[ LET'S PLAY A GAME ] ; i'm just such a happy mess

[ungrieved]

        _______
       |/           |
       |
       |
       |
       |
       |
____|____

[That's it. That, and...a number of blank lines for people to guess letters. If they're interested in playing, that is. He apparently hasn't seen fit to explain the game, but if you stay tuned, you might catch the general gist of it.]

[[ooc: guessable words are in the comments. Please feel free to threadjack/make new words at your leisure!]]

Comments

[ungrieved]

|X| | |
|O|X| |
| |X|O|

[catpiper]

|X|O| |
|O|X| |
| |X|O|

[ungrieved]

|X|O|X|
|O|X| |
| |X|O|

[catpiper]

|X|O|X|
|O|X| |
|O|X|O|

[TIC TAC STALEMATE]

[ungrieved]

|X|O|X|
|O|X|X|
|O|X|O|

cat's game

[catpiper]

cats dont like this

[She takes that term literally, of course. A cat's game? No, this is a human game. Maybe a ghost game. She doodles green pawprints around the tic tac toe board. Adds some smiley faces between the prints for good measure.]

that was fun

[Even with the tie, thanks for playing mystery person.]

[ungrieved]

its a term
it means no one wins

[But, hey. This person likes cats. Whoever they are. So maybe it wasn't that bad a choice of phraseology after all.]

[catpiper]

['Cat's game' should mean everyone is a winner. Only Ren can't figure out how to right this atrocious wrong with only the chalk in her hand and a bunch of words she can't write. Or even think to write. Cats are always good and their name should be used for good things. That's the point here.

Another tic tac board goes up, with everything identical to the previous one, except-]

|X|O|X|
|O|X|X|
|O|X|X|

this is a cat's game

[One where mystery bean wins twice and is happy. That's the new cat's game.]

[ungrieved]

i mean no
a cat's game is a draw
a tie
no man's game

[They let him win, even. That's both irritating, because it's patronizing, and...weird, because it's nice.]

but i guess this works too

[catpiper]

[Victory thy name is Ren. Take that tic tac toe creator!! She adds a giant, smiling purple cat under i guess this works too for good measure. Nice. Glad they're on the same page now.]

this will make them happy

[Will cats even care? Stay tuned. ESP Kitty will be interviewed shortly over this new development.]

[ungrieved]

make who happy

[Ren, help. He doesn't follow.]

[catpiper]

[The multiple blue cats that appear on the rock might be enough to indicate what this gremlin's answer is gonna be. But she writes it anyway-]

the cats

[ungrieved]

this island has cats?

[Literal cats, or imaginary ones?]

[catpiper]

yes

[Secret human looking ones and-]

one is with me

[ungrieved]

and does this cat actually exist

[catpiper]

[That's a weird question and one she has to read twice to make sure she's understanding it correctly. ESP kitty is real??? He's a real, good boy who deserves fish and head pats all day long.]

yes

hes warm

he purrs

he plays with toys

[ungrieved]

prove it

[Gabe's cunning plan to Meet A Cat comes to fruition.]

[catpiper]

["prove it". How? By writing something on the rock? By sitting here until this mystery player shows up?

Both maybe? She can do that.

In case the mystery bean doesn't show up before dark, Ren taps the rock and her goodest!!! boy!! puts his little paw up against the stone, allowing her to outline the shape of it with purple chalk.

There's your proofx2 pal. A cat signature.]

[ungrieved]

[A pawprint.]

[Good? Maybe. Good enough? Not yet. Not yet, because he's never gotten to pet a cat before, and he thinks he'd like it. He thinks he wants to know how it feels.]

you couldve drawn that on

[catpiper]

[SHE KINDA DID draw that on. This person isn't wrong. Drew it around an actual cat's paw, but still.

Maybe she's gonna wait here then!! She'll prove there are cats on this island the old fashioned way-by shoving this good boy it someone's face.]

[ungrieved]

[Maybe she’s gonna wait there. And at some point or another, because Gabe is nothing if not devoted to his little games and ploys, he’ll happen by the communal stone and stop dead because, like and behold, not only is there a little girl in front of the rock, but the girl has a cat with her.]

[Well, shit. Guess she wasn’t lying.]

You really do have a cat.

[catpiper]

[The vindication she feels is enough to last her a lifetime. She wouldn't lie about a cat, gosh.

It takes her another full second to connect the dots that this bean is the purple writer she had been speaking with before.]

He's a good boy.

[And true to his good boy nature, he watches the newcomer, whooooshing his lil tail back and forth.]

This is 'ESP kitty'. That's his name.

[ungrieved]

[ESP kitty.]

[Of course it's not a great name, but something about it is amusing. Maybe the idea that it might potentially confuse other people with just how bizarre and out-of-place it is. Gabe crouches slowly, never once taking his eyes off the cat.]

[He's never gotten to pet a cat. Not once.]

You named him?

[catpiper]

His friend gave him that good name.

[Keep your eyes on the prize, friend. ESP kitty returns the gaze in his own mild mannered way, standing up and purring when Ren begins to scratch his back.]

He likes it when you do this kind of thing.

[And she moves her fingers up to gently scratch behind his ears. Good boy, best boy. She loves him so much.]

[ungrieved]

[His eyes are well and truly on the prize. Now how does he draw this promise of a new and unknown experience to himself while still retaining his reputation as a cocky, standoffish asshole of a teenage boy? He's already staring at the cat too fixedly, too intently, for that charade to stay in play.]

[He looks away. Look at him. He doesn't even care, gosh.]

Your "friend" is pretty terrible at names.