EVENT ★ SEASON FINALE

[futurologists]

ZYMANDIS CASTLE The castle -- no, the entire world, small as it is -- is too peaceful. It isn't the atmosphere one would associate with a villain's lair, even with it looking as sinister as it does. Crumbling chunks of earth float in the air, threatening to hit anyone who isn't paying attention to where they're going. It is quiet around them, like the castle is entirely without life. Cassie, Cherenkov, Crowley, Dagny, and Uruz stand beside Audentes, proud that their sister team has come so far. Each of them have offered words of encouragement, even the cats... in their own special way. Cassie is short and sweet: “Give 'em hell.” Cherenkov and Crowley have combined their efforts to create regeneration nanobots that whisper positive messages to one's psyche and gifted them to the entire team. Dagny says, “I couldn't be prouder of you!! You have done much good, and come so far, and your future is so very bright, and -- oh, may I please hug you?? I'm going to hug you now!” and sticks gold star stickers on the foreheads of various team members. Uruz says, “Pull through, Audentes! You've always been brave, headstrong, and united! This will be nothing for you lot, nothing at all. But be careful, if only for me. I want to see you all again after we're through.” The group pushes forward. The moment they do, a loud, brassy sound blares throughout the castle grounds. The world comes alive again. Enemies begin to scale down the castle walls, pop out of windows, and burst through the doors, which slam shut behind them. A dragon circles above, raining fire down upon its enemies. A small squad of goblins brandish swords. Some enemies look human but pale, frenzied, hungry; they're out of control. Others resemble Qorral bandits. The enemies call back to their past missions in some way. A way of letting them know Zymandis had been one step ahead every time. ALASTAIR was simply the cleaning crew, picking up the mess they left in their wake. Halfway through the battle, a small, pale creature with inhumanly large eyes manages to make his way through the crowd (mostly) unscathed, waving a white flag he seems to have fashioned himself out of his own clothes, judging by the large hole in his shirt. He looks too thin and too tired. He falls to his knees. “Please, o Holy Liberators!” he exclaims, kissing the ground near their feet slavishly. “It does not want to be here anymore. It wants to go home. It has information the Liberators must want. It will give it to them.” ALASTAIR strikes a deal with the creature, who reveals his true name to be Edgar, although Arbatel -- the Leader -- refers to all of his servants as nothing but 'it'. Edgar draws a childlike map to a mine entrance not far, and explains that the mine itself connects directly to Arbatel's laboratory. “It has-- I... have cleaned it many times. Master was captivated by the mines. Master had men in the mines day and night.” His voice drops to a whisper. “The Liberators need be careful. The mines claim many lives. Master does not care if they are dangerous.” With that, the group has a new plan. Some of the other teams stay back to distract the rest of the fighters, but Audentes and Kittypaw continue on. After all, Audentes is their little sibling team. Even though Audentes has been a full-fledged team for two years now -- time certainly flies! -- they've still got to look out for them. It's time to head to the mines. THE MINES The trek to the mines is a hard one. The group has to be careful to avoid lava geysers and giant, seemingly bottomless chasms, as well as panicked, violent animals. By the time they finally make it to the mines, there's a good chance their legs are aching, but there's no time to rest. Dagny has brought along a few potions she brewed herself that will help dull the ache, however. Inside the mines, no one has to worry about lava geysers. However, vision is obscured, and there's a feeling of gloom hanging over the area. After all, the mine did claim many lives. Some might even pass some bones, if they're unlucky. Arbatel isn't interested in sending corpse clean-up crews. The danger of the mines becomes apparent when Audentes and Kittypaw meet their first challenge. The twists and turns of the labyrinthine mines begin to break up the group. With the teams separated, Audentes will find themselves feeling... angry. Perhaps vengeful. As if there were spirits influencing them. They will begin to turn on whoever they're with, deciding now is the time to air their grievances. (This can affect all characters in a thread or just one.) Only once characters are aware they're being controlled will they be able to resist, and only once they are able to strongly resist will they be able to break the spirits' hold on them. But be careful: if you stick around too long afterwards, the spirit might try to take vengeance on you. Audentes and Kittypaw finally manage to meet back up when the paths converge once again, but their luck does not last for long. Cassie leads the group fearlessly ahead, but is forced to stop when a shadowy figure crawls in the darkness. And another one... and another one. The large beetles and spiders who live in the mine have come out of hiding, surrounding the team from all angles. Their bites are venomous, and they spit acid that burns to the touch. Their skin is hard, like metal, and nearly impossible to pierce. It's no wonder so many miners lost their lives down here with these monsters preying on them. The numbers are too overwhelming and the creatures too strong. The group has no choice. They have to run if they want any chance to get to Arbatel and the TIMELINE.exe. The creatures follow in fast pursuit, hungry for their next meal now that Arbatel is no longer sending miners to their dooms. The more they run, the more apparent it becomes that escape is futile. It seems there is only one option left: become these monsters' food. At least, that's how it seems; the group stops, barely fighting off their attackers, and Cassie says, “Go, now!” She reaches into her pocket and shouts, “Hey! Over here!” as she runs in the opposite direction, diverting the creatures' attention long enough for the team to get a head start. She takes her hand out of her pocket and raises it, holding an explosive. “Eat rainbows and die!” Flamboyant as ever, her explosion causes a beautiful, swirling rainbow effect, knocking Audentes over. When they regain their bearings, the area where Cassie and the monsters stood is caved in. Cherenkov, Crowley, Dagny, and