OOS 99

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 Korrinoth 13, after the group has found a place to camp for the night. It occurred during session 42.

## Transcript

Lei:

*after everything is settled, lei makes her way over to teer. her body is tired from the constant trudge, but she can't sleep with the evening so young, and even then, her thoughts are too troubled to fall into rest easily.* "is it okay if i sit with you?" *she asks teer meekly.*

Teer:

"Of course," *he says warmly.* "I appreciate the company."

Lei:

*light smile* “thanks.”

“too bad you’re on lookout for the dragon. otherwise maybe we could watch more of that anime thing, hehe.”

Teer:

"Yes, it is a shame," *he says, though he doesn't sound terribly disappointed, thinking back to the Ouran Incident.*

"How are you, Lei?"

Lei:

*sits down next to teer and practically snuggles up against him* “a little sick of swamps, though some of the plants around here are interesting. my toes are all soggy.” *wiggles her feet*

“how are you?”

Teer:

"I'm... doing well, all things considered." *Teer is wiggles his own feet back and forth.* "Soggy clothes is an interesting sensation. I've considered taking these boots off, since they no longer serve a purpose, but uh..."

*He reaches down and gives a tug, which produces a wet squelching noise.* "They are stuck forever."

Lei:

*lei giggles softly, muted* “i wonder, why is it that wet things stick to you?”

Teer:

"I'm slowly replacing my roots system with an outer layer of moss. I think it's sticking to that."

Akaros:

"Water," *Akaros interjects*, "Is **sticky**."

Lei:

*lei finds a squishy damp area of the ground beside her—an easy feat—and pushes into it with one hand to get her fingers wet, then squeezes her fingers together. it has never seemed sticky before, and it definitely doesn’t now either.*

“how is it—?”

“never mind.”

Teer:

*Teer shrugs.* "How do your wet clothes stick to you?"

Akaros:

"You are confusing viscosity with adhesion. Your hand remains wet, does it not?" *Akaros grumbles.* "Chemistry."

Lei:

“what is v—?” *groans*

“do you think it’s....imbecilic for me to ask?” *quietly, to teer*

Teer:

"Okay, but the word *sticky* is probably the wrong - nevermind." *He looks to Lei.* "There's nothing wrong with asking questions."

Lei:

*sigh* "i keep getting snapped at for it still. i don't know what i'm supposed to do."

"i'm trying not to ask anything that's--rude or intrusive--but...."

*squishes the ground with one hand again* "i told kiono i'd try not to ask her questions anymore, but...there's no way i can keep that up."

Teer:

"Um, hm..." *Teer looks at the marshy ground.*

"I think it's... sometimes people don't always understand... why you are asking? Like... the other day, in the carriage, where you brought up the war with Auguste, meaning it to be an example."

"There wasn't a clear transition for us, so we ended up not quite following."

Lei:

*eyebrows furrow*

Teer:

*He draws circles in the earth, thinking hard.* "You ask a lot of establishing questions, before getting to the one you really want to ask. Sometimes because of that, people don't quite know where you're going."

Lei:

*thinks for a moment*

"i've been wanting to ask what 'playing halo' means."

"because....akaros said it was something you did in your mindscape. and...i want to know more about that. because....i'm worried about you."

"and...because.....i'm trying not to think about cecily."

"and because.....i don't know, i just...want to know? it seems....potentially interesting?"

"and because i'm wondering....if it will give any information about what akaros meant when he said that we should appreciate you."

"is that--does that...help??"

Teer:

*Teer tilts his head in a short jerk.* "He said what?"

*After a moment,* "Oh, you were - explaining yourself as you went, yes, I see. I think that may help."

"Though that much information may not always be necessary either. It's up to you to figure out what the other person may need to know."

"And, unfortunately I think..." *he glances at the others, and lowers his voice.* "Kiono may just not quite have as much patience for your questions. I think with her, you may have to be more direct. But others, like myself, aren't going to mind."

Lei:

*sighs*

"i'll try to be more conscious of needing to explain why i ask questions."

"if i, um, am doing a bad job of it, would you, um--"

Teer:

"I can try." *He picks some moss off of his hood.* "Unfortunately, I am... slower to anger than some. I don't always pick up on what may have happened until afterwards."

"But I will help, if I can."

Lei:

*nods* "thanks, i appreciate it."

Teer:

"Of course." *pause.* "Do you actually want to know about Halo, or was that just an example?"

Lei:

"i want to know so badly. it's been driving me crazy."

Teer:

*Teer chuckles.*

Lei:

"but that's really just.....a--an establishing question, you called it?"

Teer:

"Yeeees. I think. The real question you wanted to ask is, what Akaros was talking about, and if I am alright, yes?"

Lei:

*nods* "i want to know more about what happened in your mindscape too, but....i have a feeling that's an intrusive matter."

Teer:

"Halo is easier to explain," *he concedes quietly.*

"Inside my head, Akaros has a sort of room with a couch where he lives. There's a screen like my tablet, but bigger and you sit farther away from it. You can use it to play games, one of them is called 'Halo', and its where you both play as armored soldiers who fight aliens. Except for some modes, where you can also fight each other?"

Lei:

*lei's eyes light up for, like, the first time they have all day.*

Teer:

"We did that for a while. It was nice."

"It's oddly relaxing to pretend to fight or kill, but without real consequences. The fate of the world doesn't depend on whether we win the game."

Lei:

"that sounds really interesting and weird." *giggles*

"do you think we could--? oh."

*stops and thinks a moment* "do you think we could play halo on the tablet you have outside of your mindscape? because it would be really weird and interesting to play a game on the screen. and because...." *blushes* "because if you could, maybe it could make you feel better."

