missed the bus this morning [open/game]

[Johnnyflame]

HE SAID, "WELL MY NAME'S JOHNNY, AND IT MIGHT BE A SIN
BUT I'LL TAKE YOUR BET, AND YOU'RE GONNA REGRET, CUZ IM THE BEST THERE'S EVER BEEN."​

---

Johnny wasn't the kind of cat who believed in not being able to find something to do. There was always work to be done if you want looking for it, and for a tom like him it was always a relief to be able to just get up and go do something. It helped keep him from getting restless or fidgetty to just know the option was there, and it was one of his favorite things about being a part of the clan.

The other thing Johnny liked about it, were the cats.

He knew they weren't all fond of him given the fact that he had ties to the twolegs still, but to be honest he didn't really mind all that much. It gave the clan a bit of spice, and as nice as Johnny was willing to play most of the time, he wasn't exactly the type to let himself be bullied. Besides, all the other cats were absolutely great in his opinion, and the bobtail honestly loved being around them. They scratched the second biggest itch he had for something outside of purpose, and that was his deep-rooted need for community.

Just as much as Johnny needed a goal to keep him busy, he also needed other cats to make it all worthwhile.

"Answerin' my prayers, Orangeblossom. And here I thought I'd be stuck sitting alone until one of the other patrols got back!" he called as he caught sight of the shecat laying outside of the nursery, amber eyes regarding her warmly as he made his way over.

"I got in late this morning because my twolegs didn't let me out as early. I think the foxbite made them nervous." he admitted, glancing toward the wound on his flank that he'd earned helping Deersong defend Thistle. It wasn't bad, a very minor fleshwound where the bastards teeth had caught him just enough for their pointed teeth to pinch through his skin, and he'd known his humans would let him out again. It wasn't the worst he'd had, after all. Still, it had been enough for him to miss the dawn patrols, and he'd been expecting a mostly empty camp by the time he got there.

"We should play a game- something to get to know each other a bit better. You know Two Truths, One Lie?" he asked, cocking an invisible brow in her direction.

@orangeblossom
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---

 

[Orangestar]

The good thing about being later into a pregnancy, Orangeblossom decides, was that she doesn't get looked at weirdly for having a meal in the morning after the patrols have gone out - however, with a Clan full of unseasoned hunters now and the occasional day where their patrols bring home very little, the deputy still feels a twinge of guilt whenever she does so. She pauses midway through swiping a paw over her whiskers when a familiar voice calls across the camp, ears pricking upwards as Johnny ambles over, and lifts the tip of her tail in greeting.

"Please," she scoffs, "I'm stuck here until the brats are apprenticed, and they're not even born. If I'm not in the nursery, Johnny, wait a few heartbeats and I'll be back from the dirtplace. How's the bite healing?"

The tip of her tail twitches as he plops down next to her, head tilted in a cheeky grin as he proposes a game. Two truths, one lie? Orangeblossom lets out a huff of amusement. "Haven't played that since I was about ... StarClan, maybe Dandelionwish's age? It's been a long time. Righto, you go first then. I try to guess, right?"

— info

•  
• 
  orangeblossom. tags.
  — she/her, skyclan deputy.
  — mentor to eveningpaw.
  — attack in #e08550. uses trees as an integral part of her fighting style.
  — mean enough to note that her thoughts don't reflect my opinions as a writer haha.
  — penned by mercibun; @ me in any official tabbytales discord for plots. :]
  — art by merc!<3
  

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[Honeysplash]

.°☀ I'll believe it all

---

Things had been hard for the young cat since returning to camp. There was nothing she wanted to do more than to curl up and be left alone. To mourn, to wallow in her own self pity, but that didn't seem productive. Bananaplash just couldn't bring herself to hunt or anything as of late and everything felt like a chore. Still, she dragged her paws across the ground of camp towards the nursery in hopes of just speaking to her sister. She just needed some sort of comfort and it didn't feel like anyone could fill that hole in her chest.

Johnny had called across the camp towards Orangeblossom and she lifted her head as she paused half-way there. A game? That sounded fun. She moved to join beside her sister quietly, not saying anything other than pressing her shoulder up against Orangeblossoms' for just some sort of contact.

"Can I play too?" She asked curiously.

"SPEECH"

---

There's nothing I won't understand .°☀

⟪ OOC ⟫ ⟪ INFO ⟫ ⟪ REF ⟫

• //​
• BANANASPLASH named by her mother Alice and for her spirit and confidence
  — she/they, 14 moons, crushing on Quillstrike, Pigeonsong and Chrysalis
  — skyclan warrior, mentored by Sharpeye.
  — quick witted, sweetheart with a bleeding heart, optimistic
  
  primary character, high activity. penned by wolf_.​
• 

​

 

[TWITCHBOLT]

Even though he was a warrior now- and the fact the Clan had bothered coming to save him was enough proof for Twitchbolt to know that they actually liked him enough to want him around- part of the brown-and-white tom often fretted that he had very little place in many conversations. He'd felt like he lingered on the outskirts ever since kit-hood, even though he'd proven himself wrong several times. Ears pricked to the sound of a conversation- always could he do with a distraction, something to pull him out of any danger of worrying too desperately about nothing. And... a lighthearted conversation it was, thankfully.

