[Center] [img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200312/bd228c426d0da7459764cb788d45b1cd.png[/img] [Sub].:⋮Honesty⋮:.[/Sub] [/center] If Penny was being honest she was a bit surprised at the reactions of the members of the Sanctuary. She had expected that she would have been able to sit down before they started freaking out. That said she did stop when Nuncio and everyone else started shouting question at her and when she turned to look at the crowd only a hint of confusion showed on her face. [color=9e0039][u][b]”I get the feeling that most of you weren’t as aware of my stance as I had thought”[/b][/u][/color] She would say calmly, her voice somehow cutting through the noise as her very presence became magnetic drawing eyes and ears easily. She turned towards the center of the room and walked towards it, raising the metal floor up slightly as she did so that everyone could get a better look at her. It was different from the last time she made such a platform; this was only a foot or two off the ground at most, a soap box rather than a stage. [color=9e0039][u][b]“You all have question, fears, and concerns”[/b][/u][/color] She would say her voice seemingly amplified by her will alone to echo out through the building. [color=9e0039][u][b]“Let us start with the one that is the most pressing, at least from where I am standing, because if it is not addressed there is nothing I can say to reassure you.”[/b][/u][/color] As she spoke it would be easy to see that she was calm and composed [color=9e0039][u][b]“Many of you are worried about the alliance with Beacon, because many of you are afraid of the Ascendency. This is understandable, but I feel I must reiterate that the Ascendency and Beacon are not one and the same.”[/b][/u][/color] [color=9e0039][u][b]“Last time I mentioned this I did not have the time to explain why I say this, but the reason is simple. Still, I will apologize to all of you beforehand. I had thought that the knowledge of who I am, or more accurately what I am had persisted stronger then it had. Because the reason I know that the Ascendency hold itself separate from Beacon is because I’ve read the notes of the meeting, I watched the recordings. For the truth of the matter is I am a member of Beacon and have been for some time.”[/b][/u][/color] [color=9e0039][u][b]“I can’t say that I knew Cindy, but she knew of this fact, most of Penrose did before the incident that stole away months from me and others. For those that did not know, I apologize if you feel I have deceived you. That was never the intent.”[/b][/u][/color] She gave everyone a moment to process as she continued to circle her small elevated platform, meeting the eyes of everyone she could as she walk. She never would have expected that her allegiance to Beacon could have been forgotten, it wasn’t like she went out of her way to hide it after all. [color=9e0039][u][b]“But this still leaves questions unanswered. So I will restate I am no friend to the Ascendency, my creating of this Sanctuary is anathema to everything that the Ascendency stands for after all. And as their goal of eradication is one I will never stand for, I will always act as a shield against them for any of you. Regardless if I am your Queen or not, that will never change.”[/b][/u][/color] [color=9e0039][u][b]“To those that assumed that the potions and coins are from Beacon, you are correct, they are from Janet and Jenna. I trust them, I would ask you all to trust them as well, but that does not mean I will force you too. If you all wish I will gather my stores and destroy them here and now in front of you all. They were only ever accepted as I know fully that not everyone wants the changes that are forced upon them, but if none of you want them then we will not have them.”[/b][/u][/color] [color=9e0039][u][b]“Another of you asked if you were supposed to forgive Beacon. I won’t lie; I would hope that you would be able to do so, or at the very least be able to forgive the Beacon of Penrose. Alicia, the person now currently leading them, was the first person in Penrose to accept me. She has stood up to a Beckoner in defense of a monster girl who attacked her die to the monster girl in question being under control of someone else at the time. She only rose to leadership a few weeks ago, but I know that she too disagrees with the Ascendency’s stance.”[/b][/u][/color] [color=9e0039][u][b]“And it is very likely true that the true Cindy wouldn’t stand for this. She was a proud person from the few interactions I had with her, one who was fiercely independent. But death changes us all, and the freedom to think without our curses interfering does so as well. Their foundations are the same, but I did say that they are as much Cindy as they are not.”[/b][/u][/color] [color=9e0039][u][b]“You asked me what I was saying Nuncio”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would turn to the man that had inadvertently open the flood gates, not that she blamed him. [color=9e0039][u][b]“I am saying that I trust Beacon, but that I understand if that none of you do. I’m saying not to paint Beacon with the same brush as the Ascendency. I am saying that I am sorry and that despite all of the above that I will still protect as many of you that will let me.”[/b][/u][/color] She turned back to the rest of them [color=9e0039][u][b]“Many of you seem to think that because I hold a belief that I will demand the same of you. That is not the case, will never be the case. I will not be a tyrant.”[/b][/u][/color] [color=9e0039][u][b]“All I wish to do is build a place that those like us can feel safe, and I am not so blind as to not see that I have failed at the moment. So I ask all of you, what can I do? What can I do to regain a measure of the trust lost? As above all I seek the safety of everyone here, and none of you will feel safe if you can’t trust me.”[/b][/u][/color] [hr] Down in the depths of the Sanctuary, Snoopy would stumble across the small gathering of those that had sought out Dina. The cat girl’s harsh request for a private audience hadn’t gone unheeded by Penny, but the robotic girl had been expecting some backlash from the rest of the Sanctuary, hence why she originally was going to stay in the area after her announcements, but that didn’t mean that Dina was of any lesser importance, just that the conversation with her was going to be different than the one with the rest of the populace here. Snoopy floated near the small gathering and beeped loudly in an attempt to get all of their attention before projecting a life sized hologram of Penny, who proceeded to nod to everyone in greeting. [color=9e0039]‘Would you prefer to have this conversation in private? Or do you want to come upstairs and join in everyone else getting their chance to vent at me?’[/color] The hologram would ask silently, the words popping up next to her as she spoke them as to her right a live feed of what Penny was seeing would be displayed, even as they could hear the echoes of Penny speaking above. [color=9e0039]‘I’m fine with either, but one of you will need to produce a phone or a set of speakers if you want to keep it here and don’t want to read’[/color] [hr] [quote=Penny][color=9e0039][i][There is something to be said about being a true A.I., even as limited as Penny was; it made multitasking such a breeze. Granted that could also be the reason her magic refused to acquire Duplication like she had been hoping, but regardless it meant that even in the middle of giving a speech and piloting Snoopy to have a meeting with Dina Penny was still able to respond to the text set her way by Ronin. ‘Hey Ronin. Yeah just the one of me now, though I do recall both sets of adventures with you, which is a bit weird but neither here nor there. I’m not sure I’d say I’m a big deal, but I’ll take it as a compliment and hope that it helps out. Might have made a bit of a snafu just a moment ago, time will tell. I’d say that you’ve got an interesting choice in who it is your wanting to save, and that there is likely a story behind that, but I’ll bug you about that later. Sadly I’m not going to be able to give any assistance in person, but I’m wishing you luck none the less. I can say that if you are with the rest of the people who are going that Aurelio might be able to help out. He’s a member of Beacon (Because yes I know that Beacon and Justine are working together on this attack) but he’s not one to hold a grudge. Alicia is one to hold a grudge so take care on that end. Lastly there is going to be another patron sticking his nose into this as well, Dan the dolphin, so if you suddenly end up on a beach that’s why. Wish I could say more, but I’m not really sure how to break people free of horror mind-bent. My sanctuary is open if you need a place to hide, Mariette knows of the place in case you are successful and I can send you the address later if you are less successful. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.’][/i] [/color][/quote] [hr] [sub][@AtomicNut], [@BrokenPromise],[@Ariamis] & [@PlatinumSkink][/sub]