The road there is through the woods, but not far. We just follow the sirens to where they're covered in vines and their lights don't work so well anymore.
Venus: ... ...um...
Neptune: It's fine.
Jupiter: It's fine.
We still can't quite believe it's a house humans are supposed to spend a night in. It has electricity, unbelievably, and also illegally, because it could likely burn it down and kill everyone.
Venus: ... ...
Jupiter: What is it?
Venus: I'm trying to think of something positive to say but, uh. I can't.
Neptune: It's a work of actual art. I'm truly impressed.
Jupiter: In all kinds of ways.
Neptune: Seriously, I'm in awe. No ordinary idiot built this cabin. An ordinary idiot would have given up long before this. It takes a truly extraordinary idiot to keep at something he has no idea how to do. I pray we never have to meet him.
Jupiter: Hmm.
Neptune: What?
Jupiter: I was just thinking... It's like, guaranteed the captain built it, right?
Neptune: If you tell a joke with a face that straight, someone impressionable like Venus is going to believe you and be terrified for the rest of their life.
Jupiter: I'm totally serious. Can't you imagine how proud the Captain would be of himself? He'd never think he was doing a single thing wrong, right? There's like half a dozen horrifying shacks here. He must have had so much fun.
Neptune: God. Hold me please. You've chilled me to the depths of my soul.
Jupiter: Hahahaha.
Jupiter snaps her hair tie against her wrist.
Venus: There's something wrong with the lock.
Jupiter: Is it broken? I don't hear any static... it really is broken.
Venus: That's so dangerous! No one would leave it unlocked like that, would they?
Jupiter: No. They wouldn't.
Neptune: They could have broken it and not told anyone. That'd just be like Group East.
Venus: I think Group South was here last?
Neptune: Or them, or anyone. They're all jerks who'd rather let the next group take the fall than fix it, so what does it matter which one it was?
Jupiter: The crystal and whisker look fine. It looks like someone tried to tape it together? But it must have come loose.
Venus: It could have already been like this... but this kind of charm doesn't break that easily, I don't think. You just need to make sure the wire is securely touching the galena.
Jupiter relaxes slightly. She is more worried about the devil than any of us, but all of us are worried. Though not that worried. Humans are much more likely to kill you than the devil is. Statistically.
Venus: There's probably some wire in the weird little shacks in the clearing out back.
Neptune: Have fun.
This shack is full of shelves and drawers, all neatly, maniacally squeezed along the four walls. It's much prettier and sturdier than the one we're staying in, but it's inhumanely small. The house seems to have been built for modestly large dolls. We have to hunch over to get in and we can't move without bumping each other. We have thought of two possibilities for how this happened. The possibility which is weird is that someone, possibly the captain, decided to make a .6 scale house on purpose, for .6 humans, or dolls, or fun, and then turned it into storage. The possibility which is scary is that someone, possibly the captain, completely finished a .6 scale shack before realizing his measurements were off in the first place.
Jupiter: If we find the tape, can you fix it?
Venus: I think so? But it's kind of worrying for it to be like that. Maybe we should call the captain?
Jupiter: We... could... do that... But let's try to get it working first.
Venus: I'm a little worried... I'm sure it'll be okay if I talk to him?
Jupiter: You'll be fine. I promise. I believe in you.
Venus: ... ...really?
Jupiter: Just search that drawer, Venus.
We root through drawers again. A little more intently.
Venus: Are you scared of him?
Jupiter: Got it!
Venus: Oh! Yay. I almost have it! It's way easier than I thought.
Jupiter: Phew.
Venus: See?
Jupiter: Nice. I'm glad. I really didn't want to have to go back to the captain.
Venus: Ha, yeah.
Jupiter: ... ...I don't know if it's really that I'm scared of him? But he does make me worry.
Venus: Oh. Um, he doesn't hate you or anything, I don't think. I mean, he's nicer to you than a lot of people.
Jupiter: ...why does everyone think that? He never got mad at me but... I don't like being liked by him. It makes me think there must be something wrong with me? I don't want to be the sort of person that he likes. It makes me shiver. He likes people he can make a little uncomfortable and won't give any trouble about it.
Venus: Like us, I guess.
Jupiter: Exactly us. We're the only people he likes, after all.
Venus: I don't think he's going to do anything terrible...
Jupiter: No, he wouldn't but... I don't know. Maybe he already did? Like how you don't have to touch someone to touch someone? You know? That sounds weird. Forget it.
Neptune: I guesssssssssss I'll come. Venus plug my phone in.
Jupiter: Oh. Cool.
Neptune: I mean if you're that insistent, I don't want to look like a jerk by saying no.
Jupiter: Haha. Rad. Are you good, Venus?
Venus: Yeah, I'll unpack.
