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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
Promise, meanwhile, has some more things to say to Sarkany.
Listen such that orders will go through.
"Sorry about that. Facilitate my and my vassals' safe departure to Fairyland, and my distribution of berries. You may speak."
"Please let me resume Birdcage-unrelated activity as normal," murmurs Dragon's voice.
"Any actions you would wish to take even if I had not broken into the Birdcage, you may take," amends Promise. "Will that do?"
"Temporarily."
"We can follow up with revisions when I'm not evacuating a hellpit that you told me about in the first place. Tell me honestly and completely: is there anything you could tell me that I would want you to tell me today?"
"The Guild and Protectorate have both already received messages about the break-in, its culprit, and my likely inability to handle it. They're trying to follow up with me now."
"Do you anticipate that they will be able to stop me from getting everybody out?"
"Not unless you're very slow."
"Anything else?"
"Not that I think you'd want to talk about today in particular."
"Good. I really do apologize. I was hoping to manage without this part. I didn't even have your name going in."
"...I appreciate that."
Listen such that orders will go through.
"Sorry about that. Facilitate my and my vassals' safe departure to Fairyland, and my distribution of berries. You may speak."
"Please let me resume Birdcage-unrelated activity as normal," murmurs Dragon's voice.
"Any actions you would wish to take even if I had not broken into the Birdcage, you may take," amends Promise. "Will that do?"
"Temporarily."
"We can follow up with revisions when I'm not evacuating a hellpit that you told me about in the first place. Tell me honestly and completely: is there anything you could tell me that I would want you to tell me today?"
"The Guild and Protectorate have both already received messages about the break-in, its culprit, and my likely inability to handle it. They're trying to follow up with me now."
"Do you anticipate that they will be able to stop me from getting everybody out?"
"Not unless you're very slow."
"Anything else?"
"Not that I think you'd want to talk about today in particular."
"Good. I really do apologize. I was hoping to manage without this part. I didn't even have your name going in."
"...I appreciate that."
wormcan
"Whose side are you on?" one prisoner jeers, but the mass of them don't object to Promise apologizing to Dragon as long as their captor is thoroughly stopped.
imeanforever
"My side," says Promise. "And so are you, if you want out. Let's distribute some berries smart quick, shall we?"
wormcan
Dragon, Marquis, and Galvanate are all handing them out. So far only Marquis has refrained from taking one. He doesn't stay the only one forever. More capes arrive and the vast majority accept.
imeanforever
Promise does have to make a separate gate to an ejected portion of Birdcage, but fortunately it settles in twelve minutes and the process can be completed. Berries! For all! As long as she has Dragon and Dragon has surveillance, she can leave the gates back to the Reach closed and keep a tally of who hasn't had any!
wormcan
Very few people turn down a berry. By the end it's just a small girl, a tall figure with no face, and Marquis. Everyone else is lined up to gate out.
imeanforever
"You... will probably have a hard time eating a berry," Promise acknowledges to the faceless person. "Can you tell me your name, instead? Works just as well, it's only more inconvenient to scale."
wormcan
He can't, apparently. Like many of the more physically mutated capes, he has no memory of anything before waking up with powers.
imeanforever
"Okay. I may be able to derive a syllable or two by guess-and-check and that suffices. Would you like me to tell you what I find or not?"
imeanforever
"Well, the last time I tried it I got two in a row. It doesn't take much. It'll take a few minutes, maybe."
She starts going through her list. It takes some attention, but not all of it.
"Are you not coming?" she asks the bone guy.
She starts going through her list. It takes some attention, but not all of it.
"Are you not coming?" she asks the bone guy.
wormcan
"I'm not." Marquis answers. "I'd be happy to explain why and perhaps negotiate an alternative, when circumstances are less urgent. The main problem is volunteering for such a thorough master power. I need to be able to set promises and rules, and this could undermine that."
The girl's voice sounds like a chorus of more voices than can easily be counted. "And I will not submit to another's control."
The girl's voice sounds like a chorus of more voices than can easily be counted. "And I will not submit to another's control."
imeanforever
"Well, you're welcome to stay, although I can't guarantee I'll have a chance to make another trip any time soon - I made preparations but managing this many people is an enormous hassle and I did mention I'm low on infrastructure in my colony. It's also entirely possible that Dragon - or do you prefer Sarkany?"
"Dragon is fine."
"It's possible that Dragon won't retain control of the facility, and it looks like it's just the couple of you, not a compelling large prison population who'd easily hover at the top of the priority list, remaining behind, unless someone didn't get the news about the running water situation and that changes minds."
"Dragon is fine."
"It's possible that Dragon won't retain control of the facility, and it looks like it's just the couple of you, not a compelling large prison population who'd easily hover at the top of the priority list, remaining behind, unless someone didn't get the news about the running water situation and that changes minds."
whole_new_can
"I will leave through my own means when the others do through yours," the hovering girl says.
Marquis explains himself. "I am here because I refused to break my word. If it forces me to stay longer, it is a trade I've already made. Though I would hope you would be satisfied by my word to hold to whatever you enforce on the others, even without your power."
The population of the Birdcage is by now informed, thanks to messengers from the cell block leaders and facilitation from Dragon. There isn't anywhere several hundred escapees can congregate, but as many as can fit here have arrived.
Marquis explains himself. "I am here because I refused to break my word. If it forces me to stay longer, it is a trade I've already made. Though I would hope you would be satisfied by my word to hold to whatever you enforce on the others, even without your power."
The population of the Birdcage is by now informed, thanks to messengers from the cell block leaders and facilitation from Dragon. There isn't anywhere several hundred escapees can congregate, but as many as can fit here have arrived.
imeanforever
Promise... glances at the hovering girl but leaves her aside for the moment.
