]

Yes. I travel a lot.

[ There's a hint of Moscow accent, but it'd take a keen ear to notice the underlying Italian one. It's almost like a native speaking. ]

[ He sits down from his crouch, pulls out a pen, clicks it a couple times and makes an irritated noise. ]

Think it's frozen up a bit. Got any paper or should I do it right here in the title page?

[ If he does that, you'll need to take the book to have it, just sayin'. ]

[ He could, of course, try to fire up a Russian keyboard on the tablet, but he hates typing as much as he hates writing, and he hasn't ever checked if it has phonetic symbols either. ]

[bywolves]

[ A beat, and then, as Royce watches the two of them: ]

You said you wanted toothpaste, right? For the book and the translation.

[devoutish]

Only one toothpaste. Can't do it.

[This he says in Elvish, minus the word toothpaste. It's not smart, no matter how much he wants that book, and they need to be smart.]

[sharktrash]

[ Unfortunately, Elvish is beyond Squalo's understanding, though he might make note of some sounds ringing what he thinks is vaguely Mediterranean. It's not exactly hard to guess what they're discussing, especially considering toothpaste is mentioned, and he turns back to Royce. ]

Yeah. Or a razor, I'm not that picky.

[ He wiggles his fingers a bit in what's probably supposed to be some kind of "beard" gesture, implying they must not be using it a lot anyway. ]

[bywolves]

[ Royce glances at Alfie, frowning. Yeah, but... he wants to give Alfie something nice. In Elvish: ]

Want that book. [ Royce glances up at Squalo. In English: ] Don't have a razor, but I've got a pair of scissors that might work for grooming.

[devoutish]

I have a razor.

[Alfie says quietly, still in Elvish (minus the word "razor"). He's still eyeing Squalo and the book, but he continues:]

Scissors are good supplies. The book is--

[He falters. He really needs to learn how to say "luxury item" in Elvish, if Royce knows it. He's not trying to lecture Royce here, and he knows he's not telling him anything he doesn't already know himself - but he wants to know that he's sure. Trading useful things for luxuries is a pretty big thing, in his mind. He squeezes Royce's arm, though, trying to silently let him know that he does appreciate what he's doing.]

[bywolves]

Have more than one pair of scissors. One razor. [ And he's not giving Squalo his best pair, anyway, so it's not a huge loss. Royce doesn't take his eyes off Squalo. Don't mind them, nothing to see here. ]

[sharktrash]

[ Squalo looks between them, but if he's intrigued it's not showing on his face all that much. Mostly he's simply letting them talk it out and waiting. It's not all that different from negotiating a hit, after all. ]

Already got scissors. [ He shrugs a bit, he wouldn't have traded a pair away if he had none left. Moreover, he'd pawned off the ones he'd stabbed himself with. Hopefully these folks ain't superstitious, but he wasn't going to mention it just in case. ] Not that I wouldn't take a second hairbrush. Got anything else you're willing to trade?

[bywolves]

Mm...

[ Royce glances at Alfie. ] Razor? [ A beat. ] Vitamins. Hand lotion.

[devoutish]

Not the vitamins. Don't give away your vitamins.

[This he says in English, gaze still flicking back and forth between Royce and Squalo.]

[sharktrash]

[ That will get them both a slightly flat look, because even if this didn't stink of an attempt to convince him something was worth more than it actually was, Squalo's not particularly keen on getting drugs from strangers and consuming them. That's a recipe for disaster. ]

Did I hear him say "razor" just now? That was my second pick. I can do without becoming a poster boy for "Sexy Wizard" look.

[ Just because he likes his lack of pigmentation doesn't mean he's not aware how ridiculous he'd look with a beard. ]

[bywolves]

Razor isn't mine. It belongs to Solomons. [ Deliberately using Alfie's last name feels weird, but he's going to do it. It's a bit more professional. ] Don't have much else, so it's up to him. Unless you want one of your items back in exchange for the book.

[devoutish]

[A razor is kind of in that gray area between "luxury item" and "useful supply item" - it's not necessary (especially, as Squalo had pointed out, for someone like him), but it's more useful than a book, and it's a hot trade item. He's actually considering caving and throwing it into the pot, but he's careful to keep any trace of willingness off of his face, remaining blank and stony instead. He'll see how Squalo reacts to Royce's suggestion first.]

[sharktrash]

[ Squalo turns back to Solomons with a raised eyebrow, though he does consider Royce's new offer. ]

[ He could use this to even out the rather unfair deal they've made five minutes earlier. But then, he hadn't really given away anything necessary - he would have, but Royce had accepted his initial suggestions so there was no need to name anything more. And the book's pretty worthless to him. It's a way to stave off some boredom, sure, but he's never been an avid reader, it's huge and heavy, and as far as he's concerned, full of hidden lecturing against his life choices. ]

Those were my only candles... but I don't expect much in the way of romantic dinner any time soon. Starting fires, more like. A lighter or a dry match box would be better for that. Well, assuming you're not hiding a flamethrower in one of those bags.

[ He says it perfectly casually, though he suspects fire-starting tools are definitely worth more than razors in this place. Maybe this will make it look easier to part with. ]