[x] The Music. You really like the way 10 Mugs of Ale plays, with it's great baseline and kickass guitar. You're going to back there, pick up one of their CDs, and play it on the ride home. They always say to listen to music for inspiration after all. (+1 Cocky Roll)
Ten Pounds of Gold: A Pro Wrestling Quest
- Thread starter Vesvius
- Start date
- Original
- Location
- Classified
[X] The Jacket. The leather workers have some great stuff, and the jacket they've got looks just awesome. You can see yourself wearing it, either as entrance gear or just because. (+1 Cool Roll)
This sounds like it would be a nice story to tell.
This sounds like it would be a nice story to tell.
Vesvius
The Wicked God
And we're done here.
Vote Tally : Original - Ten Pounds of Gold: A Pro Wrestling Quest | Page 20 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.5
[X] The Jacket. The leather workers have some great stuff, and the jacket they've got looks just awesome. You can see yourself wearing it, either as entrance gear or just because. (+1 Cool Roll)
No. of Votes: 10
[X] The Music. You really like the way 10 Mugs of Ale plays, with it's great baseline and kickass guitar. You're going to back there, pick up one of their CDs, and play it on the ride home. They always say to listen to music for inspiration after all. (+1 Cocky Roll)
No. of Votes: 10
[X] The Black Knight. It just looks badass, and you can definitely see it hanging in your home. The attitude the artist put in it practically oozes off the canvas. (+1 Brute Roll)
No. of Votes: 2
[X] The Gargoyle. It's an awesome looking sculpture, as cool looking as it is terrifying. You don't think you'd want to sleep with it in the same room- at least if it was facing you- but you feel goosebumps when you look at it. (+1 Crazy Roll)
No. of Votes: 1
Total No. of Voters: 23
Some of you might be saying "Vesvius! That can't be right! You've called the vote when it's clearly a tie!". Those of you saying that would be right, but wrong that I'm mistaken when I'm closing the vote.
This vote is the latest instance of a trend I've noticed in 10PG- you people tie. A lot. It was annoying when I really wanted to work on an update, but hilarious after it just. kept. happening. Over and over, we've needed a tie breaker. And a second after we get that tie breaker, someone always votes for the other option before I get the chance to close it. This has to have happened at least five times now, and we're only on the 12th vote!
So because I find this hilarious, I'm instituting a new rule: the TIE RULE. This will be added to the mechanics tomorrow after I think on it and refine it a bit.
But the bare bones is this: every time there's a tie when I want to call the vote, I will roll a d2, with each side getting a number. Winning roll is the winner of the vote. But don't think that option 2 is out in the cold. Depending on the number of voters, option 2 also goes into partial effect based on a highly advanced mathematical formula I'm pulling out of my ass as we speak. It goes:
Tie on 20+ voters: Losing option gets added at 25% of normal roll.
Tie on 30+ voters: Losing option gets added at 50% of normal roll.
Tie on 40+ voters: Losing option gets added at 75% of normal roll.
Tie on 50+ voters: Losing option gets added at full strength.
If you tie on more than that, you get nothing besides two winners. And if I think you guys have started loading the ballot box to purposefully make ties, penalties will happen. Finally, this bonus only applies on things that have a hard numerical benefit. On things like actions, ties will just be broken with a flat 1d2.
As an example, let's take this current vote! The winners are the Jacket (Cool) and the Music (Cocky). First, let's see who wins.
Ok. Looks like Cool is the winner. So let's get that out of the way.
Sweet. 50 Cool XP. Now, let's roll for Cocky.
Okay then. 47 for Cocky. Nice roll. But there were only 20+ votes this go round, so you get a quarter of that, rounded up. Ain't I nice? So that's 12 XP for cocky.
And this ends our first case of the TIE RULE. If anyone has any suggestions, please, let me know.
Update should be out within 48 hours. Sorry about the delay, but work's kicking my ass right now.
One last note from this extended Author's Note: the highest compliment you can give me for this quest is participating in it. No matter how much you think your contribution would suck, I want to see it. If it's talking, if it's speculating, if it's ideas for gimmicks or other wrestlers like Hangwind and Ysmir, whatever. I appreciate each and every post here. Thanks so much, and I hope you all continue to enjoy 10PG!
Vote Tally : Original - Ten Pounds of Gold: A Pro Wrestling Quest | Page 20 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.5
[X] The Jacket. The leather workers have some great stuff, and the jacket they've got looks just awesome. You can see yourself wearing it, either as entrance gear or just because. (+1 Cool Roll)
No. of Votes: 10
[X] The Music. You really like the way 10 Mugs of Ale plays, with it's great baseline and kickass guitar. You're going to back there, pick up one of their CDs, and play it on the ride home. They always say to listen to music for inspiration after all. (+1 Cocky Roll)
No. of Votes: 10
[X] The Black Knight. It just looks badass, and you can definitely see it hanging in your home. The attitude the artist put in it practically oozes off the canvas. (+1 Brute Roll)
No. of Votes: 2
[X] The Gargoyle. It's an awesome looking sculpture, as cool looking as it is terrifying. You don't think you'd want to sleep with it in the same room- at least if it was facing you- but you feel goosebumps when you look at it. (+1 Crazy Roll)
No. of Votes: 1
Total No. of Voters: 23
Some of you might be saying "Vesvius! That can't be right! You've called the vote when it's clearly a tie!". Those of you saying that would be right, but wrong that I'm mistaken when I'm closing the vote.
