[Drowned Trilogy] Waterlogged

[Winds]

YOU: Daisy, cmon, we need your help here...

You bite your lip, she still isn't responding... all you know is that she said that you shouldn't touch him. You suppose the best thing you can do at this point is stall for time. The bindings don't seem to be actually wrapped around you, your clothes themselves are what's restricting you.

YOU: What did you think it was like?

The figure pauses, he reaches up with his upper-most set of arms. Pulling the scarf wrapped around his head out of the way, so he can look at you with all eight of his eyes.

???: Daisy... this.
???: I knew what happened with... the ocean
???: But ever since then it's been nearly impossible to get any information about Aspersion into Spindle

YOU: And what information would that be?

???: We only found out months ago that you were still Alive.
???: I thought you were dead still, and when I heard you weren't.
???: I had to see for myself, I knew it couldn't be good, that sort of thing has to effect someone.
???: But this?
 

He pulls the cloth covering parts of his face out of the way, looking at you with all eight button-eyes. Even though they're just objects, without any real expression, you still get a sense of sympathy from them, as if it hurts him to see Daisy like this.

???: Daisy, you're a monster, and it's awful to see you, anyone like this

DAISY: ...clothing and puppetry

You can hear dasiy muttering quietly, voice somber and low.

DAISY: That's one of Loom's Demons.... Damien

Her voice is quiet, and empty, just reciting facts

DAISY: If he gets his scarf around us we're dead
DAISY: He's Loom's... go ahead and kill him if you want
DAISY: I never wanted to see either of them again... Maybe you can figure something useful out
DAISY: Loom probably sent him to tie up loose ends since it knows we're alive now

YOU: So what, you're here to finish the job? put me out of my misery?

DAMIEN: What?! no! why would I ever want to do that?!

Something isn't lining up here, maybe you should continue pressing Damien, maybe you should take Daisy's suggested course of action.

YOU: "You tell me"

You would narrow your eyes if you could, you don't exactly trust Damien, but as long as he's standing there spewing out useful information you might as well keep him going.

DAMIEN: "I... what? why would I ever want to kill you?"
DAMIEN: "Spindle is, there's been more terror attacks lately..."
DAMIEN: "I... Loom isn't doing anything anymore.
DAMIEN: "It hasn't for far too long now."
DAMIEN: "It still takes the blame"
DAMIEN: "It needs help"

You're about to say something, when a feeling rises up in your throat; something almost like bile. You can feel this almost primal fury from inside your head. Daisy is screaming. You feel some sort of liquid dripping from your eyes and mouth, you're not really sure what's causing it but.
 

YOU:"What do you mea-"

And suddenly you can't control your speech anymore, Daisy isn't just screaming in your head anymore, and you're increasingly unsure if you could keep her from trying to rip his head off.

DAISY: "It needs help?"
DAISY: "IT? is the one who needs help?"
DAISY: "I spent"
DAISY: "SIXTY FOUR"
DAISY: "FUCKING."
DAISY: "YEARS"
DAISY: "At the BOTTOM of the ocean!"
DAISY: "Can you possibly fucking conceive that?"

YOU:"Daisy... you need to..."

DAMIEN: "Dais..."

DAISY:"Don't tell me what I need to do!"

She definitely said that out loud.

DAMIEN: "..."

DAMIEN: "Daisy... what happened down there?"

DAISY: "I suffered."
DAISY: "But I lived."
DAISY: "And you, don't you dare tell me that Loom of all people needs help"

DAMIEN: "You're the only one who can help it."

Maybe you should step in here? -- Daisy seems to be calming down a bit, though letting her be might be playing it safe.

YOU: Daisy can I just -

You try to interject for a moment, but for the time being Daisy doesn't seem to be intent on losing her momentum. She digs her hands into the wooden flooring, glaring up at Damien.

DAISY: Well then, too bad
DAISY: I guess it'll be yet another tragedy, in a long line of tragedies.
DAISY: Loom doesn't deserve my help
DAISY: It's insulting that you'd even think to ask me.
DAISY: After all it's done.
DAISY: After so much suffering you'd have the nerve to ask me to help the one responsible for it all.
DAISY: About time that it gets what it deserves.

DAMIEN: It wasn't it's fault!

DAISY: It drugged us Damien, it used it's power to... to

DAMIEN: But how?!
DAMIEN: What method would it have to do that?
DAMIEN: Think Daisy, how did it drug us, how could it have done that?

DAISY: You know how, it...

DAMIEN: Verity was stronger at the time, so how?
DAMIEN: You've got to-

YOU: What the fuck do you think you're trying here?

You see the moment, Damien about to regain control over the flow of the conversation, Daisy distracted, too conflicted by the words in her head, the feelings swelling up in her throat. You're not about to let this happen

DAMIEN: Well, I wanted help wi-

YOU: You break into my home, you assault me, and then you ask me to help? what do you think you were going to accomplish with this method?
YOU: Are you stupid or just cruel?

DAMIEN: No, I.
DAMIEN: You attacked me first!
DAMIEN: I was defending myself!
DAMIEN: I specifically was trying not to hurt you

He stammers the words out, clearly put on edge

YOU: And you broke into my apartment.

He takes a step back, you feel the strings start to weaken, you hear Daisy's voice calm and stable in your head.

DAISY: Thank you... I've got this from here
DAISY: I'm done hearing you talk.

