A Sprinkle of Snowflakes: 1-10 The Incident

*We don't offer kindness with the intention of receiving negative feedback in return.*

## Info

* **Recommended:** Night of Farewell Set
* **Rewards:** 3,000 , 600 , 1 , 1 , Blueprint: Snowball Earth

### Dialogue Choices

There are no dialogue choices in this stage.

## Transcript

Expand for script.

* I tell Martha what just happened.
* **Martha Kirk:** The matter with Sarah can wait. Let me check if you're badly hurt.

* **You:** I'm alright, I'm not bleeding.

* **Martha Kirk:** Come into the dressing room with me, I need to examine you.

* **Martha Kirk:** Why don't you change your clothes too?

* **Martha Kirk:** You're the owner of Fort Hawke, and you can't let people see you in such a sorry state.

* **You:** Alright, I'll listen to you, lady Martha.

* I bow mischievously, and receive a glare in return.

* After confirming that I am indeed unharmed, Martha finally talks about Sarah again.
* **Martha Kirk:** I haven't paid attention to Sarah in a long time.

* **Martha Kirk:** I only know that she has no family here and used to wander near the shops on the east side of town.

* **Martha Kirk:** Whenever we do an inventory check at the end of the month, I always see her and ask the staff to keep an eye on her.

* **You:** You didn't plan on bringing her back at first?

* **Martha Kirk:** Well, although the protection of the Duke has made things much easier for us...

* **Martha Kirk:** It's still important for us to keep a low profile. I can't just bring back just anyone without investigating first. There might be consequences.

* **Martha Kirk:** Rapid expansion is never a good thing for any group.

* **You:** Did something happen that led you to bringing her here?

* **Martha Kirk:** A large fair was about to begin when she was driven away by angry residents.

* **You:** What could one person do that was so bad?

* **Martha Kirk:** The crowd was furious...

* **Martha Kirk:** She tore down many of the vendors' signs and even tried to smash their wares.

* **You:** It was devastating for them... These were just regular people trying to make a living, and their hard work had gone to waste.

* Martha doesn't need to explain any further, and I understand her situation.
* A crowd can get stirred up, and angry groups can end up doing extreme things.
* Martha is an excellent merchant, accustomed to weighing pros and cons. How could she not know that getting involved in a matter like this brings nothing but harm?
* **Martha Kirk:** But I am first and foremost a person with a conscience.

* **Martha Kirk:** I can't watch conflict escalate into a bloody event. Anyway, Sarah is an elderly woman.

* **Martha Kirk:** So I paid to settle the matter and brought Sarah back to Fort Hawke.

* **Martha Kirk:** At the time, someone warned me and said I'd regret my decision.

* **Angry Stall Owner:** Look at this do-gooder! Do you think what you've done will change this old woman? Keep on dreaming!

* **Angry Stall Owner:** She only looks pitiful. Underneath her skin is a mean, tough old bird!

* **Angry Stall Owner:** We've helped her out plenty of times before. And then what? How has she repaid us?

* **Angry Stall Owner:** We worked hard for half a year preparing for this fair, and now it's all gone to waste!

* **Angry Stall Owner:** You'll regret helping her today if she ends up hurting you.

* **Martha Kirk:** After she arrived at Fort Hawke, she kept to herself, and the people here don't accept her.

* **Martha Kirk:** You know, this is a small community with its own ecosystem, and it's not a good thing to overly favor a few people.

* **Martha Kirk:** Luckily Sarah didn't cause any big trouble, so I relaxed a little.

* **You:** You've always been a very sensible person.

* Martha has always taken care to help the vulnerable.
* Saving people in times of danger is a matter of conscience, while neglecting them is a philosophy of self-preservation.
* **Martha Kirk:** I just don't know how Winni got involved with her.

* **Martha Kirk:** Ah, I can't even tell if the decision I made back then was right or wrong.

* **You:** I understand how you felt at that time, and if it were me, I would have made the same choice.