This vote is the latest instance of a trend I've noticed in 10PG- you people tie. A lot. It was annoying when I really wanted to work on an update, but hilarious after it just. kept. happening. Over and over, we've needed a tie breaker. And a second after we get that tie breaker, someone always votes for the other option before I get the chance to close it. This has to have happened at least five times now, and we're only on the 12th vote!
So because I find this hilarious, I'm instituting a new rule: the TIE RULE. This will be added to the mechanics tomorrow after I think on it and refine it a bit.
But the bare bones is this: every time there's a tie when I want to call the vote, I will roll a d2, with each side getting a number. Winning roll is the winner of the vote. But don't think that option 2 is out in the cold. Depending on the number of voters, option 2 also goes into partial effect based on a highly advanced mathematical formula I'm pulling out of my ass as we speak. It goes:
Tie on 20+ voters: Losing option gets added at 25% of normal roll.
Tie on 30+ voters: Losing option gets added at 50% of normal roll.
Tie on 40+ voters: Losing option gets added at 75% of normal roll.
Tie on 50+ voters: Losing option gets added at full strength.
If you tie on more than that, you get nothing besides two winners. And if I think you guys have started loading the ballot box to purposefully make ties, penalties will happen. Finally, this bonus only applies on things that have a hard numerical benefit. On things like actions, ties will just be broken with a flat 1d2.
As an example, let's take this current vote! The winners are the Jacket (Cool) and the Music (Cocky). First, let's see who wins.
Ok. Looks like Cool is the winner. So let's get that out of the way.
Sweet. 50 Cool XP. Now, let's roll for Cocky.
Okay then. 47 for Cocky. Nice roll. But there were only 20+ votes this go round, so you get a quarter of that, rounded up. Ain't I nice? So that's 12 XP for cocky.
And this ends our first case of the TIE RULE. If anyone has any suggestions, please, let me know.
Update should be out within 48 hours. Sorry about the delay, but work's kicking my ass right now.
One last note from this extended Author's Note: the highest compliment you can give me for this quest is participating in it. No matter how much you think your contribution would suck, I want to see it. If it's talking, if it's speculating, if it's ideas for gimmicks or other wrestlers like Hangwind and Ysmir, whatever. I appreciate each and every post here. Thanks so much, and I hope you all continue to enjoy 10PG!
Last edited:
Corvus Black
The Inestimable
- Location
- England
Vesvius, Vesvius, Vesvius.
How long are we going to play this game?
Vesvius
The Wicked God
FFS... I checked this time. I swear.Vesvius, Vesvius, Vesvius.
How long are we going to play this game?
14. Heart Pounding
Vesvius
The Wicked God
Vote Tally : Original - Ten Pounds of Gold: A Pro Wrestling Quest | Page 20 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.5
[X] The Jacket. The leather workers have some great stuff, and the jacket they've got looks just awesome. You can see yourself wearing it, either as entrance gear or just because. (+1 Cool Roll)
No. of Votes: 10
[X] The Music. You really like the way 10 Mugs of Ale plays, with it's great baseline and kickass guitar. You're going to back there, pick up one of their CDs, and play it on the ride home. They always say to listen to music for inspiration after all. (+1 Cocky Roll)
No. of Votes: 10
[X] The Black Knight. It just looks badass, and you can definitely see it hanging in your home. The attitude the artist put in it practically oozes off the canvas. (+1 Brute Roll)
No. of Votes: 2
[X] The Gargoyle. It's an awesome looking sculpture, as cool looking as it is terrifying. You don't think you'd want to sleep with it in the same room- at least if it was facing you- but you feel goosebumps when you look at it. (+1 Crazy Roll)
No. of Votes: 1
Total No. of Voters: 23
##### NetTally 1.7.5
[X] The Jacket. The leather workers have some great stuff, and the jacket they've got looks just awesome. You can see yourself wearing it, either as entrance gear or just because. (+1 Cool Roll)
No. of Votes: 10
[X] The Music. You really like the way 10 Mugs of Ale plays, with it's great baseline and kickass guitar. You're going to back there, pick up one of their CDs, and play it on the ride home. They always say to listen to music for inspiration after all. (+1 Cocky Roll)
No. of Votes: 10
[X] The Black Knight. It just looks badass, and you can definitely see it hanging in your home. The attitude the artist put in it practically oozes off the canvas. (+1 Brute Roll)
No. of Votes: 2
[X] The Gargoyle. It's an awesome looking sculpture, as cool looking as it is terrifying. You don't think you'd want to sleep with it in the same room- at least if it was facing you- but you feel goosebumps when you look at it. (+1 Crazy Roll)
No. of Votes: 1
Total No. of Voters: 23
And you feel like it. Going through Artist's Alley the first time was a simple, if confusing, thing. You let the crowds drag you like you were a branch in a river from booth to booth, never fighting the current and seeing the entire buffet of things the creative types had to offer. But then you had to find things you specifically wanted to see.
How could you possibly get so lost in one room?!
