Okay so now that we have the keystone, that means we officially have everything we need to open a portal to pandoria and rescue Anne.
We texted Linda that we’re alright and made plans to rendezvous at the campsite beside Guardian’s Dale.
That’s, like, really far away from Dino Valley tho, so let’s go see if Evergray managed to set up a portal from here to Epona
hi Evergray i almost died just now
He didn’t even notice I was gone longer than usual, he was too caught up in making the portal. That figures.
Anyways the portal works so here we go
looks like a bit of a dangerous passage, gotta be careful of these lightning guys
we made it safely to Epona, tho, no worries
We decided we’ll save Anne first thing in the morning, for now we will rest and prepare.
I don’t know much about Anne, so I asked the others to tell me about her. They each told a story about her. I’m gonna quote them directly instead of post screenshots of their stories this time.
First is Linda
It was the start of middle school, well before we learned that our destinies were linked.
Of course I’d heard about Anne Van Blyssen - the girl who came to school in a private limo, and whose wardrobe cost more than a purebred horse. But I’d never actually met her until that fall when we became lab partners in advanced biology.
I’m ashamed to admit it now, but I assumed her being there was a mistake. This was an optional, high school level course. Girls like Anne, they don’t go looking for more homework.
After class, I was approached by a woman from the Van Blyssen Group. Anne sitting next to me was no coincidence. Speaking on behalf of Anne’s parents, this woman wanted me to make sure that Anne had perfect homework to turn in each day. I’d be well paid…for a 12-year-old.
It turns out both me and her parents underestimated her.
“I know my parents are trying to buy you off,” she told me.
“Keep the money if you want, but don’t you DARE put my name on your work. One day I’m going to be a veterinarian, and unless you plan on tagging along with me till college, you’ll let me figure this stuff out for myself.”
She did! With a C-. But the next term, she got a B. And well, there’s a reason she was accepted to all the top universities.
So she wouldn’t let her parents pay off Linda to give her an easy route through school. That’s admirable, I guess. I wonder if Linda kept the money anyway lol
Next up is Lisa’s story
This was a couple years back, when I transferred schools to study music…
It was a rough time for me. After spending my first year on Jorvik bonding with you the other Soul Riders, suddenly I was spending more and more of my days in Jorvik City.
And instead of daily rides with Starshine, I was lucky if I could get out for a hack a couple of times a month. Sorry, my friend.
Anyway, it wasn’t easy juggling academics, music, riding, friendship, and the odd Soul Rider mission. I was the most alone I’d been since finding you all.
But then I found out about the open mic night at that little cafe outside of Jarlaheim where I could practice my songwriting and my best friends could come and watch.
Sadly, Anne, with her busy schedule, kept missing the nights I played. “I’ll come,” she’d tell me. “A von Blyssen always keeps her promises.”
But it seemed fate had other plans. One night, after my set, the cafe owner informed me that they’d be closing their doors and there would be no more open mic nights.
Of course, that’s when Anne messages me up to say she wants to see me play. I told her the bad news.
A couple of days later, Anne messages again to say that the open mic night is back on. “Trust me,” she said. “Just be there.”
When I arrived in Jarlaheim with my guitar, sure enough the cafe was open. All of my friends were there, Herman, even my dad. And a dozen other faces I’d never seen before. It was the biggest crowd I’d ever played to.
It turns out, when Anne learned how much the cafe meant to me, she went into fundraiser mode and tapped all her mom’s wealthy friends to raise funds to save the venue.
Linda said that’s classic Anne. That’s very sweet, working so hard to keep something that meant so much to Lisa. Shame she couldn’t come to any shows before then tho
Lastly it’s Alex’s turn.
She didn’t seem too excited to tell any stories. I guess she and Anne weren’t as close, or at least so she claims.
If you want to go back that far, I have plenty of stories about avoiding Anne, resenting Anne for everything she had that I could only dream of.
She was always riding me to check my emotions and stick to the mission. She was worse than Elizabeth.
Before I found Tin-Can and Fripp and everything else, I was trash. Nothing. I needed this.
Anne, she had everything. And then she shows up in my destiny, and right away Fripp makes her his favorite. Elizabeth grooms her to lead. It’s like I became invisible again.
You know it’s true. Fripp tutored her on how to use her powers safely. He warned her it was dangerous. Where was my help?
Fripp sent me out before I was ready. I tried to keep the lightning striking true… but…
I nearly killed him!
He was just a stupid boy bullying my little brother, and I smote him like evil crossplay Zeus because I couldn’t control myself.
If Anne hadn’t transported us to the ER…
And she stayed with me while we waited for the boy’s parents to come. Not talking, just holding hands.
I miss her so much.
Oof. Alex wins angstiest story. Sounds like she really does think she’s got nothing going for her outside of soul riding, and even in soul riding she’s on thin ice. I hope we get to see her gain more confidence in herself
The night ended with a cutscene of Lisa singing “I’ll be there” while we all sat around the fire. I really like that cutscene so I looked around on youtube to see if anybody else had posted it, and I found a video :)
see you all tomorrow for some Anne rescuing~