[Del, lulu, rhast, and nol hiding in an alley with a roof, hidden from overhead.]
Lulu: And exactly where did you get this lead?
Del: I asked around the Mess Hall and some Flamingo pointed me here. Said she’ll send a Crow who might have some answers as to where Cris might’ve taken the Doves we captured.
Rhaast: Still not seeing the problem with it.
Nol: It goes against the rules for keeping prisoners of war. Unsportsmanlike.
Rhaast: And obviously the Government has never made people disappear.
Nol: The Resistance is choosing to be the bigger person
R: Being the bigger person never won anything.
Del: Our lab needs them to answer questions, in any case. And the less Doves roaming around in the wild, the better. Where is that Crow? They were meant to be here by now. I don’t like hanging out this close to Murder territory.
Rhaast: there were more Sallie patrols on the way in, too. if they don’t show in 5, we’re leavin’.
Del: I’m sure it’ll be -
Nol: there - incoming.
[a shadow detached from a nearby roof and drifts down, landing in cowboy boots and booty shorts.]
Twik: Hon sent you, I take it? She knows this is risking my cover, this better be important.
Del: We’re looking for Doves. We took them prisoner from a lab and a Red Avadavat never returned them to base. We need the info they have.
Twik [skeptical]: You’re looking for…Doves. In the City.
Del: I know this sounds -
Twik: Crazy. Hopeless. A waste of time.
Del: Sure, but -
Lulu: The Avadavat is missing half a wing.
Twik: Half a wing? Well…I don’t know about an Avadavat, but there’s been an upswing in those who’ve been divinely retributed gathering by the warehouses, from what I hear. Might be a place to start.
Del: Good. We’re going -
Twik: Lots of Doves in those parts, at any rate. Watch your backs.
Del:...Sure. Thanks.
[Twik flies off, Del watches him, before gathering the others.]
Del: C’mon, we’ve wasted enough time already.
[land in warehouse district. eerily quiet. walking down streets, guns drawn.]
Nol: Wouldn’t this place usually be bustling? isn’t it like a transport hub?
Rhaast: Maybe the Warden showing face scared them all off?
Lulu: The Sparrows helped capture him, shouldn’t they be around here somewhere?
Del: They’re probably recouping, getting ready for the Event, if they’re still planning on helping us.
R: And what, the place is just abandoned? No one needs supplies anywhere anymore?
N: it is suspicious
D: probably means we’re on the right track, then. Stay close.
[walk further. hear voices and see a light from a warehouse. peek in window to see cris and a few with missing wings standing around some captured doves with bats.]
cris: you see?! I told you you’d be able to get your revenge! Now line up, one at a time -
[Del freezes and no one else does anything until Lulu runs forwards, into the warehouse.]
Lulu: Stop!
Cris: what the -
L: this isn’t right. These weren't your prisoners to take! You were meant to bring them to be processed -
C: The Resistance reckons they own them, do they? As far as I see it, whoever currently has ‘em, owns ‘em. And they’re doing more good here than wasting resistance resources in a cell, surely.
L: but that wasn’t your decision to make. You were given orders, and you haven’t followed them.
C: and you’re here to what..punish me? Cause I can tell you right now - I don’t take kindly to being punished.
[wingless start rounding on her. Del sacks up and steps forwards, the others following]
Del: We’re here because you’ve stolen prisoners against orders from your squad leader. You’ll return the prisoners to us, and stop whatever operation you’ve got going here. You are also dismissed from duty, for insubordination.
C: “Dismissed”, he says. [all laugh] I only agreed to help your little rebellion for a chance at this right here. They ruined my life, I’m gonna ruin theirs back. How can that be wrong? It’s only fair. If I suffer, so should they.
[Del thinks of everyone who’s wronged him - Scra, Cyras, Major, Reamer, Lars, his dad.]
Lulu: But where does it end, then? When will it feel like enough? Revenge isn’t a physical act, it’s a mental release. It’s only when you refuse to let it hold you anymore, that you’re finally free of it. What you’re doing is wrong. Go through the proper channels to punish them, don’t let the anger you feel consume you.
C: [wingless shift, uneasy] You don’t understand. We need this.
Nol: The Resistance needs them more, now. They have information we need, and using that information to stop a massacre has to be a better revenge than whatever this is.
C: how could it be, when we’re still left like this afterwards?
Del: Because it’ll help stop what happened to you happening to anyone else.
[wingless look at each other. cris sees their hesitation.]
Lulu: [softly] has any of this helped at all? Aside from feeling good in the moment, has it stopped you from still feeling that helplessness afterwards, when you’re lying there in the dark, trying to sleep? Let this be the first step you take towards truly recovering. Give them to us, and rid yourself of them for good.
[cris looks at the bat in his hand, then closes his eyes]
[del and co flying back from city, doves carried between them.]
Del to Lulu: How did you know all of that? How they were feeling?
L: I was a House Sparrow, because that was all I was allowed to be. Many of my mistresses were not as kind as your step mother. It doesn’t compare to getting your wing cut off, I can’t imagine what that’s like, but I also know you can’t move on until you let it all go, otherwise that fear will always still be there then, too. At some point, you can’t blame others for your misery, and have to take a handle of it for yourself, instead.
[they return to the res, handing the doves off to guards. Tiraa approaches.]
T: well done, I knew you could get it sorted.
Del: I almost didn’t. There was a moment where I would’ve let him keep them. I understood what he was feeling - that helplessness, at the bottom of all of it. Feeling like you have no control over the things done to you, and the fear that comes from that.
tiraa [thinks of mother abusing her]: D’you know, I think the only true revenge is to just…never think about them again. When you start living your life for yourself and the things you care about, those things that held you back just…drift away from your mind, I’ve found. Who were they, to think they could influence our entire lives? A battle is looming, it puts things in perspective, doesn’t it? [claps him on the shoulder] You’ve done good work here, and it seems like you’ve got a few loyal friends, too. You’ve come far, Del. Keep going.
[she walks off. He watches her.]
[Theyre in the mess hall. Lars is at a table eating with his mother. Del watches him, then walks towards him. flashes of the scenes of his failures go by but he walks through them]
D: You’re never going to apologize, are you? For poisoning me. Experimenting on me. Leading me to madness.
L: It was all in the name of science, I’m afraid. But I only suggested things to you, your true descent was of your own making. Your pre-existing instability made you the perfect test subject.
D: And that’s all you’ll ever consider me as, isn’t it?
L: your narcissism made it impossible for you to form true friendships, as my desire for scientific discovery makes it similarly impossible for me. We are two creatures destined to be alone, and that is the bond between us, not our past.
D: You’re wrong. I have people I care for, now. and there’s no bond between us. There’s nothing between us, anymore.
D: (takes a fistful of food from lars’ tray and shoves it in his mouth. walks away)
L: (to del’s back) well that was rude
larsmom: you have strange friends, son.
L: oh, no, he’s just an old roommate of mine. useless to me now, i think. how unfortunate.
(lulu and rhaast follow del down the tunnel, where they find him leaning against a wall)
L: del? are you -
D: (turns to them incredulous) I did it. i did it i did it i did it
Lulu and vulture smiling
L: yeah you did. you’re free of him, now.
Only one more adversary to go on his revenge tour (his dad)