OOS 88

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 Korrinoth 9, in Oceanside, the party travels to Jin-Ri in hopes of teleporting to Bromwich to reunite with Kiono. It occurred between sessions 40 and 40.5.

## Transcript

*xelbari just teleported lei to the beach in the most hilarious fashion, and used meteor storm on a defenseless sandcastle to get teer, plosi, and ephemera to find her. the gang is heading to jin-ri to attempt to teleport to kiono in “bromwich” [she’s not heading towards bromwich. she doesn’t know that.]. kiono is probably in dire straits at the moment, courtesy of dyana and shenanigans.*

Lei:

*lei’s brain is frantically racing, trying to get everything sorted out. she goes to touch ephemera, but gets distracted when she notices the one who is holding the halberd looks a little...different.*

“teer? what is that??” *points to feathery blue tuft*

Teer:

"Oh - this." *Teer gently touches the ruffles sticking out from under the mask.*

Scabacca:

*Scabacca trots happily alongside, fully a Corgi in the DMs mind, snapping at errant blue feathers as they slowly molt away from the robot. Thus is the extent of the DM's contributions to the OOS for the time being.*

*Teer:*

"We tried to teleport first using some scrolls. It did not... go as intended."

Lei:

*lei blinks* “you tried to—wait, where did you get—?”

“wait, is that all that happened? no one turned invisible or got hurt or ended up in the ocean or anything?”

*she looks to plosi to see if he is sporting a feather beard and starts to wonder briefly if it would even show up through a disguise self spell. she of course finds that the gnome is sporting no such beard.*

Teer:

"Well, no. Plosi did get hurt. But he's stable now, at least."

Plosi:

*Plosi gives a thumbs up.*

“I knocked myself unconscious.”

Teer:

"As for the scrolls, we bought them with money. It may have been a poor choice."

Lei:

*go figure. we both got knocked out from teleporting instead of from strahd...*

*sighs* “sorry, none of this would have happened if—no, wait, first things first. you said kiono is in bromwich and concludion is in eddelton, right? and we want to get to bromwich first. do you know where in bromwich kiono is?”

Teer:

"She was still in Strahd's Castle - it appeared not far from there, actually. She's headed to the village proper, so I presume we'll meet there."

Lei:

*a look of irritation flashes across her face and then dissipates* “i dont know what bromwich is like. were a lot of varren’s people there? is there a specific spot we should try to teleport to and meet up at?”

“well, with our luck with teleporting, who knows where we might....”

Plosi:

“Well, to be fair, Teer and I aren’t really experienced with that sort of thing! You might have better luck.”

Teer:

"It's... hard to say what Bromwich is like now. Varren's people weren't there originally, but he brought a small army with him for the ritual. Perhaps they will be distracted by the sudden appearance of an entire country."

Lei:

*lei shakes her head at plosi's suggestion, then turns to teer*

"i wonder what it was like when it appeared there? did it make a loud noise? what about things that had been in the material plane where it is now previously, what happened to them, i wonder? what about where barovia was in the shadowfell, is that just gone now? empty?"

*she's pretty much just rambling*

Teer:

"Maybe the land stretched around it to accommodate. The world is bigger now."

Lei:

"what? i wonder how that would even--"

*shakes her head* "no wait wait, kiono. bromwich. should we figure out a meeting place?"

TEer:

"She has the sending stone. It should not be hard to find her."

Lei:

"hmm, okay. just in case varren is still running around, should we try to disguise ourselves?"

Teer:

"Well. You and Plosi have that covered... I could... put on a cloak?"

Plosi:

*Plosi sprouts a mustache and doesn’t say anything about it.*

*Lei:*

"well, i think ephemera would stand out regardless of--oh!" *touches ephemera* "sorry, you probably have input too."

*maybe if ephemera teleported, she could grow a bunch of feathers and be unrecognizable, haha*

Ephemera:

"Wh— Oh, no, I—" *A brief pause as she focuses on the topic at hand.* "I suppose it wouldn't be horribly difficult to cover the blade with a bag or something. Make it look like a... a broom or something?"

"An... extremely long broom..."

Teer:

*Teer notices Plosi and plucks a couple of the feathers off his own chin, and holds them under his wooden nose.*

Lei:

"uh....does anybody have a bag or cloth big enough to do something like that?"

Plosi:

“I’d have to see what I’ve got in my bag...”

Lei:

*lei looks at plosi and finally notices his mustache, and her thinking expression contorts into a goofy grin. she snorts*

*and grows her own very silly ridiculous mustache to match*

Teer:

"We could buy a broom and simply take the head off."

