Episode 96 - Horizons

## Horizons

A black background with a white border, the top of which has been warped to resemble mountains. Within the border a group of trees are seen from a bird-eye view, depicted in white. Above these threes a heart is depicted in red. Bellow these images but still within the border the words "96.HORIZONS" are depicted in white

### Guest

Daisy Guevara - Melanie Flores

Mr. Raven plans a vacation, Buck writes some meeting minutes, and Percy grapples with the future. The theme of tonight's episode is Horizons

> ***Content warning**:* *Abuse, Ableism, Animal death (Heidi as usual), Kidnapping and abduction, Death + Injury, Birds, Gun Mention, Violence, Emotional Manipulation, Body horror*
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## Intro - Only Intention

Nikignik narrates to the Dreamers Marolmar, finding that he no longer had any thoughts, only intention as he was killed. Set in motion that which could not be stopped. Unfeeling. Unknowing. Unloving. A machine (see the heart of Marolmar) devastated the realm between life and death, for what would they have done, had he lived? He did not know that his art lived on, changed and grew and innovated of its own accord, turned the forest black (see the Hallowoods) and twisted all those who dwelled beneath its pines. For a moment, Nikignik would see his shadow, crowned with many antlers, and bid him hello.

Nikignik sits in an empty office chair. The chair was not normally empty, but its usual occupant darted through the room as he spoke speaks to his sedimentary partner of a journey.

## Story 1 - Lucky Penny

Mr. Writingdesk asks Mr. Raven what it was he was doing, watching as Raven darts around the room, and Mr. Raven tells him that they'd picked up on the readings when the RV Gang had flown over them on their helicopter (see Episode 95 - Homecomings) in much the same way they did in Episode 63 - Signals. Raven had taken this to mean that there was something out there, bigger than any CPE they'd ever seen. They are going to go hunting. Mr Writingdesk tells him that he'd lost his marbles, but Raven tells him that he was completely serious, this was what they'd trained for, they couldn't let it slip through their fingers. Writingdesk tells him that it would be different if Mr. Riddle was still around, and who would take care of the CPEs if they were gone. Raven goes through the CPEs in their captivity and explains that none of them needed frequent upkeep, until Writingdesk reminds him of CPE-13. This dissuades Raven, to his dismay, but Writingdesk tells him that they could take CPE-13 with them.

Raven thanks him and tells him that he was going to let her know that she was coming. Mr. Raven leaves and embarks on the journey to CPR-13's holding cell. He reaches he cell and finds a penny on the floor, looks up and asks CPE-13 how it got there. She doesn't answer, and he stashes in his pocket, concluding that Mr. Writingdesk must have dropped it. He tells her that he had some news for her, and she asks him if she'd found her sister (see Friday Rescher). He tells her they hadn't, but to pack her bags because they were going on a road trip.

### Interlude 1 - No Time For Outrage

Nikignik asks the Dreamers if they notice the change in their lives and the world around them, or if it'd come so slow that they had no time for outrage. Year by year, they had caused wildfires and hurricanes, poisoned the rivers and lakes, lost the mountain tops and glaciers, revealing secrets hidden beneath the ice. All of this was their doing, even when they ran out of time to fixed things, they could have lessened what was to come. The Black rains were not the end, they were the epilogue. He asks if they had grieved, had they cried. So many were already so tired by that point that when they heard to go north, they happily slept. So many had not been prepared to fight, so if they were still here, he congratulated them, but tells them to steal themselves, for the sun was red and the las paragraphs for their kind were still being written.

## Story 2 - The Minutes

Buck Silver thinks to himself that he was used to not being included in group events, so he stands quietly while he waits for the 8th member of Scoutpost Two's leadership to show up for the meeting being held. Zelda Duckworth asks him if he was going to sit down, and he realises that eh was the final member, obliging her. Violet Keene thanks him for doing the minutes, and commonness taking the attendance. Attending members being Violet, Bern Keene, Virgil Kane, Jonah Duckworth, Hector Mendoza, Zelda, Cindy Lockheart and Buck. Violet requests an update on the Froglins from Jonah and Hector. Jonah tells her that he'd told the Froglin leader (see Grug) to leave (see Episode 85 - Roots), so hopefully things would be quiet now. Hector tells her about him and Huntingtone Waites moving the Froglin Queen (See Episode 79 - Kingdoms), Jonah adding on that he didn't know if they'd leave for good with Lolgmololg (see Episode 91 - Orders). Virgil comments that he hadn't heard a single song all week, so he was taking that as a good sign.