Daisy ruptures her skin briefly, small sheets of paper slicing the threads that rooted her to the ground, a pained growl escaping her lips. She pushes herself up, a confident smirk on her face. Damien takes one more step back, jaw set, worry on his face. He calls out the scrap he was using before, the air between you starting to blur and haze.

DAISY: Don't.
DAISY: Watch where you are.
 

A massive paper jaw hangs in the air, surrounding Damien, ready to bite down at a moments notice.

DAISY: Damien, why are you here... what could you possibly have gained by coming here?

DAMIEN: I really... I really just wanted your help.
DAMIEN: I... you hate Loom, and in your mind that's justified.
DAMIEN: But please, trust me, for old time's sake, trust me this time.
DAMIEN: Please.

DAISY: I say we send him home with a few souvenirs lodged in his chest

Well, at least Daisy seems less outright murderous, but the situation is incredibly tense. You could try and defuse things, Damien is offering you an out here and you could take it but... Daisy might not be happy with that. And given that she's fully in control now you can't just do something outright.

What do you suggest to do?

YOU: Look Daisy, killing him isn't going to get anything and.... if you injure him that's just a reason Loom has to be angry at you and send another person to actually kill you.

DAISY: So? what are you saying I do then, just let him go?

YOU: Or keep him trapped here until you can talk to Verity.

DAISY: That's not good enough

YOU: Well the other options aren't either.

DAISY: ... I can't keep him here, don't have the energy, probably couldn't take him in a fight either actually... He's got a scrap, even though I've got the size advantage... he's more durable.

YOU: Are you sure?

DAISY: Yeah, I've got not choice, either he leaves now, or later.

She sounds pretty downtrodden, defeated even, not happy about the situation at all. She sounds like she's given up on winning here. Whatever that might mean to her. The paper around Damien begins to crumple and float to the ground. Her voice just sounds more empty than before.

DAISY: Fuck.

DAISY: "Leave, and if you care about me, don't come back"

DAMIEN: "Daisy, I"

DAISY: "LEAVE!"

She shouts, her own jaw clenching tight.

DAISY: "Just, leave."

Damien hesitates for a moment, before turning and running our of the door - starting to vanish into thin air once he gets out into the hallway.
 

DAISY: Damnit.
DAISY: Fuck, fuck, fuck.
DAISY: Verity's escort should be here soon, I hope. I want to get this day fucking over with.

Daisy swallows nervously, taking a few moments to calm down, you can't really feel anything that her body is experiencing right now, but you can tell that she is very tense after all that.

YOU: Hey, uh, just breathe alright? we did it!

You're not exactly sure what else to say, but the fact that Daisy and you all are not dead or seriously injured is something worth celebrating.

YOU: I don't know if you're, like, okay yet... But, you said he was one of Loom's people... Loom's your enemy right, why would he think you would help?

DAISY: I... really can't say... Damien never seemed very smart... I can't believe he's just come here though. Loom must be desperate if it'd consider asking one of its enemies.

YOU: Hey, it's fine, we don't have to talk about it, maybe you could tell us some more about scraps?

Daisy bites her lip, making a humming noise.

DAISY: Scraps... are... difficult
DAISY: They're a part of a person's being, part of their self. A scrap usually is made when someone experiences really strong emotions... Or... severe enough trauma.
DAISY: Most people don't even know that scraps exist, it's somewhat uncommon to be able to sense them, but even rarer to be able to see or touch them, and rarer still to actually manipulate them. That's what Damien was doing, by the way.
DAISY: Scraps also, they're not just tools, they're a part of a person, they have memories and emotions associated with them... when you're manipulating scraps that can mess with you if you're not careful.
DAISY: Oh yeah, demons and gods can manipulate scraps no matter what, and if you're very well trained a scrap user could be compared to a greater god in strength... but it depends on a lot of things, how strong the god is for one.
DASIY: That's that.
 

Daisy sighs, walking into the kitchen and looking out the window, a lone car is parked outside

DAISY: And... well, I was going to get picked up by one of Verity's employees soon, I don't know how long it'll be until they get here.. I should pack...

YOU: Just don't forget your meds

DAISY: On it, I'll pack them up now

YOU: oh yeah... by the way, where in Aspersion are you, is verity far?

Daisy starts packing her things, starting with her medication and a spare change of clothes
 

DAISY: I live in Obloquy, it's a coastal city in the south... Verity isn't too far outside of the city, she's just a district away... she's got a district all to her-self, southernmost tip of the island.

It's a few hours by car.

She's about to continue, but you both are interrupted by a knock at the door.

DAISY: Is it really the nighttime already?

Daisy heads over to the door

DAISY: yeah... I guess I lost track of time at some point
DAISY: what an exhausting day, I'm ready to collapse

Daisy peers through the peephole

DAISY: That should be the ride, dressed pretty formally too... they must be pretty high ranking from their dressing. I wonder why Verity would send someone like that, weird.

YOU: Alright, lets finish packing

DAISY: gotcha

She grabs the rest of her stuff, zips up her suitcase, grabs her coat, and opens the door.

Time to go?

Daisy opens the door, greeted by a somewhat familiar sight.
 

The smell of chalk dust is so strong in the air that even you can smell it, even when Daisy is out there doing the work right now.

DAISY: Oh, uh, wow

YOU: what?

DAISY: It's an honor to have someone like you escort me, I guess Verity must think I'm pretty important

Daisy seems nervous all of a sudden, which, isn't really something you'd expect considering how she just handled the situation with Damien

DAISY: They're a high ranking officer in our zone's militia... you can tell by the markings on their mask

YOU: huh..

