OOS 53

← OOS 52
Out of Session Chats
OOS 54 →

 Notunoth 26, after speaking with the Council of the Gods regarding the asteroid. It occurred during between sessions 26.5 and 27. OOS 54 and 55 occur concurrently.

## Transcript

Kiono:

*Concludion is holding Kiono. Kiono is hold. She's pretty okay with this situation.*

Veggrek:

*Veggrek is staring at the grass, still clutching his spear.*

Teer:

*Teer looks around at everyone. Everything just happens so much.*

"Veggrek..."

*He steps over.*

Veggrek:

*Veggrek holsters the spear on his back and raises his arms, gazing blankly at Teer.*

Teer:

*Teer scoops him up.*

"Akaros, do we still have the emergency chocolate?"

Veggrek:

“Thank you.” *Veggrek says quietly, burying his face in Teer’s shoulder.*

Akaros:

"Oh, uh, about half of it." *Akaros says*

Teer:

"That'll do." *Teer retrieves the chocolate, and with one hand unwraps a bit for Veg.*

Lei:

"Veggrek." *lei looks at him in teer's arms, her eyes seething with anger*

Belxari:

"I'm gonna go see if there's anything to this 'talk to the asteroid' plan, and also my brother is probably fighting gremlins with a sword and a rubber duck right now." *Belxari says before poofing away*

Veggrek:

*Veggrek looks up and pushes Teer’s hand toward Lei.*

Kiono:

*Kiono whispers to Concludion, very quietly,* "So Lysaro threatened... that one--" *she motions toward Lei as subtly as she can* "--and Veg did nothing and so she's mad at him now. Again. Still."

Concludion:

"Oh boy." *Concludion whispers back* ,"That sounds like a *lot*. Are you okay?"

Lei:

"i *said*, veggrek."

Veggrek:

“Yes?”

Lei:

*she goes to say something else, but changes her mind at the last second.* "when--*exactly*--were you planning on telling us you'd lost your powers?" *she sounds suuuuper pissed*

Kiono:

*Still whispering,* "The halberd mocked Lysaro. A lot. Repeatedly. But yeah, I'm good. They think she was me-- Oh."

Concludion:

"The god of death thinks *you* mocked him a lot." *Concludion squeezes her harder*. "You're gonna die."

Veggrek:

“Wh— oh. Oh, you didn’t— *oh.* I hadn’t gotten there yet, really.”

“I’d been in denial since yesterday. Tomorrow, maybe. But I should have— as soon as I knew.”

Lei:

"*yes*, you *should* have." *seething*

Veggrek:

“I’m sorry.”

Teer:

"The halberd was right. The test itself was stupid, Veggrek."

Kiono:

"And they think the... the Rituals might be able to be sort of... reconfigured to... stop... the apocalypse attached to the halberd. I'm gonna get killed by the entire clan, and then Lysaro is going to kill my soul."

Veggrek:

*Veggrek takes the camera from his pocket and holds it out to Lei.*

Lei:

*lei snatches the camera from veg* "you're *reeeeally* helping your case there, buddy."

Veggrek:

“I’m pleading guilty, Lei.”

Kiono:

"Hey, can we, like, sit or go inside or something? This position is starting to hurt my back. And knees. And neck."

Teer:

*Teer sighs.* "Let's go in." *He doesn't need to sigh. He doesn't have any lungs. But there it is.*

Concludion:

"I... What? The Rituals...? I would ask how but there's no way I'm gonna understand."

Izora:

*Izora motions to the front door*, "The parlor is at your disposal, of course."

Lei:

"why the hell *bother*? you already *stated* you would kill me yourself if the gods asked you to. i don't want you pleading guilty. i don't want your apologies. i want you to leave me the *hell* alone."

"i *don't* have any intention of dying for the sake of you attempting to prove your misguided devotion to a bunch of overpowered assholes."

Teer:

"Lei."

Kiono:

*Kiono instead decides to sink to the ground, muttering softly,* "Oh.... the god of death thinks I was mocking him... ohhh.... Ohhh nooo......"

Concludion:

*Concludion picks Kiono up and carries her in the direction of Inside*

"Don't worry, I'll punch him in his... face? I presume he's got one- if he even tries it."

Lei:

"and it's so reassuring to know that even the *dragon god of destruction* would step in to help me before my own *teammate.*"

Veggrek:

“The dragon god of destruction at least had a *chance.*”

“I want to walk into the woods right now but I think On— sorry, Teer would stop me.”

Halberd:

*The halberd lays on the ground, unable to do anything because she is an inanimate object. She has opinions, but her body just got carried off.*

Lei:

"i *don't* want to hear it veggrek. *leave. me. alone.*"

Scabacca:

*Scabacca fetches the halberd* "I AM THE CHOSEN DOG."

Teer:

"Lei. This test was not ideal. Even if Veggrek had stepped forward, he would've been thrown aside just as Kiono and - Scabacca wait! Put that down!"

Scabacca:

*And he runs off into the streets with it*

*The weight of the weapon means that he is running in a circle while the head of the halberd digs into the earth*

Lei:

"if veggrek had stepped forward, he would have *stopped approaching to kill me.* that was the *point*. didn't you hear a word lysaro said?"

Teer:

"Lei, you don't know that. This test was unfair, right from the beginning."