* Martha brushes away her worries and cheekily glances at me.
* **Martha Kirk:** Of course, you've made similar choices many times before and reaped exceptionally sweet fruit.

* **Martha Kirk:** Look, your fruit can't wait to meet you.

* She gazes warmly over my shoulder, and sure enough, when I turn around, I see someone.
* I cough lightly, trying to dispel my restlessness.
* **You:** How did you get here? Where's Winni?

* A small head pops out from behind Aaron...
* **Winni:** I'm here!

* **Winni:** You didn't notice me this time! Did your mind-reading powers fail?

* **Aaron:** Sarah is very wary of me, so I couldn't get too close and had to wait outside the house.

* **You:** How did Winni come back?

* **Winni:** Granny Sarah seems really tired and she fell asleep while holding me.

* **Winni:** I was afraid you'd worry about me, so I sneaked out of the house!

* **Aaron:** I could hear steady breathing. She seems fine.

* Long-term companionship has created an indescribable understanding between Aaron and me. Even if I don't say it, he knows what I'm worried about.
* **Martha Kirk:** Sarah is old, and after the outburst, it's not surprising she tired herself out and fell asleep.

* **Martha Kirk:** But to solve the problem...

* Martha seems to stop for Winni's sake, and simply exchanges a glance with me.
* **You:** (We need to make sure Sarah isn't a danger to Winni.)

* Martha writes a line of words on paper and hands it to me.
* **Martha Kirk:** This is the place where Sarah used to wander.

* **You:** I guess we have yet another place to go.

* **Martha Kirk:** Of course, going back to the root is the best way to find solutions to problems.

* Winni looks up at us, confused.
* I pull myself together, and lightly ruffle Winni's hair.
* **Martha Kirk:** Looks like we're getting one more person on our purchasing team, Winni.

* **Winni:** I know who it is!

* Winni enthusiastically takes my hand and Aaron's hand, and even waves goodbye to Martha.
* **Aaron:** ...

* **Winni:** I will help you keep an eye on Miss Dahlia and Aaron!

* **Martha Kirk:** That's such a huge responsibility!

* Before leaving, I quietly take out the crystal ball and keep it in a pocket.
* At first, Winni is very curious about the ball and keeps asking me what it's for.
* A child's attention is quickly diverted. After several minutes of not getting a response from the crystal ball, Winni loses interest and gives it back to me.
* But I have an indescribable feeling about it all. After hearing Martha's story, the feeling has only grown stronger.
* Perhaps Sarah and the crystal ball are linked...

* Perhaps because Aaron has returned, Winni is even more excitable than before.
* When she sees something interesting, she rushes forward without stopping, and when she realizes that we've fallen behind, she quickly runs back to us. And thus, she keeps going back and forth, as if she has endless energy.
* **You:** (A little like an energetic little bunny.)

* **Winni:** Come look, Dahlia! There are woven sparrows here too!

* **You:** Do you want one?

* **Winni:** Hmm... Not really.

* Winni runs to my side and lowers her voice, as if afraid of being overheard by the vendor.
* **Winni:** Hey, just between you and me, Granny Sarah's creations are way prettier! She's given me several already!

* Winni is very open about how much she likes Sarah, and that worries me even more. After a brief pause, I cautiously broach the topic...
* **You:** vPeople really like you, don't they, Winni?

* **You:** Unlike me... Hmm, do I look like a bad person?

* She scrunches up her little face and shakes her head gravely.
* **Winni:** No way! You shouldn't talk about yourself like that, Dahlia. You're the best in the whole world!

* **Winni:** Granny Sarah didn't mean to, she just... just...

* Perhaps her vocabulary isn't wide enough for her to accurately describe Sarah's condition. Winni struggles for a long while before finally finishing her sentence.
* **Winni:** She's just... sick.

* Winni's voice grows soft, and my heart feels heavy.
* **You:** Yes, Sarah is sick.

* Sick.
* What a gentle description.
* **You:** We don't get to go out often, Winni. Why don't you pick out a gift for Sarah?