Uruz are quiet for the rest of the walk. The group finally comes across an area of the mine that is significantly more sculpted than the rest, hollowed out around a large, glowing crystal. Around the crystal is a catwalk, with a ladder leading up to it. On the catwalk are tables containing various arcane items, blueprints for inventions, computer parts, and other strange materials. This is certainly Arbatel's lab. Now it's time to find the man himself. FINDING ARBATEL The castle is falling apart on the inside, too, despite the servants he has put to work. Some of them resemble Edgar, but others seem to belong to other species; some are even human. All of them are pale, malnourished, and cower in Audentes's presence. None of them appear to have any sinister motive or put up any sort of fight, although they're all too afraid to speak as well. The castle is full of oddities: a bookshelf full of books in languages no one has ever heard of, paintings with colors no one has seen before. It's worth it to inspect everything. In fact, one inspection in particular is particularly lucky -- one removal of a book from a bookshelf causes a wall to slide back, revealing a set of stairs that ascend upwards. Hey, all secret lairs need a secret door. Start up the stairs, and a woman in gold and white armor appears at the top. She waves her hand and the wall quickly slides back into place, blocking the staircase again. Except, unfortunately, for the two who happened to be in front: Jon and Loki are now trapped on the other side of the wall with the mysterious woman. No matter how many books are removed, shuffled, or shoved back into the shelves, the wall won't open again. The team will have to find another way to get through. Meanwhile, Jon and Loki are left alone to confront the woman, who introduces herself as Hagith. She is Theodor Arbatel's younger daughter and, unlike her long-dead sister Ophiel, completely loyal to Zymandis. Enhanced with cybernetic bones and organs, she is gifted in magic and is a dangerous foe even for Jon. While they're engaged in battle, an older man appears from a door just beyond the landing. Loki, sure this is the man they've been looking for all this time, wields his sword of truth at the ready... As for the rest of the team, poking through the rest of the castle will eventually find a small passage behind a painting -- it's six feet up and roughly the size of a ventilation shaft, so the only way to get up there is teamwork, and the only way to get through is by crawling, one by one, through the pitch black labyrinth. The passageway conveniently ends right on the other side of the wall, where -- luckily for the claustrophobic on the team -- there is a lever that will make the wall slide back again, revealing the hidden stairs. It's just in time, too: a wounded Jon stands over the dead knight, her windpipe crushed, watching as Loki needles a distinguished-looking man with Gram, the sword of truth. It's a disquieting scene, but it's necessary: the man is Arbatel, the Leader of Zymandis, and he owes ALASTAIR some answers. “This blade is doused in Dragon’s Blood,” Loki says as he turns the sword in Arbatel’s wound; “it forces someone to tell the truth. It always hurts.” Arbatel gazes at his daughter’s body as he answers all questions posed to him, both from Loki and from those shouted from the expedition: His true name is Theodor Arbatel, and that has always been the truth. He comes from a world that he has long since forgotten, his lifetime lengthened to thousands of years by personal experimentation with a sort of proto-magitek. The longer he lived, the more chaos he saw in Zymandis’s attempts at solving the Cataclysm; it would be better, in his eyes, if the entire multiverse were purged and purified, allowed to start anew, instead of simply bandaging an already sick and chaotic thing. And when he updated the TIMELINE.exe machine, its new calculations only proved what he thought: the universe would start again if ushered to a total collapse. As the rest of Zymandis followed his machine’s update, he rose through its ranks to become the Leader; those who didn’t believe in the truth were executed or run out of Zymandis until a faction that would become ALASTAIR stole an earlier version of his creation and fled. Including, he notes with distaste, his daughter Ophiel. His quest to end this tainted universe and usher in a new, better universe had millions -- possibly even billions -- of casualties, he estimates. He recalls all the miners he remorselessly sent to their deaths in the pursuit of the temporal crystal in his laboratory. Arbatel has studied such crystals for centuries; there are many types, he explains, but only one of this particular kind. It is the only one capable of undoing all of Zymandis's work. His life's work. He would send ten times as many miners to die if it meant protecting that crystal. He would have killed his own daughters. As Arbatel’s confession continues, he becomes more and more affected by the blade of Gram, as to suffer this blade is to suffer the truths one has denied. The way he has twisted his own nihilism into being the only truth, refusing to look for other alternatives, ignoring the pleas of his elder daughter. As Loki told him, the truth hurts. And in this case, the truth has killed Theodor Arbatel. He falls to the ground, lifeless. With this bloody business done, there's a few minutes to rest and patch any lingering wounds. The rest of the expedition begins to filter in at this point, missing a few of their number and looking a little rough around the edges. From the ex-Zymandis agents' wristwatches, the Ophiel AI speaks: the TIMELINE.exe is in the next room. TEMPORAL STORM Behind the door, now unguarded, is the Mechanical Room -- a gigantic warehouse stuffed with cables and gigantic computers and hundreds of CRT monitors. The room is warm and there's a constant whirring of machinery, ever present but quiet enough that it can fade into the background like white noise. Upon entering the room, recruits will be greeted by the monitors all flashing threatening messages in unison: GET OUT and INTRUDERS and ALERT, among others. Outside the door, Arbatel and Hagith's jewelcomms beep frantically: the TIMELINE.exe is asking for assistance that will never come. Thankfully, the corrupted TIMELINE.exe machine has no actually effective means of defense, so ALASTAIR is free to do what must be done: upload TIM's new update, the ver. 1.0.03 file. Installing the update is a simple task, but will require