Teer:

*Teer puts a hand over his chest compartment, where the tablet is safely secured from water damage.* "Perhaps some time we could. If we can't find Halo, we could always take turns with DOOM. That is similar to Halo, but instead of aliens you fight demons. I like that one."

Lei:

*nods* "yes please!"

Teer:

*Teer nods back at her.*

Lei:

*sits beside him in silence for a little bit*

Teer:

"I don't know what Akaros said, but... I am doing alright now, I think. Or better, anyhow."

Lei:

"he said we should appreciate how much you worry about us. or something along those lines anyway."

"i'm glad you're doing better." *quietly*

Teer:

*Teer shifts.* "May I ask you something?"

Lei:

*nods, back to squishing the ground, this time with part of her sleeve, and lowkey going back to thinking about how water is somehow sticky, and trying to keep memories of cecily out of her head*

Teer:

"It might be a Renn sort of question, but that's not the point I'm trying to make," *he warns lightly.*

Lei:

"a renn sort of--?"

Teer:

*He shakes his head.* "Nevermind."

"The question is, let's say we stop Varren, and complete this ritual site. The dragon is vanquished."

"What if after that, I told you I wanted to leave, find the other warforged, and search for Rama va Arel?"

Lei:

"do you?"

"um, i mean--"

"um, i'm asking because i want to establish whether this is hypothetical or not."

Teer:

"I am not trying to worry you, but I think you knowing whether it's hypothetical or not breaks the question. So answer me this first: what would you do?"

Lei:

*thinks, forgetting her soaked sleeve for the moment*

"i'm not sure. there's a lot of things to consider there."

"what the others decide to do, chiefly."

Teer:

"Would you let me go, though?"

Lei:

*small smile* "it's not up to me."

"i'm done trying to take advantage of you and force you to do things. if that's what you really want to do, who am i to stop you?"

"well, i say that, but...i'm sure i would be upset anyways."

Teer:

*Teer's frame visibly relaxes, somehow. He nods slightly.* "Alright. Thank you. That's all I needed."

Lei:

"how long have you been considering this?"

Teer:

"Oh, I'm not leaving, sorry, sorry -"

"That was unfair."

Lei:

"why did you ask about it?"

"um, because.....i don't know. it's hard to explain sometimes." *frustrated sigh*

Teer:

"You don't have to explain that question, what I just did was weird," *Teer says almost laughing.*

"I just... needed to prove a part of me wrong. The part of me I met in my head," *he says quietly.*

Lei:

"what do you mean?" *lei asks, matching his quiet voice level.* "um, because....i'm hoping you'll elaborate more about your mindscape. if you're, um, comfortable with it."

Teer:

"I met... a version of myself there, that I didn't like. A version that believed all the things I worry about, all the thoughts that I try to fight against." *Teer droops a bit, as if becoming heavier.*

"I know the party doesn't think - I know they're not trying to use me. But I'm very used to thinking of myself as a tool. That's always been how I related to elves. To people."

Lei”

*hugs teer*

Teer:

*Teer accepts it, wrapping a swamp-arm around Lei.*

"It's something I have to fight against. Reminding myself helps."

Lei:

"i *was* just using you for a while. sometimes i still worry i might be. but i don't want to."

"and i'll remind you of that as often as you need." *small sad smile into his swamp-smelling chest*

"i'm sure squire and ephemera could reassure you better than that, though." *muffled sad short laugh*

"i love you, teer." *squeezing tighter in his embrace*

Teer:

"Thanks," *he says sincerely.*

*Beat.* "Oh! I love you too."

Lei:

*sniffles in his arms, her face hidden*

Teer:

"Ah. I'm sorry. I'm back to making you cry with these conversations."

Lei:

"what?"

Teer:

"The ones where we share how we're doing. Speaking of *which*."

Lei:

"oh, no, i--i'm just a little overwhelmed right now. thank you for sharing."

"sometimes being with you is kind of like.....like being with edger--" *sniffles and blushes into his chest. teer may not be able to see her blush, but he can hear it in her voice for sure.* "--and i cried in front of him really easily, too."

Teer:

"I will take that as a high compliment, seeing as you hold him in such regard."

*He pats her hair.*

Lei:

*cries softly into his embrace*

Teer:

*Teer is not entirely sure why she is crying, but isn't sure how to ask, so he simply holds her.*

"It's alright. We are both alright."

Lei:

*after crying softly for a bit, getting head pats from teer, she gently pulls from his embrace and wipes her eyes, then says weakly with a small smile,* "i can't wait to play those games with you on your tablet."

"just have to potentially get through a dragon and a ritual first."

Teer:

"Which, funnily enough, is probably one way of describing the mindscape."

"Anyway, yes. I suppose we have some thing to take care of before we get out of this swamp."

Lei:

"describing the mindscape...?"

Teer:

"You have to get past a dragon and fight through some sort of - nevermind, you had to be there." *he rests his mask on Lei's head.*

Lei:

*lei cocks her head and giggles weakly.*

*a pause* "i should probably....let you focus on being the lookout, and at least try to get some sleep, even if it is still early...."

Teer:

"Rest is important," *he says.*

"Thank you for the conversation, Lei."

Lei:

*nods, starts to rise to her feet and wipe off her bottom*

"oh, what *is* viscosity? how is water sticky?"

"because, um, because i'm curious, is all."

Teer:

"Viscosity is how much a fluid does or does not resist flow, which is caused by internal friction of the molecules." *beat* "Molecules are - you know what, um."

"You know how when you have two droplets of water next to each other, and they touch, they seem to want to come together and form one larger droplet? It's like that."

Lei:

*lei and teer talk about the things, and then lei goes to her bedroll and curls up in it and doesnt come back out*

Teer:

 *Teer vibes, and stands guard through the night.*

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