Chapter description: Denied's catch of the day turns out to not be a fish at all. It's downhill from there!
Tags for this chapter:
zealous Recruitment, Human Torpedo, Barging In for a glass of water, both Mad and Disappointed
11. He Sent Out A Wave
"Hello there! Is your name Denied Cellar?" Was the first thing Dave #... 119 said when the merman in question reached him. The surface dweller had gone and trapped himself in the cage; which was designed with large predators in mind. Like sharks! Octopuses! Moray eels!
But no, he got a Dave instead. Somehow. Despite just about all of them avoiding the ocean like the plague. Even 82 (only being mentioned as such for distinction!) kept his visits to a minimum.
And yet! Here was one of them now! At least this guy had decided to don a wetsuit. It'll be a funny story later, he tried to tell himself.
"Oh, yeah, just 'Denied'," He responded, trying to hide his present irritation, "Didn't you, uh, read the sign?" To be specific, the one with luminescent paint reading, "IF YOU'RE NOT A FISH, STAY AWAY! I WILL BE VERY PISSED! -Denied"
"Yes, I did! However," 119 went on to explain, "I was having trouble finding your house! So I thought, 'Eventually he'll come here!'" And it actually worked.
"... Huh. Okay, so what's this all about?" Denied asked, as he unlocked the trap. 119 pulled out what appeared to be a metal rod of some kind, planting it in the sand and pulling himself forward. Son of a bitch, so that's how he got here.
While also using it to keep balance, his visitor then gave an envelope. "I have been sent on a mission of recruitment, at 1's request! We, of the THRIVE Initiative, are now expanding our reach for membership!"
The… "The Thrive what-now?" The question was automatic. Everything about this was weird and sketchy. Already.
"The THRIVE Initiative!" 119 repeated, without missing a beat, "1 founded it not too long ago!" After a few moments, he added, "Say, would you know where I can find…" A pause, thumbing through his remaining letters. "Captain Gonzalo?"
Him too? Not Uncle Gonzalo… Still, 119's higher-ups would probably be miffed if he failed his task, so Denied just muttered in Lithuanian, "'Fuck my whole life.'" and humored him. "This way."
To be fair, Uncle's submarine was almost always on the move, exploring every pixel of ocean that the Webspace had to offer. The results so far was that it was larger than any of them initially thought. Regardless, knowing where they'd set course to ahead of time allowed the merman to find them with relative ease.
All it took for them to pause was waving, from outside the sonar room's massive windowpane.
Like with his own home, the hatch was able to drain water. But since it was built with one occupant in mind, it was a tight fit.
"If you don't mind me asking, you can just switch whenever you want?" 119 observed. Right. The legs to tail thing.
"Basically, yeah." Denied shrugged, but 119 was amazed by the notion.
"'Denied! So good to see you, son!'" Once at the hatch landing, the merman was greeted by Bob the Great II, or just Bob for short, in their native tongue. The older man had approached and wrapped him in a warm hug. With ease, Denied returned it.
"'Hey, Dad,'" He replied, as a few others arrived, "'You too.'" When they pulled away, he was put into a much tighter hold by… Yup, that was definitely Uncle Gonzalo.
He was giving a hearty laugh. "'We've missed you, my boy!'" Denied kept it together as he was released, only then realizing that he'd been lifted off the floor.
In all the commotion, they managed to overhear 119 deploy his wheelchair, seeing him get into it.
"... And," The captain commented, now in English, but unlike Denied and Billy, his accent was noticeable. "You've brought a guest aboard."
"Appears to be Dave #119, Captain." At last, Shy Worker noted aloud, in much the same manner.
"'Such a shame, that. I was hoping for ours,'" Uncle spoke it under his breath, and frankly, yeah, Denied agreed. Then again, he was much too smart to end up in his trap. Still, the captain cleared his throat and approached the guest first. "Of course! 119! Nice to meet you!"
And delivered a handshake firm enough to crack bones, if possible. Denied could readily tell that 119 struggled to keep composure, yet managed. "Pleased to make your acquaintance as well! I'm here with a message for you!"
Like earlier, he gave the same spiel that the merman heard. The captain looked over the envelope, then inquired, "And what exactly is this THRIVE Initiative about?"
"I'm glad you asked! Its goal is to make our home better for everyone!"