every ALASTAIR recruit's participation: extend one's jewelcomm toward the TIMELINE.exe, and the magitek will do the rest. The interfacing is ephemeral and beautiful, strands of visible code streaming through the air like beams of sunlight. It only takes a moment, and once it's done, the TIMELINE.exe's screen go dark. And then, a second later: Hello World ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ It's a success: Zymandis's machine has been overwritten by TIM. Without a leader or their destruction-focused TIMELINE.exe, Zymandis is dead. But before there can be much excitement, TIM uses his new monitors to explain that there is still the matter of the impending destruction of this world and its universe, owing to the temporal crystal deep in the mine under the castle. The temporal crystal must be destroyed. The energy it saps simply to sustain its own existence keeps the universe fractured; when all of the research conducted by both ALASTAIR and Zymandis scientists is combined, TIM is able to hypothesize that shattering the crystal and releasing the energy into the universe will cause a surge large enough to charge a merging. After the Cataclysm, each universe continued to split into thousands of fractured universes, all nearly identical save for small differences. The energy meant to sustain one universe was now split across thousands, ebbing and flowing and never quite enough. The merging, however, would combine each of those identical universes into one... allowing them to run on full energy. In short: destroying the crystal should merge the fractured universes, allowing them to sustain themselves without ALASTAIR intervention. The solution is simple, but will require a lot of elbow grease: using materials found throughout Arbatel’s lab, create a positronic bomb and detonate the temporal crystal. The resulting explosion, as Arbatel said, will be the opposite of destruction. Once the bomb is all set, it’s probably a smart thing to head topside before its detonation. Don’t worry about leaving TIM behind -- his consciousness in this machine is linked with the machine in Oska, so he won’t be harmed. The same is not exactly true for the rest of the expedition. When the bomb goes off, there’s a blinding blue flash and a deafening silence. The world -- the universe -- no, the fabric of reality shakes and trembles; the sky swirls; the ground churns. It only lasts a handful of seconds, but the turmoil seems like an endless epoch. And then everything clears; the ravaged, once-crumbling world is still and silent. Though the platforms of earth still sail peacefully through the air, there is no more lava and no more shaking. The destruction of this universe has been halted. More than that, though, the instability of the multiverse has been halted. Instead of a sprawling, infinite multiverse filled with infinite timelines, the minutely different universes have been merged. This may result in some nausea or confusion as the expedition’s own minutely alternate realities meld with their own, though there won’t be any identity crises or conflicting memories. You’re still you. But more importantly, this means the multiversal energy crisis is over. ALASTAIR can use its rift machines without needing to conserve precious energy. You can go home, if you’d like... but you might want to head to Oska first. LATER... After what might have been the longest day of their lives, the group returns to Oska for a well-deserved celebration... after any injuries are tended to. They are, of course, commended by the rest of ALASTAIR for their bravery and dedication. There's a feast, but considering how tired everyone is, there's no wild party. Just quiet contentment. An older ALASTAIR member, a man with dark hair and a prim demeanor, stands up to give a speech. “For thousands of years, we have endeavored to right the wrong caused by the Cataclysm. Tonight, we have finally achieved that goal. ALASTAIR's purpose was solely to maintain order as best we could, even in the face of impossible odds. Now, that is no longer necessary. This is a beginning of a new and better multiverse... but it is an ending, too. I suppose it is time to disband ALASTAIR, once and for all.” The crowd murmurs. It's all a blur of words, but the general gist can be picked up. Should they really disband ALASTAIR? Could they? There isn't anything left for them to do, after all. We could all go home to our families. “This is not a loss. This is a win. I vote that today be ALASTAIR's last official day of operation. Those who agree with me, raise your hands.” A large majority of the crowd raises their hands. “The matter is settled, then. Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow... tomorrow, we go home.” He sits and resumes speaking to those sitting beside him, and it seems the discussion is over... until a red-headed girl barges in through the double doors, eyes wild. To say she looks frazzled is to put it kindly. “You guys have to hear this. The merging? It worked. No more energy being drained. But the universes, they're... having trouble adjusting, I guess. Look.” She projects her magitek onto the wall, showing clips of protests, fires, war. In one world, two queens vie for the same crown. In another, dinosaurs seem to roam the earth again. “We've gotta do something, right?” The room quiets. For a moment, it seems no one is going to answer her. Finally, a woman answers. “We've done all we can. It's time to stop interfering with other worlds. I'm returning home.” Others grumble in agreement. A select few disagree. The girl scowls. “Oh, please.” She gestures to Audentes. “You just saved the freakin' multiverse. And it's all gonna turn to crap if we don't fix it. So...” She smiles sheepishly. “What do you say? Partners?” OOC NOTES And that wraps it up for Season 1 of Futurology! The action portion of the log will last roughly five IC hours. If you have any questions about this log, please direct them to the dossier. We know it's a long one, so don't be shy! For those of you who will be staying with us on to Season 2, will be releasing a calendar on what to expect for the next two months sometime in late November. For those of you who are heading off at the conclusion of Season 1 or those who have dropped already, thank you for participating in our game! Futurology is what it is because of every single one of you. NOTE: HMD and AC will be posted on schedule (18 November and 1 December, respectively), so don't forget! Participation is mandatory if you would like to remain in the game.

