There's always a lighthouse

[wheremst]

And just like that, you wake up in the basement of a lighthouse in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. There's a circle of 25 pods in the middle of the room, and two more in a room off to the side, and you can imagine who is in which.

An elevator to the side of the room leads up to the ground floor (or to the first sub-basement, if you want to check out the machine that brought you here), where you can for the first time in weeks look out a window and see the sky. Its a beautiful sunny day, with a strong breeze on the grassy ground of the island where the lighthouse stands. Have you ever been this happy to hear seagulls?

You're free. Whatever comes next, you're free and you won. Take some time to relish your victory, won't you? Reunite with friends you thought you had lost, go forth and just... well, enjoy this.

Comments

[snackooed]

Better than ever, if you ask me! A new and improved Ema Skye!

[ And she isn't just putting on airs, either; she may be struggling to remember how to keep to her feet, but compared to how elated she feels to see everyone's faces, old and new, that all feels so far away.

So of course, she flashes her a huge grin right back. Grisly sights and sleepless nights be damned. ]

And it's absolutely thanks to you, Della. I know none of us would be out of this mess without you.

[nothingcanstop]

[ Della moves a little closer, just in case Ema seems to have a bit of trouble walking. ...She has a little experience with having to readjust to how your body moves, after all. ]

I won't say you're not right...but everyone did their part. Mira, Jasper, Therion... Everyone who was in that room. [ A moment's hesitation... ] And, the rest of you, if I'm understanding things right.

[snackooed]

Well, we all put in work in our own way from our end...cheered you guys on in our own way, too. I'm sure you know how it is, with this group...we were stuck in that trial room for three whole days, waiting for you guys.

[ She's pacing around a little, but taking it a bit slow. She knows not to push herself too hard, but she's absolutely doing her best. ]

There's still a bit of unfinished business, but we can cross that bridge when we get there. The important thing is, we're all here. We made it.

[nothingcanstop]

--Three days?!

[ excuse me what the fuck happened in deadland ]

[snackooed]

We were being kept in a backup version of the facility, but we wound up being found out...so the trial room wound up being our safe zone, basically, while the rest of the place fell apart. Thankfully, none of us needed food or sleep or anything, but when you're stuck in a tight spot with people for that long...

Well, it wound up working out fine. We're not exactly at each other's throats right now, so I consider that a pretty big win.

[nothingcanstop]

Holy cow... You guys really did have your own incredible adventure. With Rhea, and Kirei, and Zelos, and Rose, all in the same place...?

[ seriously how did they not come out of this with everyone violently hating each other ]

[snackooed]

Let's not forget Anna, and Nova, too. In the same crowded little space for 72 hours.

[ "Holy cow" is right. ]

There was a lot of, mm...back and forth? [ Is that what we're calling it? ] But somehow, someway, everyone got out of there in one piece. So if I had to choose something to celebrate today, other than "life," I think "miracles" would be pretty high up on my list.

[nothingcanstop]

[ How are any of you ali- oh wait, you weren't-- ]

You know what? I'd drink to that. ...You still gonna try out your new career as a bartender?

[snackooed]

[ There's no shortage of mirth to the chuckle she lets out, at the thought of that. Tempting, but... ]

I wouldn't turn my back on my one true love like that, especially not when it seems like there's still a demand for it. The subjects from the last experiment still need to be found, and we do have their backups. Having a forensic investigator on your team when you're looking for twenty-two thieves might be useful.

[ She props herself up against the side of her pod and puts her arms behind her head... ]

Of course, there are a couple of important business matters I'll need to attend to before I can chip in with that. For instance, there happen to be some gods I'll need to give a good, stern talking to.

[ She's certain she'll have to make plenty of drinks after that, at least. ]