>>965665
Yeah, we did. What about you?

Did you end up getting into a fight? Your clothes are all torn up.

>>965673
It’s her eyebrows and facial shape. Pillet could probably make tawdry tongue-twisters seem ominous.

...log that thought for later verification.

>>965665
Boy did we. Weird near-brainless cult, post-apocalyptic revelation, sympathetic backstory... Wanna see, then fill in the blanks?

Yeah but first off how are you? You look like you went through some rough stuff. Also paranoia check tell us something only the real Pillet would know.

>>965665

What about you, Pillet? Things go well?

I mean, you're looking kind of beat up again.

"Some real big pictures. Prevailing theories. Dark rituals. Aliens?" Motions for someone to bring them out. Ask Pillet if she found what she was looking for.

>>965683
Also do *not* show that pain wheel. Not unless directly asked.

"Missed ya, Pillet."

>>965665
Show Pillet how much you missed her by sweeping her off her feet and into your arms, while giving her a big kiss!

The stuff wasn't exactly hard to find. It's just that no one had been looking for it before.

Is there any explanation why such old stuff was found only in these locations, and no one ever found anything like it before in town or any other locations?

You should get in between Pillet and Phantom. It's likely that Phantom is still going to have a strong reaction to Pillet, so you should act like you're in charge.

"We found some highly unpleasant past history that could use some corroboration from you. Why do you look like you've got murder on the brain?"

“You look ready to kill something. Rough month?”

>>965665
I dont like that emphasis, or that look...

I am probably being paranoid, but get ready to be a shield in case shit hits the fan.

Not really super topical, but I just remembered how Pillet said she first met Delli when she and some bandits tried banditing him, and he was a scary badass that made them run away. She's also described the founders as bandits. So original Delli maybe stood up to all of the founders and was a match for them, even before the rescue Pillet event? Neat.

Back when we got reunited in this life, Pillet also said "Ten years, soon after we parted ways and I became the leader, I've been building up power in a barrel!" when talking about the power cluster. It's a little unclear, but the grammar suggests that Delli leaving and Pillet becoming leader were the same event.

Anyway, not actually on-subject.

1/5 Delli 2020/05/08(Fri)15:28 No. 965796 ID: 5fc3a0
File 158897693542.png - (128.89KB , 800x800 , 472.png )

I get up to meet her. I hesitate to pick her up off her feet and kiss her, 'cause she looks pissed.

"Yeah! Dark rituals. Aliens. Cults. You get into a fight or something? Fog monsters? Fog clans?"
>"Nothing but myself, but I look pretty damn good for someone digging through rubble."
"Hah, well I missed you. Did you find anything, and why does it look like you're ready to punch me?"

2/5 Delli 2020/05/08(Fri)15:29 No. 965797 ID: 5fc3a0
File 158897694936.png - (74.77KB , 800x800 , 473.png )

She looks pretty angry all the time when her face is down like that. She answers me by tilting her head back up to show her mouth smiling, and moves on.

>"Missed you too. I did find something, but nothing as solid as I'd like."

She looks over at some of the stacks of printed pictures.

"Yeah, we found a cult that had all kinds of information on the founders!"
>"Wha? Which fog destination?"
>"Number 54." says Phantom. Pillet thinks for a moment as Phantom continues. "Despite attempts to talk to or capture them, they either were killed or blew themselves up."
>"It's been a long time since I was last there. I didn't realize a cult sprung up. I'm even more surprised there was a cult that lasted long! So these are some of them, huh?"

3/5 Delli 2020/05/08(Fri)15:29 No. 965798 ID: 5fc3a0
File 158897696088.png - (190.38KB , 800x800 , 474.png )

She passes by a bunch and flips through -

>"Wait, Pillet, hand on a sec -!" She's going to see herself on the wheel!

>"... I leave for a month and you guys start printing out torture porn of me to share amongst yourselves, huh?"
"I - what - no that - "

Phantom gets out of her chair to pick up a stack of printouts.

>"Can you act serious ever? That isn't something to joke about!"
>"Eesh." Pillet answers. "It wasn't as bad as it looked. The boiling stuff here was some kind of drug. The setup wasn't about maximum pain, it was to make me delirious in a way that made me say or do anything they wanted without thinking."
>"Can we please change the subject? There are other topics!"
>"Fine, fine."

4/5 Delli 2020/05/08(Fri)15:29 No. 965799 ID: 5fc3a0
File 158897697506.png - (125.49KB , 800x800 , 475.png )

Pillet looks over the printouts and we share what we found.

>"Yeah, this all basically seems right. Hell with it. Yeah, the place I went to was a memory bank. No, unlike this hypothesis here, the founders aren't there, they're random souls in town that have no bearing on who they once were. But I was searching for any of their memories that might've been missed in the rubble."
"And.... aliens?"
>"If not exactly aliens, close enough to may as well be. The founders and me have pre-town memories, and nearly all of them involve us sticking our heads under the dirt and never going outside. But there was one I found that was aware of things. It's a fuzzy. It wasn't a memory made for me, so I experienced a crude rendition of it, like I imagined it up. But it should be accurate enough."

5/5 Delli 2020/05/08(Fri)15:29 No. 965800 ID: 5fc3a0
File 158897698506.png - (129.50KB , 800x800 , 476.png )

>"We knew an invasion was coming. Our leaders thought they were hostile and going to eliminate us. It seemed serious. Our leaders raised armies to repel the invasion force, but we took advantage of the fear and vague knowledge that our chances were bad. So we made the town, putting ourselves in charge. We didn't even need to hide how shitty we were being. People still showed up. We entered before the invading force came, so we never knew how that went. And that's the making of town."

Pillet looks at the meteor printout.

>"Maybe they're still there. Maybe they're not. But we could get massacred the second we open up the town gates."