???: Grab whatever you have packed, Verity wants you in her district by tomorrow morning, so we should move quickly

DAISY: Right to work then!

She turns quickly, moving at a fast pace, but not running. Collecting a duffel bag, stuffed full with a change of clothes, her hair-dryer, and a recently filled prescription. Can't be forgetting that again so soon. Soon, the two are on their way down the hallway, Daisy's bag hanging from her shoulder, her raincoat trailing at her feet.
 

???: You can call me Sam, if you want.

DAISY: Ah, okay.

Sam shuts up pretty quickly, not saying much more. His voice seems rather gruff, either he's got a cold or a bad habit of smoking -- more likely the former since he appears to be such a high ranking official.

DAISY: uh...

SAM: The car is just outside, if you have any questions let me know.

DAISY: I have a few... -- do you have anything you wanna ask them?
 

DAISY: I'll take that as a no.

She walks in silence with Sam to the car, she puts her luggage in the trunk, and climbs in. The car is a bit cramped for someone of her size, but she can manage, it's not the worst thing in the world

DAISY: So, Sam, why did Verity send you?

SAM: What do you mean?

DAISY: You're part of her personal guard right? there has to be something more important

SAM: She disagrees, you are the something important.

DAISY: ...

SAM: It isn't my business to question her orders, and it isn't yours either, if she says that you're important, you're important.

DAISY: Well, uh, how have things with Spindle been, I've read the history books, the war and all that...

SAM: Yeah, they don't tell you too much, the treaty we signed only means so much, we didn't have the leverage against Spindle for anything better,
so now they get to throw around their power and we hope they don't cut us off from trade. Pathetic really.

DAISY: ...

SAM: Loom tries to kill you, everyone gets upset for a couple decades, but then it's back to business as usual, y'know? of course, people still hate Loom, as they should, she doesn't exactly deserve to forgiveness for forcing her to throw you into the ocean
SAM: But that hate doesn't stop them from doing business, guess getting their clothes and money is more important to them
SAM: Maybe they should try having actual morals for once
SAM: Fucking pretenders


DAISY: Can we... not talk about this for a bit?








Silence








SAM: Sure, sorry


Daisy looks out the car window, the buildings of downtown Obloquy rushing by, familiar places, she hadn't left this city since she got back, and now she was rushing out of her on a day's decision. Was this really a good idea? potentially turning up everything she had worked on in the last three years. She knew that Verity was going to ask her to join her guard, there was no way that wasn't going to happen.

Part of her really wanted to go back to how it was before...

But.

DAISY: Why now?

SAM: You're going to have to ask Verity that

Daisy sits in silence for a while longer, mulling it over, you can practically hear how hard she's thinking. After a while, you can feel her attention shift more heavily towards you

DAISY: do you think we're making a mistake?
 

Daisy looks out the window, leaning her head against the car seat, a few tears coming to her eyes as the familliar sight. Waves crashing silently on Aspersion's softly colored sand. She could feel a bit of a knot start to form in her throat as they dripped slightly from her gem-like eyes, staining the paper below them.

She didn't usually go by the sea, and there was a reason for it. Every time she got close, she had this feeling. Even so much as the smell of sugar on the wind could do it to her. She'd choke up, and just start crying.

She wasn't sad, she wasn't afraid, but she just couldn't stop herself. There wasn't anything wrong even, but it just felt very bad.

Her eyes rolled from side to side, over the blue waves, who's relative calm made no efforts to betray their depth, and what lived inside of them. Ever since the breakage the waters between Aspersion and Spindle had been filled with Horrors. Her eyes rolled up, to the moon in the sky and Descant beside it, two beacons of light casting rays onto the water below.

She could feel her vision starting to fade, today had been more than she wanted or had to deal with in a long time. She wasn't ready to see Damien again, and she certainly wasn't ready to get this close to where she had nearly died, again. But, it was the only way to Verity's district.


So, with that, she slept.
 

Continue?

OPTIONS:
A) Resume from current time.
B) Examine other character (Sam, Damien, XLR)
 

You're met with the image of a tall creature, with... what looks like a radio for a head, they bow their head a bit towards you, you seem to be in a recording studio of some sort. You can see this like you're there, but you're not, are you dreaming?


???: WELCOME, EVERYONE, ACROSS THE LAND, FROM HIGH ABOVE THE CLOUDS, THIS IS RADIO MODICIA.

???: TODAY WE HAVE A VERY SPECIAL GUEST

???: I'M YOUR HOST AS USUAL, XLR.

So that's who it is...

You're struck with an oddly uncomfortable sensation as their words worm their way into your consciousness.

XLR: That would be you all, play along dearies~

XLR: Someone, or someones, something or somethings, who knows just what they are? Your guess is as good as mine.

XLR: This interview is going to be a bit special of course, You know I love audience participation, but I've heard them to be the weary type, so I'm going to keep the phones offline for this one.

XLR: SO!, what do you think of my islands, pretty, no?

 

XLR: I am SO glad that you're enjoying your time here!
XLR: Such a flatterer too! Though I had a feeling you'd like this look, why I chose it for ya~

YOU: Uh.... yeah... Do you know any good places to eat?

XLR: Oh tons, you're heading south in Aspersion though, I've heard that Verity's home has very good food. Though that's what happens when you have the best cooks in the cluster!
XLR: She sure does have varied tastes, I'm sure you'd find something delicious there.