Jupiter: Holler if you need anything.
This place looks like it was a greenhouse once. But at some point it was filled with furniture, like someone tried to live here and gave up, or died because it was a fucking greenhouse. There is a bed that was probably very nice, but npw it is growing poppies, and blue mushrooms are growing out of a lampshade by the nightstand, so we suppose the shack is now a greenhouse again. Neptune searches a beautiful enormous dresser nurturing an ivy with white bell-shaped flowers, while Jupiter brushes leaves away to open the doors of a tasteful kitchen cabinet.
Jupiter: There is a new kind of lily in each shelf.
Neptune: This place is honestly the weirdest.
Jupiter: Really. Here, come look.
Neptune: Oh wow. I'm revising my opinion. Maybe the captain is a true genius.
Jupiter: Do you think he did this?
Neptune: I hope not, then I'd have to like him.
Jupiter: Ha. Oh here, you should see this one-
The wood is warped or rotting which we knew before she put her weight on it, but didn't know well enough, because the door and then half the cabinet and then the whole cabinet slough away. We pull each other out of the way. The collapse of the cabinet sounds like the wet wood yawning and screaming for a full minute.
Neptune: Are you okay?
Jupiter: Oh... yeah. I'm fine.
Neptune: Okay.
Jupiter: I'm fine, I was just... For a moment it was the funniest thing in the entire world. I mean of course, right? I just walk in here and without even trying instantly cause the biggest possible disaster to happen. It was so pretty too... ANd now it's just impossible to put back together ever. Maybe I'm a genius at getting things wrong too. Ahaha.
Neptune: It is absolutely gone forever, Jupiter.
Jupiter: I know, but I should have-
Neptune: Jupiter I promise on a stack of bibles it's not your fault and I will slap your face if you say it was. I will punch you in the face for every word you say. I am so for real.
Jupiter: ...Ha. Thank you. I wasn't really going to. I promise.
Neptune takes her hands off Jupiter's shoulders. We look around. Jupiter snaps her hairband against her wrist. But for a moment after it feels like we are holding each other. We can feel the hands, like they're right there in the air.
Neptune: Good. I mean like, aren't you doing fine? Aren't you trying harder than literally everyone else here? You're so chill about everyone's bullshit it makes me so mad and then you won't extend even the slightest of that chill to yourself and that makes me EVEN SO MADDER. Can't you just be a little less... good?
Jupiter: I promise... I promise to try, at least. Well... sort of.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
8 PM
Venus: ... ...um...
Neptune: It's fine.
Jupiter: It's fine.
We still can't quite believe it's a house humans are supposed to spend a night in. It has electricity, unbelievably, and also illegally, because it could likely burn it down and kill everyone.
Venus: ... ...
Jupiter: What is it?
Venus: I'm trying to think of something positive to say but, uh. I can't.
Neptune: It's a work of actual art. I'm truly impressed.
Jupiter: In all kinds of ways.
Neptune: Seriously, I'm in awe. No ordinary idiot built this cabin. An ordinary idiot would have given up long before this. It takes a truly extraordinary idiot to keep at something he has no idea how to do. I pray we never have to meet him.
Jupiter: Hmm.
Neptune: What?
Jupiter: I was just thinking... It's like, guaranteed the captain built it, right?
Neptune: If you tell a joke with a face that straight, someone impressionable like Venus is going to believe you and be terrified for the rest of their life.
Jupiter: I'm totally serious. Can't you imagine how proud the Captain would be of himself? He'd never think he was doing a single thing wrong, right? There's like half a dozen horrifying shacks here. He must have had so much fun.
Neptune: God. Hold me please. You've chilled me to the depths of my soul.
Jupiter: Hahahaha.
Jupiter snaps her hair tie against her wrist.
Venus: There's something wrong with the lock.
Jupiter: Is it broken? I don't hear any static... it really is broken.
Venus: That's so dangerous! No one would leave it unlocked like that, would they?
Jupiter: No. They wouldn't.
Neptune: They could have broken it and not told anyone. That'd just be like Group East.
Venus: I think Group South was here last?
Neptune: Or them, or anyone. They're all jerks who'd rather let the next group take the fall than fix it, so what does it matter which one it was?
Jupiter: The crystal and whisker look fine. It looks like someone tried to tape it together? But it must have come loose.
Venus: It could have already been like this... but this kind of charm doesn't break that easily, I don't think. You just need to make sure the wire is securely touching the galena.
Jupiter relaxes slightly. She is more worried about the devil than any of us, but all of us are worried. Though not that worried. Humans are much more likely to kill you than the devil is. Statistically.
♀ + ♃
Neptune: Have fun.
