ooc: timeline

[soulbridge]

✘ DAY ONE
✘ arrival! Rideaux soaks up the annoying positive attention for a while but sadly he can't send bragging selfies to Julius. He does meet an obnoxious little brat who proceeds to insult his appearance, though. Some people are so rude.
✘ He also meets and ultimately introduces himself to Van Grants, who makes a more favourable first impression. Flattery really does get you places.
✘ A little later on he encounters Her Majesty, and tries to convince her to give him a free sample of her power. That's not how it works, dodo.
✘ FIRST LABYRINTH
✘ SOCIAL BINGO. Rideaux spends some quality time with his new bff Van Grants, generally bitching about the situation and filling out some bingo squares. They share a drink at the bar and gossip about the Queen. Yep, Van is definitely his favourite so far. He also shares some brief words with some guy who looks a little like Bisley Bakur, which isn't an ideal first impression but not something he lingered on.
Some crazy girl in red invites him to dance and then proceeds to throw him around, which isn't his idea of fun to be honest. Not a brilliant first impression.
Much more fun is had when he meets the brat from earlier in the day. It would have been nice to punch him square in his obnoxious face, but this was still fun.
His rewards are ultimately unsatisfying, two artbooks and a toy car.
✘ Post-labyrinth, Rideaux met with Van again, discussing the outcome of their first labyrinth venture. Rideaux appreciates the frank conversation, right up until Van is real vague about his ~beneficial wish~. That sort of vague "it will help people" answer sure does sound like Bakur, which was enough to give Rideaux a bit of kneejerk discomfort. He still tells Van a few home truths about his own intentions, though. Bakur-types aren't necessarily trustworthy, but they're still powerful allies. And hey, it's nice having someone to be unpleasant around, no judgement.
Meanwhile, ungrateful, Rideaux trashes one of his labyrinth rewards. Zack ultimately takes the book away to try and fix it up. Meanwhile that one damn brat comes back AGAIN, and makes it clear that, next time? Rideaux won't be getting away with that bullshit. It almost gets flirty????? It's weird. Brat gets upgraded to 'worm' or other insect-type insults. Lucky. He also says some strange stuff about being Old As Balls, which Rideaux can't make much sense of at this point. Whatever. Annoying brat.

✘ DAY TWO
✘ SECOND LABYRINTH
✘ EXPLORATION. The second labyrinth appears at dawn. Rideaux doesn't have much interest in trying to pull meaning out of the abstract questions, and makes choices based solely on whatever seems most physically convenient. In the dark room he encounters some mopey wings guy who at least makes a convenient nightlight. After that he heads deeper into the cavern, alone and surrounded by darkness once more, and has a bit of an incident. Given his history with paralysis he's momentarily panicked, and having wheelchair girl of all people bear witness is both ironic and annoying. Another person to add to the grudge list.
Still, he manages to get some gemstones, which the labyrinth switches into the pleasant reward of three gemstone knives—ruby, sapphire and emerald. They're not the sharpest, but they're pretty damn sexy. Rideaux's pissed, but it's ultimately a win.
✘ that afternoon. There's an impromptu festival celebrating the revival of the lake! Rideaux isn't feeling brilliant after his terrible morning, but he does still attend and serve a shift at the clinic tent. What a conscientious employee.

✘ DAY THREE
✘ ... nothing! Rideaux spent the day skulking around the clinic feeling sorry for his bruised self. Stupid labyrinth. Stupid caves.

✘ DAY FOUR
✘ Everyone else is handing out samples, shouldn't the clinic be doing the same?! Rideaux finds himself stuck out in the street handing out "flu samples". Sadly the samples are only viable for one day, so they're not even worth stealing and storing up for later use. What a boring waste of time >:(
He takes the opportunity to be mean to wheelchair girl, although she does have the nerve to pull a weapon on him. Have to get her back for that one of these days...
✘ Van and some other guy at least engage with the matter at hand, although neither of them seem too excited about giving themselves flu. Oh well.
✘ Far more significantly, it turns out the worm actually has a name. Rideaux snipes and Mao snipes back for a while, and eventually Mao draws him out enough to make him say something he wished he hadn't. Rideaux comes out of the whole exchange worse off (outclassed by a fourteen year old, nice work), and. he's really looking forward to the labyrinth that gives him and his little worm friend some ~quality alone time~. what a petulant jerk.