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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 -
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imeanforever
hold_dear
"Then we'll be very disappointed in you and you'll probably both be dead. With however many side effects you rack up first. We know who your family are. I can find them from here. Your dad's not having a very nice... life... is he? A little, tiny push -"
"You stay the fuck away from Dad -!"
"I think Bonesaw's expressed her opinion on swearing," sings Cherish. "Well, maybe that would get you to play and maybe it wouldn't, and if you want him to live you won't encourage me to find out. But, hm, just a hunch, I don't think you're as careful about looking after the people around you as you think you are. Take it from me, emotions... even if you only have two settings... run... deep."
She glances at Panacea.
"You stay the fuck away from Dad -!"
"I think Bonesaw's expressed her opinion on swearing," sings Cherish. "Well, maybe that would get you to play and maybe it wouldn't, and if you want him to live you won't encourage me to find out. But, hm, just a hunch, I don't think you're as careful about looking after the people around you as you think you are. Take it from me, emotions... even if you only have two settings... run... deep."
She glances at Panacea.
wormcan
"Oh, come on. I know you're not happy with your job right now, if you join us we could do anything. I can bring back the dead, imagine if we were working together!"
hold_dear
"Anyway, you don't have to decide right now if you want to come join us," says Cherish. "You just need to decide whether you're going to bother surviving the tests or not. It'd hardly be fair play if you didn't know they were coming or what they were for. But I'd be really disappointed if you'd really rather die than join us, Vicky."
"Don't call me Vicky."
"Victoria, if you like. But it doesn't seem like you're giving any thought to what I'd like. It's very inconsiderate."
Victoria's response is a snarl.
"Don't call me Vicky."
"Victoria, if you like. But it doesn't seem like you're giving any thought to what I'd like. It's very inconsiderate."
Victoria's response is a snarl.
wormcan
"Oh, and I can't bring back the dead very well, so you should probably try to not die. Though maybe it'd go better if Amelia and I both did it! Wouldn't that be fun?"
Amy stares in disbelief. Apparently this would not be fun.
Amy stares in disbelief. Apparently this would not be fun.
hold_dear
"Why don't we go and let them think about their game strategies?" Cherish asks, patting Bonesaw's curls. "Maybe they'll work on something together to show off to us. Otherwise they'd just each be leaving their sister to deal with our tests alone, and I think they're... too fond of each other... to do that."
"What are you getting at, you cryptic sadistic bitch?" snaps Victoria.
"I'll tell you if you win," Cherish says, glancing at Panacea. "I might even tell you if you don't. It'll depend. But don't swear, please."
"What are you getting at, you cryptic sadistic bitch?" snaps Victoria.
"I'll tell you if you win," Cherish says, glancing at Panacea. "I might even tell you if you don't. It'll depend. But don't swear, please."
wormcan
"Ooh, you can make your sister stronger or tougher! That'll give her a better chance. I can't help, though. Fair's fair."
hold_dear
"Yes it is." Pat pat. "Off we go, unless you have any questions about the game?"
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."
imeanforever
"Maybe I'll get stir-crazy if I defeat all three Endbringers or something."
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."