YOU: How about tourist spots?

XLR: You're just full of questions aren't you, this is supposed to be your interview~
XLR: But yes, I know lots of tourist spots
XLR: I'd give
XLR: Inversion is a very beautiful place, you should see the spires! Though it's quite a bit away from Aspersion, if you're in Aspersion, again, where you're headed is going to be pretty impressive. Verity has a district all to herself, and she's put a lot of work into making it pretty, gotta appear nice to her people.

YOU: Hope it's better than where we just were, this one's a bit beat up

XLR: You think? Maybe, maybe not, some like the rough around the edges feel.
XLR: Now, how've things with Daisy been? I know you're new to the whole "Existing" thing, but if you're gonna be meddling -- of course I mean that in the nicest interpretation you can think of -- I'm curious to hear your take on the people here?
XLR: And really, just your luck to wind up alongside her, you're in for one heck of a ride I hope you know!
XLR: But yeah, what do you think of the people here, you got a plan or just, winging it?

XLR talks.... a lot.

YOU: Ah, right! Uh, existing, what's even going on? how did we get here?

XLR: Hah! You're just as clueless as I am, wonderful!
XLR: I've no idea what could have brought you here, or even what you are.
XLR: As for what you are, a consciousness of some sort
XLR: Though considering by your "we" I imagine there's more than one of you in there?
XLR: How absolutely fascinating -- tell me more about yourself,
XLR: What did you first see when you showed up, where did you show up?

You: Well ah, I, er, we -- were in a dream that Daisy was having.

XLR: You were in it?

You: well, more like we saw it from her point of view...

XLR: How fascinating, perhaps I could ask Lain.

You: who?

XLR: Unimportant, continue please, I'm really dying to hear what you have to say, and what you have to ask.

You: Well, Aspersion is a bit of a mess, could use some work, but the people we've met are interesting at least?

XLR inhales sharply, at the mention of Aspersion, and their next words seem almost, strained.

XLR: Yes, yes, the people, do tell.

You: Well, Daisy is... nice, she seems like she's got a lot going on in that head of hers, we don't really think she has everything quite together, kinda on edge, like she's a moment away from snapping like... all the time. She'd probably be helped by a therapist or something, not that I am one! but... I'd like to help her.
You: And Damien, well, he seems stupid, and I really think he could work on how he approahces topics, to say the way he talked to Daisy was awful is an understatement. But maybe he means well, I'd like to find out.
You: By the way do you do any sort of like, peacekeeping stuff?

XLRs face twitches a bit at that -- their reaction more overt this time. However, they take a moment to compose themself, promptly ignores the question. Silently, they walk you over to a window, gesturing for you to look out.
 

XLR: What you saw on that screen before wasn't what it's like, I thought you would have noticed the change in time. This, though, this is what the sky is really like right now.
XLR: Beautiful, isn't it?
XLR: This is what I strive to protect, you see all those lights, all those lives out there? I want those people to live and see that moon every night and be happy that they are alive.
XLR: Anyway, Daisy... Daisy, she's a good person, I wish I'd have done more to make Loom and Verity get along, maybe she wouldn't have had all this happen.
XLR: Damien is... I wouldn't call him stupid, he's Loom's most trusted Demon -- if he came across as moronic, there's a reason for that.
XLR: You gonna wind up playing both sides, trying to sort out everything between Daisy and Damien, figure out how to help them? Maybe I'm reading too much into your words.
XLR: That'd be difficult, but I won't stop you from trying, it's commendable if that's what you're doing though.
XLR: Just a warning though, things are tense between Aspersion and Spindle. If you set off an inter-zone crisis I will drag you out of this plane of existence myself.

You could press that question you asked earlier, but that might be a bad idea, is there something more important you wanna know?

YOU: Right now we're just trying to help Daisy, we're not gonna really be able to help anyone if we don't know stuff... and if we're stuck in Daisy.

XLR: Very fair, putting all the chips in one corner so to speak~ Daisy could become quite the relevant actor in all this, and maybe you could get some fun! At this point, if there is anything she deserves it's autonomy -- kind of you to try and give that to her.

YOU: Yeah, sure -- anyway, are you trying to protect everyone here? or do you play preference?

XLR: As I said, those out there are what I want to protect, y'know, gotta do it for someone.
XLR: And entertain, can't forget that, entertainment is my whole deal you know. I want to give them some fun in their lives.
XLR: Gods know they need it, this region would be SO utterly droll without me
XLR: Just a bunch of busy running around, that wouldn't be very exciting.

You really don't like how he's ignoring the point of your questions, he's absolutely dodging the point of what you're trying to say...

YOU: Look, why don't you just cut the bullshit and answer my questions for real?

XLR turns to the window, hunching up their shoulders
 

-- And lets out a heavy sigh, wire-bound hands slipping down the glass, the on-air sign blinks off.

XLR: You couldn't leave that alone could you?

YOU: Not really.

