Chapter 16: Justice

The surprised stare the vixen gave her pupil might have been puny in comparison to the couple of borderline mind shattering realizations from earlier, but even then it was more shock than Sundance ever showed on a regular basis. She needed a moment or two to sort her thoughts out, eventually answering with her own question-

"^...I'm less surprised about you just not knowing about evolution and more so about that being the case despite your language having that word. If you wouldn't mind answering- what does your kind of 'evolution' mean, Sue?^"

Sue was less annoyed at her question being deftly put on the rhetorical backburner and more so flustered about her tattered and woefully lacking knowledge of biology suddenly being brought up into the spotlight. She hoped against all hope that she at least understood the basics of this particular area, and that all those hard earned B-'s and C+'s would be sufficient here-

"So, um... when you have populations of a certain species, and it reproduces with variations, then like- their environment will prefer some variations over others, so when... think of a group of birds that feed on nuts, and they migrate somewhere with different nuts, that are harder to break. Then the ones with by chance bigger beaks will be able t-to break the new nuts easier, and will be more likely to pass their genes on, a-and eventually the populations will be almost entirely bigger beaks."

This might have been the most vague bastardization of Darwin's finches known to man or beast, but it better prove sufficient with it being the only concrete enough piece of information that Sue felt able to recall. Fortunately, that seemed like it was indeed the case, Sundance continuing to guide them towards the baths as she chewed on that concept, scritching her snout as she nodded at nothing in particular a couple times.

"^Hmm... and then if, say, their environment were to change in such a way that the access to pyrokinesis would prove advantageous, that population would then eventually gain the Fire typing?^"

If not for them taking up a hefty part of a rather narrow path on their way to the baths, Sue would've heavily considered stopping on the spot and asking the firefox to explain all that again but slowly. Instead, she only hoped that Sundance's brains resulted in her figuring out the general idea even if the specific example chosen was completely incomprehensible.

"I... think so?"

"^I see. Now that I think about it, I've heard of a similarly sounding idea before, though only in the form of a hearsay of a tale of a long lived dragon noticing a marked change in the appearance of many smaller critters in the valley they inhabited over their lifetime. Curious to hear that there's some merit to that- what's the limit of a... population change like that? Also- here we are.^"

As Sue considered Sundance's question, their destination finally came to sight, much of it taking the once human aback with how luxurious it looked. A handful of hot tubs stood on a large elevated platform, only one of them currently in use. Judging by the vapor emanating from even the two unoccupied ones though, they were all soothingly warm.

The sight transfixed Sue enough to make her overlook the pretty large practical obstacle of her ever getting in or out of one in her current state, nonexistent athletic skill and being forced to use a crutch not helping any. The cast on her leg was an even larger issue, but similarly ignored, the still-weary once-human taking a couple steps towards the nearest one-

And finding herself gently, yet firmly, held back by Sundance's mental grip, the orange sheen that surrounded her body blissfully warm. It made for a perfectly acceptable substitute for a hot tub's embrace- at least for the approximate four seconds that it lasted.

"Not there~. Don't have time to soak like that, and even if we did, you'd have to clean yourself the normal way first anyway."

The brief blip of despair that underlined Sue's thought process at the realization of there not actually being any hot baths in her immediate future didn't last too long thankfully. Especially so once her attention was guided over to the much more modest sight beside the platform that the hot tubs rested on.

The large, flat, slightly submerged basin reminded Sue of a vastly oversized shower tray, large enough to force anyone stepping through to at least clean up their feet in the half an inch or so of standing water that filled it. Any excess that arose was drained off into a short clay channel that then led into a small, partially underground structure off to the side. The occasional sputters of smoke and vapor alike that escaped through its roof gave a decent idea of what went on in there.

Sue's observation of her surroundings was interrupted by a giggle at the very noticeable shiver that went through Sundance's body as she stepped into the shallow water. The giggle was followed by another at the vixen's eyeroll in response to noticing the once human's reaction, followed by her paw pointing towards a bowlful of water on top of a small table next to the edge of the basin, one of several on a second look. Any ambiguity as to the bowl's purpose was gone once she took a better look at the items that surrounded it- a small wooden pitcher, a thankfully clean hand towel, and... a bar of soap, worn down to the size of a finger.

"Here. Water, soap, a rag, you hopefully know the drill, if not then my opinion of your entire species is gonna change drastically. Do you want me to help hold you in place so that you can use both hands for this?"

"Um- sure, that'd help."

"No problem~."

The sensation of Sundance's telekinesis once more grasping her, but only her lower half this time, sent a shiver through Sue's body. Even once she was done getting used to that, she needed an embarrassingly long moment afterwards to actually psych herself into letting go of the crutch for the time being, the tool having become a de facto part of her in the meantime.

The realization that she would be showering in front of everyone around her further delayed her actually being able to force herself to start. The vestiges of modesty had to be forcefully and painfully beaten out of her mind with how woefully inapplicable they were here- for all she knew, "nudity" as a concept didn't even exist here.

Once these mental blocks were done bashing through though, the actual process of cleaning herself was largely the same as what she was used to, if much, much more rustic and with two more very sensitive spots on her body to make her flinch when the by-now lukewarm water had touched them for the first time. With the initial shock done, she could go back to the curious topic from earlier, glancing over at the vixen who'd moved over to leaning on one of the hot tubs in the meantime-

"A-as to your quehtion- no, there aren't limits like that, that's a core part of the idea. With enough time and changes, the new population would become its own species."

"^I see... many small changes eventually resulting in different species. That's... fascinating- hold on, wouldn't that imply that all living creatures are related to some extent?^"

"I-it does imply exactly that from what I know."

Now that was a deep revelation, the abject absurdity of everything it implied enough to give Sundance a pause as she looked around the cleaning area. Her thoughts eventually settled on the green-yellow frog that was currently restocking the emptied bowls and replacing dirtied towels with freshly steamed ones, their brief wave towards the vulpine mystic returned immediately.

The sheer magnitude of anatomical differences between herself and them was almost unthinkable. General bipedal body shape and number of limbs aside they had almost nothing in common anatomically, the idea that she and them were related in some extremely distant, bizarre way almost too absurd to consider. And yet, that's exactly what the simple theory that Sue had described implied, the unthinkable mystery getting filed under the category of meditation fodder for the time being as she got back to Sue-

"^Fascinating. All that from just slight changes?^"

"Yep! Slight changes until you have a new species th-that can't reproduce with the old one.^"

Her elaboration had mixed success in reaching the firefox, the initial point sending Sundance into a pensive mood only for the remark at the end to send her eyebrow way, way up, telepathic question following it shortly afterwards-

"^Why wouldn't they? Reproduce I mean.^"

"...because they're different species?"