This shack is full of shelves and drawers, all neatly, maniacally squeezed along the four walls. It's much prettier and sturdier than the one we're staying in, but it's inhumanely small. The house seems to have been built for modestly large dolls. We have to hunch over to get in and we can't move without bumping each other. We have thought of two possibilities for how this happened. The possibility which is weird is that someone, possibly the captain, decided to make a .6 scale house on purpose, for .6 humans, or dolls, or fun, and then turned it into storage. The possibility which is scary is that someone, possibly the captain, completely finished a .6 scale shack before realizing his measurements were off in the first place.
Jupiter: If we find the tape, can you fix it?
Venus: I think so? But it's kind of worrying for it to be like that. Maybe we should call the captain?
Jupiter: We... could... do that... But let's try to get it working first.
Venus: I'm a little worried... I'm sure it'll be okay if I talk to him?
Jupiter: You'll be fine. I promise. I believe in you.
Venus: ... ...really?
Jupiter: Just search that drawer, Venus.
We root through drawers again. A little more intently.
Venus: Are you scared of him?
Jupiter: Got it!
Venus: Oh! Yay. I almost have it! It's way easier than I thought.
Jupiter: Phew.
Venus: See?
Jupiter: Nice. I'm glad. I really didn't want to have to go back to the captain.
Venus: Ha, yeah.
Jupiter: ... ...I don't know if it's really that I'm scared of him? But he does make me worry.
Venus: Oh. Um, he doesn't hate you or anything, I don't think. I mean, he's nicer to you than a lot of people.
Jupiter: ...why does everyone think that? He never got mad at me but... I don't like being liked by him. It makes me think there must be something wrong with me? I don't want to be the sort of person that he likes. It makes me shiver. He likes people he can make a little uncomfortable and won't give any trouble about it.
Venus: Like us, I guess.
Jupiter: Exactly us. We're the only people he likes, after all.
Venus: I don't think he's going to do anything terrible...
Jupiter: No, he wouldn't but... I don't know. Maybe he already did? Like how you don't have to touch someone to touch someone? You know? That sounds weird. Forget it.
♃ + ♆
Jupiter: Oh. Cool.
Neptune: I mean if you're that insistent, I don't want to look like a jerk by saying no.
Jupiter: Haha. Rad. Are you good, Venus?
Venus: Yeah, I'll unpack.
Jupiter: Holler if you need anything.
This place looks like it was a greenhouse once. But at some point it was filled with furniture, like someone tried to live here and gave up, or died because it was a fucking greenhouse. There is a bed that was probably very nice, but npw it is growing poppies, and blue mushrooms are growing out of a lampshade by the nightstand, so we suppose the shack is now a greenhouse again. Neptune searches a beautiful enormous dresser nurturing an ivy with white bell-shaped flowers, while Jupiter brushes leaves away to open the doors of a tasteful kitchen cabinet.
Jupiter: There is a new kind of lily in each shelf.
Neptune: This place is honestly the weirdest.
Jupiter: Really. Here, come look.
Neptune: Oh wow. I'm revising my opinion. Maybe the captain is a true genius.
Jupiter: Do you think he did this?
Neptune: I hope not, then I'd have to like him.
Jupiter: Ha. Oh here, you should see this one-
The wood is warped or rotting which we knew before she put her weight on it, but didn't know well enough, because the door and then half the cabinet and then the whole cabinet slough away. We pull each other out of the way. The collapse of the cabinet sounds like the wet wood yawning and screaming for a full minute.
Neptune: Are you okay?
Jupiter: Oh... yeah. I'm fine.
Neptune: Okay.
Jupiter: I'm fine, I was just... For a moment it was the funniest thing in the entire world. I mean of course, right? I just walk in here and without even trying instantly cause the biggest possible disaster to happen. It was so pretty too... ANd now it's just impossible to put back together ever. Maybe I'm a genius at getting things wrong too. Ahaha.
Neptune: It is absolutely gone forever, Jupiter.
Jupiter: I know, but I should have-
Neptune: Jupiter I promise on a stack of bibles it's not your fault and I will slap your face if you say it was. I will punch you in the face for every word you say. I am so for real.
Jupiter: ...Ha. Thank you. I wasn't really going to. I promise.
Neptune takes her hands off Jupiter's shoulders. We look around. Jupiter snaps her hairband against her wrist. But for a moment after it feels like we are holding each other. We can feel the hands, like they're right there in the air.
Neptune: Good. I mean like, aren't you doing fine? Aren't you trying harder than literally everyone else here? You're so chill about everyone's bullshit it makes me so mad and then you won't extend even the slightest of that chill to yourself and that makes me EVEN SO MADDER. Can't you just be a little less... good?
Jupiter: I promise... I promise to try, at least. Well... sort of.
Neptune: GODDDDDDDDDDD.