OOS 56

Notunoth 27, the morning after speaking with the Council of the Gods regarding the asteroid. It occurred during between sessions 26.5 and 27. OOS 57 occurs concurrently. 
== Transcript == 
Lei: 
lei wakes up at some indeterminate time, in an unfamiliar bed, and very quickly notices the halberd tucked in next to her. she groggily closes her eyes and rolls back over 
and then her eyes flutter back open and she does a double take. what the?! 
she touches the halberd “where are we?” 
Halberd: 
The halberd has been ready for this. She desperately not-quite-shouts, "Thank goodness you're finally awake. We were abducted by a monster! A horrendous creature!" 
She adds somewhat more calmly, with more disgust than panic, "Oh, and his sense of decor is horrifying." 
Lei: 
she blinks a few times. yeah. okay. still dreaming. and starts to close her eyes again, still touching the halberd 
Halberd: 
The halberd says nothing. She would have the highest grin on her face if she had a face. Or a mouth. 
She waits until Renn has almost fallen asleep again, then says, "We're at Xelbari's." 
Lei: 
lei’s eyes snap open again. her mouth closes, cutting off her drool pool supply 
blink blink blink “wha—?” and then she remembers “the cookie batter monster, and—oh no, what time is it?” 
sits up quickly, looks out a window if there is one 
Halberd: 
"It's, hm... probably close to noon now." 
Lei: 
“oops. teer is probably freaking out.” 
Halberd: 
"I would be shocked if he wasn't." 
Lei: 
rubs her eyes, then scratches her head sheepishly 
“you said we’re at...xelbari’s?” stretches, looks around 
Halberd: 
"We are. Unless he broke into somewhere that wasn't his as some sort of revenge for breaking into his shop." 
Lei: 
“well, i can...probably find my way from his house to the estate, assuming teer is still there? i wonder if public transportation is back up and running. hmm...” 
clumsily grabbing the halberd and climbing out of bed “oh geez, i smell terrible. like too much sugar.” 
gets a sleepy grin “that was so worth it though.” 
Halberd: 
The halberd makes an amused hum. 
Lei: 
cracks the bedroom door open and peeks out. any sign of anyone? 
Gloom: 
The dwelling is still, except for one man, still slumbering on the couch. 
Lei: 
renn sneaks quietly closer to the couch to get a look at him and gets a light smile before trying to find a bathroom 
“sorry to teer, but i am not walking back like this. i feel like there’s flour and candy bits in places it doesn’t belong.” 
assuming she finds a bathtub, she turns the water on and gets ready to dip in. awkwardly, she says internally, “can you...um....feel things? like water flowing? and soap bubbles?” 
Halberd: 
"I cannot. I am... simply a halberd who sometimes talks to and possesses people." 
Lei: 
sticks out her tongue “that’s kind of sad.” 
Halberd: 
"I wasn't constructed to be a person. I'm not T--" 
Lei: 
“want to join me anyway? could get you smelling fr—what?” 
Halberd: 
"Ultimately it is up to you." She ignores the question. 
Gloom: 
[it's probably at this point that, in having searched for the baths, Renn realizes she doesn't recognize the layout of this place at all. This is not Xelbari's apartment in Wolis.] 
but do you know the muffin man 
Lei: 
“you sound like teer used to.” annoyed 
finishes getting the bath ready. she’ll figure out where the heck she is and how to contact teer later. first, time to clean up and wake up a bit after a stressful day 
Halberd: 
"Perhaps. The difference is that Teer... can do something about the situation he finds himself in. I'm rather dependent on the whims of those around me." 
"You could leave me in this bathtub forever and there really isn't anything I could do about it." 
Lei: 
“that leads me into a question i have for you. not sure it’s something to talk about so early.” starts swishing around the soap to make the bubbles bigger, like jeffrey used to do 
Gloom: 
[Xelbari has like eight kinds of bubble bath in plain view] 
Halberd: 
There are several false starts to her response before she finally settles on, "You may ask." 
Lei: 
[perfect!!! lei poured in a bit of all of them except one that didnt smell as pleasant to her] 
“what are your goals?” 
Halberd: 
"Long term or short term?" 
