OOS 29

Notunoth 9, the party takes a brief vacation in Oceanside before leaving for the Mirage Temple. It occurred between sessions 21 and 22. It is immediately followed by OOS 30.
== Transcript ==
Kiono:
Kiono wakes up early and buckles down to do some work. When lunchtime rolls around, she puts all of her things away, and runs out of the inn in her excitement. She finds the nearest stall with festival food, obtains lunch, and then veritably skips through the streets. She stops at every stall that catches her interest - which is many of them - including revisiting many from the previous day.
Veggrek:
Vale and Ondo are off doing whatever it is they do, and Veggrek is loath to split up more than they have to— even if it technically went well for Kiono last time. He wonders faintly, trotting along at her heels, if he’s holding her back.
Kiono:
Kiono excitedly shows Veg some random trinket she's just picked up off a vendor's counter, cooing at how cute it is or some such.
Veggrek:
“It’s— um— it’s certainly skillfully made. I never took you as such an enthusiast for... things.”
Kiono:
"We didn't have this sort of stuff at home," she says, setting that down and poking at something else on the counter. "Oh, what is this?"
Veggrek:
“Well— there’s something to be said for novelty— its a glass elephant, Kiono. They’re all just trinkets. Tchotchkes. Not to put down knick-knacks, of course, there’s wonderful craftsmanship on display...”
Kiono:
"They're neat!"
She pauses.
"'Tchotchkes'?"
Veggrek:
“Souvenirs? Um—“ Veggrek attempts to guide Kiono out of the shopkeeper’s earshot. Some people like to collect little things like those and put them up on shelves. They don’t do anything, they’re just there.”
Kiono:
"Ah!" Kiono kneels down beside Veg and pulls out a box. It's about the size of a cigar box. She opens it and shows him the contents. In it there are a shocking number of small but pretty rocks, a formerly-folded sock, a few pieces of broken jewelry, wooden knick-knacks, etc. She smiles at Veg like she's telling him a secret. "I've got a few of those."
Veggrek:
Veggrek takes an instinctive half-step back, visibly suppressing a wince and trying to cover it up with a stiff smile. He can feel his heart pounding in his ears. “You— you sure do.” 
Kiono:
Kiono is excitedly looking at her trinkets, completely failing to notice. She pulls out a particularly flat and round stone and holds it up. "We skipped this rock all the way across a river once. Getting it back was some work since we were so far down the river from the bridge."
"I slipped and fell into the river in my excitement when I found it. Nearly lost it again." She laughs at the memory. "I think it's my favorite thing in here. That was a really fun afternoon."
Veggrek:
Veggrek relaxes. It’s not a hoard, these are memories. He can work with that. “That’s— that’s wonderful, Kiono. Who’s— Um, can I ask about the sock?”
Kiono:
Kiono looks positively mischievous. "It was my teacher's. We... Well, let's just say she wasn't very pleased with what we did to the other one. She got angry and threw this one at us."
"Got confined to my room for like two weeks and had a positively unfair amount of homework for like a month afterwards," she adds with a bit of a pout.
Veggrek:
Veggrek glances past her, looking for help. It’s so strange when strange people do normal things. “Ah. I’m sorry.” 
Kiono:
Kiono closes the box and holds it fondly for a moment longer before putting it back in her bag. "Have you got anything like that? Trinkets?"
Veggrek:
Veggrek shakes his head, eyes wide, face ashen pale.
Kiono:
"That's a shame," Kiono says, standing and stretching. "It's nice to have neat little things to remind you of other, neat times."
Veggrek:
Veggrek’s narrow pupils follow her face up. He’s convinced now- she’s got some sort of malevolent presence too, and it’s trying to get at him. “Mm.”
Kiono:
She looks around, trying to find her next target to get excited about. "I'm surprised you don't have anything of Dyana's."
Veggrek:
“Beg pardon?”
Kiono:
"She's your best friend, right?" She looks at him, curious. "You didn't... trade trinkets or anything when you parted?"
Veggrek:
“She, um— Gave me most of my clothes. And my armor.” Veggrek swallows thickly.
Kiono:
"No, that stuff's just practical. Something fun. Something interesting." She has a sort of a disappointed look on her face.
