@knifedindunwall
It takes a full twenty minutes of pacing outside the front door of the Palilicium for the Whaler to work up their nerve, and even then, they canāt bring themselves to actually go inside.Ā
Theyāre keenly aware that itās been a full month since theyāve spoken to Daud. Itās not like theyāve been avoiding him, exactlyābut between the two weeks it took them to figure out the text message function on their holophone and the vague nightmares that plague them whenever theyāre forced to sleep in the Flats, itās been... difficult to contact him. Even once they got the hang of theĀ ātouch screenā, something about the nightmares made them hesitate over his name on the list.
But the Whaler is sickĀ of the nauseating dread that washes over them when they see Daudās name. Theyāre sick of the bitter anxiety that comes with hearing his name. This isnāt theirĀ Daud. This is a differentĀ Daud. So theyāre going to see him again, and remind themselves that this isnāt the man that left the Whalers to die.
And they want their powers back.
The Whaler exhales slowly, watching their breath fog in the cold air, and pulls out their holophone. They itch with frustration; every mode of transportation theyāve tried is just not the same as a transversal. Speed isnāt the issueātheyād just save up the āmoon pointsā for a motor carriage if it were. What they miss is the safety. Every morning they wake up from a nightmare, they try to transverse away. Every time it doesnāt work. Theyāre sick of the trapped feeling as much as theyāre sick of their Daud-related anxiety.
Two birds, one stone. Trembling only a littleājust from the cold, of courseāthey punch Daudās name into their holophone and send a quick series of texts:
[msg]Ā Sir
[msg]Ā Forgiive my silence, sir.Ā
[msg] Iād like to speak wth you again, if possible.Ā
[msg] Pleasw meet me on the roof of the apartment building next to the āSeven Elevenā in two hours. Iāll be waitin gthere.