"And how is 1 intending on accomplishing that?" This question made 119 lose face, for a good moment. He was stumbling to answer.
Finally, he went with, "I'm not at liberty to say at this time. However, 1 would be more than happy to discuss any and all concerns with you!"
"Ah, I see, I see," Uncle slipped the letter in his shirt pocket, "Is there any other business you have with us?"
"Hm… Nope! That should be all!" 119 confirmed, lightly. As if sensing the undertone, he selected his rod again, using it to pull himself upright. "I do have more to send out, so I best be on my way! Thank you for your time!" Putting away the wheelchair, he went back towards the way he and Denied came in.
Watching, the captain glanced at Shy Worker, back to Lithuanian. "'Throw him out the airlock.'"
"'We… Don't have one.'" Dad interjected. Bemused, the other turned to him instead.
"'... Water lock?'"
"'We don't have that, either.'"
"'Then- Dammit, what do we have?!'"
"'The torpedo launchers…'" Shy Worker replied, though with uncertainty. Denied couldn't believe what he was hearing. There's no way. Then, Uncle gave the crewmate a wicked grin.
"'Do it.'"
In response, he gave him a salute. "'Yes, Captain!'" To their guest, he added, "Excuse me, 119. We have an exit. Please follow me."
"Oh! Sure thing! Lead the way!" He bought it hook, line, and sinker. When the two were gone, Denied leered at the captain.
"'You can't be serious!'" His anger was obvious. However, Uncle turned away, making his way back to the sonar room.
"'I am. Come watch, you two!'" He had no remorse at all. Both followed.
"'What's wrong with you?! He's a person!'"
"'I could see it in your eyes, in your expression,'" The captain tsked, "'You would've wanted to do the same thing.'" Maybe, but Denied wouldn't have actually gone through with it! Those concepts were completely different!
As the three of them reached the windowpane, they then witnessed a Dave-shaped blur speeding through the open water, and not without a yell of shock.
A rather dark part of Denied found it funny. But he refrained from smiling, even while Gonzalo howled in laughter with the clap of his hands.
"'Uncle, what the fuck?'"
"'Relax! He'll be fine. And if not, well, then 1 clearly made him disposable.'" This caused Denied to bare his teeth in rage, growling. Yet, a simple hand on his shoulder from Dad prevented anything worse.
"'Didn't you see his pendant? Didn't you notice the signs?'" The merman faced his father, growing concerned. Now that he thought about it, yeah, 119 was wearing one - an inverted triangle made of bronze. And sure, the speeches were strange, but…
"'What about it?'"
"'He was trying to convert us, Denied. To what ends that 1 desires, we don't know yet.'"
"'Even sending them out beyond the surface…'" Gonzalo added, tone more serious. "'Far-reaching, indeed. Unfortunately for him, we don't care much for zealots.'"
"'Still, I'm grateful that you did bring 119 here. We now have a better understanding on what to avoid. Perhaps it'd be best to stay out here for the time being.'"
"'That,'" The captain smirked, "'And if we were to face any real danger, our weapons still work!'"
From the way the two explained it, it suddenly made so much more sense. The way they went about "removing" 119 was still wrong, however, and Denied wasn't going to stand for it.
"'Fine, but screw you for doing that! I'm gonna take him back.'" Without waiting for an answer, Denied left the room.
"'Remember; no matter what he tries to tell you, don't get caught in the Initiative!'" Dad warned, as the merman departed.
"'I won't!'"
Finding 119 wasn't a challenge by any merit. When he got near, Denied spoke up. "Hey, uh, sorry about them; that was outta line. They're not usually so… Weird." Not quite a lie, but despite what literally just happened, he still didn't want them to look bad.
"Oh! No worries! They're quite the interesting bunch, ha ha!" Forgiven so easily. "If it's not too much trouble, could you point me in the direction of the beach?"
"It'd be best if I took you there. This far out, it'd be dangerous going alone." Try as he might, he just couldn't imagine 119 being able to use the rod as an effective melee weapon.
"If you say so!"
It wasn't until they reached the boardwalk, when the surface dweller re-settled into his wheelchair. "Thank you so much for everything! I know I've asked a lot out of you, so I promise that this'll be the last one! You know Billy, right? Where does he live?"
