# The Iron Hollow — Chapter 1 PoC # Scene 2: Sara Arrives define sara = Character("Sara", color="#5acbd5") define thinking = Character("Sara", color="#1d9fa4", what_italic=True) define luno = Character("Luno", color="#1b449d") define narrator = Character(None) # ── Persistent flags ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── default checkpoint_set = False default rewind_used = False default purpose_chosen = False default silence_chosen = False # here Sara learns that Luno asks everyone the same question # ── Entry point ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── label start: scene bg training_yard with fade "The Iron Hollow training yard sits inside a converted warehouse district. Stone walls, packed dirt, the smell of old metal and new sweat." thinking "So this is where the Iron Hollow has its base." show sara neutral at left with easeinright thinking "Two others have arrived already. The boy over there is seems to know where to go, maybe I should ask him." thinking "Looks like the other one noticed me." show luno curious at right with easeinright jump luno_greeting label luno_greeting: luno "You're here for the recruitment?" sara "Yes. Where do I register?" luno "The man over at that table takes your name. Then we wait." thinking "Seems like she told him where to go." luno "I'm Luno. Been here a few days already — helping with the wounded from last month's job. I know how things run here if you need anything." thinking "That's a strong question right away." luno "So. Money, glory, or are you just bored?" jump choice_screen label rewind_choice: if not checkpoint_set: jump kaeros_arrives show screen rewind_prompt menu: "[[ Rewind ]": hide screen rewind_prompt $ rewind_used = True scene black with dissolve show screen teal_wash "The world pulls back." "Colour drains to teal. Sound slows to nothing." hide screen teal_wash scene bg training_yard with dissolve show sara neutral at left show luno curious at right thinking "Let's try this again." jump choice_screen "[[ Continue ]": hide screen rewind_prompt # reset flags $ checkpoint_set = False $ rewind_used = False jump kaeros_arrives label choice_screen: menu: "Why are you here?" "[[ Create Checkpoint ]" if not checkpoint_set: $ checkpoint_set = True scene black with dissolve "A flash. Sara's hand, signing something. A contract. The ink is red." scene bg training_yard with dissolve show sara neutral at left show luno curious at right jump choice_screen "For the money, like anyone.": if rewind_used: jump branch_money_post_rewind else: jump branch_money "To find something worth doing." if not purpose_chosen: jump branch_purpose "I'd rather not say.": jump branch_silence "[[ You asked the others the same thing, didn't you. ]" if silence_chosen: jump branch_sharp label branch_money: sara "Same reason as everyone else, I'd assume." luno "Honest. I can work with that." show luno amused at right luno "Though if money's the goal, you don't look like you need it." sara "Looks can be misleading." show luno neutral at right luno "Sure." "A pause. Just a half-beat too long." luno "They can be." "She doesn't push. But her eyes stay on Sara for another moment" jump rewind_choice label branch_money_post_rewind: sara "Same reason as everyone else." luno "Sure." thinking "Unremarkable. Fine." "But when Sara finishes speaking, Luno's eyes linger — just a half-second longer than they should." show luno linger at right "Not suspicion. Not quite. More like the feeling of reaching for something that moved." show luno neutral at right thinking "Probably nothing." "But it wasn't nothing." jump rewind_choice label branch_purpose: $ purpose_chosen = True sara "I'm not looking for money exactly. More... something to point myself at." "A beat. Something opens in Luno's expression — not warm, but something." show luno curious at right luno "Huh. That's not what I expected." sara "What did you expect?" luno "Something about honour. Or family legacy." show luno tilted at right luno "The clothes tell me nobility, and nobles are always on the look for honour." show sara pained at left sara "Honour is pointless when everyone is dead." thinking "I said too much." "She can feel it land — can feel Luno actually {i}looking{/i} at her now, not just watching." show luno soft at right luno "...Yeah. I know that feeling." thinking "I should go back. I told her way too much" jump rewind_choice label branch_silence: $ silence_chosen = True sara "That's a fairly personal question for someone I've known thirty seconds." luno "Fair. I ask everyone. You don't have to answer." sara "...Then I won't." luno "That's an answer too." "She's not unfriendly. But Sara just became a question mark in Luno's mental ledger." jump rewind_choice