act18d3

Look at you, even now irresolute, an ocean fish lost in its course.

(She glances at him.)

You wish to know where I have brought you. You very much mind. You have not the qualification to take part in our congregation, yet your eyes tell me, you wish to know just what we will do to her.

Did you recover the kindred love between you? Could your heart be torn apart by what happened to your old relation? Do you feel it is unjust? Are you thus angered?

You are attempting to find what you cannot see.

But of course. That is the expected response.

You believe I wish to harm her. You are wrong. I wish to help her.

Only by elucidating where her—where all your pain lies at its source, can I better assist you in excising the problem point, is that not so?

As with you. You voluntarily became one of us, wishing to melt into the ocean true. Once you have completed this mission, your sordid nature will achieve purification. This is the ocean's charity to you.

And in the end, charity alike will be extended to all your old relations. So long as they alike can relinquish their narrow views of a past enmity.

To reunite you, that is the first step. To fathom you, that is the second step. And come the end, you will fathom us too.

If you are able to reduce the nonsense by a measure, we may cooperate so much more harmoniously.

I can also speak of things that will make you happy. Your old relation—the lucid one, she is already here.

Skadi?

She is not here.

Naturally, she is not. Without my invitation, none may enter this place.

She's entered the city. You know that.

You have expressed surprise. That is very interesting. There is no sound in this city that I do not hear.

And He admires all I do, has granted me the power, given my life further reach. My perception, my wit, all are no longer bound by the flesh you see before you.

I am approaching perfection. I will accept your grudges.

Hmph.

As for your old relation, now—her arrival was sooner than anticipated.

'Abyssal Hunters are bound by blood.'

She has no inkling of what awaits her. All you had to do was take the other away, and she has given chase here, not having once rested.

Truly a camaraderie to make one gasp. Does she know the state of you nowadays? What will she do when she confronts a traitor? Will she trust in your blood binding, old comrades rekindled, or will a blade pierce true through your body?

I have great expectations.

(She turns to leave.)

You needn't hurry to find her. You've done very well. You have brought this one back to where she should remain, and led another into the city.

He will be very pleased.

He?

You need not know.

We simply wait now. We wait until the time comes, and naturally, you may find your old relation then, and pass on to her our invitation.

She is not sure to come.

She will come. She will come seeking me herself.

You're back again!

We live in the best building in the whole north area. Look, this door still closes. A door that shuts closed is one of your best friends on a rainy day.

People are nearby. Two of them.

They're, well, they're usually here.

One-hundred-and-thirty, one-hundred-and-thirty-one, one-hundred-and-thirty-two...

Hi, Brick, are you doing good today?

One, two, three...

I'm sorry!

Poor guy, now he has to start over again. He's always sitting here, counting all the bricks in the street. Don't tell him I said, but each day's count isn't much like the last.

And also, that one's Stonecolumn. He likes making his way all around the street pillars. When it's all dark and rainy he doesn't come out. He's a little old, and his legs start hurting when he gets wet.

You can just ignore them, and they'll ignore you too, just like they ignore me.

Come in, singer. Let me give you an official introduction. In here is my home.

Hi, Sheetmetal. Hi, Drywall. You're awake!

(Strokes case)

Ouch...

Hey, Woodframe. You brought this outside person into the house again.

She's not bad.

She's from the outside.

Bench has taken a decent liking to her, haven't you, Bench?

Wgh... aogh...

Don't—Don't bite! You're going to chew the singer's skirt apart!

*cough*.

...Not that it'll come apart.

It's all slobbery again. That's not very pretty.

Aogh, au-auwgh...

This rascal really has taken a shining to you, singer.

You see? Bench wants her to stay too.

You are scheming something. Do not think, I do not know.

Er...

This will not, end well.

I'm not, okay, I don't have any plans at all.

What is the phrase...? Suit yourself.

The rules, may not be broken.

Whether by you, or by her.

I will be watching.

We shall go.

Phew... they finally left.

Singer, don't be afraid. This is just the kind of person Sheetmetal is. He may seem very frightful, but he won't really do anything to us.

Oh?

Okay, I know you're not afraid. Since you're so much more powerful than them.

I just wanted to say, if he really tried something—*snort*—I wouldn't be scared of him either.

Oh.

*Sigh*.

You're sighing.

This barrel's empty. So is the tray.

Let me just think... maybe there's still some food under the bed.

Is this the bed?

It is. Does it seem very odd? Were the beds in your home not metal?

I don't mind too much.

You can find wooden beds in some houses, too. Wood's surprisingly useful. Wood can burn, and make houses brighter and warmer at once. There are some times if you fall ill here when the winters won't be kind to you.

Eh-heh—look, this is my treasure box. I filled it a touch full when I woke up this morning.

Help me for a moment here, get this dry seagrass out of my sight. No, don't throw it on the floor. Even if we can't eat it, we can still pad out the bed with it.

You have a lot.

That's right. I hide everything useful inside here.

Take a look at this, they're clothes I'm sewing right now. I sharpened up a shell into a needle recently, and it's so much better to use than all those years-old ones.

I'm fairly short of material. Still need to go searching properly through the city south. Maybe there'll be some buried so deep that nobody's taken it yet.

It'll be getting cold soon, so I need to hurry up.

No, don't you dare, Bench, you can't touch these clothes! These are for Grandma Petra. Her cough just keeps getting worse.

Not this either! You let go!

Woodframe.

I've told you how many times? It's not Woodframe, it's Pictureframe!

Also, you can't even eat this! There's no point in you even having it!

Woodframe... Pictureframe?

You heard them calling me that?

I only know you as Anita.

I picked Anita for myself... I heard it in one of Grandma Petra's stories. She was a girl just like you, she could really sing. It sounds much nicer than Woodframe, doesn't it?