But that's over now. You're free. You stand outside of Artist's Alley, hands on your thighs, bent over and panting. Delilah stands at your side in the same position, her breaths ragged and gasping. "Holy… fuck…" she breathes out.
You manage the energy to shoot her a glare. "Do not let your mother know you know that word."
She waves you off as she catches her breath. "I'll just… tell her… you taught it to me."
...you can't let that stand. You scoop her into a side headlock and grind your knuckles into her scalp. "What was that?" you ask as if you aren't giving her the mother of all noogies. "I swear I heard a threat there. And if that was a threat, then I'll have to do this every time I see you from now on!"
She slaps your back frantically, flailing for freedom. But your grip is as tight as you can make it without hurting her, and that's pretty damn tight. She has no choice but to tap, slapping her submission on your bicep. "Come on, Martin!" she squeals. "You smell like bodypaint!"
You let her go instantly. You thought you'd dodged the group giving out 'free-samples', but they must have moved faster than you saw. Sure enough, there's a stripe of green across her face that wasn't there before. You'd apologize, but honestly, it's hilarious. You tell her as much and get your first glimpse of Delilah pouting.
"You suck." she groans out.
You shrug as you check your phone. "Yeah, yeah. Nothing I haven't heard before. Come on, it's almost eight. Let's go get your Mom."
The two of you trudge off towards another ballroom with Delilah using you as a human shield to get through the hordes of people. The crowds are starting to thin, at least. You don't get knocked around nearly as much this time. The only real interruptions you have are from other people dressed up in High Society jumpsuits who take pictures of themselves with Delilah. You manage to snag a copy of one; Daybreak'll appreciate it.
Outside of the signing hall, the crowds are especially sparse, with barely any lines left. You'd guess that anyone who really wanted a signing from Daybreak, or- you look at the list of Attendees- Kevin Sorbo would have gotten there early. And- Wait, Kevin Sorbo? Really? You loved Hercules. But he's already gone.
Daybreak is one of the only people to still have anyone in front of her table. Most of the 'celebrities' have a book out, are playing on their phone, or are chatting with staff. But your teacher still has a small cluster of three or four people in front of her, listening to her every word with breathless captivation. You hold back a snort; they wouldn't be that worshipful if she'd made them run the ropes for seven hour straight.
You don't want to interrupt so you take a seat of to the side and relax for a moment. Maybe there's someone else here you want to meet…? No, no one exciting. Delilah spies some anime guy she wants to sign something, so you let her trot off. It's only a few yards away; no reason for you to get on your feet again for that. The kid heads over to meet the bearded old man and the two strike up a lively conversation. Something about owls. It's over your head.
Your attention wanders soon after and you take to scanning the room while keeping the kid in the corner of your eye. The place is practically deserted compared to Artist's Alley. Without the crowds of people, the thing that draws your eyes the most are the banners behind each person. Most are fairly formulaic; the person's name, what they're famous for, how long they're here. The convention probably printed them up.
But there are a few exceptions; banners and posters clearly made by the people themselves. There's one made of solid sheet metal with words cut out behind some scriptwriter, and an enormous poster festooned with dragons behind a game designer. And then of course, there's Daybreak's board, printed in bright colors with your teacher's snarling face in full makeup and paint on the front. 'Wrestling Legend' is burned on the front- literally. It looks like someone took one of those little torches they use for woodburning art and blasted the words over the poster. It's unique, you'll give her that.
Wondering what kind of heat would be needed to burn letters into wood and paper without actually igniting the wood and paper like that keeps you occupied for the time it takes for Delilah to wrap up her conversation and for Daybreak to get rid of her admirers. As the last one of her followers leaves, clutching a signed eight by ten to his chest, she scans the room. Her eyes latch onto you and the kid and something that might be a smile crosses over her face. You breathe out a sigh of relief. Good, she's had a good day. Maybe she'll be less likely to haze you on the way back-
"Hey, Martin! Carry my board!"
You don't bother to hold back your groan. It's what she wants after all, and it'd be a shame to disappoint. You pull yourself to your feet and move towards the enormous piece of plywood and paper. It takes some finagling to get the right kind of grip on it, but you manage it, even if you have to hold it directly in front of you. You can barely see passed the thing as you walk. Luckily no one wants to run into such a big piece of wood, so you don't hit anyone as the three of you walk to the van.
"So how was your con?" Daybreak asks the kid as you walk. From her voice, you think she's in front of and slightly to the left of you.
"It was great!" Delilah replies, entirely too perky for you right now. "We went and got ice cream and then we came in and I got to yell at the cosplayers! I think I made a few cry!"
You can hear the indulgent smile in Daybreak's voice. "We've talked about that kiddo. You shouldn't go out of your way to insult people."
"But Moooom!" she whines. "They weren't people! They were cosplayers!" Clearly there's some fundamental difference between the two groups that you're just not getting. "They weren't doing it right!"
Daybreak's slow headshake is almost audible. "Well, as long as there was no real trouble."
"Uh-uh! And after that we went to see the Artists and Martin got these CDs and that Jacket and he didn't get the really cool gargoyle! I think he just didn't want to carry it! And I got to meet more of the High Society and we got some cool pictures and it was awesome."
