Ancient Forest (1X1)

She smiles to Red. Happy he was there as well. She blinks a little as the doll maker spoke. She smiles though and hadn't been at all uneasy by his words. "It's okay. I understand what you mean...I think."

The doll maker smiled back and nodded. "Thank you for your understanding, Miss Sarah. Now, I'll try to remember what I can about your connections with the tribe..." Just then the teapot started whistling, which meant the doll maker had to leave to take care of that, leaving Red and Sarah alone for a bit.

She had smiled to him then after he left looked to Red. "You okay?" She asks gently. Feeling suddenly concerned a out him and wanting to make sure he was alright.

He looked up at her with curiosity in his eye. "Yeah. Why do you ask?" He seemed to get slightly nervous as he started to comprehend the situation they were in. "Um... are you okay with being here? The doll maker's a pretty nice guy, but if you're uncomfortable at all, I'm sure he'll understand if you want to leave or something. Turns out letting someone out of a controlled dream is easier than pulling them in." He gave a nervous laugh as he finished that thought, honestly, he wasn't sure what he was saying anymore.

She smils gently to him. " I'm okay actually. I don't feel nervous." She says to him honestly.

He smiled and nodded. "Alright. As long as you're okay, that's all that matters to me." The doll maker came back out with two cups of tea and set one down in front of each of them, then got another for himself and sat down at the head of the table. "So, I guess if you're going to understand your connections with the tribe, you're going to need some context. That is, if you're both willing to let me go on about how I had first created Red and his brothers."

Sarah nods softly. "Any information is good and learning about Red and his brothers is good too. " she looks to Red. "If it's okay with him." She didn't Red upset if she knew everything about him and his brothers ,she understood if he wanted some things kept private.

"It's alright by me." Red responded, then nodded for the doll maker to continue.

The doll maker nodded back and closed his eyes. "Well... I guess first of all I should say that your creation was mostly an experiment. I just wanted to see if I was capable of doing it, and how well it would turn out. And I assure you, I couldn't be happier with the results. However, the fact that you have to feed off human souls is a bit of a setback. I admit I tried to guide you and your brothers through the first few years of your lives, but only to help you get adjusted to life on Earth with such a setback. I suppose it was by some luck you found a lineage that could feed you without anyone needing to be killed. I was in the background helping you set up a deal with the tribe so that you could feed in peace. But then... something happened. As I'm sure you both know, someone or something tried to wipe out that bloodline, and it seems those that were left alive for the time being weren't in the forest or near the village anymore. So that left the six of you without food. After a long time of seeing you all struggle to survive, I felt I had to reach out and help in some way. However, some of my power has been revoked over the years. So the most I could do was speak to at least one of you in these dreams. And only recently I was able to send out a sign to show you I was really there." He took a deep breath after this and opened his eyes again. "Okay, that's the full story up until now, sans a couple unimportant details. But if either you want to know any details, don't be afraid to ask."

Sarah nods as she listens. So that was how it all started. It was very possible they just wanted them wiped out so that whoever it was can unleash chaos by starving the brothers and forcing them to feed from humans. At least that is what it sounds like.

"How do we stop this being that is trapped in the lake? Is there a way to stop them?"

At this question, the doll maker sighed and lightly shook his head. "I'm afraid I know nothing about this creature, or the one trying to harm you. I hold very little control over my sons' lives, and no control over the lives of others. I can try to do some research about the creature, but I can't guarantee what I'll find. I know I said I'd give you answers, but I'm afraid that stopping the creature is one answer I can't provide."

She nods a little. "I need to stop him. After facing him in the library...I'm not sure I can face the creature either."

"I wish I knew how to help you, Sarah, I really do. But this is something you and the boys will have to figure out for yourselves."

"So... you said you created us just as an experiment?"

"I know it's probably not what you want to hear, but.. yes. I had no initial intentions when I sent you all out to the world than just seeing what would happen. The curiosity of a craftsman, I guess."

She nods slightly at his words. Yes, they would have to figure this out. She listens as he spoke of the boys. "I'm glad I met them despite everything." She says honestly. Then added "so I'm glad you created them."

The doll maker smiles when he hears this, and nods his head slightly. "I, um... thank you? I'm sorry, I'm not sure how to respond to this. But I'm glad you enjoy your time with them. Makes me feel like I've done my job right as a father figure." He and Red exchanged glances at this, and chuckled. "It feels strange saying that, even though I know that is pretty much what I am."

Sarah nods a bit. "If you hadn't made them I would be alone because something tells me that the man still would have wanted my bloodline dead either way." She shrugs a bit.

This seemed to confuse Red a bit. "What about the people you came to the ruins with in the first place? If we weren't there, or if we didn't have any reason to kill them, then you'd still have your friends and you wouldn't be alone. Right?" As he said this, he seemed to become really uncertain about himself, and took a sip of his tea in attempts to calm his nerves.

The doll maker noticed this and gently reached across the table to grab Red's hand. "The fact that you have to feed off human souls is not your fault. I don't know exactly what caused that to be a necessity for you, but I've worked you through it, gotten you used to it, and as much as I know you despise it now, you will find a way to adjust again. Even if I won't be there to intervene quite as much."

Sarah looks at Red a little then looks away slightly as she spoke. "They would have all eventually died later in a drunk car crash...those who survive probably already did..." She rubs her arms a little. "Sometimes I can see things......never wanted to say anything before about it...wasn't sure how to say it."

Red seemed a little stunned, for more than one reason. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he simply lowered his head to look more at his folded hands on the table.

Meanwhile the doll maker seemed intrigued with what he had heard. "I see there's more to you than we first thought. Have you been able to do this your whole life?"

Sarah looks to Red with concern but was distracted by the doll maker. She nods at his question. "Yes. My entire life. First time I did it was after I learned to talk...predicted the death of my neighbor..."

"I see... does it only happen with predicting upsetting things like deaths, or can you see good things as well?"