XLR: I meant it when I said these lights are what I want to protect. I pulled Descant up into the sky to offer an escape from the conflict below to anyone who wanted it. No surprise that it's full of bustling cities.
XLR: I took to the sky, and built a city upon myself for them, and every day I make sure that they have what they need.
XLR: As for everyone else? All the other zones in this damned region?
XLR: What I'm doing to help is staying out of their way, the less that I interfere the better for everyone involved.
XLR: My best role for them is the exciting, flamboyant radio host -- who provides a break from what's going on in their day to day lives.
XLR: I don't help specific people, because doing so would mean taking sides.
XLR: I don't know what you think about this region, but it's tense.
XLR: Aspersion and Spindle are the two highest population zones here, figure it out for yourself.
XLR: If I take a side, it doesn't take much imagination to figure out what would happen.
XLR: So yeah, there's your answer, anything else you feel like pressing me on?

You can't help but feel a bitter anger slipping into their words, but they are offering you a chance to ask more, even if it might really piss them off

YOU: I know you might not like us but it's been nice talking to you

XLR fixes their 'eyes' on you, focussing for a moment, before a wide smile spreads onto their face.

XLR: Oh deary, if you think a little thing like that is going to push me away we'll probably get along great!
XLR: People push me all the time, I'm sort of used to it. They think just cause you're in charge of everything and are a god of communication you must love communicating about everything!
XLR: Anyway, I think it's time that you be on your way, Daisy should be waking up soon.
XLR: Oh right, you should know, time still progresses when you're not with her, it's been a bit~
XLR: You and her are going to be needed at Verity's mansion some time soon.
XLR: Be sure to tell me all about what's happening to her, if you're useful I might even tell you what you want to know!~

XLR gives you a wider smile and a short wave, just before the scenery changes.
 

And suddenly, you're back with Daisy, she seems to be going through her morning routine. The shift in location is rather disorienting, and you're not quite sure how it happened. But it feels like something yanked you back down here.

DAISY: Are you back?! I felt you were missing when I woke up....
DAISY: I was concerned a bit, honestly you were kinda helpful yesterday.
YOU: ... uh yeah... hey again
DAISY: I'm gonna be meeting with Verity today... frankly I'm terrified, but so excited
DAISY: But you're here, which might help a bit
DAISY: I haven't seen her since before that day, its... been a long time

You feel a tinge of pain slip into her voice, but it's fleeting, pushed away rather quickly.

DAISY: anyway, where were you even?

DAISY: you talked with XLR?!

YOU: uh yeah... is that weird?

DAISY: hardly anyone talks to them now, all they do is put out radio broadcasts.. sure they do interviews but barely anyone has a one on one conversation with them
DAISY: ever since Descant closed up... or, at least that's what people say
DAISY: they mention anything?

YOU: oh uh... not... too much, there was this big city, and clouds, and the moon. A lot about how much they like that place, they were talking like we were on a radio show or something, they're one heck of a character. Anyway, uh, what do you think of them.

DAISY: that... sounds accurate, it's been years since I talked with them, they always were so fervent in whatever they did, they barely slept at all back then.
DAISY: but when I... uh... resurfaced, they weren't like that anymore, not as much, they seem to keep to themself up on that island, can't say why.

YOU: They seemed kinda upset about something

DAISY: who isn't?
DAISY: worrying about that old guy isn't gonna be helpful thought, Verity is gonna be here any moment and I need to pick out what to wear.

You can hear just the slightest bits of anxiety creeping into her voice, but you're here, and you think that you can back her up in all this, hopefully.
 

YOU: You've got this!, we'll be right behind you
YOU: that closet is pretty empty... did you bring enough?

DAISY: yeah... just...

YOU: Just what?

DAISY: this is the same room i had back then... they barely changed it, that's my staff in there, and if that thing is there... i had it with me that night.

DAISY: i should be happy about it, coming back to this place, getting my old stuff back but it just feels weird... anyway, i guess i should get dressed, Verity is gonna be here any moment.

DAISY: ugh how should i dress, formal? what is she gonna expect from me, does she want me to be in uniform, or would that be too off-putting, i haven't seen her in so long, i just started talking again yesterday, i...

Maybe you should cut in here, she seems to be getting way ahead of herself.

YOU: Don't worry about it too much, Daisy! Verity said that you were just going to be catching up.

DAISY: Yeah... yeah but she, she's going to have expectations of me. I want to give her what she wants. I want to show her that things can go back to how thy were, I want them to go back to how they were.

YOU: It doesn't really seem to us like you're ready for that.

DAISY: I'm not, but I still want it.

YOU: What was it that you even did back then?

DAISY: I was her personal guard. There were others in her private military force. Back then, the military was different, before the zone wide militia was set up. Things were peaceful for a little while, I guess. But everything spiraled out of control so fast. Pretty soon everything fell apart, both figuratively and literally I guess.

DAISY: After L... After that... after the conflict that that thing caused got so bad that XLR had to step in. Well, everything is still such a haze from then. But I was her guard, and I was always there, and she was there for me. Right up until...

You get the feeling that this isn't the best thing for Daisy to be thinking about right now, there's clearly a lot of painful memories there, might be best to cut this line of thinking off.

YOU: Hey, we should probably finish getting ready, we want to have at least some clothes on when Verity shows up, right?

DAISY: Yeah.

Daisy walks over to her suitcase, pulling out a loose fitting, worn out grey-ish blue long sleeved shirt. And some nearly black sweat pants. Both of these have clearly been worn for years, and often.

YOU: You like these?

DAISY: They're my favorite.

Just then -- you hear a knock at the door.

YOU: Looks like we're up...

Daisy turns towards the door, but pauses for a moment, running over to the closet quickly, paper utterly silent on the carpeting. She reaches down and yanks her old staff out from under the plastic covering. A layer of dust covering it. She brushes it off quickly, twirling the metallic thing in her hands. She smiles to herself, letting it come to rest at her side, end resting in her hand as if the motions were as natural as breathing.