Though she considers there no reason anymore not to add Floating Girl as a candidate for the syllables she's already going through with faceless guy. She's going to have to namecheck everybody who goes through the gate, she's well past not learning too much about what humans like to name one another.
"And how did refusing to break your word land you here?" she asks, now handing out sheets of paper with copies of her intended order set for ex-supervillain residents of Hawthorn, a summary of current conditions there, the parameters of her release-under-commands plan for anyone who can be made safe to release under orders and would prefer to take their chances on a more populated Earth.
Though she considers there no reason anymore not to add Floating Girl as a candidate for the syllables she's already going through with faceless guy. She's going to have to namecheck everybody who goes through the gate, she's well past not learning too much about what humans like to name one another.
"And how did refusing to break your word land you here?" she asks, now handing out sheets of paper with copies of her intended order set for ex-supervillain residents of Hawthorn, a summary of current conditions there, the parameters of her release-under-commands plan for anyone who can be made safe to release under orders and would prefer to take their chances on a more populated Earth.
wormcan
"My power is such that I could kill most people easily, with nonlethal options being considerably more difficult. I have a code, among other things there was a rule about never killing women or children.
While I was unable to flee for...other reasons, the Brockton Bay Brigade understandably sent their female members after me. I would certainly have killed to stay out of the Birdcage—I don't claim to be a good person—but decided against breaking a promise."
As people get more informed, the deal is still near-unanimously accepted. Promise's competition is the Birdcage.
While I was unable to flee for...other reasons, the Brockton Bay Brigade understandably sent their female members after me. I would certainly have killed to stay out of the Birdcage—I don't claim to be a good person—but decided against breaking a promise."
As people get more informed, the deal is still near-unanimously accepted. Promise's competition is the Birdcage.
imeanforever
"Well," says Promise, "that is an interesting story, and combined with the help you have provided it paints a tempting picture, but I wonder if there might not be a difference between a code you devised for yourself and one I develop. I'm gambling my own reputation and by extension my ability to do many things that require the cooperation of non-supervillains on being able to keep everyone I remove under control; my control can be gentler than the Birdcage but I don't want to make it less absolute in terms of the 'preventing supervillainy' goal. Ironic though that may be, considering I have probably already been moved across lists in the opinions of relevant institutions, but I hope you take my meaning."
The faceless person's original name contains a stressed "ree" syllable, which Promise had to start varying sounds she already has for. Nothing on floating girl yet, so she keeps going; faceless guy can wait a little longer.
The faceless person's original name contains a stressed "ree" syllable, which Promise had to start varying sounds she already has for. Nothing on floating girl yet, so she keeps going; faceless guy can wait a little longer.
wormcan
"Understandable. You don't want to stake your reliability on someone else's choices. Also my problem with your power.
I can't offer much proof, unfortunately. All I have's my honor, a tolerance for pain, a couple of good lieutenants and a top-notch brain. But if I stay in the Birdcage and it's worth your time to check, everyone from the Protectorate to the Slaughterhouse Nine will confirm that I do not break promises."
I can't offer much proof, unfortunately. All I have's my honor, a tolerance for pain, a couple of good lieutenants and a top-notch brain. But if I stay in the Birdcage and it's worth your time to check, everyone from the Protectorate to the Slaughterhouse Nine will confirm that I do not break promises."
imeanforever
"Then I might conceivably get around to swinging back and looking for you, but do not guarantee that I will do this before someone bustles you off to a different prison and doesn't let me find out where it is. It's 'Marquis'? I don't have the same memory for cape names as I have for real ones."
And then, click, last syllable of Shatterbird's name is a match for Floating Girl.
And then, click, last syllable of Shatterbird's name is a match for Floating Girl.
whole_new_can
As soon as it clicks, one of the three ghosts facing Promise while revolving around Floating Girl flashes. A fraction of a second later all four figures swirl and disappear.
"It is, but that is probably more immediately pressing. Whatever you just did, Glaistig Uaine took exception to it. I would have expected her to try to kill you, and can't say what she might be doing instead."
"It is, but that is probably more immediately pressing. Whatever you just did, Glaistig Uaine took exception to it. I would have expected her to try to kill you, and can't say what she might be doing instead."
imeanforever
"I figured out her name. Which does mean she can't attack me directly but does not mean she can't get help, if that's in her repertoire. Damn. Dragon, you may communicate this incident to interested parties and add my willingness to help any good-faith effort to collaborate on recapturing her."
"On it," sighs Dragon's voice.
"Could she have left the entire time? On her own?"
"Probably. She agreed to stay for a time in exchange for collecting the 'ghosts' of Birdcage inmates who died while she was here."
"And I just made that much less lucrative for her. Grand. I don't know whether that even makes me less pleased that I pulled off the heist or not. Well, I have no idea where she is, can't gate directly to her, and have several hundred other vassals to manage. You," she says to the faceless person, "have a 'ree' in your original name. If you don't want to back out at the last minute, would you like to be the first through the gate?"
wormcan
"Yes" says, apparently, someone with "ree" in his original name. "Been here long enough."
imeanforever
"Tell me honestly: have you read the entirety of the paper titled 'Hawthorn Rules'?"
wormcan
"Yes." (The order may only be enforced to the one prisoner, but several of the nearer ones answer it.)
imeanforever
"Obey them. You may go through the gate and wait there."
And then she proceeds to namecheck everybody else who's coming, ask them in batches the same question, and give the same instructions.
And then she proceeds to namecheck everybody else who's coming, ask them in batches the same question, and give the same instructions.