Book Five, Chapter 56: Happened A-Pawn Again

Our next stop was Happened A-Pawn. I had hoped it would have some answers—or maybe even the omen for the Werewolf storyline itself—but that was a little too much to hope for.

“So, normally, it’s a lot different than this,” I said as the group filtered into the pawn shop, looking around at the mostly barren shelves.

Behind the counter stood a tall, bald, heavily muscled man named Tar Bellows, a Paragon, one of the Bruisers, as far as I understood it.

“I can only stock used goods. Business hasn’t been good,” he said, barely looking up from his newspaper.

Typically, the pawn shop was stocked with items related to recently run storylines, and since the reset, there hadn’t been many storylines, so the shelves were nearly empty. What little inventory remained included some gardening implements from The Final Straw, some astronaut food from Itch, and a bunch of other items that might have been from storylines in the fake tutorial. A very small amount had tropes attached.

Seriously, the place looked like it was either just opening or about to go out of business. When we had been here previously, there was a ton of stuff—props that could be used for various purposes, even before trope items existed.

There were all kinds of electronics and supplies and weapons.

“A lot of competition has been moving into my neighborhood,” Tar said, pretending that our arrival wasn’t the most exciting thing to happen to him in weeks. “Just can’t keep up.”

“What’s going on?” Antoine asked. “Are you allowed to tell us?”

“Seems like everybody’s in the business of selling specialty items these days,” Tar replied. “Nobody needs to come to the pawn shop anymore.”

And then I understood.

Until recently, most of the stores in Carousel only held props and survival supplies. Trope items didn’t exist, so the pawn shop had been a kind of one-stop shop for most of the props someone could need. While the concept of having tropes that worked well with props—or that required props—existed, for the most part, the things you bought and brought into a storyline were for narrative purposes.

Or weapons. You always needed weapons. Weapons didn’t need tropes to be useful. Still, the pawn shop’s supply of guns and knives had dwindled.

“We’re gonna look around,” Antoine said.

“Knock yourself out,” Tar replied.

There were a few Omens for sale: a haunted cuckoo clock, or perhaps just an Omen for a haunting that happened to be a cuckoo clock; a glove with dried, sticky blood on it, which could not have been legal to sell even at a pawn shop and would throw you into a murder mystery; a golf ball that bewilderingly launched you into an alligator-based horror film (or maybe it was a crocodile—I couldn’t tell from the poster).

But no werewolves.

A broken Silas, the mechanical showman, stood in the corner as he always did, doing nothing, as broken things usually do.

It didn’t take five minutes to cover the entire store. There was just nothing there. The camera used in The Final Straw was for sale, but it was so big and bulky that it wasn’t ideal for me to use as a prop.

One thing the pawn shop did have, however, was tropes. The selection of tropes changed with every visit. Sometimes, there were powerful, game-changing tropes; other times, there weren’t.

This time, it seemed like a mixed bag.

I’m Your Biggest Fan | Film Buff | Fanatic | Savvy | Insight: The user obtains information about characters who are famous or celebrities by acting as a fan.

Hold the Door | Bruiser | Gentle Giant | Mettle | Action: When the user blockades or holds a door, it will hold for a time. Timer: Indicates how long the door will hold.

Out in Left Field | Athlete | Sport | Hustle | Buff: All projectile attacks using a bat or similar object to launch a projectile receive a buff.

Knock on Wood | Psychic | Exorcist | Moxie | Action: The user can “un-jinx” a pessimistic prediction, creating alternative outcomes or potentially debuffing the enemy’s attempt to fulfill the prediction.

There Was One Thing | Detective | — | Moxie | Insight: Witnesses of a crime will remember one unique detail that, if used effectively, will help solve the case or lead to a breakthrough.

Duck and Cover | Hysteric | Craven | Grit | Rule: The user will not be targeted in an all-out brawl as long as they stay low to the ground in a defensive position, allowing them to crawl safely.

Won’t Waste a Tear | Bruiser | Bully | Moxie | Rule: When the user bullies an ally set to be targeted by an enemy, the enemy will target the user instead.

Keep Pressure On It | Doctor | Medic | Moxie | Healing: The user commands an ally to apply pressure on a wound, which will be treated as cured as long as pressure is maintained.

Why Me | Final Girl | Scream Queen | Moxie | Buff: If the user wonders why they end up in dangerous situations during the Rebirth phase, they receive a buff to a plan or action in the Finale, showcasing their capability to handle such dangers.

Book Report | Scholar | Researcher | Savvy | Insight: The user gains knowledge from having read a scholarly text that becomes relevant to the plot, if applicable, giving them hints about what is to come.

You Look Thirsty | Soldier | GI | — | Perk: If the user has a canteen or sealed drink container, they can gift an ally a drink, which will always contain pure water. Healing: The drink refreshes the recipient and may heal minor pain and status ailments, depending on the context.

Mano a Mano | Bruiser | Brute | Mettle | Action: By challenging a melee-based enemy in one-on-one combat, the user ensures the enemy will not use weapons as long as the user does not.

This book’s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Fellow Traveler | Outsider | Criminal | Moxie | Scene: The user will be led to an early, mundane interaction with a disguised enemy. Insight: The user, through gut instinct or experience, learns details about the enemy’s criminal background, possibly including their Mettle stat or enemy tropes.

Flag Them Down | — | — | Moxie | Scene: When the user is running from an enemy and comes across a road, a car will stop to help if flagged down, either distracting the enemy or offering assistance.

Couldn’t Pray It Away | — | — | — | Background: The user’s character was neglected or abused as a child because their caretaker sensed something different, something paranormal, about them. Equip: Allows the user to equip a variety of tropes, including Animal Whisperer-Adventurer, Past Life Biography-Medium, Telekinetic Nudge-Psychic, House Sense-Departed, and A Bat Out of Hell-Hysteric.

It’s Been Twenty Years | — | — | — | Background: The user’s character has been in a coma for many years and has just woken up to a world that has changed dramatically—and they themselves have changed with it. Equip: Allows the user to equip ghost or Psychic-related tropes, such as I don’t like it here…-Hysteric, Forgotten Memories-Psychic, Eerie Touch-Psychic, Silent Whisper-Eldritch Conduit, and It’s Nice to Catch up-Outsider.

Scathing Review | Eye Candy | Celebrity | Savvy | Insight: If this trope is equipped before the newspaper runs, a scathing, no-holds-barred review of the user’s previous storyline performance will appear in the paper.

Cliffhanger | Action Hero | — | Grit | Scene: The user initiates a major battle that ends in a cliffhanger over several scenes. Buff: During the cliffhanger, allies receive buffs for their pursuits. The user must survive and maintain the cliffhanger until they return On-Screen, at which point they are buffed to survive the situation.