*Teer is keeping an eye on Scabacca through his newly found peripheral vision.*

Halberd:

*The halberd speaks to Scabacca,* "Hey, Scabacca. Would you let me, like, take over for a quick second? I wanna talk to the others."

"Because you are the Chosen Dog."

"You have been Chosen for this."

Scabacca:

"YES."

Lei:

"shut *up*, teer. i don't want to talk about it right now. i don't want to make nice with veggrek and pretend everything is okay. i *don't.* want. to hear reasons or excuses right now.”

Halberd:

*She does that.*

Halberd!Scabacca:

*She, like, drops it from their mouth, but keeps her paws on it to maintain connection with the halberd.* "Mm... Wor--words. Okay, okay. Weird, weird. Telepathic gem thing is weird. Whuf."

Teer:

"Oh my goodness."

Halberd!Scabacca:

"I am the Chosen Dog."

Veggrek:

“Oh, um— sorry. Would you like to speak through... me...?”

Halberd!Scabacca:

"Nope, you're part of the problem. I can't go overwriting you for this."

Lei:

*looking at scabacca. accepts this situation without skipping a beat.* "great. fantastic. why are you hiding your identity from them?"

Halberd!Scabacca:

"What?"

"Oh, you mean me as Time from the gods."

"I thought you meant right now, as Scabacca. That would be a ridiculous situation."

Veggrek:

*Fuck those guys, Veggrek thinks, and does not say.*

Halberd!Scabacca:

"It is still a ridiculous situation."

Lei:

"why. are you hiding your identity from them." *patience? what's that?*

Halberd!Scabacca:

"Because Lysaro killed me, and I'm a little upset about that."

"Still. Have been for a while."

Lei:

"what is this 'dark' thing?"

Halberd!Scabacca:

"This gem thing is weird."

"Oh, it's just all my thoughts, okay, need to... figure that out."

"The Dark is ultimately not a concern since that whole 'maybe find other strong people' thing doesn't seem to be something anyone is interested in."

Lei:

"what. is. it."

Halberd!Scabacca:

"Though to answer your question, he's... uh... The... The dark."

"At the beginning of all things, before there was time, there was the Light, and there was the Dark. They observed everything, were delighted by everything. They fought over everything. So, uh.... Time was created to balance them. My job was to make things fair, giving them equal time with the creation.

.......things eventually went poorly, as all arrangements of that nature do, and the Dark fled."

"He's the only one that I know of that remains that is older than me."

"While age doesn't equate power, it doesn't negate that either."

Teer:

"How do you know that he is... still around?"

Halberd!Scabacca:

"I don't. It would require some searching for him. But... He adored this mud ball. I... I don't know that he would go far, even after... what happened."

Lei:

"I need to go for a walk. Come with me." *looking at halberdbacca*

Halberd!Scabacca:

*Halberdbacca looks down at the halberd, then up at Lei.* "'Please'." *But they grab the halberd with their mouth. They shift it around, trying to figure out a comfortable way to carry it.*

Lei:

*renn just takes the halberd and says,* "*please*." *between gritted teeth*

Halberd!Scabacca:

"Ah, that is probably eas--" *Halbacca says, until he abruptly isn't anymore.*

Lei:

*turns to teer* "i'll be back to the estate later." *starts walking off in a huff*

Halberd:

*There is a brief pause as the halberd adjusts to being a halberd again. She says to Renn,* "Sorry. 'That is probably easier,' I was trying to say."

Teer:

*Teer's shoulder's sink just a touch.* "Alright. We'll. Be here."

*He carries Veggrek into the Burnett's, and up to a room.*

Lei:

*you can just assume everything lei is saying is internal now, unless i specify otherwise.* "tell me more about The Dark. i'm curious." *even her internal voice sounds mad as heck haha*

*she chooses a random well-lit direction away from the estates and starts walking in it.*

Halberd:

"Hm... There... isn't much else to say other than what I said earlier. The Light and Dark both loved the things the Dread Creator made. They were fascinated by them, fought over who got to 'play with the toys'."

Lei:

"Progenitus??"

Halberd:

*There is a pause.* "Augh, back to no body language. I've gotten used to that. I just tried to nod."

Lei:

"sorry, that can't be easy."

"what happened to the light?"

Halberd:

"I can't even say I got used to not communicating that way. The 3000 years I spent on the wall were spent not talking to people at all." *She sighs. A long, contemplative sigh as she considers the answer to Lei's question.*

"She... Ultimately she became Quraura."

Lei:

*surprised* "oh."

Halberd:

*The halberd is silent, still thinking.*

"I haven't thought about the Dark in a long time..."

Lei:

"what happened to him?"

Halberd:

"He fled."

Lei:

"why? when? where?"

Halberd:

"I don't know what happened to him. It's been... a *very*. **long**. time." *She sighs.* "He grew angry. Jealous of the Light. She got to see everyone awake and active, but... everyone is asleep when the dark is out."

"He lashed out in his anger, struck the Light, and fled. I haven't seen him since, and haven't thought about him in nearly as long."

Lei:

"what was your relationship like?"

Halberd:

"I was their babysitter."

Lei:

"how did you get along?"

Halberd:

"I know I didn't understand what they were so enamored with, but beyond that, I don't recall."

Lei:

"Why were the Light and Dark created in the first place?"