"^...and? Nobody I could've possibly had Spark with was of my kin, and yet she's just fine.^"

"Wh-What!?"

"^What?^"

The part of the discussion that any onlookers could overhear made them look at the two in confusion, the blank stare Sue and Sundance were giving each other equal parts enough to make a couple passersby laugh before the Forest Guardian finally forced out-

"B-but- that's not how species work!"

"^Why not?^"

Sue didn't have an answer, largely because of her not knowing enough about biology to be able to earnestly argue for her position, and partially because the little she knew of the definition of the word 'species' had the inability to crossbreed like that be a literal part of the definition. No, not even crossbreed, Spark wasn't some hybrid, she absolutely looked like the juvenile form of the exact same species as Sundance, somehow, despite the vixen apparently having had her with some other kin-

...

Each time she brushed over that thought she risked her spurious mind finally giving up and attempting to imagine how that process might have looked like, much to the immediate and long lasting despair of the rest of her. Probably best to just drop that whole train of thought and not tempt Fate any more.

"I-I don't know. Alright- I told you what my evolution is like, what about... yours?"

Sundance's confusion only continued at Sue deciding to suddenly yield and change the subject, the vixen coming perilously close to accidentally uncovering the reason behind that mood swing once she took a slightly closer look to make sure that Sue was doing alright, eventually just going along with her-

"^Well~ here an evolution is a part of most creatures' lives, when they change from one form to another.^"

That sounded... coherent enough, bringing to mind images of insect metamorphosis. Though of course, there's no way something exactly like that was applicable towards most non-insect species, Sue's arms lathering her midriff on autopilot as she asked for elaboration-

"By change form you mean… like metamorphosis?"

The unfamiliar word had her mind immediately picked through to find the relevant imagery that corresponded with it, Sundance's paw tapping on the tub's edge as she analyzed it, eventually shaking her head-

"^Not wholly unlike that process, but very different in how it happens, it's much more... abrupt.^"

"Like what- one moment Spark looks like she does now, and the next like you?"

"^There's a form in between hers and mine, and it's more so tens of seconds rather than an instant... but yes, pretty much. She'll feel ill and weak for most of the day leading up to it, there'll be a bunch of bright, white lights, and by the end she'll look different altogether and be completely wiped. And then the same thing will happen again in fourty or so seasons.^"

"And then inbetween, will she just look the shame the entire way through?"

"^Not exactly, she'll grow a fair bit throughout, but yes- the same in the broad strokes-^"

whiiiiistle!

The piercing, drawn out call had both Sue and Solstice look over towards its source, the resulting sight bringing a brief smile to both before souring for one of them as they realized just what Lilly was in the process of doing.

The few moments that followed felt stretched in time as the dancer leapt through the air in the direction of the one occupied hot tub, pulling her knees to her front and curling up into a cannonball. The choice of the roof of one of the neighbouring buildings as a jumping off point gave her a ton of potential energy- all of which was transferred into the water as she impacted its surface.

Sue couldn't even say this was the largest pool splash she'd ever seen in her life, Lilly's short stature nowhere near sufficient to claim that title. It certainly was the most sudden though, the loud noise startling almost everyone within sight of the scene, with the actual splash not falling far behind in effectiveness. Sue might have only gotten hit by a few stray drops on her cheek, but that couldn't be said for the vixen, most of her head and right arm ending up getting soaked, the mental grip that held the Forest Guardian upright briefly wavering but thankfully holding in the end.

The splash was followed by a brief moment of silence as Lilly scrambled to stand back upright, the whistled laughter that left her shortly afterwards music to Sue's ears- music that was then abruptly cut off at one sudden, harrowing realization for the flower girl-

The green head that poked out of the hot tub she'd just splashed most of the water out of was not, in fact, Sue's. The dancer's body language shrunk as the head's owner slowly opened their eyes to stare at what just happened, water dripping down from their yellow, curved beak, expression frozen as they stared at Lilly.

"...sorry."

__________________________________________

Thankfully, even the point blank recipient of an impromptu tidal wave didn't mind all that much once the entire situation at hand was eventually explained to them. The resulting embarrassment and rounds of apology coming from Lilly thankfully gave Sue enough time to wrap up her own cleanse, letting them all head out shortly afterwards.

The added annoyance of Sue having to keep carrying the swaths of her all-natural dress to not let them get dirty again on their way over was partially alleviated with Lilly's help. The dancer was more than eager to have some way of making up for the faux pas, even if not to the wronged party directly, especially with it also coming with a convenient reason to walk the whole way over right beside the Forest Guardian her heart was having a thing for. Sundance's presence helped a lot as well, though mostly in not letting the two freeze as they slowly dried out in the evening chill.

The question of who had been watching over the toothy girl was answered once they all finally arrived at their destination, drawing various expressions of joy from those already gathered, Joy included. The little one waved over at them from her position on Astra's lap, the dragon herself sitting down on the grass next to the table and preoccupied by sipping from a heavy, wooden tankard.

She was far from the only one there, Comet eventually scrambling his way out of the little play tussle the little ones were engaging in to contribute a wave and an elated squeak of his own, getting held back from rushing over by Spark cutting him off the moment Sue sat down. The lil' firefox leapt up to take a seat beside her, wetness of her dress serving an unexpected but welcome double duty in keeping the little fox away from dirtying it any more.

"Hi Sue! Why are you so wet!?"

"I- I had to shower."

"Why?"

"For this~"

Solstice's words caught the attention of both the foxie and her favourite once-human, the older Forest Guardian sliding over closer with a short, flint knife in her hand, patting Spark a couple times for her to free up space. Her touch prompted her to first attempt to relocate herself over to Lilly's lap after the dancer sat down on Sue's other side, and then, after jumping off at her lap also still being wet, next to Sue's legs.

"What that?"

"Just the kind of knife that's normally used for trimming our dress, Lilly. Has to be really sharp but doesn't need to be very hard, and flint works well for that."

"...cut dress? Like hair?"

"Yep! Pretty much exactly like that, I remember when I was Sue's age, there were a few especially popular trimming patterns, I'm gonna try to replicate one of those from memory, ha."

"Not hurt?"

"Oh no, it's just dead skin, there's no sensation there thankfully. It'd be really bad if there was, by Moon's Grace..."