Veggrek:
Veggrek’s face tightens, then relaxes, deliberately. He turns on his heel. “Lucky I’m not the only thing here to keep you entertained.”
Kiono:
Kiono stares after him, utterly baffled by what just happened. 
Veggrek:
“Are you coming? That person is making balloon animals!”
Kiono:
"He's making what?!" She chases after him, so excited to learn what a balloon is.
Veggrek:
Balloons! Oh yes! As Kiono watches the vendor tie air-filled intestines into whimsical shapes, Veggrek scans the crowd for Ondo.
Kiono:
Kiono's face is just "what the heck what the heck so cool but what the heck"
Veggrek:
Help, Veggrek thinks.
Kiono:
I've decided that Kiono can hear music, and goes hunting for the source of said music. There is dancing. She doesn't know how to dance. She doesn't care. She dances.
She will drag Veg along with her. She will make him dance with her.
Veggrek:
Veggrek knows how to dance, and cares. He was considering whether to dance but the decision has been made for him. Why is this happening. He is going to die here, as if he were wearing cursed red shoes, he’s at least 30% sure of it.
Kiono:
Kiono watches some of the other people around her and does her best to imitate their motions. She's having fun, dang it. 
Veggrek:
Veggrek dances like Everybody is watching.
Ondo:
Ondo is drawn by the source of the music as well, and finally does find his companions. They appear to be clumsily, joyously moving to the rhythm, or at least Kiono is. He doesn't get closer or draw attention to himself, just watches from the back of the crowd.
Veggrek:
Veggrek rolls a 20 for performance. He is an able dancer, light on his feet even with the chainmail weighing him down, moving smoothly between perfect courtly poses.
And it is a performance— he’s stiff, constantly glancing over his shoulder even as the light cotton skirts billow around him like multicolored clouds.
Kiono:
Kiono rolls a 7 for performance. She doesn't know what she's doing, but by golly is she having fun while doing it. Some of the poor people around her have to move out of her way to avoid her chaos, or do so out of secondhand embarrassment. The parting of the crowd eventually allows her to notice the familiar mask of Ondo. She stops dancing and waves wildly at him, then waves him over, then waves again.
Ondo:
Ondo hesitates, but waves back and continues to clap along to the music.
Kiono:
Kiono's grin fades slightly, then she repeats the motion to come over.
Veggrek:
Veggrek deftly slides past Kiono’s graceless flailing to join Ondo on the outskirts of the mob, tugging on his pant leg to get his attention.
Ondo:
Ondo tilts his head at Kiono, then straightens up at Veggrek's approach. "Squire?"
Veggrek:
Loud enough to for Ondo to hear but hopefully drowned out by the crowd to anyone else, Veggrek demands, “She showed me a box of garbage and now she’s dancing like she intends to hurt someone. What’s happening? What do we do?”
Ondo:
Ondo looks past Veg at Kiono, who as far he was aware seemed to be having a good time. "Um..."
Veggrek:
Veggrek stares up at Ondo with frantic, imploring eyes and clings to his pant leg.
Ondo:
"Uh... I will. Go speak with her." He gently removes Veggrek from his pants and strides towards Kiono.
Veggrek:
Veggrek scurries along after him unless shooed away. 
Kiono:
Kiono grins, seeing Ondo finally Coming Here.
She goes to meet him part way there, grabs him by the wrists, and drags him back to where she was at. "Dance with me?"
Veggrek:
“Ondo isn’t here to dance with you!” Veggrek announces. His nose is tipped up because they’re both taller than he is, but it’s in the air all the same, under the scarf.
Kiono:
Kiono's smile fades as she looks at Veg, then at Ondo. "Oh."
Ondo:
The panic is incapable of showing on Ondo's face. "I am sorry I... do not know how." He looks around at the people who are still dancing and enjoying the music, looks back to Kiono's fallen expression.
Kiono:
"I don't either," Kiono offers.
Ondo:
"I..." Ondo nods his head and grabs Kiono's hand. He tries, shakily, to enter into the dance he saw them doing from a distance. 
Kiono:
Kiono looks about to burst from happiness. She focuses a little more this time, trying to imitate those around them and also lead Ondo as best she can.