He'd not played a game... really ever, come to think of it. There would of course be forgotten games of moss ball or I-spy with his parents, but- once they'd named him they'd decided their work with him was done, and had chosen to instruct him to spend most of his childhood nest-weaving or running to and from the fresh-kill pile instead. Isolation had ended up making him flighty- too fretful to involve himself. But he was not that trembling child anymore.

"I could, uh- use- use some levity, if you'll have another," he hummed, wavering smile taking its place upon his maw, a twitch accompanying his stuttering. Maybe the nervous kind, maybe not...​

penned by pin ✧​

 

[sparrowsong!]

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.

The SkyClan camp was suddenly so much more full than it used to be. The chatter, the crowding... it wasn't something they minded. It almost reminded them of home, even if their family hadn't been nearly as large; their home was just smaller. They would learn about everyone in due time.

It was some familiar pelts that drew Sparrowpaw over to this particular group, only catching the tail end of the word play as they approached. Dark ears perked. Tail high, the small tabby hovered with interest. "Play what? A game? Can I join too?" ​

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[Johnnyflame]

HE SAID, "WELL MY NAME'S JOHNNY, AND IT MIGHT BE A SIN
BUT I'LL TAKE YOUR BET, AND YOU'RE GONNA REGRET, CUZ IM THE BEST THERE'S EVER BEEN."​

---

He couldn't help but chuckle at the shecats words. "Aye, don't worry, I'll make sure to visit you so you don't go stir-crazy. I can't imagine it's very entertaining being stuck here all day- you don't even have the little ones to keep you busy yet." he replied, able to sympathize. He was sure that having a family was an exciting and beautiful thing, but as a cat who could relate to the level of activity Ora was used to maintaining, it must have been frustrating to suddenly be told you had to sit there and do nothing all day. Johnny couldn't think of anything more difficult than to being told to sit still and relax for that long.

"And the legs doing fine. My twolegs brought me in to get looked at and their healer didn't seem too worried about it either, so I expect it's nothing to worry about." he assured her. The bite hadn't been all that deep, more of a pinch that anything, ripping out tufts of fur that probably stung more than the actual punctures themselves. Though granted, the loss of some fur had been easy to ignore after the initial sting- the punctures still had a bit of ache in them if he extended his leg too much.

Ora Seemed in the mood to kill time with his game, and it appeared that others were, too. "Sure, you can all play. The rules are simple. I'll start by listing three things about myself, but one of them is a lie. Whoever guesses the lie gets to go next." he explained, just in case some of the other cats weren't sure how it worked.

"Okay, let's see." he said, taking a moment to consider what he wanted to say. "My mother had folded ears. My tail was bitten off by a dog when I was just a kit. And my twolegs and I had to cross the great water to get here." he said, masking the lie amongst the truth and casting his gaze around the group with an eager grin to see if any could determine which was the lie.

OOC- first to guess the lie gets to go next!
[/b]​

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[sparrowsong!]

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.

Thankfully, Johnny began to explain just what it was that they had been discussing. A guessing game of sorts, where they would have to pick out a lie. Had they played something like that before? They couldn't remember, so maybe not?

With a nod of their head, Sparrowpaw shuffled closer to take a seat amongst the others. One by one the bobtail began to list some off. Their head tilted slightly to the side as they contemplated which could be the answer. The possibility that he had been attacked by a dog as a kit made them grimace in sympathy.

One thing was tripping them up, however, and gray eyes flickered up to the warrior again. Rather than guess, they uttered, "Um, what's the 'great water?'"​

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[Johnnyflame]

​

HE SAID, "WELL MY NAME'S JOHNNY, AND IT MIGHT BE A SIN
BUT I'LL TAKE YOUR BET, AND YOU'RE GONNA REGRET, CUZ IM THE BEST THERE'S EVER BEEN."​

---

"Ah, my bad. I forgot you all might not know what that is." he replied with a sheepish look, trying to think of a way to explain it. "The great water is like a puddle that's so big you can't even see what's on the other side of it because it just stretches on and on. And it's so deep that you have to cross it in a special twoleg thing, otherwise it'd swallow you whole." he explained, careful to weave the details in a way that would leave them uncertain. Surely something like that couldn't exist, right- or did it?
​

---

 

[BEARHEART]

(

) "I'll wager that the lie is the water thing. Such a thing is clearly just a kit's tale!" Bearheart concluded as he made his way over to join the others. He sat himself down with a low exhale of relief as he was finally off of his paws. Patrols for a guy his size were hard, and having an apprentice to look after didn't make it any easier either. Now he just hoped that the game would help distract him from his aching paw pads.
​

 

[TWITCHBOLT]

Given leave to join the game, Twitchbolt settled into a seat, cradling his mismatched paws with his long-broken tail. Given the three options, the cogs in Twitchbolt's head immediately began to whir. One possibility seemed remarkably more impossible than the other, and yet- yet, Twitchbolt's over-paranoid mind prevented him from springing on that one too late. What if it was a red herring? A tactic employed to lead them off the scent, when the real answer, the one that seemed least outlandish, was in fact the true one?