Violet asks Jonah if the structure he'd risen (see Episode 85 - Roots) was pertinent, and he tells her he thought it was. If he needed to, he could probably shuffle around the way things were ordered, but he was a little scared of doing so again. Virgil comments that they'd hate for him to bend nature to his will if he wasn't feeling confident about it, but Bern tells them that they'd best leave nature to its itself. Violet tells them that Jonah's connection to the forest had saved them, and now they had more room for farms and residence. She apologises to Jonah for he odd looks he'd be getting, but people we still grappling with change, let along that it'd been brought on by one fishing scout. Bern tells them that she'd fixed the bee boxes (see Episode 59 - Friends) so hopefully they'd come back. Buck is asked if he thought Fort Freedom would be back, he tells them no, and Cindy announces that she'd be leading an expedition north.

### Marketing - See Myself Out

Lady Ethel Mallory interrupts Nikignik's broadcast. She speaks into a portable Dreamcaster she'd sourced from Anderson Faust, complaining that it wasn't as extravagant as she was used to. However she is cut off by a guard telling her to leave. She tells them to give her time, and quickly kills the guard, commenting how easily he broke. She tells the others that they'd want to clean the mess up, she wanted her place spotless when she got back, because she would be back. She tells them that she would see herself out.

### Story 2, Continued - The Minutes

Buck watches as a flurry of concerned expressions spread across the other attendees, bit no one says anything. Buck asks her what she wanted to see in the north, and she tells him that she didn't want to see anything, but she had to go regardless. Cindy explains what had happened to Rizwana Mirza, about how her mission had failed, but she sound traces of each of the members of the crew of the Ruth Esther Barns, save Bartholomew 'Bart' Chum, in Diggory Graves. She tells them that Rizwana had never told her about the deal she'd made with Irene Mend, but she could assume now it was for the right to claim their remains should they die. She asks if it was known if Irene was still alive, and Bern tells her she was dead. Jonah tells her that going north wasn't easy (see Episode 13 - Stars), it was all forest and undiscovered country. Cindy tells them she'd just take a helicopter, but they explain to her how the shuddering peaks wouldn't allow that. Cindy tells them she didn't care how, she was going to finish what Rizwana started, they might be end the disaster (see Black water), walk back from the brink.

Buck asks what she meant by this, and she tells him that she believed there to be hope for the human species, if they could neutralise the threat in the north, they may be able to survive this. Violet asks if she was sure what had caused things was in the north, and she tells her that she was staking her life on it. They tell her about Jonah's connection to it, and she tells him he should come with her, help stop it. He tells her he didn't know if it could be stopped, and she says she didn't either, but at its current rate it was going to wipe out the population, and she wasn't one to die sleeping. Violet tells her that Scoutpost Two would give her the provisions she needed, and Buck tells her he'd prey for her. She thanks him and tells him she hoped he'd live to see the end of the apocalypse.

### Interlude 2 - The Forest Screams

Nikignik tells the Dreamers that he didn't know how he felt about Cindy's plan. He enjoyed humanity, but he didn't know if he could allow the heart of Marolmar to be destroyed. And even if it was so, would people still be able to carry on? What if the changing of the age was halted in its rhythm? He admits that he didn't know; that he didn't know if he wanted to know.

## Story 3 - Close To Heaven

Percy Reed and Diggory Graves help Danielle O'Hara find a way to be comfortable in her wheelchair. Danielle thanks them for helping her when she was fresh from her Dreaming pod (see Episode 72 - Errors), tells them that she felt like things were going to be okay, she was going to get stronger and then she'd kick life around like it was no big deal. Danielle returns Diggory's jacket to them, telling them that Scoutpost Two had given her a 'dorky' new one so they could have theirs back. Percy notices that she already had patches on her Scout jacket and asks what they were for. Danielle tells him that they were for reading skills, creative writing, and jokes for saving her friends with her psychic dream powers a bunch of times, but it was actually a free one for self-esteem. Percy tells her that if she needed any help with anything just to ask him, and she rolls away. Percy notices Al Buckley standing in the distant and waves to him, however Al gives no response before disappearing. Percy wonders if his new body felt like a betrayal to Al somehow.