Veggrek:
“He’s here to talk to you!” Veggrek insists, voice strident.
Ondo:
Ondo rolls a 6 for Performance, which is very indicative of the fact that he has never danced once in his life. His movements are all too jerky and stiff, just a little bit out of sync, but he's trying his best to follow Kiono's lead as best he can. He occasionally spares a glance at Veg, regretting more than ever than he is incapable of nonverbal expression. 
Kiono:
Kiono rerolls because she's trying a different tact, ending up with a 20 total. Now that she is making an effort to actually do the dance properly, she proves to be relatively alright at it. She is less terrifying to be around now, though the damage was done. Kiono is grinning the entire time.
Veggrek:
Veggrek is quietly losing his mind and also watching Ondo closely for signs of possession. Aside from the usual.
Ondo:
As the song ends, Ondo carefully steps back. He doesn't need to catch his breath, but he rolls his joints. "If you do not know how to dance, you hide it well."
Kiono:
Kiono is definitely out of breath, but she still laughs. "Everyone else here knows. I just copied them." 
She looks at Veg, her breathing heavy from exertion. Light-heratedly, she asks him, "What's wrong with you?"
Veggrek:
Veggrek flinches back, squinting at her. “I’m a g—“ He starts to hiss, but corrects himself: “What is that supposed to mean?”
Kiono:
((Not like, "What is wrong with you," but more "What's wrong with you"))
"Do you not like dancing? You were doing a pretty good job of it."
Veggrek:
Veggrek gestures furiously at Ondo, like ‘see??’ “Do you?”
Kiono:
Kiono looks at Ondo, curious what the answer will be. 
Ondo:
Ondo looks around as people get ready for the next song. "Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere quieter?" He inclines his head away from the crowd. 
Veggrek:
Veggrek nods firmly and makes to leave.
Ondo:
Ondo follows him. "Do I what? Enjoy dancing?"
Veggrek:
“No, not— not you. I mean, do you? I was asking Kiono.”
Kiono:
Kiono also follows, though she is partially listening for the music as well. "I'm not sure who's being asked what question now."
Veggrek:
“Ondo, what do I do with this?” 
Ondo:
"Veggrek, I do not understand the problem."
He is watching Kiono, as if she will reveal some secret Weirdness.
Veggrek:
“Is— is Kiono always— was she like this before??”
Kiono:
Kiono's mirth fades very quickly.
Ondo:
"I don't know, I just got here. But, she's having a good time, isn't she?" He gestures to Kiono and then realizes that she is no longer Having a Good Time.
Veggrek:
Veggrek looks at Kiono. He feels smaller than usual, and his voice is a squeak. “Are you?”
Kiono:
Kiono shrugs, trying and failing to smile. "I... Y-yeah... I.. I guess."
Veggrek:
Veggrek’s eyes shine with triumph. “Oh, you are? You’re enjoying the festival, then? I’m glad.”
Ondo:
Ondo looks at Veggrek, then pinches the eye holes of his mask.
Kiono:
Kiono looks hurt, but gives a barely perceptible nod. "Y-yeah... I... I'm gonna... just... go have.. more, fun." She slowly backs away from them, ready to go find somewhere else to be.
Veggrek:
Veggrek’s resolve falters. He looks at Ondo urgently. The way he tenses up suggests he’s ready to try and tackle her to the ground, or something.
Ondo:
Ondo looks between the goblin ready to pounce, and Kiono, his mask moving quickly and slightly back and forth. "Uh - um. Wait. Perhaps you could... show us where that ice cream vendor was?"
Kiono:
Kiono pauses in her retreat, then shrugs. "Sure." She falters for a moment, then turns around and gets her bearings before heading to the ice cream vendor.
Ondo:
Ondo looks at Veggrek, raises his hands in a shrug of defeat, and follows Kiono.
Veggrek:
Veggrek trails along after them. He can’t be crushed or triumphant because he’s too busy being baffled.
Kiono:
Kiono leads them through the streets, periodically almost getting distracted by Neat and Interesting Things, but eventually gets them to where they're going. She stops a short distance away and motions toward it. "Enjoy your ice cream..?" She looks at Ondo with a bit of confusion, not certain whether she should be addressing Akaros directly in some capacity.
