-Astrid-

She had only asked Van Gogh to translate for her. Mum and dad spent a lot of time communicating with statues and the like, so Astrid had figured she might as well try to do the same.

But Van Gogh was taking creative liberties.

[Just tell them it was the delver’s fault.] Astrid said, [What are you even drawing?]

The wall he was using now had a small picture of mum, followed by a picture of her taking care of human children.

Astrid scoffed quietly, then not so quietly. [Van Goooggghh!]

[Shut up.] He told her with his usual brevity.

The delver watched Van Gogh’s pictures with rapt attention. Duchess drifted over, too, and sat on Astrid’s head.

Then Van Gogh drew her mum dying.

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She had been feeding some of the kids—had mum had kids before Astrid? No way, not human ones—when the building suddenly began to collapse. The kids clung to her. She shoved them under a table. A sharp slab of wood fell point-first into her back. He drew ruby droplets of blood leaving her body, falling down, down--

Astrid choked. [What the hell, Van Gogh? That never happened!]

He ignored her. So did the delver and Duchess.

Picture-mum began to respawn, much to Astrid’s muted relief. She reformed from the blood in half-translucent form—a form more accurate, now that Astrid thought about it.

[Mum would never die from a piece of wood.] She mumbled.

The woman in question cleared her throat. Astrid, just let Van Gogh tell the story. Her voice was oddly fragile.

[Hmph.]

Astrid watched on as picture-mum floated down a sunshine river with other translucent people. Maybe they were other dungeons? But how did they all get out of their cores? And where were their symbiotes?

Arachne settled down next to Duchess on Astrid’s head, with Achilles not far behind. (Most everyone knew by now that Achilles had a massive crush on Arachne. There were two camps on the matter, and Astrid had bet on him winning her heart, so she hoped he did.)

Sighing, the young water giant clicked her claws together, watching a stone tapestry unfold. It was beautiful. The other dwellers agreed on that.

Still.

It was filled with things Astrid didn’t understand.