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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
imeanforever
Promise notifies her self-destruct that she is currently holding her breath on purpose, in addition to expecting the Siberian to help versus things that, like spores, run on physics; the force field isn't designed for this. She chases Mannequin, turns visible, and does the fairylight order: listen. "Stop."
wormcan
Luckily for Promise (and more luckily for Mannequin), he sees in the normal spectrum at the moment. He listens. He stops.
imeanforever
If he needs to be allowed to breathe it's completely lost on Promise how he might go about doing it. And she's a little short on air herself. Back to Bonesaw. Does she look done?
wormcan
She is finding herself unable to neutralize the spores, because apparently the method of doing that would also harm the fairy who knows her name. What a shame, who could have expected this.
imeanforever
Urgh. Hand, fairylight order: Respond to lighted remarks informatively quickly and truthfully. Now she doesn't have to do the hand thing. What's the obstacle?
Promise could actually hold her breath indefinitely even without the Siberian helping and let her wings do it, but she doesn't usually do that if she doesn't have to, so the entire experience is still unpleasantly reminiscent of the times she has spent underwater longer than leaflets are supposed to spend underwater. She holds her breath anyway.
Promise could actually hold her breath indefinitely even without the Siberian helping and let her wings do it, but she doesn't usually do that if she doesn't have to, so the entire experience is still unpleasantly reminiscent of the times she has spent underwater longer than leaflets are supposed to spend underwater. She holds her breath anyway.
wormcan
“You are! I could kill the spores with a little targeted radiation. Not enough to hurt me or my teammates, but it’d hurt you. For some reason I don't seem to be able to do it."
wormcan
"Less than a bad burn, might give you some cancer. Much better than not doing it, once you've got those in your lungs."
imeanforever
Would anything I wouldn't like happen if I had you arrange to let me self-administer, besides discomfort? I can heal cancer. If fairies can even get cancer, which I doubt.
wormcan
"Of course! You didn't think I'd make it easy, did you? These tools are locked so only I can use them, and now you've got my name I can't do that. Would you like a list of symptoms you can expect?"
imeanforever
You don't even seem to know how long I can hold my breath, so I'm not sure I should trust your assessment.
Promise snaps her fingers at the Siberian. That's her cue to be visible.
Promise snaps her fingers at the Siberian. That's her cue to be visible.
wormcan
The striped woman reappears.
Now that Bonesaw knows Promise is everythingproof, she's forced to follow through with killing the infection. Having already killed the spores in the air, she swaps out the devices and points one at Promise. After confirming that Promise didn't breathe any of her handiwork at all, she zaps the ones clinging to Promise's face and hair. It feels like nothing at all, courtesy of invulnerability.
Now that Bonesaw knows Promise is everythingproof, she's forced to follow through with killing the infection. Having already killed the spores in the air, she swaps out the devices and points one at Promise. After confirming that Promise didn't breathe any of her handiwork at all, she zaps the ones clinging to Promise's face and hair. It feels like nothing at all, courtesy of invulnerability.
imeanforever
...And Bonesaw does not seem to be leaping into action to dismantle any other contingencies, so.
"Answer my questions truthfully and completely. Is there anything else I would want you to tell me now?"
"Answer my questions truthfully and completely. Is there anything else I would want you to tell me now?"
wormcan
"Well there aren't any fights or art going on, and I'm guessing you've already caught Shatterbird. I know where powers come from?"
imeanforever
"That's interesting but not urgent. You may let go of my foot," Promise tells the Siberian.
wormcan
The Siberian lets go, leaving Promise breathing the same tragically non-dangerous air as the rest of them.
imeanforever
"Wait," Promise tells all three vassals, and then she goes and tells Shatterbird to follow her, and brings her down to join them.
Then she calls the PRT again.
Then she calls the PRT again.
wormcan
"You know, you could have waited until the surveillance teams confirmed it was safe. Good work though. Containment vans are on the way."
imeanforever
"Yes, that's why I was willing to kill them if I had to, and did kill a couple, but the remainder do not require it."
wormcan
"I couldn't tell you what happens. Capes with kill orders don't usually get brought in. But if they get sent to the Birdcage, I'd be more worried about the rest of the Birdcage."
imeanforever
"I am worried about the rest of the Birdcage, but the four people I have in my custody right now are the ones who'd be entering the situation with ordered constraints on their behavior, unless you're saying that the correct way to satisfy my ethics is to tell the Siberian that she may use her powers as needed."