Comments

[digiorno]

You won't . . .

[At first Giorno doesn't understand. There are books everywhere, aren't there? He knows Kaz can read, can do figures, at least that much and he'd expect much more. So there's really no way someone like Wylan wouldn't have access to books.]

[. . . Access.]

[Giorno looks at the spread on the table. There are plenty of books, true. But most of them are audiobooks. Some video, too. A wide variety of media, few of which are traditional text. And he realizes he's been assuming, like an idiot.]

[He squeezes Wylan's arm with his own, but doesn't allow his expression to change. He won't let even an ounce of pity show, especially not when he doesn't feel it, not really. It'd be like pitying Narancia, which would be ridiculous. Some people can do things others can't. That's all it is.]

I'm sure we could find a way to send some of this with you, if you really wanted to go. I've done worse than steal from a library, and so have you.

. . . What else is holding you back, though?

[wyvil]

You didn't know I can't read?

[The words come tumbling out before Wylan's thoughts catch up with his surprise as he watched Giorno figure out his biggest secret. (With the number of people he's telling, maybe he can't call it than anymore.)

Wylan hadn't told Giorno, not until that moment, but he'd always figured he knew, that Giorno had either figured it out on his own (like Kaz) or one of the others had told him. He wouldn't have acknowledged his inability to read so causally if he'd known that Giorno had no idea. But maybe, this is better. Maybe he doesn't have to make telling his secret so serious, so much of an event, every time.]

I don't know. I'm needed back home. I have my father's empire to run. [It's his responsibility even though he'd long since assumed he'd never be a merchant. Things have changed. With Jesper's help, he's going to try his best to run all of his fathers' businesses, building a new life for himself.] And Jesper and Kaz... Do you think they've made it home?

