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Panic! At the Motel



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Wed Apr 08, 2020 2:48 am
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soundofmind says...



Bo chuckled, walking over to the recliner in the corner. It was arguably more comfortable than the couch, but he wasn't going to comment on that. He could tell there was confusion, and he realized he didn't know how much they knew about things in his world, even if there were some similarities.

He bent down and pulled the lever on the side, causing the back of the chair to fall back slowly, making the footrest pull out as well. He held out his hands in a jazz-hands style gesture.

"Ta-da! This is called a recliner. It's very comfortable. I take naps on it often. And an air mattress is like... a mattress-shaped bag that you blow up with air. It's also comfortable, and I'd set it up here on the floor," he said, pointing to the only reasonable open space between the kitchen and the living room.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Wed Apr 08, 2020 12:08 pm
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Mageheart says...



I could tell both Asmira and Nathaniel were mulling over the options. Asmira still seemed a little uncertain about what an air mattress was - or how it worked - but she still was the first one to respond.

"I'll sleep on the recliner," she said.

"Then I guess that means you and I get the air mattress, Natty boy," I said.

Nathaniel groaned and gave Asmira a betrayed looked. "You just said the recliner so you wouldn't have to deal with Skull an entire night."

Asmira gave the smallest of smiles.

"No comment," she said.

Nathaniel groaned again.

"Don't worry, Natty boy," I said. "You won't even notice I'm there. We're sleeping, anyways."
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Wed Apr 08, 2020 12:32 pm
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soundofmind says...



Bo laughed. He didn't know how to alleviate the awkward tension around Skull possessing the reluctant Nathaniel, but he could do his best to make sure everyone was comfortable.

"I mean, if Nathaniel really doesn't want it, you could just hop in me again if you want."

He blinked for a second, realizing the implications of that offer. Having someone in your head and body while you were awake was one thing, but he didn't know what it would be like when he was asleep. And considering he already had enough problems sleeping... ah. But alas, he'd already said it.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Wed Apr 08, 2020 12:36 pm
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Mageheart says...



"It's alright," I said, giving a dismissive wave. "I'm used to possessing Nathaniel. He's used to it, too."

Nathaniel didn't object to that. I knew he wouldn't. As much as we argued over it, he really was the one who was the most used to it - he hadn't gone into too much depth about it, but I wasn't the first one to share custody of his body. And neither one of us wanted me to possess Bo, though it was probably for very different reasons.

"It's alright," Nathaniel said, taking back control long enough to give a somewhat strained smile.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Wed Apr 08, 2020 12:47 pm
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soundofmind says...



"Ah." Bo nodded, still smiling a little while he secretly sighed in relief in the back of his head. "Okay. Well, I'll got grab the mattress," he said, before parting into the hall for a moment.

He returned with the box and the pump, and started rolling the mattress on the floor before plugging in the air pump.

"I'll be a little loud while it fills up with air," Bo warned. "But it'll only take a few minutes."

And then, he hooked up the nozzle and flipped the switch, starting the deafening whirr.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Wed Apr 08, 2020 2:08 pm
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Mageheart says...



It didn't take long for the mattress to fill up, and it took even less time for the three of us to get comfortable in our respective spots. Asmira, miraculously, fell asleep before Nathaniel and I did, but it wasn't long before the two of us were whisked off to sleep, too.

For once in a very long time, all of us slept well.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Wed Apr 08, 2020 2:51 pm
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soundofmind says...



Bo slept for three hours, and laid in bed tossing and turning for three more. At 6am, he stared blankly at his phone before deciding that was it. He’d had a good run. He could get more sleep later. Maybe. It didn’t matter. He had cinnamon rolls to make.

He didn’t change out of his sweats and tshirt before he quietly snuck his way into the kitchen and started pulling out ingredients. The faint light of morning coming through the window was enough for him to not need to turn on the lights in the house, at risk of waking the guests in his living room.

He worked slowly, being careful to be extra quiet. Eventually, he finally had the rolls in the oven, baking.

As they sat in the oven, Bo walked over to his kitchen table and sat down by the window. He had a headache that he knew was from lack of sleep, but he would nap later before work. Thankfully, he had an evening shift, so hopefully he could get the others home before then.

Bo sipped on a cool glass of water as the kitchen started to fill with the smell of cinnamon.

He looked at the clock. 7:30am. Huh. Time flew by. He wondered when they’d wake up.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:53 pm
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Mageheart says...



When I woke up, I was sprawled across the air mattress. Nathaniel's shirt was also partially up, and one of his pant legs was awkwardly rolled up compared to the other, but I didn't think much of it. I didn't care half as much about my appearance as Nathaniel did.

I sat up and stretched.

Seeing that Nathaniel hadn't reacted to our current appearance yet, I took it as a sign that he was still asleep. I didn't question how one of us could be awake and the other asleep - I had always guessed it was like when I knocked someone unconscious and possessed their body.

"Hey," I said. "Natty boy. It's time to get up."

Five more minutes...

I shrugged.

"Well," I said, "I guess if you're not getting up yet, I have free reign with your body this morning-"

Nathaniel jumped to his feet.

I'm awake, he said, just tired enough to speak in his head instead of out loud.