*her anger is calming down a little bit with every question*

Halberd:

"I've no idea. The Dread Creator was... beyond.. us.."

*She becomes somewhat distracted part-way through the sentence.*

Lei:

"What did....'playing with toys' mean to them?"

Halberd:

*She makes a noise, like being brought back to the topic at hand.* "Ah. They spent their time observing the things that were made, brought to where they were. I... honestly didn't pay that much attention to what they did. I wasn't interested."

Lei:

"So is Progenitus--er, the...Dread Creator?--your...parent?"

Halberd:

"In a manner of speaking."

"He made me like he made the world, the people on it."

"Literally everything."

Lei:

"that's just weird."

Halberd:

"Oh?"

Lei:0

*she stops. forgot she'd even been walking. looks around. oh crap where even is she.*

Halberd:

"...is something wrong?"

Lei:

*starts crying. damn it. no, stop. i don't want to cry in front of HER.*

Halberd:

*She is silent a moment, then softly says,* "There was a bench a short ways back. Not half a block."

Lei:

"have you been keeping track of where we are?" *trying to stop crying but those attempts are just making it worse, damn it. damn it. damn it.*

Halberd:

"I have. I may be Time, but my spatial awareness is pretty good, too."

Lei:

"i'm going to keep walking then."

Halberd:

*She is silent, but still present. She hums a soft affirmation.*

Lei:

"sorry i took you away."

Halberd:

"It's better you not be alone. Especially when you're upset."

*A pause, then softly,* "I can't... actually help when people cry around me."

"Not like this."

Lei:

"you're not exactly the first person i'd go to if i had a choice in the matter."

Halberd:

*Mock hurt,* "What, a sharp blade isn't your first choice of shoulder to cry on?"

Lei:

"it's nothing to do with what you *are* and you know it, you nincompoop." *annoyed sniffle*

Halberd:

*The halberd hums in mild amusement.*

"You know."

"The first time I really met Meyrin, she just absolutely walloped me. Just knocked me silly. And then she cried. She transformed into a form that was able to, and then she sobbed in my arms."

Lei:

"Why are you telling me this?"

Halberd:

"Hm. I'm not sure. I was reminded of it."

Lei:

"Gross."

Halberd:

"If you think her crying is gross, you should have seen the form she was in when she hit me."

Lei:

"Not what I'm referring to. The fact that this situation reminds you of that at all. Bleh."

*sticks her tongue out and tastes the salt of her stupid tears that won't go away*

Halberd:

"It was literally only the fact tears were involved."

Lei:

"How much of your memory is still missing, if you had to guess?"

Halberd:

"Judging by the number of orbs remaining, 50%. But it feels like much more is missing."

Lei:

"Scary."

Halberd:

"It's terrifying."

Lei:

*sighs*

Halberd:

"I suppose that is part of why I didn't want you to tell them who I was."

*She laughs, a short, 'Heh!' sort of laugh.* "I guess I'm just a coward in the end. Afraid to tell people who I am. Afraid because I don't know who I am. I don't know as much about the gods as I should, so I'm afraid."

"It's easier to hide than to be known, I guess."

*She sighs, but doesn't add anything else.*

Lei:

"How much are you still hiding from us?"

Halberd:

"The same sort of things you're still hiding, I suppose."

Lei:

*she still can't seem to get the tears to stop falling. she's pretty much given up trying by this point.*

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Halberd:

"I'm not sure what telling you that Yumia snorts when she laughs is going to help."

Lei:

*lei laughs a little* "Oh no, that helps actually."

Halberd:

*She happily hums again.*

Lei:

"Tell me something dumb like that about Lysaro."

Halberd:

"Eugh."

Lei:

*laughs at that too*

Halberd:

"He's become such an *edgelord*."

"Like, he started there, but *man.*"

"He also can't seem to keep his hands on his own weapon."

"He sold him at one point, and getting him back was just shenanigans and violence. And now apparently Xelbari's taken ownership of him?" *She sighs, annoyed.*

Lei:

"*Good.*"

Halberd:

*A long pause.* "I don't really have anything particularly funny about him... Just..."

"Anger."

Lei:

"No, that was plenty funny, thanks."

"I have a lot of questions about....them. And many other things. But I think I'm quite fried at the moment."

Halberd:

*She gives an unenthused, but acknowledging hum.*

*After a while, quietly,* "If you wish to head back, I can guide you."

Lei:

"Not yet."

Halberd:

"Alright."

Lei:

"Unless you want to. I'm not going to force you to stay with me."

Halberd:

"It's alright."

Lei:

*walks quietly for a bit, just letting herself cry*

Halberd:

*The halberd keeps track of Lei is walking, but says nothing.*

Lei:

"Today has been *the worst.*"

Halberd:

"Mm, you're not wrong."

Lei:

"I'm sick of all of this nonsense."

Halberd:

"Mm. Which nonsense in particular?"

Lei:

"I'm not so certain you'd particularly care to dive into that topic."

Halberd:

"Emotionally I am shrugging. You can tell me if you wish."

*Her tone is softer now, maybe distracted.*

Lei:

"I don't know if I can trust you with it."

Halberd:

"Why not?"

"You've trusted me with a lot, whether you realize it or not."

Lei:

"Gross."

