TID:YOUR FRIEND REACHED OUT TO ME.
Kyle: Uh, Thee-I-Dare is here.
Muse: Oh.
Kyle: He says you reached out to him.
Muse: Uh, I did… I just need to figure out, uh, which time!
TID: KYLE. HOW CAN WE TRUST HER?
Kyle: We can trust her, because I trust her. She has a few- She has genuine doubt about this.
Muse: -Skims through notebook- There’s been… a few… And uh… Sorry I’m wearing the stupid shirt…
[Kyle almost falls off the edge, and quietly cusses]
Kyle: I definitely didn’t just almost fall off the ledge there, nope.
Muse: KYLE!
Kyle: I’m sorry--
Muse: Kyle, be careful---
Kyle: So… He’s still kind of questioning if we can trust you, but I kind of told him we can trust you.
Muse: It’s completely fair to question me, honestly. I’m not even offended by it.
Kyle: So, what did you reach out to him about?
Muse: Um, a few things? But I think that Sparrow talked about most of it? -Minor panic sets in- Oh god, I’m literally flipping through my notes here--
Kyle: We can be patient.
The Shape spawns on Kyle.
TID: THEY HAVE MARKED HER FOR ASCENT.
Muse: Kyle, please be careful.
Kyle: “They have marked her for ascent” I’m guessing that means, meaning they want her to be a host.
Muse: Heh… Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me at all.
TID: AT THE LEAST. YOU WILL WATCH HER?
Kyle: Yeah. I’ll keep an eye on her. But I know we can trust her.
TID: SO BE IT. THIS MAY DOOM US
Kyle: Well...It’s a bit too early to say that.
TID: ARABELLA.
Muse: -Flipping her shit- Yes, hello???
TID: YOU CALLED TOO MANY TIMES, CHILD.
TID: THE WARD AGAINST ME FAILS.
Kyle: Oh wait--
Muse: OH MY GOD, KYLE!!!!
TID: WHAT DO YOU WANT?
Muse: (ptt)Kyle, he’s talking to me.
Muse: F-first of all, just to ease my own disquiet… who are you? I need to know.
Kyle: Wait, is he able to talk to you now?
Muse: y e s
Kyle: -gasps- Ooooh! That’s great! I’ll leave you two to that.
TID: YOU THINK YOU CALL ANOTHER? NOW?
Muse: I… I’m sorry, i just wanna make sure i’m really… -sighs- I’m really paranoid, i’m sorry… ;~;
TID: I HAVE HAD MANY NAMES.
TID: NONE FIT ME NOW.
TID: DEVIL. ADVERSARY. THEE-I-DARE.
Muse: Thanks for… I guess, call it, easing anxiety brain-- U-um… -floundering noises- I guess---
TID: WHAT DO YOU WANT, STALKER?
Muse: Yeah that’s fair, that’s fair. That is incredibly fair--- Um… Unfort-- I think a lot of it is late news at this point but I know, a couple of times, I wanted to at least explain that term I told Sparrow, the term dissonance, just so you’d know what it meant, but I think you’ve figured that out by now. And… -sighs and sniffles- I just wanted to help you…
TID: IT WAS YOU. WAS IT NOT?
Muse: ??? Uh…
TID: MY CHOSEN SPEAK OF FRIENDS…
TID: ON THE OTHER SIDE.
Muse: I’m pretty sure that’s me, yeah. I-I've been trying to ask... Them... questions... to help... figure out your situation and see if They know anything about it. Unfortunately, they weren’t helpful.
TID: LISTEN TO ME, ARABELLA.
Muse: … I-Im listening.
TID: YOU ARE TELLING YOURSELF A LIE.
TID: I WOULD KNOW.
TID: IN THIS LIE, YOUR FRIENDS SURVIVE.
TID: ALL VOICES SURVIVE. IN PEACE.
TID: WHETHER YOU HELP ME OR NOT…
TID: IT IS NOT SO. WE ARE CONFLICT.
Muse: -Small gasp of holding back tears- -Silence…- I-I-I-I know that!