[digiorno]

[Giorno shakes his head mutely, watching Wylan with care. It hurts a bit that Wylan expects that people are . . . telling his secrets. Or is it that he wanted other people to know, that it might be easier that way? Giorno's not sure, but either way, he didn't know, and he's glad of that. He's glad Fugo, who almost certainly knew--Fugo who's easy to confide in, for a certain type of person--didn't tell him. It makes him happy, in a way that has nothing to do with the needs of hierarchy and everything to do with pride in a friend.]

You hide it well. And people care for your secrets. I'll try not to meddle now that I do, though.

[Sort of a joke, sort of not. He does tend to meddle.]

Hm. [Giorno rests his elbow on the table, chin in his hand, considering.] Easy one first: I do think they're home if they can possibly manage it. I can't imagine Kaz staying here a moment longer than he needs to, not when Inez needs him.

[Her name is Inez, Giorno remembers, and laughs a little at how bad Kaz is at spite.]

As for fathers . . . I don't know. Is it something you want to run, or something you feel you have to?

[wyvil]

[Wylan wasn't expecting people to tell his secret, the people he's told, he trusts them and doesn't doubt their reassurance to keep the secret to themselves. But Wylan had been more careless with his secret, less afraid of people finding out. (Too careless, is what Kaz would say). His library visits alone painted a clear enough picture. He wouldn't be surprised that someone like Giorno (like Kaz) would be able to focus and bring the pieces together to the obvious conclusion.]

I used to hide it better. I hid it for sixteen years. Even Kaz didn't figure it out until I told him. [Kaz dealt in secrets, yet Wylan's biggest one remained one until the day he decided to tell him. Wylan has to wonder if Inej knew already, but hadn't passed that detail along. It wouldn't surprise him if she'd known.]

Inej? Why would she-- [He trails off, remembering that Kaz and Jesper were an entire adventure behind him. He'd nearly forgotten.] He didn't want to know everything that happened, but I should've told him she was okay.

[He pauses for a long moment, frown deepening, eyes focused on the open sketchbook in front of him.] I don't know if I want to. I know I have to, but I wasn't supposed to.

oh my god anne that's not how you spell her name im so sorry

[digiorno]

[Maybe it's that he thought . . . if he needed to know, Wylan would tell him. And if he didn't need to know, or if Wylan didn't trust him, then--Wylan's Kaz's, not his. It's one of those things. He respects Kaz, despite their disagreements. He won't cross the line like that to pry, not unless he absolutely has to.]

[There's always an unless, naturally. For example: he happily pried into Kaz's personal life whenever he could manage it. He gives Wylan a crooked smile.]

Well. I think "she needs me" is Kaz code for "I want to be where she is," regardless. I don't know much about her, but she doesn't seem like the sort of person who needs saving much.

[Then he purses his lips.]

All right, try something for me. Think about that, about running your father's business, and tell me the first thing you feel. Even if it doesn't make sense. Go.

[wyvil]

But I don't think Kaz would leave Ketterdam and Inej is... [He cuts himself off again, ducking his head, embarrassed. They aren't talking about Kaz and Inej right now, not really, as much as Wylan would like to change the direction of their conversation. He closes his eyes for a moment, refocusing on Giorno and the conversation at hand.]

Terror. I feel like I'm going to fail. [The answer comes immediately, his voice wavering just slightly. It's too honest of an answer, but maybe that's a good thing.]

[digiorno]

[Giorno's ears perk up, metaphorically speaking. He loves details. He loves gossip. He wants to know every little thing about these people, if only he could, but--Wylan. This is about Wylan.]

[Who's terrified. Giorno's expression softens; he leans on Wylan again and pats his hand.]

It's okay. Almost everyone is scared starting something new, let alone something so big.

What makes you think you're going to fail?

[wyvil]

[Wylan can't quite say what he was expecting Giorno's reaction to be, but it wasn't this. He doesn't stop himself from leaning into the contact, soaking in the reassurance as he goes on to explain just how afraid of failure he is, the words pouring out in a rush.]

My father's been making it clear to me that I would fail since I was eight. [He knows the year that his father gave up on him now. The same year his mother was sent away.] There's a reason we kept my affliction a secret. A mercher's son shouldn't be so stupid he can't read. My father didn't trust me to run his businesses. Do you know that he sent my mother away? My whole life I thought she'd died, but she hadn't. He sent her away so he was free to find a new wife. And a new heir. [Wylan's voice is far from steady when he finishes, eyes resolutely focused on the library table and not the tears threatening to fall.]

