Quoted By:
You are Charlotte Fawkins. You hurt all over, and mostly inside.
>[1/13 ID]
There is something in your head about some beach, about Gil being really stupid, but it's already slipping. He's in front of you right now, looking... you don't know. Like a lot of beetles. So normal, you guess, but you don't know where you are at all, and everything's black and stinking. The palms of your hands have tiny bits of glass in them. Gil is taking a long time to answer. "...Um, what's the last thing you can remember?"
A hard one. There seems to be a gushing wound where the last hour-something used to be. "...I rehydrated Annie? I, um..." You blink. "...Where is Annie?"
"<span class="mu-i">Annie?</span> Who the hell's... the <span class="mu-i">worm?</span> Worm #1?" Gil whirs. "I-I-It, um, it ate Lucky."
"Oh." You contemplate this. "Well, I'm sure she had a really good reason—"
"Then exploded. Um... literally."
"<span class="mu-i">What?</span>" You bolt to your feet. "She <span class="mu-i">what?</span> No she didn't. You <span class="mu-i">exploded</span> my <span class="mu-i"><span class="mu-s">worm?!</span></span>"
"I-I-I-I didn't explode it! It just exploded! I-I-I— Lottie! Wait! Lottie!" You're scrambling down the scorched hillside, dodging flaming planks and collapsed pillars (was this the <span class="mu-i">temple?</span>). You keep seeing other things out of the corner of your eye, meatier-looking things, but you refuse to look. Annie can't be <span class="mu-i">dead—</span> you were just with her, and she was bigger and healthier than ever. You can't have brought her just to <span class="mu-i">die.</span> That's—
There is something in your way: you screech to a halt. Protruding from the ground are two shiny, blackened, jagged things as big as you are. They could be some obscure architectural part you're unaware of. Or a disgusting <span class="mu-i">pagan</span> implement. Probably a—
"Yeah, see? Those are i-i—its jaws! I-I swear, it just—"
You wipe your nose and glare at Gil. "I <span class="mu-i">know!</span>"
"...Oh." The beetles flicker backwards. "...Sorry... I-I-I know you really liked it..."
"I..." Your lip wobbles. "It wasn't anything special, really, we just had a— a sacred bond, unbreakable by the vagaries of life, and stuff, and I didn't even get to see her <span class="mu-i">fight</span> or anything, even though she got all big and scary, and... could I just have a second? Just a—"
"Um, yeah... sorry..." The beetles back up to an acceptable distance. You turn back to the jaws, unsure how to handle yourself. Do you bow your head? Kneel? ...Embrace? She is a woman, so it'd be okay if you did, but— you just don't want to start crying, mainly, because you're not going to stop. Deep breath. Positive thinking. Annie would want you to be strong for her, surely, to— to carry on with your life, and destiny, and so forth, and—
Somebody's strolling toward you, unrecognizable under a thick layer of soot. They're clapping their hands. Slowly. "Welcome <span class="mu-i">back,</span> Ms. Fawkins. Tuckered yourself out?"
(3/5)