"Yo." you call. "In the bag she's got, there's a copy for you." There's some rustling of plastic as Daybreak pulls out the best of the snaps that Delilah was in today, in the middle of six more people of ranging ages, all dressed in the bright blue jumpsuit with different colored shoulder pads.
There's a pat on your shoulder. "Thanks! This is going right on the fridge!"
"Moooom…" Though she's trying to hide it, the undercurrent of pride in Delilah's voice rings loud and clear to you, even if you can't see the pleased flush on her face. From Daybreak's chuckle, you know it's there.
"It'll go well with the one of you in the school play. Has she told you about that one Martin?" She asks as she hold the door open. You inch through the gateway into the fresh air, careful not to let the board slip from your hands. "It was soooo cute!"
"No!" There's real panic in Delilah's voice. "You promised you wouldn't bring that up!"
"Bring it up to your little friends, maybe!" Daybreak replies, the manic joy of a parent embarrassing the holy hell out of their child in her voice. "But Martin's one of my students, not one of your buddies! So telling him all about how you were-"
She cuts off in mid sentence. For a second you think Delilah's done something to stop her from talking, but then the board brushes against her back in front of you. Daybreak's frozen in front of you. You stop too. "What's-"
"Quiet." Daybreak hisses. Mom Daybreak is gone; only Hardass Daybreak is left in that voice. "What'd you do?"
"Huh?" you grunt out. You begin to set the board down so you can see what's going on, but Daybreak's next words stop you.
"There's a cop behind the van. What did you do? Quick!"
Your blood runs cold. Fucking damn it. It was too much to hope that the assholes weren't in good enough shape to recognize you were in a van, or that someone else gave them a description of it.
No sense hiding it now. "Assholes at Friendly's." you reply, voice equally low. "Beat the hell out of the guy, woman knocked herself out trying to bumrush me. The kid might've kicked them a few times too."
"You said we wouldn't-"
"Not now!" Daybreak interrupts Delilah's protest. And then you feel her attitude change. "Excuse me?" she calls out, voice light as a feather, completely at odds with the cold and anger you were feeling just a minute ago. "Officer? Is there something I can help you with?"
You hear a new voice. "Good evening ma'am. Is this your minivan?"
"Yes sir it is!" She replies, a note of confusion in her voice. If you didn't know better, you'd think it was completely genuine. "Is… is something wrong?"
The cop doesn't explain himself, but you hear footsteps coming closer to you. "And how long has it been parked here?"
Daybreak hmms for a moment or two, obviously thinking. A cold sweat trickles down your spine. You do not want to spend a night in the holding cell. Or worse, have charges pressed. Those fuckers struck you as the kind of people to press charges. You'd have to call your parents, ask them to bail you out, ask them for money for a lawyer… you could kiss your wrestling career goodbye before it even starts and-"
"Since about two, officer."
You freeze, too relieved and too scared to even breathe. Daybreak's covering for you. But you're not out of the woods yet, not by a longshot. "Is there anyone who can verify that?" the cop asks.
"I'm not really sure." Daybreak responds. "I don't know who's been watching my van. But I've been inside all day. You can ask the staff- they helped me set up my booth around then. I've been inside since." All technically true.
The cop is quiet for a long time. "Wait…" he finally says. "I know you! Dawnbreak, right?"
Thank fucking god. Daybreak corrects him and you can practically hear the glinting of her teeth as she gives off her 'dealing-with-fans' smile. "Daybreak, actually."
"Oh, darn. I'm sorry Miss, I-"
"No, no." Daybreak soothes him. "It's an easy mistake. I can't count the number of times it's happened."
"No, I sure am sorry ma'am. It's no excuse. I grew up on WPW! I swear, I still remember that match you had against Coltrane in the finals! It was all we could talk about for days after!"
The two of them talk for a few more minutes, all pleasantries and reminiscences. Daybreak signs something for him, and the cop turns to get on his way. "Oh, right!" he says, as if he's suddenly remembered why he was here. "If you're on the road, keep an eye out. It's dangerous around here lately."
"Oh?" Daybreak replies. "What's going on?"
"Sad business," the cop answers. "Some lowlife attacked a married couple over at the Friendly's a couple blocks away, right in front of their kids."
"Oh my." You can't see Daybreak putting her hand to her mouth as if she was horrified, but you can imagine it quite well. "I'll certainly keep an eye out!"
The cop laughs. "You won't mistake this guy for anything other than a hooligan. We're having trouble getting details out of them- apparently he attacked them from behind, and of course the kids are near traumatized. We're trying to get a composite sketch done, but from the victim's description, we're looking for a guy that's about seven feet tall, covered in scars."
"Wow." Daybreak mutters. "That sure sounds dangerous."
The cop finally gets back in his car with one more goodbye and drives off with a brief 'woop' of his siren. The three of you stand in complete silence until you're sure he's gone and not coming back. Finally, Daybreak wordlessly opens the van and you slide the board in the back. As you straighten, you look at yourself in the rearview for a split second. The fuck were they talking about? You don't have scars.
With the board safely stowed, the three of you get in the van. No one says a word and you sit in silence as the clock ticks away on the dash. The only sound you hear is the deep breathing coming from the passenger's side. You chance a glance over at your teacher to see her sitting there, glaring straight ahead, nostrils flaring. Your eyes snap forward again, too nervous to look back.
