Quoted By:
>Halfsies
>44, 117, 72 vs. DC 70 — Success
>Spendy
"I'm not— it's mine!" You fold your arms. "I need it! For important... Herald-y... it's what's tricking them into thinking I'm the Herald, Ellery. Do you think you're going to trick them? Because you're not."
"Trick who?"
You appraise the bodies on the ground. "They might come back! You don't know! And I also— I mean— I might need it for blowing up Headspace?"
"Gee. You need it for blowing up Headspace. If only some guy was offering to do it for you, huh? Why don't you fuck off right now, Lottie? You can take all the credit, if that's why you're doing this. I'm going to be too dead to care, so—"
"No!" If he blows it up, it doesn't count. "Why don't you eff off and let <span class="mu-i">me</span> take care of it?! I won't die, and my plan is way better, and Headspace will still—"
"Sun," Ellery says. "Or I'm taking this and running."
God! But you need the tine, too. He's such a rat bastard. If you give up the tine, you lose... but if you negotiate for it, isn't that sort of a win? You'd be all sensible-looking. Richard would be proud of you.
«What was that?»
Nothing. You clear your throat. "Er, well, for reasons explained, I cannot— I cannot return the entire sun. But maybe I can give you half?"
"Half?" Ellery says, like you're crazy.
"I mean, it's the— look! It got bigger! So you'd be getting more total sun back. Also, if you run away, I'll catch you and beat you up, and then I'll keep the tine and the sun. You know that."
Ellery's fingers curl. He knows that.
"So half is generous, frankly. Watch. I'll split it up right now." You reach for the sun. It dangles, tauntingly, just out of your grasp. "Um, hang on."
"Do you need help with that?"
"No! I—"
Ellery steps-slides-warps forward and grabs the sun easily. You glare at him. He holds it in his hand for a moment, cocks his chin, and lobs it at you. "Here."
Is he mocking you? You catch it and stick out your tongue at him, so he doesn't get any bright ideas. Then you grasp it carefully. Underneath its light, the sun is smooth, almost slick. You can find no purchase.
>[-1 ID: 6/14]
No immediate purchase. But you will it to split, and a hum moves through you, and your hands grow hot and brittle. Claws? No, don't look. You twist, and the sun cleaves into two perfect smaller spheres. "Here," you mimic Ellery, and toss it. You remember too late the BrainWyrm's gravity— but the sun sails forward, exempt.
Ellery catches it. For you, you squeeze your half back to its original size, shut your eyes, and swallow it down. Something within you is glad for its return; something within you is <span class="mu-r">a</span>ngry. The light is too dim. The conditions are not good for growth.
>[DOWNGRADED: SUNSTRUCK. Gain 1 SV any time you fall to 0 SV. Lose 3 ID any time you gain SV in this manner.]
(1/3?)
