3rd Chocobo • I guess pranking proves you're young at heart

[birdinfro]

[A. Action • Backdated to the morning of April 1st • 1130 Taylor Road • Locked to housemates]

[What's this letter and box? Sazh has got a bad feeling about this as he sits on the couch in the living room and examines the contents. Some sort of pranking kit?]

Huh. I bet something bad'll happen if I don't do this.

[B. Action • Morning of April 2nd • 918 Bilko Boulevard • Locked to April]

[Sazh was a teenager once and like all folks who were once teenagers, he knows a good prank or two. Good morning, April! Your lawn now has several dozen straws (and a few chopsticks when Sazh ran out of straws) sticking out of the ground. At least it will be well aerated now! The pranker is hiding in some bushes nearby, ready to apologize if this does not go over well. Though he hasn't done a good job of concealing his fro as it mingles with the leaves like some birdnest.]


[C. Action • Forward-dated to morning of April 3rd • 1249 Williams Road• Locked to Niou]

[Sazh is hiding behind a car (Though again, his fro is betraying his position), watching to see Niou come out of his house. It took a lot of work and labor painstakingly putting cups of water all on the porch and up to the sidewalk. It's a pretty treacherous looking obstacle course of liquid and plastic.]


[D. Action • Foward-dated to April 3rd • Streets of Mayfield • Locked to Picky]

[It's late afternoon and Sazh is resting on a bench. Goodness, this whole pranking and being pranked thing is pretty tiring. He's not sure if he's going to be able to prank everyone on his list and he really hopes there's no consequence if he doesn't. Maybe if he's lucky one of the people on his list will come along. But really, who's that lucky?]

[E. Phone • Open to all]

I think I've got some people's stuff, and I didn't expect that. [There's a meow that can be heard in the background. Hi, Niou's cat.] When would it be a good time to give it back to you?

Comments

B

[technologic]

[April was seriously not expecting straws and chopsticks to be sticking out of the ground when she opened the front door that morning.

So she'll be spending a few moments just... blinking with a look of complete confusion at the lawn.]

[birdinfro]

[For his part, Sazh has been keeping quiet, just waiting for the other shoe to drop if it does. And he might have succeeded too. Just..too bad a bird mistook Sazh's afro for a nest. And the surprise of having the feeling of little scrabbly bird feet on his head again is causing him to shake the bush a little as he tries to shoo it away. Only one bird is allowed in the afro, move along.]

[technologic]

[That's enough to get April's attention and she raises an eyebrow at the... bush?

And then she smiles and starts giggling, both at the prank and at the afro bird-nest being attacked by the bird.]

[birdinfro]

[All dignity is lost Sazh. You're in a bush, trying to shoo a bird away from your head. So he just stands up.]

Uh..April fools? Or am I not supposed to say that?

[technologic]

[Another giggle and a nod.] Yeah, that's what you're supposed to say.

[birdinfro]

[Finally manages to get that damn bird away from his hair.] I wasn't sure. Not from around here and all. Not even from this world I think. [He sort of emerges from the bush, brushing a few leaves off his person.]

D

[imjustpicky]

[Who's that lucky? Apparently Sazh is! Along comes Picky, hair in his eyes and thumbs hooked beneath the straps of his backpack, as he comes home from school. He's looking a little wary and a lot anxious. At this point, he's expecting the worst from like... everyone. Everywhere. The week has been rough so far.]

[birdinfro]

[Barthandelus strike him down, here comes his target. As always, Sazh does have a soft spot with the kids, so it'll only be the whoopie cushion for him.]

You alright, kid? You look like you could use a seat.

[imjustpicky]

Huh?

[Picky stops short, and takes a few moments to size the man up. Friendly looking. Not someone he knows, but... it's nice to see someone friendly, not someone sneaky.

So he ventures a smile.]

Yeah. I could use a seat. Today's been rough.

[birdinfro]

Well there's plenty room here. [Sazh frowns a little when Picky mentions his day being rough. Parental insticts, kicking in.] Is it school and stuff? [Though..That doesn't keep him from putting down the whoopie cushion anyway, as soon as Picky moves to sit down.]

[imjustpicky]

Nah... school's okay! Just... [He looks anxiously up and down the street. (An excellent time to, perhaps, set the trap.)] ...everyone's who's pulling pranks on me is way better than I am pulling pranks on them.

[He sighs, and he sits... and then BRRRRRAT.]

....

[His shoulder rise and his head slumps, and he cringes inwards.]

[birdinfro]

[Sazh realizes it was a terrible mistake when he sees Picky's head slump.]

Uh.. Crud. I'm sorry, kid. [And this kid doesn't look all that much older than Dajh...]

[imjustpicky]

[Picky lets out a long, deep sigh, head remaining down.]

It's... okay. It's making us do it, right? This place makes us do all kinds of bad stuff.

[Then he turns his head and tries to put on a smile. It's weak, but still a smile, so that has to count for something.]