Shit. No. Not Billy. Fuck that noise. With that in mind, Denied bluffed. "Oh, he… He wouldn't be so receptive, that's for sure. But I know someone who might be! Viktor!" As an added bonus, the more info Strobovski had on this, the better.
But 119 frowned. "Ah… I wish I could, but I was told not to send him one, specifically. I don't know why. As for Billy, hm… Still, I'm supposed to come back empty-handed, so I'll just leave it in his mailbox-"
"No!" Denied blurted, then corrected himself, "I mean, there's no need for that! How about I give it to him, then? I'm his bro; he'd listen to me!" He held up the act for what felt like a long time.
After more thought, 119 beamed again, forking over the envelope in question. "Aw, that's so kind! What a sweet brother you are! Here; make sure it's delivered!"
"No problem! I'm gonna go do that. Bye!" The merman turned tail and fled. Once he was sure he was alone, he paused to pant, collecting his thoughts.
Can't give one to Viktor. If the aim truly was to make this place better, logically it should've involved him, at least to help bring about changes. But apparently, he's not supposed to under any circumstances - and that messenger either genuinely doesn't know the reason, or cannot tell the truth.
That was the biggest red flag.
The pendant. Denied began to wonder how many Daves were wearing one. How many were a part of this THRIVE thing. What they were really doing.
If… If Dave was in on it, too. Fuck. No. No no no. Denied had to get to the bottom of it, and fast.
He was not like Billy; he couldn't fly. He was at his best in the water, but here on land, all he had was his legs. By the time he got to Dave's place, they were burning. All the exertion from today was making him dehydrated, as well. He hated that he was counting on Dave's hospitality to bail him out of trouble.
He knocked on the front door, sounding out of breath again as he called, "Dave? You home? I just wanna ask you somethin'!" No answer. "I'm coming in, okay? Talk to me!" He couldn't help it; he needed water badly.
He did as he mentioned, wasting no time in veering to the kitchen. Once he finished chugging a glass (and come to think of it, that's probably what Aldurra dealt with…), he almost lost balance when he was hit with a book.
"Ack!" He vocalized in pain, turning toward the thrower. A young gem stood at the doorway, more literature in hand. Wait, no. Those were whole-ass textbooks. No wonder that hurt.
"W-Were you raised in a fucking barn?!" The kid stuttered, raising his arm to toss another one. "When no one a-answers, you LEAVE!"
It began to click in Denied's mind. Oh shit. He hasn't met him yet. "Hold on. You're… Aren't you Dia?" In response, he froze. The answer was yes, he didn't need to say it.
"N-No!" But he refuted. "I'm…! Uh…! Prism Man! See?!" He moved to a ray of sunlight, and sure enough, rainbows reflected onto the walls. And white light. It distracted the merman long enough to have a second textbook hit his face. "N-Now get out, you creep! Or else!"
"Ow, damn!" Denied flinched from the impact, and he was surprised how he hadn't dropped his glass yet. Setting it on the counter, he tried to reason with the young gem. Honestly, he'd be defensive too if the roles were swapped. "Okay, look, I get it! But don't worry, I know Dave! My name's Denied! I don't mean to scare ya or anything!"
"Bullshit!" A third was being prepped. "Don't- Don't lie to me! Like Hell I'd fall for that!" Ah, he needed evidence. That's fair. In actuality, no stranger should just be believed without it.
So, from his wallet, Denied produced a photo, one that had him, Dave, and Billy in it. It was from when Dave was introduced to their family, out in the submarine. What a wild day that was. Anyway, he let Dia see it. "Here, I'll prove it to you."
He paused, studying the image. Still, he was skeptical. "... And how do I know that's not photoshopped?"
God DAMN. Denied wasn't sure who to thank for this stellar teaching of safety. This shit was on another level! Though, he had to suspend being impressed for the moment. He tabbed to his phone, bringing up the messaging app. At a conversation with Billy, dated about… A month ago?! Time flies.
Well-Made_Account (BILLYLĖ) [4:16 PM]
Denied, great news! You won't believe it.
In fact, Dave is still semi-convinced that he's dreaming.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [4:16 PM]
oh shit man, spill the beans!
Well-Made_Account (BILLYLĖ) [4:17 PM]
One of his characters arrived today. His Diamond Man, who goes by "Dia".
We're at Viktor's right now, and Dave's gone inside to pick him up.
