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Annie is on her trike on her way to school.
This van labeled HAZARDOUS MATERIALS is also on its way to school.
The van hits a patch of black ice. It goes spinning, it turns over, it slices itself open on a wrought-iron fence with spikes, and it disgorges boxes which smash open on the pavement. Some of them skitter clear into the slush.
Some of them - along with most of the van - land on Annie.
There is a whirl of bewildering pain and confusion -
- and she falls to the ground, injured and in more kinds of discomfort beyond that and moaning.
She slowly starts to heal before the eyes of her sole witness.
six artifact pileup annie in thedas
keep_busy
keep_busy
Annie sits up, shivering and definitely not lurching Stalasward for a hug. "Humming. Oh, god, I kind of need to know if it's just humming and I really don't want to test it."
first-and-final
"Give it to me and I'll go off to an isolated corner and attempt to quietly sing," says Stalas. "I mean, if it just hurts and isn't some unrelated horrible sensation."
keep_busy
"Yes, but I have that thing where I'm in love with you and I'm not sure I can argue my brain into letting you test a thing that hurts that much to spare me temporary discomfort."
first-and-final
"Not even if I don't mind? I really don't. I regard the prospect of testing this with approximately the same attitude I have toward killing giant spiders. It's not my idea of fun but it's not hard and it's not really worth making a big fuss to avoid."
keep_busy
"You could have maybe talked me into it if I hadn't just tried it. I'll - think about it and see if I get anywhere. Annnnnd if you need the power for other reasons and then run away and test it I won't be mad at you or anything but it makes my skin crawl thinking about it."
first-and-final
"Well, I suppose. We can talk about it more later, maybe."
Ruck has recovered from both the screaming and the tears. He sits quietly in his corner for a minute longer, and then gets up and returns to the entrance area of his little cave.
"...thank you," he says. His voice is much steadier now.
"Do you still want to test the rest of them?" asks Stalas.
"It's... I... yes," says Ruck.
Ruck has recovered from both the screaming and the tears. He sits quietly in his corner for a minute longer, and then gets up and returns to the entrance area of his little cave.
"...thank you," he says. His voice is much steadier now.
"Do you still want to test the rest of them?" asks Stalas.
"It's... I... yes," says Ruck.
keep_busy
"Should I take back those two or would you like to keep them in case they're useful if you land somewhere else?"
first-and-final
"I... don't know..."
"Take your time thinking about it," Stalas says gently.
Ruck nods. He fidgets for a minute or so. Then he says, "I... want to keep them. I don't want... the darkness again."
"Take your time thinking about it," Stalas says gently.
Ruck nods. He fidgets for a minute or so. Then he says, "I... want to keep them. I don't want... the darkness again."
keep_busy
"Okay. I've also got... a weird sense, sort of like Stonesense but for things besides stone too... and a language thing... and that's all I know about that's good besides the thing that's letting me share these in the first place, which won't do you any good."
first-and-final
Ruck nods. "I'll... try them... if you want."
"Thank you," says Stalas. "Which one first?"
"Sense...?"
"Thank you," says Stalas. "Which one first?"
"Sense...?"
first-and-final
"Aaah!" exclaims Ruck. "Can't see! Can't feel the Stone! I don't want it!"
Stalas looks intensely sympathetic.
Stalas looks intensely sympathetic.
first-and-final
Ruck stands there rubbing his face for a few seconds, with a deeply unsettled expression. Then he says, "I can... the next one."
(Stalas is quietly impressed.)
(Stalas is quietly impressed.)
first-and-final
...Ruck squints at Annie, then at Stalas, then at Annie again.
"What's wrong?" says Stalas.
"I can't... faces?" says Ruck, puzzled.
"What's wrong?" says Stalas.
"I can't... faces?" says Ruck, puzzled.
first-and-final
"I can't... I don't see... they're there but I don't..."
"Do you mean you can't see faces anymore?"
"I don't know..."
"Do you mean you can't see faces anymore?"
"I don't know..."
first-and-final
Squint. "Yes..."
"What colour are they?" prompts Stalas.
"Brown..."
"Okay," says Stalas. "So you can still see faces, but there is something wrong with the way you see faces."
Ruck nods.
"What colour are they?" prompts Stalas.
"Brown..."
"Okay," says Stalas. "So you can still see faces, but there is something wrong with the way you see faces."
Ruck nods.
first-and-final
"Not..." says Ruck.
"Something else wrong with the way you see faces, then," says Stalas.
"I can't see... which," says Ruck.
"Come again?" says Stalas.
"Which... faces."
"...You can't tell the difference between different people's faces?"
Ruck nods.
"That is a really strange magic effect," says Stalas.
"Something else wrong with the way you see faces, then," says Stalas.
"I can't see... which," says Ruck.
"Come again?" says Stalas.
"Which... faces."
"...You can't tell the difference between different people's faces?"
Ruck nods.
"That is a really strange magic effect," says Stalas.
keep_busy
"I think some people just have that normally, actually," says Annie. "That artifact's going to be so popular, you'd just have to get all your friends to wear nametags... and I haven't noticed because I'm actually blind."