Sue felt that comment even if nowhere near to the same extent as Solstice did, the idea of possibly feeling every single blade of grass her dress rubbed against making the younger Forest Guardian involuntarily cringe at even the briefest attempt to imagine it. The comparison to hair did tingle Sue's attention though- if Solstice was any indication, her stiff hairdo was a species-wide trait, though not one she particularly enjoyed. The chaos of the past few days may not have left much room in her mind to ponder too deeply on how she'd prefer to style it instead, but that was about to change-

"Since you mentioned hair- are there any ways to straighten it out?"

The question had the older Forest Guardian blink dumbfoundedly at her a couple times as she grabbed the nearest flap of dead skin, a moment of deeper thought making her pause before mumbling out-

"I... think so, though that isn't something I've ever explored in depth. Wouldn't surprise me if all one needed was a hefty application of heat and appropriate chemical solution, though with just how stiff our kind of hair is I'd imagine it being a struggle even then, ha."

"I'd imagine Patina would be able to advise something."

"Oh- for sure, Sundance. She's the best person to ask about anything involving fur or hair really, even remember her tinkering with trying to make the pigment in her dyes more persistent so that a light shower won't wash it all off. That sounds like a good task to get done tomorrow on your own Sue~ I'm sure Willow wouldn't mind guiding you over to her hut."

"Me too!"

Lilly's addition was appreciated greatly, even beyond the immediate benefit of helping elevate the mood even more and making Lilly seem even sweeter, Sue's arm reaching around to hold her closer in response. The distraction it provided prevented the assembled psychics from spotting any reflexive thoughts that sprouted inside the once human's mind at the mention of tomorrow, her plans already set and much different from what everyone else gathered wanted them to be.

The ecstatic whistle and the associated delighted thoughts that emanated from the planty dancer at Sue's embrace were almost bright enough to make her completely overlook other sensations from around their table. Fortunately, that didn't include Sundance setting down four heavy mugs, not unlike the one Astra had just finished drinking from. Sue's curious glance at the contents of the one nearest to her prompted a not particularly elucidating comment from the dragon-

"Phew, they spared no punch this time!"

Oh well, there was only one way to find out, Sue helping herself grab the mug with both hands before bringing it closer to her face to take a good sniff. A multitude of fruity aromas, some of them starting to grow increasingly familiar, cinnamon or something treacherously similar to it, a couple other nose-tingling spices, but also-

"Oh, it's just spiced cider Sue- first time having something like it?"

Indeed, and aside from a couple cheap, terrible beers she grabbed from a party before regretting it shortly afterwards, it was her first time having any booze to begin with. The incomparably better scent of this brew was enough to convince her to give that particular poison a second try, carefully lifting the heavy cup up to her lips-

Ooooohhh.

Whatever alcohol the drink might have contained was frankly the least interesting aspect of it for Sue. The wonderful mixture of different kinds of sourness and sweetness was delightful on its own, and was only enhanced further by several spices that she could make out, ethanol only one of them.

One gulp was followed by another as she got into it, checking up on her surroundings as she worked at her mug. Lilly was no less enthusiastic than her at the prospect of a good drink, her warm, planty body growing less tense almost immediately as she leaned on Sue further, the precious sound of a stray hiccup that eventually left her almost making Sue spill some of her own portion from her giggling.

Further in that direction, Astra was in the middle of playing with Comet, the little martian's attention being occupied by the pretty cup in the dragon's hand, to enough of a degree to make him spin in place as she moved it around, way out of his reach. Joy utilized the infant's distraction by trying to tickle his exposed sides, as timidly as was possible for such an act to be done.

The fiery cub was delighted to help her out in that task, their combined intervention making the tyke flail on the spot as his desire to keep on laughing struggled with the limitations of his teeny body, the high pitched squeaky sounds interspersed by occasional winded gasps. The moment that Spark spotted her new audience though, she attempted to move onto the same spot as before, finding Lilly's lap much dryer this time. Enough so for her to be able to comfortably lay down and reach in to nuzzle Sue's side, the Forest Guardian almost spilling her drink all over her freshly cleaned flesh garment in response.

And with how well Solstice's little intervention was going, it would've really been a shame for that to happen, Sue's eyes studying the newly carved pattern in detail as Solstice went through one flap after another, her expression deeply focused throughout. First, about three to four inches were cut off from the end, the waste material starting to form a small mound on the grass underneath their seats. Each individual flap's corners were then rounded into almost a semicircle, and had regularly spaced, lightning bolt shaped notches cut into it, just small enough to not inadvertently split the flap into multiple smaller ones.

The real magic happened afterwards, the handful of straight lines that were then sliced in the bulk of the flap sufficient to give the impression of a star without weakening the structural integrity, the older Forest Guardian audibly chuckling at seeing Sue's increasingly tipsy amazement.

"Like the pattern?"

"It's amazing! D-didn't think it'd be so pretty..."

"Teehee~ and this is one of the simpler, more pragmatic designs, I remember some people really carving whole artworks into those, usually only one at a time, and some folks eventually ending up being walking galleries for a while, it was so pretty to look at, ah..."

"Aww!"

Solstice's wistful remark had Sue smile wide at seeing her revisit some of the good that her history offered- but at the same time, her own dress was completely plain aside from being cut for length. The younger Forest Guardian wanted to bring that fact up, but eventually erred on the side of composure and not possibly aggravating something underlying muck- only for Lilly to err on the exact opposite side immediately afterwards-

"This very pretty! Why you have not, Solstice?"

The older Forest Guardian paused mid-cut at the question, body language recoiling slightly before she deliberately and forcibly straightened herself back out. A deep breath that followed made both of the increasingly drunk women beside her regret the question having been asked to begin with, the answer as simple as it was sad-

"It's- it's something you're not supposed to do to yourself, only to others. I-I've been trying to hold that tradition, a-and I'm just happy that I finally can..."

If not for the careful procedure that was being done on her and the sharp knife that it involved, Sue would've reached out to hold her tight there and then, limiting herself to just a drawn out 'awwwwh' in between gulps, her mug soon reaching its bottom.

"It's alright, don't you two worry. Maybe once you have a moment you could try your hand at this too Sue~?"

"But, I-I don't-"

"It doesn't have to be complex, even just a simple pattern at the edges can be very pretty while being arguably much more practical, especially for any sorts of longer trips."

Sue wasn't really opposed to that idea, merely worried about possibly messing it up- and if that weight were to be removed, then maybe, maybe...~ maybe she could even end up giving these kinds of nicer patterns a stab, why not?

"Sure then! W-we could try tomorrow?"

