Lest you wonder, the rope held me securely until dawn. Yes, yes, get your laughter out. All of it. Go ahead.
I wasn't laughing, and not only because my mouth was securely shut.
It turns out that any attempt to put a binding into inventory...
[You cannot place yourself into your own inventory.]
Which raised more questions. Could I put another person into my inventory? Could I smuggle myself into the inventory of another? How did air get to people inside a System inventory?
But, just as someone who wasn't me couldn't remove the rope just by sticking it in their inventory, neither could I. There were Stealth class benefits that boosted Agility/Flexibility/Contortion/Escape Artist, a skill that failed miserably.
"Stop that." one of the sentinels said, as I dislocated my thumb. "You even try to shapeshift out of those bindings, and we'll stomp on your head until it's an entirely new shape."
So... what sorts of things had I been putting off?
Sorry, it's tax time and I'm having to go around to businesses I've forgotten my passwords to. Just so much paper; I'd rather bind it up in twine and fight another taxpayer for my refund.
But, meh, I like laws. Knowing that the odds are that I won't get stabbed during a grocery run, it's an oddly comfortable feeling. And, through judicious overpaying with each paycheck, I know I'm getting a refund, even if it seems to be shrinking every year.
Thank you for continuing reading, even when the unpredictable nature of life gets in the way of regular chapters. It means more to me than I can put into words.