Video(ish)-- Ecruteak Inn, Birthday Bash!

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[The moment the video clicked on, Angel let out a sigh. A small hand lifted, pinching the bridge of her nose, before lowering once more, settling onto the back of a new face-- a Glameow. Finally, she offered the device a thin smile.]

I had a plan to offer a sentimental message about growing older, but it seems I was preempted. [She laughed, but it came without humor.] What you heard was correct, today is my birthday.

[A pair of feelers announced the approach of 'Dora, the sylveon, who wrapped his appendages around her in a gesture of comfort.]

It also would appear that I've been here six months now. It's a lot to consider -- celebrating my first birthday on my own, six months after I broke free from my father. To be honest, it's the first time I've recognized it in almost a decade.

It's... a big deal.

[One final sigh, before a smile broke through. It was perhaps a little sad, but still genuine.]

My door will be open today, for anyone who might want to stop by. You can meet my new friend, Princess Smoosherella. [The cat mewled a greeting.] We can all get ice cream together!

[[Right here's the catch-all I've been promising! Feel free to put anything you need in here, in-person or otherwise! Angel's still at the Ecruteak in for a few days longer.]]

Comments

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[Well...]

No. They manifested when I was growing up. I was still young, perhaps seven or eight or so. It is... hard for me to remember that time, for a great many reasons. [She drew in a trembling breath, then exhaled it heavily.]

Armin? Did I ever tell you about what my father did to me?

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[Armin feels like he is threading water, like there is something dark and terrifying under a mostly tranquil looking surface.]

You said he was an awful man and that Krieg freed you from him.

[But that, so far, is all he knows. He isn't even aware that in this case freedom meant death.]

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That much is true.

[She was used to people like Krieg, who knew her entire story, or Anders, who had been able to draw his own conclusions about what had happened. It was strange to tell the story to someone new, to recount her story out loud once more.]

[Stranger still was not having to fear Jack hearing about such things. Gone was his ability to monitor her communications. He couldn't punish her for telling other people what had happened, nor could he harm those who knew their story.]

Siren abilities are powerful and rare, which means they are sought after. Moreover, they are unstable, especially in a young child.

I don't know if it was the day my powers manifested, or sometime after it, but one day they grew out of control. Maybe I was upset, or maybe they just... burst from me after being held in too long. I had the ability to alter and play with digital and electrical currents.

That day, my mother was working with some advanced equipment. It... malfunctioned because of me.

[There were few times when Angel was glad for the massive hole that her traumatic childhood had left in her memories. This was one of those. She could guess at the sounds and the images, but couldn't truly remember them.]

My father was never entirely stable but... after we lost her, he slowly started to lose himself more and more. The first thing was imprisoning me -- for my own protection, he said. Rather than teaching me to control my powers, like Maya had, he kept me from using them.

Until they benefited him, of course.

Five years ago, my used me to convince four souls to open an alien vault so that he could plunder what was inside of it. A year or two later, that substance, eridium, was used to charge the Vault Key again, in order to unlock a powerful weapon that would destroy the planet. The only problem was that on its own, the eridium would take too long.

Sirens, eridium, the vaults, and he aliens that created them all are inexplicably connected. He figured, all he needed to do was manipulate a siren, pump her full of eridium and use her powers to charge the key again.

Jack didn't even need to look for his siren. Soon my chamber was outfitted to be a massive battery, with me as its catalyst. His theory was right -- the vault key began to charge. But eridium is one of the most powerful drugs in the six galaxies. My powers grew exponentially, but I became dependent on it. To be without eridium was to die.

A worthy sacrifice, Jack thought.

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Angel...

[Armin really doesn't know what to say, doesn't want to interrupt her if there is more to her story.

People have told him that his world is a horrendous one, and perhaps it is. The titans would be terrifying to anyone. But in some ways, the titans were always a simple enemy. There were no hidden motives, no subterfuge. The lines between who was the enemy and who was your ally had always been starkly drawn. It didn't make them easier to deal with, not a shred less lethal, but it certainly had always made the whole conflict feel almost black and white.

Annie's betrayal (if he is right about that) has changed that, but even then it is in no way comparable to being used by a father, someone who ought to have your best interests at heart. It makes Angel's upbringing sound more horrible than theirs was by far.]

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[Talking about this much was easy. She'd had years to parse out her emotions. After finding out about eridium's corrosive properties, she'd wept uncontrollably. When she knew that she truly would never breathe another breath of outside air, an effective fantasy, considering her blacked out memories from before, that was when she truly felt broken.]

[She spoke solemnly now, but it was not these memories that brought tears to her eyes. It was what followed that made her eyes begin to tingle, made her breath begin to quiver in her throat. Accepting death had become easy. Kindness was much harder.]

He wanted to begin again, wanted me to lead another six Vault Hunters to their doom. I listened, to a degree, but then.... I finally realized that no matter what I did, I would die. I could either serve my father dutifully until he was done with me, and die knowing the damage I had caused, or I could try to do something right.

I told the Vault Hunters where I was, told them, like everyone else, that I was a simple A.I. guarding the Vault Key. And when they arrived, when my final act of treachery was revealed, I asked them to kill me.

Krieg... Krieg was one of those Vault Hunters. He... saw what I was, what my father had made me into, and he and his friends spared me of that continued life. I died that day, but I died on my own time, doing something right.

[With nothing more to say, Angel set her 'gear down for the time being. She placed her face in her hands, attempting to catch her tears and muffle the ragged breaths that escaped her. Krieg had done her a great kindness, continued to do so, even after his "duty" had been fulfilled.]

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[Before Armin can even say a single thing, Angel has already set away her gear. It has him uttering a rare and pretty vicious curse. He shouldn't have asked about this. He should've stopped Angel from telling. It had been more than obvious it was a very personal and painful thing, one perhaps too painful to relive. He should have stopped her but--

He had wanted to know. Every time he had talked to Angel, it had been clear there had been something weighing heavily on her. Jack's words, her words, Krieg's anger. It had all painted a picture, but one he had not been able to see fully. And it had made Armin curious. Thoughtless.

He considers sending a message, but no, he would completely understand if she didn't want to see him for the moment. Perhaps she just wanted to be alone. It's not like Armin couldn't understand feeling like that. But he also wants to make sure she is okay.

In the end, there is only one thing he can do. He has to call in the cavalry.]