"After we're back? I like the sound of that! Have any specific-"

Solstice's words were drowned by the steady chanting that soon started to roar from the table next over to theirs, their combined, increasingly floaty attention getting drawn to the large gray four-arms. Sue's increasingly cloudy mind barely managed to fish out the accompanying name of 'Granite' from the recesses of her memory as she watched them down another mug of cider in a single shot.

The repetitive cheers of the brown pangolin in the next seat over and the bipedal rhino next to the table soon spread to more and more tables and voices- even including Kantaro, previously quiet despite flanking the gray not-human's other side, eventually joining in on the chants. His low, gravely voice helped to carry the sounds throughout the clearing, the eventual translation turning the repeated sound into a constant stream of "C'mon!".

And Granite would not end up failing, letting out a low growl at slamming the now emptied mug on the table, inadvertently breaking the comparatively flimsier cup right as his growl turned into an elongated burp. Cheers turned into laughter at the situation, but thankfully not at him directly, avoiding any embarrassment that wasn't self inflicted.

The silly cheers resulted in the scene's mood turning even more jovial than it was before, the sound of another full mug getting set down making Sue reach out to grab it on autopilot and take a sip before calling out to the craftsbug. The quickly thickening haze covering her thinking faculties lowered her inhibitions enough to let her blurt out a question she's had in the back of her mind for a good chunk of today-

"K-Kantaro!"

Hearing an even more crude than usual approximation of his name getting called made the bipedal beetle look over towards their table and the kinda-mute-but-not-really Forest Guardian that sat beside Solstice, raising the bit of chitin that vaguely corresponded to an eyebrow in her direction.

"What's- what's ya name mean?"

His name might have been vaguely understandable, but the barrage of gibberish that followed it wasn't- and neither was the short comment that he spoke coherent for Sue, prompting her to try and take matters into her own mental hands. She started to repeat the simple ritual Solstice had taught her before, mental reach managing to make it all of three inches out of her skull before being forcibly withdrawn by a presence much, much stronger than itself, the older Forest Guardian's comment stating it all-

"^Best I handle this Sue, we don't want a repeat of the Basil incident now do we?^"

The hint of chiding in the major's voice hit Sue a bit harder than was intended, the worry that accompanied that entire disaster immediately creeping out of the recesses of Sue's recollection right back to the forefront of her mind. Before her body could begin to tremble too much though, a sufficient distraction showed itself in the form of Kantaro repeating himself-

"What did you say?"

"O-oh I- I was curious about your name! Wh-what's it mean?"

"My name? Kantaro?"

It was at this point that it became very clear that even the name used by everyone else in the village was less of a translation and more of a limited transliteration. The real deal as pronounced by the craftsbug himself had no less than four additional distinctive sounds, with Sue not feeling like she'd ever be capable of reproducing any of them short of getting a piece of food stuck in her throat.

"Yeah!"

Finally understanding what in the world she was on about had only limited effectiveness on working away at the beetle's confusion, though it at least made sense now, leading Kantaro to mentally shrug before taking a big swing out of his mug and proceeding with the not that impressive explanation-

"I believe that in this language, 'Stone God's Gift' comes close enough."

Watching Sue and Lilly alike get further fascinated at hearing that was not what Kantaro thought would happen or particularly wanted, the possible implication perking his chitin shell up a bit before he elaborated-

"It was a common name in the colony I grew up in, I knew at least two other Kantaro when I lived there."

"Why'dja- why did ya leeeave?"

Yet another swing of Sue's mug was very unlikely to help the increasing blurriness of her thoughts and words alike, though even in that state she could still sense a pang of darker emotions that blipped inside the craftsman's mind in response to her words. The sensation made her look at him with a worried expression, fear of accidentally going too far yet again dulled by Lilly's continued affection on her front and shoulder.

"Ah, it was many things, really. It was a talented place, but deeply stifling and focused only on itself- at some point one desires to create more, so much more than another variation of the same, banal icon. After hearing for the twentieth time about how good of a broodmother I would make, I had enough and left there and then, marching westward in a straight line before eventually stumbling on this village's quarry, right as Granite was in the middle of cutting stone down to size."

The comment from the bespoke four arms that followed had all of theirs and most of Sue's table burst into laughter, even Kantaro adding in with a chuckle of his own before following up-

"I had to intervene Granite, your technique was atrocious!"

This time, Sue chuckled too after just barely piecing together enough of the context, a wisp of colder, evening wind prompting her to hold Lilly that much closer. Her warmth was appreciated even without a heartbeat to accompany it, Spark's nuzzled intervention further enhancing her tall friend's laughter.

"Following that, I decided to settle in for good- abundant material, welcome hospitality, exquisite food, inspiration for the subjects of my creations, what else is an honest worker to want?"

Kantaro's table cheered to that, Sue's head swimming as she shakily reached down to pet Spark's back, inadvertently tickling Lilly's side as the dancer herself continued that train of thought-

"And then stay until leave for pilgrimage?"

The beetle's body language flinched at Lilly's question, the rest of his table looking at him with concern, Granite in particular trying to pat the back of his head behind his horn with reassurance clearly on his mind, before the craftsman eventually replied with a sigh-

"It was no pilgrimage Lilly, not a usual sort at least. It's difficult to explain, but- imagine a splinter, underneath the shell, stabbing your side. It's tiny, at first, but it follows you everywhere and grows with you, aching you at all times. Every time you look at your own reflection or someone even mentions you, you can feel it stab your guts especially hard, and it feels like there's no reprieve."

Kantaro took a deeper breath to sort his thoughts out, continuing the recollection shortly after-

"I ran from my colony in part to try to escape it- but soon enough I realized it had followed me all the way here, stabbing me harder still, hurting so acutely I was afraid of looking down at my body and suddenly seeing blood. I tried distracting myself away from it, giving my whole self to the Pale Lady and worshiping Her through my efforts, putting up the two monuments, it felt like at last I reached the pinnacle of my work, even if for an instant- but the splinter was still there, still goring my insides every day. And it only kept hurting more, and more."

Even the rest of the craftsbug's table was listening in deeply, most of them familiar with the broad strokes of the tale on behalf of having known Kantaro the entire time, but not the exact details, or how it all felt throughout for him.

"One day, I simply could not take it anymore. I ran before the brink of dawn, charged as far away as I could, away from water, away from people, hoping that it would at least briefly help, and it did! And that fact hurt unspeakably, that knowledge that the ones close to me were unknowingly aggravating that pain somehow, feeling forced to choose between them and even a momentary reprieve. I lost the last of my restraint and started flailing in utmost fury at Fate for striking me with such torment, thrashing at the old growth I was making my way through, felling timber all around in blind rage- and then one of them fell on me."