She smiles

DAISY: I'm taking this with me

The pleasantries are cut short, however, by another quick knock at the door.
 

VERITY: "Good morning Daisy, I wish I could be here in person right now but I'm in the middle of a critical meeting. I hope that this thing's appearance isn't too offputting. You can wait in my room, or if for some reason you'd want to sit in on military talks well... You're as welcome as always. I'm glad to have you back."

The recording ends, and the thing sits there, staring at you with an expressionless eye, if you could call it that. The flying thing looks like it has a few parcels hanging from it, is it some sort of mail tool?

DAISY: It's one of her drone, uh, things, I guess she uses them for delivery now... I kinda expected her to come in person. Well, I guess we should head out. Do you have any interest in that meeting?

Where to next?

YOU: Well, you seem to be interested in it.

DAISY: Yeah... you're right.

YOU: If you're gonna do all this military junk you might as well.

DAISY: Yeah.

She smiles to herself, striding forward, staff at her side. Moving smoothly, like an extension of her body. She's clearly had years of experience with this sort of thing.

Daisy does however, stop, shortly after stepping outside, she takes a while just to look around.

The walls and floors done with brightly colored stones, shining in the early morning light. Different colors dancing across the hall, filtered by the many towering stained glass windows.

YOU: Everything is so big...

DAISY: It has to be that way, Verity lives here, there has to be space for her...

Daisy walks, slowly, looking at the different stained glass mirrors. They appear to depict different things, in bright colors you see many different scenes. A tumultuous ocean, lightning striking earth. Glowing eyes and a figure tangled with string. Various different scenes, ranging in tone from bright and triumphant to dismal and hopeless.

Pretty soon though, Daisy turns a corner, as Verity's distant vocie gets louder.
 

VERITY: ... What is it exactly that you're trying to tell me? are our resources just vanishing? Surely there is some trace of where our inbound shipments are going.

Verity's voice sounds almost angry, it's very clearly a point of tension

???: We don't, Ma'am, all we have is record of the ships leaving the neutral zone. They never reached our ports, they must be getting intercepted along the way. Terror activity has been up too, so.

VERITY: So our ships are getting attacked.

???: Yes, ma'am, horror and terror activity has seen a rise in the off-shore regions of Obloquy, as well as Your district, ma'am, as well as the allied areas of the neutral zone

VERITY: And nowhere else? should we be taking this as hostile action?

???: It's possible ma'am, but there's no way of knowing. Furthermore our ship crews have been reporting the early signs of Horror Mutation. We've started rotating our crews out every week, and making sure no-one returns for at least two. We've also provided medication to those who are showing early symptoms

VERITY: So Loom is likely pulling strings, and leaving us with no way to take action, lest we seem like we're starting hostilities ourselves. If it comes to it you can pull the majority of our troops, and we can send out shipments with small military crews.

Daisy's walking slowed, she's standing just at the doorway at this point, the room which Verity is in is large, and she takes up the entirety of one side of it, standing taller than anyone else. Two large balconies straddle her, one around at her waist, and one closer to her head. Both sparsely populated by people. All in various forms of official dress. A few of them give Daisy strange looks, and a few others go so far as to stop and salute her. But most don't pay her any mind.

At each end of the U shaped balcony, there is a spiral staircase heading down and up, one to the ground floor, and one to the balcony level near Verity's head.

???: Furthermore, about our outsourced offshore projects.

Verity pauses for a few moments, her mask betraying no feelings.

VERITY: Not now, we've got an important guest. And I wouldn't want to start her day off with talk that would bring up anything unpleasant.

???: Ma'am, I insist, this is rather urgent

VERITY: Leave the reports in my office. I am not going to say it again, I have more important matters right now.

A fairly frazzled staffer runs past, wearing the common face mask and long cloak. Their soft, furred figure brushing past you. They seemed almost familiar somehow? If their body posture was anything to go by they seemed rather angry about how their exchange with Verity went.


VERITY: Dear! come on up, sorry for all that. Diplomacy with Spindle is as tense as ever... I'd love to catch up, but I have a few more matters to handle. Loom and I are having a meeting across neutral Territory soon. And we're trying to work out exactly how that's going to go down. And if I'm going to show up in person at all. After that though, we'll head back to my office!

Verity's demeanor changed entirely as she addressed Daisy, going from serious and commanding to friendly and warm, how someone would regard an old friend.

Daisy walks slowly up the stairs, in an almost trance-like state, she even goes silent inside, except for a few brief words.

DAISY: Verity... I.

Verity leans in close, the size of her making Daisy seem almost child-like in comparison. She rests a hand on the railing just in front of you both, and stares at you, her face unchanging.

DAISY: Verity.

VERITY: Hush, Daisy. Whatever you're going to say, it's okay. We'll have a nice chat over tea, does that sound good?

DAISY: Can I uh... have a hug?
DAISY: Also yeah that sounds good.

Verity hesitates for a moment, but she obliges, the hug is awkward, and more is her resting Daisy's torso against her neck and head, her arm sort of like a soft papery tree branch. At this action, you can hear whispers raise across the room, which draw Verity's attention.

VERITY: What? am I not to care for a friend I've not seen in decades?

Her demeanor changes entirely, her voice like frigid needles. Judging and harsh. The whispers silence themselves instantly.