Lei: 
“both.” 
Halberd: 
"Short term, I'd like to return to the group. Long term, I'd like the world not to end." 
"Preferably without breaking the compact. That honestly wouldn't be a good option right now." 
Lei: 
“i meant for yourself.” has finished removing her clothing, an awkward task when she’s trying to also maintain contact with the halberd. very ungracefully plops the halberd in the tub and submerges herself as well 
Halberd: 
The halberd is silent for a while. She is quiet, but confident when she answers finally. "I don't have any goals for myself." 
Lei: 
[insight 21] 
Halberd: 
[what is she trying to insight?] 
Lei: 
[if she seems like she's being honest ] 
Halberd: 
[she super duper is, bro] 
Lei: 
"that's the stupidest thing i've ever heard." 
Halberd: 
"You're taking a bath with a halberd, who you are also talking to." 
Lei: 
"what does that have to do with anything?" 
Halberd: 
"I figured I would list something else that could potentially be responded to with that statement." 
"In any case, it's rather difficult to have any real goals for myself when the one goal I had..." 
"Well, it's probably the worst thing that could happen, so I can't exactly pursue that goal." 
Lei: 
lei swishes her toes around in the water. she should probably be cleaning herself faster because she's sure teer is worried, but if it's already this late, what's a little relaxation going to hurt? anyway baths seldom feel this good. and she wants to get some information out of the halberd, so this time isn't going to waste. 
"What goal?" 
Halberd: 
She takes a moment to respond. "I wanted to remember." 
Lei: 
"oh, you mean the memories you apparently get back with the orbs?" 
Halberd: 
"Yes." 
Lei: 
"i don't see why you couldn't pursue it. you give up way too easily." 
reaching for the shampoo 
Halberd: 
"...of course." 
Lei: 
"hm?" 
Halberd: 
"Why shouldn't I keep going after the orbs, despite that hastening the end of the world? That makes perfect sense." 
Lei: 
"you're looking at it all wrong." 
"you don't want to go after the orbs, but maybe there's other ways to get your memories back." 
"maybe you just have to add a new step to the goal. stop the asteroid, then get the orbs." 
splish, splish, splish. she sure missed bubble baths. 
Halberd: 
"Perhaps." 
Lei: 
"unless you really don't want it that badly." 
Halberd: 
"If we manage to deal with the asteroid without-- If we successfully do that, then retrieving the orbs would be a good goal, yes." 
Lei: 
"see, no reason to give up that quickly. it's stupid." 
Halberd: 
"Indeed." 
Lei: 
[insight 22, is that a genuine 'indeed'?] 
Halberd: 
[the halberd appears to be trying to be agreeable] 
Lei: 
"you're not convinced." 
shampooing and conditioning it up, aw yeah 
Halberd: 
"Perhaps." 
Lei: 
"then it looks like you had better get yourself some new goals." 
"because being lost isn't very fun." 
Halberd: 
"Indeed not..." 
Lei: 
"maybe you should start with that whole 'not a person' thing, because i swear to god, i will scream." 
Halberd: 
"Oh, I'm a person. I just don't have a body with which to person." 
Lei: 
"do you want a body?" 
rinse rinse rinse 
gloom: 
There is a faint pop from the cabinets 
Xelbari: 
There is some clattering that can be heard from elsewhere in the apartment "It sounds like you're awake, finally. Will you be wanting breakfast?" Xelbari calls 
Lei: 
lei's eyes light up. breakfast with xelbari!! that hasn't happened in forev--oh, but teer...... she shouldn't keep him waiting too much longer...... but..... 
"good morning! um....could we--uh, i--get breakfast to go?" calling out 
Xelbari: 
"Sure thing!" Xelbari shouts back 
Halberd: 
"Perhaps we should finish up and meet up with the others." 
Lei: 
"i know, i know. i was just way too gross." back to internal 
"anyway, you never answered my question." 
Halberd: 
"Ah..." 
"I... suppose so. Communication through only words is... difficult. Body language is quite helpful." 
Lei: 
body soap soap soap, lathering it on on on 
"why don't you make that a new goal then?" 
Halberd: 
"I'm..." She sighs. "I'll think about it." 