TID: IF I HAVE MY WAY, IT ENDS SOONER.
TID: THAT IS ALL.
Muse: -words shaking, holding back tears- God, Why is it every time you talk to me, I just get more confused?! -softly sniffle/crying- I-I’m sorry… I’m sorry… -sniffs-
TID: WE CURSED YOU WITH TWO MINDS.
TID: FROM THE BEGINNING. OUR FAULT.
Muse: -Sniff-
TID: I CANNOT SHRUG OFF RESPONSIBILITY.
Muse: -sniff-
TID: THINK LONG ON WHAT YOU WANT.
TID: I MUST SPEAK WITH KYLE, NOW.
Muse: .. I’m sorry I pulled you away from him… I’ll keep the Angel away from him too. It’s the least I could do. I just need to find a camera.
TID: KYLE, THERE IS A SCHISM IN HER.
Muse: (Ptt) Tag, you’re it Kyle!
Kyle: What do you mean by [Desperately tries to pronounce ‘Schism” but fails] however you pronounce that word… What do you mean by that?
TID: IT MEANS SHE IS SPLIT. WILL CRACK.
Kyle: Oh. That does sound- By crack, do you mean,like, dying?
TID: MAYBE WORSE.
Kyle: Oh. [On PTT] So bad news, he says that there’s a sch-schism..however you pronounce that word-crack, in you?
TID: NO…
Muse: A schism…
Kyle: Wait.
TID: DO NOT TELL HER. FOR NOW.
Kyle: Oh okay. I’ll leave out...the last part.
[Pause]
Kyle: Is it because of the fragments that she has?
TID: NO. SHE TRIES TO CONTAIN US ALL.
Kyle: Is there any way to… get rid of the crack, make sure it doesn’t hurt her in any way?
TID: SOON SHE WILL COME OF AGE...
Kyle: oh...Oh I think I see what you mean now.
TID: IF SHE IS CONFLICTED LIKE THIS?
TID: IT WILL TEAR HER APART
Kyle:[concern levels-very high] Oh...So she needs to, make up her mind before it’s too late, essentially?
TID: THERE WILL BE NO GOING BACK.
TID: FOR A TIME, SHE MIGHT SPY FOR US
TID: BUT HER MIND. HER HEART. DIVIDED.
Kyle: So she can’t play both sides forever, in the end she’s going to have to pick one?
TID: OR RISK ETERNAL SILENCE. YES.
Kyle: Oh...eternal silence…
TID: KYLE, YOU BOTH PRAYED TO ME.
TID: YOU SEEM TO CARE FOR HER.
Kyle: Well, I do. She’s my friend.
TID: BEFORE I FADE, WHAT CAN I DO?
Kyle: I don’t actually remember what my prayer was, but...I...Think there’s something I should tell you about. It happened a long time ago, but...They say there’s a Voice in Saturation Control, guiding people out of there. I think it might be good to look into that. And I’ll try to see if I can help Muse resolve her doubts, before it’s too late.
TID: I DO FIND MYSELF CURIOUS, YES…
TID: THE STORIES ARE DISTURBING.
Kyle: Yeah...They say that, he knew the blackouts were coming before it happened, and next thing they knew they were in Saturation Control. I’m not sure if they can sense it coming, but...From the way he spoke, it sounded like he was trapped in there too.
TID: I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT PLACE
Kyle: Yeah...It’s still a big mystery. But I think that would be, something to look into, at the very least.
TID: I WILL TRY. THEY GUARD IT FIERCELY.
Kyle: That is true...If you do look into it, try to be careful about it. I don’t want anyone getting killed…
TID: YES. I… THAT IS WHY I AM CAUTIOUS.
TID: SO MANY CHILDREN ASK OF THE CULL.
TID: I SHARE THE STORIES, HONOR THEM.
TID: EACH ONE REMINDS ME I WAS A FOOL.
TID: SURVIVE FOR ME, MY DEAR FRIEND.
Kyle: And you survive as well, Thee-I-Dare.
TID: WATCH THAT POOR YOUNG WOMAN.