Well you built the place so how do we peek out and check?

And how long have we been in here? Does time move the same outside?

Do the keys just open up the control panel for the place or just the exit? Does it open a door or turn off the fog?

Come on woman details!

Oh also do we get powers from the fog or does our species just naturaly get superpowers from food?

So this is a town for deserters?
Does any of this info alter any of your plans in regards to exiting this town?

Btw, was there any info on what the invaders looked like? Did they happen to have large hands, feet, and ears?

Hey why dont you wear your sunglasses anymore?

>>965800
Yet you still want to lift the fog? You think life here is that bad you're willing to take the risk?

Damn, we need a REAL risk analysis but we don't even know how the battle went vs the world's armies! That leaves the complete range of possibility- we might have won and the world is a paradise, or we might have lost and the aliens are waiting with something to instantly kill everyone. Wait, does that mean the picture of meteors falling was completely made up? Except for the moon/spaceship thing I guess...

If only we could send a drone or something up through the top of the fog to get some information. Even a single image of the outside world. It can't go on forever in EVERY direction, right? Does she even know how the fog works?

1/2 Delli 2020/05/08(Fri)15:59 No. 965807 ID: 5fc3a0
File 158897879951.png - (74.70KB , 800x800 , 477.png )

"Hey Pillet why don't you wear your sunglasses anymore?"
>"Next time you go to a dank place with bad light in the middle of a fog bubble, put on some sunglasses and figure it out yourself."
"I mean in general it's be - "
>"Delli." Phantom interrupts me. "If you don't have real questions, let me talk."
"Okay okay, Pillet, do we get powers from the fog or just eating food?"
>"Just eating food works. The fog ties us here, and it does have energy elements, but we shouldn't lose our energy. Or let me rephrase that, we definitely won't lose our ability to use and gain energy, but there might be a possibility we lose a chunk, or all of it and come out of town as though we just respawned. Don't know."
>"Hold it." Phantom says. "You still want to use the keys even knowing we might just die immediately?!"
>"Yeah." Pillet answers.
"Hey were those meteors fake?"
>"No clue, but might've been asteroid missiles or some shit to soften up our defenses. Either way, shit from space, rain down, destruction, sounds accurate enough for what I know."
"Do we know what the invaders look like?"
>"No."
"So how do we peek out and check?"

2/2 Delli 2020/05/08(Fri)16:00 No. 965808 ID: 5fc3a0
File 158897881446.png - (117.02KB , 800x800 , 478.png )

>"If you ask 'how do we' and ask anything complex like looking out of town, closing the town up again if it's bad out there, or anything regarding what all the other founders could do, the answer is, we don't do it. The memories of those abilities, techniques, knowledge, et cetera, are gone. Immortality included, which is why we'll be mortal on the outside. We did have immortals before the town was built, but good luck convincing any of them to make you that way. Unless you want to spend millenia refiguring it out in here, and that is how long it would take us, none of the old techniques are happening. To give you an idea of how complex that stuff is, I guarantee you that whoever won the war on the outside is have made attempts to bust open the town. Obviously they haven't succeeded."
"Yeah well, how long've we been here?"
>"Bit over four thousand years."
"Okay, do the keys just open up the control panel for the place or just the exit? Does it open a door or turn off the fog?"
>"I don't know that, Delli!"

Erf, she sounds weirdly annoyed with me.

Well, let's think of the options here. If they were the type of aliens to just barrel over us and get murdering without negotiation or thought or whatever, then they probably didn't stick around and just moved on once they got what they came for. The scenario where they're still out there waiting is one in which the aliens are smart, reasonably fond of peace as well as war, and forward-thinking, enough to have settled down, in which case they're thinkers and we could convince them to not kill us, especially if we didn't fight back originally. Thousands of years is a long time, and if they're not immortal like we are then chances are more likely that they'd forget stuff.

The fact they haven't gotten into the fog in all this time, even after thousands of years of having presumably more resources to do research and development with than we do, supports the idea that they just left at some point.

Interesting you now say "town gates" instead of just "the fog". Opening the town gates implies something less all-or-nothing than we've been thinking of lifting the fog. Do you remember the state of energy powers and immortality before/without the fog? Presumably the aliens had some form of permakilling us, to be a threat like this, but was permadeath just standard before the fog or a more complex thing? Are we really organic creatures or are we, like, weird magical creations made of fog particles or whatever? Also, you say before the town you just "stuck your head in the ground and never went outside", but what did you do, inside?

Oh yeah, you called the town "that pocket". Are there other "pockets"? Like, are there other big places in the fog? Anything like that?

Whoops too late. Well, some of that still applies, forget what was covered. If we had immortals before the fog, did the aliens have some way to kill them?

Technically, we aren't in a hurry. And if it's so dangerous outside then... why don't we power up until we're ready? Wouldn't it be a good idea to reach the absolute peak of power before exiting? You know, better safe than sorry?

I think that's the first time I've heard her say that she doesn't know something. She's been intentionally vague before, but she's never not had answers, even if she didn't share them. I think she's having a crisis of faith. You can let that revelation breathe.

So there's no reasonable intelligence we can gather or preparations we can make other than speculation of the events of the last 5000 years outside?

>>965808
Of course she doesn't know that. If she knew that, she would be telling people and trying to prove it, not trying to convince people on philosophical grounds or forcing them. That was a stupid question to ask and you should apologize.

