inourhead | what in the longdark spitting-pit is that

This was a bad idea this was a bad idea this was a bad idea.

Holly runs as fast as she can but the demon's faster. She has no idea where Lightning's gotten to; maybe he found a tree to climb. She on the other hand has been diverted into a treeless hill and she's careening down a slope, trying very hard not to trip.

And the demon's gaining on her.

She's never seen anything like it and neither has Crystal; maybe Book knows what it is but Book's asleep. It's mostly mouth - it looks like a cross between a floorlength mirror of a mouth and a snake to propel the mouth along.

And Holly's not fast enough.

The mouth catches her.

But it doesn't hurt.

Where are we?

----

with Minus (kappa)

with Mark (kappa)

with Max (Benedict)

in Terraria (kappa)

with Emma (Marri)

with Erin (Rockeye)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

follow_the_leader

Emma will now be using her prophesied creativity to try to explain these symbols to Holly and Crystal. It's stretching her Holly-Crystal-approved vocabulary quite a bit.

She declines to attempt to interpret them. They're... not encouraging, in her opinion. She would have liked to see a triumph, or a luck, or maybe a surprise. Things like patience and time are rather less optimistic.

From:

inourhead

Crystal tries to follow along, but doesn't seem to understand the meanings attached to their coins.

From:

follow_the_leader

Emma finally just waves a hand at them. "They say- together, it is- wait, and do not be sad?"

From:

inourhead

"Coins know things?" asks Crystal skeptically.

From:

follow_the_leader

"A person gave Jenny's mom a coin for baby Jenny," Emma says. "The coin said Jenny would be a very happy person." She does not even bother to continue explaining. She just- waves, speakingly, in Jenny's direction.

Edited Date: 2014-10-24 06:29 pm (UTC)

From:

joy_in_laughter

Muffled giggles!

From:

inourhead

Notes, notes, notes - also giggles!

From:

cry_me_a

Alli cackles. She doesn't get joy much, but she's pretty pleased about her honesty coin. (She uses it as an excuse sometimes. "But I'm blessed with honesty! I had to say it!")

"So we still doing this?" she asks. "Riverbank?"

From:

follow_the_leader

Emma considers Holly and Crystal. They don't seem super hopeful, she doesn't think going to the riverbank to at least look around is going to be... be... unfairly building up hopes, or anything. But it might make them feel better?

"Riverbank," she decides.

Back to the streets it is.

From:

inourhead

Holly comes forth to follow along. She seems keenly interested in most of the things that are around.

From:

follow_the_leader

Emma notices her fascination, but doesn't really know where to start. The city all seems ordinary to her. Large and bustling and often dirty and the same as ever. "Tell me if you want me to talk about things," she tells Holly.

But then they're passing through the main square, and Emma has an even better idea than the riverbank. "Oh, wait wait wait! We should ask them instead."

Them is three old blind women sitting in the middle of the square.

"They know things," she tells Holly and Crystal. "People pay them to know things, because they know so many things. If someone met your brother, they will know."

From:

inourhead

Holly opens her mouth, decides she has no prayer of getting out a coherent version of the sentiment in mind, and shrugs and follows Emma to them.

From:

follow_the_leader

"You can pay them coins or pay them by telling them new things," Emma explains. "Things about your brother might cost a lot of coins-" someone appearing via a brand new magic would be expensive- "so I will tell them about you. Is that okay?"

From:

inourhead

"...They... see?" ask Holly.

From:

cry_me_a

"Nope," Alli says. "People call them the blind sisters. Blind means they can't see. Is no one blind, where you live?"

From:

inourhead

"...Person not see. Mouse not see, person see," attempts Holly.

From:

follow_the_leader

That hadn't occurred to Emma, though she supposes it makes sense. But, she should make sure what Holly means, just in case. "Person tired, mouse not tired. Holly touch them. Mouse tired, person not tired. Same?"

From:

inourhead

"Yes."

From:

joy_in_laughter

"Wait, Ems, does she mean she can fix blindness?"

From:

follow_the_leader

"I think so, yeah," Emma says. "Welcome to my day."

She approaches the seers and stops before them. "I have a trade to make," she says. "I wish to know if a boy has appeared in the city."

"That is very broad," one of the sisters says disapprovingly. "Many boys come to this city."

"He would not have come into the city. He would have appeared, from thin air. He would not speak Welchin, only a language never before recorded in Welce."

This causes the sisters to mutter amongst themselves. "How is such a thing possible?" one asks her finally, wary.

"...I don't yet know. But the girl with me is his sister. She appeared before me last night, and searches for her brother. If he can be found, she offers a cure for your blindness."

This causes more muttering, somewhat more frantically. Finally one- the oldest one?- returns her blank, rolled-back eyes to Emma. "We have lacked our sight for years, and fear to adjust to its return," she admits. "This will bear thought, though we much appreciate the kindness. We regret that we have heard of no such boy."

Emma hands her a quint-silver, but the seer returns it immediately. "The knowledge of this girl and her ability is payment and more. No coin is needed."

Emma shrugs, thanks them, and returns to give Holly and Crystal and her friends the bad news. "I'm sorry," she tells Holly apologetically. "They haven't heard of him."