"Where you alright!?"

"Yes, yes- if the Gate desires me, it needs much more than merely a tree. It hurt greatly though, but at the very least it snapped me out of the worst of it, and broke a part of my horn off, making me shamble over towards the nearest stream to make sure it wasn't bleeding, and then- I finally saw it. I saw my reflection, the broken, chipped off horn and all, and realized the splinter was gone, at least in that moment. I stared and pondered for what felt like hours, trying to make sense of it all, a sense of this relief, the truth hitting me harder than even that tree."

Another sip gave him a moment to gather his breath, the other hand reaching up along the recently tended to tip of his horn.

"That splinter wasn't some curse placed on me, it was a part of me, a part I could carve away, a part that could change myself into not feeling anymore. And so I did, spending days whittling my horn down to its current shape, grinding through dozens of logs and boulders, but it was all worth it, for afterwards I was finally in the shape I should've been in all along. I was Kantaro no longer, now, I was Kantaro, and the pain had finally left."

The difference between the two repetitions of what came off like the same word was subtle and only in the parts Sue had no idea how to pronounce, but it was present all the same. Sue didn't have the time to dwell on that too much though, not with the craftsbug getting yanked into a hug by Granite and the rest of his table joining in from all around, his voice wavering ever so slightly afterwards-

"And then, I returned, formed anew, and was welcomed all the same."

Sue couldn't exactly tell what, but something in his story touched her deeply all the same, the Forest Guardian finding herself sniffling a bit as the tale had reached its end. Soon enough, the craftsmen's table ended up swerving into another topic amongst itself. Enough of Sue's inhibitions had been dissolved in her mug in the meantime that she simply leaned on Lilly afterwards with most of her weight, the dancer not looking like that bothered her even slightly.

A quick look down at the sudden warmth in her lap revealed Spark to have finally taken her favourite spot once more, much to their shared glee. Sue's increasingly blurry vision picked up on the remainder of the flaps having gotten trimmed and the spare material having been taken away in the meantime, the finding corroborated by Solstice's knife resting off to the side as the mayor herself finally took a large swig of her own.

"Th-that was so nice, o-oh- hick- oh goshhh..."

The increasing slurriness of Sue's words had Lilly giggle her amusement out loud, whistled laughter only briefly interrupted a couple times by a couple more hiccups of her own. The Forest Guardian settled the once more emptied mug down and embraced both arms around the planty girl at that adorable sound, leaning more and more as her own body grew heavier and more undignified by the moment.

Spark nuzzling into her stomach did prompt her to free up one hand and give the foxie some long overdue pets, the gentle sensations of Lilly's leaves gently petting all over her back adding together onto the heap of warm comfort that threatened to turn Sue into a puddle- a very happy puddle.

"Is! Like you!"

An attempt to respond to the tease had Sue just mumble something incomprehensible even to herself before leaning in forwards, shivering at the sensations of her front fin suddenly resting on Lilly's side. The immense emotional warmth she could feel through it resulted only in more happy mumbles, from her and Lilly alike.

Mumbles that were then followed by another breath of the jubilant atmosphere, the giddy aroma Lilly carried with herself mixing in with the fruity, spicy medley of their drinks. The momentary focus on the former had the once human's thoughts swerve in that direction, Sue craning her head just enough to take a sniff right at the source-

Oooh, that's even nicer- Lilly?

The emotional shift in the planty girl was all the clearer to sense with her proximity, the jubilant glee first replaced by a wave of immense fluster, and then by a lot of excitable squirminess, her arms holding Sue that much firmer, that much harder, that much closer.

Planty's own attempt at responding with words had just resulted in a drawn out, gleeful squeak, Sue left equal parts enthused and amused at the sight, breaking into affectionate giggling as she reached out for another mug, her arm wobbly as she grabbed it-

"...which cup is that for you, Sue?"

"U-ughhhgh... th-third- hey!"

The moment a number left her mouth, the cup was forcibly yanked out of her grasp with Solstice's telepathy, her mentor giving her a look that was somewhere between concerned and impressed-

"That's more than enough for you today!"

"B-b-but it's- it's jhusht chider-"

"And~? You can hardly even stand up right now."

"That'sh nhot thrue-"

Fortunately, Spark's continued presence of her lap, intermittently accentuated by the foxie giggling at her big friend's antics, showed up in Sue's awareness an instant before she would've tried to actually attempt standing up, reaching down to pet the lil' firefox with a hiccup as Solstice commented flatly at her pupil's doomed attempt-

"I think it's about time you got some rest Sue."

"Bhut I-I'm all ghood-"

"She right Sue!"

Much as she was down to oppose Solstice's judgment, she didn't have the drive to do the same with Lilly's. She gave up with a sigh and some more grumbling, the bout of affection that followed- namely Lilly's arm reaching up to ruffle her hair a bit more- helping greatly with accepting such an unfair decision. Solstice didn't keep her amusement at being backed up in either, tattoo'd arm reaching over to join in on the ruffling while she giggled quietly, the blue dye on the white parts of her skin particularly striking in the current lighting.

"F-fine, fine, fine..."

"Let's get you back to the clinic now-"

"I can help!"

Before either Sue or Sundance could react, Lilly's plan was already underway, Spark just barely managing to hop off of her friend's lap before the entirety of Sue was effortlessly lifted up into Lilly's arms. The flat leaves gave her lower back and legs good support as her inebriated mind caught up with just what was happening- before the realization of how cute the dancer's expression and hairdo were from this closer perspective took over most of her brainpower.

"Are you sure Lilly? It's really no problem-"

"I sure! Can move Sue!"

The eyeroll and hiccup-interrupted chuckle that left the older Forest Guardian told it all- still, she was in no position to try to butt into their little display of dorky affection, about to nod in affirmation before undertaking one of her own tricks. Sue felt something squirming and ticklish on the back of her head as the extension of her mind was manipulated by someone else. Her dulled thoughts only found that sensation funny- and so did Lilly once the link was established between them, both of them none the wiser.

"Alrighty then, suit yourselves~. Take care Sue, take care Lilly, may She keep your rest safe."

"Night!"

"Byeeeeee~"

As Sue was being carried off, she spared no goodbyes towards everyone remaining at the assorted tables. Astra looked like she was on the brink of joining the sleeping baby martian and toothy girl in her arms, most of the builders' table simply laughed jovially at their sight, and Poppy pointed excitedly towards them while shaking Hazel's shoulder as they came into view, distance making it hard to tell whether they were amused or excited, most likely both.

"How are you sho strong..."

