Quoted By:
>Uhh you know regular stuff
Why <span class="mu-i">are</span> you here? It was sort of an accident. Unless it means 'here' like the manse? Are you even still in the manse? <span class="mu-i">Which</span> manse? And is it asking because it's surprised or curious or confused or angered or what? You couldn't pick up on anything distinctive. You have all the questions and no answers and you would rather not be squashed to death by whatever the hell this is wherever the hell you are.
Maybe you should go broad to start off with. Why you're here in general. Yeah. And you can go more specific if it asks. "Um, I'm on a- a mission to rescue my..." (What is Madrigal?) "...fierce rival, who was snakenapped, and, um—"
SNAKE
NAPPED
You purse your lips. "Um, it's— you know kidnapping?" (Does the giant blue gelatinous fungoid thing know kidnapping?) "Um, it's like kidnapping, but rather than napping kids, you're napping... snakes. Snakenapping. Um, to clarify, my fierce rival is not a— is not typically a snake, but through circumstances way too complicated to get into she happened to be temporarily embodied as one, and still— is? Probably still is, and, um— is this making sense?"
There is a long pause.
NOT REALLY
"Oh," you say. (At least it doesn't seem angry? You think?) "Well, you phrased <span class="mu-i">your</span> question confusingly. So it's not really my fault. Why are <span class="mu-i">you</span> here?"
THE WORLD BROKE AND WE RAN TOGETHER
IN LARGE QUANTITIES
INTO CRITICAL MASS
IT IS A BETTER FATE THAN WE COULD HAVE HOPED FOR
It's a "we." You probably should've expected that, given the multiple voices, but—
YOU SHOULD NOT BE HERE
YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY
Satisfied you're not in immediate danger, you plop down onto the red stuff. "I should be happy... in the manse?" (There's no way a slime mold thing knows what manses are, Lottie.) "Um, at the... festival? Godsday?"
IN OUR DREAM
WE ARE HAPPY THERE TOO
WE ARE SEPARATE THERE
WE ARE ALIVE THERE
"And you're not alive here?" You feel a bit stupid, but it's not like you can check a pulse.
WE ARE DEAD
THE WATER ROSE ABOVE OUR HEADS
ABOVE OUR HOUSES
AND IT DISSOLVED US
YOU ARE HUMAN
"...Yes," you say. You don't need caveats. The red stuff is out of you for now.
SO ARE WE
WERE WE
ARE WE
WERE
ARE—
"Okay! Okay." You cradle your ears. "Got the picture. You're... people." If Gil's people, gelatin stuff can be people. Whatever. It's not hurting anything to play along, whether it's legitimate or delusional. "Do you have a name?"
IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG
WE HAVE TOO MANY NAMES
IN THE DREAM WE REMEMBER
BUT OUTSIDE IT IS ONLY
...US
"'Us.'" Well, it beats the slime thing, or the fungus thing, or the ceiling thing. "Sure. That works."
WE APPRECIATE THE CONSIDERATION
(1/2)