VERITY: Better.

Verity returns her gaze to Daisy, and seems to smile, though you can't tell as her face doesn't seem to change. Her face, actually, upon further inspection actually is a mask. Verity then turns away, back to the room, the lower levels of which were filled with people. But the top floor was entirely different, Daisy was the only one above Verity's level.
 

VERITY: I'm gonna wrap this up, Daisy. Then, tea.

Daisy just manages to nod.

YOU: Uh, daisy, I have... some questions.

DAISY: yeah?

Verity: It is imperative that we take careful action, an outright act of war would draw undue attention from XLR. Plus, it's not something they deserve to go thorugh again...

YOU: Is verity normally like this, so, overbearing?

DAISY: she used to pester me with questions every time I'd get hurt.

YOU: Did that happen a lot?

DAISY: in my line of work, yeah

VERITY: We cannot let these terror attacks go unanswered, if they truly are Loom's actions, we cannot sit idly by while our people die, no matter the ire it may bring upon us. We do not know when it's next action is, Loom has taken a much more subtle approach since our peace negotiations, but I don't trust her to stay peaceful.

YOU: actually, about that... uh... Damien sort of... if you remember yesterday. Damien talked about Loom and, they said it was basically lying around doing nothing, also is, Loom like, a dictator or something?

VERITY: Furthermore, we have reason to believe there are agents of Loom within our borders, if this is the case we must respond very carefully. Killing someone without thinking as reaction to a sleight may cause outrage and anger that we do not have the resources to deal with currently

DAISY: Damien is a spy, he's not to be trusted. he's lied to me before... he... lied to me back then, too.

YOU Ah...

VERITY: ... Though I cannot overstate the value of having one of Loom's key strategic pieces as a prisoner, after our meeting, securing any infiltrators into Aspersion is our top priority, there will be instructions and new protocol going forward to root out potential traitors.

DAISY: as for Loom... it's no more a dictator than any other god, its people believe its narrative about what happened. can't blame them for believing its lies. but it lies, and its lies keep its people happy and unaware

Verity: That being said, if any of you are affiliated with Loom, I advise you to speak to me, and come forward, as the results of being open will be far less harsh than the results of being found out. If these are direct actions from Loom we must treat them as seriously as any attacks instigated by it, going forward, we must be more vigilant than ever.

DAISY: Verity, as far as I know, if everything's the same, runs oversight. the zone is split up into districts that each have people who manage them... and... Verity watches over all that, makes sure everyone's okay.

VEIRY: So, we've decided to stage a meeting. This meeting is likely not going to solve anything, the hope is a show of political and military force. I do not plan to take any action, but if we can potentially secure a prisoner in the coming month, we may be able to display an advantage of information and negotiation power. Loom's people may have a combat and resource advantage due to their nature, but we outnumber them. We have discipline. And... should she be willing, we have an old friend who would doubtlessly make Loom hesitate before taking any action.

VERITY: That said, this meeting is not for some time to come, we have about a month to prepare for this, let us all be hopeful we see no more Terror attacks until then.

Daisy: she's talking about me, oh, what should i say??

VERITY: If anyone has any comments or thoughts on the proceedings, speak them now. Be quick about it, however, I don't want to waste my time.

Daisy hesitates for a second, considering opening her mouth, she seems a bit tense

YOU: you don't need to say anything, she's probably not trying to bring too much attention to you in front of people...

Daisy: Yeah... yeah!

Verity looks down over her audience, her mask impassable as always.

You: Hey, Daisy... back when uh, Damien attacked us. He talked about "terror attacks" Were those... terrorism? or?

Daisy shudders a bit, clearly not entirely over having her house broken into, she feels more angry about it than anything else.

DAISY: Terror, like the creatures... There's a trench at the bottom of the waterways between Spindle and Aspersion, and it spews out Horror energy... Terrors do show up time to time, but the way he made it seem was that they were abnormally common now

VERITY: Very well then, be on your way. I have matters to discuss in private.

The large hall is quickly overcome with the sound of shuffling feet, it seems like in just a few moments the hall is empty, the echoes taking a brief moment to fade.

VERITY: Daisy, please come down a few fleights, I want to see you face to face.

Daisy takes a moment, before hurrying down a set of stairs, and standing on the balcony before Verity, just staring, not even sure what to say.
 

VERITY: Daisy. I'm.

Verity pauses, seeming as if she's having trouble finding the proper words.

VERITY: I'm glad you're back.

Daisy: me too.

Her voice is barely a whisper, she takes a short breath, suddenly unsure what to do.

DAISY: help... I... don't know what to say!

VERITY: I see you brought your old scrap manipulation staff, I made sure it was well kept for you the whole time you were... absent.

DAISY: I saw, all my old stuff too.

VERITY: I didn't have the heart to throw it away... Quite literally, I might add.

Daisy coughs and laughs, almost choking on the breath she was taking, calming for a moment.

DAISY: is the everything going on really that bad?

VERITY: Well... I don't know how much you know about the past sixty years.

DAISY: There was a war, and it's over, that's about it. Reading history never really was fun, I don't have much time for it either, between therapy and everything.

VERITY: You're in therapy? I'm glad. Daisy, if you need help paying for anything, let me know.

DAISY: Thanks

YOU: uhm, I hate to kill the mood but, I'm really confused, if we're not currently at war then, why are we at the point of taking a political hostage? And, with what Damien said, can Verity confirm or deny any of that? She said Loom was behind the attacks, how could she be so sure?, There's so many questions, and...