Lei: 
"want me to scrub you? this body soap smells really good." 
Halberd: 
"If you wish to. Perhaps just... make sure the cookie dough is gone?" 
Lei: 
starts scrubbing the halberd "One more question, since I'm cleaning you up and all." 
"What do you think of Kiono?" 
Halberd: 
"I'm proud of her." 
"Save for Concludion, everyone around her was.......... Well, you've met Kitano. She's still unsure of herself, but she's come a long ways already since leaving." 
Lei: 
lei sticks out her tongue 
Halberd: 
The halberd says nothing. 
Lei: 
"Okay, okay, I know I only said one more question but...." 
"If I stuck you under water, would you only be able to see what's under the water?" grin 
Halberd: 
With an entirely even tone she says, "Probably." 
Lei: 
"That's so weird." 
"Want to find out?" 
"It's probably the best way to rinse you off, after all." 
Halberd: 
"Very well." 
Lei: 
submerges her in water and rinses herself off, then gets out and dries herself and gets dressed 
"So? Were you only able to see what's under the water?" eyes lit up 
Halberd: 
"It was the bathtub itself that blocked any vision." 
Gloom: 
[Here's the thing though] 
[There are no towels in any of the cabinets] 
[And Lei's clothes have vanished.] 
Lei: 
"hmmm....that's weird. where did my clothes go? and why aren't there any towels?" 
Halberd: 
The halberd says nothing, and she does so gleefully. 
Xelbari: 
"Hmm? Something the matter?" Xelbari calls 
Lei: 
"xelbari, did you take my stuff?" no longer internal 
"it's freezing!" 
Xelbari: 
"Why would I ever do such a horrid thing?" He calls sweetly. 
Lei: 
lei turns herself into a kenku and goes back to the bedroom to see if her clothes (or any towels) are there 
Gloom: 
A fresh towel, and her clothes, laundered and folded, are on the foot of the bed 
Lei: 
hey, they're all clean now! yes!! 
she changes back into lei and dries off, then gets dressed 
then grabs the halberd again and does a little spin "we're all clean now! hehe!" 
Halberd: 
"That we are. A fine way to start the afternoon." 
Lei: 
"afternoon. right. whoops. guess we'd better hurry, huh?" 
heads to the kitchen, then says out loud, "say, xelbari, um.....where is this exactly?" 
"also that green bottle of bath bubbles was amazing! what was it?" 
Xelbari: 
"My place." He says "One of them, anyway. And they're all various poisons. Very slow acting ones. The one that smells bad is the antidote." 
Lei: 
makes a face "Guess I'm slowly dying then, because I was not about to use that stuff." 
Xelbari: 
"A shame. It was nice knowing you." 
Lei: 
"I don't suppose there's any way to get back to Wolis quickly?" 
Xelbari: 
"Of course there is." 
Lei: 
"Think we could g--oh, right. Um, thanks for letting us use your bath! It was amazing!" 
Xelbari: 
"Mmmhmm." He smiles "Is that all?" 
Lei: 
"Umm......the halberd also says thank you?" 
"Er, I mean--" 
"Sorry for creating a cookie batter monster?" 
Xelbari: 
"There it is." He says "And why did you decide to destroy my kitchen at four in the morning, anyway?" 
Lei: 
"The halberd suggested it since you were elsewhere, and well....it had been an awful day and I wanted to do something fun, and...." face gets red, she speaks quietly "....i kind of...missed you a little bit." 
Xelbari: 
"Oh Renn," Xelbari says, still smiling, he walks over to her and puts his hands on her shoulders, and looks into her eyes. "I invented puppy dog eyes." 
"But I'm glad to hear that you missed me. It's been dreadfully quiet in Wolis without you." 
Lei: 
face is just super red 
Xelbari: 
He gives her a kiss on the forehead. "Now, if you're ready to go." He hands her a small bento box that is warm to the touch "We'll be off to... well, where would you like to go?" 
Lei: 
"s-sorry again...." mumbles, takes the bento box "um....teer." 
Xelbari: 
"What's a teer?" 