Ondo:
Ondo raises a hand halfway as if to say something, but puts it back down. "Thank you. I hope you... find more fun."
Veggrek:
Veggrek prays for help. To Belxari.
Gloom:
[make a Wisdom check]
Veggrek:
[19!]
Gloom:
[What do you pray?]
Veggrek:
[“What do I do now? I implore thee to shine the light of thy guidance upon my ignorant eyes.”]
Belxari:
"About what?" 
Veggrek:
”Kiono??? How do I help her? I don’t know what to do.” 
Belxari:
"Hang on, Remote scrying through time is difficult."
Kiono:
Kiono, meanwhile, just sort of stares at them as neither of them move, confused. She backs away a few steps, then turns to leave.
Belxari:
"I'm not sure what the problem is? She seemed like she was having fun."
Veggrek:
Veg takes this as her advice. Whatever she said about scrying, he can hang on— “It’s not the malevolent entity sharing her body that was having fun? Why is she different?”
Ondo:
Ondo nods at her but looks back at Veg like 'I can't just leave him I have to make sure he doesn't get run over by a cart'.
Veggrek:
If Veggrek can pray and walk, he will.
Ondo:
If that is the case Ondo guides Veggrek gently into the store, puts him in a booth, and goes to buy him a scoop of ice cream.
Belxari:
"What malevolent entity?"
Veggrek:
”I don’t know? The one in the... halberd?”
Belxari:
"Have you tried asking her about it?"
Veggrek:
”N...no? If she’s not in control of herself she can’t very well tell me anything, and whatever’s in there is just trying to rope me into its evil plans...”
Belxari:
"Yes. Evil Dancing, it seems. It seems to me that Kiono is trying to take a break and relax, which seems to be your purpose in Oceanside. Something that I think you could use right now."
Veggrek:
”But she’s not like this. I mean she wasn’t like this before. She’s different. Isn’t she? Did I forget her?”
Belxari:
There is a clap of thunder, and the Goddess herself stands before you. Arms crossed. Brow furrowed. Her hair unkempt and her clothes wrinkled (somehow).
She kneels and places her hands on Veggrek's shoulders. And sighs deeply before speaking.
"Veggrek. I am the God of Bonds, not paranoid hand-wringing. If you are concerned, if you have worries, you need to present them to those who care about you. Rely on your friends as they rely upon you."
Ondo:
Ondo, sitting across the booth eating ice cream, instinctively makes a high pitched beeping noise. 
Veggrek:
Veggrek struggles to speak for several seconds. His eyes are very big. His voice is a cowed, tiny whimper.
“I— I tried to tell Ondo—“
Belxari:
"Try harder." Her voice is cool. "You hold the hearts of your companions in your hands. They are far too precious to be careless with them." Her voice warms as she speaks. "They can't be fixed once you break them. Let them help you."
Veggrek:
Veggrek blinks back tears. He’s still terrified, but somehow a little less tense, panic giving way to despair. His voice is brittle.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t— I didn’t know, I’m...”
He swallows hard. He’s visibly trembling.
“You chose me for this.”
Belxari:
"I cannot see down every road. No one can. I'm afraid you're a few millennia late to serve the last near-omniscient being. It is up to you to decide whom you trust, but I would advise starting with your friends. You have no greater purpose than each other."
Veggrek:
Veggrek takes a shaky breath, sets his jaw, and nods. His hands ball in the fabric of his skirt.
“I will. I’m sorry I doubted your purpose for me.”
Belxari:
"Doubting the purpose of higher beings is a topic for another day. I'm sorry I can't stay longer, but I must be getting back." She stands and spares a glance at the others before disappearing as she came.
Veggrek:
“Thank you for honoring me with your guidance.”
Veggrek turns to gaze miserably at Ondo. He tugs his mask down. He’s frowning.
“Did Kiono have good times before? Dancing and collecting trinkets? Did I forget that?”
Ondo:
"I...." Ondo buries his spoon into his bowl of ice cream, wiping some excess off the cloak. 
"Dancing does not entirely surprise me. Her style of battle is very rhythmic, graceful."
"However I do think I know what you are talking about, Veggrek. There are times when she suddenly seems like a different person, almost."
