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

[ .......

meekly: ] Will we lose what we've given?

No. If something brings you hope, I would rather not take it from you.

But you can still draw power from it? How?

It's the hope that matters, not the object. The object helps concentrate it, that's all.

And you'll just use this power to restore the other gods, won't you?

[ YEAH she's on to you, buddy friend ]

I haven't lied to any of you. I intend to try to investigate the Door first, but as I have no knowledge of it, I may need to look elsewhere for assistance.

And you think that these other gods will know how to get us home?

Possibly. Someone must have told Fear about it.

Hang on, you mean that Fear knows a way for us to leave? And there isn't a way we could... trap him, find out what it is?

He doesn't know anything, though if you'd like to try to trap him, feel free. That would be very entertaining.

Then what did you mean, "someone must have told Fear about it," if he doesn't know anything?

He knew how to activate it, which I didn't. Logically, someone must have told him.

But he knows nothing else.

[ As Hope's said, then, the 'god' who'd told Fear would be more likely to have the information they need. In that case, there isn't much more that she has to say to Hope.

--Except: ]

And you have no guesses as to which god it might be who knows?

video;

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Don't tell me you're considering it.

No; I still don't trust either of them. But, if people are making offerings, they'd best know that they may lose it.

If people are considering it, then they deserve to lose what they've got. [ these people could be damaging their chances of returning home for all they know. it makes her so sour. ]

They're desperate. [ She insists; though Cecily really agrees with Sharon on the bottom line, here, she knows there are some who're younger in their kidnapped ranks. People who may not know to think or distrust such an offer. ] And that will push them to anything. I'm not sure we can dissuade them from it, but... we ought to come up with a plan if this turns on us.

[ As it likely will. ]

You mean when this turns on us. [ because it's just a matter of time. ]

What should we even expect? [ they will literally have to plan for anything. more hallucinations? illusions? how do they plan for that? ]

When this turns on us. [ She corrects. Sharon is right; when things have the potential to go wrong in one way or another, it always seems to happen. Cecily sighs shortly, shaking her head. ]

I don't know. We've seen the monsters that Fear can produce, but we've no idea what kinds of things Hope will use to fight against him. I don't sense that fighting's his style, but he's got to take a stand somehow. Otherwise, he seems weaker.

It's not as if any of this hurts Hope. Why would he even bother?

If he needs to earn our favor, to encourage the feeling of hope more than he needs to steer clear of Fear, then I think it'd be in his best interests to keep us safer and happy... relatively.

Which could just mean he'll maintain the status quo.

If he does nothing and Fear keeps at his usual tactics - [ Cecily says, making a bitter face. ] then it's more likely the scales will tip in the other's favor. Hope has to give us some good to keep things balanced, at least.

[ something seems to click. ] ...Like a book? [ Noah had asked if it were an apology for the events prior. She'd assumed he was correct, but she hadn't even considered the reasoning behind it. It hadn't been an apology, it'd been a way to gather hope from them. ]

Like... a book.

[ When Sharon says it, she remembers: a book arriving out of nowhere, one with tales and songs from Thedas. It had been a small comfort, but she'd been more suspicious than anything.

Rightfully so, it seems. ]

Damn it! [ She releases a frustrated exhale, clutching the device tight in her hand. ] No matter what they do, good or bad, we're just... eating right out of their blighted hands.

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video; hope this is ok

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