Halberd:

"Ah, that explains everything."

Lei:

"What is *that* supposed to mean?"

Halberd:

"You're insulting yourself acting like the meaning of my sarcasm isn't evident."

"But to answer your question, my statement means, 'What is *that* supposed to mean?'"

Lei:

"I don't want to place trust in someone who has proven themselves untrustworthy."

"But I don't want to *not* trust my teammates."

"However, you all seem so keen on giving me reasons to not trust you."

Halberd:

"Ah, you mean like not being open and honest up front about the duality of ones personality/personhood."

"Not explaining the reason for wanting to take the group to a location that we otherwise had no reason to go to."

"Not volunteering the familial or societal relationship between oneself and people the party has never met and would hopefully never meet."

"That sort of thing?"

Lei:

"That's not the same--"

*pauses*

*sighs*

"Fine. Yes. That sort of thing."

Halberd:

"Mm."

Lei:

*is pensive as she wipes away some stupid tears*

"Idiots. We're *all* idiots."

Halberd:

"Absolutely."

"We should... probably do what we can to get better. We can't start from a clean slate, but we can certainly try to have some trust in each other now. It would not be entirely unfounded trust."

Lei:

"At the very least I trust you're invested in some of the tasks."

Halberd:

"How encouraging."

Lei:

"I hope you can see me glaring."

Halberd:

"I can't. I've been keeping track of our path via echolocation."

Lei:

"Oh, good, I hope through echolocation you can detect my eye roll."

Gloom:

*Thunder rumbles in the distance. Like regular, because there's a storm nearby thunder.*

Halberd:

"Regardless, I suppose I can be glad you believe me *sometimes* when I say I'm going to do something."

"For now, let's focus on getting you home. Unless you like walking in the rain."

Lei:

"Why would I be traveling with you if that were not the case?"

"I'm not going back yet."

Halberd:

"I've been trying to figure that out for a long time, Lei."

Lei:

*sighs and closes her eyes* "Fine, you know what? Trying to calm down isn't working. I'm just going to scream-think at you, and you're going to have to deal with it whether you want to or not."

Halberd:

*I could always just turn off the telepathy, you know.* "Okay."

Lei:

"I'm *pissed* at you and Kiono for keeping your secrets for so long, regardless of your *reasons*. You know how many situations could have potentially gone *much* better if we had *known*?"

Halberd:

"I don't. Feel free to give examples."

Lei:

"The thunderbird. If Kiono had--told--us about what she could do with rituals. Maybe we would have acted differently. Maybe we would have tried to hold it off to buy time instead of hiding. Maybe some people wouldn't have died."

Halberd:

"I don't understand."

Lei:

"At the ritual site. We had Edger with us. He probably could have distracted the thunderbird for a while, knowing Kiono was doing whatever-the-hell with the ritual. As the situation was, I thought it was hopeless, and I just *hid*. And all of those people died!"

Halberd:

:

"I don't... I don't understand still."

"Are you accusing us of... somehow causing the thunderbird?"

Lei:

"*No*, you idiot. I'm mad you didn't *tell us the truth*. And there's *still* things Kiono won't tell us, and I'm sure that's the case for you as well!"

"So the next time some situation like the thunderbird comes up, I won't have adequate information to be able to make the most informed choice!"

Halberd:

"I don't... What is it you wanted Kiono to do?" *Her voice is very calm, but she is very confused. Just so, so confused.*

"Besides the telling the truth about being a wizard thing. That's the only part that's clear so far. I don't know how it ties into the thunderbird at all."

Lei:

*rolls her eyes* "What is not to *get*?! There have been times her abilities would have been *very* handy for us to have known about ahead of time. There's been times where you two have switched places and lied so *poorly*. The deception, what was unknown, has been stupid and dangerous and caused so much panic."

Halberd:

"........Okay."

Lei:

"And even though you've started sharing things, I can't trust you're sharing *everything*! I *know* there's still things Kiono won't talk about. I don't care about your reasons or excuses. I'm *pissed.*"

Halberd:

"Understandable."

Lei:

"You think I *enjoy* traveling with companions I can't trust? I've *tried* so hard to trust you guys. And yeah, I've screwed up a lot. I'm awful at this. I *get* that."

"I just. For once. Want to not have to be worried I'm going to get killed by my own companion, or not told something important by my own companions. Is that *really* too much to ask?!"

Halberd:

"I suppose not."

Lei:

"I don't know how I got lumped into any of this! I don't want gods addressing me by name! I'm a useless 16-year-old *idiot* who has looked at my bedroom walls longer than I've seen the outdoors!"

Halberd:

"How, indeed."

Lei:

"And teer? There's too much going on for him right now. He doesn't need all of *this* on top of it! This is the *worst*!"

Halberd:

"You're telling me."

Lei:

"I just want to slap veggrek in his stupid face. I will *never* understand him. I will *never* see where he is coming from. i'm so *pissed*."

Halberd:

"Absolutely."

Lei:

*does that scream-with-your-mouth-closed thing*

Halberd:

"Ah, I was just going to suggest you scream out loud here soon, but it is rather late."

"A good compromise."

Lei:

*glares*

Halberd:

*She has been thankful this entire screaming session that she physically react, because the amount of eye-rolling would prompt Lei to attack her probably.*

Lei:

"Whatever. I'm done blowing off steam."