Percy asks Diggory if they wanted to go for a walk, and they accept. On their walk, Diggory tells Percy how glad they were to have him back, and to have him this close was a gift. They also ask what Oswald Biggs Botulus had meant when he'd told Percy it'd been a pleasure doing business with him in Episode 93 - Mirrors (see Episode 87 - Boxes). Percy lies and tells Diggory that he reminded him of his son and had been curious about ghosts. Diggory asks him what it was like to have a new body, and he tells them that it was strange but good to be included, to be seen. Diggory points out that he still had his locket, and he tells them that Botco had painted it silver, so he could hold it if he wanted too, but he didn't want to just look like a haunted piece of jewellery to people. Diggory asks if Percy's parents dying (see Solomon Reed and Abigail Reed) still weighed heavy on him, and he tells them that it was less as time went on, but it made him sad to think about them. Percy asks them [Diggory] if they [Percy and Diggory] were going to be okay, and Diggory tells him that they were. Percy kisses Diggory.

## Outro - Horizons

Nikignik waxes poetics about Horizons. He tells the Dreamers that each time he spoke to them, there was a different place where other stories were unfolding. He made selections as to not overwhelmed them.

### Closing statements

Somewhere beyond any comprehension of space and time, Barbatos sat in a waiting room lined with broken devils and demons, the screen displaying ticket numbers rarely changed. In Los Angeles, California, Oswald Biggs Botulus placed a key into a cabinet and twisted. In San Francisco, Lady Ethel Mallory stepped out of Dreaming Box Cassiopeia. In Las Vegas, Fox and Dinah took comfort in a small meal. The great mirror walls of Box Venus cased a blinding glare across the ruins of the city, and they wondered some days if they should join Frances and Bill and Moth within. In Marfa, Texas, fairy lights drift over the desert at night. On the I-75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Phantom Station spoke to a traveller weary from the road. In Toledo, Ohio, Gale Scarberry returned to work at Glass City Farms, but Darla watched him closely. She knew that something was wrong with him. In Loveland, Ohio, Monty Lee organizes a fresh batch of donuts in the display case, and greets three new customers—Mr. Ravne, and a Mr. Writingdesk, and a Penny Rescher.

In the House On the Rock, in Wisconsin, Ray the Automobile feels conscious enough to view his surroundings. The one made of knives, the one piecing him back together, was a welcome sight. On the shores where New York City drowned, Rick Rounds, sat and watches the sea. he was surveyed by a G.C Crane and Tulip. At the Destiny Mall in Syracuse, New York, the Count and his cavalcade return from a long ride. In Toronto, Ontario, Milo wonders where a few strangers that passed through came from, and where they call home. The Venus discourages this line of thought.

In Fort Freedom, Ontario, Mrs. Wicker wakes in the night to find a letter beside her bed; it was to join the congregation of the Church of the Hallowed Name. In the Moormire of the Southern Hallowoods, the lights of the Grand Crossroads Hotel burn brightly and bring the attention of lost souls from miles away. In the Northern Hallowoods, at what was formerly the Duckworth house, a Alice painted a portrait of two— Ricou Chapman, and Nolan Thair. In the Blackwood Coven, Friday Rescher is watched by The Omen and speaks with a woman named Amelia Abbott. At the Downing Hill Public Library, Clara Martin returns with new resolve. Victoria Tepiani stares at her arm, and focuses, and watches as her fingers grow long and sharp, before returning again to their usual state. In the forest beyond, a wandering night-gaunt travels with a cabin upon its back. Winona sits, three cards ahead of her. At Scoutpost Two, a great many people dream about the future, and hope it holds less pain for them than the past, and that they will all survive the winter that was fast approaching.

Melanie Flores interrupts the broadcast and announces that she was Botco’s new Chief Marketing Officer.