New Avalon

[yamikuronue]

"...Wait, that big evil monster was Pulse energy? It was evil!"

[CalamityJade]

"No, that was...a corrupted memory. If they cling hard enough, or were malicious enough, they can become quite dangerous. They're especially bad if they find a place that contains a lot of Pulse energy. That's what allows them to feed off of other memories and, in some cases, living people as well. That's what a Pulse Conductor is for, like you're friend there."

[yamikuronue]

"So what do you mean by what's wrong with Pulse?"

[CalamityJade]

"Well, the reason people can't leave is because the City needs more Pulse to continue existing than what it's getting just from people living here. There are Welcomed that simply pull people into the city, but are not the kind that would be able to make the city any better."

[yamikuronue]

"I mean, this whole thing is weird. How much pulse should a living city need? What does it need it for? Is it like blood or something?"

[CalamityJade]

"Acutally, blood would be a good analogy for it. It's required for existence and for the city to thrive, but it's not food. It doesn't consume Pulse, but lives off of it." Mordrianna nods. "And other things can also use it. The problem is that something is using a LARGE amount of it. Enough to make the City constantly attract people and not care if it actually helps them remain here."

[yamikuronue]

She frowns. "Meaning, what, it's not Welcoming people?"

[CalamityJade]

"It's Welcoming people who attract others, but do nothing to help the City itself. I'm sure you've heard the talk about how the Waiting only exist until they are welcomed or die. That should NOT be happening. Most of the violent memories are from waiting who had accidents or tried to prey on others." Which might be why that factory worker was there. IT did seem to have been making the kids remain as well.

[yamikuronue]

"....so the problem is that Waiting are dying?"

[CalamityJade]

"The Waiting are dying, the Welcomed aren't protecting them. The fact that the City keeps getting more people in without there being more Welcomed. There's something wrong with how ALL of this is going...and I'm sure that your father was trying to solve it."

[yamikuronue]

T opens her mouth to argue, but she doesn't say anything as an odd thought strikes her.

"Did the city..." she begins, hesitantly, trying to figure out how to word her suspicion. "...Did the city kill my mom?"

[CalamityJade]

"...your mother? What do you mean?" Mordrianna gave that a thought. "Are you asking if the City made her ill or if it was the cause of her death?"

[yamikuronue]

"Either. My mother got sick pretty sudden, out of the blue, and then I moved here."

[CalamityJade]

"She didn't live here?" She gave a long sigh. "Then no. The City only can reach it's Citizens and those that live within it's bounds. If she didn't live here, then it could not have killed her."

[yamikuronue]

T's shoulder slump a bit. "Oh. Good." She sighs. "Sorry, I just... well, I wouldn't put it past it."