* **You:** Treat it as a thank you gift for the woven sparrows.

* **Winni:** That's a great idea! Do you think a scarf would be better? Or a hat?

* **You:** As long as it's from you, Sarah will like it a lot.

* When we return, we discover that Fort Hawke has had an accident during our absence.
* **Angry Half-Beast:** The forest god won't forgive you! You're a wicked person who has ruined the celebrations!

* **Angry Half-Beast:** She ruined the festival and disrespected our customs. She does not deserve to stay in Fort Hawke!

* **Angry Citizen:** She also ruined the decorations we made to celebrate the holiday, and it took a lot of effort to make them.

* **Angry Citizen:** She's been here for so long, and yet she keeps causing trouble for everyone and not showing us any gratitude. Why do we still keep her around?

* The residents gather together, shouting loudly as if they're trying to outdo each other.
* **You:** (No matter what happens, Martha would definitely step in to mediate at times like this.)

* I search through the crowd for Martha and find her earnestly advising the people, but to little effect.
* And behind her is Sarah, who is in a trance.
* Sarah looks like she wants to destroy the altar, but she's being restrained by someone. She lets out a mournful cry.
* Remembering what Martha said, I can roughly guess what happened.
* **You:** (I guess she created trouble for the festival.)

* **You:** (Fairs, festivals... Is it that she can't bear to see others happy?)

* I shake my head and dismiss these speculations. It is far more important to calm everyone down right now.
* **You:** It's about the customs of the half-beast community...

* **You:** Aaron, I'm afraid we need you to step in and help Martha resolve this issue.

* **Aaron:** Alright.

* **Aaron:** Dahlia, distance yourself and take Winni with you.

* **Aaron:** There are too many people, and if things get out of control, I'm worried you might get hurt.

* I nod and pull Winni to my side.
* **You:** Winni, come over here.

* **Martha Kirk:** Wow, I'm impressed, young one.

* During the organization of the half-beasts to reclaim their territory in the Edith Mountains, such situations of differing opinions have occurred many times.
* There have been so many that Aaron has transformed from an inarticulate youth into the composed and calm leader he is now.
* Even Martha can trust him to handle things.
* **You:** What happened, Martha?

* **Martha Kirk:** I don't know... By the time I got here, everyone was already riled up.

* Martha falls silent for a moment, then suddenly covers Winni's ears.
* She lowers her voice and can't hear it very clearly over the noisy crowd.
* **Martha Kirk:** Is keeping her here really the right decision?

* I know Martha doesn't need me to answer her. She's just a bit confused.
* **Martha Kirk:** But I can't always arrive in time.

* After speaking, Martha releases her hands. She smiles at Winni, but her eyes show fatigue.
* I am about to say something when the crystal ball suddenly vibrates.
* It feels almost like a machine starting up after it has been switched on.
* While Martha's attention is still on Winni, I sneak a glance downwards.
* As expected, the previously stagnant snowflakes are now swirling about on their own.
* **Martha Kirk:** What's wrong?

* I jump a little and look up at Martha, giving her a helpless smile.
* **You:** I'll find the source of the problem as soon as possible.

* Suddenly, Winni shakes my arm.
* **Winni:** I want to go check on Granny Sarah. She seems really upset.

* Seeing that the crowd has calmed down with Aaron's efforts, I agree to Winni's request.
* **You:** Alright, I'll go with you.

* Winni walks faster and faster, still holding the scarf she picked out for Sarah.
* Sarah struggles again upon seeing Winni. She is unable to get free, and she starts seeing red.
* **You:** Let Sarah go. I promise she won't do anything that will harm everyone's interests.

* The person hesitates for a moment, but releases Sarah.
* Sarah breaks free and embraces Winni with such force that even bystanders are taken aback.
* **Winni:** Granny Sarah, I brought you a gift!

* Winni tries to put the scarf on Sarah, but Sarah stares blankly at Winni, and murky tears slide down her face.
* **Sarah:** Grandma has finally found you...

* **Sarah:** Child, can we stop fighting and make up?