IN THE NIGHT IC INBOX

[beaconkeeper]

@keeper

Hi! I looove chatting so please come talk to me any time!

Comments

[beaconkeeper]

?

What other lighthouses?

[evulsed]

Someone found a map with other places scratched off.

They were other lighthouses, weren't they?

[beaconkeeper]

Whoa, really? Can I see it? Where'd you find it?

Hand to god, buddy, I don't know anything about other lighthouses existing. I'm like pretty sure this is the only one.

[evulsed]

I didn't. Pay attention.

You have network access, go look for that nerdy guy's post yourself.

[ he... he doesn't know how to hyperlink things ok ]

[beaconkeeper]

🙄 Spare me the attitude, ya punk. Give me a minute...

[Or five, which is apparently how long it takes her to find and read the post before getting back to him.]

Ohhhh OK OK I think I see where the confusion is. I take it you've never heard of The Hunger Games? Book series? Got turned into movies??

So like, it's kinda rare, but sometimes people show up here and, where I'm from, they're fictional characters. Panem is the world The Hunger Games is set in, and now that you mention it, I remember hearing that some version of Katniss ended up here at some point. I bet she wrote that!

In any case, that's not a map of this world, sorry. Nice thinking, though!

[evulsed]

[ well if that tells him anything, it's that there's the potential for a lot of misdirection laying around. ]

He'll be disappointed if he ever figures that out.

[ read: Vanitas isn't going to tell him ]

Can you see those things on the water from up there?

[beaconkeeper]

Ignis? I mean... Someone should probably tell him? I would, but he doesn't like me very much. :/ I doubt he would believe me.

What things? The World Eaters? No, but I have a radar type thing that lets me keep track of them... Roughly. The further away they are, the less accurate it is.

[evulsed]

That's too bad for him isn't it?

No, I meant the thing on the water.

I saw it out there on the raft.

[beaconkeeper]

Whoa, warn me next time and I'll put on a sweater. That was cold.

Oh! That thing. That was super weird, right? I didn't get a very good look at it, but I've never seen anything out on the water like that. Did it look like a forest spirit?

[evulsed]

Not like any of the ones I've seen.

[ The ones in the woods, or the ones in town... ]

It was hard to tell because it was so dark. It looked like a person.

You can't see it out there now?

[beaconkeeper]

Hm... Weird. I'll look into it. But no, I can't see much from up here. It's too dark! I couldn't find it again with my beam after I followed you guys back to shore. I looked, but it's tough to say whether it disappeared or I just couldn't catch it again.

[evulsed]

Maybe I'll go look for it.

[beaconkeeper]

...Do you really think that's a good idea?

[evulsed]

I'll take him with me when he comes back.

[ Sora... whom at this point, Vanitas doesn't know isn't coming back. ]

[beaconkeeper]

Who? Still not a good idea, no matter who you go with.

[evulsed]

We were fine before.

[beaconkeeper]

Uhhh IDK that I would call that "fine"? You were on a little raft in the middle of a super choppy lake! In the rain!! With a scary thing up ahead of you!!!!

Not to mention if you die out on the water - which is easy to do, remember? Your life is dependent on a LANTERN! With FIRE! But like, if you do die out there? It's not likely you'll be able to come back.

[evulsed]

At least you'd be learning something from it.

You were watching us last time after all.

Sora's lucky anyway. He'd find a way around it.

[beaconkeeper]

What's that supposed to mean? You're cool with risking dying for good if it means the town at large learns something?

Awfully selfless of you, if that's what you're getting at!

Not that I'm about to take you up on it, though. :/ It's my job to protect you! That means YOU, buster!!!

I'm sorry about your friend, by the way.

[evulsed]

[ too quickly: ]

He's not my friend.

[ then a beat later: ]

And I don't give a crap about any of these people.

[beaconkeeper]

Why not?

[evulsed]

Why should I?

[beaconkeeper]

Do you enjoy being alone?

[evulsed]

I'm not interested in making anything easier or better for them.

[beaconkeeper]

Yeah yeah, I get it, you're Stormcloud McMisanthropy, apathetic toward all.

What do you get out of that?

Literally, why are you the way that you are?