If we can't scout at all... then... honestly I think the winning strategy is to cultivate power and learn as much advanced energy technique as we can, so that the population of the town is as prepared as possible for a fight before opening the gates. Yes, if it takes another four thousand years so be it. The most important part of this plan is preserving that information. Pillet is going to have to help directly with that, since she's the only person who CAN preserve information at this time. She holds the key to true power. Though... at some point people may start discovering the really awful abilities that the founders were mostly-killed to stop... Maybe that's why she hasn't spread the knowledge-proection trick. On the other hand, if we keep the division of power balanced, wouldn't that be a self-solving problem? Alternatively, we could form a group of trustworthy individuals, all with enough power between eachother that if one of them goes corrupt they can be fought to remove them from power. Or just form a system of justice that punishes people by removing them from the memory-preservation system?

Anyway, let Phantom have a turn.

Strategies along the lines of "wait and gather power" or "wait and develop knowledge/abilities" will probably be answered with "we tried that before and eventually people were assholes and the whole thing collapsed, and it will again", probably multiple times, so keep that in mind. A lot of Pillet's mindset/impatience probably comes from remembering how many times things have picked up and then eventually fallen.

Put a hand on her shoulder.

"Okay... I get that you were just one of many back then, and many of these things probably weren't your specialty and that it was four fuckin' thousand years ago. And that it's probably my fault a lot of that knowledge is gone-gone. And that you've gone through these questions a million times in your head and that I really should just trust you'd say it if you knew anything more relevant, what with you answering ten of my questions before even asking."

Smile roguishly.

"Whatever, girl. Get that I'm still with you whole hog on the busting out and no, I'm not okay with us spending thousands more years rediscovering the lost secrets of immortality or some bull - sorry Phantom - cuz' that'll only end up with some dumbass like me - or literally me - coming along and wiping all progress out again centuries down the line cuz' they forgot how important it was or got tired of it all or something.

Nor are we gonna spend enough time that people can build themselves up to the level where we have a civil war over whether we'll do it or not, or some bullshit. That's a nope. People ain't even got their heart that in it - again, sorry Phantom, but true - so it'd just be the most invested wrecking everything for everyone.

But... we still need to ask questions and hear honest answers, Pillet. I can trust you, but Phantom and her gang, they ain't ever known you as somethin' other than a terror. Just bear with and let us ask. Heck, let her ask. She's probably got a few better ones than me lined up. Not that I'm quite done, but... eh, you just cut us off if you get fed up, okay?"

>Questions.
So the town wasn't hidden or anything - it was just super-secret-high-tech that even alien invaders wouldn't know how to deal with. Sounds like society was a bit sucky even before the aliens invaded.

Hey... the old society sounds kind of sucky. How do we know the aliens weren't good guys?

>>965813
And on the topic of powering up, why not make another power cluster or a dozen? Blend some souls and stuff? Being at the top it should be safe to do it now, and it shouldn't take too long, as she said in the past, with the growth being exponential.

So if you don't know that what did you do as a founder?

1/2 Delli 2020/05/08(Fri)16:58 No. 965844 ID: 5fc3a0
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"Sorry, dumb question, forget I asked." So I say, but this girl doesn't forget that easily, and she doesn't soften her expression. "I'm a little happy, to be honest, there's finally something you just admit you don't... know." She does not look happy that I let that out so I move on fast. "What'd you do before town, if not ever go outside?"
>"People like us, with techniques like those, we were tools. We were sharpened to perfect our abilities, and used day in and day out. There wasn't time for going outside. And I didn't know better. So I made memories for immortals so they'd never forget. I was pulled in as a founder since I was one of the few toolbags that could make memory backups, so that's what I kept doing."
"Would immortals have been killed in the invasion?"
>"Probably. Respawn tech also exists, but that can get destroyed. Same as here. For all I know, if the chamber is opened then the fog will get lifted but the fog might remain to respawn us. Of course that's nice if only some of us instantly die, but if we all get killed by the invaders, they can find the chamber. And I've got a damn good feeling that the key chamber isn't nearly as destructible from the inside."
"Right, well what kind of killer aliens would stick around for four thousand years just to kill the last fort on the planet?"
>"Patient killer aliens."
"Speaking of patience, why don't we power up before leaving? Not like ages or anything, just a decade? Maybe make power clusters?"
>"That's not likely to make a difference, but a few years is fine. You're right though, not longer than a decade. Too much chance it all goes down the shitter. But a few years is fine.
"Oh other question, old society seemed like it sucked. How do we know the aliens weren't good guys?"
>"There was, and I have, a lot of confidence that the aliens committed to genociding a planet might not be good guys."
"Har. Phantom, you must have questions."

neat

2/2 Delli 2020/05/08(Fri)16:58 No. 965846 ID: 5fc3a0
File 158898233197.png - (98.41KB , 800x800 , 480.png )

>"I do. Pillet. You can make memories for others, right? Why haven't you kept backups for Delli?"
>"Because I like Delli, and immortals suck."
"... So uh... you let me forget everything as I died?"
>"I let you live. And it hurts watching, like it might hurt you to hear that. But, I'm not giving you backups. I'm not turning you into one of them - or me."

so why're you you

Am not going to complain to much about losing my memories. Just that picture of the gremlin me is probably worth it.

What is so bad about immortal memories?

>>965846
Pillet, I'm going to say something very important right now. You don't suck. You are selfish, and secretive, and violent, but you are also compassionate, principled, and brave. You are why the founders were overthrown, even if I was the one who finished the job. It takes one person to lead a revolution, you were that person.

...also uh, it kindof makes sense to let someone wipe their own memories. If that's what they wanted.
What also makes sense is keeping partial backups. The knowledge that allows advancement in technique and technology. Kindof like books, but for things that take too long to teach?

Well, we're mortal now and the next time we die is probably going to be the last time. Are you sure there is no particular memory that you'd want to give me?

Also, are we good enough to do any of the energy tricks Pillet showed us before yet?

That sounds like there'll be a time when you die and Pillet doesn't, or maybe can't, but I'd really not like to discuss that.

I appreciate your willingness to make hard decisions even if you don't like the answers. That said, are you reconsidering lifting the fog?