Lei: 
"oh! um....one of my teammates. a warforged. i don't--i don't know where he is right now. maybe at the burnett or worthing estate?" still avoiding his gaze 
Xelbari: 
"Oh that guy." Xelbari hums "Well I don't know where he is, so the Burnetts it is. It's past noon so what really are the odds Izora's in her bedroom right now?" 
He begins to walk towards a door 
Lei: 
lei follows, halberd in-hand 
Gloom: 
The door opens to Izora's bedroom from the perspective of her closet. The large room is not unoccupied, as Izora and Concludion are talking in the doorway- Izora is munching on a bagel, still dressed in her pajamas. Concludion seems ready to go, though his eyes have dark circles beneath them. 
Kiono is in Izora's bed alone, still in her adventuring clothes, wrapped around a body pillow, asleep. 
As Xelbari steps through, Izora flings a firebolt at his face, which he catches and disperses with one hand 
Xelbari: 
"Good morn-" Concludion shushes Xelbari, gesturing to Kiono "ning" Xelbari finishes in a whisper. 
Lei: 
lei doesn't move right away. especially not after that firebolt. 
Halberd: 
"Ah, so that wasn't a one-time thing," the halberd observes to nobody in particular, to Renn in general. 
Lei: 
"what?" internally to the halberd, though the thought comes out like a whisper 
Halberd: 
"That's the second time I've watched Xelbari get a Firebolt to the face after walking into Izora's room via her closet." 
Xelbari: 
"Anyway, just some munchkins to drop off, I'll be going now~" Xelbari says, stepping back through the doorway. 
Izora: 
"Please do." Izora says flatly. 
Lei: 
lei waves awkwardly "ugh," she thinks to the halberd 
Halberd: 
"Oh?" 
Kiono: 
Meanwhile, Kiono over in the bed shifts, and slowly sits up. Her hair is a mess and she looks rather tired still as she looks dully at the various people in the room, not comprehending anything. 
Lei: 
"do you want to go back to kiono?" 
Izora: 
"Did you have a fun adventure while you were gone?" Izora asks Lei 
Lei: 
"sort of." this is so awkward. 
Halberd: 
"I'd like to know about the 'ugh' first, to be honest. Besides, she just woke up," the halberd says to Lei. 
Lei: 
"These are not my three favorite people to interact with." internally 
Halberd: 
".....did something happen with Kiono last night?" 
Lei: 
"not particularly. she cried a bunch. i got mad at her." 
Halberd: 
"...you got mad at her for crying, or that is just also a thing that happened?" 
Lei: 
"just a thing that happened. i'm sure she'll tell you all about it." 
Halberd: 
"Perhaps." 
Halberd: 
"I'd like to hear from you though." 
Lei: 
"why?" 
she is just chilling outside of the closet 
Halberd: 
"I'm curious about your opinion. I would rather.... ...Hm, no, that's it." 
Lei: 
sighs "didn't learn much about her. she just hid the entire time. i don't trust her." 
Halberd: 
The halberd is quiet a moment. "What is your opinion of fear?" 
Lei: 
she tentatively steps towards the doorway, assuming that's where izora and concludion still are 
"what about it?" 
Halberd: 
"What is your opinion on it? Of people being afraid?" 
Izora: 
Izora has moved to the edge of the bed, and has offered Kiono the tray of bagels and cream cheese. 
Lei: 
"? it's a thing that happens to everyone?" confused 
okay nevermind she moves towards the edge of the bed, and in a quiet voice asks izora, "do you know where i can find teer? or veggrek?" 
Halberd: 
"The bulk of the things you've expressed anger about in the last few hours have been direct results of people being afraid." 
Lei: 
thinks about that "yes, others motivated by fear. me motivated by fear, too. guess it pisses me off then." 
Izora: 
"Teer was sorted into his constituent parts and Veggrek has run off to join a travelling circus, Barry Bardle's Brave Buffoonery, I think it was." Izora replies. 
Lei: 
"thanks," lei responds to izora, humorlessly 
Izora: 
"If you leave now you might catch their caravan." 
Lei: 
to izora, "right. i'll try the worthing estate then." 
internally to the halberd, "do you want to go back to her now or later? i'm leaving." 
Halberd: 
"Ondo has a sending stone. Concludion has the connected one." 
