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Tree branch: check. Assorted lightweight seed-bearing fruits and nuts: check. Other seeds: check. Water bottle, for when she has to veer away from the river: check.
Better not linger in her starting place too much longer. Yellow's faster than her and may have already come home to a wreck. Thorn might have a habit of checking up on the place, even, just in case. She's invisible, inaudible, unsmellable - that won't help if he sends someone thorough. Or comes in person.
She sets out.
She's been flying for about thirty minutes after her shopping trip when she falls through a tear and squeaks inaudibly and lands in the middle of -
imeanforever
wormcan
In about five minutes they'll have questions like "who else are you doing this to" and "what are the rules" but for now Amy isn't in much of a state to think of them.
hold_dear
Glory Girl is just barely restraining herself from making a suicidal attack on one or both of the visitors. This involves too much teeth-clenching to ask anything.
"Bye bye," says Cherish, and she goes out to hop into her ("her") car.
"Bye bye," says Cherish, and she goes out to hop into her ("her") car.
imeanforever
Meanwhile, Promise is on a roof, curing cancer and restoring sight to the blind and making amputees whole, that sort of thing.
wormcan
Toward the end, after no new people have arrived and all the healed ones have left, tall, dark-haired man walks onto the roof. "Hello, Promise. I've got a message for you."
imeanforever
"Probably a better idea to just email me," Promise says, tucking the remaining consent forms into her bag.
wormcan
"Ordinarily, perhaps. I wanted to deliver it in person. You see, I've been quite impressed with how you've been shaking things up here. Lung. Kaiser. Nilbog. But you know you could do so much more. Kaiser's entire team would have been trivial. Why so careful?"
imeanforever
"If I learn about the sorts of things mortals are named I run a greater risk of accidentally learning a name I didn't mean to learn. Most people don't know about Nilbog even as rumor; where'd you pick up that tidbit?"
wormcan
"I have inexplicably good information. But the interesting thing is that the risk of knowing a name that might belong to someone, when you wouldn't have to use it at all, that's a very absolute rule, don't you think? Heroes with rules like that tend to break them, and I'm curious about what happens when you do."
imeanforever
"It's not absolute. I've sought names when I needed them. Your information is inexplicably good even to you? Some kind of thinker power?"
wormcan
"No, just an evasion.
You're much less powerful than you could be, is the point, and you're doing it on purpose. Why, right now you'd still lose a fight against the Triumvirate. And the reason you're holding off is because of the risk of accidentally gaining even more names? Why avoid that?"
You're much less powerful than you could be, is the point, and you're doing it on purpose. Why, right now you'd still lose a fight against the Triumvirate. And the reason you're holding off is because of the risk of accidentally gaining even more names? Why avoid that?"
imeanforever
"...I don't really want to fight the Triumvirate? They seem pretty okay? I want to fight Endbringers, but my names power doesn't work on them. Also, maintaining an enormous court of vassals would be really unwieldy. Look, are you sure this conversation couldn't happen more efficiently via email?"
wormcan
"Vassals, that's a good word.
The Triumvirate are just a benchmark, something you could surpass and haven't chosen to. Make it the Slaughterhouse Nine if you prefer. I've never been a fan of self-imposed limits, and I think you'll discard them when you have to."
The Triumvirate are just a benchmark, something you could surpass and haven't chosen to. Make it the Slaughterhouse Nine if you prefer. I've never been a fan of self-imposed limits, and I think you'll discard them when you have to."
wormcan
"Now that I like. Ambition.
I never did introduce myself, by the way. Jack Slash, at your service.
I never did introduce myself, by the way. Jack Slash, at your service.
wormcan
"It's a custom, among my team, that when we need a member we each choose a candidate and they face a round of tests. I think you'd be more interesting than most. If you survive, of course; you may be immortal but the people doing the testing can be quite destructive."
imeanforever
"This seems to be missing a certain... what's the word I'm looking for... voluntarism."
wormcan
"We'd hardly get much participation from the more heroically inclined otherwise. Why cut off half the pool? You, for instance, could do quite well as part of our little band, and wouldn't have volunteered otherwise."
wormcan
"No? Even if you don't come to enjoy our little pastimes, I'm good at finding carrots and sticks, if I might flatter myself. For instance, you wouldn't want a say in where we go and what we do? Or don't do?"
imeanforever
"You're right, if I can convince you all to settle down and raise chickens I will consider that very motivating. ...Chickens are domestic, right, I'm still new to animal life."
wormcan
"You can't, but you might be able to steer us a bit. Mannequin can, and does, and he likes going after people who try to improve the world. But we can save that argument for if you win the trials. For now, a brief experiment. I'll be right back."
Jack disappears to the staircase. When he comes back, he also looks slightly different. Narrower face, longer fingers, and a different distribution of fat, i.e. now there is some. He even moves differently, with a longer gait even though he's shorter.
And he's carrying a mortal child. "This is Liam. He was here to get cured of some disease or other, but I had to prevent him from getting underfoot. Until now, of course. You order him to walk off this roof, and I'll consider my test passed in advance. Otherwise, I'll make sure it's something with collateral damage." He sets down the mortal.
Jack disappears to the staircase. When he comes back, he also looks slightly different. Narrower face, longer fingers, and a different distribution of fat, i.e. now there is some. He even moves differently, with a longer gait even though he's shorter.
And he's carrying a mortal child. "This is Liam. He was here to get cured of some disease or other, but I had to prevent him from getting underfoot. Until now, of course. You order him to walk off this roof, and I'll consider my test passed in advance. Otherwise, I'll make sure it's something with collateral damage." He sets down the mortal.