2019-10-18: What Comes Next
- Cutscene: What Comes Next
- Cast: Gwen Whitlock, Frea Whitlock
- Where: The Thames
- Date: October 2019
- Summary: Frea replies to a newly arrived (and recently woken) Gwen's message. Then, Frea talks to Cat. Cat is, of course, a cat. Everything is normal, and Frea is a normal human aunt.
From: Frea Whitlock To: Gwen Whitlock
I have received your message that you have arrived back in Filgaia. I am certain you will find the weather in the Aquvy region quite similar to the Spiran lands you have described. I have not had much recent experience with Aquvy, but I am certain your priestly friend of yours could fill you in. And yes, Brother Madigan did visit me, as you had instructed him to do when he hasn't heard from you. He is annoying, and I would appreciate it if you did not feel the need to have people check in on me, especially religious ones of his sort.
On the subject of Mr. Dragmire, it feels strange to hear that hoodlum former acquaintance of yours was onto something. I was willing to regard everything else as mere coincidence, but I am amused that this little bit of lore actually held a bit of truth. However, I cannot tell you exactly where I even collected it in the first place. If you happen to collect any information concerning this man as you have been doing, I would be interested in it as a matter of scholarly curiosity. That said, I would also appreciate it if you keep well away from the man himself. Of course, knowing you, I'll likely be hearing about how you were blasted into another land because you could not leave a cranky demon king alone. As I've said before, you were never like this as a child. Did my raising you somehow dislocate your sense of reason?
Most importantly, concerning your condition and regarding the 'safety lock', as you called it, I feel you are safe. In the end, the safety lock was only a temporary measure. To install another mechanism would require parts, steady hands, and some invasive techniques I have no interest in repeating again. Please continue to update me on the changes you have been experiencing, but be aware of your mental and physical state. Dr. Uzuki is correct in the amount of wear this new 'mode' seems to have on your body. While I believe your heart is safe, it's the rest of your body that concerns me. The exhaustion you felt afterwards is to be expected. You will likely feel the need to replenish your body and ARM's energy reserves by any means possible, be it caloric intake, sleep (which is why you spent all that time sleeping), or, in the ARM's case, accessing a power source it can draw from. I would caution against the latter, as your body will *not* immediately benefit from this in the same way your ARM will, and I have not found a method to produce this result on a reliable basis.
As for your fear of 'losing control', I cannot say what would happen. My theory is that, as a human being, your body will give out before you could cause any extensive damage. That said, you have the unfortunate trait of being rather resilient, especially when pushed to your limits. If you were to continually try to use this 'mode', the consequences may not just be your physical condition.
I would advise you to stay in Aquvy for now. There are no pressing matters that need you in Ignas, and I would be interested in you continuing to assist in your companions' efforts. Please keep me posted.
- Frea
A bleak frown plagued Frea's thin face from the moment she disengaged from the Memory Cube to the moment she stepped into her cabin, her flat heels clicking audibly on the aged wooden floorboards.
"Ah. Cat. You came." The snaggletoothed black mop of a cat mewed piteously from his perch atop her table, arching his back into her outstretched fingers. "... Do you think me a poor guardian, dear Cat? I'm certain her friends will likely have some choice words with me, should our paths ever cross. But ah, I will explain my reasoning to you, and only you, in a way you will understand." A grim smile stretches her lips. "A pretty bird's wing feathers are clipped so that it does not fly away."
Her long fingers scratch underneath the cat's chin, ushering a rattling purr from the feline's throat. "But, such a bird is easy prey. And there are many, many devilish cats out there, similar to you, who would delight in eating it... should they learn of it. And they will." Her fingers ease to a stop, and Frea sits in a chair, her hands crossed over her cane.
"But more likely, a bird would have to worry about her own kind, in the end. What will they all do, if they knew? If they knew what her owner did to keep that pretty bird safe?" She sighs. "... Ah, but this analogy is wearing thin already. You do not care about allegorical birds you can't stuff inside that little tummy of yours."
If it came down to it, Frea had some ideas.
It was simply a matter of seeing what came next.