Halberd:

"Did it help?"

Lei:

"Who knows?"

"Nope. One more thing actually."

"F\*ck Meyrin."

Halberd:

"Hm. That's fair."

"Mind if I say something?"

Lei:

"Whatever."

Halberd:

"F\*ck Lysaro too."

Lei:

"Yup. F\*ck Lysaro too."

Halberd:

"The jerk killed me."

"And Meyrin turned me into a fancy stick."

Lei:

*it's probably raining by now. lei doesn't care. she's stopped crying, but her emotions are obviously not stabilized.*

"Do you think there's any chance they'll just forget I exist?"

Halberd:

*A small chuckle.* "Maybe in a million years."

Lei:

"Gross." *not really angry, more soft and scared-sounding*

Halberd:

"Isn't it, though?"

"I suppose anything I could say in an attempt to be encouraging would sound ridiculous coming from me."

"Not that I can think of anything remotely encouraging anyway."

"I found out this morning that I was going to be left with partial memories for ten years or so, and then I would die. Again, but for real this time."

"So screw positivity. Everything sucks. We're all gonna die. Let's go overthrow a government or something."

"Or, like, a small bagel shop."

Lei:

"I don't expect to hear anything encouraging coming from you anyway." *sighs* "I'm sure xelbari's place is around here somewhere."

Halberd:

"I said a *small* bagel shop. Though I suppose he's at the End right now..."

Lei:

*silence for a bit as she’s trying to piece together where she’s at* “....if it means anything at all--which, whatever, fine if it doesn't--i'm sorry for lying about my personas. it was...misguided in hindsight."

Halberd:

"I do appreciate it. We both rather bungled that one up."

Lei:

"yes."

"i definitely shouldn't have....led you to auguste either."

Halberd:

"Hm. Auguste itself wasn't so bad, and we did some good there."

*'I hope.'*

Lei:

"whatever. it shouldn't have happened regardless. and definitely not in the way i went about it."

Halberd:

"Indeed not, but... we *did* do some good, so it... worked out. The boatman we paid five gold to. Removing the monster in the sewers. It wasn't what we set out to do, but... sometimes doing *some* good is... enough."

"Put some good in the world where there wasn't before. That good will help someone else, and they'll do something good too."

"But now I'm rambling, and I'm sure you don't care about this."

Lei:

"not particularly. it sounds too much like veggrek’s nonsense. and i'm not in a good place right now to be able to tolerate thinking about veggrek without wanting to smack him in the face again."

"god, i really did smack him again, didn't i?" *sighs*

Halberd:

"You did."

Lei:

"i probably should apologize for that. but i *really* don't want to."

*kicks a rock*

Halberd:

"To be fair, that was a really, really, *freaking* stupid test. He's still made stupid decisions. You're not the only one upset with him about it. But that test in particular was impossibly dumb."

Lei:

"don't try to bring reasons into this. i don't want to hear it right now."

Halberd:

"Mm."

Lei:

"besides, it's not like i didn't know he'd do exactly what he did."

"i'm more pissed he didn't tell us he'd lost his powers. what the *hell* is wrong with him?! that's *important information to have.*"

Halberd:

"He--"

Lei:

"He *what*?"

Halberd:

"You said you don't want reasons right now."

Lei:

"yes. thank you."

"i *don't*."

Halberd:

"Mm."

Lei:

"whatever. i'm drenched. good thing we're finally here."

*hi xelbari's shop!*

Halberd:

"Wh--?"

Lei:

"you said it yourself. He's at the Edge right now. today sucks. let's screw with his shop."

Halberd:

"Um... ...okay...?"

Lei:

"i don't suppose you've got any ideas for how to get inside?" *looking at the door*

Halberd:

"......I don't trust that door to not be trapped with, like, seven different spells and a literal bear trap."

Lei:

*shrugs* "only one way to find out. ready to do what you do best?"

Halberd:

"???"

Lei:

*lei stabs the door with the halberd.*

*man this thing is heavy.*

Halberd:

"Ah."

"I'm being used to hit something."

"I see what you mean now."

"That's not how you-- your stance is-- yeah okay."

*thwack*

Gloom:

[make a strength check, Renn]

Lei:

[8!]

Gloom:

[The door does not open despite Renn's polite knocking]

Halberd:

"You, ah.... A stabby, slashy weapon isn't the most useful for breaking down doors. You need to apply a lot of force to the door near the lock. You have to break the doorjam."

Lei:

"Makes sense to me." *tries putting all of her force into shoving--not so much stabbing--the halberd towards the lock*

*too bad cecily's not here.*

Gloom:

[Strength Check with advantage, that counts as Helping.]

Lei:

[lol 9!!]

Gloom:

[The door remains relentlessly a door.]

Lei:

*lei rolls her eyes. this is not her forte. time to try something that is.* [hey lookit that, she's level 7! time to attempt to dimension door her way in]

Gloom:

[just to the other side of the door?]

Lei:

[yup]

[trying to use a door to get past a door. yup.]

Gloom:

[Renn steps through reality and the darkened interior of Life is Pain is on the other side.]

Halberd:

".........I didn't expect that to work."

Lei:

"huh. me neither." *grins* "what shall we do first?"

