TNDG Day 8 (too many logs this day)

[keybroad]

[So Lotus finds Dee at the bar. Under her arm she is holding a few bepegged lite brite boards and a bottle of what she optimistically assumes is vodka. It's transparent, she found it behind the bar, and it's labeled in the Cyrillic alphabet.

Lotus extends her free hand to the other woman.]

Hello, Miss Dee. I'm Lotus. May I borrow you for a moment, please? [She's playing up the Japanese accent on her English more than usual, though not enough to be difficult to understand.]

Comments

[laterboners]

[Dee doesn't shake her hand, but she does reply after downing the glass in her hand]

Whatever, yeah. Shoot.

[keybroad]

To start off I would like the chance to apologize for letting Mac join our band. [here is the bottle of alcohol put onto the bar if anyone wants it.] Take this as a peace offering. I didn't realize that we were "stealing" him. We just haven't all gotten the chance to get to know each other, you see.

[laterboners]

Jesus, did Dennis say that? I don't give a shit if you took Mac. You can have him. Is that what this is about?

[keybroad]

Uhhhhhhh...

[She took the lyrics by Dee too literally and stares blankly for a second.]

Dennis is very unreasonable. Thank you for understanding, then. We'll take good care of him.

There is something else I wanted to discuss, though. Do you have a plan on who to vote for?

[laterboners]

Nope. You wanna trade? I'm still in the market.

[keybroad]

I'm glad to hear you're available! Well, I'm not quite sure if it's possible for me to vote for you, though.

Would you be open to voting for me, and then getting voted for by Charlie?

[laterboners]

[makes a face]

Charlie can hardly read. I don't feel awesome about his ability to identify my name in a vote.

[keybroad]

[Flicking wrist skeptically.]

But he did manage to distinguish "Frank Reynolds" from "Dennis Reynolds" or "Dee Reynolds", right? In the second voting round.

[laterboners]

[sighs loudly]

Yeah, he did do that. So what's the angle? Why can't we just vote for each other?

[keybroad]

[Ah, she's been caught. Glancing away, twirling a white peg between her fingertips.]

I want to vote for Ronove. He's really... helpful. But obviously I can't just trade with him.

[laterboners]

Why is that obvious? I have no idea who that is. You know what? I don't even care. Does this plan get me a vote? Like, definitely?

[keybroad]

Ronove is one of those people who didn't get in a band and doesn't have a vote. So, I have one votes and he has zero votes. He and I can't trade. You'll definitely get a vote if Charlie actually votes for you, which I admit might be slightly challenging for him.

But, think about it. If we just let Ronove and Aku and Sophie all die - the three people who weren't in a band and got zero votes, you know - it sets a precedent. I don't want to definitely die the next time the clown gives me zero ballots. Do you?

[laterboners]

Uh huh, so this is your wordy way of telling me you'd rather we kill Charlie than Ronove? Yeah, I can do the math.

[takes a shot]

[keybroad]

[She blinks for a second. Amicably, but pretty nervously:]

As long as Charlie can't do the math, yeah, we'd kill him, that's what would happen.

[laterboners]

Yeeeeah, he probably can't do the math. Okay, fine. If you can get me a vote, I'll vote for you.

[keybroad]

Do you... want me to talk to Charlie for you? I mean, part of why I think it'd be a good idea for him to vote for you in the first place is that, like--

[Hearing a commotion at the lite brite marquee, she steps back to look and speaks out of the corner of her mouth.]

Yeah, there they go, Simon and Rhys are voting for each other. The only people besides us who haven't voted are Charlie and Ene's second vote that used to be Zelda's. I actually... sort of have an in with Ene? So, who would you rather have vote for you. Charlie or Ene.

[laterboners]

Oh shit, you can get me a vote from a competent person?

[keybroad]

[Makes a braying, mirthless horse laugh at the implication that Ene is competent.]

I can try to make Ene vote for you, yeah. It's risky, though. Because Charlie can't vote for himself, you know? So he's either gonna abstain, and four people die, or he votes for someone who already has a vote, and they'll go to the hotel and there will be drama. [Concerned] Unless he votes for Sophie or Aku. Wait, actually, do you think he would do that?

[Sophie is a trash witch, Charlie is a trash boy, maybe it could work]

[laterboners]

Probably. Just find him when he's really drunk and tell him it's a good idea. He won't check up on it. He's still pretty bent out of shape over Frank.

[keybroad]

So... I find Charlie and make him vote for someone who won't cause drama. And I also find Ene and make her vote for you. And for now, you vote for me.

Is that okay?

[laterboners]

You got it, sister.

[keybroad]

[An immense sigh of relief. Her shoulders relax as she leans down to rummage through the bar.]

What should I bring him. Whiskey? Does he like whiskey?

[laterboners]

Yeah, but if you really want it to have an effect you should probably spike it with some drain-o. That guy has a stomach that would confuse a hazmat team.

[keybroad]

Uh...

[Stares.]

This makes Mac's blood spitting routine sound way less insane.

[laterboners]

Oh, yeah, that's just Mac. He's an idiot.

[keybroad]

[Nodding.]

It takes all sorts... well, I'll be back, then.

[LATER. She comes back looking totally exhausted, not standing up straight, hauling lite brite boards inaccurately, leaking a trail of pegs.]

Oh my god... after all that... Ene was already voting for Ronove so I'll just vote for you. Is that okay?

[laterboners]

[sort of scoffs]

See? That's what you get for trying to be nice. A lot of work for nothing. But yeah, why not. I still need a vote.

[keybroad]

[In this moment, in this one word, Lotus feels connected to Dee on a deep existential level.]

Work.

[She takes out two lite brite boards. One says "DEE" in pink pegs, the other says "LTS" in teal pegs. Both have a blank black half.]

Then we'll set these up too. Everyone knows and there will be no confusion.

[laterboners]

Sweet. You're pretty good at this. Are you playing to win, or just trying not to die?

[keybroad]

Uhhh... hahaha...

[She looks around for some kind of glass.]

To be honest, probably neither of those things is gonna happen.