[text] - backdated to November 1st

[bashfulshifter]

[Please humor him, Tower. The man was clawed to death by a shadow and has missed some days. He's very worried!]

...Is the game over? Did anything happen in the past few days? Is everyone okay?

[The rest is filtered to Veronica Madaraki.]

I'm so sorry for pushing you away over the last week...it's not the first time I've been out of my right mind in this place, unfortunately, and I'm ashamed for having lost myself again. I just hope you weren't hurt at my expense...and if you were, I definitely don't deserve your forgiveness. I'm sorry.

Comments

[text]

[heavenscorpse]

That's the most important part. Dying sometimes is hard to get around, but it's okay if it's not your fault and you come back.

[text]

[bashfulshifter]

...That's an interesting way of putting it, but I agree! I just don't know if it was my fault or not.

[text]

[heavenscorpse]

Well, I'm sure you didn't mean to die.

[text]

[bashfulshifter]

Yeah, but...I mean, I wonder if it could have been avoided.

[The taunt still rings in his head--liar, liar, liar...Surely he should've known something was wrong with his candy stash the first time around?]

[text]

[heavenscorpse]

It can't be avoided now. The best you can do is learn from whatever your mistake was and go on, I think.

[text]

[bashfulshifter]

...That's part of the problem. I'm not really sure what happened.

[text]

[heavenscorpse]

You weren't just bad at riddles?

[text]

[bashfulshifter]

[That would have been significantly funnier if it did not result in death!]

I thought so at first...but it almost seemed like I was getting my last two riddles okay. Something about the food I was giving them, though...it was like they'd take the first couple, and then get one they didn't like and get very angry with me. I don't know if I just gave them too much, or...?

[text]

[heavenscorpse]

No, that can't be it. I'd accidentally give them too much and they just threw the extras away. Did you get them from a strange place?

[text]

[bashfulshifter]

...Now that you mention it, I did get some chocolate coins in the mail, and those were what finally made the shadow lose its patience with me.

[Yeah, probably should've been more cautious about the mysterious unmarked candy stash left in his mailbox. Hadn't really considered that things would end badly at the time.]

The one that came the day before got mad at an apple I gave it, though, and I don't remember getting that from a weird place...

[text]

[heavenscorpse]

I got candy in the mail, too, but I don't remember if I had to give those out.

[text]

[bashfulshifter]

That's odd...I wonder who left them? Ruana, maybe?

[text]

[heavenscorpse]

That's especially mean of her.

[text]

[bashfulshifter]

Well I wouldn't put it past her...maybe she was hoping to catch people who didn't want to look, but still needed candy for their riddles? That sounds like something she would do.

[text]

[heavenscorpse]

That could be it. Did she get everybody?

[text]

[bashfulshifter]

I don't know. Until you told me that you got some as well, I thought I was the only one.

[text]

[heavenscorpse]

I guess we'll see when more people reply to this.

I'm glad we're all okay.

[text]

[bashfulshifter]

Yeah...me too.

...Sorry, I don't think I've gotten your name! [At least, he hasn't attached her name to the network ID if they've spoken before.] I'm Patrick Dawn.

[text: to both of them]

[no_longer_a_king]

[She had just been glancing over the Network when she saw this thread. Part of her knows she shouldn't say a thing about putting the candy in the mailboxes and yet....]

I apologize. I thought it would help you somehow.

[text]

[heavenscorpse]

[Oh, well, it's definitely not Ruana. And nobody would take credit for that unless they'd actually done it. New theory time.]

It's okay. Was it normal candy when you put it there?

[text]

[no_longer_a_king]

No, it was candy I had found that day.

[text]

[heavenscorpse]

Hmm... I guess something must have happened to it in the mailbox. Sometimes when I left candy alone it would disappear when I went back to look for it.

[text]

[bashfulshifter]

[Oh no it was Arturia]

[oh god]

[he is a terrible person]

I'm so sorry! I should've asked before I started jumping to conclusions. I didn't mean to blame you for something Ruana may have done. You were just trying to help.

[text]

[no_longer_a_king]

[Mun: CACKLING!]

It's all right. You did not know and I am not insulted by it.

[text]

[bashfulshifter]

[but he's such a sad man! D:]

That doesn't excuse me for overstepping my bounds. I'm very sorry.

...Besides, it wasn't your fault that I died. The shadow didn't like one of the apples I gave him the day before, either, and I know I didn't get that from the mail.