Neither of us thought it'd ever happen, but it has.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [4:17 PM]
oh my fucking god! im so happy for them
just him? or anyone else?
Well-Made_Account (BILLYLĖ) [4:17 PM]
Not that we're aware of.
But even then, it's better than nothing, I think.
I haven't seen Dave so excited in a long time.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [4:18 PM]
aw! i can imagine
cant wait to meet dia, tbh! i bet hes got lots of internet stories
Well-Made_Account (BILLYLĖ) [4:18 PM]
I have been told that he was quite shy, so I doubt it'll be anytime soon.
I only can due to circumstance.
But I know that you'll be able to at some point.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [4:19 PM]
ahhh, rip
actually, that reminds me of somebody else, haha
Well-Made_Account (BILLYLĖ) [4:19 PM]
Shut up.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [4:19 PM]
LMFAO
Back to the present, this string of DMs should, hopefully, be enough. He handed the phone over. "Maybe this'll clear things up?" He waited, while Dia read it.
"F-Fine. So you really do know him," He conceded after, but kept his guard up. "But he's. He's not home. And you scared the shit o-out of me. What do you want?"
"In that case, I guess I could ask ya about this," Relieved, Denied took the device back when it was offered, "I just wanna know… If you think he's been different lately."
"Different…?" Dia echoed, in thought. "More paranoid, but I-I am too. Started right after that… That Gathering." What 'gathering'? Did it correlate to what 119 was alluding to before?
"Has he… Been wearing anything new? Such as a necklace?" The merman tried to be vague.
"Nah. I've seen o-other Daves with one, but not mine." Denied wanted to call it right then and there, but there was always another possibility…
"Do you know where he is right now? I'd still like to talk to him."
"The hardware store. I think he mentioned s-something about changing up the h-house, but I didn't catch all of it. I was eavesdropping." The hardware store, eh? Change up the house, eh? Paranoid, eh? How very
Actually nevermind. That was normal.
"Mm-hmm," Instead, Denied nodded to himself. "Got it! Well, I'm off! Sorry for the terror! Oh, and before I forget: You're a great shot!" He went for the door.
"... Thanks? Weirdo."
"Ha, you ain't seen nothing." He fibbed, with a smirking wink. It left the poor kid utterly confused.
God, did that drink help. Getting to his next destination was a lot easier. By "the hardware store", he knew where that meant. That was never really his thing, which set him apart from his dad, his bro, and his bro's BF. Wild!
Oh shit. Speaking of, there he was! Along the way, he'd passed by more of those THRIVE freaks, so needless to say, seeing Dave was a huge relief.
"Heeey!" The merman called with an excited wave, to the chagrin of basically everyone else there. No matter. Dave heard, looking over at him with a smile, answering when he drew near.
"Oh, hey Denied! Funny seeing you here. How've you been?" Just as Dia mentioned, he was without that awful-looking pendant. Maybe there was still hope.
"Well, lemme tell you," Denied started, "I just had the craziest day, but I can get into that in a sec. Say, have you, uh, noticed anything kinda off lately?" At the question, Dave frowned, selecting his phone.
"Just one moment." He replied, in a hushed voice. He seemed to be sending a message to someone. A prior conversation, possibly?
Then the merman got a notification. Dave then added, "Please check it."
So, he did.
Dave_Oddity! (DAVE_82) [3:52 PM]
If this is about THRIVE, not here. Let's wait until we're somewhere private.
Well, he had to hand it to him, he just saved a bunch of potentially awkward nudges in the direction of this topic. Glancing back at him, Denied nodded, replying.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [3:52 PM]
got it
are the supplies related to it too or
Instead of responding, Dave only nodded back, though it was more solemn. If the two didn't want to look like a pair of suspicious idiots (saying a lot, all things considered), they'd have to fake some other topic for the time being. And luckily, shooting the shit was one of Denied's talents.
"Aight, so get this," He started, basing it off of something else, but reasonably strange, "There's a rumor going around that a Baldi's been spotted. Some folks have posted sightings and pictures and stuff, but honestly? I think it's some big hoax. Ya know, people wanting him to be here so bad. Even then, everyone's got this consistent material - like, wow. The dedication!"
"A Baldi…?" Dave echoed, as he continued his shopping, checking off various items on his list as he went, "Oh, right! I think I saw something like that. In my opinion, if all the stories are the same, they could be telling the truth! Boy…" He trailed off, sighing in daydream. "I'd sure love to meet one. But I don't know how I'd be able to hold composure!"