Besides, he had seen the power of monsters- the control Twolegs had over them. The notion that some could traverse the water was not a difficult one for him to believe. Bearheart spoke assertively, and yet- and yet, had failed to notice the conspiracy!

"I don't think your mother had- had folded ears," Twitchbolt said, a half-joking and half-serious squint of suspicion narrowing his mismatched eyes. Had he overthought, yet again? Surely not- surely there was some bluffing benefit to this game... ​

penned by pin ✧​

 

[sparrowsong!]

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.

A puddle of water that was so big it was impossible to see the other side? Sparrowpaw squinted a little at that, not quite able to wrap their head around such a concept. How could there possibly be that much water at all, much less in one spot? More importantly, Johnny swam across? Or did he... cross it on the twoleg thing? Their pelt prickled.

It was then that they remembered that one of them was a lie, and they thought about the options again. The great water. That had to be it, right? It simply seemed too odd and far-fetched. Bearheart beat them to the guess, though, and it wasn't long before Twitchbolt offered another.

"I think it's the great water one too," they murmured. "But I'll guess the um, the one about the dog." Truthfully, they hoped it was a lie. They wouldn't want anyone to face something like that.​

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[Johnnyflame]

HE SAID, "WELL MY NAME'S JOHNNY, AND IT MIGHT BE A SIN
BUT I'LL TAKE YOUR BET, AND YOU'RE GONNA REGRET, CUZ IM THE BEST THERE'S EVER BEEN."​

---

Johnny had to admit- this was pretty fun. He watched them all consider his words before throwing out there guesses, and with a laugh his amber eyes landed on the apprentice. "Sparrowpaw wins this round!" he announced with a grin. "My mother did have folded ears, and I did have to cross something called the great water to get here- but my tail was never bitten off by a dog, I was just born without one." he explained, pleased to have decided on a game that was not only entertaining, but informative as well. Maybe he'd learn a little more about the other Skyclanners this way. "That means it's your turn now Sparrowpaw. Go ahead!" he encouraged.
​

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[sparrowsong!]

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.

Every option had been guessed by at least one cat, but Sparrowpaw had hardly been expecting to be the one that was right. Even so, it came as a slight relief, knowing he had simply been born with a short tail. "Oh," was all they managed in response. The great water was real? What other fantastical things were out there? Just how big was the world, really?

Johnny addressed them again, snapping them out of their thoughts with a jolt. Oh. Oh, it was their turn now. They hadn't come up with anything. They hadn't expected it would ever be their turn. Did they have to come up with things now?

Sparrowpaw gazed back uncertainly at the eyes that were now all trained on them. "Um," they peeped, gaze falling to their paws to think. Maybe they were overthinking it. It would be better to just say whatever came to mind.

"Okay, um," they began again. "I think- I think birds are cute, I like being up high, and... um, my mama's name is Canary." They paused, then grimaced. "Oh. Wait, no, those are all true. Hold on. Sorry." Mouse-dung.

A lie. What would be a good lie? They needed new truths now, too. Their expression scrunched up in thought. "My... favorite color is yellow, um, I don't l-" they broke off with a hum. This was harder than they thought. "Sorry. Okay. My favorite color is yellow, I wasn't... born to my parents, they raised me with their own kits, and... my papa once brought home a soft thing that looked like a mouse, and I liked to sleep with it." Mentally, they went over their statements. One was definitely a lie, two were definitely truths. They nodded. "Yeah."​

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[Honeysplash]

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Green eyes watched the group of cats as they exchanged different options of what could have been. Johnny was really good at telling a lie, she couldn't even begin to pick apart what was and wasn't true, and she looked at Sparrowpaw then Twitchbolt as they offered their ideas of what was true and what wasn't. She simply stayed back and laid down on the ground with her paws tucked under her chest. This game seemed rather fun not going to lie, and she wondered if she would get a turn? Bananasplash then looked to Sparrowpaw as it was now their turn as they had guessed correctly about what was a lie. What would they say? She was interested in getting to know Sparrowpaw so this would be a fun way to do it!

Speech[/color]​

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[BEARHEART]

(

) There was seriously something called the Great Water? He still felt somewhat sceptical but he offered a shrug and accepted defeat. His focus shifted to that of Sparrowpaw as he waited for the apprentice to start off the next round. The tom twitched his ears as he listened carefully, soon settling on the potential lie. "I'm going to pick the parent thing as the lie."
​