thebastion | Event: Day 336 [open]

[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?]

She's the one who's been throwing them off the bastion of late.

Or one of them, anyway.

She- she threw them off?

[Zahi sounds surprised right now.]

I thought she had just stuck them in a secret hiding place or something! Mother above, why.

[The italicized part is said in Ura as he rubs at his face in frustration, though it is translated for anyone wearing amulets anyway.]

I'm sorry, I shouldn't have given her the idea to hide a few in the first place. I thought that was better than explaining the truth to her, but intentions mean little, I suppose.

[Zuko isn't exactly suspicious of that answer, but she is annoyed. Kids deserve the truth.]

It might've been smart to tell the rest of us, at least. I guess it never crossed your mind to mention you knew who the thief might be?

[Colin glances at Zuko. THIS is where you're choosing to get irate? Seriously?]

[He looks back to Zahi then, and he sighs and gives a tense smile. At least Zuko seems more than willing to be the bad cop. That takes some heat off of him.]

You're not the only one, don't worry. Samuel apparently also put the idea into her head. You know how kids can get when they've got a good idea.

Have the kids said anything else to you? Or anyone else for that matter? This is new ground for everyone, so lots of things we'd take for granted have the potential to bite us in the ass right about now.

[Umbreon seems to be wanting to visit the Ura. He'll wait for her to come back out before picking her up.]

[He does feel bad about it, but he chuckles a little, to relive the stress of the situation.]

It's been too long since my girls were kids, I'd forgotten how they can take to ideas like that.

[And to answer Zuko's question, he shakes his head at her.]

I didn't think she knew where the compasses were kept. She must've seen where someone got them from at some point.

[Now, for the rest of what Colin says, he does have an answer!]

Now that you mention it, Samuel did say something weird to me once. Something about Nate talking about bringing everyone back to life? I didn't think it was weird at the time, but you don't think it could be something important, do you?

[Colin, with you here, she's in a constant state of anger. It's just a matter of how well she can keep a lid on it.]

Bringing people back to life? That'd be a strange way of talking about the Restore function, but I don't know what else he would mean.

[They're going to have to talk to Nathaniel now, aren't they.]

[Maybe you should learn how to deal with people you don't like, Zuko. All that stress'll drive you nuts.]

[In the meantime, he's just going to pinch the bridge of his nose.]

It's the eternal fetch quest today, I swear to each and every God...

Thank you for that information, Zahi. We really appreciate it.

Maybe next time, tell kids not to throw stuff off the side of the Bastion?

[He hopes that his joking tone is well conveyed.]

We were worried for a moment, but it sounds like this was just a big misunderstanding brought about by inexperience. In the meantime, I'm going to go talk to Nathan and see if this is something we need to be concerned about.

[You don't have to come, Zuko. We're past the point of needing an armed escort.]

[Also, Zahi's not totally off the hook. Suspicion is in Colin's head. Fortunately, he's already suspicious of most people in the Bastion, so this is not anything new...]

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

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