i am a cage in search of a bird

[crocodiline]

[ The figure inside the frosted glass snaps her fingers, and the glass falls away, sliding into grooves in the ground below. Inside, behind additional bulletproof glass, sits a woman, legs up on a transparent glass desk, absentmindedly petting a... whatever this thing is.

Say hello to your mastermind, everyone! ]

Hey there, everyone. Nice to talk to you in person - my name is Cipher, welcome to my city. Sorry I took so long to show up in person. No need to get up on my account - how about we talk business?

[ Let's drive. ]

Comments

YOUR GOLDEN END, PT 1

[crocodiline]

[ After a while, Cipher hits a few buttons and doors open both in the exterior glass of the case and in her little box. ]

Take your time and pack up. And... well, it wouldn't be fair of me to not let them pack, too, after watching you all so patiently, so... Thinker, teleport the rest of them in here, would you kindly?

[ And, very suddenly, within this box, there are now 25 of you. ]

I've got a girl in a red hat to get in contact with so she can meet you topside. Let me know when you're ready to go.

[bootyhunter]

[To say that Dandy is actually surprised would be quite a stretch. Relief and gratitude are what take the place of anxiety and silent dread, two sensations that he wasn’t all too familiar with from all the times before.

In all fairness, he’s never allowed himself to sit with them for very long.

He’s fine, for the time being, and in a much better physical state than he was when anyone on the side of the living last saw him, with little regard for how he may or may not have made his mark on the survivors who remained. What’s important is that they’re safe and they’ve gotten what they needed out of their time with Cipher, and that he has a chance to enjoy the kind of love he’s sought for the greater portion of an eternity.

Dandy flashes one of his signature toothy grins, although there’s a little more behind it than usual.]

Well whaddya know, babies?

We’re free.

[If anyone wants to exchange well-wishes, it would be best to catch him soon.

From the moment he woke up in this place’s iteration of Limbo, he’s been dead set on getting the hell out of here. His memories of these events will grow muddled and weary, most likely, and he will slowly become detached from the other versions of himself once more.

All his significant ties will stay, as the people he loves have never really disappear from his consciousness, but everyone else?

Well, that’s what seeing-eye psychics are for, right?]

Babe! Say your goodbyes to whoever the hell you’re gonna miss, and we’re kissin’ this corny kitten-caboodle goodbye! It’s time to get back to the stuff of dreams, the mountains ‘n jiggly molehills with all SORTSA funky-shaped moles!

And that just so happens to be BooBies, baby!

1/2

[sastruga]

2/2

[sastruga]

Can we put him back?

[onemillion]

[Oh, this is so much right off the bat. He's gonna ignore like, all of it and focus on something else entirely, though!!]

Are you all okay? We received your letters, so we figured you must be fine, but...

[It's good to see you guys in person again!!]

[sixthnonsense]

[After picking himself up off the ground and shaking off the initial shock, Hagakure is...throwing himself into Dandy's arms. Look, he's so fucking happy, okay?]

The BooBies dream is real!

[inaclearing]

[Brett chuckles a little.]

Good to hear from you again.

[withagun]

—Whoa!!

[ The surprise of it all has Hodaka fall on his ass. Typical. ]

We- that was- instant!!

[kninja]

I'm so sick of tellyporting!

[specialyellthing]

[And she’s holding out a bag of chips and a chocolate bar, just like that.]

[visiblepattern]

[...Oh my god, Hodaka, he looks sort of like he wants to cry, can he just approach you and give you the biggest damn hug, no he doesn't care if you're on the floor- ]

[honeyedtea]

Ah...

[ Oh, she wasn't expecting that seeing Hodaka again would actually make her, like, Feel Things. She hangs back for a moment, extremely aware that the last time Hodaka saw her, she was pretending to be a Very Nice Girl, something she pointedly is Not, Actually. ]

You're all really alive...

[dullshooter]

[Misfire arrives with a shudder.]

Ooh. That tingles.

[Anyway, he gives a wave to everyone he hasn't seen in a while.]

What's up, living losers? Great job on the everything - it was a ride, start to finish - but particularly the relentless hair-based bullying.

[And on that note, he turns to Cipher.]

So long as you're granting requests, mind if I make one? Kind of the least you could do for facilitating my own dismemberment, really.

