Episode 39 - Promises

## Promises

A black background with a white lined border with decorative corners. Within the border six images are depicted in white: a stag beetle, a letter, a glass jar, two toadstools, and a morel mushroom. Within the glass jar several eyeballs are depicted in red. Below these images but still within the border the words "39.PROMISES" are depicted in white

### Author

William A. Wellman

Yaretzi finds a place to rest, Diggory explores a museum, and Polly goes back to work. The theme of tonight’s episode is Promises.

***Content Warnings:** Self-harm mention, death and injury, eyeballs, static (including SFX), emotional manipulation, body horror, and grief.*

## Intro - Beetle Mother

Nikignik speaks to the Dreamers of someone whose husband promised to be with them forever. Then the black rains fall, and the listener turns into a beetle. Their husband does not like this change. The listener gives birth to a half-beetle, half human child that we later learn is Baby. The husband cannot love baby, so the listener flies North with Baby.

Nikignik stands in a cloudless sky overlooking Mort and Yaretzi as they walk out of the Hallowoods.

## Story One - Room 17

Yaretzi sits on Mort's shoulder, small and fully human, as they wander through the Hallowoods, mourning the death of Polly (see Episode 36 - Swords). They eventually come to The Resting Place Hotel, Yaretzi explaining to him that this is where Barb lives before ringing the bell on the front greeting desk and Barb suddenly appears. Initially he things that they are someone else, but quickly realises his mistake and addresses them as "*Friends of little Polly*" and asks why they were there. Yaretzi informs him of Polly's discorporation, and Barb expresses his condolences, though through a layer of apathy.

Yaretzi asks if Barb would let them stay for a few days, and Barb tells her that she didn't even have to ask, but inquires if they still had the room key, he have them in Episode 32 - Automobiles, and Yaretzi tells him they didn't (as Polly was the one carrying it). Barb says it isn't a problem, that he had a spare, and takes them to their room, which has been set out with extreme decadence and luxury. Barb asks what had wound up happening to Polly, and Yaretzi tells him a summarised version of their run in with The Church of the Hallowed name. Barb comments on how he was surprised on The Industry sending "*a little pup like Polly*" to do the mission by himself. Yaretzi thanks him and he leaves. Mort asks what they were going to do now, and Yaretzi tells him she didn't know. They both go to sleep.

### Interlude 1 - Land of Promises

Nikignik talks about how The Hallowoods were a land of promises. Promises by colonisers that they wouldn't destroy the earth for resources, promises of those who had fled there to try and survive the Black Rains, and promises by leaders (assumed to be talking about Rizwana Mirza) that they would prevent the end of the world. Nikignik also says that The Hallowoods were an oath, that no matter what the world would keep turning that "*the dead will rise to hasten the end of the age, and the living become heralds of the turning wheel of time*", and a promise to Nikignik himself (assumed that he's now talking about Marolmar), that Nikignik and Marolmar would see the sun rise on a new age together for the rest of existence.

## Story Two - A Collection of Sorts

Diggory Graves stands in the doorway of The Museum of Broken promises after the events of Episode 36 - Swords with Mx. Morrell. Morrell instruct Diggory to come inside to which Diggory obliges. Inside the museum they note the presence of several peculiar items Morrell explains that they were "a bit off track" and requests that they hold Baby, which they absently agree to Diggory notices a row of heads in jars and remembers Walter 'Walt' Pensive (see Episode 36 - Swords). Diggory laments over this for a short while, before they decide to explore the museum. They wonder through several rooms, noticing small brass labels beside each exhibit, one of which is a skull with a silver plate in the side read ‘*The Head of Charles Downing, 1902-1988. Promised Granddaughter he would teach her all he knew.*’. Diggory enters a parlour with a replica of the ship Ruth Esther Barns with a plaque reading "‘*Replica of the R.V. Ruth Esther Barnes. Rizwana Mirza promised her country that she would prevent the end of the world*.'".

Morrell appears behind Diggory, and the two sit down while Morrell begins to explain what the museum was for at Diggory's request. Diggory asks why they were there, Morrell explains to them that they are made of broken promises, including the one that Diggory had recently broken themself (see Episode 35 - Sonnets). Diggory asks if Morrell knows about Walt's passing, and Morell acknowledges his passing with sadness, but also states that it was in the nature of a promise to want to be able to do something that is beyond their power. Morrell tells Diggory about Rothogroth (see Episode 16 - Crowns), how part of him had lived in the hear of Rizwana Mira and was likely now in a jar in the Mend Mansion. Diggory asked how Morell knew so much about them, and Morell tells them that they strived to know the story behind all the exabits at The Museum of Broken Promises. When Diggory is confused by this, Morell tells them that they were now a part of the Museum.

### Marketing - Corporate Promise

Lady Ethel Mallory interrupts Nikignik's broadcast with her marketing segment. She announces that at The Botulus Corporation they were focused on one thing, providing their users with a future of comfort. She states that Oswald had been envisioning the Dreaming Boxes since he first started inventing. Since then, they (Botco and America) had overcome many struggles together, and that new technological advancements were now allowing then (Botco) to care for the population of America, and build The Prime Dream. But despite that Botco's main focus was still it's user base, and that they promised "*pure uninterrupted entertainment and the joy of connected life*", and that anyone seeking to cause harm to the user base, was Botc's enemy, and would be destroyed.

