Tuye: Desert Rainbow

Operator Record Desert Rainbow
There is no greater treasure in the desert than water.

Unlock conditions

• Raise Tuye to Elite 2 Level 1.
• Have at least 50% Trust with Tuye.

Characters

Tuye Field Operator Grimed Woman Mayor Mayor's Secretary Seething Old Lady

Backgrounds

1 2 3 4 5

“

Tuye looks to dig a well in a parched town, but the way the situation unfolds far outstrips her expectations.

”

<Background black>
Mother embraces the whole Moon and weeps, Sun tyrant rains blazing rage, Swallows her silvery shining hair and calm bright face. Hear Moon, hear Child, she can only open her arms, And return you to endless blue cold under the sky. Her murmuring tears sink into the sand, Become crystals big as stars. Shaped like her eyes of despair see, The faraway view of behind, View of behind forever embedded in the sky.
–The Lady Who Stole the Moon
<Background 1>
[Tuye wakes up from her sleep as the car taking her through the desert suddenly hit the brakes.]
Tuye	–! (Rubbing eyes) What's going on? What's happening... Why the sudden stop?
Field Operator	Sorry to wake you up, Tuye. A woman just ran in front of us carrying a child, so I had to slam the brakes.
Tuye	You didn't hit them?
Field Operator	No, I braked in time, but I think she's holding... a bowl?
Tuye	What?
[The grimed woman walks to the car's doors.]
Grimed Woman	Miss, water... *cough* *cough* *cough* My child has gone two days without water. Take pity, spare me a little water.
Tuye	Lady, if you want water, just ask. You're not afraid of getting roadkilled jumping in front of every car coming by?
Grimed Woman	Miss, have some heart, we have no choice. Just give us some water.
Field Operator	Tuye, look at how cracked the child's lips are... Dehydration's about to get her.
Tuye	Hey, lady, take these waterskins.
Field Operator	Th-That many?
Tuye	Relax, I left enough for you. I can always cut back when necessary.
Field Operator	Well, I'm not reassured!
Tuye	Whatever, you heard me, it's fine. If I remember right, there's a town nearby. You two from there?
Grimed Woman	Yes, right.
Tuye	What's happened out there?
Grimed Woman	Two years of drought, not one drop of rain in town.
Tuye	And the well?
Grimed Woman	All dry. All we draw is sand, yellow sand.
Field Operator	...And your local official never did a thing? Even under such severe conditions?
Grimed Woman	We count ourselves lucky he didn't pack up and run like everyone else. What more can we hope for him to do?
Tuye	Okay, so, what exactly do you think's so hard about living somewhere else?
Grimed Woman	It's hard to leave home... I'm not just saying that, either. The young unmarried ones can pick up and go, but where's a woman like me going to go when I have a family to raise?
Tuye	Sorry... that was rude.
Grimed Woman	Haha, it's okay. Maybe it'll rain if we just make it to next year.
Tuye	You sure about that?
Grimed Woman	Rain always comes, sooner or later.
Tuye	Sooner or later, as long as it's in time.
Grimed Woman	Ha. Our lives are full of poor opportunities. How can we demand the rain to be in time?
Tuye	...... Nazir, remind me what date we need to rendezvous with the landship?
Field Operator	Not for a while, at least a month. We got the mission done early.
Tuye	Then how long can we stick around here?
Field Operator	Half a month at most.
Tuye	Mm. Good enough. (Hops out) Lady, wherever your town lies, you lead the way.
Field Operator	What's your plan exactly, Tuye?!
Tuye	Dig a well!
Field Operator	What?
Tuye	I SAID I'M GONNA DIG A WELL!
<Background 2>
[Tuye and Nazir the field operator enters the front yard of a manor in the town.]
Field Operator	The whole town's been a wreck since we got here. Wasn't expecting the mayor's place to still be in such stylish shape.
Tuye	You weren't?
Field Operator	I... you've got a point. If we can't see the funding, something else has to be footing the bill.
Tuye	Hmph...
Field Operator	Tuye, watch out!
[Tuye unknowingly bumped into a jar of water, causing it to fell and shatter, spilling the water on the ground.]