Delli 2020/05/08(Fri)17:26 No. 965862 ID: 5fc3a0
File 158898398084.png - (123.16KB , 800x800 , 481.png )

>Also, are we good enough to do any of the energy tricks Pillet showed us before yet?
I can kind of sense energy and I feel I'm making good progress with being able to have persisting energy not dissipate after I stop concentrating on them.

"Pillet, if you're implying you suck, don't. You're selfish, catty and violent, but you're also compassionate, principled, and brave." I would also like to thank Phantom for keeping her poker face on as I say that stuff. "You're still lifting the fog I assume. What is bad about immortal memories, though?"
>"You assume right, and immortal memories, in here? Same as plain immortality really. Not for the better. Not like I've experimented well enough with that, I admit."
"Well whatever, if we use the keys then the next time we die will be the last. So uh, what might've made some sense is partial backups. Like, for knowledge and stuff. Which I say even if maybe I'm at fault for a lot of that knowledge being totally gone."

She snaps her hand up and grabs my shoulder now. It's not reassuring, and she looks like she might laugh or scream for a second before calming herself.

>"Every single time I go back there. I'm reminded of that time some dumbass goat found out his girlfriend was tied up for a little while on a wheel, got pissed, somehow travelled to the memory bank and remained pissed enough the entire trip that he blew up every single memory and soul backup of the founders, including the backups of every advanced technique they had, thus making me completely unable to answer half the questions that have been thrown at me today by that same goat."

She takes a deep breath.

>"But it was sweet of you to do that on my behalf, and you did take down the whole establishment in one blow. So... sorry if I've been a little... mad at you. Thanks for understanding about not making backups for you."

>>965846

Pillet makes a fair point; remembering everything, and I do mean everything -- every moment of every day for the entire eternity of your life -- is far more of a curse.

Imagine what it must be like for her, knowing what she has and how hopeless so much of it has been, of how much was lost and will never, ever be recovered.

Imagine how Phantom would be if she knew such secrets and could never reveal them, because nobody could ever reasonably believe them. She'd sound like one of those books you found, with a bunch of ludicrous hypotheses about magical powers.

... the same kinds of powers Pillet has.

So maybe, just maybe she did the right thing. Losing who we were was a blow, but it means we get to live things through for the first time, something which Pillet never will.

So maybe ... maybe it's not so bad.

I wonder if Pillet is implying that the backup process is painful, or that Pillet thins remembering everything, the way things have gone etc, without forgetting makes for an unfulfilling existence?

Smile and tell her you love her too.

Considering the fact Delli already committed to wiping his memories in a past life, it seems pretty unlikely that him becoming one of "them" is a real risk. Wasn't it Pillet who said people's underlying personalities didn't change, that they were the same people even with no memories?

Her stances are contradictory, she's jumping at shadows because she's scared. And she's been doing it for a long ass time.

Yeah that kind of long-term thinking does sound like me. Did I reset myself because I basically caused a new dark age?

>>965862
Oops.

Oh.

Oh dear.

Big oof.

Oh man I have some big ass shoes to fill. Previous me was impressive.

Also sorry about all of that.

But you knoowwwwww. If that angry little goat had been kept in the loop a bit better maybeeee he would not have fucked up all your cool stuff?

You had no idea past you did that, definitely an oops.

"I guess I don't like people being... pinned to anything. Metaphorically or otherwise. Sorry for... well, for the questions frustration, anyway. I'd say sorry for blowing them up but I feel like if I had my memories I'd say I wasn't. I will say sorry for not cleaning up the rubble so you don't have to dig through it yourself, though."

The sunglasses thing is still bothering me, did I break them at some point? I can grab you new ones.

>>965871
I think if we try passing the buck on her, she'll actually try and pull Delli's head off like a wine cork.

>>965862
And yet she still sticks around and waits for you every time you're gone. That's dedication. You know you're going to marry this vaguely fox woman, right?

Wait, I have the perfect response: "I don't remember doing that at all!"

Idea: if power may not last, why not try to make other means of having power, like say that massive fuckoff superweapon satellite that is sitting in the sky? We can still arm and armor ourselves to the absolute teeth before we go out.

>>965874
Lets not say this right now. This is probably the worst time to talk about that. We could ask later once everyone calms down though.

Yeah. Saw that one coming.

Just shut up, stay mum for a bit and mull things over. Think about what actually might help out in this situation. Pillet's frustrated because of a fruitless search and here you are, bothering her for answers she can't give without the memory copies oldie you denied her.

What turns this around?

Well, offering answers, for one.

Point out that the raider tablets got found with careful searching by Phantom's gang of wonder-nerds. Maybe she should let 'em at what's left of the compound? Not that you don't think she haven't gone over the area with a fine comb a hundred times over, but...

The hope she had just makes sense. She was working together with paranoid, coward assholes who'd have backups for their backups as a final lifeline - who hid extra-durable stone tablets down drains just so someone could find them and taint her future image.

And ol' Delli must've just been nice and pissed off, leveling everything in sight. However thorough you were, since the founders made stuff real durable, maybe something survived, but slagged or buried in a way that made it look like just random detritus. But unless she's sorted through every single piece of rock and rubble, she'd never know.

's her choice and place. If she didn't want you there, you can imagine she doesn't want Phantom's people anywhere near. Frankly, you yourself don't want people having even a minuscule chance of getting the power negation technique, if for no other reason than to never have a repeat of 'the wheel'. But... she's done this several times now and come up nil. If it's there, she needs help to find it. If it's not there, it'll just be another fun excursion for team archaeology.

Like, seriously, they really enjoy sorting through rocks. If anyone could salvage the ghost of a miracle from that place, you think it'd be the professional dirt-botherers.