[digiorno]

[Affliction. Giorno's soft smile twitches, his tranquil expression flickering. There it is: that fury, always banked, never fully extinguished. What he feels is--the memory of what it sounded like, fists slamming into Cioccolata until he was nothing but a smear on the pavement. That's what he feels.]

[His fingers squeeze around Wylan's hand. It's a struggle to keep his grip gentle instead of tight, but he manages it. He feels tight, a vise around his heart. Anger was such a mistake of an emotion.]

Wylan.

[His voice is quiet, but firm. He squeezes Wylan's hand again.]

Your father is a bully and a fool. There's nothing wrong with you, and you're certainly not stupid. You're one of the smartest people I've ever met--and you know Kaz wouldn't put up with stupidity. I'm more than willing to bet you've accomplished more under worse circumstances these past few years than your father ever did.

I believe you can do anything you put your mind to. I truly do. You might need help with some things, but so what? Everyone needs help. You're a stronger man to admit it right away than you would be clinging to pride.

[wyvil]

[The moment is far too similar to one Wylan's lived before. The setting is entirely different, library chairs are more comfortable than the middle of dirt roads, and it was Jesper by his side trying to reassure him instead of Giorno, but the feeling's so similar. Wylan leans forward on the table, burying his face in his arms, hoping it'll at least hide the tears he knows are coming.]

I'm not... [Smart. Accomplished. Strong enough.] But what if he's right? What if I ruin everything?

[digiorno]

[Giorno doesn't make Wylan show his face. It's tempting, but--no. He's quiet, his movements slow when he shifts forward to rub between Wylan's shoulders.]

If you ruin it . . .

[He thinks of Fugo, on his knees. Fugo, at a piano bench, playing with numb fingers. Fugo, on the bank at Venezia, fading into the distance.]

[Sometimes failure is deadly, but sometimes it's worse than that. Sometimes failure breaks your spirit. Sometimes, someone else lays the foundation of your shattering from the day you're born. There are too many people like that in all worlds.]

If you ruin it, then you mourn, and you pick yourself up, and you move on. Failure doesn't make you less of anything.

[wyvil]

[Wylan stays still for a moment, taking in Giorno's words. He focuses on steadying his breathing, the reassuring touch at his back, the message that failure doesn't have to be the worst thing thing in the world. (He has to admit that maybe the worst thing in the world was the first realization of just how much his father gave up on him. Everything had seemed easier since he'd accepted how evil Jan Van Eck was and became a willing participant in ruing his life.)

He looks over at Giorno after several long moments, eyes red, but no longer full of tears.]

I'll be less well off. It's a lot of money to lose if I fail completely. [It's a weak attempt to lighten the mood, but at least he's trying.]

[digiorno]

[Giorno smiles at him. A soft flicker of a smile, not meant to lighten the mood entirely--which seems a bit disrespectful to Wylan's pain, honestly--but to acknowledge how hard Wylan is trying. He hums thoughtfully before answering.]

I believe the likelihood of your complete failure to be incredibly slim. Not only because of your own capacity to see when a venture is failing, but because you have some very clever people supporting you. I can't imagine Jesper or Kaz failing to notify you if there's a situation going south in your business.

No, I imagine that a more likely sort of "failure" would be a significant, but not fatal, loss of revenue. From what you're telling me, your father's business could take a decent financial beating before crumbling completely. So a partial loss, but one that you could rebuild from--that's the sort of problem that's more realistic. And even if it does happen, that happens in business sometimes, Wylan. It wouldn't be a reflection of your abilities even if it did happen that way.

[wyvil]

[Wylan knows that Giorno has a point, everything he's saying is logical and true, but it does little to ease Wylan's fears. Not just of failure, but of his father's business partners learning the truth, everyone realizing that Wylan's father wasn't crazy (well, not for the reasons they thought) and his son was just as useless and illiterate as he said. Would it be enough to release him from prison? Would Wylan end up there instead? It's a lot to worry about.

But that's not even his first concern. He can't quite meet Giorno's eyes when he continues, voice stilted and questioning, even though he's not asking any question.]

Jesper agreed to help. To read for me, make sure no one finds out the truth. You should have seen the look on my father's face when Jesper told him. [He smiles just slightly at the memory, but it's fleeting.] But I... Jesper's not very good at staying still.

[digiorno]

continued ★