found a home

[starrider]

Wow. Major surprise there. No, really. I knew it was a matter of time before you settled on it. Slapping 1920's on it doesn't make me anymore excited. Especially with the ideas I know you have in store for me.

So seriously. Thanks for nothing. You're no better than Isabelle.

Comments

[hanker]

What happened in the 1920s?

[starrider]

Flapper dresses and speakeasies and old gangster shit. I was terrible at history, honestly.

It's pretty cool to look at, and if I wasn't so pissed about the horror shit I'd probably think it was cool to be in, but I am pissed so it's not really making me happier.

[hanker]

Gangster things. Don't you think that's a bit... crude? How horrible is this place?

[starrider]

The phrasing or the idea? Because either way, it's the best I got.

Pretty fucking shitty. People dying all the time, things experimenting to see what makes you most scared, there's supposed to be cult shit in the new phase apparently too. Anything to up the fucked up factor, I guess.

[hanker]

Both. Gangsters— they're shady sorts of people, aren't they? And that's not something to be liked.

Doesn't this place you're going to have any sort of government, then?

[starrider]

Oh yeah, totally shady. But who doesn't like a little bit of danger delivered in a well-tailored suit?

No government. Just run by a company experimenting on all of us.

[hanker]

The humor of that sentence is a little lost on me. The abuse of a uniform isn't something we tolerate, back home. [ That's what father taught them. That's why father keeps pushing her to succeed. ] Are you supposed to be employees to this new place, I wonder?

[unshrinking]

[ Belle, on the other hand, actually looks excited. ]

I think it sounds like an adventure. You shouldn't dismiss it so easily. It might not be as bad as you think.

[starrider]

[ What the hell is wrong with you girl for real. ]

The place's entire goal is to experiment to see what makes you most afraid. How does that sound like a good time?

[unshrinking]

That's what they think they'll do. It doesn't mean they'll succeed. Besides, a lot of my friends are there already. We'll all stand together, you'll see.

[starrider]

And when they mess with your head and you kill your friends without meaning to? Because hey do that to you too.

[unshrinking]

Well. [ Softly. ] I've seen that kind of magic before. It wouldn't be the first time I've defeated it.

I want to stand with them. Especially if they're hurt or in trouble. The more people that can fight together, the better. The important thing is to have faith.

[starrider]

You're going to be the first one that dies.

[unshrinking]

[ That is the opposite of faith, Honor. ]

No, I'm not. In the end, good always wins. Even when things seem dark and hard, there's always a way. Every curse can be broken, even this one.

Don't give up before you've even started.

[starrider]

It's called being realistic. And the truth is going through a lot of shit fucks with your head no matter how positive you are.

So good luck with that.

[unshrinking]

You don't understand. I've been a prisoner, and I've been hurt. I've even been turned into someone else entirely, and do you know what I learned?

[ Well, she's about to tell you whether you want to know or not. ]

There is always a way back. Every curse can be broken, and things aren't always what they seem. I will see my friends again.

[starrider]

Wow your optimism is annoying.

We'll see what you say after a couple of months there.

[unshrinking]

Well, it has to be better than thinking the worst is always going to happen. I'd rather have a little faith than be convinced I was going to die.

[starrider]

It's just going to hurt that much more when the worst actually does happen.

[unshrinking]

[ Belle leans closer. ]

Why are you so afraid?