1/2 Delli 2020/05/08(Fri)22:46 No. 965915 ID: 5fc3a0
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"I love you too, but I don't remember doing that at all!" Her grip tightens. "Oof, I can make bad jokes too. I didn't think about the fact I might've blown it up, but I'm honestly not even surprised now that I've heard it. Anyway you think backing up my memories would turn me into 'one of them'? I'm not so sure."
>"It's not a chance I was or am willing to take."
"I did commit to wiping memories in a past life anyway, didn't I?"
>"I guess you did."
"And didn't you say people's underlying personalities didn't change?"
>"That was a simplification. People can shape themselves around life experiences. Different experiences, different shape. I'm not sure how you'd be if you lived a thousand years of watching everyone around you slowly forget most of what made them, them."
"Is that why you're... you?"
>"Maybe. I have no memories of my early life. The founders removed my own memories when I rebelled, save of course for memories on how to backup memories. That backup contained my life of studying that particular topic, but other memories got mixed in, so when I used that backup, I at least remembered more than nothing about life outside of town. But other than that bit... I forgot a lot. Shit happened."
"Yeah, hmmm... mayyybe if this mad old goat was kept in the loop better?"
>"Oh but you were. I told you so much. I even let you have directions to the memory bank! And then you followed them and destroyed everything. Which mayyyybe is why I was so reluctant to bring you there this time."
"Again, oof. Well... if you trust me again someday, maybe you can trust Phantom's crew on a later day, and they're real good at digging through mass rubble."
>"If we had all four keys and we were definitely going to open it... I wouldn't need the place anymore. But that's definitely not soon, seems like."
"Seems like. So I started some kind of dark age... is that why I reset myself?"

2/2 Delli 2020/05/08(Fri)22:46 No. 965916 ID: 5fc3a0
File 158900320173.png - (93.67KB , 800x800 , 483.png )

Great, now that I see the lack of sunglasses on Pillet, I want to get her a new pair, but for now I focus up because she's got a lot to say.

>"No, I don't think you ever felt bad about fucking all that up even once. I don't even know if the full ramifications of what you did ever occurred before you forgot all about it, but whatever. That's why I said you killed off those founders harder than anyone has - it's not that they ended up any more dead than anyone else, but they had so far to fall. You destroyed tens of thousands of years worth of lives in that one act.
>"Afterwards, you wandered off and become a farmer. I set out to find you and hunt you down, which involved raiding the farms. I did find you, and that's what I called our "first" meeting. Sorry if that wasn't totally honest, but I didn't remember our time in the first rebellion, and you rescuing me and all that felt a little more... eh, awkward, than a meeting. Not like it was less awkward this time, 'cause... I approached you knowing there was a history between us you remembered, and you let me hang out at your house. I stole the directions to the memory bank and ran off with it. That was kinda fucked of me and I seriously still feel bad remembering that. But even after getting what memories back I could from the bank, it's not like I had anywhere to be, so I just sorta kept raiding. And those are the earliest coherent memories of mine that were worth a damn.
>"I'm sorry if all that was confusing, I wasn't even expecting to retell you the whole story. And I skimmed over the details since. Shit happened, and this is where we're at now."

sunglasses... what if gunglasses

>>965916
Huh, Pillet's memories of you were erased? That must've been why you just left after rescuing her.
And now, Pillet's on the other side of things. Maybe that was part of why you erased yours... because you felt it was unfair to have more memories of Pillet than she had of you? Eh, maybe not. That doesn't seem like something that would bother you in the long term. It was probably existential fatigue or something.

Tell Pillet if the issue is watching everyone around you forget things, then... you can just forget things too? Like I said last post, only the important, strategically/tactically valuable memories need to be preserved in this situation, you don't need to remember everything. ...wait, she said memories can be read by someone who didn't store them. Can she store and then share advanced energy techniques with you? With everyone? Like, the ones suited for combat but not super dangerous ones that could turn the town to rubble or whatever. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would help, right?

God damn, past your sounds like one angry goat, Delli. Just what did the founders do to make you believe you needed to wipe every trace of them from this world, damn the consequences?

If you could more or less forgive me for sending our entire society into a dark age, I don't find it hard to look past your heinous crimes of being a bit of a dick however long ago and not telling me things in case I flip out and ruin things even more.

While Pillet definitely could've explained a bit better as why she was so secretive, but that's a conversation for another time.

"What, you feel bad about that? Eeeesh... don't think you did much wrong at all! For one, I was the one who broke trust by using those instructions first. And at the time you were probably confused as hell and wanting straight answers. Can sympathize.

Can also sympathize with... being annoyed at losing all of that. Heck, I'm annoyed at old me. But I think my heart might've been in the right place?

I might've been more in line with Phantom's thinking at the time. I mean, if we were gonna stay here anyway cuz' of aliens, why bother keeping any of the founders and their knowledge intact when they were clearly just gonna use it to do bad shit to us? Might as well burn it all down and hope for the best. Or something. Maybe I just wasn't thinking clearly. Maybe it was revenge for your lost memories... actually, yeah. That'd fit, too.

One question, though. How'd they mess with your memories if you were the designated memory meddler? ... oh wait. They probably used your memories to do it, huh."

And that's why you two will spend the rest of your lives doing right by each other. However long it may be. Forgive us one day, Pillet?

“We’re both fucked up. We’ve both done bad shit, shit that we regret. Hell, I regretted it enough to wipe my own memory. But we’re both still here, and we have a chance, at life beyond the eternal cycle of the fog. We have a chance to do right.”

Honestly, the fact that the memories of the founders were destroyed is a good thing. How can you ever be free of the sins of your forebears if you purposefully keep them fresh in your mind? It doesn’t do anything but perpetuate pain and suffering that happened a thousand years ago, ancient hate and wrath carried eternally. I’m glad those memories were destroyed, the same way Pillet is glad she didn’t back up Delli’s memories.