Seething Old Lady	Are you blind, girl?! Now what? You spilled it everywhere! My family needs that water to drink!
Field Operator	Sorry, sorry, she didn't do it on purpose.
Tuye	Okay, easy, old girl. If I give you this waterskin, are we cool?
Seething Old Lady	I...
Tuye	Take it. My fault for not looking.
Seething Old Lady	Are you really just giving me this, stranger? If you peddled it in town, you could make at least seven coins.
Tuye	Seven? You're kidding, right? I'm sorry, you're not getting seven out of this even if you count the skin.
Seething Old Lady	It took me five coins for just this jar. A waterskin as clean as yours would definitely be worth more.
Tuye	(Squats down, examines the water left in the earthen shards) Can you even drink stuff this filthy?
Seething Old Lady	Do you think we have a choice, girl?
[A secretary walks to Tuye and Nazir.]
Mayor's Secretary	Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Tuye. The mayor will see you now.
Seething Old Lady	Ha, you're here to see that asshole? I can only wish you good luck, then.
[The seething old lady leaves.]
Field Operator	What does that mean, old lady? Hey! Old lady!
Tuye	Hey. Quit shouting, Nazir, she's gone!
[Tuye and Nazir are taken into the workroom of the town's mayor, who welcomes them.]
Mayor	Hello, Miss Tuye, I'm the mayor of this town. I'd to welcome you on behalf of the townsfolk, haha.
Tuye	Hello there. No handshake necessary.
Mayor	Haha, I see you're full of personality. Jamil, won't you serve our honored guests some water?
Mayor's Secretary	Miss Tuye, Mr. Nazir, for you.
Tuye	(Takes a gulp without hesitation)
Field Operator	(Tuye, are you sure this water's safe to drink? It's all muddy and yellow like it was in the jar.)
Mayor	We realize you may be put off by the impurity in your cups, but please, we mean no offense. To be quite honest with you, it's the only well water we could find in the village.
Tuye	If you've got water to drink, why are your townspeople risking their lives out in the waste to beg passing cars for it?
Mayor	It was my grandfather's private well, opened for a hefty sum in the rear garden when he was young. This source has always been exclusive to our family, and we never normally share it with outsiders.
Tuye	And what part of this situation is normal?
Mayor	Right. Of course, as the mayor, I can't just look after myself in times of duress, so I opened it up to the townsfolk to use last year, but... *cough* Wells are limited. The more you use, the less there is, and naturally... the more expensive it becomes.
Tuye	Which is how we get five gold coins for one jar of water?
Mayor	(Crushes a fly upon the desk) Pfah. We live in desert. What could be more valuable than water?
Field Operator	(How brazen.)
Mayor	My secretary reports that the two of you are here just to dig a single well?
Field Operator	Correct. Breaking ground and sinking a well is never a small deal, so we made sure to pay a visit to the local authority beforehand.
Mayor	It'd be a great boon to this town, and as the mayor, I'm naturally endlessly grateful to you for the efforts you'd devote to it, but, and it pains me to say this, I cannot give you permission.
Field Operator	Why not? You just said it'd be a good thing!
Mayor	Have you ever heard of The Lady Who Stole the Moon?
Tuye	Good luck finding a Sargonian who hasn't.
Mayor	You can trace this town's history back a century, to when an explorer came here to found it. Those gems as big as stars are buried right beneath us, as he records in his personal letters. Legends may be legends, but mayor after mayor has safeguarded those gemstones from being sullied by strangers' hands, as is our mission. Especially strangers that look to start excavating the moment they arrive in our town.
Tuye	Well, my opinion is only dumbasses would believe in that story.
Mayor	Does the truth care if it's believed in?
Tuye	You–! Nazir, we're out.
<Background 1>
[Tuye runs through the desert with Nazir trying to keep up.]
Field Operator	Slow down, Tuye. Wait for me!
Tuye	Bluggh–
Field Operator	Tuye, a–are you alright?! Was it that water just now?
