ACCH 14: Of Blood and Saltwater. Part 3

Alcide, the room around you remains frozen, and you can see above the heads of these still people scratches of writing appearing in the air over their heads, as if their very thoughts were being dictated before you.

Wilder appears before you.

Her body seems like formed out of words that vanish as they become the things that they represent and turn back into words.

Her body sort of constantly in motion, translucent before you, like you're looking at a memory.

Though she seems to look right at you.

As she kind of takes you in, she says, How does it feel? I miss the power.

Right now, I feel kind of terrible.

Oh, this is a weird sort

of party.

You ever been to one of these? No.

I think if I walked into the family home, I would have burst into flames.

Granted, the archpriest at the time, I do think, had a little bit

of a thing for me.

But human hatred

didn't.

I think I'll see that sort of, he laughs at that a little.

And he says, not to be rude, but how are you here? You call

me.

You can call all of us if you want.

I'm just an echo.

All of you? Like who? All of us who have the voice, sweetie.

He reaches up and touches his throat, and then I think remembers that he has a body, and that it is his again, back in control.

And he says...

If I move, will they all come back on? Who cares? Only one

way

to

find out.

And he does, he like takes Velda's hand and sort of like begins to like stand up.

The hand glides away as you stand up.

The picture shifts slightly, but it's still, no one seems to move.

Their eyes fixed at the points that they were before all this started.

Are there any words above Velda's head? Yes.

You see, actually, work for it.

Give me a...

Fair enough.

Give me an investigation check.

11.

It's hard to parse.

They stir like a cloud.

You see something, a fragment of a sentence, it disappears.

They come in flashes, almost like lightning.

You see storm, you see why, you see it has to be Alcide's fault, that's the only thing that makes sense and that trails off.

You see uncertainty and doubt creeping in towards the back of this cloud, but you also see this faith.

These are the strongest words to the front of the cloud, and that is what she seems to be clinging to.

And you feel kind of a wisp of cold air as Wildra glides her hand over your face.

Don't get caught up in all that bull now.

We could have a little fun.

Tell me about hatred.

What happened to my city?

Well, she's worse off without you.

Oh, I know that's true.

You gotta be

careful with that thing.

It's very powerful.

And it makes the fall hurt all the more.

They remember you, though.

Oh.

I hope I gave them something to think about for a long time.

You did.

Lots of us looked up to you.

Still do.

I was nothing but gutter trash.

But with this voice? No.

With my own intuition.

I became something to be reckoned with.

And so were you, sweetie.

It'll look different for you than it did for me.

Than it did for the one before me and the one before that.

You'll have to be careful.

It'll make your life short and hard.

Are

you ready

for that?

he thinks about that for a second and the immediate answer is no, I am not ready for that.

Alcide, the room around you remains frozen, and you can see above the heads of these still people scratches of writing appearing in the air over their heads, as if their very thoughts were being dictated before you.

Wilder appears before you.

Her body seems like formed out of words that vanish as they become the things that they represent and turn back into words.

Her body sort of constantly in motion, translucent before you, like you're looking at a memory.

Though she seems to look right at you.

As she kind of takes you in, she says, How does it feel? I miss the power.

Right now, I feel kind of terrible.

Oh, this is a weird sort

of party.

You ever been to one of these? No.

I think if I walked into the family home, I would have burst into flames.

Granted, the archpriest at the time, I do think, had a little bit

of a thing for me.

But human hatred

didn't.

I think I'll see that sort of, he laughs at that a little.

And he says, not to be rude, but how are you here? You call

me.

You can call all of us if you want.

I'm just an echo.

All of you? Like who? All of us who have the voice, sweetie.

He reaches up and touches his throat, and then I think remembers that he has a body, and that it is his again, back in control.

And he says...

If I move, will they all come back on? Who cares? Only one

way

to

find out.

And he does, he like takes Velda's hand and sort of like begins to like stand up.

The hand glides away as you stand up.

The picture shifts slightly, but it's still, no one seems to move.

Their eyes fixed at the points that they were before all this started.

Are there any words above Velda's head? Yes.

You see, actually, work for it.

Give me a...

Fair enough.

Give me an investigation check.

11.

It's hard to parse.

They stir like a cloud.

You see something, a fragment of a sentence, it disappears.

They come in flashes, almost like lightning.

You see storm, you see why, you see it has to be Alcide's fault, that's the only thing that makes sense and that trails off.

You see uncertainty and doubt creeping in towards the back of this cloud, but you also see this faith.

These are the strongest words to the front of the cloud, and that is what she seems to be clinging to.

And you feel kind of a wisp of cold air as Wildra glides her hand over your face.

Don't get caught up in all that bull now.

We could have a little fun.

Tell me about hatred.

What happened to my city?

Well, she's worse off without you.

Oh, I know that's true.

You gotta be

careful with that thing.

It's very powerful.

And it makes the fall hurt all the more.

They remember you, though.

Oh.

I hope I gave them something to think about for a long time.

You did.

Lots of us looked up to you.

Still do.

I was nothing but gutter trash.

But with this voice? No.

With my own intuition.

I became something to be reckoned with.

And so were you, sweetie.

It'll look different for you than it did for me.

Than it did for the one before me and the one before that.

You'll have to be careful.

It'll make your life short and hard.

Are

you ready

for that?

he thinks about that for a second and the immediate answer is no, I am not ready for that.