Eventually she seems to have some semblance of control. In a tone as cold as frozen air, she growls, "Explain."
And so you do. "It was at lunch." You start. "It was… it was a stupid thing. There were some brats throwing a tantrum in the middle of the diner. The kid tried to get them to stop, and one of the parents had a problem with it. Grabbed her. I took issue with that."
Delilah sits quietly behind you, and you can see her rubbing her wrist at the memory in the mirror. You know Daybreak sees it too- her breath freezes again. She turns to look at the kid. "Show me your arm." she says.
Reluctantly, Delilah peels back her sleeve, revealing the place the woman had grabbed her. A light bruise has formed in the shape of a hand around her wrist. Daybreak snarls and then stops, as if she was doing it accidentally.
You continue your explanation. "I tried to make them back down, but the man wasn't hearing it. We took it outside. I beat him, his wife tried to hit me from behind. Delilah kicked them a few times, but we got out as soon as we could."
Once more, silence takes over the minivan. But it's a different kind of silence, a thoughtful kind. Daybreak doesn't seem to be fuming with rage anymore. It's broken by Delilah this time. The kid speaks up in a watery voice. "Please don't be mad at Martin." she pleads. "It was my fault."
Daybreak looks at her daughter and then down at the floor. You can't see her face and her body language is a closed book to you. What's she thinking?
When she looks back up, it's with a weary smile on your face. "How am I supposed to be mad at you after that?! It's not fair!" She asks, leaning back in the seat. "Alright, I'm not mad anymore. And neither of you is going to get in trouble- except maybe for not telling me right away. I'd probably have done worse. Much worse." From the low, hungry tone in her voice, there's no doubt of that.
Slowly, you let yourself breathe again.
Daybreak pats you on the shoulder. "Seriously, Martin. Good job. But how could they think you're seven foot and covered in scars?! You… you…"
"Yes, I know." You groan out. "I look like an innocent suburban boy who's never been in a fight in his life."
"You said it, not me!" Daybreak replies, something like her former cheer back in her voice. "Now start this thing up and let's get moving."
"Home?" Delilah asks hopefully.
"Nah." Daybreak replies. "I want to stop for some food first. Signing paper is hungry work."
You nod agreeably as you coax the minivan to life. "Alright. Any place special in mind, boss?"
Daybreak's smile is sharklike. "I'm thinking I want ice cream."
...oh.
***
You really hope that Daybreak wants to go back to Friendly's to help your story. Maybe further muddy the trail if possible. After all, if you did it, why would you go back to Friendly's the same day? Do you like mediocre burgers and ice cream that much?
If not that, you really hope she's going back to doublecheck your story. Make sure you and Delilah didn't concoct some elaborate lie to cover up something that you really did wrong. You could deal with that; after all, Delilah's involved, and Daybreak's nothing if not invested in her kid's life. And the facts would wind up on your side.
But you know why Daybreak wants ice cream all of a sudden. She believes you all right, and hopes those assholes are idiots enough to come back the same day to cash in whatever vouchers they got from the flustered staff. You weren't nearly harsh enough with them for Daybreak's tastes, and your teacher wants her own pound of flesh.
Luckily for you- and for them- the Friendly's is nearly deserted. Only one table is still occupied with some college students playing a round of some card game. Still, the three of you grab a booth and order your drinks. Daybreak still seems a little jumpy, and her head snaps around at every footstep in a way you can only describe as predatory. But she's talking freely and hasn't started fuming again, so you're fairly sure you're out of the woods on this one.
The door opens and closes again, and Daybreak cranes her neck to see who's come in. Whoever it is isn't her target and she turns her attention back to the table. "So," she asks, drumming her fingers on the table. "Get anything good at the con?"
Delilah pauses then shakes her head. "No." she mutters, disappointed. "It was all too 'spensive."
Daybreak clucks her tongue at that even as she surveys the diner again. "That's why I told you to save up. You'll never be able to get any of the cool stuff if you keep spending all your money on that game."
The kid puffs up at that. "It's not a game! It's a series of virtual collectables that can be-"
"Yep. A game." Daybreak repeats. She glances over at you. "You?"
You shrug. "A few things. Got some CDs in the car that sound nice. And…" you gesture down at yourself, at the new jacket that's draped over your body. "It's not the best made thing, but it looks cool, and I like the way it feels."
Your teacher inspects it carefully. "Yeah. You're not going to get anything that lasts long at a low rent con like this. If you like the look you'd better take pictures of it while it's new so someone else can remake it after it falls apart." You nod, and Daybreak resumes her scan of the diner.
She keeps looking until your drinks come, brought by a different waitress then the one that took your order. "Evening, all!" She greets you all, voice tired but polite. "My name's Helen and I'll be taking care of you this evening. Do you already have an idea what you want, or-"
The waitress looks from Daybreak to you and stops in the middle of her patter. You glance up from the menu to meet the wide, blue eyes of the waitress who shooed you out of the parking lot that afternoon. You muster up a small wave. "Hey again." You awkwardly mumble. "Good to see you again."
She stays still for a moment, taken aback. "Umm.." she finally musters up. "Can I… can I take your order?"
