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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
imeanforever
I'll bear that in mind.
Hmm.
Promise emails Sarkany. If the Siberian just spends a lot of time with her friends they're probably all safe versus physical harm but that is by no means the only harm on offer. How bad is the worst case...?
It's bad.
Promise sends a caravan of furnished trailers and a fuel supply and generators and shelf-stable mortal food to Hawthorn, while pretending to anyone who asks that she is still dithering. Plumbing in the style mortals are accustomed to will be harder, but she parked near a river.
She moves the occupants of her tree there.
She asks her lawyer, If I do decide to start doing flagrantly illegal things, are innocent persons known to be my vassals who are not otherwise participating in my projects at risk?
Hmm.
Promise emails Sarkany. If the Siberian just spends a lot of time with her friends they're probably all safe versus physical harm but that is by no means the only harm on offer. How bad is the worst case...?
It's bad.
Promise sends a caravan of furnished trailers and a fuel supply and generators and shelf-stable mortal food to Hawthorn, while pretending to anyone who asks that she is still dithering. Plumbing in the style mortals are accustomed to will be harder, but she parked near a river.
She moves the occupants of her tree there.
She asks her lawyer, If I do decide to start doing flagrantly illegal things, are innocent persons known to be my vassals who are not otherwise participating in my projects at risk?
wormcan
No. Even for those who are, anyone who wanted to punish them for it would have to prove you didn't force them. Your vassals might be at risk if they're dependent on you and you get captured, but they're at least safe legally.
imeanforever
What is a good way to handle my money in the event I decide to start doing flagrantly illegal things, where "money" includes some number of bounties and a blank check from the Protectorate?
wormcan
A number of the more successful villains, and a few non-villains, have accounts with an anonymous figure called the Number Man. Ordinary banks can handle amounts of money easily enough, though blank checks might be trickier.
Ultimately, this is a solvable problem.
Ultimately, this is a solvable problem.
imeanforever
She solves the problem.
She informs the evil clone brigade that it may soon be difficult to both routinely be in touch with Promise (such that she can give them special permission to do interesting capey things) and to attend school, be on Earth Bet frequently, etcetera; do they have a preference between these options if it does become one or the other?
She informs the evil clone brigade that it may soon be difficult to both routinely be in touch with Promise (such that she can give them special permission to do interesting capey things) and to attend school, be on Earth Bet frequently, etcetera; do they have a preference between these options if it does become one or the other?
wormcan
They tend to prefer being on Earth Bet. (The fact that this is because it's where the originals live and their goals still revolve around the originals may or may not be obvious.)
imeanforever
It's kind of obvious. But not the sort of thing she wants to apply order force over. She can give them enough money to rent a place and support themselves through (if they so desire) college, and she makes sure they have broad enough permissions that if they need more money later Plague and Pestilence can heal or do strictly controlled forms of custom organism sale and distribution, and the three Victorias can transport cargo, work in appropriately limited-scope demolitions, give people rides, operate as acceptably legal/ethical bodyguards, etcetera. Or they can work retail, whatever, she leaves that sort of thing open too. They may continue to crash at her address if they don't want to run out and rent a place right away -
- nope, there they go.
Okay.
She sends Canary an email asking if she's happy with the current parameters of her orders, anticipates needing them changed ever again, etc.
- nope, there they go.
Okay.
She sends Canary an email asking if she's happy with the current parameters of her orders, anticipates needing them changed ever again, etc.
wormcan
Canary is very happy with being a) free and b) able to sing. She wouldn't mind having the safety precautions stop being order-enforced, but she's not being compelled to do anything she otherwise wouldn't.
imeanforever
...the safety precautions stay, and it sounds like she hasn't found them especially inconvenient in any non-safety context.
Okay.
Now -
she has to figure out where the Birdcage is.
Internet?
Okay.
Now -
she has to figure out where the Birdcage is.
Internet?
wormcan
The location is public. It's inside a particular mountain, there are maps to the entrance easily available, but nothing has more precision than "inside that mountain."
imeanforever
That's okay. She's pretty sure it has, say, air, and a floor, and from there she can trial and error if necessary.
Oh, one last thing. Would the Protectorate like to sell her a big flattener that'll cover a large area, like the one that ran down during the Leviathan battle, in exchange for another gatepair?
Oh, one last thing. Would the Protectorate like to sell her a big flattener that'll cover a large area, like the one that ran down during the Leviathan battle, in exchange for another gatepair?
wormcan
They are still very much in favor of having more gates. They have it ready quickly, almost as if it was built along with the last one and they just hadn't seen a reason to scale up Promise's power.
imeanforever
How curious.
She makes sure it is meant to last a good long time. She gets it a little cart. She wheels it to Hawthorn. She makes them another gatepair.
As long as she has them in a cooperative mood, is there anything else they'd like to sell her?
She makes sure it is meant to last a good long time. She gets it a little cart. She wheels it to Hawthorn. She makes them another gatepair.
As long as she has them in a cooperative mood, is there anything else they'd like to sell her?
wormcan
From the lack of common thread in what she's wanted so far, not really. They can stock up her spares of current equipment, if she likes. Sarkany and Armsmaster did eventually start work on the device to reversibly freeze things in time. It got interrupted when Armsmaster died, but other tinkers could finish it if she still wants a very long-term supply of anything.
imeanforever
...And how long would that take?
