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Home > Expos > Event 11 > Page 8
UNTIL THE COWS COME HOME▼
UNTIL THE COWS COME HOME
[Nine Inch Nails- Ghosts IV - 34]
WormWood
...
WormWood
Bean squeezes his eyes shut. He opens them again, scrolls a bit.
WormWood
There's nothing there.
WormWood
He watches the minutes pass at the corner of the tiny screen. Maybe if he stayed there long enough, something would give.
WormWood
...

But nothing ever did. The staring contest would end eventually, Bean backed down and placed the phone onto his nightstand. Hand lingered onto it for far too long, just to be certain he'd change his mind if it vibrated underneath his palm.
WormWood
Instead, the phone was returned to his pocket when he was dressed and ready for the day. The house was still in mid transition from complete disaster to being neatly packed up and ready to go. It never gets any less surreal with each passing day, between his and his roommate's belongings being taken from their places or not seeing his suit hanging to greet him as he left the house.
WormWood
He's not hungry. Electing to pass up on breakfast, he takes a seat at his normal spot on the couch, combating his own thoughts.
Siete
Not an early riser by nature, Siete had been relaxing on his phone, just finishing up packing some odds & ends from the living room. He shifts a bit to make space for his roommate on the couch.
Siete
“…I’d eat now. I was planning to get the rest of the kitchenware packed up later.”
WormWood
2026-04-06 15:45:23
WormWood Profile
Posted by ID #3
Last edit: 2026-04-06 15:45:39
"Not hungry. If I get to that point I'll like... eat more cereal or somethin'. As long as y'don't mind me eatin' outta the box."
Siete
“It’s your food, man.” He shrugs, setting down his phone.
Siete
“…So, like. Hhhhhow you doin’?”
WormWood
"Doin' my best."
WormWood
"...I know we haven't talk much about it yet, it's just uh. I didn't think I'd make it to this point."
WormWood
"Where do I even go from here? ...Not, literally, I mean that's still a pretty big concern but uh."
WormWood
"I don't know what to do with myself. It's weird."
Siete
“Oh. I just meant like, uh, how’d you sleep….”
WormWood
"C'mon."
Siete
“Aw, come on. You’re like, done, man. Isn’t that kind of what you were gunning for?” Siete gestures, “No more stupid costume, no more giant baby worm using you as a chew toy, no more world on your back n’ shit.”
Siete
“You’re finally free!”
WormWood
"I guess, it does feel kind of awesome that it's all over, yeah."
WormWood
"But I kinda feel like... that's, all I knew. One trick pony. I still got the whole, crawlin' outta the hole I made ahead of me."
He'll get back into that hole.
Siete
“There’s more to life than your job, man. Might take a sec to reorient, but you’ve finally got yourself back. Isn’t that worth something?”
Siete
“…You are being evicted, though. Which means I’m being evicted. That does suck.”
Can't even be bothered to find his own place. What is he. A child?
He drags Wormwood down just as much as his brother did.
WormWood
"Yeah uh, that does suck. Like a lot." Bean runs his hand through his hair. "Dunno. Maybe I can land a nice quiet office job or some shit somewhere."
WormWood
"I'm still scared there's nothin' out there for me. That I fucked around for too long and missed it all. ...I know that's not exactly, rational though." He exhales.
WormWood
"...But we do gotta decide where to actually go from here. Does uh, Barnable sound good to you?"
There's no way to pry these two off each other.
Siete
“Barnable!?”
Siete
“What, you have some life-long passion to write a thousand fuckin’ books somewhere in there? Not to shoot you down, man, but I think a deadline might send you to the hospital.”
Barnable is literally one of the better islands but it's not exciting enough for this loser.
WormWood
"It was just a suggestion man!"
