[ Dorothy may have spent most of the day engaging in being overly affectionate (which may not be all that unusual for her), but now? She's alone, settled in a quiet spot in the forest and thankfully not surrounded by woodland critters because that kind of weirds her out.
She is humming, under her breath, and seemingly lost in thought, but gradually, she moves to head back out the way she came. Still humming, but at least she seems to feel like being productive now.
[Rupe roams these days, which is understandable. When Rufus next looks for him, he finds him in the forest with Dorothy . . . feeding him something strange.]
What's that?
[He can't quite make it out from here. As he closes the gap, the harsh scratches on his face become more visible.]
[ Well, wherever the heck Rufus chooses to be-- Dorothy will make an appearance soon enough, looking a little more tired than her usual, but still present and pleasant. ]
[ It sure is bizarre here, and while Dorothy loves exploring the unknown, there are certain places that make her feel a wee bit uneasy.
Like this creepy garden, but as luck would have it, there's Rufus and when has Dorothy ever passed up a chance to harass bond with him?
She hasn't, probably much to his chagrin.
She also immediately moves in close to nudge his shoulder because Dorothy does not give a shit about personal space when she's not actually compelled to want to invade it. ]
[The forest is as good of a place as any to explore for the umpteenth time while he waits. Along the way—or perhaps he's subconsciously drawn to the familiarity—he comes upon a song he recognizes as . . . ]
[ Dorothy has changed outfits into something a little more suitably pirate (you know the one), and she is once again lightly humming as she investigates this town and the ship.
Which is where she finds Rufus, curiously stepping closer. ]
[Somewhere in the Realm—perhaps the pub—Rufus sits with a gold coin pinched between his thumb and index finger. He's been appraising it for a while now, and the feelings with which he does so can be described as glum at best. But, as ever, his expression is even in spite of how he feels.
It's curious, he thinks, that almost everything else vanished while this remains.]
[ Dorothy is-- drunk! Or drunk-feeling, and she half-expected it, but it's nice(??) to know she can confirm it.
But more importantly... she's a little downcast despite that, and even as she walks (slightly wobbly) with no real purpose, she's still looking for someone. Perhaps just anyone. And she finds-- ]
[ It's dark when Dorothy stirs again. Or, well. Darker?? Regardless, she's not ready to just spend the whole night in this empty room and so Dorothy tests her balance first...
And moves forward, out of the inn. She's not sure where she's going and wherever it is, she's not moving very quickly, but that's fine.
[The fact that it's getting dark does nothing for Rufus, who still cannot see. Consequently, he relies on texture and sound to guide himself back to the bridge when the wind carries a familiar tune from nearby. He stops, considers his choices, then turns back around to seek out Dorothy somewhere in the jungle.]
[ Dorothy is... unconscious. She doesn't know how long and the moments between people checking on her and the blood loss making her lose consciousness again are kind of blurry.
But she's awake longer now, enough to try and piece her thoughts together and that's when she realizes on a chance glance that there's a shadow that can be glimpsed through the crack in her propped door.
Rufus may just honestly be walking by with no reason to be here, but suddenly the door swings open more and there's Dorothy, precariously hanging onto the doorknob to keep herself upright. ]
[The sound of a monkey's cries cut through the forest's calm that evening. Should Dorothy approach, she'll come across the scene of Rufus' grabbing the monkey by the scruff of its neck as it attempts to flee up a tree with his PHS. Not today, monkey.]
[ Dorothy is... in the saloon, surprise, surprise. She's got her crutches propped against the table and is nursing a scotch, seemingly thinking about nothing in particular.
Which is never really true with her, but still. Join her? ]
[This time, he leans against a tree with his eyes closed and his arms folded in front of his chest. He's hard of hearing, so not even a song—if she were to still remember it—would grab his attention. The forest is ideal, because it's harder to run into people here when he can barely comprehend their words.
[Before Rufus even hits the gardens, Rupe wanders over to the gazebo Dorothy has taken up temporary residence, mostly due to her familiar scent. With his presence not needed elsewhere, he sits on the ground and looks up at her, watching quietly.]
Wherever Rufus is, Dorothy's horse will find him first. Though the mare appears irritable, tossing her mane back and forth, she at least pauses to nudge his leg.
And then there's Dorothy, nowhere near as fast, but present and accounted for.