Lei:

*now lei notices teer's "mustache" and her grin turns into a full-on laugh*

Teer:

"What's so funny?" *Teer asks, with a straight face, the only face he ever has.*

Plosi:

*Plosi twirls the end of his mustache in thought. His face is straight but his voice is smiling.* “Mm. And attach the handle to the halberd somehow?”

Lei:

"hehehehehe!" *she's probably laughing more than she has in 3 weeks*

"wait, wait, teer, can i have some of those feathers?"

Teer:

*Teer yanks some feathers out of his roots in a small explosion of tufts.*

Lei:

"thanks." *lei places them up against the halberd, to create a "mustache" and with her other hand tries to see if she can change the color of the halberd to blue to match the feathers*

Teer:

"I see. Your plan is to turn our dear friend Ephemera into a feather duster."

Lei:

"hehe, varren would never see through these crafty disguises."

Ephemera:

"I've already got mustaches," *Ephemera says softly.* "They're even blue."

((referring to the ribbons on the non-bladed end, with her medallion and the carving from Teer attached))

Teer:

*Teer tilts his head. A feather falls.*

"Oh!"

Lei:

*lei laughs for a bit longer, then poofs away her mustache. facial hair is scratchy and she's not a fan. her mind starts to go in a direction she's trying not to think about, so she steers it in a different direction.*

"...realistically, bromwich is really small right? is it small enough that we would stand out anyway, even with the best crafty mustaches and brooms?"

Teer:

"Most likely, I suppose."

"Our better bet would simply be to find Kiono as quickly as possible. If we can find someone to teleport us to Bromwich, then Kiono could use the last scroll we have left to teleport us all out of there."

Lei:

"........to eddelton?"

Teer:

"To Eddelton."

Lei:

"which would put us near wolis."

Teer:

"Relatively speaking."

Lei:

"...what is bromwich *part of* anyway? is it ruled or governed by anyone?"

Teer:

"It... has a mayor?"

Lei:

"i'm just wondering what the appearance of--well...do you think a lot of creepy things came along with strahd's castle?"

"did kiono mention anything like that?"

Teer:

"I'm... not sure. At least one of Strahd's vampires are still around."

"So it stands to reason that some of the things that were once in Barovia are now in the material plane."

Lei:

*stops in her tracks* "should--should we warn--is there any way you know of to contact bromwich?"

"and--do you think the people of barovia remember everything or know what happened? how does that work anyway?"

Teer:

"I don't know what happens to the people of Barovia. As for Bromwich, I imagine we'll see them as quickly as we have means to contact them."

Lei:

"hmm. did kiono--"

*changes to think-talking at ephemera instead. she feels like she can't put off asking any longer.* "did kiono tell you anything about what she wanted to do with anna?"

*there is some irritation in her thought-tone*

Ephemera:

*Ephemera is quiet a moment, then says,* "You want to know if she killed Anna."

Lei:

"i want to know if she told anyone she was going to."

Ephemera:

"I knew that, unless Kiono found something that would be useful for breaking the curse, Anna was going to die after Kiono's examination of her."

Lei:

"did she tell teer and plosi and concludion? fine if she doesn't tell me, whatever, i get it, but did she talk to them about it?"

Ephemera:

"They weren't informed, no."

Lei:

*you guys have seen renn mad plenty of times. lei very obviously looks mad. she doesnt immediately say anything, in thought or out loud.*

Ephemera:

"You're angry with Kiono."

Lei:

"yes, i am. and also at myself. i was trying to avoid thinking about it, but--no, that's not okay." *her mad thought tone is a stark contrast to the laughs from a few minutes prior. ah teenagers.*

Ephemera:

"You're certain it was Kiono you should be angry with."

Teer:

*Teer glances at Lei, aware there's a private conversation going on but not quite letting go of the halberd.*

*Lei:*

"no, i should probably just be mad at myself, of course! but i *am* mad at kiono--and you know what--*you* knew and didn't say anything either!"

Ephemera:

"Why should you be angry with yourself?"

Lei:

"you made a promise to the group! it may not have been listed as one of the goals, but you still should have--"

"what? why *shouldn't* I? i was stupid to ever even *try* to trust kiono. and besides that, *none* of this would have happened if I hadn't involved you guys--if i hadn't insisted on--if i didn't try to k--but now anna is--arghh.”

Ephemera:

"Why are you so certain it was Kiono? Bias, perhaps?"

Lei:

*she's walking too fast and accidentally is at risk of pulling ephemera from teer's grasp*

Plosi:

*Plosi looks at Teer. His mustache is gone.*

Teer:

*Teer looks at Plosi and then back at Lei.* "Is there something wrong?"

Ephemera:

*To Teer as well as Lei,* "She is angry with Kiono and I for not sharing the plan to kill Anna. And herself for trusting us."

