Under someone you're afraid to be punished by. [ this is an assumption based off of what he's said so far. they have zero proof.
they do seem to ease up though when he confirms it's iris and not madam. ]
I was hoping that was the answer. [ it's a start. ] ...why did Iris leave? Do you know where he might have gone? A direction, I know you don't know the exact location or you'd find him already.
I'll take Madam over the spawncampers any day. At least I'll be alive.
...I think he was trying to help the guy who broke into the Tower. He was a Lily, so they - they would've taken his eyes, probably. [ thinking about that room full of glowing pink eyes sets him on edge all over again. ] I don't know if he was thinking straight, or if he was hypnotized into it, but he was always talking about going outside, anyway.
[ absolute idiot. ]
And no, I don't know where he is, or even a direction. That's the part I'm supposed to help with - apparently a Daphne might be able to teleport straight to someone they have some kind of connection with, even without knowing where they are.
[ they are going to come back to the spawncampers momentarily. one subject at a time. ]
Sounds to me like he saw an opportunity and took it without thinking. [ relatable. ] I've never met someone who can teleport before. But for you to have a connection to him, that must mean you're close?
He would do that, the idiot. He never stops to think about things when it matters.
And no, we're not. [ a beat. ] We used to be, but we haven't been friends in years. I'm just the best person to find him because he never had any other friends.
Because he's selfish and can't even follow basic rules. He'd rather hole up and use his powers to make dumb little things like that arm or those shoes so he can cheat to win a race. All he ever does is cause problems for everyone around him. Who could be friends with someone like that?
So you were friends, you chose to stop being friends because "you know better now" [ there are air quotes here ] and yet he needs your help and you want to return for him while avoiding causing trouble for both of you with his mother.
[ laurence is so easily flustered as it is, so this immediately channels into getting mad. how dare you call him out. ]
Don't get it twisted. He needs help because the guy he left with is a murderer and Iris is a moron who'll believe just about anything you tell him - and even if he didn't, that guy could use his powers to make him believe. And who knows what he could be making Iris do? Especially with his powers.
I don't hate him enough to wish him dead, okay? And it's my fault he's in that situation for just letting them leave in the first place, so I was trying to fix my mistake and get him back to somewhere safe. Isn't that why I was brought here?
Did you meet the guy in person? Did he seem like he would use Iris?
[ these are valid questions for a reason, and they go quiet again to decide what to say. ]
It could be why you were brought here, sure. But maybe that isn't the only reason. Maybe there are other things you need to think about, too. [ ... ] Why did you let him go?
When they were leaving. Iris made a convenient little escape plan for them - of course he'd use that.
[ why did he let iris go? ]
Because I thought it'd be better for everyone, probably. That guy was always talking about leaving the Tower for one reason or another, and he was always causing trouble for everyone by using his powers when he knew he shouldn't. If he left, he'd get what he wanted and get out of our hair.
[ there's a little more to it than that, naturally, but this is the easiest explanation. ]
[ they don't reply immediately, though they are thinking this over carefully. they manage to get a little ways down the boardwalk before they speak again. ]
I think one of the things you may want to consider here is being more thorough in your thoughts on the situation. Think more carefully about your reasons, and be honest with them. [ they are not necessarily calling him a liar, because they would not know any better, but they do think it's human (and demiflora) nature to shy away from difficult and complicated emotions. ]
[ for a second, he could swear he hears that old hag's voice again, and he stares at them in mute shock before hurriedly turning away. ]
I... I don't know what you're talking about. [ he scoffs again, but it's not harsh as before. ] He was always a troublemaker, anyway. I didn't think it would hurt anything to let him go.
[ yeah, that doesn't surprise them. but they don't call him on it. ]
Then maybe you'll see an improvement after all. [ airily, like they do not believe that in the slightest. but they decide that as much fun as it is pulling laurence apart, maybe... giving him something else to chew on may help him. ]
Think I had a bit of the opposite problem. All of my friends were people I swore I would never associate with, ever. And then they became the only people who mattered, even if I wanted to kill them half the time.
but oh, lore... he turns back to them, frowning. ]
Were you guys not always, er, angels? [ shouldn't angels have existed for so long and always been friends among themselves or something like that? ] What changed your mind about them?
Eight weeks is a long time, Laurence. [ think about what you've done, boy. but yes, lore. ]
We weren't born as angels or anything, no. Becoming a Guardian Angel came later. [ but it become a little more obvious why they mentioned this bit of lore. ] I had to be a little more honest about the fact I wanted to be around them more. I was curious about something they were doing, even if speaking with them went against everything I believed in.
I know that. [ he's thinking about it all the time why do you think he wants to go back!! ]
I didn't know that was a thing. [ BEWILDERING. he will ask more about that later. ] That sounds pretty dramatic, though - "against everything you believed in." Just talking to someone can't be that bad.
Some of you have asked, some of you haven't. It's fine. [ they are fine not talking about themselves, actually. but they scoff a little. ]
You've never met those types. [ they sound vaguely fond though. ] In theory, they should have been like everyone else around them, looking down their noses at everyone and thinking they're better than everyone with more money than sense. Impractical and nearly irredeemable.
[ but in practice, apparently they weren't quite like that. ]
Well... money's not really a thing in the Tower, anyway. Everyone's supposed to be equal there. [ except iris, apparently. ] What were they doing that got your attention, if they were that bad?
I've noticed. [ they do not really comment on the money thing, but that is a bit of a sticking point. ] They were looking for something... I guess you could call it a treasure? They'd been hunting for a little while, and when I heard about it I wanted in on it. Just to see if it was real.