[hotpaprika]

[Jonathan is definitely shocked about how sudden this all was, but, well, of all the things to happen to him these past couple weeks he can easily take something like this.]

Everyone! I am so proud of you for solving this case!

[He waves at them. It should be noted that his hair has somehow grayed significantly since his death, but he seemed genuinely happy to see everyone.]

[kninja]

Eh.

[Obi stiffens where he stands, looking as startled as you'd expect and also buckled to the teeth with knives, but then he seems to catch on to what's happening and groans.]

I can't wait to get back to horses.

[sixthnonsense]

H-Holy shi--!!

[Hagakure is another who's just going to fall flat on his ass, having never experienced teleportation in his life.

But when he looks around and actually registers that he's suddenly here, finally back with everyone else on the "side of the living", he breaks out into a grin.]

We're here! Just like that...we're really here!

[He can fully process this in a bit. For now, excited adrenaline rush!!!]

[everythingeverywhere]

[Well here's a person most of you probably don't want to see! Has she had character development since you last saw her?]

If you guys ate Piglet, I'm going to be very upset but also understanding because it was probably Brett and I did break the sacred bond of queer solidarity.

[......... sort of? Solid sort of.]

[pairtner]

........

[You know, it's a little daunting to see everyone all of a sudden. She knows everyone is aware what she is, so she makes no effort to hide herself]

You all performed marvelously.

[asymptotes]

[ What up, gang, it's some weirdo with a sword. ]

Well, look at you guys. Good job.

[dumpsterloki]

[ ...So, after everyone's been teleported, like. Give it maybe fifteen minutes of reunion?

There's a clatter from the direction of Helios Suites, and a woman in a grody business suit with skin wrinkled up like a waterlogged prune stumbles into the Hall of the Founders. ]

At long last...! After all this time... I, Rita Repulsa, am finally free!!!

[ where the FUCK did you come from ]

1/??? we'll let yall know when it's open

[crocodiline]

[ There is, however, once more loose end to wrap up.

A slight... something ripples down Cipher's right arm as she holds it out. ]

... Eleanor.

[fuckingguy]

[ Nandor stares down at his stupid Hawaiian shirt and his stupid sword, the "that was it?" of it all written clear as day on his face, and pats himself down like anything needs to get verified here! Also, there's a whole fucking Rapidash in the box, which he is going to forget about instantly when he actually looks outside of that box and sees the living.

When he does, he positively surges forward, frantic emotion in his eyes, and it is, uh, really not clear whether or not he's going to lunge at poor Forrest until he bypasses him to lift Zinda up and swing her around in a big stupid bear hug. And, you know, the rest of you are here too, he guesses, but he's a selfish asshole so give him a minute!

After he has been given a minute: ]

Yes, congratulations on figuring it all out, good to see you all again, I knew you could do it, yadda yadda and all of that... are we really choosing mercy?

[timegazer]

[Many long, long weeks ago, Adaman had hope that this game would reach a conclusion that was favorable to them. That they would all be able to raise their heads high and walk out of this game, hand in hand if only metaphorically, and that they would be able to laugh together and perhaps put this game behind them.

As they're teleported in, well--Adaman falls to the ground in a bit of shock, but very quickly he starts to laugh--bright and free and relieved to see them all alive, and with it, that wonderful dream finally realized. No matter how much time it took, no matter how far it went...

They were victorious.]

Everyone! Everyone, most excellent work! You were, I daresay, on fire out there!

[Adaman laughs bright, not quite getting up off the floor yet--he seems to be wiping his eyes a bit? Look, after all the crying he's done, he can afford himself some happy tears dammit!!]

Well done! Most well done!

[hellaethics]

[Guess who's back.

Back again.

Jason's back.

Tell a frie- oh, he is fully doing a backflip the second he teleports in.]

YOOOO, that trial was tight as hell! I knew you guys'd smash it! I do got a question though: do we get to meet Vin Diesel? 'Cause that'd be tight.

[prompocalypse]

[Penelope, at least at the start of being yanked back to life, doesn't move to greet anyone. Which is weird for her, given how much of a social animal she is normally. She has her hands behind her back for the first few minutes, just staring out the window at the ocean with a tinge of melancholy.]

Hi. [She says, eventually.] Guess I won't be dragging you all into hell with me.