thebastion | Event: Day 336 [open]

[A tight frown when Colin speaks. Don't interfere with her pseudo-parenting, Colin. In fact, don't talk at all, she doesn't want to accidentally snap at Anna. Too bad she can't pull the amulet removal trick again without being unable to talk to the girl either.

She lets out a short breath.]

Anna... I know how you feel. But hiding in the Bastion won't keep us safe. You remember what happened when it ran out of power?

Our best chance is in working together, and being honest with each other. And if Nathaniel's right, we shouldn't have to risk the Skyway for too much longer.

[Umbreon paws at Colin, before wandering over towards Anna again, picking up one of the compasses in her mouth and dropping it on Anna's lap. You wanted these, right?]

[Her actual parent is RIGHT THERE Zuko... He appreciates what you're trying to do, he brought you here for a reason after all, but quit making promises that aren't your place to make.]

[But he's not going to push the matter, instead he's going to help Ippo gather up the other fallen compasses while the emotionally intelligent people handle things. Barring the one Umbreon took, naturally.]

[Speaking of Stewart, he is comforting his daughter as best as he can, but he's not...really the emotional type. But he'll speak up now, since they seem to have an answer from Anna.]

She seems to be a bit misguided, that's all. I can't imagine how she got this idea into her head, but I can talk to her about it and explain things to her.

[He's right though, Anna wouldn't have thought of something like this on her own, she was never told what the compasses were for. Itty kids not needing to go out on the Skyway, and all.]

[Colin furrows his brow slightly, and he looks between Stewart and Zuko. Is nobody else picking up on this?]

Anna... Did anyone talk to you about this? About these? These compasses are so people can find their way back here, not so they can leave and never return...

[There's that nagging paranoia again. It COULDN'T have been so easy as to be a scared kid...]

[C'mon, the only thing Zuko promised was that no one would get angry at Anna. Which she can't exactly keep, but she can absolutely fight anyone who does get angry at her.

But it doesn't seem necessary. Even her father just wants to talk to her.

She's about to get up and call it mission complete when Colin speaks up again. She grits her teeth, but there's nothing in his question to put blame on Anna so she'll just wait for the answer.]

[Stewart picks up on what Colin is doing, and he nods to Colin and stays quiet.

Anna rubs at her eyes as she answers.]

Nate told us all about the compasses and what they do, but Sammy said that everyone who takes them gets lost. Mr. Zahi said Sammy's just reacting badly to people disappearing and not to worry too much, and that only people who know what they're doing will take them anyway. But I was still worried, and he said that if it made me feel better then I could hide them and only give them to people who could fight.

[She looks down at the ground.]

But Nate kept making more, so I had to keep hiding them.

[Zuko frowns, this time in some confusion. This could still be a case of misunderstandings and miscommunication, but... it's sounding a lot hazier.]

Hiding them? I thought you'd been getting rid of them.

[And as far as Zuko knows, she never did approach any of their fighters about this. Zuko should have been one of them, too.]

[Now we're starting to get somewhere... He gives Zuko a quick glance, then he looks back to Anna.]

Could you show us where you've been hiding them, Anna?

We're not mad, we just really need to know where everything has gone.

[He suspects that SOMEONE is playing games here... he doesn't like to think it's Zahi, but he definitely hasn't ruled it out either. He ALSO really wishes that there were a telepath here so they could hold a conversation without frightening the kid...]

[Anna points to the edge of the Bastion.]

Out there. Nate and Mr. Zulf fell off and came back, so these'll come back too, right?

[Child Logic]

[Are we looking for something? Umbreon sniffs at the compass, and heads in the direction Anna's pointing. She will sniff out the thing!]

[Someone should probably stop her before she tries to sniff the thing out over the edge.]

[Well, they're definitely gone then.]

Did someone tell you they would? That only works for people.

[Yep.]

[Colin walks after Umbreon and gives a quiet whistle for the Pokemon's benefit. He looks out over the edge just in case Anna knows something they don't, but he's of the same mind as Zuko. They're definitely gone.]

[Zuko seems to have Anna well in hand, time to talk to her papa briefly. He imagines that daddy and daughter are going to do quite a bit of talking after all of this...]