DAISY: Slow down! you're giving me a headache.

DAISY: Loom... Loom is a puppeteer, literally, it can create puppets out of people...

That's all daisy seems to want to say on THAT matter.

DAISY: Verity, earlier, you were talking about Terror attacks... Has it really come to the point of taking a hostage? and the attacks... you're sure it's Loom, right?

VERITY: I'm sure.

YOU: Daisy this doesn't make any sense, Damien was talking about this all differently, if we... if we can capture him then we can find out if he's telling the truth! And there'd be no risk, we could even prevent an outright war depending on how we handle it!

Daisy takes a moment to take this all in, just standing there in silence. Contemplating what to say.

DAISY: Damien broke into my apartment.

VERITY: HE WHAT?!

Daisy: He tried to tell me that Loom is suffering, that it needs my help.

VERITY: You're kidding.

DAISY: I wish I was, he tried to convince me to go along with him. To trust him. I told him to leave before I killed him. But, I brought this up because I realized. You want a political hostage, right? Well, here's your chance. Damien is probably going to try and convince me again, he seemed that desperate.

VERITY: And you're saying we should capture him?

DAISY: Yeah... the more we know about Loom and Spindle the better, plus, if we don't actually hurt him we might be able to prevent an outright war.

Verity nods, thinking on this for a bit, she then smiles.

VERITY: Daisy, I'm so proud of you. You're just as competent and quick minded as the last time I saw you. Barely half a day here and you're already rushing to see what you can do to help me, and help Aspersion. I'm so glad you're here again, the guard has been sorely missing someone with your level of dedication in its ranks. If you're sure about this, if you want to help capture Damien, if you want to help make this plan. We can start the meetings in two days. I'll send out word tonight to see what information we have on Spindle, We've been having trouble tracking Damien, and if you could help with that, we'd be doing far better.

Daisy smiles a bit, you can feel how happy she is to be praised, how much pride there is in being recognized by Verity.

DAISY: I was worried I wouldn't be able to help.

VERITY: Of course you'd be able to help, even if you couldn't find I'd be able to find something for you to do, even if you can't fight, I will.

DAISY: I.. you don't need to say all of that.

VERITY: I only say it because it's true.

Daisy: Thank you... I'm glad to be back, I can finally... do something

VERITY: There's a lot to think about here, and I'm really happy you're so willing to help so soon. We can really use all we can get.

DAISY: Yeah, anyway, should we get going? We can figure out

VERITY: I don't know about you nowadays, but you always liked to discuss matters while walking. I could show you by the old training grounds. They actually got moved into the basement, and there's a lot of new rooms, new gear. Even new models of scrap staves, not that they get too much use... Does that sound nice? or is there somewhere else you'd rather be?

Verity doesn't waste much time, quickly leading You and Daisy down stairs. The trip is spent in silence, as you two and the god pass through various security checkpoints as you descend further into the earth.

YOU: Hey daisy, did you take your medication today? I know the last time we forgot was bad...

DAISY: Yeah, I took my meds, I'm a bit.... Overwhelmed by all this, but I"m ready for it. I want to do this. I want to be close to Verity again... I wanna have those happy moments again

You: and, like. you're doing okay? do you like, need to rest, hungry?

DAISY: I'm a monster, I'm literally never not hungry, but eating people is both wrong and illegal so.... I dunno about it

You're about to say something, but Verity speaks up, breaking Daisy and you out of the haze of internal conversation.

VERITY: Most of our training rooms are underground, those in my army who work with scraps train here, it's safer, and gets less attention.

DAISY: Yeah... that makes sense.

Soon enough, you find yourselves in a set of hallways, four chambers with mostly transparent thick glass walls, and individuals in three out of four of them. The fourth one appears to be empty, but with how intently the person in a lab coat is examining the interior, you're not so sure.
 

DAISY: So... what is everything in here?

VERITY: This is the forefront of scrap technology experimentation, there could very well be a war upcoming soon, so having both the experience and technological edge against Spindle is top priority

VERITY: Of course, not every experiment is for wartime uses, take the individual over there, they're testing a device we're developing to make it so non scrap sensitive individuals can at least have some perception of their existence.

Verity gestures to the scientist observing the "empty" room

VERITY: Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get them to work at all, not past a level that could be accounted for lucky guesses and a latent low level perception ability in individuals. Researching scrap sensitivity has been... Frustratingly difficult.

DAISY: What else do you have happening?

VERITY: We've got a number of projects going on right now, and the rooms are booked for most of the day. But I figured watching and absorbing information wouldn't be bad for you. You know how good you are with picking up things by watching

VERITY: There are a a few people sparring, one of our newer recruits is learning how to use a scrap manipulation staff, and we have some of our guard engaging in more typical combat. We're always sure to put our guards through regular simulated combat, whether that's with scrap manipulators or otherwise more mundane people

Verity's expression falls, just a slight bit

VERITY: I would love to let them have more freedom, more time home, but with the looming threat we have to keep them here almost constantly.

VERITY: Of course, they choose to. Everyone at this facility has given their time willingly and I couldn't be more grateful. You see why I have to protect them, don't you Daisy?

DAISY: Yeah... that makes sense to me

VERITY: Regardless, if any of the current tests or experiments that are going on in the meantime interest you I can tell you more, or ask the researchers on the projects to elaborate.