*she prestidigitates herself dry little by little, then bounces towards the weird door that has done magicky stuff in the past, and opens it out of curiosity, her mood immediately drastically improved*

Gloom:

*The door opens to a stylish bedroom, lavishly furnished, reminiscent of the bedroom located within the tapestry.*

Halberd:

"......That's new."

Lei:

*peeks inside for a bit and then closes the door.* "yeah, it is." *bounces over to the kitchen, where's that at?*

Gloom:

*The kitchen is neatly put away, with several large bowls filled with dough proofing for the next morning. You can hear breathing in the stillness and the dark*.

Lei:

*hunts down a lightswitch, if if the power is back. if not, she's just gonna start exploring the kitchen. time to find the source of the breathing and/or an interesting recipe*

Gloom:

*You find the lightswitch and turn it on, nothing happens.* [make an investigation check]

Lei:

[7~]

Gloom:

*You locate the source of the breathing by stepping on it- Alan, Xelbari's lone employee, was sleeping curled up partially under a counter*

Alan:

"Yeowch!" *He bonks his head on the counter, and then rolls out from under the bench* "who's there! I know kung-fu!"

Lei:

*lei jumps back in surprise and almost drops the halberd* "oops." *recovers from her surprise, shrugs, holds out her hand* "hi, i'm lei."

Alan:

"Hi" he says "are you robbing the place? The gold is in the back safe."

Lei:

*lei stares at him* "do you *live* here?"

Alan:

"No!" *he says* "Not always! It's just easier when I work the next day to stay after closing"

Lei:

*is still staring at him, blinks a few times.*

*wow, even my father has never done that, as far as i know. is that normal?*

"well, since you're here, want to help us--uh, me?"

Alan:

"....with what?"

Lei:

"i'm here to screw around. it's been a rough day. i want to do something fun. have any fun recipes?"

Alan:

"fun to make or fun to eat?"

Lei:

*internally to the halberd* "i'm thinking fun to make. you?"

Halberd:

"Hm.... Why not both?"

Lei:

"both!" *grins*

Alan:

"I mean, cookies with candy bits, maybe?"

Lei:

*eyes light up* "yeah!" *i made cookies once!*

*internally to the halberd* "have you ever made cookies?"

Halberd:

"I watched you all make Xelbari's recipe."

Alan:

*Alan yawns* "there's... Stuff" *he gestures vaguely at the rest of the kitchen*. "Book is over there. I'm going to bed..."

Lei:

*excitedly goes to get the recipe book alan pointed to* "Okay! G'night!"

*i'm assuming she manages to find the page for candy-bit cookies. she reads it over.*

*internally to the halberd* "how is it that you 'see'?"

"do i have to lean you over the book? can you see everything i see, as if through my eyes? how does it work?"

Halberd:

"I....... I'm not sure.... I've never considered it. I can see it, though, without anything special."

Lei:

"let's see...we need one and a half cups of chopped candy? guess we should go find some." *how do i chop candy? does it come chopped?*

*almost laughs at the mental image of trying to chop up candy using the halberd*

*smash cut to Xelbari's kitchen just being in shambles. The halberd is partially submerged in cookie batter, as if it was being fought off. The room smells faintly of smoke. lei is half-asleep and also covered in batter. there's just. batter everywhere.*

*lei attempts to pull the halberd out. it's a weak effort. exhausted, she says internally,* "i don't suppose you sleep?"

Halberd:

"I... can. If I've control of a body that requires sleep."

Lei:

"oh. what--" *a yawn interrupts her thought* "--what happens if you're not controlling a body?"

Halberd:

"I just.... sit. Like Teer, but I can't be productive in any capacity like he can. I think."

Lei:

"gross."

*tries to step over a glob of batter, but is so sleepy she almost trips right into it instead*

"when you control someone's body, what happens to them when you sleep?"

Halberd:

"Nothing. Rather literally. It's a sort of.... restful void period. They aren't aware. At least, that's how Kiono has described it."

Lei:

"weird."

*smoothes out some batter on the floor and writes a note to alan in it that says, 'cookies didn't turn out. thanks for letting us use the kitchen anyway <3'*

Halberd:

"You're not going to clean anything?"

Lei:

*the handwriting is way better than it ought to be, considering it's literally written in cookie batter.*

"i did. a little." *yawns again*

Halberd:

"Incredible."

Lei:

"i don't really want to walk all the way back to the estate. it's so late. maybe we can just....sleep here?" *her brain is just not working anymore*

Gloom:

*There is a faint pop from the back of the store*

Lei:

"we should probably let them know somehow, but--i just want to lay down. baking is *hard*."

*totally doesn't acknowledge the pop in her tiredness*

"i feel bad if you have to sit there doing *nothing* though--"

Halberd:

*The halberd says nothing. She senses doom approaching.*

Xelbari:

"Well, well, isn't this a surprise." *Xelbari's voice rings out, relentlessly cheerful.* "Alan, why didn't you tell me we had guests?" *He is dressed in his usual resplendent finery, his hair is tied back in a ponytail.*

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" *He extends his hand, and begins to rotate it at the wrist in a sort of swirling motion*.

Lei:

*lei's eyes go wide* "xelbari! um, we were just. trying out another cookie recipe."

