Curator POV

Okay, that seems settled...ish. Lets just take care of those other pots too. If we pull everything in them out into my pocket and just...leave that stuff there. Might come in handy for some plant watering later with all that gunk in it. Now we just fill the pots in a less...showy...way aaaaand done!

'Hey Vekla, I took care of the other pots already. Water situation is dealt with, figured ya didn't need any further spectacle to prove your points. If you need a hand just let me know, and I'll check in on things in the morning.'

Turning back to my own little patch of sand, it is still slowly getting bigger, just like I am. I'm easily the size of a bagel now, one of the good ones that's hand made. After everything seems I still have that two rings of mana. We'll hold onto that for now, as first we need to take care of properly giving Babe and Poppit their purposes proper. Kinda curious how they'll change from that too, but, we'll see how it goes.

Zoning out and getting lost in thought as I watch the sun slowly continue to approach the horizon.

??? POV

So, world has gone to shit. Anything with any sort of electronics or circuitry has been completely fried. From transformers, to even just resistors and transistors. Without any electronics, the machinery needed to make, well, anything, is gone. Bet the Amish are laughing as they've got the tools and experience to deal with living without modern technology. Lucky technophobic bastards.

Looking into my pantry, there are plenty of canned goods, but most of those need to be cooked or cut with water. Both of those present their own problems too. Cooking requires a fire of some sort at this point, and who knows how long my grill's propane canister will last, and with water, I've got a good amount of bottles, but no more will come from the tap. Not sure I'd trust it at this point if it did either as stagnant water is a good source of sickness.

That leaves a few choices. I could load up my bike's pull wagon with supplies and head out, ditching my current shelter and hope I make it out some where else safe and sound, or hook up the wagon and see what I can rummage up at other places. Thankfully, seems the shooting, and rioting has stopped, but it's hard to tell what's been going on. Honestly makes me glad I keep to myself so much, and, that the yard for this place tends to be a bit more over grown.

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Thinking on it a bit harder, heading out and finding a place with fresh water makes the most sense. I've, thankfully, got plenty of books that should come in handy for this situation. I think the first stop will be a gas station to pick up a local map as it should show things like rivers, lakes, and streams cause those affect the road ways.

Babe POV

More of those strange memories. This time in my dreams, although being awoken as the sun finishes setting is wonderful. Are they Curators memories? Walls of white stone and strange things all around. It is clear though that it is a living thing in those memories. It still needs food and water after all, but makes care to plan out some basic plan of action to get the knowledge needed to best ensure their success. The mention of books and tomes has that strange hunger inside me once more brought to the fore and almost palpable. Oh how lovely it would be to devour the words inside them and absorb the lessons they could teach!

Stretching out my legs and various movable parts some, it does not take long for Curator to notice I have roused from slumber.

'You should probably be on the ground properly for this, we wouldn't want you to fall and get hurt on accident, now would we?'

"No, we would not. I must ask however Curator. I keep getting...glimpses of memories not my own, but from the point of view of a strange creature in a...home they called it, with white stone walls. Bits where something burst and covered them in painful burning things, others where they have healed enough that the pain is an after thought but they must contemplate leaving that shelter to get things they need. Are these....are these your memories, or perhaps memories of a former, fallen, scion?"

The poignant silence that follows is almost palpable as I slowly make my way to the ground. Have I upset, or hurt, Curator by that simple question in some way. Will they resent me for it?

'It's my past...from before being....this. Being what I am now. There are many....bad memories from that time, but also triumphs. While they can be...unpleasant to think back on, or analyze, there are lessons we can learn from them to be better than I was. No one is percent Babe, I least of all. The most important thing to remember it's the choices you make going forward that determine who you are, not just the mistakes of the past.'

"Do these memories...hurt you?"

'Some, yes. However, if they can still hurt, that means I've not lost my empathy or the like, which, is a a good thing. It's easier to relate to others, if you can understand how they feel, or feel the same things.'

So, be careful about asking on that past to spare Curator as much pain as possible. Yet they do seem to have wisdom that such pain is a good sign eve if it's unpleasant for them.

'Now then, enough about me, and my past, for now. Tonight is about you, isn't it my little Babe. I hope you're ready for this!'

The sudden shift from that melancholy to that excitement that is felt through our bond is, almost whiplash inducing. It does, however, help break the funk that had started to settle into my chitin.

"Yes, Curator, I am ready. I just hope I can live up to your expectations!"

'Oh Babe, no mater what, as long as you don't become a genocidal or homicidal maniac, you'll always live up to my expectations. As what more could I want than one who cares, and continually learns and improves like you have? Reassurances aside, Babe, I name you my Grand Archivist. Your task will be to help build, manage, and care for a grand library where all sorts of knowledge can be stored, and shared. A place where many can learn, and leave what they have learned. This also means you'll be working with any I designate as researchers to help collate their information and getting it formatted into a manner that makes sense to others.'

As they say this, there's a massive swell of mana pouring from them, into myself, then everything goes black...