label branch_sharp: sara "You asked him the same thing." "She nods towards the guy who also arrived already." sara "Before I arrived." "Luno goes still. Not alarmed — but recalibrating." show luno still at right luno "...You were watching from outside the gate?" sara "The wall has gaps." luno "Most people don't bother to look." sara "I bother." "A pause. Luno is weighing something." luno "That's either very smart or very paranoid." sara "Both, usually." "Luno laughs — a real one, short and surprised." show luno laugh at right "But her eyes are sharper now, not warmer." show luno sharp at right jump rewind_choice label kaeros_arrives: "Before the silence can settle, footsteps at the gate." show kaeros guarded at right show mira curious at left kaeros "Is this the Iron Hollow?" luno "Looks like quite a few people are interested. You are at the right place." luno "Why do you want to join the Hollow?" mira "To protect people from evil---" kaeros "To make some money. Have to live off something around here." show mira timit at left show luno laughing at right luno "I see, you have you priorities in order." show luno neutral at right luno "I like that. I am Luno, I arrived a while a go. Give the man over there your names and wait." sara "I am Sara, not sure what else to say." kaeros "I am Kaeros, and this is Mira." luno "She also just arrived you can register together." scene black with dissolve scene bg table show sara at left show iron_hollow_mercenary at right sara "The three of us are here to register." "Iron Hollow Mercenary" "Tell me your names and blessing." show mira excited at left mira "I'm Mira, and I have a fire blessing. I can do a lot of things with it, like make bursts---" show kaeros guarded at left kaeros "I'm Kaeros, and I have a water blessing." kaeros "..." "Iron Hollow Mercenary" "Alright, what about you?" show sara at left sara "My name is Sara, I have a wind blessing, but its really weak. My expertise is more with strategy." "Iron Hollow Mercenary" "It's rare to have a strategist join a band of mercenaries. I hope you can at least hold your own in combat." "Iron Hollow Mercenary" "I think fo-- five people are enough for now, grab Luno and that guy over there and we'll get started." jump intro_first_test label spar_begin_choice: menu: "[[ Create Checkpoint ]" if not checkpoint_set: $ checkpoint_set = True scene black with dissolve "TODO: premonition" scene bg training_yard with dissolve show sara neutral at left show luno curious at right jump spar_begin_choice label intro_first_test: scene black with dissolve scene bg training_yard "Iron Hollow Mercenary" "It's time to prove you worth. We are gonna start with a simple test, so everyone gets a feel for each other." "Iron Hollow Mercenary" "One-on-one fights, but since we are an uneven number, one person will have to fight twice." "Iron Hollow Mercenary" "It will be a friendly spar, so using wooden weapons, and no permanent injuries allowed. First contact wins." "Iron Hollow Mercenary" "And also, no blessings." eron "Seems easy, can I go first?" thinking "I'm not sure if this test is that simple. Since none of us know each other, aside from maybe these two, it is hard to judge how much to hold back without loosing instantly." thinking "If you go all out and injure the opponent, you probably get disqualified. But if you hold back too much, you might loose in the first strike." "Iron Hollow Mercenary" "Since you seem to be so eager, you can go first, and your opponent will be Sara." thinking "Why does it have to be me? That guy seems to be really strong." thinking "Maybe it's not so bad, since I can display any gift, it will be a good chance to prove my worth." sara "Are we allowed to use the surroundings?" "Iron Hollow Mercenary" "This is a sparring match without blessings, you are supposed to show your weapons techinques, so no." thinking "That makes things even harder. One on one without being able to use the environment gives me not a lot of room to work with." thinking "I don't think I can win against him in direct combat. At first glance he might seem arrogant, but from his stance I can tell he is not an amateur". thinking "My only advantage is that he cannot use his blessing, while I can, since noone will remember." thinking "But rewinding after every strike will consume way too much energy, I will have to use as much of my own skill as possible." with dissolve scene bg eron_ready "Iron Hollow Mercenary" "Begin the match!" jump spar_begin_choice # ── Screens ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── screen rewind_prompt(): zorder 10 text "Rewind available": xalign 0.05 yalign 0.95 color "#4ab8b8" size 22 screen teal_wash(): zorder 20 add Solid("#1a4a4a") alpha 0.7