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[manofmettle]

Danse here.

Firstly, thanks are in order to the person who wrote that introduction pamphlet for newcomers. It offered enough to give most of us a brief but broad overview of what's going on here.

However, and I would like to stress that I mean no offence to the person who took the time and effort to write that newcomer's guide, I'd still like to learn more about the history of this city. I've seen the murals on the Colosseum walls; they're vivid, but I'd like a more detailed record of past events.

If anyone's willing to share what they know, please respond to this post. Thank you.

Comments

[manofmettle]

[He wouldn't put it that crudely, although Danse understands that some of the gods really like to make life soul-crushingly difficult for everyone just to get their jollies.

Still, he's not too sure that Hope and Delight would want to send their power sources home just to avoid said bitching. After all, what's a little complaining when you're slowly regaining your powers, enough to bring back the rest of your kind?

No point bringing that up here, but at the very least there's no known malicious intent from Hope and Delight. Maybe he could talk with them directly later on, try and figure out what those two are on. At least those two tried; Danse suspects Tranquillity would rather leave things be and take the easy way out. Confusion and Fear were, to quote Rey, "collective assholes", and Rage didn't seem much better either.]

I don't like having my emotions manipulated. The mistletoe was fairly harmless, but the next god might not be so kind. I'm not looking forward to what the gods have in plan next.

What caused the Door to begin bringing people into the city? If it had been dormant before the first group of prisoners, something or someone must have set it off. Was it one of the gods?

[unitas]

[ No one ever looks forward to what the gods will bring with them next, even when it's the easier gods like Delight and Hope. ]

Fear opened the Door without much knowledge other than the fact that it would bring him things that would give him more power. You could talk to him about it but they're tight-lipped about things like the Door, or how to kill them.

[manofmettle]

I've been informed on their reluctance to discuss the Door, but it's good to get double confirmation on the matter.

What of the rest of them? Do they also desire more power? Some of them are opposing emotions, which would imply some measure of competition for our emotions.

And judging from your list, there does not seem to be an established pattern to which god will strike next. How often do they cause one of their events? The guide has given a timeframe of at least one year since the first group of abductees; would it be accurate to assume an average of two events per month? How often does the Door open as well?

[unitas]

They all desire power. It's kind of how they keep from dying again. They hope. (Side Note: All the gods but Fear and Hope were killed in some excruciating way by something they won't tell us about and it's likely it's what killed their previous worshippers/inhabitants of the cave)

Fear does the most bullshit. It's been over a year now since the Door was opened, by nearly three or four months now. Two events a month? Yeah, that sounds accurate, though it really can vary. Some last days, some last weeks. It's a grab-bag. The Door opens once a month or every couple of weeks. It's on a pretty set schedule.

[manofmettle]

That explains why the guard were present at the colosseum. I'll be sure to try and keep track of the dates. I'm not part of the guard, but I'd still like to see if there's anyone I can help.

There's the guide, the city guard, and the clinic. Would you happen to know if there are other initiatives taken to assist newcomers?

[unitas]

Rey set up a generator using the river, which gives a portion of the city electricity without having to rely upon Hope for it. Richie's got a pawn shop set up. Emily and Pell have opened up their own little sewing shop. There are also secret caches around the city full of emergency supplies for when situations get out of control. They're bright red, impossible to miss; all you have to do is look for a triple moon symbol painted on the wall and it should lead you right to one.

[manofmettle]

Thank you. This is all very useful information, especially about the emergency supplies.

I've taken up a fair bit of your time, but if I can, I'd like to have one last question. It might be a little personal.

[unitas]

You can ask but I can't promise an answer. [ Honesty is the best policy. ]

Private

[manofmettle]

I understand.

[Switching to Private now.]

Did you regret the danger you placed people in when you tried to find the Door?

[Maybe this person was bored and had nothing to do but answer a bunch of random questions on the network. Or maybe they were genuinely trying to help him, in which case they might not be as flippant as he originally thought they were.

He'd like to know which one he's dealing with.]

Private

[unitas]

No. I mean, I do, people died, but I don't... I can't regret trying. I won't. To others, that may seem cruel or thoughtless, but I've spent all my life being used by others or hunted to be used. I'm not going to regret fighting back, even if it endangered others. We're in danger every single day we're here. I would rather try, fail, and die a thousand times over than to roll over and let myself be used by them.

[ And he likely won't understand. Most people don't and she understands. She's used to it by now. ]

Private

[manofmettle]

[For a while he doesn't answer. He stares at the message, his hand gripping his mobile phone hard as he thinks again on the past.

Nora put up a strong face. But Danse knew she regretted the death that her choices had caused. Vault-Tec had pushed the angel from the Vault into the deepest pits of Hell, and not even she could emerge untainted by the violence that marked the land.

And that regret had been eating her alive.

No wonder she found another's shoulder to cry on, another's embrace to fall into. Danse just simply couldn't give her the support she needed. He didn't want to give her that support. She was his saviour, and he would always owe his life to her. But he doesn't think he has it in him to ever forgive her for betraying the Brotherhood.

He ponders a response. He should give one. Words unsaid in the deafening silence as she gazed wretchedly at him, her face wet with tears, eyes filled with desperation. He knows he's mixing the people up. He knows that Nora isn't this person. But if he couldn't say them to Nora, then at least he could say them to someone else that's in a slightly similar position.]

I don't agree with what you did. It was a gamble with too high stakes. But I don't hold your choice against you either. If no one else could figure out a way home, then you did what you thought you had to do.

[Brotherhood, Railroad, Institute. Danse, Deacon or Shaun. Lover, Companion or Son. There were no right choices for Nora. Of course, you can't compare apples to oranges. This person could have chosen to wait and work together with others instead of using her powers irresponsibly. That fault and guilt should stick with them, always. It's only right that it does.

But this person is more than a bad choice. Danse would like to think that like Nora, they have their heart in the right place.]

It's heartless for me to say this, but I'm glad that you at least seem to regret that people died. It means that you care, in some way or form.

Private

[unitas]

A lot of people didn't agree with what I did. A lot of people still don't. I also don't care about that. I fought when others wouldn't. [ which, to her, means everything. she hasn't stopped, either. she's just being a little more intelligent this time around, working on her abilities, working on closing gaps in her mental armor, working on becoming more powerful than the things that hold them. ]

And I do care. [ A lot more than she gives away. She may not care if someone agrees with her actions but she does care what happens to them because of those actions. ] Most people wouldn't believe that, though. I'm usually heartless, careless, a bitch, or that kid with too much power. [ Her nose starts to sting, a signal of oncoming tears. She wipes at her eyes quickly. It's her own fault people think these things of her, she knows that, but it still kind of hurts. Then again, people have thought those things about her all her life.

The witch. The demon. The bitch. She should be used to it by now. ]