Stewart, if she remembers anything else, can you please find me and tell me immediately? I'm going to go talk to Zahi in the meantime.

Zuko, Umbreon, can you come with me? I don't think it will go badly, but I'd rather not be unpleasantly surprised by myself.

[He cups his hands around his mouth to be heard in the distance.]

Ikuri, can you come over here please?

[In truth, she likely would've heard that even without the assistance, but- there you have it, she's coming your way now. There is just a bit of hesitation, though; nobody's watching the entrance if she leaves it, so...are they still in danger...? Perhaps Colin doesn't believe so; she'll trust his word for now.]

[On that note, though: when she does come over to the group? The expression she's got probably hints that she heard quite a bit.]

[Anna's face falls when she hears that.]

Noooo, I thought they came back up too!

[Stewart will take over from there though, and he will try to console her and tell her that Nathaniel can make more.

In the meantime, on to Zahi? He's at home right now.]

[Zuko doesn't exactly acknowledge Colin's request, she just starts ~~stalking~~ walking for Zahi's home without waiting for the others.

If she were the type, she'd be cursing under her breath, but she's just silently hoping something unlikely will happen to hold Colin up so she can talk to Zahi alone. Maybe Ikuri can distract him. Or he could fall of the edge of the Bastion. Or something could explode. Anything to get him away from her.

Knocking on Zahi's door now.]

Zahi, are you home?

[She can't help sounding impatient, considering her mood.]

[Sorry, Zuko. That ain't happening.]

[He looks at Ikuri as he starts walking. He'll let Zuko go first, better to let someone else take point in a potentially hostile situation anyway.]

Ikuri, this is getting a little more complicated... I need you to keep standing guard at the Skyway entrance, but don't let ANYONE leave for the next hour or so. We're going to need to talk to everyone here pretty soon, I think.

And if things go poorly, I suspect one or two people might try to run. Don't hassle anyone, just tell them that Colin needs them to stay in the Bastion for a little while. Okay? If they run, though... you might consider knocking them down. No killing, got it?

[Whoops, there's Zahi's house. He's also letting Zuko knock first because, ah ha ha, Zayna.]

[Zahi opens the door right up, and is as cheerful as always.]

Hey there! Why the long faces, did we get some bad news?

Not exactly.

[Potentially bad? It depends on what Zahi has to say.]

Do you remember talking to Anna about the compasses?

[...Strange and unsettling, all of this. But she does comprehend, and you get a nod for your trouble...even a second one for emphasis as she's walking back to her post. Don't let anyone leave. She can do that.]

[Repulse them gently if there's any resistance. ...but she's not really equipped for that. She has no moral problem with not killing, quite the opposite, but it is true that her build makes it a lot harder. Scorpions were built with claws and stingers, after all, for purposes that weren't gentle.]

[Nonetheless, she'll...she'll do her best to comply. No killing, that's only slightly tricky. Keeping more than one escapee pinned without seriously hurting them...that will be harder. She only has the one body to work with.]

[- not to mention the other problem. A whole hour? Potentially more?]

[...The clock's only started on this task and she's already bored...]

[Colin watches Anna go, briefly, before turning his attention back to Zahi. Zuko seems to have the questioning well in hand at the moment, but he's not about to leave it all in Zuko's hands if he can avoid it.]

[Zahi has to think on that for a moment, it's been a bit since that conversation.]

I did, a while back. Just after the doctor disappeared on the Skyway, I think? She was upset about people gettin' lost out there, so I talked to her about it to try to make her feel better.

[~~She can handle this, Colin, fuck off.~~]

She says you suggested she hide them.

[She looks at him expectantly for an explanation.]

[he strokes at his chin thoughtfully, trying to recall just what happened.]

You know, I think I did say something like that, after I handed her a couple of 'em. I figured Nate wouldn't miss two or three, and if 'hiding them so people don't use them and get lost' helps Anna feel better, then it's worth it, right?

Why are you asking, was Nate looking for those couple I gave her?

[Excuse me did you call for a small animal? Umbreon is done sniffing at the edge of the Bastion and follows along after them, though it takes a minute for her to show up. She squeezes into the house and sits next to Zuko, looking up at Zahi expectantly. Things? Things happening?]

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I am so sorry for the wait. Had a lot to do. x_x

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