The Forest Guardian's comment had Lilly break out into more whistled giggling as they neared the exit from the clearing. The sight on one of the light poles they were passing by captured Sue's attention even if she was in no state to attempt to seriously think its implications through. In the stead of one of the many red-purplish fireballs that capped the other light poles off rested Crackle without the shroud that usually kept him hidden, the light blue flame at his center burning bright and vivid.

Even as she stared straight at it, Sue didn't really feel any different, the sight simply eye catching as opposed to... soul catching. Even then, he didn't remain exposed like that for long, eventually dragging the white sheet that concealed the flame over on top of his body once more. He then hovered off to the side of the light pole before pulling out a more usual fireball from underneath his shroud- or at least as usual as constantly shifting but persistently immobile balls of magenta flame could be said to be. He then placed the fireball in the spot he'd just vacated, before floating off further into the village himself, away from the celebrations.

A glance upwards revealed a moderately starry sky, the village's light pollution thankfully weak enough to still leave a good chunk of the stars visible, with a new moon smack dab in the middle if a circular, pitch black hole in the stellar backdrop was any indication.

"Hehe, new Moon tonight..."

Lilly's glance upwards had her hold Sue even closer to herself, Sue torn between not minding that one bit and not understanding what might have caused it, the follow up stinging deep inside even if it made sense for the dancer to say-

"No Moon, scary. Night people time. I protect!"

"Nooo, they're not scary, they won't hurt us."

"Think that Sue?"

"Yesh! It's sad they're not here."

The dancer was unsure how to respond to that- though if Sue was saying that, then maybe there was some merit to it. Not that she was any less eager to protect Sue should the need for that ever arise, but the threat posed by one of the most likely recipients of said self defense waned greatly in her mind, despite the alcohol surging through her tissues.

Time didn't help the idea of being thoughtful either, with their little excursion reaching its destination moments later. Lilly kicked the door to Willow's clinic open, hopefully without damaging it before carrying Sue in, not letting go of her until she was resting on the bed, all snuggly and cozy, exhaustion of the day finally having a chance to kick in.

"Thank you so much Lilly..."

"Thank for day, Sue!"

Lilly's response was glowing as she sat on the edge of the bed next to her, leafy arm reaching out to grab Sue's hand only to find itself being cupped by both of them, the touch making the dancer squirm more.

"I... happy, happy happy."

"M-me too, hehehe... i-it's so soft here, and..."

Before Sue could get too lost in all the nice sensations going on around her, the stray thread of coherent thought that remained in her drunken mind realized one important omission from the room, mumbling it out subconsciously-

"Oh, we left the crutch..."

The remark snapped Lilly out of her own daze right as she was to finish convincing herself to shoot her shot by laying down beside Sue, the dancer glancing around what she could make of the room before confirming her crush's observation, hopping off of the bed.

"Oh! I grab and back!"

By the time Sue could even nod in affirmation, Lilly was long gone, the Forest Guardian left temporarily on her own as she endured the difficult wait until she'd be back- or at least tried to. The moment of silence gave the soft bedding all the power in the world to finally drag the martian that rested on it out of the awake world, the once human long dreaming by the time the dancer finally made her way back.

__________________________________________

♪ B♭ F E♭ B♭ D. D. E♭- ♪

The impromptu dreamt up jamming session was abruptly stopped as Sue blinked once more and finally came to, staring for a few moments at her mom's guitar resting on her lap to the tune of now just the crackle of flames. She could scarcely play the instrument, her mom had only ever given her a couple basic lessons, she didn't even know how to read any sheet music- and yet, she felt... oddly confident in the moment, as if everything was completely alright.

That peaceful observation was interrupted however, by her spotting two shadowy figures off in the corners of her vision, one on the spot she'd been waking up in her dreams previously up until now, and the other not far off to her right. The unnerved glance around the scene that followed predictably failed at finding out what they actually were, the shadows gone as suddenly as they'd arrived.

The rest of the scene was exactly how she'd remembered it, with no divine interference that she could spot. A glance upwards revealed much the same new Moon as she barely remembered seeing in the waking world and a falling star beside it. The realization of the scene being untampered lit up Sue's mind as she begrudgingly put the guitar away and stood up, taking in every detail of her surroundings.

No way she could've been just thrown in here like that for no reason, not with the scene being as calm as it was, there had to be a hitch, some hitch that would inevitably demolish her confidence in the ability of this sacred memory being able to be hers and hers alone ever again-

And indeed, there was- though to give the responsible entity credit, it was respectfully distanced away from the bulk of the scene. The doorway stood ominously a couple dozen meters behind the spot she awoke at, only barely visible in the campfire's light- still far from preferable, but she'd live.

The doorway and the downwards leading stairs on its other side might have been pitch black, but she could see them just as well all the same, the remainder of the ambient light vanishing from her surroundings by the time she reached the bottom of the staircase. There, she found herself on a vast, dark clearing underneath the stars, absence of any other light letting her really appreciate the sight-

"Greetings."

The low, gravely voice she'd heard several times by now made her jump and look towards its source, the Night Father having joined up on her idea of watching the stars before slowly looking down at her. His voice sounded... weird, contorting itself like that towards something she could comprehend, but it was appreciated all the same, if plenty confusing in its own right-

"W-wait, how- how do you speak my language?"

"Effort."

Even when given the ability to properly talk to her though, it seemed like the guardian deity of the night kin wasn't inclined towards being particularly talkative, the Forest Guardian simply accepting the non-answer with a hesitant nod.

"I- alright. Wh-why are you here again?"

"Ideas."

"...of?"

"Suspect."

The record-breakingly curt answer was thankfully sufficient to both clarify His intent and to utterly catch her attention, Sue walking over that bit closer as she nodded in engagement-

"Do you have an idea of who could've brought me here?"

"Several."

"A-alright, what are they?"

The longer pause that followed didn't help, the bright blue eye closing giving Sue the only indication of the deity being engaged deep in thought, the sentences that eventually followed feeling staggered and almost like they were being forced out-

"Multiple. Exceed. Comprehension. Singular."

"One at a time then- who do you think i-is the most likely?"

"Dependent."

"On?"

"Death."

"...m-mine?"

"Previous. Self."

"Wh-what- no, I don't- I don't remember dying, o-or even b-being close to death, I-I'm- I was y-young a-and healthy and all th-that..."

Even if she wasn't eating as many veggies as she probably should have been...

"Possibility."

"I-I guess... wh-who did you have in mind first then?"