Daybreak can't hold in her laugh. "I take it you two've met?" she asks through her chuckles.
"Yeah." you reply, still watching the waitress warily in case she decides to change her mind and call the cops. "Helen was a big help earlier. She was the one that warned us when the cops were on their way."
"Well in that case, it's nice to meet you Helen." Daybreak says, offering a hand. Helen shakes it warily. "You helped my friend and my daughter out of a sticky situation earlier. Thank you so much for that."
"Ummm…. No problem. But, uh, can I get you anything?" Helen repeats, looking like a deer in the headlights. You decide to spare her some more awkwardness and place your order, with Delilah and Daybreak following suit soon after. Helen practically flees your table.
You look back to your teacher. "What do you want to be that she decides to let someone else take care of us from now on?"
Daybreak is looking after her with a wide, toothy grin on her face. "I doubt it."
You raise a questioning eyebrow but she refuses to say anymore as she goes back to looking at the rest of the diner. You shake your head. What does she mean by that?
But she's right. Fifteen minutes later, Helen returns with a tray laden with food, and she seems much more relaxed. "Here you go!" She says. The tiredness seems gone from her voice, replaced by even more of a chipper attitude. "Is there anything else I can get you?"
Daybreak and Delilah both decline, and you shake your head, offering a smile. "No thanks."
Helen doesn't leave though. She stands next to your table for a good few seconds before speaking again. "Oh, and by the way. Sorry about freezing there." she says. "I just really wasn't expecting to see you back here again. And so soon!"
"Don't worry about it," you reply. "I didn't think I'd be back here either."
Before Helen can excuse herself, Daybreak cuts in. "Sorry to bother you, but I'm missing a bit of context. Tommy and Delilah told me what happened here, but I think I'm still foggy on some specifics. Could you…?"
You would say it's not necessary, that you'd fill Daybreak in, but you're too busy gawking at your mentor. Did… did she just call you by your first name?!
Helen doesn't seem taken aback by the question though. She recounts what happened, collaborating your own story and filling in a few things you didn't know. The dicks were apparently named the Wilkinsons, and they had been a problem in the diner for months; the scene Delilah had interrupted was a tame one by their standards.
After you had burned rubber, the cops had arrived and the Wilkinsons had insisted on an ambulance being called for them. The bruises you gave Mr. Wilkinson and the scrapes from when Mrs. Wilkinson had missed her charge had been life threatening to hear them tell it. As their 'wound's had been being treated, they had told the cops their story at the top of their lungs.
"You'll be pleased to know," Helen says with a wry smile, "That you're seven men who jumped them from behind. After some other out-of-towner said he only saw one guy, you became nine feet tall."
You can't help but laugh at that. "Any idea where the 'covered in scars' bit came from?"
"The bikers were, of course, heavily tattooed. But since no one else saw the ink, they had to think of something they could mistake for tattoos. God knows how their minds work."
As for the cops themselves, they didn't seem to be looking too hard for the mysterious scarred gentleman. They had been called to the Wilkinson's dozens of times for noise complaints, and then to their neighbors after they retaliated with complaints of their own. All in all, what Helen tells you makes you feel a bit better about beating the fuck out of Mr. Wilkinson.
Helen finishes up her retelling and gets on her way, letting you dig into your food for the first time. The three of you eat in relative silence with only the bare minimum of small talk passing between you. But you're not alone for long. Helen returns within a few minutes, just checking on you. And then again a few minutes later.
You look up from your burger to see Daybreak watching you with laughing eyes. "What?" you ask.
"I think she liiiiikes you." Daybreak murmurs, voice barely carrying across the table.
You can't help but chuckle. Daybreak must be feeling better if she's teasing you like this. "Nah. She's just bored. Not many people to take care of right now."
"Bored? In this day and age? Please. She's got a phone with two hundred games loaded on it. If she was bored she'd deal with it. But she keeps coming back to check on you."
Again, you shake your head. Daybreak couldn't be more far off. "You're insane, boss. You've got to know that, right?"
Daybreak glances up over your head towards where you hear Helen's footsteps coming your way again. "Ask for a refill in a sec." She orders. You look at your drink- it's near full.
"How're you all doing?" She asks, glancing down at you all. It must be your imagination, but you think you see her eyes linger on you for a moment. Nah. Daybreak's just putting thoughts in your head.
Your teacher beckons her over. "I just had a quick question about your ice cream. Do you have every single flavor that's on the menu? I think I want-"
She kicks your leg, and you jump reflexively. As Helen's eyes land on you, you smile politely. "Sorry to interrupt, but can I get a refill?" you ask.
Helen doesn't bat an eye. "Of course!" She says, and grabs your glass. She's off to refill it immediately without another word about Daybreak's question. Helen's back moments later with a fresh glass. She places it down in front of you and smiles, putting a hand on your shoulder. "You let me know if you need anything else!"
...that proves nothing.
But over the course of the meal, you can't help but notice a few things. The way Helen seems to be directing most of her questions towards you. How she keeps playing with her dark hair when you're looking at her. That every once in awhile, she touches you, whether it be an accidental brush as she's clearing plates or placing a hand on your shoulder when she laughs.