Wormwood thinks he's free, and here he is, fucking not defending his choice.
One "No way" and he's bowing all over again.
Siete
“I can’t risk you getting sick without insurance anymore. Fuck no.”
WormWood
"I'm fine."
FUCKING FIGHT FOR YOURSELF FOR ONCE.
WormWood
"Look. We'll put barnable on the back burner for now, but it's not... the worst... idea. What else is there. We can uh..
WormWood
"...Aaaarcades...?"
The island of delusions. Really? Of fantasy?
Siete
“..….Snrk.”
Siete
“Nerd.”
FUCK YOU. YOU CONTRIBUTE NOTHING TO THE CONVERSATION YOU FAT FUCKING FREELOADER!
WormWood
"What? No!"
Siete
“Aren’t folks there, like, always playing pretend? I guess that’s not too different than what you were already getting up to.”
Siete
“Newest member of the guild, your level 5, uh… worm… wizard. Guy.”
WormWood
"You'd think I'd be a wizard?"
WormWood
"I was hopin' for like. I dunno, a barbarian or somethin'."
In this dreams he'd be a fucking barbarian. He'd swap class the SECOND someone says they need a healer.
WormWood
"...Ok yeah, stupid idea."
Siete
“The idea with you with an axe scares me.”
WormWood
"You're worried I'd be good at it."
Siete
“Nah, I’d be the cool spellcaster n’ shit. I’d be waaaay better, summoning… like, skeletons to do my bidding. Maybe there’s somethin’ to it?”
WormWood
He snorts. "Yeah well. Sorry man, Arcades off the table. I think you'd lose me there. But uh, maybe I can think about taking a For Real vay-cay now that I'm gettin' off this shithole."
WormWood
"...Fuck me, I dunno what else there is that isn't batshit crazy. Showtime's out of the question."
Siete
“It’s kind of all batshit crazy, that’s part of the issue. I’ll agree with you there. Hm…”
WormWood
"... ..."
WormWood
"...Well uh, I mean. I got one other option in mind. I can like... Ask Artie for a place to stay for a bit..."
Siete
“Dude. Seriously?”
WormWood
"It's an option!"
Siete
“It really, super is not!? No! I’m not hanging out with your weird ex.”
Siete
“She’s done nothing but give you grief, man. Be real with yourself.”
So have you. Be real with yourself.
WormWood
"Artie's not that bad, dude." He rubs his shoulder, looking away from Siete. "It's just, we're kinda runnin' through options here man. Art's probably got a cheap place to stay for a few before we settle somewhere. Or somethin'."
WormWood
"And like... I'm finally free, for real this time. So maybe I can..."
Siete
“Dude. No!” Siete throws his hands up, “if you like the island that’s, like, fine? But Artie is not it.”
Siete
“You’re just gonna be living in the past, man. Whatever happened, or like, is happening between you two, isn’t gonna be whatever you had before.”
WormWood
Owch. "I'm still real fucked up over it."
Siete
“Yeah. And immediately smashing back into each other’s lives is the last thing you should do for yourself.”
Siete
He shrugs, “And frankly, like, Artie too. Just give yourself some room to figure your situation out first, man.”
Let. WormWood. Do Whatever The Fuck He Wants To.
WormWood
Bean rubs his face. "If only the move put this shit outta my mind like I hoped it would. I can't keep doin' this to myself."
WormWood
"Guess that's why I got friends to slap some sense into me."
More like drag you down.
Siete
“Mmm. Wouldn’t go that far. Just trying to make sure you don’t wind up back in the same situation. Pretty sure you’d do the same for me…”
Siete
He clicks his tongue, leaning back over the couch, “…Yo, uh, Cowboy. Dunno if you’ve been listening, but you got any ideas here? Figured you’ve been around plenty and might have some pointers for good places to move.”
Cowboy
2026-04-06 17:04:35
Cowboy Profile
Posted by ID #2
Last edit: 2026-04-06 17:04:47
"...................." Cowboy could hear his own breath.
You can't offer a single comment to help your friend. You shoot down everything because you're lazy and want a situation that fits what YOU WANT instead of what would benefit the person that ACTUALLY matters here.

