[video] @runningfree [open]

[shookthesky]

[The message opens with a video. The audio is plagued with static and the picture stutters and fuzzes out occasionally, like the file's been corrupted in the upload, but it's still a video.

Pluto sits in her wheelchair in the foreground, and behind her is a large mess hall lit up with electric lighting. The cafeteria tables are packed with a few dozen people—a careful observer might be able to spot Alistair, Sypha, and the other Night Market vendors among their ranks. It seems most of the station has turned up to listen to whatever Pluto's got to say.]

Hey hey, fools. Miss me?

[She grins at the camera, flashing a peace sign.]

I hear the Wild Hunt paid y'all a visit, made their little plea, "oh, help us end the world!" What a crock of shit.

It ain't fair that they get to swoop in and play hero like it's gonna do their cause any good. You'll notice we never asked anyone to commit to shit. We were happy just helpin' out and working together! But now those cave-dwellers went and changed the game, so seems we gotta step up and make our own offer.

Here's the deal: why should we let the World Eaters decide our fate? You wanna deprive future lost souls of a second chance? Makes way more sense to fight back and build ourselves a new home than to, what, lay down and die? Fuck that!

The Wild Hunt wants you to be weak and they're all dressing it up like it's for the greater good, but who gives a shit? If you're that upset about this second chance being "unnatural" or whatev, g'head and off yourself. We don't got room for weaklings on my team.

And why's that, you ask? 'Cause we got a plan of our own to take down these World Eaters. I ain't broadcasting it until I know who I can trust, but catch me at the next Market visit. We'll talk. Hell, maybe you can figure it out already. You guys are lil smarty-pants, I've heard.

So! Seems to me like y'all got a choice to make, huh? You side with them, or you side with us. Feel free to play it safe and stick yourself in the middle if you seriously need more convincing, but if you sign up with the Hunt? Don't come crawling to the docks looking for our help. You made your choice, fam.

My signal's only gonna hold up for a minute or two here, but I'll be back in a couple weeks when the Market visits again. Hold your applause 'til then, yeah?

I'll see you soon, gang. Watch yourselves, in the meanwhile. Later.

[The crowd behind her erupts into whooping and cheering as Pluto signs off, and there's a brief moment where she starts to laugh and wheels on the Market to behave, jeez, I'm tryna send a professional message here!, and then the feed ends.

Pluto won't be able to respond to this message! You're all welcome to chatter amongst yourselves like on a bulletin post for now, and Pluto will be around at the next Night Market visit to answer all the questions you probably have.

Oh, and check out the mod announcement we've just put up to accompany this post!]

Comments

Text @ Soldier

[worthallthis]

[As much as they really, really don't want involved in an argument of any kind, Soldat has to correct this:]

Kimiko has said nothing about stopping the World Eaters. When I spoke to her she spoke like they had every right to exist and kill any world in their path. I do not think she has any desire to stop them.

[reigniter]

[He's not really arguing, per se, he's just annoyed with this divide and how unnecessary it is and how problematic it will become.]

So what is her goal then? For all of us to roll over and die again? If so, why didn't she kill us already? They seem like a very capable group of people, especially with the rescue. We didn't even know about them until they showed up; they could've killed us in our sleep.

[worthallthis]

[It takes a long minute before the response comes, because they have to compose it all.]

Lots of reasons they didn't kill us. We are also capable. Better to try and get us on her side than to try to take us all at once. We would defend each other and the bonfire. We come back from the dead when they do not. All we would need to do is keep enough of us alive to defend the bonfire at one time. The forest spirits might help us. They seem to have the same goal of stopping World Eaters. Robin could issue a reset while the Hunt was out attacking us rather than safe in their mines, and they could all be lost for nothing.

All I know for certain is that she has no desire to stop the World Eaters from destroying other words. Her explanation was that no creature has more right to life than another, including them. That I should not blame them for eating all life any more than I should blame a fox for eating a rabbit.

[Since this is text, it isn't possible to convey just how disgusted and afraid this way of thinking makes them. But it does. It is how HYDRA justified killing millions to control whoever was left. To create "order". Whoever was strongest got to survive.]

[reigniter]

Then why save the people from the hospital? Clearly it was the easiest way to get half of our "population" to perish.

That is the lamest excuse she could have ever given. How can she put human life on the same scale as an animal? If she were alive, would she rather save a human in danger or animal in danger? How would she react if someone close to her picked to save a rabbit over her and leave her to die?

[The woman sounds crazy, her moral views skewed and he doesn't wish to do anything with her. Night Market isn't better either, but they at least wish to stop World Eaters.]

[worthallthis]

[Thank you, Ignis, for pointing out exactly why that view was stupid and wrong. Soldat likes you a little already.]

To get us on their side so they didn't have to fight to get what she wants. Also, green-eyes weren't trying to kill us. They might have in the end, by accident or if they got impatient. But it wasn't their goal. Possibly she knew that.

Those are the only reasons I can think of. She must think she can't take us head-on whether because of Robin or because of spirits. Or thought she had some chance of persuading us and felt that easier than fighting us.

[reigniter]

I do not think spirits are the problem, as they have lived in the forest and mines for a long time already. Robin, however, could be a possible threat to them. I do wonder how she didn't manage to reset them already. Not that I wish they are reset, but they seem to have lived here for a very long time, probably through multiple resets.

We ought to be wary of this Kimiko woman. I have serious doubts a lot of people would agree with her, so she might try to take vengeance on us as a payment for helping us in the hospital. [Ignis sighs very heavily,] As if we didn't have enough troubles with the spirits as it is...

[worthallthis]

I know. Not the best situation.

I just wanted to make sure everyone knew Kimiko's idea about this. Can't make good decisions without intel.