Tuye	Okay... murky yellow well water's usually a sign of excess iron and manganese content, but... Ulk, euuggh–
Field Operator	Tuye!
Tuye	...I'm fine. But I got no kind of iron tang from the water just now.
Field Operator	You don't mean...?!
Tuye	Those impurities weren't just there... they got mixed in.
Field Operator	Allaenat lak, you didn't need to actually drink it.
Tuye	Did. I bet they guard the hell out of that well. Only way I had to confirm my guess.
Field Operator	So what now?
Tuye	Find a spring to tap first, then we talk.
<Background 3>
[As Tuye and Nazir travels through a canyon...]
Tuye	Nazir, you need more body in you. Haven't been walking for half a day yet.
Field Operator	*huff*... *huff* Sure, but... but it takes so much work to walk through sand. My feet just sink and sink.
Tuye	Forgot you and I were different... Need a drink?
Field Operator	I'm fine, just give me a moment's rest.
Tuye	C'mon. We hold out for a little more, get behind that rock face up ahead, and then we rest. You're gonna dehydrate in no time flat with the sun beating down on you.
Field Operator	Say... didn't you like sharing your umbrella with people?
Tuye	You are a prime dumbass. Get over. You wanna keep getting baked?
Field Operator	Ngh... okay, alright!
[Nazir tries to get under Tuye's umbrella, but relents.]
Field Operator	No, forget it, you look kind of worse for wear, Tuye. [character(name="avg_402_tuye_1#11$1",name2="avg_npc_012",focus=1)]
Tuye	Come on. We'll talk problems when we're over there.
<Background 4>
Field Operator	*glug* *glug*–Almost died of thirst there. Aren't you gonna sit and take a break after walking so long?
Tuye	270 degrees of mountain here. Forms a scoop in the topography. Favors collecting groundwater. Shade, too, so it's held onto easier once a well's dug.
Field Operator	Is there anything you can't do...? Where'd you get all this knowledge about digging wells from?
Tuye	Family upbringing. We each get trained in desert survival. Finding water sources is a mandatory course.
Field Operator	What kind of family are you from? Everyone learns all this...?
Tuye	Major traveling merchant clan. Desert wanderers, living makers.
Field Operator	Oh, the trading company run by that Forte family... Should've worked it out a long time ago.
Tuye	Quit playing it up. My parents are a branch of a branch on the family tree. You'd be surprised how distant we are. Still no getting past the old guys' family rules, though.
Field Operator	Haha, never hurts to learn something new, though. Could always come in handy one day, right?
Tuye	Oh, found you... Hey, Nazir, catch!
[Tuye throws an animal to Nazir, which he catches.]
Field Operator	Gah! What the hell's this?!
Tuye	Haha! Chill, it won't bite you.
Field Operator	It's just... it's so ugly.
Tuye	Hey, don't knock it for its looks. Without its help, my folk'd be drowned six feet under the sand. This bug means we're not far from a spring. Help me out here. Turn over these stones. See if there's any greyish-yellow grass growing underneath. Blades should be tiny and thin.
Field Operator	Got it, let me take a look.
[Nazir found grass growing under the stones as Tuye described.]
Field Operator	Found it! I can't believe it... So now what?
Tuye	Lemme see, lemme see its roots... Roots are more developed pointing north. We'll look that-a-way.
[Tuye and Nazir runs toward the north.]
<Background fades out and in>
[After running for a while, Tuye and Nazir runs into a place with timber staked all over.]
Field Operator	Didn't think there'd be anyone around but us. What's this timber doing staked all over the place?
Tuye	Most likely it's a burial site. It's not timber. They're grave markers.
Field Operator	...You're right. There's writing carved into these posts if you look close. "Here lies a loving father, a devoted husband and a brave soldier–Bulis Shahid Numan al-Din." "...Our beloved daughter... Latifa Numan al-Din." "Wise elder... wayfinder... Al-Muttalib Numan al-Din." Looks like a Numan al-Din family's buried here.
Tuye	Numan al-Din... why's that sound so familiar?
