[Verse 1]
Yeshaw was still eating the soup.
(the pepper had made it better)
(he had confirmed this)
(Crotus made a second bowl)
(Solvren made a third bowl)
(both offered at the same time)
(Yeshaw took both)
Then Chaos said:
[Chaos:] I have a bounty of one billion and three hundred thousand star coins.
[Yeshaw:] Is that a greeting.
[Chaos:] It is context.
[Yeshaw:] For what.
[Chaos:] For who I am.
[Yeshaw:] Who are you.
(everyone looked at each other)
[Chaos:] My name is Peace.
[Disorder:] I am Calm.
[Yeshaw:] Your names are Peace and Calm. And you have one billion and three hundred thousand star coins in bounty.
[Chaos:] All correct.
Cygnus danced.
[Cygnus:] I am Steve.
(Yeshaw looked at Steve. Steve danced again. this did not clarify anything)
[Persy:] My name is The Greatest.
[Rion:] That is not a name.
[Rion:] My name is Rion.
(everyone stared)
[Rion:] A different Rion. Do not look into it.
[Yeshaw:] There is a constellation in my system named Orion.
[Rion:] We are not related. At all. Do not look into it.
[Chorus]
Two hundred ninety nine thousand
That is where we are now
Two hundred ninety nine thousand
He was three days in
Two hundred ninety nine thousand
They came looking anyway
With a bounty and a soup
And nobody’s real name
[Verse 2]
[Rion:] How long have you been The One?
[Yeshaw:] Three days.
[Persy:] Oh.
(Persy looked at Rion)
[Persy:] I could do that.
[Rion:] You cannot do that.
[Persy:] I have excellent potential.
[Rion:] That is not how it works.
[Persy:] The potential is still there.
[Rion:] It is not.
[Persy:] Some of it is there.
Historia says — Technically —
[Everyone:] HISTORIA NO!
(she wrote on the inside cover of the closed notebook)
Fable says — In your future —
[Everyone:] FABLE NO!
(she narrated internally. the narration did not care)
[Herc:] My name is someone without a lion.
(he was wearing the lion hide)
[Crotus:] I have some legs.
[Yeshaw:] You have four legs.
[Crotus:] That is a perspective.
Cassie had already arranged everyone into a formation.
(nobody had asked. there was now a formation)
[Yeshaw:] This is very organized.
[Cassie:] Thank you.
[Yeshaw:] For a group with names like Peace and Steve.
[Cassie:] We have range.
Aevum looked around.
(he always says “this again”)
(he did not say “this again”)
(this silence was doing a lot of work)
[Chorus]
Two hundred ninety nine thousand
That is where we are now
Two hundred ninety nine thousand
He was three days in
Two hundred ninety nine thousand
They came looking anyway
With a bounty and a soup
And nobody’s real name
[Bridge]
Castor had not spoken since they arrived.
(he was watching. just watching)
Then Yeshaw turned and noticed him.
They looked at each other for a long time.
(the kind that has weight)
(Castor knew something)
(Yeshaw did not know that Castor knew something)
Castor nodded. That was all.
(it was enough)
Then Chaos —
[Chaos:] We need to reach the high council.
[Historia:] Their names are Asala. Basala. Carala. Darala. Ebala. Farala. Golo. Helena.
[Yeshaw:] You know their names.
[Historia:] Old records.
[Yeshaw:] How old.
[Historia:] Older than —
[Everyone:] HISTORIA!
[Historia:] Older than I can say.
(he looked at the soup. the soup was good. the pepper had made it better)
[Yeshaw:] Whatever you need to say — it feels important.
[Yeshaw:] I am three days in. I will send them a message.
[Chaos:] I waited two million years for my bounty to hit one billion. Three days is nothing.
(Yeshaw nodded. he was not sure what this meant)
[Final Chorus — key lift]
Two hundred ninety nine thousand / He said he would try
Two hundred ninety nine thousand / Three days in, already sending messages to the high council
Two hundred ninety nine thousand / They came with a soup and a fragment and a bounty
And a question nobody else had thought to ask
[Outro]
[Persy:] If you ever need someone excellent —
[Rion:] He does not need that.
[Persy:] The potential is still there.
[Rion:] It is not.
[Persy:] Some of it.
Cygnus danced again. This is what Cygnus does.
Yeshaw watched Steve for a long time.
Historia’s notebook was full. Lara’s also.
(they started new ones)
(someone had tried very hard to erase all of this)
(they wrote faster)
[Yeshaw:] I will have an answer soon.
He looked at the ceiling. Noctis was still there.
Yeshaw accepted this.