[Commentlog/Closed] - backdated to morning of handcuffs

[mister_10_below]

[Bobby'd gone out for a jog that morning - joking with Raven earlier about her running aside, he really does need to keep up some aspects of his training. He likes jogging around the lake, anyway, especially because it means there was an ample supply of water nearby for him to work with when he feels like taking breaks

Comments

[stillseecracks]

[Xanth, meanwhile, is just out enjoying the lake breeze. If he could ice the water the way Bobby did, he might have, but he could only let his legs dangle in the water.

As he walks along the sandy edge, barefoot and hair tied up, he spots Bobby. He raises an arm above his head to wave.]

H-Hey, Bo--

[Before he can finish, cuffs appear on the one hand, and a key suddenly pops into his other.]

Buh?

[He stares and then looks up to the figure of Bobby, still some distance away. Does he spy cuffs on Bobby, too...?

He starts jogging Bobby's way.]

Um! H-Hey!

[mister_10_below]

[Bobby looks up from his completely useful examination of the cuffs around his wrist when he hears Xanth's voice, giving an automatic smile at the sight of his friend.

But it fades a bit when he spots what looks like a set of cuffs on Xanth's wrist as well. He jogs forward, to help close the distance between them.]

Looks like I'm not the only one with a new set of really strange jewelry.

[He smiles, a bit wryly, but then his eyes widen when he gets close enough to Xanth, and the other end of the cuffs on Bobby's wrist snaps closed around Xanth's.]

Uh.

[No, really, what.]

That wasn't me, I swear.

[stillseecracks]

N-No, uh-- ack!

[Xanth moves to yank his arm back, but it's just not soon enough. Just a little distressed, he tries to slip a finger between his wrist and the cuff and maybe tug it off. He knows it won't work, but he has to try anyway.]

U-Um, oh, o-okay, this-- th-this is-- new. Uh.

[He holds up the key in his other hand, which he'd very nearly dropped.]

D-Do-- did-- did you get o-one of, one of these?

[mister_10_below]

[Bobby's pretty much trying the exact same thing with cuff. And then, when that doesn't work, he ices over his wrist and hand, trying to see if that helps slip it off. Unfortunately, it's equally as successful as his first attempt.]

Yeah, I did. Oh, good thinking, maybe-

[He tries his own key in the lock of the cuffs, with no luck.]

Crap. Wanna try yours?

[Bobby's not actually all that hopeful, but hey, maybe they could get lucky.]

[stillseecracks]

[Oh no.

Oh no.

This is bad.

Xanth nods quickly, and then he tries his key in the cuffs. Unsurprisingly, disappointingly, his key doesn't work either.]

O-Oh, gods, uh, th-this is, a-- a-are we-- stuck? L-Like this?

[mister_10_below]

[Definitely a good thing that Bobby wasn't really hopeful, then. Though he can't help but feel the tiniest bit disappointed.]

No way, man. We'll find a way out of this.

[He gives a slight smile.]

Not that I'm against spending time with you or anything, but it's much more fun when we've got both of our hands free.

[stillseecracks]

[Xanth looks up at Bobby and cracks an uneven smile.]

Aheh-- y-yeah.

[Breath in, breath out.]

A-And, you know, it-- i-it could be-- i-it could be worse. I-It could be our-- o-our feet, ch-chained together.

[mister_10_below]

[His smile grows a bit in response to Xanth's, and to Xanth's comment.]

Yeah. Then we'd have to like, three-legged-race or chain-gang every where we went. At least this way we only have to do a little extra coordination while we figure out a way to get them off.

[stillseecracks]

[Xanth lets out the slightest of laughs.]

Y-Yeah, that'd-- that'd be p-pretty... tough.

[His smile falters with returning unease.]

S--So, i-if our keys... i-if they don't work-- w-what will? I-I mean I can't-- I-I can't break this, n-not on-- o-on my own, and...

[...and he doesn't think Bobby can, either. He shrugs.]

[mister_10_below]

[In this kind of situation, even a tiny laugh is still a success.

At Xanth's question, Bobby examines the cuffs, considering.]

Yeah. Me neither. Well, unless-

[He reaches out to touch the metal dangling between their wrists, freezing it to hopefully make it brittle.]

[stillseecracks]

[Hey yeah, that might work! Xanth looks along the shore for something to smash the now frozen metal with, and he spots a fist-sized rock a few steps away.

He momentarily forgets that the chain links him and Bobby together, and he tries to walk off.]

[mister_10_below]

[And Bobby's suddenly tugged forward by his wrist, losing his balance slightly.

By habit, he puts out a hand to steady himself on Xanth's shoulder. Unfortunately, it's the hand that's cuffed to Xanth, which probably won't help the situation at all.]

[stillseecracks]

[And then Xanth is yanked back! But instead of playing tug-of-war, he actually pauses and glances back.]

Th-this, this isn't-- i-it's not going t--to work.

[mister_10_below]

[The lack of tug-of-war is definitely a good thing. But Bobby still stares forlornly at the cuffs.]

Yeah. We're going to have to probably plan some co-ordination here.

[stillseecracks]

Y-Yeah. Okay. Um.

L-Let's-- let's see if-- th-there's a r-rock around here, o-or, s-something. To-- break th-the chain.

[mister_10_below]

[Bobby nods at that, and starts glancing along the shoreline.]

Sounds good. Shouldn't be too hard, we've just got to pretend we're holding hands when we walk.