Man we had to do a long complicated dance to get back to the start didn't we?

Give her a big hug.

I am glad it turned out as well as it did. A semi fresh start for the both of us.

Now we just need to get Phantom on board with the idea of leaving and rebuilding society and maybe fighting aliens.

One question I've got. If the founders are dead, is it really fair to say I'm the same person what did all those things? I'm not trying to dodge responsibility for breaking things, I'm more wondering what that means for, uh, us?

...we don't have to talk about that here if you don't want.

1/4 Delli 2020/05/09(Sat)09:12 No. 965951 ID: 5fc3a0
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"Sounds like I was pretty angry back then."
>"Not too much, actually, just when you found me after trying to rescue me for so long."
"So... how'd they mess with your memories if you were the designated memory handler?"
>"A few of us had access to the memory bank, and the memories were in external containers. Maybe I'll show you the setup if I ever invite you to the memory bank, but it's a little weird to explain in person."
"Oh, right, you said memories can be read by someone who didn't store them?"
>"Yeah, I also said badly, like when I absorbed a founder's memory, it was like I dreamed it up. If you absorbed my memory on making memory backups, you'd have a damn good headstart over others on doing the same, but still nowhere near good enough to do anything with it."
"What if you made memories of someone who did a ton of energy training? That'd be a nice headstart for people who could use it."
>"I don't like it. Doesn't work that easy. You've been doing some energy training the last month right? Let's say we used that as a headstart. If I made a memory out of that, it'd be contamina - bad word. Uh... it'd include memories of you hanging out with phantom, sucking at video games, eating food, and other stuff you've done the last month. People would, to a fuzzy degree, get those life experiences. A bit of your own experiences and outlooks would be put into others. The only reason the lost founder techniques could be isolated is because, for a time, that's all we did. There were nearly no life experiences around the pursuit of our purpose. That's the only reason why we could, in good faith, bottle up a memory and call it 'immortality technique' and not 'life of immortal man, year 60xx through 7xxx or whatever. The labels were encrypted but whatever. Maybe it's why you blew up everything, you couldn't distinguish what memories were which, only which sections were devoted to which person."

2/4 Delli 2020/05/09(Sat)09:12 No. 965952 ID: 5fc3a0
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"If you can forgive me for blowing it all up, I can forgive you for hiding all this stuff from me for... why did you hide this stuff from me?"
>"Don't misunderstand! I have forgiven you. Unless forgiveness to you means I'm not allowed to get annoyed at all the missing information I can't tell you about now."
"You seemed pretty angry at me a minute ago." Still, that's a relief that my actions way back then aren't getting held against me now.
>"Aha, sorry. It's hard not to take it out on you a little bit, but I know I shouldn't. It was a long time ago, and it might have been for the best given the circumstances. There's a lot I don't know because of it, and for what I do know... I hid, yes, until now, because I did not expect you to take it well. Especially the part about how we might all die the second we open the town anyway. But look at you, not even batting an eye! Your chillness about the whole thing is making me feel dumb for hiding stuff."

I think I'd have something to say there but I lose my train of thought, so instead I give her a hug I've been holding out.

3/4 Delli 2020/05/09(Sat)09:12 No. 965953 ID: 5fc3a0
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>"Thanks for sticking around for me every time for so long."

Oh that turned this into a kiss.

Hm. Gunglasses. Maybe we should make more guns in case we do lose our energy when we remove the fog.

4/4 Delli 2020/05/09(Sat)09:13 No. 965954 ID: 5fc3a0
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Ah heck we're kissing right in front of Phantom! Maybe that should've waited.

>"Phantom!" Pillet calls out to her. "You're unexpectedly chill about all of this too, is there something else you guys know I don't?"
>"No." says Phantom. "And I am not that 'chill' about it. I'm silently making a very, very long list of concerns and gripes in my head. I am going to send it to you later, along with a list of things I want corroborated with you. If you wish to have the key, I recommend addressing them."
"Yeah, I want to get you on board with all of this."
>"... I've been thinking and reaffirming my thoughts about it. The key is bigger than me. You mentioned something about a town panel, right? We can have the town vote. We'll keep searching hard for new information and making information available for the town. We'll have debates and so on for awhile, and try to communicate our intents with fog dwellers. Then, in a few years, we'll have everyone vote. If at least... I'll have a number later, but tentatively at least 60% of people are in favor of opening the town, then I'll surrender the key even if I'm not personally convinced. Is that line of thinking agreeable?"

sounds cool

Keep kissing and mumble out "Sounds good."

Yeah, 60% is a good number to start off at, but if like 50% of people really really want to leave while the other half isn't nearly as spirited in wanting to stay, or even vice versa, we'll definitely have to have another talk about things.

And uh, sorry about making out in front of you. I sorta want to ask if she's jealous but that feels like a bit of a dick move right now so we should save the Phantom bullying for later.

Sounds about right, time to prepare is the one luxury we have. We'll have do do some thinking about the voting; You want to prevent voter intimidation, but if you lean into that even a little zealously YOU'LL be intimidating people. We need to get it right and may only have one shot.

Fog dwellers... Delli, do you feel like paying it forward and pulling some other people out of the fog?

>>965954

Make that number higher, but nothing outrageous. There's good reason people would want to stay, and we can appreciate that far more, now, knowing what's out there.