The moment she finished asking her question, she felt the dreamscape begin to shudder underneath her, deep rumbles rocking the imagined field she was standing on before she turned around to look at its source-

The entity was incomprehensibly large, the golden scales decorating its lower limbs blindingly bright in the light of its own glory as it towered over her. Its roughly quadruped body was made out of the purest marble, filling up the entire sky. The halo surrounding its head was too holy to even look at, Sue's meager self only able to cower pitifully at the sight.

Through its core ran an infinitely detailed lattice of golden threads, green gems, the planet they were on merely just one of them, and stone tablets, each of them carved with different divine truths, Sue's mortal perception only able to perceive them as colors.

"Demiurge. Hollow."

The once human trembled pitifully under the god's might, shielding her body as she was forced down into taking a knee, the few parts of her psyche that weren't being overwhelmed by the proximity to the divine unable to recognize the sight in the slightest. There was no earthly or divine way she would've ever forgotten a sight like that, the realization making the mental image of the deity disappear into fog, letting Sue finally breathe again.

"Wh-what the fuck, was that- was that fucking God!?"

"Equivalent."

She might have just found the one weird trick for the actual churches back in her home world to use if they were ever complaining about attendance rates.

As profoundly overwhelming as that experience was, Sue knew they were nowhere near done. If there was a possibility she'd finally be able to figure out who did this to her she was willing to go through more, much more- especially with the prospect of ever returning to any semblance of a normal life being on the line.

"O-okay, who else?"

Her eagerness to get to the bottom of this made the Night Father look at her slightly different, the closest thing to an eyebrow lifting up as He stared at her, with just as little of an expression as before. It was only a temporary distraction however, his focus returning back to the matter at hand, the dreamscape rumbling once more as the next deity manifested itself-

While magnitudes smaller than the first one, it felt no less holy, any and all physical distance that separated it and Sue coming undone in an instant as its red eyes stared her down. Its bipedal body was made of starlight and superheated metal, the white of the former mixing in with the eerie glow of the latter. The unimaginable temperature shooting the color the metallic parts of its body emanated way, way past even white, the barrage of ultraviolet somehow coherent for her dreamt up eyes. Even the slightest movements of its colossal arms changed their surroundings entirely, the dimensions of space warbling under their mere presence.

"Sculptor. Cautious. Unlikely."

The spatial deity was gone as soon as it had appeared, the rest of Sue's dream back to the mostly featureless emptiness it was before, the former student thankfully taking this mindbreaking sight much better this time- though she still needed a couple moments to jog her memory, once again finding nothing.

"Was th-that a god of light-"

"Space. Presence."

"Space. O-okay."

Even if Sue interpreted the answer incorrectly, it didn't matter enough for her divine host to spend time explaining it- she had no recollection of such an influence either way, and they were the least likely to have threatened the stability of the fabric of reality like this anyway.

"Wh-what next?"

"Gate. Return."

The cacophony of murmurs and whispers that filled the heavens at the mention of their names brought Sue's gaze upwards and into the sky, the first of the two gods in question filling up most of it. Its body consisted of three fleshy, crimson arms with a grayish plume where they met, black veins bulging out its limbs as they held a colossal portal open, the shudders in each of the arms making the immense effort their task required very clear. Legions of tiny, white sprites marched their way through that portal every moment, pouring in from beyond the reaches of Sue's mind, each of them whispering about the demise they eventually met, be it with fear, grief, or relief.

The sight occupying the opposite end of the horizon was similarly massive if much less static, its immense, rainbow-studded wings raining embers and sparks with every flap, the firebird's shrill cry bringing indescribable warmth to Sue's soul as it crossed the sky. Each little bundle of light its wings shed turned out to be yet another of the tiny, white sprites, the seven coloured flames that embraced them as they fell morphing into flesh in an uncountable myriad of different forms, a couple of them even familiar looking.

"Inevitable. Cycle."

"A-are these the d-dead-"

"Correct."

"Wait, d-do you mean that I-I died and ended up here-"

"Death. Rebirth. Identical. Possibility."

This world certainly wasn't like any afterlife she ever imagined, her mind giving preference to the "rebirth" possibility- though at the same time, was there any difference between the two when put like that? Either of them required her having had indeed died back in the "real" world, the possibility a deeply chilling one, especially with the loud bang she could just barely recall- but one she couldn't ignore either.

Regardless of how much more likely it sounded compared to an interference by any other being further up on the divine pecking order, her lead for either of the two wasn't really there beyond that singular sound. Eventually, Sue forced herself to let go of the idea, if just to hear out other possibilities for the sake of completeness.

"I- I see. Not impossible I guess, but... nevermind, wh-who's next?"

Deep silence shrouded the dreamt up clearing at her question, any ambient noise she swore she could ordinarily hear from time to time now completely absent. His eventual answer pierced the quiet, but sounded impossibly distant, like it was fading away-

"Grief..."

Before Sue knew it, a dense, pale fog had surrounded her from her every side, the sea salt stinging her eyes as she tried to make sense of what was happening-

"Wh-what's- where are you-"

"S-Sue?"

The sound of her mother's voice froze the once human where she stood, face contorted into a gasp as she turned to face the origin of the sound. There she was, she was right there, alive and just as pretty as she was the last time Sue had seen her! Her expression brightened at seeing her daughter again, even if she looked so, so very different now.

"Sue! My goodness how much you've grown!"

"MOM!"

Everything else could wait, had to wait, her mom was in here with her! This wasn't just some memory, she was here, she was real, she was alive! Sue's every step in her mom's direction filled her with more and more happiness, especially as she watched her open her arms for a hug, her spirit swelling up as she prepared to take it-

Only for pitch black tentacles to suddenly shoot past her and wrap tightly around her, stopping her in place. She was feet away from someone she thought she'd lost for good before she began to get forcibly dragged back, her thrashing against His influence futile as she wailed out in pain, the shout that followed managing to briefly interrupt her suffering-

"LIAR!"

And then, once Sue had tried to take one last look at her mom being alive and well again, she finally saw it. A small, shriveled black body resting inside a massive, spiked, purple shell, the locks of seafoam-colored hair that flowed out of its head sparse and tattered. Its opalescent eyes were devoid of hope, staring straight through Sue as she began to choke up.

The joyful sensations she could previously feel bloom inside her body got painfully coughed out, the sheer quantity of the dark, murky brine that left her mouth sufficient to form a small puddle underneath her as she cleared her airways.

"Broken."

Sue didn't even want to think about that one, trying to shuffle away from where the deity had manifested itself in her vision the moment she was able to, though by then it and the fog that accompanied it was long gone. All the sensations she had to relive in these few moments made her want to cry, to just break down like a baby in a feeble attempt to process her loss once more- but she couldn't, not now, not yet.

