"If I see a fairy ring I'll make sure not to touch it. Do you know or suspect why you were sent here?"

"I have no idea why I'm here. I suspect the things in the bad caves had some kind of plan for me, because they kept trying to teach me things, but I'm pretty sure they weren't anywhere near done teaching me things yet so I don't think they sent me here on purpose, and I have no idea why they'd send me here specifically except, I guess, 'wow, that's a lot of apocalypse cults, what the fuck'."

"I can give you an overview of them later if you want. --Or someone else can, it might be a bad idea for me to be around you too much.

Does you being here put any of us in immediate danger? ...I would also appreciate being told about non-immediate danger, although it's admittedly less of a pressing priority."

"...the only way I can think of is if the things from the bad caves are still keeping an eye on me somehow but I don't actually have any reason to think they can do that except that it would suck if they could, and I have some reason to think they can't touch the world except through their fairy ring, except I'm confused about that because whatever was going on in that house sure did not look like a fairy ring to me."

"As far as we know it's not--associated with fairy rings. It does--mind control, not like I do but like--things just happening, your body moves without you making choices about it and it seems normal and fine and it doesn't even occur to you to question it--and manipulation, lying, that's why I'm asking all these questions, because if someone comes from that house it's more likely that they're lying or manipulating you--lack of choices, lack of control, getting you to do what it wants. And spiders." He does not ask about the things from the bad caves, because it's not on the list, and also because Melanie and Daisy have both tried to kill him before and even if they're doing better now it's probably for the best that he doesn't give anyone any more motive. "Will being here cause anyone else to come, that you know of? If so, what is the information about them we would benefit from having?"

"Like I said, I'm pretty sure the things from the bad caves can't come get me, but if they could I think they might and if they did I sure don't think they'd be nice to anybody while they were here. They're, uh. You know about the language already. They're also... they have some kind of control over how physics works around them, like, things going through each other instead of touching, and gravity twisting around so water flows in loops, shit like that. And I don't really know what they want but I can guess that it sucks. And they hate it when I make noises, especially voice noises, I almost wonder if my voice sounds as bad to them as theirs does to me. But, uh," she shivers, "them hating it does not really... stop them... from doing things. So if they show up on Earth I think anyone who gets in their way is pretty much fucked. But like I said, I don't know if they even can show up on Earth."

"They sound like the sort of thing that might exist somewhere, but I haven't heard of them before you, which is... something. Hopefully. Although we're unlucky enough that who knows. Daisy and I might stand a chance, if--" He sucks in a breath. "Okay. So, nothing coming after you, probably." Time to check the list-- "What are your abilities? What do you expect will happen if you try to use them? What do you expect will happen if you try to refrain from using them?"

"I speak their language, which I feel like is not exactly a power really but it does mean anytime I can use my voice I can use it to make sounds that basically incapacitate anyone who hears them, which is kind of not not a power. It sucks for me too but I think a lot less than it used to which means probably a lot less than it would for whoever else was listening. I think they were trying to teach me to do things besides that but they haven't gotten anywhere on that yet. I don't really expect anything in particular to happen if I try not to use the bad words, except that apparently if you felt like it you could make me do it anyway. Which would suck. For both of us and also anyone else in earshot."

"--Well. It's something to keep in mind if we ever need it, I suppose. 

What questions should we be asking you that we have not?"

"Man, I don't fucking know? ...you should maybe be asking me what the fairy ring looked like. It was a big circle in the ground that was weirdly flat like it got stamped that way by a giant stamp and it had long grass growing in it that made it look like it was mostly the same height as the ground around it when it was actually a couple feet deeper and all along the edge there was a bunch of kinds of mushrooms and flowers and that sort of shit all growing straight up from the rim."

“Makes sense. Have you been fully honest with us when not compelled?”

"Yes, unles leaving things out because I don't want to talk about them and don't actually think they're that relevant strikes you as dishonest, in which case fuck you. I think I've done a basically reasonable job of not misleading you about anything while also not getting any farther into the ugly details than I have to."

Nod. “That wasn’t what I was thinking of, no. Last question, is there any other information that you have that you expect we would benefit from knowing?”

"...I don't actually trust any of you and I'm not sure trusting people is a thing I do anymore if it ever was but if there really is an apocalypse on the line and you really are trying to make there not be one then I'm down to help with that, especially since I don't really have a better place to get, like, food and clothing and a place to sleep. On the other hand I'm not sure how useful I'd be so you might be better off kicking me out on the street to starve."

"There... probably isn't an apocalypse on the line at the moment. We stopped one last year, the attempts are generally spaced decades apart--the reason we're being attacked so much is that people are worried that we only stopped the last apocalypse because we're about to do our own attempt. Which--isn't actually impossible. Elias is in jail right now--he was our boss before--but we don't... entirely know his capabilities.

None of us are very useful at the moment. We're here because we can't quit and haven't died. If you have a language that can incapacitate people, that's at least as useful than I am. More, probably, you look like you could get in shape with a year of eating well and working yourself up to it.

I wonder if we could convince Martin to give you money while you stay here--if nothing else, he'd know how much we should be trying to hide you from Peter-- I'm sorry. If you want to leave, you can leave. It's probably safer."

"I don't think I believe in safety. 'Staying in the haunted-ass prison with the people who already basically know what my deal is and have been mostly decent to me so far' at least sounds more convenient than 'homeless in a foreign country with no sane explanation for why'."

Nod. "You can hire yourself if you want, Daisy did it, you'll get paid." Inhale. "And you won't get nightmares if you give a statement."

"You can't be serious! No, no, absolutely not--"

"If you want to ask Georgie if her couch is free for another supernatural runaway, be my guest. She was pretty clear that she wasn't interested in talking to me."

"Right, because you're an innocent victim here--what was wrong with your original plan, anyway, Martin can sneak her onto the payroll and it's not like any of us are paying rent."

Daisy's voice is quiet but sharp. "Stop it, both of you. April's had a long day. You can argue another time, right now you need to give her space."

"Sorry," Jon mutters, sounding not at all sorry. Melanie scuffs her foot against the floor and exhales slowly, still glaring at him.

"...how did making me tell you about the caves get back on the table? I mean, I guess the answer is 'you're jonesing for my trauma'. Anyway, if I ever decide to do that, which I sure hope I won't, it's definitely not gonna be now."

Jon is just going to SCOWL AT THE FLOOR. “I’m not going to take your statement unless you want to give me your statement.” He does not necessarily sound happy about this fact. “It seemed like... relevant information. For if you decide to work here. Which you don’t have to.”

"...honestly I'm not sure the nightmares are a bad thing, all things considered. Like, they're bad, but hey, extra reasons for you to regret doing that thing you keep saying you're not going to do in that tone of voice that sounds like you're only barely convincing yourself."