Veggrek:
Veggrek slumps against the back of the chair. 
“That’s what I meant. I don’t know how to handle it.”
Ondo:
"Is it really so troubling? Vale is a different person quite often."
Veggrek:
“I mean, that bothered me too, until she explained things. Sort of. At least with Vale I can tell. She looks— We’re talking about the same thing, right?”
Veggrek leans in. 
“That she’s...?”
Ondo:
Ondo stares. "She's...?"
Veggrek:
“Been Lady Renn and Fern and Tallo.” Veggrek whispers.
Ondo:
"Oooooh."
Ondo takes a moment. "Yes. Quite. I see your point. Kiono's shifts in personality are a bit more mysterious." 
Veggrek:
Veggrek smiles like someone who’s been trying to make their point for several days on end and is finally getting somewhere.
“She showed me her box of trinkets and— and acted like everything was perfectly normal and I didn’t know what to do. She told me about her teacher. I’ve never heard about her teacher before!”
Ondo:
"Hm. That is odd, Kiono doesn't usually talk about herself. Or, she usually says that she doesn't remember enough about herself to talk about."
"Unless more of her memories are returning?" he asks contemplatively. "Maybe it was the ice cream."
Veggrek:
“She had a little box full of memories and I— she was disappointed that I don’t have anything fun and interesting from Dyana. It’s like she dropped out of the sky.”
Ondo:
"That... is strange. I suppose it's a little bit like... That time I spoke to her in Mudwall, after pancakes."
"She wasn't happy though, she was shaken, and upset. Not the way she usually she gets when she isn't happy about something. Less like an angry dragon, more like... a regular girl."
He trails off, staring at the liquid vanilla.
Veggrek:
Veggrek nods urgently.
“Should I— did you ask her about it? Should we? I’m...”
He follows Ondo’s gaze, and the get-up-and-go falls out of his voice.
“...I don’t want to break her heart.”
Ondo:
"I don't think I've ever brought it up directly, no. It happens so rarely, and it never seemed like the right time."
He looks up at Veg. "You know, I don't think Belxari was just talking about being honest with me. If you're concerned about Kiono, you should explain to her why." 
"She might not want to talk about it, but - your intentions are in the right place, Veggrek." 
Veggrek:
Veggrek rests his cheek on his hand, elbow on the table. His eyes dart away. He opens his mouth, then snaps it shut, only to open it again.
“I was told to rely on you and— and present my worries, but I can’t be careless and I don’t— I’m so scared. I could be hurting you now and I wouldn’t know.”
Ondo:
"You are not," he says, "But... I understand. I used to make Tallo upset quite frequently while trying to talk to her, to the point that I didn't want to keep sharing my feelings at all."
"I... am still nervous, about doing so. Not just to her." 
"And yet..."
Ondo stirs the ice cream goop carefully.
"Every time I hurt Tallo without meaning to, or she caused pain in me... We would figure it out, eventually."
"I would find a way to cheer her up again, or she would try, in her own way, to help me."
Veggrek:
Veggrek nibbles on his lower lip. 
“You didn’t break each other’s hearts. Belxari, in her wisdom, insisted I reach out... That’s what I must do.”
He takes a deep breath.
“I’m going to talk to Kiono. Thank you, Ondo.”
Ondo:
Ondo simply nods at him, and pours the rest of the ice cream on Akaros.
Veggrek:
Veggrek dips his head, stands, and starts to leave. He stops.
“I think you’re supposed to rely on me too.”
Ondo:
He looks up, and puts a hand to his chin. "Perhaps... I think I already have been, more than you know."
Veggrek:
Veggrek offers up an uncertain smile before he fixes his scarf back up.
“As long as you know.”
Ondo:
Ondo waves Veg off. "Good luck. Keep me updated."
Veggrek:
Veggrek snaps a salute, nods, and walks off.
Ondo:
Ondo slides Veg's melted ice cream towards himself and casually absorbs that too over the course of a few minutes, before standing up and wandering towards the beach. When he gets there, he remembers something Edger mentioned about sandcastles. He works silently, focusing on the sound of waves mixed with the far off clamor of the festival.
Veggrek:
Veggrek attempts to track down Kiono.
Category:OOS