...this still proves nothing.
Finally, you're done your meal. You pay with the last of your cash, and Helen hands you the receipt with a big smile, pressing it into your hands. "Thanks again for coming in!" She says, bright smile on her face. "I hope to see you again real soon!" You nod awkwardly and say goodbye, making sure to leave a solid tip. She really was a good waitress.
Daybreak is whistling as you leave; you don't know why. The Wilkinsons never showed up, and it was a long shot that they'd be here at all. So why does she look so happy?
You find out when you get to the van. "Have you looked at that?" she asks, gesturing at the receipt in your hand.
"Just glanced at it for the total."
"You might want to look again." Daybreak replies. "If I'm right, then you're missing something important."
You shrug and glance down. Everything seems in order. Everything's totalled up correctly, though it looks like she gave you an employee discount. Nice of her. Probably to make up for the trouble earlier. You hope she doesn't get in trouble. There's the note that all waitresses seem to leave, thank you, come again, it-
Wait. Most notes don't have the waitress' name, a little heart, and a phone number written on them.
...okay. Maybe Daybreak has a point.
From your expression, Daybreak knows what you've found. Her peels of laughter echo through the van until well after you've gotten on the road. The rest of the trip back is made up of her and Delilah taking turns teasing you until Delilah gets tired and falls asleep. Then Daybreak just redoubles her efforts and stops making sure everything is censored. Your cheeks are burning by the time you pull the van into Daybreak's house.
"Have a good night, loverboy!" Daybreak calls as you start jogging back to the motel. "Just make sure to get some sleep in between staring at your phone! You don't want to be tired for tomorrow's lessons!"
Between your haste to get as far away from Daybreak as you can and your twitchy legs from driving for two hours, you make it back to the motel in record time. Your mind as just as hyperactive as your legs are- you've had a long day.
As the motel comes into view you catch a glimpse of two figures leaning on the railing on the second floor, one small and one muscular. Allie and Jack. Thank god. You could definitely use something normal right now.
The three of you wind up in your room. You collapse on the bed back first with a huff. "You would not believe the day I've had." you say.
Allie snorts. "Yeah. Like you're the one who had the craziest day."
You glance up at them both and notice that they looked as wiped as you feel. "What happened?"
Both of them start to talk at once and stop, realizing the other is talking. Finally Allie gestures to go ahead, and Jack takes the lead. "I got dragged into the ring by some guy in a beetle gimmick, made a few bucks working the merch tables, and somehow managed to piss off the state of Florida."
Allie chimes in, "That's nothing. My guy got double-booked, I couldn't pick out a good design, some yuppie tried to hit on me, and long story short, I maaay have left a man chained to a hotel bed."
You groan and rub your temples. "I beat up some terrible parents, got harassed by webcomic artists, almost got arrested, and I think Daybreak was my wingman with a waitress."
There's a moment of silence in your hotel room as all of you digest what you've just said. As one, all of you reach into your cooler and pop a beer. "This conversation," Allie intones, "Needs booze."
With the terrible alcohol loosening your tongue, you hear what all of them got up to in greater detail. Jack's wrestling show was terrible, but he got a better idea of what goes on in the indies then before and made some cash hawking T-Shirts of Connor of Dartmouth, Time Traveling rich man. He's surprisingly mute on the Florida thing- you think it involved the mascot of Miami Dolphins. And the guy who took Allie's spot at the tattoo parlor decided he wanted to impress her by getting the biggest ink the artist could do, not seeming to realize that he'd eat up all of the evening getting the outline done. Moron.
But it's your story that they seem to focus on. They laugh at the Wilkinsons, make all the right noises of appreciation at your jacket, and are gobsmacked at the way you describe Daybreak acting. But it's the waitress that seems to grab Jack's attention.
"Was she hot?" he asks after a sip.
You shrug. You hadn't really noticed; you were too busy hoping she wasn't going to get you arrested at first, and after that you were too distracted trying to prove Daybreak wrong. But when you think about it, she was cute. Tall and a bit lanky, but her smile was nice and she looked like she took good care of herself. "She wasn't bad." you finally reply. What's the right way to even answer that?
Allie seems to have a difference question. "Are you going to call her?" she asks, voice casual.
Well. Are you?
[] Yeah, in a couple days. You're no stranger to a good night out, and it's been way too long since you had one. Helen seems like she could be fun outside of a diner. You'll try and set something up for next Sunday. (Gain Trait: ???)
[] Yeah, eventually. You haven't really gone on many dates before; your last relationship ended spectacularly and it made you a bit gunshy. But you'll muster up the nerve, and you're sure it'll be fun. (Gain Trait: ???)
[] No. You're in no position to go out on dates. You've got training to do, and you've got a career to plan out. This is no real time for distractions. (Gain Trait: ???)
[] No, you're not really interested. Helen seems nice, but she seems conventionally nice. You're not really into conventional- any girl you go out with has got to have something that sets them apart. (Gain Trait: ???)
[] No, you're really not interested in relationships or dating of any kind. (Gain Trait: Asexual)
[] Write-In (Results Vary)
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- Location
- California
[X] Yeah, in a couple days. You're no stranger to a good night out, and it's been way too long since you had one. Helen seems like she could be fun outside of a diner. You'll try and set something up for next Sunday. (Gain Trait: ???)