So that means we're going to have to work even harder to convince people not only that it's the right thing to do, but that they'll stand a chance at all. (And that might require restructuring society completely so that everyone has a better knowledge of energy -- and perhaps removing the gangs and creating proper administration)

Delli 2020/05/09(Sat)11:36 No. 965966 ID: 5fc3a0
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"Sounds cool." I say, halfway kissing still. I'll bully Phantom later by asking if she's jealous. "We can make that number higher, but nothing too outrageous!"
>"Hey," says Pillet, "Who's side are you on?"
"I just want to make sure it's fair, and I mean there's fair reason to want to stay in here! Specially with aliens out there that might kill us!"
>"S'part of why I hid info, damnit."
"No, bad! If we leave we're going to be as well informed as possible! I'm going to be a neutral party to make sure there's no complaints about the results. Is there a way I can help with getting fog dwellers to vote?"
>"If you get real good at sensing energy signatures, there's little bursts whenever people come back. You can fly over to them and try to talk to them. I'll help find people who can station themselves to do the same."
>"If I have your blessing, Delli." Phantom interjects. "I'd like to set up the television network stations to broadcast this. Both the data we've found, and the vote proposal. I'd like Soletta to be the one on TV since she's set up as mayor."

Still seems fine! Time to practice signature sensing with the judgmentor.

Yeah, if Soletta doesn't mind. Though I will want me and Pillet to be there just to make sure things are fair and the facts are straight.

If it's ok with Pillet. This is her big secret stuff after all.

>>965954
Sounds fair. Slight majority rule supporting the decision would make you feel better about doing it. Ergh, though you don't want this whole thing to turn into a popularity contest (it might) and -really- don’t want a civil gang war situation out of it and people disrupting the vote to contest legitimacy. How’s Phantom think Crook and Finnigan is gonna deal with these news? They’re the only big names left and Pillet has been stepping on any new wannabe bullies, so as far as organized opposition to a fair vote goes they’re the only ones that come to mind.

Oh, and you’ll have to figure out a fair and hard-to-mess with voting system. How good and thorough is the current citizen census?

On the upside, now that you’re making this public people will have the chance to prep for it, and that could be pretty unifying. Some could brush up on non-power tech and techniques, in case we lose it and have to rehab a ruined world, others could sign up for, like, front line/exploration duty, and come up with ways to deal with other foreseeable but unlikely disasters (such as that ‘no oxygen’ thing she mused on earlier).

And if the vote’s no... nothing says you can’t survey why and see if it’s a matter of people being comfortable with the status quo or having a fear of the unknown, then address concerns better before having a new vote.

You won’t keep doing that forever, but this is as much getting the town used to the idea and starting to prep towards it as giving them a fair say in the decision.

That said, it’s not an easy issue to vote on. Like, how long we prep before opening could enter the debate, with some people probably wanting decades of prep. The actual thing to vote over should be planned to be specific and clear, like “on this date, we open the snow globe, go inside and turn off the fog, and whatever preparations made will have to do because there’s no way to properly prepare for every possible scenario without making changes to society that are at least as major as what turning off the fog would do”.

Sounds good, are there any eventualities we need to prepare for first?

>>965966
The network sounds like a good idea, but we should definitely lean towards dispensing just the facts... which you guess isn’t an issue with her. No, you’re on board, just be wary of the popularity contest thing.

And you don’t think you should be on there, representing your views. At least not forcefully. Everything you do and say would be scrutinized - is scrutinized - and if you blab the wrong thing in a debate or just in general people might decide you’re not a neutral arbiter, but the guy holding a gun to their head. And really, the degree to which you’re neutral is definitely nowhere close to fully, so as much as you’d want to be maybe that was a bad term and an indication of the way your fat mouth could get you in trouble.

>>965966
Lets, ah, lets do a rerecord of it. Using this as is is kind of candid.


...how are you filming right now, anyway?

To prepare for an opening, lets try to form a cohesive military force in case we find a welcoming party on the outside.

>>965976
Like, you hope people really are fed up and disillusioned with the current system, because neither you nor Pillet have much in the way of public relations chops... that you know of. You’ll just have to deal.

Blowing yourself up and removing the power from the equation to show your sincerity could be an idea, but it seems bad to let the one potential powerhouse this place has not be that for the opening. Plus, Pillet’d strangle you, which, kinky, but more hardcore of a relationship than you’re up to right now. And yeah, you could pass of the power to Pillet, but... somehow you’ve got the impression that one condition of Phantom helping out with all of this is that not happening. And your opinion’d still carry weight as Pillet’s easily manipulable fogger boyfriend.

>recording this.
...wait. She’s been...

Uh. Every time? Even...?

>Phantom is way into the truth and leaving records.
>It makes a lot of sense to get yourself recorded during private meetings - maybe even 24/7 - so you can later prove the sincerity of your actions to your cohorts or naysayers.

...

>Phantom would never ask anything of her subordinates that she'd not do herself.
>Soletta had sex with you because she wanted it. The precedent for doing something intimate was there.

...

>Ear rubs
>The first time you went out of public sight with Pillet, people panicked and had her call you. She sounded deeply uncomfortable.
Oh you have wronged this poor woman. With her own petard, but still!

>Humming in the spa like an idiot
>Every time you've acted like a doof
And she's wronged you!

Assume sucking on sour wrigglers expression. Note that the surveillance state is bull, and if it wasn't for the fact that THIS ONE TIME it will actually be proof solid of the sincerity of your actions, you'd... aagh, can't even say what you'd do now cuz' people could read into it! Being a public figure succccks.