Upon finding out that it is longer than a few days, Promise makes the gate in advance anyway, politely reminds them that if they don't deliver she will close the gate and the same goes for her blank check...
...gives a few million dollars to a charmingly like-charity...
...and then goes to the crystal reach, makes a gate to Hawthorn, waits until the Siberian is awake to accompany her, and starts trying to gate to the Birdcage.
Upon finding out that it is longer than a few days, Promise makes the gate in advance anyway, politely reminds them that if they don't deliver she will close the gate and the same goes for her blank check...
...gives a few million dollars to a charmingly like-charity...
...and then goes to the crystal reach, makes a gate to Hawthorn, waits until the Siberian is awake to accompany her, and starts trying to gate to the Birdcage.
wormcan
The gate settles more quickly than most mortal world gates. Something affecting the harmonics, or else she just got lucky.
imeanforever
How fortunate.
The Siberian cannot protect her own human body. However, said human body can be turned into a mouse small enough to fit in the Siberian's mouth, which amounts to about the same thing. It sounds really uncomfortable to Promise, honestly, but when she asked the Siberian didn't object. She can materialize the projection around the mouse, too, which helps when the plan involves traveling through gates. (Human body goes through gates as normal; if there is a projection active at the time, it goes inactive when the human body leaves its world; the projection destroys gates without going through them. Protected person has the Siberian's same gate-destroying properties, which is slightly inconvenient.)
So: there they are in the Crystal Reach, with contingency orders in place for all the S9 alumni that the Protectorate still thinks Promise is going to let them have.
And here is a gate into the Birdcage.
And here is a nice big basket of haws.
And in Promise's belly is a little sachet of fairy-tailored knockout drugs courtesy of Bonesaw, in a live but slowly dissolving plant, which Promise will regrow with sorcery unless someone clumsily takes control of her (or cleverly takes control of her but doesn't leave her flattener working), in case she needs to self-destruct and for whatever reason can't just stop breathing breath or voluntarily activate the device. And she has a timer set on her phone so she doesn't forget to do the regrowth.
Promise double-checks her instructions for the Siberian in her notes, double-checks that the Siberian does not object to the plan (though she's not as enthusiastic as Bonesaw), turns herself and the mouseified organic body of the Siberian invisible &c, and sticks her head into the Birdcage.
The Siberian cannot protect her own human body. However, said human body can be turned into a mouse small enough to fit in the Siberian's mouth, which amounts to about the same thing. It sounds really uncomfortable to Promise, honestly, but when she asked the Siberian didn't object. She can materialize the projection around the mouse, too, which helps when the plan involves traveling through gates. (Human body goes through gates as normal; if there is a projection active at the time, it goes inactive when the human body leaves its world; the projection destroys gates without going through them. Protected person has the Siberian's same gate-destroying properties, which is slightly inconvenient.)
So: there they are in the Crystal Reach, with contingency orders in place for all the S9 alumni that the Protectorate still thinks Promise is going to let them have.
And here is a gate into the Birdcage.
And here is a nice big basket of haws.
And in Promise's belly is a little sachet of fairy-tailored knockout drugs courtesy of Bonesaw, in a live but slowly dissolving plant, which Promise will regrow with sorcery unless someone clumsily takes control of her (or cleverly takes control of her but doesn't leave her flattener working), in case she needs to self-destruct and for whatever reason can't just stop breathing breath or voluntarily activate the device. And she has a timer set on her phone so she doesn't forget to do the regrowth.
Promise double-checks her instructions for the Siberian in her notes, double-checks that the Siberian does not object to the plan (though she's not as enthusiastic as Bonesaw), turns herself and the mouseified organic body of the Siberian invisible &c, and sticks her head into the Birdcage.
wormcan
No response. There isn't anyone immediately in view from this empty cell, but nor is there unexpected retaliation for her sticking her head in.
imeanforever
Lovely. And she can breathe without passing out, and all in all this looks pretty habitable. Signal to the Siberian...
imeanforever
And the rest of Promise follows, dragging her basket of haws, until she's completely through. She shuts the gate. She accepts the Siberian's invulnerability.
She tries the door.
She tries the door.
wormcan
This one's unlocked. It reveals a group of men, mostly muscular and some with visible signs of powers, all wearing gray cotton clothing.
imeanforever
Promise has little notes. She puts a stack of little notes and a small pile of haws among the men, then moves on, de-invisibling the notes and berries as she goes.
The little notes each read,
If you would like to leave the Birdcage for a pleasanter (but non-supervillainy-compatible) alternative venue, eat a berry and wait for further instructions. More details will be provided before you must make your final decision about whether to take a berry. You may decide to stay behind even if you do eat one.
The little notes each read,
If you would like to leave the Birdcage for a pleasanter (but non-supervillainy-compatible) alternative venue, eat a berry and wait for further instructions. More details will be provided before you must make your final decision about whether to take a berry. You may decide to stay behind even if you do eat one.
wormcan
It won't be long before she has covered the cell block. Almost everyone takes one.