act20side

Eh, now that you mention it, this is starting to ring a bell.

A few years ago, I participated in a couple Dome design contests with him and Catch.

Master Finch had just left not too long before that, and our rising new stars both wanted to prove themselves with their Dome renovation plans.

Catch was an incessant one at the meetings. He kept selling his ideas and the advantages of his design.

As for Stitch, all he ever did was lay his designs on the table before standing aside. It seemed kind of like he would rather we see his ideas for ourselves instead of wasting his energy to explain them.

Some preferred Catch's detailed way of thinking, while others acknowledged Stitch's confidence, even egotism toward his own work. Both of them were undoubtedly rising stars.

This rivalry continued for several years, and neither of them was able to truly obtain the recognition of the majority and get his designs passed.

Until one day... when Stitch stopped showing up.

Finch actually brought it up to me before back when he was still around. He told me he was worried about his student's future.

But those problems you can fix by talking sense into him. He has to think things through himself and set his ego aside. Only then will he hear another opinion.

Otherwise, forget Catch. Not even someone as strong as Gavial could do anything about him.

Not even if Gavial really wanted to help him from the bottom of her heart?

If there was a way around it, Finch would've tried it a long time ago.

But... who knows? Catch and Gavial couldn't be more different, personality-wise. If the two of them tried to help him together, a miracle might just happen.

*sigh*, these are Zumama's friends. It's such a pain when I can't just wreck them.

Hmm? Okay, you guys know Zumama, right? I'm her friend.

Zumama... Confirming identity. Zumama's friend: Gavial.

Zumama told us we can't hurt Gavial.

We won't hurt Gavial.

What?!

Haha, I saw you guys chumming together and thought you were really hitting it off. Didn't expect mentioning her name to actually do anything.

Gah!

Help me surround him, won't you?

We cannot allow Zeruertza's citizens come to harm.

Relax, I'm just taking him where he should be.

Understood. We trust Gavial. We will help Gavial.

Out of my way!

Stitch Canvas, I've got something to ask you.

I have nothing more to say to you!

You've said plenty, but in the end, do you hate the people of Zeruertza?

No, you don't have to answer.

If you hated them, then you should've stayed on the surface after you made it there. You could've hid the danger your tribe is facing.

But you told us anyway.

You didn't want to fix the Dome, but you couldn't give this place up. That's why you brought Tomimi and Inam down here.

Yeah, so what?

I'm just curious.

Have you ever talked to the ones who voted against you and asked them why they didn't like your proposal?

No... I haven't.

Yeah, I thought so. Just like you definitely haven't ever told anyone the stuff you just said.

And actually, you still haven't told me how you truly feel.

I know. Some things are difficult to bring up.

I have lots of patients who would rather die than open up.

They don't want to make trouble for people, they don't think anyone understands them, or they're just too stubborn to actually say it... You name it, I've seen it.

But whatever the deal is, if you keep it to yourself all the way to the day you die, no one's going to know.

I'm not gonna say you've done anything wrong.

But I need you to give it a shot.

How I really feel? Not even I know how I really feel anymore!

Then I've gotta at least...

Hold up!

Huh?

Gavial, wait, please.

Catch? What are you doing here?

The forum is dead silent.

All the Durins are attentively listening to Avdotya tell her story.

Though her story starts off warm, it slowly deteriorates into something more sinister as it progresses.

When the story gets going, the audience holds their collective breaths, only for Avdotya to explain how she survived, sending out a collective sigh of relief.

But that's only where it starts, it's the beginning of her hardships and tribulations, and she goes through much more as she recounts the story.

When I reached the end of the cave... for a moment, I thought my eyes were deceiving me.

Had it not been a golden, shining lift, I would've mistaken it for a staircase carrying me to death.

At that very moment, I even felt joy. I thought my hardships were coming to an end.

I thought I could enjoy a moment of respite within death's embrace.

I never expected that lift would open the door to a new life.

And that was everything I went through before I made it underground.

This is the life on the surface that I can share with you.

It's hardly what you would call a wonderful one.

But, looking back, it wasn't actually as hard as I remember it

Anyway, I'm sure that the smarter ones among you already know what I'm getting at.

It's true.

Based on our discussions, we've arrived at three possible evacuation plans.

First, we could evacuate via the tunnels.

According to the calculations, even if we start evacuating right now as quickly as we can, we will likely only be able to evacuate seventy percent of our population to our sibling city on the other end before the explosion.

If that is the plan we are going with, we must start immediately, without delay.

The second plan would require us to immediately use all our resources to excavate in the opposite direction of the tunnel. In other words, dig toward the hole on the other side and open up a safe shelter for our temporary refuge.

As it stands, this proposal gives us a higher survival rate than the previous one, but the tunnel is our only connection to other cities.

The disaster will destroy most of our facilities, and under those circumstances, let's not mention the issue of whether this newly-excavated shelter will be able to hold everyone in the city...

Even if we managed to save everyone, it's questionable that we would last much longer after disaster strikes.

As for the third proposal... It takes us to the surface.

The industrial representative estimates that after a short extension, the lift will be able to take everyone in the city to the caves above before the explosion happens.

The guests who arrived not too long ago are from the lands directly above Zeruertza.

That area is a lush rainforest named Acahualla, and as their administrators, they are willing to provide all Zeruertzans living space and other assistance.

When the crisis is over, after we settle down, we can choose to return to this place or make other arrangements.

So far, the third proposal carries the least risk and is the most likely to keep everyone alive.

However, we must make a decision that might just be unprecedented for the Durin people—

We must head for the surface.

That is also the reason why I told you my story.

We still have other options available, and I don't want to influence your decision.

Allow my story to help you determine for yourselves.

Okay. Per usual, we will vote on the three proposals in ten minutes.

I have something I need to talk to Stitch about.

Alright.

Stitch, I...

Isn't it just perfect that you're in charge of the dome?

You're the design representative, and everyone loves you. With you in charge of the new dome design, everyone's going to be happy with the result.

This rivalry we've had for all these years? You've won it fair and square.

Oh, that's not what I'm here for.

I'm here to say goodbye.

What...?

You see, I've only been ACTING design representative since Master Finch left us.

And after I took up the burden, I gradually began to think that maybe my skills weren't up to the task.

Actually, I've been thinking about leaving to look for Master Finch. I mean, he's the only one who can really be our design representative.