hadriel | two ✤ video

[Hope still hasn't quite grasped human niceties, so he appears on the network suddenly, with no leadup and no greeting. As usual, he looks vaguely stressed and displeased.]

It has become obvious to me that I don't quite know how you creatures work. I need your hope, and unlike Fear I don't intend to bombard you with imagery just in case something sticks. Whether you like me or not, we're working together, in a way - without me, you'd all starve, without you, my power is lessened. I know you all so desperately want to go home, and without more power there's really no chance of that. So I have a proposal.

[He leans in, just a little.]

Bring me things that inspire hope in you. Place them on the altar in my temple over the next week or so, give me some idea of what it will take to draw hope out of you humans. If you can imbue them with more power - inspire hope in others with your ideas, work together, form bonds - that's even better.

As you all seem to enjoy being disagreeable, I do have more incentive then simply helping me out. Whoever brings me the thing that gives me the most power will receive my blessing. It's quite rare and valuable, it will impart to you the the ability to heal others for a certain amount of time. Since you all seem quite squishy and easily injured, I've no doubt that would be useful.

In addition, if I receive enough power, I'll waste some of it on a treat for all of you. So there's plenty of reason to help me out. Get to work.

[And that seems to be that. No farewell here, just Hope shutting the feed off. Feel free to ask him questions, if you'd like. He might even answer.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ as cullen is still very unfamiliar with this whole 'technology' thing, there's a close-up of him squinting at the phone before he realizes, oh. it's working. ]

Or you could not waste power and instead send us home.

[ he is so unimpressed. ]

Oh, not another one.

[He's so frustrated.]

Very well, I'll explain again. I didn't bring you here, I don't know how to send you home, I don't have enough power to even try to find out. Are we clear?

Then perhaps you shouldn't imply that you can when asking us to give you more power. Or did you mean something else when you said that our return is impossible without that?

[ the frustration goes both ways, hope. ]

Did you miss the part where I need power to even begin to try? I'm starting to wonder if your human ears even work at all.

And I'm saying you should have said that in the first place instead of just saying that you need power to get us home. There was no "try" involved in your first mention of the idea.

Very well. I need power to try. Is that acceptable to you?

No.

You've given us no reason to trust you--just demands and unpleasantness.

I could say precisely the same thing about all of you.

We're not the ones with the power here.

[ and that is so upsetting. ]

I suppose that's fair enough, but in the grand scheme of things, I have no more power than you do in plenty of ways. And most of my power is spent taking care of you.

[ he pauses for a long moment, frowning thoughtfully. ]

What would happen if you did not? If we hunted, planted and harvested, and you used the power you have to research this... thing that brought us here?

[ this is a hypothetical question. mostly. ]

[He thinks about that, considering.]

It might help. It would take a long time, of course, and most of you would have to be willing to do it, but it would free up a good portion of my power.

And--if this should happen and result in you having more power--what would you do then?

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