Field Operator	Now you mention it, something tells me I've seen it before too.
Tuye	...Pfff, I remember now. That piece of crap mayor's place had a family tapestry up, and that was the exact name on it. Numan al-Din.
Field Operator	(Winded) You don't mean...
Tuye	Yep. The spring we're looking for is right where the bones of that guy's ancestors lie.
Field Operator	Allaenat...
<Background 5>
[As Tuye and Nazir walks through the town's marketplace...]
Field Operator	Here I was thinking we could just open a well here anyway, and what the hell could he do about it? I guess it's pretty clear now... I was naive.
Tuye	(Grabbing at bangs) Don't look at me. Not like my ideas are any better than yours.
Field Operator	How about... How about we just call it quits?
Tuye	...No.
Field Operator	*sigh*...
Grimed Woman	Miss Tuye, Miss Tuye, do you still remember me?
[The grimed woman from before walks toward Tuye.]
Tuye	Um, sure do, lady. You need more water? I've still got some, just one sec and I can hand it over.
Grimed Woman	(Shakes head) No, I'm here to return your waterskin. Thank you for being so generous.
Tuye	...It's alright.
Grimed Woman	By the looks of your troubled faces, digging the well must not be going smoothly.
Tuye	(Reluctantly nods)
Grimed Woman	Return to your own business, Miss Tuye. Leave this place. As long as he's around, you won't be able to do anything. You can look at what he's stuck on that wall if you don't believe me.
[People are looking at a written notice plastered on a nearby wall.]
Field Operator	That's some crowd around it. I can't see anything. Could you make way? Just let me through, please.
[Tuye and Nazir push through the crowd to see the notice up close.]
Field Operator	"We reiterate... digging unapproved wells is strictly forbidden in this town. To any who partake in such work, 20 lashings. To any who draw water, 10 lashings." How can this bloodthirsty son of a brute–!
Tuye	I wanna pry his chest right open and see what the hell he's got in there.
Field Operator	Not a speck of conscience, at least.
Grimed Woman	He taxes us for every coin he can, all to one day pay a tribute to a lord ameer and be rid of this place. He's been after it for half his life. He'd never turn a blind eye to anyone interfering with his wealth or career. You're not from here, so he can't do anything to you, but all those who live here are subject to his bidding.
Tuye	(Grinds teeth)
Grimed Woman	I'm going home, Miss Tuye. You get some rest too, and do it soon. Before long, the sun will be rising.
Tuye	Your child? How's she?
Grimed Woman	Ah... I buried her with her grandmother.
Tuye	What?!
Grimed Woman	You were right. What's most important is being in time.
[The grimed woman leaves as Tuye gives off a menacing face.]
Field Operator	Are you alright, Tuye?
Tuye	(Knitting her brows) Nazir, we're out of alternatives. (Removes pendant from her own neck) You take this, and run an errand for me.
Field Operator	No, no, I don't need you to compensate me.
Tuye	It's not compensation. I want you to bury it where we went yesterday–remember to take off the cord and silver ring–then chip a few marks into it.
Field Operator	You know how expensive this gem is. What's your plan here?
Tuye	The endlessly greedy will always dig their own graves.
<Background 4>
Field Operator	Tuye, what are we waiting out here for at the crack of dawn?
Tuye	Gotta make sure we're never late. Basic manners. Aaaand here you are.
<Background fades out and in>
[The mayor and his secretary walks into the cave.]
Mayor	You're sure you heard right? The woman found the gem right here, on this spot?
Mayor's Secretary	I checked three times over, sir. It's true, it was right here. She was sheltering from the wind when she happened to see it, just buried in the sand with a corner poking out.
Mayor	That's a rare sight, I'll tell you. Seems that poem was on the mark. There really are valuables buried underground here.
Mayor's Secretary	Gems as big as stars! If you offer those to the lord ameer, they'll promote you up without question.
Mayor	Brought your shovel?
