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Ep 74. Tick

4/18/25

Stylus slowly steps down onto the frozen Egstrom, fully clothed. Dragonscale narrates through text boxes, saying, Time to move. She can be seen dropping supplies into Peanut Butter's jar. All of the bandits are now wearing warm clothes.
Dragonscale continues narrating, saying, We knew it wasn't safe to live on the ground floor. The group can be seen together walking through the frozen city. They begin to climb up a set of stairs in the next panel. Dragonscale says, We settled into a tall apartment complex that I had already scouted.
She continues, saying, It's strangely warm inside, but I'm not complaining. Stylus and Dagger can be seen sleeping near each other in a dark apartment. Dragonscale says, We're staying in one of the cleaner rooms. No blood. A different room is shown for comparison, covered in blood and burn marks. There is a dead studio light object lying on the ground with their face shattered and caved in, and it can be presumed that their light was the source of the fire. A bat is on the floor and bloody foot prints lead out of the room. Dragonscale continues describing the room that they chose, saying, No broken glass, no husks. The next panel shows a shot of Citrus' bedroom. Dragonscale says, It's unsettling, what some people were trying to hide.
She says, Despite being warmer, there wasn't any food, so. Dragonscale can be seen flying over the city through the snow storm. She says, I had an excuse to keep going out. She can be seen indoors inspecting a can of food in her hand. She looks at it more closely in the next panel, narrating, But aside from the bitter cold, there was another problem.
Hokkaido appears behind Dragonscale, saying hi. Dragonscale jolts, dropping the can and yelling Fuck! She yells at Hokkaido, saying, Stop doing that! In an exaggerated panel, fire is coming from her eyes and mouth and searing part of his face. Dragonscale continues her internal monologue as they walk together through the city, saying, Sometimes, I'll run into that little creep from High Society. He follows me around for hours.
She says, Then, suddenly. Hokkaido gradually slows down as they walk together, his expression changing to be vacant, then twisted as he vanishes into the dark of the winter. Dragon says, He'll disappear.
Dragonscale says, I don't know where he goes. Hokkaido can be seen crushing the leg of a bestial football character in this panel with a gleeful expression. In the next panel, he is following behind Dragonscale again. Dragon says, But he always finds me again.
Hokkaido and Dragonscale sit together on the roof top of a tall city building. Large text describes the sound of howling wind as the snow storm rages on. Hokkaido says, So, Why are we way up here? He is kicking his feet over the edge of the building while Dragonscale holds her face in her hands, shivering and pouting. She says, I usually come here alone to be cold.
She continues, saying, Because it's the only numbing sensation, that I have left. Hokkaido looks at her, asking, You want to feel numb? He stands up, proudly proclaiming, All you have to do is work hard, my dear! Dragonscale lifts her face from her hands, looking as though she has realized something. Hokkaido continues, saying, My doctor told me that thanks to all of my hard work, I almost functionally have congenital insensitivity. He gets cut off by Dragonscale, who shouts, You're right!
Dragonscale shouts, What am I fucking doing? I can't face the world if I keep distracting myself! Wagyu stares at her, puzzled. Dragonscale reaches for her backpack. Text says grab. Dragonscale flies off wearing her backpack, shouting, Thank you, little weirdo! I'll work hard from now on! Hokkaido stares up at her from the roof of the building.
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