*dang it if only i were more awake!*

Xelbari:

"Another?" *He asks, the cookie dough begins to move, pulling away from where it is splattered and spattered and spiraling slowly toward Xelbari*. "Have we met?"

Lei:

"oh. right." *manages to stifle a yawn and resist rubbing her eyes*

*poofs her face into that of lady renn, then tallo, vale, then lei*

"sorry i haven't sent you any letters lately." *sheepishly*

Xelbari:

"Ah, I see, yes, you must have been under a lot of pressure lately." *He says, still smiling. The cookie dough begins to gather above his palm, the errant globules fusing and compressing.* "It's difficult to handle a lot of pressure."

Lei:

"yeah....um, i think i'm just going to--what time is it now? i know it's rude to leave right after you just showed up, and i want to catch up, and i have a lot of questions for you, but--" *can't stifle the yawn this time*

Halberd:

*The halberd has spent this time thinking as loudly as she can - not to Lei - about how she would very much like to speak to that little punk Miroku, please.*

Xelbari:

*The ball of cookie dough pulses and compresses, and begins to pop and hiss and **glow** with heat.* "Yes, everyone is running out of time these days- no time for pleasantries. I'm sure you're very busy, pushed to the limit, to the *very bursting point*."

Halberd:

*Very calmly,* "....behind a table, Lei. Or counter. Something."

Lei:

*lei's eyes grow wide and indeed, she ducks behind a table*

*she wonders, does absorb elements work for cookie batter?*

Gloom:

*Shortly after, there is a loud, cacophonous eruption and the kitchen shakes with the force the ball of molten dough **explodes**.*

*into hundreds of perfectly-baked, bite-sized cookies that obediently float onto a platter, arranging themselves in a spiral of sweets- of a completely different variety than what Renn was attempting to make.*

Lei:

*a bit after the rumble passes, lei rises cautiously to peer at the platter. or she would have, anyway. except she fell asleep, halberd still in-hand.*

Halberd:

*The halberd sighs.*

Xelbari:

*Xelbari kneels down next to her.* "Well well, I suppose we should see her somewhere safe to sleep, this place will be busy, soon." *He scoops up Renn in one arm, her head resting on his shoulder. He grabs the Halberd with the other and gives it an unexpectedly skilled twirl.* "Let's away, then." *He says, and then steps out of reality.*

Halberd:

*The halberd says nothing, does nothing. She wants to know where they end up before doing anything.*

Gloom:

*You arrive in a small, smartly furnished apartment, with simple decor and only a few knickknacks. A modest bookshelf, and a small cat bed next to a large hearth. Xelbari leans the Halberd against the wall and takes Renn into an adjoining bedroom, where he lays her down on the bed, and pulls the covers up over her. He takes off his coat and hangs it in the closet, and walks back out to the main living area, lighting a gentle fire with a snap of his fingers.*

*He pulls off his boots, and sits down on the couch. The Halberd sees that his shirt is torn and stained with blood, the wound beneath already mostly healed.*

*He picks up the Halberd once again and lays back on the couch, balancing the weapon on the tip of a fingernail, allowing it to rotate slowly in the air above him.*

"It's not going to get any easier for them," *he says, sighing.* "or for *you.*"

Halberd:

*The halberd is silent for a moment.* "Telling me things I already known isn't helpful," *she says softly. It's not quite annoyance, at least not at Xelbari.*

Xelbari:

"I don't think mine is the kind of help you need, at least not right now." *Xelbari says, spinning the Halberd slowly into his palm, where he arrests its movement.*

"I've never been the one with the answers, I'm more like the lot of you, lost and meandering until you find a path forward."

"But if I can make the road a bit easier for you, I hope you'll be a dear and let me know."

Halberd:

"I'm curious why you're interested. Is it because your sister has some new toys, so you want to play with them too?"

Xelbari:

"Of course not," *Xelbari says, grinning.* "I'm Renn's father."

Halberd:

"Ah, I guess that makes she and I cousins then, since Belxari is my mother."

Xelbari:

"A shocking revelation, to be sure." *Xelbari chuckles*. "The world is vast and wide and small and fragile, and I'd like to keep it around for a little longer, and you seem like the best bet of doing that."

Halberd:

"Ah, I see you lied about being Renn's father."

Xelbari:

"Hm? Oh yes, that would be weird." *Xelbari says*. "Unless I missed something, Belxari never gave birth to a two-meter polearm, either"

Halberd:

"Probably a good thing." *She is silent for a moment, then says,* "So if I attempted to gather a large group of very powerful not-gods to fight the asteroid...."

Xelbari:

"I'm in. I could probably bring some friends, too."

Halberd:

"Ah, I was going to ask if you thought it would be a good idea, but that works too."

Xelbari:

"Oh, I'm the last person to ask if something is a good idea, but I do like the idea of taking care of things without involving the gods."

Halberd:

"Agreed," *she hums in response.* "Speaking of gods, since I have you here, in a manner of speaking, I don't suppose I could speak to Miroku? I'm sure he won't actually answer it, but I have a question I'd like to ask him."

Xelbari:

"Hmm, I don't see why not." *He stands, and sets the Halberd down on the floor. He holds out his hand and the greatsword appears a moment later.*

Miroku:

"Heehehhee." *the weapon giggles as it appears, a harsh whispering sound that fills the room.*

Xelbari:

"Did you have a fun day?" *Xelbari asks*

Miroku:

"Immensely." *the sword croons* "the look on Lysaro's face. Heheheheee."