Mayor's Secretary	Got it right here. But, sir, why didn't we bring more people? How long will the two of us be digging here for?
Mayor	Moron! I'd be disgraced if the story got out that I dug up my own family's tomb!
Mayor's Secretary	Right, right, right, the less that know, the better, understood.
Mayor	Now get to it!
Mayor's Secretary	Me?
Mayor	Who else?
Mayor's Secretary	Uh, yes, yessir.
[The mayor "asked for permissions" to the graves of his late parents...]
Mayor	Pardon me, father, mother. I will be thankful for your blessings.
[...followed by his grandparents.]
Mayor	Pardon me, grandfather, grandmother. I will be thankful for your blessings.
Mayor's Secretary	*cough* *cough* *cough* Why's all this dust turning out white? *spit* *spit*
Mayor	Have you dug something up?
Mayor's Secretary	No, I've dug all over, but there's nothing in here at all.
Mayor	Useless! Move, I'll do it! Damn the consequences! (Ferociously thrusts shovel in)
At first, right where the tip of the shovel struck, only a mere spurt of bubbles and slurry emerges. But very rapidly, more and more of the spring water stowed underground breaks the surface, throwing splash after splash out on the sand, sides frothing and foaming, permeating through the grains. The ground beneath the mayor's feet begins to give and give. The secretary, sensing something is awry, quickly pushes aside the still-befuddled mayor. In an instant, the surging spring gushes forth, a fountain of water perfectly high and straight, busting through the entire burial site. A curtain of water, meters tall, scatters its droplets back to the surface, where they cohere into a clear stream, crossing over the sandy hills, flowing to the town far away.
<Background fades out and in>
[The mayor runs outside, surprised to see that a water spring lies beneath his family tomb.]
Mayor	What the hell is... Water?! There's nothing but water! Where are they?! Where are the gemstones?!
[The secretary looks befuddled with the situation and stops digging.]
Mayor	I don't believe it–keep–keep digging, you! Go! I command you!
Mayor's Secretary	Mayor, that's out of the question. I'd drown if I tried.
[Sounds of people cheering are heard in the distance...]
Mayor	What's that noise?!
[...as Tuye reveals herself.]
Tuye	It's the townspeople cheering.
Mayor	Excuse me?
Tuye	Not that I can blame you for asking. Not like their voices ever made it to your ears.
Mayor	(Staring at Tuye in a daze) Why are you here?
Tuye	I'm here to congratulate you, Mr. Mayor. You gotta understand, no treasure in the desert's more precious than water.
Mayor	(Hopelessly wipes water off face)
Tuye	Got what you wanted. You must be one happy man.
Mayor	You–it was you–
Tuye	(Shrugs)
[Tuye punches the mayor in the face.]
Mayor	You dare do me like this! Those destitute husks put you up to it, didn't they! Didn't they?! You won't get away with this! Every last one of you, I'll make your lives a living hell!
Tuye	You've got some fluster on display. How's it taste, nurturing a dream for years just for it to shatter overnight? Okay, fine, I'll give you an out. Didn't hesitate to go find water for your townsfolk, even if you had to damage your ancestors' graves. That's a meritorious deed if I ever heard one. You report it to the lord ameer, Mr. Mayor, and you get a transfer to wherever the hell you want. Still, though... Still, no matter how rich your town, no matter how much dignity you scrounge up, you'll be nothing but a bloodsucking tick your whole life! I've already sent a letter out, for your commendation and recommendation. Lord ameer's envoy should be here in less than a month. You still wanna get out of here, I say you seize the opportunity, treat your townsfolk well, and turn your reputation around, fast. It's your very last chance.
Mayor	You... you...
Tuye	Not gonna get your mayor outta here, Mr. Secretary? Look at how dumbstruck he is.
[The secretary took the mayor and they runs off.]
Tuye	We're out, Nazir. We've done everything we need to.
Field Operator	Tuye...
Tuye	Nazir? You wanna keep up with me or not?
Field Operator	Look, Tuye. A rainbow. There's a rainbow in the sunshine.