retested | IC Inbox

[Now that he knows the Fourth God really IS in the computers and can see what you type, he's not sure that contacting Amanda for information about the Fog God is the wisest choice. Especially not so soon after his conversation with the Fourth. But Ryslig is a big place and there's no way he'd be lucky enough to just stumble across her if he goes out for a walk.]

I'm not in trouble, which I know is the main reason you gave me this number. But I do have questions, and I'm not sure who else I can ask.
Or if this is even the place to be asking questions about the gods.
Specific, detailed questions, I mean.

[The kind of questions that could lead a person into joining one side or the other. He and Jataro have the general idea of things, but what they DON'T have is a solid reason to trust either god. They've both got their pros and cons, and it's making for a difficult decision for the boys.]

Go ahead and ask. I'll answer what I can.

What does the Fog God want for this world? Do you know?
I spoke to the Fourth God, and he said he wants to stop the suffering she's causing here but..."suffering" is a very broad, non-specific term.
It's the kind of language you use when trying to appeal to someone's emotions over their common sense in the hopes that they won't ask too many questions.

And some people deserve to suffer.

[He's trying to keep it generalized, just in case the Fourth IS watching them. He has the sneaking suspicion that Amanda is at least a supporter, if not full on follower of the fog, given that she capitalized Her when speaking to Jataro. But he can hardly say that so plainly if it means potentially outing her to her enemy.]

Okay. This peninsula here? Ryslig? It's all that's left of this world. I don't know why. What I do know is that the Fog God is trying to preserve what's left and protect us. She turns us into monsters to free us, to grant us strength and power. I died before I showed up here, shot in the fucking neck, but She brought me back to life and gave me the means to defend myself. The extra mouths I received on my arms took the place of some old wounds. What used to mark me as weak now makes me stronger.

And you're right: some people DO deserve to suffer.

So really, they both want the same thing...just not in the same way?
The Fog wants to protect monsters and the Fourth wants to protect humans? Or is it more complicated than that?

It's not that simple. The Fourth stole a part of Her power, okay? He's a human impostor setting himself up as a god. He used his power to invade our minds AND sent people inside to violate our thoughts.

The Fog God calls us Her children. She's personally comforted and reassured me many times. She wants us to be safe and free but she doesn't underestimate us. She knows that most of the time, with the gifts She's given us, we can protect ourselves.

I don't know of a single thing the Fourth wants for us, other than to serve as tools to overthrow Her. He claims he'll send his followers home once that's accomplished but there's zero fucking proof he'll follow through. And what the hell would I go home to, anyway? Nonexistence. I'd be a fucking corpse. I'm not going to betray the one who resurrected me here and gave me a second chance to live.

I don't want to go back either. He told me that, if he won, I wouldn't have to go back if I didn't want to but...if he's just going to to maintain the status quo between adults and children, then I don't want to stay here either.

I can't blame a child for stealing power from an adult, that's really the only way that we can. But I don't think I like what he intends to do with that power. I don't want to go back to living in a "normal" society.
At least once I start changing, I can protect myself. And I can protect other children too.

I want a paradise where children can live without fear of adults. A safe place where they can't hurt us.
Will the Fog God allow such a place to exist here?

I don't know everything, but I know this much: She's nothing like the parents I had as a kid, and I would never align myself with someone who was. When she says "children" she doesn't mean "people to smack around."

And her followers? They're the same?

My boss at the labs is another one of her followers. He's also a child, and as far as I know none of the others have ever tried to start shit with him.

[Yes, Nagisa, you read that right: she literally works under the supervision of a child. They also rival one another in terms of Fog-crazy, so they get along pretty damn well.]

[Incredible. Adults working under children. Now that's the kind of shit he wants to hear.]

I see. I need to speak with Jataro first, and tell him everything I have learned but...if we wished to join her ranks, how would we do that?

[He may be the leader but this is an important decision. He's not going to force Jataro into anything if he doesn't want to do it. That's being a tyrant, not a leader.]

Edited (whoops lost my html) 2017-03-09 23:53 (UTC)

You'll need to go to Her version of Dyster. Each of Her followers has a special key to unlock the door.

So...we would have to go with you? I'm assuming it's not the same Dyster as the one I saw on a map in the library.

The one you saw on the map is dead and abandoned. Hers isn't.

I'll take the two of you there if Jataro agrees to it.

Where's her Dyster then? There wa snly one on the map.

Alright. I will contact you again once we've had a chance to talk it over. He wrote a letter to the Fog God today, and I'm sure he'll want to hear her answer before making a decision.
Admittedly, I am also curious as to what she has to say to him.

Thank you, Amanda.

Hard to say where it is. No matter which door you use the key on, they all lead to the same place. I've taken to thinking of it as a parallel reality, but how true that is I have no goddamn idea.

No problem. I'm glad you came to me with this.

I see. Maybe it's another dimension. But if it's somewhere safe, where most people can't get to...that's all that really matters.

You're the only adult I've met here that I can trust even a little bit.
And judging by your conversation with Jataro, I had a feeling you must know something about the Fog God. You wouldn't have capitalized Her if you didn't find her important.

Edited 2017-03-11 17:35 (UTC)

She saved my life. I owe Her everything.

Where do you live? I need to talk to you in person.

Where I live isn't safe for anyone but me. Tell me where to meet you.

Do you have traps set up?
Meet me in Dyster then. It'll take me a few minutes to get to my key, but that's probably the safest place to talk.
...unless that's the place where you have traps set up.

Kid, you have no idea.

Dyster is fine. I'll probably get there first, so keep an eye out for me.

Well that's good. The more traps the better, at a time like this.
I'm sure you'll beat me there, so I'll keep an eye out. I'll see you soon.

["A few minutes" is going to end up being closer to ten, but...he has a good reason for not having his key with him. Promise! Once he does make it there, he begins looking around for the faerie immediately, brushing past the eager town residents who come to greet him. He doesn't have time to talk to you guys right now, sorry. Maybe later.]

[Amanda's leaning up against some other follower's shack (as if she'd EVER point the way towards her own safehouse), arms crossed guardedly by the time Nagisa approaches. When she sees him she inclines her head, waving him over.]

What happened?

[Because there's no way this is just a social call, not while all this corruption bullshit is happening.]

[She's not wrong to assume that. It's definitely not a social call. But once he catches sight of her, the little nymph jogs over to her.]

Hm? Oh...well nothing new. There's just something I needed to ask you, and I didn't want to say it over the network. In case...you know. [Fourth God decided to be a nosy shit. He's still not sure if private channels are safe from him, but he doesn't want to test it. He glances around to make sure there's nobody nearby, and then lowers his voice. Not quite to a whisper, but definitely a soft indoor voice.]

This is going to sound random but...the fog zones. Do you get bigger and more monstrous when you go inside them? [He's talking about fog forms, but he doesn't actually know those are a thing. He just knows that he's seen some monsters get bigger and scarier when they go into one of her zones. And that seems like it would actually be an advantage, so maybe it's not something that fog followers are immune to. Or maybe it's something that specifically happens just to them. It's not like he knows many of her followers yet.]

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<SageOfHope> backdated to some tbd day in last week and a half of feb

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<SageOfHope> apr 7th

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WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, AMANDA. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 102.92.004.06 * gameover has joined 102.92.004.06 <gameover> This is Amanda. <gameover> If you need to contact me, do so here. <gameover>** DO NOT waste my time with stupid shit.