Lei: 
internally "ugh." 
approaches concludion and says, "can you find out where teer is?" 
internally, "also, he goes by teer now." 
Halberd: 
"Ah, Teer, then. Also, Concludion isn't that bad, you know." 
Concludion: 
"Oh, uh, sure?" Concludion pulls out the sending stone. "I definitely know how to use this." He wraps it around his wrist and puts his thumb to his ear and his pinky to his mouth. "Uh, ring ring?" 
Teer: 
"Hello? Any news?" 
Concludion: 
"Oh hey, Teer, it's Concludion. uhhh, Everyone's here. Lei wants to know where you are." 
Lei: 
internally to the halberd "i have no good reason to trust him." 
Concludion: 
"Okay, sure thing." Concludion responds "Uh. Click." The call disconnects. 
"So he says he's on his way back here and to stay put." 
Lei: 
internally "ugh times infinity." 
to concludion "okay." 
Halberd: 
"Not enough to stop him from traveling with us, it seems," the halberd observes. "But very well. I can't tell you what to do." 
Kiono: 
Meanwhile, Kiono is munching on bagels with Izora omnomnom. She seems to have decided to not try to figure out what is going on just yet. 
Lei: 
turns to izora "I'm certain you don't want me waiting in your bedroom. where should i wait?" 
internally "it's not my jurisdiction to decide whether he travels with us or not. only whether i choose to stay around." 
Izora: 
"You're more than welcome to wait here, though I think you'll find the front parlor more accommodating." Izora offers "Apparently my room is in fact a home for wandering vagrants." 
Halberd: 
"Very well, if that is how you wish to view our group," the halberd says to Lei. 
Kiono: 
Kiono almost looks offended at being called a wandering vagrant. She takes another bagel instead. 
Lei: 
lei nods and starts to head for the exit. internally she says to the halberd, "last chance." 
Halberd: 
"If you wish to continue to have my company, I will stay with you." 
Lei: 
internally, "kiono probably needs you." 
sets the halberd down beside kiono and leaves the room 
Halberd: 
"I suspect not," she says before being released into Kiono's custody. 
Lei: 
works on writing a letter to cecily in the front parlor, while eating the bento xelbari prepared. it's good to get her thoughts down on paper after so much has transpired. 
Teer: 
An indeterminate amount of time later, Teer walks in carrying Veggrek. 
"Lei! Are you alright? Where were you?" 
Lei: 
gives teer a hug, avoiding touching veggrek "Sorry, I was out on a walk and fell asleep. Kiono and the halberd are in Izora's room. I hope I didn't worry you too much." 
Teer: 
"Oh no, why would I be worried, you were only gone for 12 hours. Where in the world did you sleep?" 
Lei: 
"Xelbari's." sheepishly 
"it was an accident." 
Teer: 
"...I see. That would be why I couldn't find you." 
Teer sets Veggrek down on top of Burben. 
Lei: 
"i'm sorry for worrying you." 
Teer: 
He glances away. "It's... fine." 
"If everyone is alright, I have things I have to do today. I'll be back later." 
Lei: 
"w-wait. i was hoping we could all sit down and talk together. a lot happened yesterday. there's a lot to discuss." 
Teer: 
"...Very well. Are we waiting on Kiono?" 
Lei: 
gives teer a scrutinizing look "you're not just saying that because i asked you to stay, right?" 
Teer: 
"If you plan on discussing things as a group, I am sure it's better I be there than not." 
Lei: 
"...okay." 
Halberd!Kiono: 
Kiono enters the room, Concludion trailing shortly behind her. 
"Good afternoon," she says. 
Lei: 
"hello. i was just telling teer, i was hoping we could all sit down and....have a discussion." 
Halberd!Kiono: 
"I see." 
Teer: 
Teer awkwardly takes a seat in a lounge chair. He is regarding Kiono with a masked expression, like he regards everyone, because his face is a mask. 
Lei: 
"is there any chance we could have one....perhaps at the worthing estate?" 
Teer: 
"Of course. I'm sure Jeffrey will want to know you're safe as well. I stopped by when I was looking for you." 
Halberd!Kiono: 
Kiono nods in confirmation.
Category:OOS