[ Bless Wolf, honestly, because Dorothy would probably have chosen to spend yet another day in bed-- but no, she's up and about, sporting some blood-stained bandages wrapped around her head and still on her crutches because why wouldn't she be.
She also appears to be testing them out on the sand, which is not going so hot, but the sand is apparently where Rufus is, according to Rupe.
Or maybe he's just wandering and doesn't really care, but she does need to get the little guy back to his owner. ]
[Later, Rufus drops by the employee lounge. Rupe accompanies him, but quickly bounds forward to pad up to Dorothy with an inquisitive stare. How is she doing?]
[It's on his way out, not in, that Rufus notices Dorothy by the inn. He stops to regard her silently as he closes the door behind him: After all, there are no certainties to discuss forthwith.]
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Week 0, Monday
She is humming, under her breath, and seemingly lost in thought, but gradually, she moves to head back out the way she came. Still humming, but at least she seems to feel like being productive now.
Maybe.
Prove her wrong. ]
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Week 0: Friday
What's that?
[He can't quite make it out from here. As he closes the gap, the harsh scratches on his face become more visible.]
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Week 0, Saturday
How are those eyebrow furrows doing?
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Week 0: Sunday
Have you seen the rankings?
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Week 1: Monday
Like this creepy garden, but as luck would have it, there's Rufus and when has Dorothy ever passed up a chance to
harassbond with him?She hasn't, probably much to his chagrin.
She also immediately moves in close to nudge his shoulder because Dorothy does not give a shit about personal space when she's not actually compelled to want to invade it. ]
Anything from home?
[ Do plants even grow in the underworld? ]
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Week 1: Friday
As expected, nothing happens. When he exits, he catches Dorothy in his periphery and cranes his neck in her direction. What's happening with her?]
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Week 1, Saturday
On the non-bright side, the... whole trial happened, and she does what she always does when she doesn't want to linger on something. She walks.
She pauses when she spots someone on the bridge-- but, upon seeing who it is, she walks over to join him. ]
And here we are again.
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Week 1: Sunday
What brings you here?
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Week 2, Monday
Which is where she finds Rufus, curiously stepping closer. ]
Does the underworld have an ocean?
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Week 2: Thursday
It's curious, he thinks, that almost everything else vanished while this remains.]
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Week 2, Friday
But more importantly... she's a little downcast despite that, and even as she walks (slightly wobbly) with no real purpose, she's still looking for someone. Perhaps just anyone. And she finds-- ]
Ah, my competitive partner.
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Week 2, Saturday
And moves forward, out of the inn. She's not sure where she's going and wherever it is, she's not moving very quickly, but that's fine.
Once again, a familiar figure. ]
... Rufus.
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Week 3: Monday
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Week 3, Thursday
But she's awake longer now, enough to try and piece her thoughts together and that's when she realizes on a chance glance that there's a shadow that can be glimpsed through the crack in her propped door.
Rufus may just honestly be walking by with no reason to be here, but suddenly the door swings open more and there's Dorothy, precariously hanging onto the doorknob to keep herself upright. ]
Oh... it is you.
[ She's a little surprised. ]
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Week 3: Saturday
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Week 4, Monday
Which is never really true with her, but still. Join her? ]
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Week 4: Friday
Of course, that solitude isn't bound to last.]
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Week 4, Sunday
But she's at the saloon for one last drink and only bothers to glance up when someone enters.
To which she just silently holds up her tankard in greeting. ]
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Week 5: Monday
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Week 5, Friday
Wherever Rufus is, Dorothy's horse will find him first. Though the mare appears irritable, tossing her mane back and forth, she at least pauses to nudge his leg.
And then there's Dorothy, nowhere near as fast, but present and accounted for.
Also she smells like delicious bread. ]
People certainly became serious this week.
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Week 5: Saturday
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Week 6, Monday
She also appears to be testing them out on the sand, which is not going so hot, but the sand is apparently where Rufus is, according to Rupe.
Or maybe he's just wandering and doesn't really care, but she does need to get the little guy back to his owner. ]
At least the weather's nice.
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Week 6: Saturday
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Week 7, Friday
She may never have enough time to get herself as composed as she would like, but eventually, she finds herself in front of his door.
She knocks one foot against it. ]
Rufus.
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Week 7: Saturday
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