1/6 Delli 2020/05/09(Sat)15:03 No. 965986 ID: 5fc3a0
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"When you say broadcast 'this', you mean..." I motion to me hugging Pillet. "You've been recording this?"
>".... That's diff - this is recorded yes but - don't make that face let me explain because you've completely mistook what I said! I meant I wanted to broadcast the data, and these ideas about the vote, with Soletta presenting the compiled data in a professional and coherent manner! Not us just talking about it candidly here - I would not reroute and reconstruct the entire layout of our our telecommunication network just to show the town a video of you two snogging one another!"
"Haha is that okay with you, Pillet?"
>"Showing us snogging or - ahaha sorry Phantom, yeah as long as I get a say in what exactly Soletta says on TV, the idea's cool with me."
>"I expected as much you would want a say." says Phantom. "You two, Delli. Soletta will have a script, and we'll review it in advance."
"Cool, that'll help me stay neutral even though sometimes I can't resist opening my big mouth. Yeah, like I want it clear that if we vote yes, there's going to be years of prep in advance, not just opening town the day after the vote. And there's maybe other eventualities we need to prepare for?"
>"Yes, there are going to be many details on a wide range of topics to consider, and the amount will only increase once the entire population is brought in to think about it."
"How are people like Crook and Finnigan going to take it?"
>"Does it matter?" asks Pillet. "Let 'em vote. If they disrupt the peace, blow 'em up."
>"Pillet, that will make it look like Delli is blowing up people who disagree. There are going to be politics. It's not going to be pretty. I'll make recommendations to minimize it, but it's not going to be perfect."
"And a good voting system! That avoids populary contests!"
>"Splice and I have experimented with voting systems before. We can bring that out. We can spend the time before the vote getting a proper census, too. Again, that will need many details reviewed."

2/6 Delli 2020/05/09(Sat)15:03 No. 965987 ID: 5fc3a0
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Pillet give Phantom a funny look.

>"Didn't you retire?"
>"Technically I'm not the leader of the mask gang, so yes, I did. Now I'm a researcher. I'm quickly turning into a civil advisor, apparently."
>"Have you been teaching Soletta about it?"
>"Somewhat. I'm telling her to take advantage of the fact that her job is relatively new, and she can ease into the position before taking on the whole town worth of duties. She's not as knowledgable as I'd like for someone in her position, but she's a quick enough learner. More importantly, she's good with talking to people and being between the rebels and me, an ex gang leader, has made her background look more well rounded to the public. So.... when I first heard Soletta was mayor, I thought Delli was just throwing a nearby friend onto the job without any thought put into it."
"Well uh you weren't wrong."
>"I didn't think so, but I also thought about it further, and realized there just weren't many good agreeable candidates, and hardly any arguably better than. She was a good choice even if the reasons for choosing her were, ehh, circumstantial and lacking. Alright. That's enough of that. Pillet, I'm sending you the lists I mentioned. Delli, you're welcome to say, but I can't think of anything I need you for"
"Then I'm off! To train energy and think about raising an army if we win the vote."
>"If we win the vote, but training the public will have no harm beforehand. Thank you for your help with all of this."
"Haha thank Pillet for finally opening up!"
>"Thhh..."

3/6 Delli 2020/05/09(Sat)15:05 No. 965989 ID: 5fc3a0
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>"Thank...s. Pillet."
>"You're welcome, Phantom!"

4/6 Delli 2020/05/09(Sat)15:06 No. 965990 ID: 5fc3a0
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That about closes it out, so it's back to practicing with Judgementor as Phantom and others figures out the details.

Pillet realizes just how effective it is and sometimes joins in. Other than that, she gets busy rebranding the rebels as a military, and hopefully trains them as one too.

5/6 Delli 2020/05/09(Sat)15:07 No. 965991 ID: 5fc3a0
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One week later, we've agreed on the script for Soletta to read. It took so long that we barely got it in time for the broadcast, in fact the final script is so fresh off the printer that Soletta was just handed the paper copy with no time to make actual cue cards for the broadcast. Various participants show up in person to view the live showing, including Pillet, Phantom, and myself. Phantom's even started working with Pillet in person, and that's some big progress! Today though, she seems to try extra hard to keep her distance from Pillet. Either she wants to keep up appearances, or she doesn't like seeing Pillet with the sunglasses I got her today. Pillet with sunglasses might bring back a new bad array of memories.

We get the thumbs up that everything's ready, Soletta gets in place, and the broadcast goes live.

>"Hello everyone, This is Mayor Soletta, speaking live at the mayor's tower. If you're seeing or hearing this, that means that we successfully connected your local television and slash or loudspeaker to the network! If you're not hearing this, then that means you're not hearing this anyway." Phantom cringes, as despite her best efforts, Soletta wanted to say that so much. "The reason I'm interrupting your regularly scheduled broadcast is to address the matter of the fog, and a possible escape from town. Some of you might be wondering... if we lift the fog, will we die? And the answer is yes! Definitely. But, immediately? Hopefully not! But eventually definitely yes, but apparently it's not a done deal, and we're - "

Haze Town Thread 3 END Delli 2020/05/09(Sat)15:09 No. 965992 ID: 5fc3a0
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"Soletta! Stick to the script!"
>"Oops, I'm being told to stick to the script, which says that in two years we're going to hold a vote. There are arguments for both sides. Over the next two years, we're going to hold debates, hand out information about what we know, hold town panels, and all that good stuff. We want a well educated voter base, so I'm going to start reviewing recent finds on the founding of our town. I recommend paying attention, because it will be on the test."

There's not going to be a test, but Pillet wanted to throw that in so much. Soletta, for one second, makes eye contact with Phantom as she physically drops the script.

>"At this point, you may have a rising sensation of dread as you ask yourself, 'does that intimidatingly thick looking book have anything to do with what you're going to cover?' Why yes. Yes it does. If you just changed the channel, your feeling of dread has now realized its maximum potential as you now realize that I'm on every single channel. Strap in, citizen, because your favorite show is cancelled."

Ah, nothing like a captive audience.

(Good thread, thank you very much for running it!)

>next two years
I'd wait longer than that to read the next part.

Poor, Poor Phantom.

>>965992
Pillet is gonna go deaf if she shoots her gunglasses!

Also, Pillet in a suit is pretty sexy. Don’t you think so, Delli? Go make out with her once the broadcast is done!