"H-how many left..."

"Two. Chaotic. Unpredictable. Inexcludable."

Okay... she could manage two, she could do this...

"Okay, n-next then..."

For once, nothing happened immediately, Sue trying to look around for any changes to her surroundings but only finding Night Father standing in the exact same spot as before, staring blankly at her.

"Certain?"

"No, but... wh-what other choice do I have?"

Night Father stood in silence for a few moments before closing his eye once more, the dreamscape around them finally changing again. The sight that awaited the once human right behind her shoulder was stunningly beautiful- a vast field of vibrant pink flowers and butterflies, all of them in bloom or fluttering around the figure in the center respectively.

The little of it that Sue could see was similarly gorgeous, the pinkish, patterned shell etched in an incredibly intricate way, whites and blacks depicting life in all its forms and vividness, the once human finding herself drawn closer to take a better look-

"Cruelty."

Suddenly, the shell creature turned around, revealing another shriveled black body inside it, immediately locking eyes with Sue. In an instant, she felt the feeblest of mental defenses that she could muster give in and be obliterated by the force of nature, visions and sensations of suffering immediately flooding her mind.

Nails being driven into her flesh and eyes, joints forcibly turned the other way, her insides doused in acid, her head burning alive. Bringing her right up until the Gate but never further, the deity of death barring her from escaping as she was brought back to health again, and again, and again, and again.

The full body sensations of her body being mangled made her shriek and run, run away as fast as she could from the deity's guiltless gaze. Her throat wore itself dry from the involuntary screams, the once human eventually finding herself thrashing on the grassy floor of the dreamscape, a glance around her body revealing it to be completely unharmed.

Shouts gave way to whimpers as the visions of suffering finally began to recede from her mind, left only with sorrow and heartbreak. She couldn't do it, she was too weak, she was never gonna make it out of here, the creatures of this world were too evil for her to even begin to comprehend, too inhumane.

It felt like forever before she was finally ready to do anything but sob and shake, a glance upwards revealing the dark god to be standing over her, making her eventually spit out-

"Wh-why did you do this to me-"

"Incorrect."

"Y-you brought that fucking thing in here!"

"Divine. Uncontrollable."

"I-it's just an illusion-"

"Fragment. Divine."

She had no idea whether He was telling the truth or bullshitting to her, but to a certain extent she didn't even care, just wanting to storm away and out of here and never see Him or other deities again. All she wanted in that moment was just to spend the rest of her days in this world trying her hardest to make it back through regular, not-divine means- but she knew as well as He did that it was naught more than an agonized fantasy, the malice of it all making her whine.

"Final. Harmless."

It was hard to make out whether His words were a promise or a reassurance, and a big chunk of Sue absolutely didn't care for either possibility as she forced herself back to her feet, about to speak up and ask Him to do away with all this and let her go- but it was too late.

"Caprice-"

"No, fuck this, fuck you, I'm- I'm not looking!"

And indeed she did not, not paying any attention to the squeaky, androgynous voice that spoke up behind her, the way it enunciated its words sending a deep, frightful shiver down her back. As she continued her steady march directly away from the final deity, Night Father's final remark made her want to throw hands, her steps only speeding up-

"Very. Annoying."

Part of her wondered how in the world was this dream still ongoing with how much suffering she'd experienced, hoping some reprieve would finally come soon. As it seemed though, Destiny had different plans, a fluttering sheet of paper floating into Sue's peripheral vision and intersecting her path, the once human wanting to tear it to shreds there and then, getting stopped only by managing to get a glimpse of its contents-

Don't turn around.

The elegant, silver-inked cursive immediately reminded her of what she'd seen in her previous dream, the mental image of her own gravestone chilling to immediately stop her in her tracks, breathing growing shallower as she stared at the message. She was afraid to shift her gaze anywhere else, left simply muttering out an answer to the piece of paper directly-

"Wh-who are you?"

Immediately, a stray gust threatened to rip the piece of paper out of Sue's hands, the page thrashing about enough to let her spot some more writing on its other side, the Forest Guardian flipping it around-

An ally.

"Ally? Wh-what do you mean- which of these unholy things are you!?"

She waited a couple more moments before flipping the page again, the previous message replaced with a drawing that defied comprehension. A regular octahedron was depicted on the tattered page with a mathematical precision, looking more like a platonic ideal of a shape rather than a mere drawing- especially as it slowly rotated when watched, its mirror surface mesmerizing. Underneath that drawing, laid another message-

but you can call me JUSTICE.

"Justice. Okay. What- what did you mean b-by us being allies?"

We share a goal.

"Goal? Wh-what are you talking about?"

We both want to make the being who'd done this to you suffer and pay.

The words gave Sue a longer pause, her breathing growing more shallow as she chewed through the god's message, blurting out the immediate followup-

"Do you know who th-that is?"

Yes.

"Who is it then!?"

Another flip of the page revealed yet another scribble, this one much more headache inducing. It was chaos incarnate, a silver line constantly twisting and thrashing into shapes unknown and unknowable, writhing around on the page at enough speed to render the end result little more than a blur.

"That's not an- that's not an answer!"

It's as much of an answer as I can presently give. Idiot covered its tracks well.

Sue could only scream in frustration at being denied a clear explanation yet again, about to start crumpling the page up into a small, tight ball before seeing a new message-

I would not advise that.

"Why did you contact me like this i-if you won't even tell me anything that's going on!?"

I have a plan to ensure its compliance.

"Compliance!?"

It promised you a way home. I can make sure that comes to pass, and make it pay.

Sue stared at the message for a while, the mixture of anger and pain finally loosening its grip on her psyche as she considered the words, the offer of getting out of this hellworld and back into the mundanity of where she came from very alluring, especially right now. Right as she was about to agree, a thought that she was once more just playing into yet another deity's game struck her mind and wouldn't let go, her response little more than a sneer-

"Will it even matter if I say no?"

She hesitated for a longer while after asking the question, knowing deep down just what the answer was inevitably going to be but refusing to face it, one more flip of the page indeed confirming her fears-

No.

Of course- of fucking course.

"What do you want me to do?"

For now, nothing. Continue as you did. Before my plan can come to pass, its plan must be accomplished first. Before the trap can be sprung, we need the-

Before Sue could finish reading the sentence, a louder callout of that same, grating, squeaky, androgynous voice she heard earlier made her instinctively look over her shoulder yet again-

And wake up back at Willow's clinic, the air reeking faintly of brine.