The merman chuckled. "Aw, dude, same here! I'd want an autograph, but I probably wouldn't be able to get the words out. Sure, I could steal a Non Emotional Creature, but being without any at all miiight be freakier… Fanboy behavior, or soulless? Can't win either way."
"Plus, that's not good for you, I hear."
"Yeah, true… Wait, oh man! I should totally show Dia some of 'em! He might be able to tell if they're fake!"
"Hm? Once you've been introduced, you mean?" Shit. Shit shit SHIT
"Uh," Denied felt like he got caught in a net. One of his own making. How could he break this to him? "About that…" He relayed the incident, but it sounded a whole lot worse without the full context. He could see the glare appearing on Dave's face, hands on his hips. "Don't- Don't be mad at him! He was only defending himself! I would too!"
"That's not… You-…" Dave was groaning. "I wasn't home, and you just- Did you use your skeleton key?!" The merman had to pause for that one. Of course he wouldn't! Except, under the circumstances… But he didn't recall needing to.
"No way!" He shook his head. "It was unlocked, I swear." The reply caused a wave of silent panic to course through Dave. After a moment, he double facepalmed.
"Then, it's a good thing that I'm doing this," He grumbled, sounding like a disappointed parent. He ushered for the merman to follow. "C'mon…"
"Sorry…" Was all he could manage.
"In all honesty, it's partially my fault too. Maybe you had a good reason, but I wish you hadn't done that. Things are bad enough as it is." He wasn't going to be forgiven so easily. But it made sense, and was still better than earlier - it hadn't felt earned.
He proceeded to send a string of messages in response.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [4:16 PM]
its so relieving that you hold others accountable
119 was shot out of a goddamn torpedo launcher and he didnt care AT ALL
i swear to god ill tell you everything when i can. its not so youll change your mind or nothin, no
literally, shits wild
and i think we gotta stick together on this
Surprisingly, Dave paused to read them. He was flabbergasted, then settled back down to annoyance, but now it was more toned down.
Dave_Oddity! (DAVE_82) [4:17 PM]
I know, we really should.
But, just because I'm angry at you, doesn't mean I won't hear you out.
So please, don't worry about that.
Wordlessly, Denied nodded. Out loud, Dave added, "Anyway, this is everything. Let's check out and go."
The way back was quiet. Only when they had reached Dave's house, did he break the long-standing silence. "Since you're already here, I'm going to ask Billy to come over. That way, we can all get up to speed on everything." Phone out, he began to send out the message, as he wheeled inside. The merman hesitated on following, worry creeping into him. He did not want to screw up again.
"Sure. Okay." Dave heard how far off he was, turning.
"Come in. It's fine." He did, shutting the door behind him. Then, he saw something in the hallway, to the right of the living room. Patterned reflections of color, and one of the corners of Dia's head, though covered with his hoodie. Overall, it was less prominent compared to when he put himself into direct sunlight, but still quite visible.
Even so, Denied pretended to not notice.
More info:
- Heated environments with no water would throw Denied for a loop
- Yes, his skeleton key is exactly that, but it's actually rarely used
- Same key that unlocked Aldurra's anklet tracker back in ch 6! And even for unlocking his cell in ch 8's extra
- Gonzalo is notoriously eccentric
- And yet, very observant and almost impossible to trick
- Bob II is probably the most sensible of the group
- Long ago, Billy told them, "He worries easily, be nice to him" just prior to meeting Dave
- Dia is getting braver every day
- Then again, Denied is not nearly as scary-looking as Aldurra was
- He would say that the Baldi posts are fake, but…
- Dave's finally going to change up the house, but not in the way most would expect
- All in a defensive measure…
- Billy, upon catching up with these events: "Denied. We've been over this."
Dave, trying not to laugh: "This has happened before?!"
Denied, in Lithuanian: "'God, please don't tell him!'"
Dave, with fluency: "'Oh no you don't! I can still understand you!'"
Denied, caught off-guard: "'Wait, what?!'"
Billy: "'I've been teaching him for a while now. You have nowhere to hide.'"
Denied, cornered: "'Oh shit.'"
- Meanwhile Dia is eavesdropping and has no idea what's going on or how Dave's able to sound like that