At least it's better than us all getting erased. Or... or having bombs drop. Or dying.

[birdinfro]

[Sazh sees the attempt at a smile and just feels more awful about this whole pranking business. Though the erasing and the bomb and the dying thing sort of throws him off guard.]

What? [He frowns quite a bit.] Don't tell me that this place'll do that to even a kid...

[imjustpicky]

Yeah. [Picky blinks in surprise. This guy must've not been here very long at all. He'd better help get the guy caught up.]

It will. Anything that'll happen to an adult, they'll do it to kids, or animals, or anyone. My... my brother's friend got eaten by cannibals. My brother's died lots and lots of times in all kinds of ways. I... they cut out my heart and made me carry it around!

[birdinfro]

[True Sazh hadn't been here very long, but even he hadn't realized the depths this town could go to. He frowns even more as Picky recounts past events.]

...I'm sorry to hear that, kid. You know, I feel bad about that prank now that I realize what you have to go through here. I'm sure you just really wanted a peaceful day today. [He scratches the back of his head a bit abashed.]

[imjustpicky]

Aw, it was just a whoopie cushion. [Somehow, taking the conversation down a depressing detour was cheering Picky up a bit. It was providing a certain amount of perspective.]

Just... don't do any more pranks? Okay?

C!

[mathisradical]

[ The first thing Niou notices is not Sazh's afro, don't worry.

Funnily enough, it's probably the cups.

He opens his door, and almost takes a step out before he sees them. ]

Oh- shit shit shit. [ Windmilling his arms to stay balanced before bracing them against the doorframe. ]

[birdinfro]

[Sazh is peering through the windows of the car and watching the spectacle unfold. For a brief moment, he is worried that Niou is going to topple over and fall. Which...Wouldn't be very good at all. Though seeing him get righted again makes him relax a bit and just keep on watching.]

[mathisradical]

[ Niou spends the next several seconds just staring at all the cups. He contemplates going back inside and just not leaving the house. Then he contemplates going back inside and leaving through the window.

Eventually, he decides both of those are way too much trouble, and just begins kicking everything out of his way. ]

[birdinfro]

[Sazh watches this spectacle unfold. Does...That even count as a success?]

[mathisradical]

[ By the time he gets to the road, his legs are wet, and the water's even managed to get a couple of inches of his shorts. ]

Too early for this bullshit. [ Grump grump. ]

[birdinfro]

[...Maybe he should've brought a towel. Sazh really didn't expect the kid to just plow through the cups, much less get wet from it. Maybe it's also time to slowly back away...]

[mathisradical]

[ Aha! He's spotted you! His eyes go to Sazh and he frowns. ]

Hey, you.

[birdinfro]

[Sazh actually looks a little guilty as he emerges from behind the car slowly.] Need a towel?

[mathisradical]

No. [ He's just gonna get sweaty while training anyway. ] But I do need someone to pick up the mess that somebody has left on my front walk.

A

[answerer_sword]

[Bazett walks into the living room holding her own prank kit.]

Do you have any idea what this is about?

[birdinfro]

Think it might be the April Fool's thing you were talking about. [He frowns.] I've got a list of people and these things. [Points next to him to the roll of saran wrap and whoopie cushion that came with the kit.]

[answerer_sword]

[She holds up her own list.]

I also have one. From the looks of it, this is mandatory, though it lists no consequences of not participating.

[birdinfro]

[Sazh raises an eyebrow.] You're holding up a blank sheet of paper. At least it looks like it to me.

You know? Something tells me it's one of those things I don't want to find out.

[answerer_sword]

Blank...?

[She looks at her own piece of paper, and then his.]

No, your paper is the blank one.

[birdinfro]

Nope, there's people's names written on... [A pause.] I wonder...

[answerer_sword]

Something is preventing us from seeing each other's lists.

[She examines the paper carefully.]

I cannot feel anything special in the paper that would cause the words to be invisible for one person but visible for another.

[birdinfro]

Hmmm. But then again, you said that this town does weird things. Maybe this is one of them. Making it so you can only see your list, but not using any sort of magic hocus-pocus on it.

[answerer_sword]

That is a possibility. Anyway, the names on my list are...

[Suddenly, it is like something has grabbed the words that she intended to say and shoved them back down her throat. All she can do is give an unintelligible hiccup in place of the named that she has been trying to say.]

What I was trying to say was that the names are...

[Hiccup.]

[She frowns.]

The names are...

[Hiccup.

Hiccup

Hiccup

Hiccup

Hiccup.]

[She finally gives up and shakes her head.]

...You go first.

[birdinfro]

[Hmm... That hiccuping is a bit weird...but he stares at his list.]

I've got--

[Suddenly hit with a fit of coughing.]

Huh. Weird. It- [More coughing.]

Looks like we can't share information on this.

[answerer_sword]

You are most likely right.

[There is a short pause as she fiddles with her letter.]

So what will you do? Obey the instructions on the letter?