Treasure...? [ sounds like something from a story iris was probably obsessed with once. ] Must have been something big if you had to deal with people you didn't want to.
It was. And... it was. We found it recently, just not the way we planned to. [ but they wave it off with a hand. ] It started with an idea to try and track the thing down, and we found a lot more than we anticipated.
It felt that way sometimes, too. [ they will just come out and say it. ] But I knew that going in. I wanted to come with them because they believed there was something almost supernatural about it. And I wanted to see for myself.
[ the question makes them hum in thought. ]
... in the end, it was a good thing because there was a conclusion to it. We all found what we wanted even if getting it was different than planned. So yes? [ even if they sound vaguely unsure for a bit. ] I like to think so.
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they do seem to ease up though when he confirms it's iris and not madam. ]
I was hoping that was the answer. [ it's a start. ] ...why did Iris leave? Do you know where he might have gone? A direction, I know you don't know the exact location or you'd find him already.
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I'll take Madam over the spawncampers any day. At least I'll be alive.
...I think he was trying to help the guy who broke into the Tower. He was a Lily, so they - they would've taken his eyes, probably. [ thinking about that room full of glowing pink eyes sets him on edge all over again. ] I don't know if he was thinking straight, or if he was hypnotized into it, but he was always talking about going outside, anyway.
[ absolute idiot. ]
And no, I don't know where he is, or even a direction. That's the part I'm supposed to help with - apparently a Daphne might be able to teleport straight to someone they have some kind of connection with, even without knowing where they are.
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Sounds to me like he saw an opportunity and took it without thinking. [ relatable. ] I've never met someone who can teleport before. But for you to have a connection to him, that must mean you're close?
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And no, we're not. [ a beat. ] We used to be, but we haven't been friends in years. I'm just the best person to find him because he never had any other friends.
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You have very strong opinions about someone you're no longer friends with. Why did you stop?
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Because he's selfish and can't even follow basic rules. He'd rather hole up and use his powers to make dumb little things like that arm or those shoes so he can cheat to win a race. All he ever does is cause problems for everyone around him. Who could be friends with someone like that?
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Then why were you friends with him before?
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[ that's his story and he's sticking to it ]
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So you were friends, you chose to stop being friends because "you know better now" [ there are air quotes here ] and yet he needs your help and you want to return for him while avoiding causing trouble for both of you with his mother.
[ think back on that, laurence. ]
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Don't get it twisted. He needs help because the guy he left with is a murderer and Iris is a moron who'll believe just about anything you tell him - and even if he didn't, that guy could use his powers to make him believe. And who knows what he could be making Iris do? Especially with his powers.
I don't hate him enough to wish him dead, okay? And it's my fault he's in that situation for just letting them leave in the first place, so I was trying to fix my mistake and get him back to somewhere safe. Isn't that why I was brought here?
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Did you meet the guy in person? Did he seem like he would use Iris?
[ these are valid questions for a reason, and they go quiet again to decide what to say. ]
It could be why you were brought here, sure. But maybe that isn't the only reason. Maybe there are other things you need to think about, too. [ ... ] Why did you let him go?
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[ why did he let iris go? ]
Because I thought it'd be better for everyone, probably. That guy was always talking about leaving the Tower for one reason or another, and he was always causing trouble for everyone by using his powers when he knew he shouldn't. If he left, he'd get what he wanted and get out of our hair.
[ there's a little more to it than that, naturally, but this is the easiest explanation. ]
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I think one of the things you may want to consider here is being more thorough in your thoughts on the situation. Think more carefully about your reasons, and be honest with them. [ they are not necessarily calling him a liar, because they would not know any better, but they do think it's human (and demiflora) nature to shy away from difficult and complicated emotions. ]
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I... I don't know what you're talking about. [ he scoffs again, but it's not harsh as before. ] He was always a troublemaker, anyway. I didn't think it would hurt anything to let him go.
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Then maybe you'll see an improvement after all. [ airily, like they do not believe that in the slightest. but they decide that as much fun as it is pulling laurence apart, maybe... giving him something else to chew on may help him. ]
Think I had a bit of the opposite problem. All of my friends were people I swore I would never associate with, ever. And then they became the only people who mattered, even if I wanted to kill them half the time.
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but oh, lore... he turns back to them, frowning. ]
Were you guys not always, er, angels? [ shouldn't angels have existed for so long and always been friends among themselves or something like that? ] What changed your mind about them?
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We weren't born as angels or anything, no. Becoming a Guardian Angel came later. [ but it become a little more obvious why they mentioned this bit of lore. ] I had to be a little more honest about the fact I wanted to be around them more. I was curious about something they were doing, even if speaking with them went against everything I believed in.
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I didn't know that was a thing. [ BEWILDERING. he will ask more about that later. ] That sounds pretty dramatic, though - "against everything you believed in." Just talking to someone can't be that bad.
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You've never met those types. [ they sound vaguely fond though. ] In theory, they should have been like everyone else around them, looking down their noses at everyone and thinking they're better than everyone with more money than sense. Impractical and nearly irredeemable.
[ but in practice, apparently they weren't quite like that. ]
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Well... money's not really a thing in the Tower, anyway. Everyone's supposed to be equal there. [ except iris, apparently. ] What were they doing that got your attention, if they were that bad?
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Is it real?
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Congratulations, I guess. [ ... ] Is that a good thing?
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[ the question makes them hum in thought. ]
... in the end, it was a good thing because there was a conclusion to it. We all found what we wanted even if getting it was different than planned. So yes? [ even if they sound vaguely unsure for a bit. ] I like to think so.
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