### Story Two, Continued - A Collection of Sorts

Diggory states that they could not stay in the Museum, as they needed to rescue Percy Reed. They reassure Diggory that they could leave whenever they wanted, but they should take their time to recover and grieve Walt, as Riot Maidstone was doing, it would be best if they stayed in the museum for a copal of hours, and Morrell invites Diggory to get some tea, before leading them away from the ship. Morell leads Diggory through several more rooms, where they pass a cabinet - if this is a replica is unknown. They find themselves back in the parlour, when Morell sets Baby in a terrarium, and poor's Diggory and themself a cup of tea. Morell asks Diggory how they were holding up, and Diggory begins to vent to them, starting to cry in the process. Morell tells them that they didn't have to do anything, that they weren't "supposed" to do anything, that they were not bound by either Rizwana's or Irene's want for them, all that mattered was what Diggory wanted to do.

Diggory states that they'd made a mistake and broken a promise, as Morrell had said, but Morrell reassures Diggory that everyone made mistakes and broke promises, despite that theirs was a costly mistake, they were still 'good', and they still loved their friends, and that life kept moving. Diggory expresses fear of going back and finding that Riot now hates them, and Morell tells them once again that they could do whatever they wanted, but they would have to face their feeling eventually. Diggory says that they didn't feel anything, expressing mild concern that Irene hadn't finished them, and that they were missing something, and Morell tells them that they were allowed to feel however they felt, even if they thought that was nothing at all, everyone process's grief differently, but Morell didn't think Diggory was going to run away. Morell once again offers for Digory to stay as long as they needed but told them their friends probably wouldn't be 'alright', as they would also be grieving, and that it would take time for things to continue, but time waits for no one so continue they would. Diggory takes up Morell's offer of staying for a few hours, and Morell informs that that they were planning on attending Walt's funeral the next day, before leaving Diggory by themself, that they sat for the next several hours, staring at the celling and thinking.

### Interlude 2 - Being Known

Nikignik tells The Dreamers, that to them he may seem impassive, like a mechanism made to tell stories and perhaps that was all they saw. He states that this wouldn't surprise them, as it was all he let them see, as it was all he needed to be for them. He states that Humans are often terrified of being Known, but this did not trouble him, because only when you have laid yourself bare, exposed your machinations and dark purposes, and rendered yourself venerable to the eyes o those around you, intimately connected with a soul beyond your own, will you be able to see yourself through different eyes. But despite this, in a blink they could be gone, and you might as well of never existed. It is this unknowing that Nikignik expresses terror of. He states that someday he and The Dreamers might know each other better, though he is not ready for this.

## Story Three - Back to Work

Polly returns to The Industry after the events of Episode 36 - Swords, finding himself staring the jar of Demon eyes on Tiff's desk, and looks up to find Tiff sitting in front of him. Tiff informs him that he was 'overlong' on earth, commenting on Polly losing his Umbrella, which was especially 'appalling'. but tells him not to worry as Polly's reputation would not be damaged and he'd cancelled the assignment. Polly has a visceral negative reaction to this news, having begun to care for Mort and Yaretzi, despite knowing that the responsible thing to do was as Tiff told him. He becomes emotional, Tiff points out that his horns were showing, and comments about him "leaving his sense of decorum with the Starwolf", which he [Tiff] states he's also found out about, and questions if Mort was not enough to kill Yaretzi. Polly notices his reflection in the jar of eyes and sees just how out of control he really looked at that moment, and he decides that he didn't want control.

He tells Tiff that he couldn't kill Yaretzi, having found her to not at all what he'd read in the handbooks that The Industry distributed. Tiff chastises Polly for saying this, but tells him he was forgiven and dismisses him. Polly comments that he didn't feel well and begins verbally questioning Tiff if he'd ever had a friend, and If he knew what he was missing. Because Polly hadn't, and he'd known more kindness from Mort and Yaretzi then he had from centuries working with Tiff. Tiff tells him that he should take a day off, so he could consider what he was saying and how much his position at The Industry meant to him, and how grateful he was that his record remained immaculate. Polly begins verbally questioning what those things actually *did* mean to him, asking what everything at The Industry was actually work to him, how many centuries was he supposed to stay the way he was, and how long had Tiff worked for The Industry. He realises just how disrespectful he was being, remembers what disrespect could get him at The Industry (exiled, his eyes gouged out, and his horns smashed off), and he apologises. Tiff is satisfied by this, and once again dismisses him, which Polly obliges by this time, turning to leave, and noticing Tiff's canes set out for display. Acting on pure adrenaline Polly grabs one, turns to Tiff, tells him: "*To hell with your paperwork.*" And teleports out of The Industry to return to Earth.

## Outro - Promises

Nikignik speaks to the dreamer about promises. He says that only a few promises had been made to him, and he'd make a promise to The Dreamers, that exitance was not all for nothing, that the daily pains of life were not waisted, that there was some beauty in what was to come. He could not promise that every day was going to be good, or that the Dreamers were always going to be happy, using the (semi) metaphor of rains being able to interrupt even the brightest of summers, but the rain and the darkness would pass, and the world would be more beautiful for the water.