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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
wormcan
"The Protectorate actually encourages rogues; it's a misnomer but it stuck. Joining a team of heroes is the responsible thing because for their own reasons most parahumans default to fighting on one side or the other. But we're in favor of capes not having to be either with us or against us.
It's independent vigilantes that usually turn out badly. If you go into crimefighting, don't do it alone."
It's independent vigilantes that usually turn out badly. If you go into crimefighting, don't do it alone."
imeanforever
"One thing I'm concerned about is that if I go out and about I'm more likely to run across someone's name by mistake. I managed to get a name I wasn't even looking for by sitting in my room keeping to myself except when visited. If I travel to make gates and heal and so on... The nature of the power makes it very easy for people to try to use me as a weapon against each other, and however scrupulous I am about that this will eventually make someone very frightened of me, I expect. I'm worried that eventually that will get ugly."
wormcan
"I don't have an easy solution to that. We can minimize it, put you in contact with as few individuals as possible and mostly capes, but people will worry and be right to.
One thing I can say is that there is little risk of people intentionally using you as a weapon during Endbringer fights. It would be a clear violation of the truce; if anyone violated that their own teammates would turn on them. But you would not have the same protection if you join Panacea at the hospital on a normal day."
One thing I can say is that there is little risk of people intentionally using you as a weapon during Endbringer fights. It would be a clear violation of the truce; if anyone violated that their own teammates would turn on them. But you would not have the same protection if you join Panacea at the hospital on a normal day."
imeanforever
"Well, then I suppose I can sit around healing people as best I can during Endbringer fights. But it's harder to heal people I haven't observed for a while beforehand."
wormcan
"You won't have that. They'd be from all around the world, even more so if you agree to make gates. And many of them are villains outside of the truce, whom I hope you aren't going to spend much time around."
imeanforever
"Well, I could probably still do it if the harmonics were flat and there were no distractions in the room. ...Probably just ordinary mortals; I wouldn't know what to do with a Case 53 unless a lot of those are secretly fairies, which I imagine would have been noticed."
imeanforever
"We don't all look alike, but the Master power is consistent, yes."
wormcan
"A few capes can give and enforce commands, and the reliance on names could theoretically be hidden. But they don't seem to operate that way, and none of them have wings."
imeanforever
"Probably not fairies, then. Do you need me to make you any more harmonic maps or are you all set?"
wormcan
"We can't test the intermediate versions without them. If you need us to leave you alone, by the time we return we'll have something that seems like it should work, but it will have been built blind."
imeanforever
"Okay. I don't exactly have anything else to do, just wondering."
Map. Map map map.
Map. Map map map.
wormcan
The device is making progress. A few times one cape or the other will leave and come back with tools or parts; part of the huge room is turning into an impromptu workshop. When one of the attempts manages to make the harmonics within the room undetectably close to flat, they move the equipment closer to the door and keep working.
imeanforever
Promise can make finer-grained maps if they're getting that close. And three-dimensional maps.
wormcan
Tinkers can get singlemindedly boring when they're focused, but they will reach a working result eventually.
(Armsmaster is likely to lose track of the fact that time has a habit of moving. If Promise needs to sleep or anything, she may need to remind him.)
(Armsmaster is likely to lose track of the fact that time has a habit of moving. If Promise needs to sleep or anything, she may need to remind him.)
wormcan
Physical needs are inconvenient. But when she turns down their offer of advanced stimulants they are capable of acknowledging that decision. They'll be back the next day.
imeanforever
And Promise curls up on the bed she was supplied, with her bag under her arm and a ward around her and it both.
wormcan
They leave a cell phone and instructions for whenever she wants to continue. They never did ask how much down time fairies prefer, and for that matter Armsmaster has more or less forgotten how much humans who aren't him do.
imeanforever
Well, Promise sleeps for about eight hours and then tests her gate and nibbles on her food and calls.
wormcan
"We'll be down shortly."
And they are. The current version of the device looks much neater than it was last night, as well as more portable. Technically wearable, but the power armor is helping with that. "First thing, can you check that we didn't go too wrong and it still works in here?"
And they are. The current version of the device looks much neater than it was last night, as well as more portable. Technically wearable, but the power armor is helping with that. "First thing, can you check that we didn't go too wrong and it still works in here?"