Xelbari:

"Oh yes, I have no doubt we'll be paying for that one later. But for now you have a visitor." *Xelbari looks down at the Halberd and then at the sword in his hand, and then lays the latter across the former* "You two have a nice chat I'm going to go make some tea." *and so he does*

Halberd:

*The halberd **sighs**.*

"Hello, Miroku." *Her tone is even.*

Miroku:

"Hello." *Miroku drawls*. "Nice to see you again~"

Halberd:

"The circumstances are... strange to say the least... You seem to be doing well."

Miroku:

"Yes, I've been quite satisfied with this arc of my existence. Xelbari is a... refreshing companion."

Halberd:

"You, ah... broke up with Lysaro because he got boring?"

Miroku:

"Hmm, I didn't really have a reason at first- Lysaro handed me over because of some other thing, and I just decided to stick around for awhile. It was interesting."

Halberd:

"I see."

"....He picked up a *scythe*," *she comments with mild disgust.*

Miroku:

"Right? What's up with that? I get the Empty Seat had an aesthetic and all but really my guy?"

Halberd:

"He's really laying it all on so thick right now. He's always been dramatic, but yikes. You should have seen the 'test' he gave our paladin. It's like the single brain cell he had went with you in the divorce."

Miroku:

"I always was the smart one." *Miroku says* "He always tended to get dramatic and broody if no one was paying him any attention.\*

"But really, I hadn't realized you'd gained sentience. It's been awhile since I saw you last."

Halberd:

"It has." *She is quiet a moment, then says,* "I'm not really sure what happened in the end there. One minute we're doing the thing, and the next I'm hanging on a wall."

Miroku:

"You want to know how she died, is that it?"

Halberd:

"I... I don't know."

"It feels strange... thinking about hearing about it from someone else."

"I don't recall whether I was there... It's... foggy."

Miroku:

"You were there, I was there. And the five conspirators, all waiting until just before it was too late to take it back."

Halberd:

"They didn't take it back in the end."

"Hm, no, Meyrin did. She did *something*, apparently."

Miroku:

"Did she? I suppose that must be related to why you can *talk* now."

Halberd:

"Seems to be. Sounds like you don't know anything about it."

Miroku:

"I don't know any of the fiddly bits, if that's what you mean." *Miroku says* "I was just an observer on the hip of a new god, after all."

Halberd:

"Fair enough."

"I'm remembering bits of it as I go along. I'm sure I'll remember that soon enough..."

Miroku:

"I remember a lot of arguing, though, especially in the beginning."

"No one liked that plan."

Halberd:

*Bitterly,* "They did it anyway."

Miroku:

"They did!" *Miroku said* "How could they not?"

Halberd:

*The halberd says nothing. This conversation is painful.*

Miroku:

"I don't recall if Lysaro or Quraura was convinced first. Meyrin, eventually. Yumia fought tooth and nail. But they all came around eventually."

Halberd:

*Quietly,* "It was the logical decision. We were running out of... out of time."

Miroku:

"It was. And no one had any better ideas. No one was willing to risk the Council so soon after the blow dealt by the Empty Seat's... passing."

Halberd:

*The halberd again says nothing. It's getting worse by the moment.*

Miroku:

"In the end, they were all persuaded, and Lysaro was always very good at doing what was asked of him, even with great reluctance. And so the plan was carried out."

Halberd:

".............it was her idea..."

Miroku:

"It was. She presented it to her friends, and they all reacted poorly. It took great effort on her part to get everyone on board. to even begin to entertain the notion. But she did eventually convince them of the necessity of her demise."

Gloom:

[And the Halberd has a memory. Probably a few of them]

Halberd:

"Of course it was.... I.... That figures," *she sighs.*

"I knew I... I knew she had... gone along with it. I hadn't realized..."

*A loud, dramatic sigh.* "Yeah, that makes sense. Sure, why not."

Xelbari:

*Xelbari returns, a piping hot cup of tea in his hands* "Are you two getting along alright?" *He asks*.

Miroku:

"She seems like a bit of a crier, maybe. I mean, I get it, but geez. Kind of impressive for a being without tear ducts." *Miroku says.*

Halberd:

"I'm more inclined to hit something than to cry right now," *the halberd mutters tersely.*

Miroku:

"Well then, that's more like it. Can't help you though, you seem pretty stuck." *Miroku levitates on his own, and sets himself into a stand on the wall* "Good luck with whatever."

Xelbari:

*Xelbari looks at Miroku and then down at the Halberd.* "Don't worry about him, he's just rude."

Halberd:

"Nothing new there," *she mostly just thinks to herself because that physical contact thing.*

Xelbari:

*Xelbari scoops up the halberd* "Well, I hope your conversation was somehow productive. Did you want to stay here and wait for Renn, or shall I see you off somewhere?"

Halberd:

"I'll, ah, wait for Renn... It's not that I find you incredibly sketchy at best, but I'd rather she not be left alone..."

Xelbari:

"A reasonable course of action," *Xelbari grins. He takes the halberd into the bedroom and sets in on the bed next to Renn, and then pulls the covers up over it, as well.*

Halberd:

*The halberd wishes so much she could roll her eyes.*

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