Barnable is FINE you LAZY FREELOADING ASSHOLE.

Just because you wanted to WHORE AROUND and put yourself in a shit situation doesn't mean you need to put someone else into it as well! You contribute NOTHING. WormWood isn't even dating you! Why does he have to make sure YOU'RE FUCKING COMFORTABLE.

You're both going to fail. You're both just going to fall back into shit, because you

BOTH

DON'T

EVEN

BOTHER TRYING.
Cowboy
"........................"
You're not a good person. Cowboy thinks to himself. You're just an awful person.
Can you fucking just calm down, and treat these people like your friends?
Cowboy
"........" Time was much slower for Cowboy than the others. As he lowers his head, arguing with himself in his own mind, it felt like minutes, but it was only seconds for them. He just looked like he was contemplating the best plan of action.
If you're going to be a piece of shit to your friends just leave. No one cares about you being an argumentative asshole right now. Is that what you're going to do? Yell at a single father? He's probably thinking about his kid and you're here calling him a "FAT FUCKING FREELOADER."

Do you think people would like you if they could hear what you think about them when you're angry?
Maybe you should tell them, so they can get away from you if you want to be fucking alone so badly.
So calm the fuck down, and be a fucking reasonable person. NOW.
Cowboy
"You folks can stay at my place for a month." Cowboy fights against the thoughts telling him that considering these two, it's bound to be MONTHS not A MONTH. "I'll text you my address right now."
Cowboy
"You'll have to find your own way there because I'm on a little trip." He mutters, ignoring images of coming back to a ruined living room in his head. The current living room he was in wasn't....pretty at all.
WormWood
"Wait, for real?"
WormWood
"...Shit dude. You keep stickin' your neck out for me. Hell of a thing to do, I can't really even begin to express how grateful I am for it."
WormWood
"I owe you big for this. Just, if you're totally sure. We won't be long."
Siete
Siete furrows his brow, “Wait, yeah, that’s… a really huge gesture. You’re not just saying that?”
WormWood
Bean takes a pause. There's a thought that's been in the back his mind, but up until this point he hasn't entirely been sure how to put this in a delicate way. Something needed to be said.
WormWood
2026-04-06 17:30:32
WormWood Profile
Posted by ID #3
Last edit: 2026-04-06 17:32:29
"...So like..." He gestures. "Y'know uh, the island wide punishment thing that happened. It usually wears off after a couple hours, over night at its worst. But uh.."
WormWood
2026-04-06 17:30:54
WormWood Profile
Posted by ID #3
Last edit: 2026-04-06 17:32:43
"Don't take this the wrong way, but y'feelin' ok over there Cowboy? Might just be me, but hallucinations don't usually linger for this long."
Cowboy
"I'm fine." He states plainly.
Siete
“What?” Siete glances back at Cowboy again. “….”
Cowboy
"......................................."
Siete
“…He’s literally normal? Don’t be fucking rude.”
Destabilization was invisible to those who believed the lies that created it.
No matter how much that person had changed.

It just became "how they always looked."
Cowboy
"I'm fine. If I have a problem I'll deal with on my own time."
Cowboy
Cowboy changes topics, not wanting to linger on this one. "Now, I hope you folks don't think you'll be going to my house all willy nilly. I'm going to be telling my wife about it, and if she won't let you in......."
Cowboy
"....................I'll have to spend my personal money getting you folks a temp apartment."
Cowboy
"So I got a few rules I need you to follow, and I don't want to hear you complain about them. Most are things that would mighty bother my wife if you broke them, and if you think I'm scary, wait till you meet her."
WormWood
"I'll pay y'back as soon as I get back on my feet. It's all real appreciated, I don't mind a few house rules if it means a roof over my head."
Siete
2026-04-06 17:46:32
Siete Profile
Posted by ID #7
Last edit: 2026-04-06 17:46:49
“Yeah, doubt she’s much scarier than you or whatever the hell Worm’s been though.” Siete leans back on the couch. “Lay ‘em on us.”
Cowboy
"Rules are simple to follow.

  1. No touching any door except for the one outside of the house, and the one to the guest bathroom. Don't you even peak into the others.

  2. Make sure to keep it quiet at night because she usually records audio around that time.

  3. You're going to but your own food because if she finds the incorrect thing out of order you're going to stress her out.

  4. No inviting other people at all.

  5. No watching the news on the living room tv, she'll be able to hear it.

  6. Do not talk to her unless she talks to you first, she's not social, and I got a feeling she wouldn't want to talk to you both anyway.

  7. She doesn't know your life, and she likely doesn't want to know your life. If you need to get in a shouting match with each other or someone over the phone, go outside.