I heard Asmira move nearby. When I turned, she was sitting up in the recliner. Her hair was a mess, like it usually was in the morning, but she seemed just as unfazed as I was.

"Hey," I said, giving a casual wave. I was going to say more, but then I smelled what could only be the cinnamon rolls or buns or whatever they were called out in the kitchen. Grinning, I started to make a beeline for where Bo was.

But then I skid to a stop.

Or, rather, Nathaniel skid to a stop.

"You need to go back in your body," he said.

"But I've been stabbed," I argued, dramatically gesturing over at my wounded, sleeping body. "I need time to rest."

"You can't be outside of your body for long," Asmira reminded me.

I gave a dimssive wave of my hand. "I know, I know," I said. "But I can handle it for a little while longer."

There was a pause.

"That's a shame, then," Nathaniel said.

I frowned. "...What do you mean?"

"Well," he said, "neither Asmira or I have the same stomach you do. We can't eat as much as you do. So I'll only be able to eat about half - or maybe even less - of what you can eat-"

Before Nathaniel could finish his train of thought, I turned and immediately went back to my body. One touch later - and an incredible, piercing pain at my side - I was back in my body.

I got to my feet, stumbled a bit, and then brushed my leather jacket off. There was definitely going to be a bloodstain on the inside, but I tried not to think of that.

Nathaniel and Asmira exchanged a look.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," Nathaniel said, turning his face away so I couldn't see its expression.

Frowning, I pushed past him and entered the kitchen.

"Morning, Bo," I said, yawning.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Thu Apr 09, 2020 1:36 pm
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soundofmind says...



Bo was busy lightly stirring the sugary syrup that was going to be drizzled over the top when the trio of teenagers came ambling into the kitchen. He was half asleep, too, until he heard his name. As if a switch flipped, his face brightened up and he looked at Skull.

“Oh hey, Skull. I see you’re back in your body. Uh - how’s the pain? You want some painkillers? They might not do a ton, but it should help a bit.”
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Thu Apr 09, 2020 1:38 pm
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Mageheart says...



"Painkillers are sound pretty good right now," I admitted, wincing a little. I didn't want to show just how much pain I was in thanks to the stab wound, but pain killers would hopefully make it at least a little more bearable.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Thu Apr 09, 2020 1:43 pm
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soundofmind says...



Bo nodded, setting down the bowl and spoon and walking to the cabinet. He pulled out an unmarked bottle - something he never took out unless there were emergencies. Kinda like this one.

“I’ll give ya some of the the strong stuff,” he said quietly, taking out one sole pill before stashing the bottle away, up high and hidden. “Only one a day, though. So this is it.”

He poured a quick glass of water before handing it to Skull with the pill.

“Take it with water. It’ll take a minute to kick in.”
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Thu Apr 09, 2020 1:46 pm
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Mageheart says...



Nathaniel raised an eyebrow; Asmira was unfazed.

But I didn't care about their responses. I gratefully took the pill and water from Bo and downed both of them. I hadn't expected it to kick in so fast, or to kick in as well as it did. But I felt good afterwards. There was still a dull ache where I had been stabbed. That was still annoying, but I had guessed I'd be stuck with a slightly less painful piercing feeling in my side.

"Thanks," I said, wiping the water off of my lip with my sleeve.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Thu Apr 09, 2020 1:55 pm
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soundofmind says...



Bo smiled warmly, though his eyes still looked tired. “Yeah, man. I hope you continue to heal well,” he said, before the timer on the oven started to go off.

“Oh!” he piped before hastily putting on oven mitts and opening the oven - first, stabbing the buns slightly with a stick to check that they were baked through before he pulled them out and ran across the kitchen, back to the table. He grabbed the bowl of the white, sugary syrup that was still warm and started drizzling over the top, creating a beautiful pattern with surprisingly steady hands, considering how little he slept.

It was definitely the years of practice, not his energy levels to thank.

When he was done, he set the bowl down and clapped his hands together, sitting back and looking at them.

“Okay, they just need like, three minutes to set, and then you can dig in. I have milk too if you want some with.”
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Thu Apr 09, 2020 2:00 pm
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Mageheart says...



"Those look delicious," Asmira said, awe clear in her voice.

Nathaniel nodded in agreement. There was a look on his face that I couldn't quite place - it almost looked like he was sad, but I couldn't figure out why free food would make him react like that.

I opened my mouth to comment on how eager I was to eat, but I was cut off by my stomach growling. It was aching a little, too, but it wasn't from the pain of my wound.

I hadn't eaten for hours.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Thu Apr 09, 2020 2:05 pm
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soundofmind says...



Bo spent the next three minutes pouring everyone a glass of milk and getting out plates and forks. By the time he’d set the table with napkins, utensils, and plates all on woven placemats he knew the buns were ready.

He carried them over on potholders and set them in the middle of the table. With a wave of his arm he invited everyone to take a seat.

It was great he had four seats. Just enough for this.

“Feel free to serve yourself and take as much as you want - as long as you share with one another of course,” he said with a brief knowing glance to Skull.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.









Be the annoying goose you want to see in the world.
— Welcome to Night Vale