Five Gods Exiled — 76 of 191

Chapter 6 - Responsibility Memories

To remember a responsibility memory:

if the victim is the instructor-person:

now the secondary person is the instructor-person;

say "Restaurants weren't safe any more; there was no way of knowing what would happen in the kitchen. You settled for grocery stores, because the dead-eyed kids still walking through their jobs wouldn't notice if you wrote them a check that never cashed later or pulled a fifty out of the till when their backs were turned. The stockers and baggers and cashiers went through the echoes of their former lives robotically, so long as the thoughts of the gods drifted through them and through their suppliers and through all the other clockwork pieces needed. So long as you didn't mind avoiding the meat section entirely and ignoring the vermin.[paragraph break]You'd gone vegetarian. It was still better than restaurants.[paragraph break]So you were at home after the funeral, staring at your [one of]tomato[or]lentil[or]bean[or]cheese[or]broccoli[or]cabbage[at random] soup because you couldn't eat. No matter how important it was to eat.[paragraph break]There were only five of you, now, and you didn't know how to tell anyone the final secret that [given name of the instructor-person] [surname of the instructor-person] had given you. You didn't know how to tell them that they weren't safe - that when the end of the end of the world came, you would come back to kill one of them";

say ".[paragraph break][italic type]Two lives to save the world[roman type], [given name of the secondary person] said, in memory. [Zher2] [voice type of the current person] voice echoed off the [one of]cinderblock walls[or]warehouse ceiling[at random] as [zhe2] walked beside you. [italic type]One is sent out. One remains behind.[roman type][paragraph break]You raised a spoonful of soup to your lips. Stared into the darkened kitchen. [italic type]But - who is the other one? Who am I supposed to - [roman type][paragraph break]Your [gr of the current person] should have been home, but [given name of the current person] [one of]said [zhe] needed some space[or]said you plainly needed some space[at random] and left you alone. [given name of the secondary person] wouldn't have approved. The buddy system, always.[paragraph break]But who was your buddy now? [italic type]Anyone,[roman type] [given name of the secondary person] said, and then qualified it: [italic type]Any one of your peers. Anyone with the training I've given you.[paragraph break][roman type][Zhe2] said, [italic type]There will be a sixth orb - not an orb, truly, but a talisman of much greater power. Bring it through the Exile, and give it to someone who knows how to handle the power";

say ".[paragraph break]Like you, [roman type]you said.[paragraph break][italic type]Like me,[roman type] [zhe2] confirmed, ";

if the affection strength of the instructor-person > 3:

say "and no matter how much you liked [zhim2], you thought in that moment of killing [zhim2]. [Zhe2]";

otherwise if the affection strength of the instructor-person < 3:

say "and a savage swell of dislike filled you. In that moment, you thought uncontrollably of killing [zhim2]. [Zhe2]";

otherwise:

say "and no matter how long you looked at [zhim2], you couldn't convince yourself that this was only a test. If there really was a death to deal out, surely [zhe2]";

say " deserved it for bringing you to this.[paragraph break]You dribbled the soup from your spoon back into the bowl. There were footsteps in the hall outside; [given name of the current person] had arrived. You pushed the soup away with your thoughts and stood up to comfort [zhim].";

if the relationship of the associated NPC of the current memory is instructor:

say "Remembering a mentor-based responsibility memory associated with [given name of the associated NPC of the current memory] [surname of the associated NPC of the current memory] ([relationship of the associated NPC of the current memory]).";

otherwise if the affection strength of the associated NPC of the current memory > 3:

say "Remembering an affection-based responsibility memory associated with [given name of the associated NPC of the current memory] [surname of the associated NPC of the current memory] ([relationship of the associated NPC of the current memory]).";

otherwise if the affection strength of the associated NPC of the current memory < 3:

say "Remembering a dislike-based responsibility memory associated with [given name of the associated NPC of the current memory] [surname of the associated NPC of the current memory] ([relationship of the associated NPC of the current memory]).";

otherwise:

say "Remembering a neutral responsibility memory associated with [given name of the associated NPC of the current memory] [surname of the associated NPC of the current memory] ([relationship of the associated NPC of the current memory]).".