  8. Suck it up and be nice to her. Raise your voice at her once and you better be out before I get back."

Cowboy
"Got it all?"
Siete
“Mmm.” Siete was having a bad time hiding his apprehension, glancing over to Wormwood, “I mean, it’s like… it’s a lot?”
WormWood
Seems high maintenance. Some of these raise his blood pressure just a touch, his poker face is terrible. He swallows it back down.
Siete
2026-04-06 17:55:36
Siete Profile
Posted by ID #7
Last edit: 2026-04-06 17:55:55
“…But, I think I get it. A place to stay is a place to stay.”
WormWood
"Loud and clear. It's mostly just, common sense after all," Bean rubs the back of his neck. "I'll keep it respectful."
Siete
2026-04-06 18:00:52
Siete Profile
Posted by ID #7
Last edit: 2026-04-06 18:04:05
He narrows his eyes at Worm, glancing back over towards Cowboy, “The like, out of order thing is a little fucked, though. Like, there’s not a lot of room for accidents here.”
Siete
“Huh. I dunno. She just sounds a little strict.”
A little strict? This is my damn house.
Cowboy
Cowboy flexes his claws a takes a step forward. He feels a unbearable heat radiate from his back. He imagines just ripping into Siete. Verbally. Maybe even physically.
But suddenly that heat, radiates out a numbness. No.....not an emotional numbness.
A psychical one.
Cowboy
Cowboy reaches back, and pulls out a syringe dart that hit him in the back. He can't do anything but mumble "That ain't right." Before he collapses onto the floor, eyes still open, but paralyzed.
The Sun
The Sun's tendrils slink in, grabs Cowboy's banded leg, and adds a new, bright red band.
The Sun
Its eyes flicker towards the other two adults in the room, but it looks away again, as if not trying to draw attention to its massive invasion of the room.
WormWood
"The fuck-?" Bean scoots back as far as he can as Cowboy is collected up. He barely has time to process whats happening.
Siete
2026-04-06 18:14:30
Siete Profile
Posted by ID #7
Last edit: 2026-04-06 18:14:37
“Oh shitting fuck.” Siete scrambles off of the sofa, nearly tripping over the coffee table in attempts to distance himself from the tendrils.
The Sun
The Sun thinks for a moment, processing if the emotional impact of this moment was dire enough that it should supply a small bit of food so that they know that their house is still completely safe, and that this moment was an oddity.
The Sun
It rights the table, and places a large marshmallow on top of it, so that the two would feel safe.
The Sun
2026-04-06 18:25:01
The Sun Profile
Posted by ID #2
Last edit: 2026-04-06 18:26:02
It then drags Cowboy out of the house. Before adding another, black and white band to Cowboy's leg.
Cowboy
The world gets darker and darker for Cowboy, but he can feel the click of another band on him.
Two bands in one day? That was bad.
The Sun
The Sun takes out two dome pieces, both padded in the inside. It scoops up Cowboy and closes it. A perfect capsule to move the animal without damage. As suddenly as it had arrived, the Sun's tendrils pulled upwards and disappeared.
WormWood
"..." Frozen in place, Bean's eyes dart between the sun taking away Cowboy, and the marshmallow on the table. And back to Siete.
WormWood
"....Oh, fuck. Man. Oh we fucked up." Worm holds his head, getting up to examine the marshmallow. It's as big as his head. If not bigger. "Holy shit."
WormWood
...He pulls off a piece of it to chew on regardless. "Fuck me. We're so fucked now. Cowboy is fucked."
Siete
“Fuck! Yeah, you could fucking say that.” Siete composes himself as the capsule is dragged out of sight.
Siete
“And you don’t know the start of it. You see that black and white band? He’s off to The Pens, dude.”
WormWood
"That's pretty bad."
Siete
“Yeah. I dunno.” He breathes out. Cowboy lashed out at him, at Wormwood, but… “This doesn’t feel right, man. I hope it’s a misfire and he’s out of there in a few days…”
Siete
“…..”
Siete
“Will you stop fuckin’ eating!?”
WormWood
"DUDE HOW ARE WE GOING TO TELL HIS WIFE."
Siete
“His wife? I mean, like...” He furrowed his brow. Shit. That’s right.
Siete
“Just, calm down. I’ll do it.” Siete sighed, “He managed to send you his address, didn’t he? Just tell her in person once we get there.”
Siete
“She doesn’t deserve to be left guessin’ where her bird is.”
WormWood
"...Like... you uh, think Cowboy's offer is still on the table?" Bean fumbles with his phone...
WormWood
"I feel kind of responsible for. Everything."
Siete
“Oh, shit. I didn’t think about that.”
Siete
“Uh, haha. Mmmmaybe she’ll just… believe us? And let us stay a while on his behalf?”
There's a slow rhythmic knock on the door.
WormWood
"....We're so fucking boned dude." Bean eats another piece of marshmallow.
WormWood
... He turns to look at the door, looking back over to Siete for reassurance.
Siete
“Dude, at least leave some of that for us…” He shoots a look to the door.
WormWood
"It's like huge, y'think I'm that much of a fatass?" ...He shuffles back to the couch.
WormWood
"I'm nervous. Who would it even be?"
Siete
2026-04-06 19:00:41
Siete Profile
Posted by ID #7
Last edit: 2026-04-06 19:00:52
”Save your freaking out for later, man. If it was actually the Sun again, it wouldn’t take the time to knock.”
Siete
“Just, pull yourself together, take a minute, but we’re not unfucked just yet. We’ve got a whole rest of the house to pack up and get out of here.”
Siete
“…Alright, alright, i’m coming.” Siete musters his courage and gets the door.
Siete's blood runs cold as there's a bright flash of red behind the door.
But it wasn't the Sun.
????
2026-04-06 19:10:23
???? Profile
Posted by ID #2
Last edit: 2026-04-12 19:53:31
A human with swirling eyes looked back at him. She placed a hand on the door to make sure he couldn't shut it on her. "Ooooh. I have terrible news for you."
"Uno?" Seven muttered to his eldest sister.
No one is typing.
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