Pandemonious Ivy
Panties, Revolution. Big Drawers. Parachute.
[X] Yeah, tomorrow. You don't really have time to waste and you're sure she might be fretting while waiting for you if you let it drag on too long. Plus you're a busy man, so you might as well figure out where you stand as soon as possible. Scheduling things in advance is probably the smartest idea here.
I'm not with that whole "wait a few days before calling the number" horseshit. "Don't seem desperate" is horrible advice. You chatted up the lady, the lady was interested, the lady provided a phone number, use the damn phone number. Gosh.
I'm not with that whole "wait a few days before calling the number" horseshit. "Don't seem desperate" is horrible advice. You chatted up the lady, the lady was interested, the lady provided a phone number, use the damn phone number. Gosh.
- Location
- The Usual Room
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Yeah, tomorrow. You don't really have time to waste and you're sure she might be fretting while waiting for you if you let it drag on too long. Plus you're a busy man, so you might as well figure out where you stand as soon as possible. Scheduling things in advance is probably the smartest idea here.
Edited vote
Edited vote
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[X] No, you're not really interested. Helen seems nice, but she seems conventionally nice. You're not really into conventional- any girl you go out with has got to have something that sets them apart. (Gain Trait: ???)
Holding out for something better.
Holding out for something better.
Pandemonious Ivy
Panties, Revolution. Big Drawers. Parachute.
Ysmir01
The one and only Ysmiorra 01ffer
- Location
- Somewhere in Spain
[X] Yeah, tomorrow. You don't really have time to waste and you're sure she might be fretting while waiting for you if you let it drag on too long. Plus you're a busy man, so you might as well figure out where you stand as soon as possible. Scheduling things in advance is probably the smartest idea here.
Zeitgeist Blue
Currently Made of Metal
- Location
- Manila, Philippines, GMT +8
[X] Yeah, tomorrow. You don't really have time to waste and you're sure she might be fretting while waiting for you if you let it drag on too long. Plus you're a busy man, so you might as well figure out where you stand as soon as possible. Scheduling things in advance is probably the smartest idea here.
I have reasons that I can elaborate on when I'm off my phone.
- Location
- The Usual Room
- Pronouns
- He/Him
williams1996
Alba gu bràth
- Location
- Scotland
[X] No, you're not really interested. Helen seems nice, but she seems conventionally nice. You're not really into conventional- any girl you go out with has got to have something that sets them apart. (Gain Trait: ???)
- Location
- United States
[X] Yeah, tomorrow. You don't really have time to waste and you're sure she might be fretting while waiting for you if you let it drag on too long. Plus you're a busy man, so you might as well figure out where you stand as soon as possible. Scheduling things in advance is probably the smartest idea here.
Cybandeath
Lord Darkness, and Representative of Mad Science
- Location
- The United States of America
[X] Yeah, in a couple days. You're no stranger to a good night out, and it's been way too long since you had one. Helen seems like she could be fun outside of a diner. You'll try and set something up for next Sunday. (Gain Trait: ???)
Now, let's talk about this. I actually have several reasons as to why this relationship just...isn't good.
First, it isn't good for us. We're basically a small business owner now with an employee count of one. Until we've properly "made it" we're free agents and largely on our own. That is a lot of work and time that we're going to have to spend, running down opportunities, looking for venues, arranging housing, and training ourselves in between. Don't believe me? Ask @wdango how much time and stress there is in being self-employed. The last thing we need is another drain on our time, since one or the other or both will end up being neglected. Or worse, we'll try to juggle and end up doing badly in both our professional career and our personal life.
Second, she just isn't right for the significant other of a wrestler. Being a wrestler is a hard, hard life, and it can be even harder on the ones behind the wrestler. It takes someone with a very firm and unyielding character to handle the stresses that something like this life brings. And while she seems nice, firm and unyielding are not how I would describe her from what I've seen with her handling of the fight situation.
Finally, and most importantly, it would have to be a long distance relationship. Now, those can work, but only if they have a different and stronger base. There has to be something very firm to keep the relationship together or it just won't work. You won't get the emotional closeness that a relationship needs by talking over the phone and seeing each other once in a while. And I certainly wouldn't want her to give up her job to follow us.
TL;DR It just isn't a good situation. She isn't right, we aren't right, and the time isn't right. The only thing she could be is a fling, and I don't want to be the kind of asshole character that would do that.
Daecl
CURSED BY THE DICE
[X] Yeah, tomorrow. You don't really have time to waste and you're sure she might be fretting while waiting for you if you let it drag on too long. Plus you're a busy man, so you might as well figure out where you stand as soon as possible. Scheduling things in advance is probably the smartest idea here.
Pandemonious Ivy
Panties, Revolution. Big Drawers. Parachute.
...honesty and communication though?
We can literally say all of this to her if and when we go out on a date.
There's no reason we can't have someone to occasionally go out with and enjoy the company of while knowing that it's unlikely to be a long distance thing.
Trait Gained: Better to Have Loved and Lost
Because nothing lasts forever. No reason to deny a healthy spot of joy just because you can't stretch it out into infinity. Besides, every date doesn't have to end up becoming marriage.
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