Lei:

*says at the same time, but out loud* "yes, there is."

Teer:

"Oh dear."

*Teer fumbles and readjusts his grip on the halberd.*

Plosi:

“You want to talk about it?”

*Plosi is not holding the halberd. Two people is a stretch, three is outright awkward.*

Lei:

"this is probably a bad time for it! i probably should be focusing on other things! i don't know!"

"i don't know how *you guys* are so blase about it!"

Teer:

*Teer addresses Ephemera, his voice even.* "How long was that the plan?"

Plosi:

“Blase about what...?”

Lei:

"about kiono killing anna, what else?!"

"and about her rushing off to do it without--without either kiono or ephemera consulting the group about it, or giving so much as a warning!"

Teer:

"Lei, we're finding this out right now. Slow down."

Plosi:

“I, um— I didn’t know about that.”

Lei:

"what??"

Plosi:

“She *killed* her?”

Lei:

"she had the key, and left to check on anna, and not long after barovia came back to the material plane."

"kiono killed her."

Plosi:

“How did— Ohh.” *Plosi groans.* “That’s what happened. How did you— did Ephemera tell you?”

Ephemera:

"Someone get us off to the side of the road for a proper conversation. I'm not talking to Plosi through proxy like this."

Teer:

*Teer veers the group off into an alleyway.*

Lei:

"no, it was--i thought--it seemed obvious."

Plosi:

*Plosi puts his hand on Ephemera.*

Ephemera:

"Let me explain in full before anyone else explodes, if you would, please. It makes things simpler and clearer when the story comes out fully without angry outbursts."

Plosi:

“Deep breaths, everybody. Who needs to breathe.”

“I don’t— I don’t know what the wood equivalent of that is.”

Lei:

"fine. i'm sorry. we shouldn't take too long though. *kiono* is waiting on you guys to come *help her*." *spoken with some disdain*

Teer:

*Teer shrugs at Plosi.*

Lei:

*sighs* "no i'm sorry, just--i'm sorry. i'll be quiet now so you can explain."

Plosi:

*Plosi puts his free hand on Lei’s arm.*

Lei:

*indeed she takes a deep breath, following plosi's advice*

Ephemera:

"I don't know how predetermined the action was for Kiono. She examined the situation closely, and apparently decided then it was hopeless. Or perhaps not hopeless, but... dangerous to pursue the solution. I was... uncertain myself until Kiono nearly dropped her sword before Anna. She seemed... hesitant about the matter."

"So I killed her instead."

Plosi:

“You *what?* We just spoke to her—“

Teer:

"Anna, not Kiono," *Teer whispers gently.*

Plosi:

”Ah. ...how?“

Ephemera:

"'How'?"

Plosi:

“Wait, you’re a bladed weapon. I— I think I get it.”

“Why didn’t either of you talk to us...?”

Lei:

"You can take people over without touch?"

Ephemera:

"No, but Kiono is attuned to me, so my connection with her doesn't require the halberd under certain circumstances. Such as the Mirage Temple."

"In the moment was possible to communicate with you. It happened far too quickly, the decision and the action. After that... I... was distracted by the arrival of... others."

Lei:

*in a pained voice* "I *trusted* you. i was *trying* to trust kiono."

"You both agreed to be committed to working together and acting like a team."

"fine, don't share with me, but why didn't you discuss it first with teer, plosi, and concludion?"

Plosi:

”She— they didn’t have time.“

Lei:

*she sounds less angry and more hurt now*

"what the hell was the rush?"

Plosi:

“Kiono examined the situation— examined Anna— and then...?”

Ephemera:

*Ephemera sighs, the need for breath unneeded for anything but the effect.* "There isn't a reason I can give that would please you. It was a decision I made with many factors in an instant. I am sorry for the breach of trust."

Lei:

"do you regret it?"

Plosi:

“Sorry like ‘condolences’ or sorry like regret?”

Ephemera:

"I wouldn't apologize if I didn't...?"

Plosi:

“Are you sorry you did it or are you sorry we’re upset?”

“That’s, um— uncharitable, but you killed someone.”

Ephemera:

"Both, I suppose. I did not intend to cause you distress, nor did I set out to ignore our friendship."

Lei:

"if you had a do-over, would you do anything differently? be honest."

Ephemera:

"I'm curious what your definition of regret is if the answer is anything but yes."

*She sighs again.* "Sorry." *She is quiet a moment, then continues with resignation,* "Yes, I would do things differently."

Lei:

*lei is quiet for a long moment, then looks at teer*

Teer:

*Teer's back is to the wall. He's looking at the ground past the halberd.*

Lei:

*lei bites her lip, then speaks quietly* "we should--we should probably keep moving, we can't take too long or kiono--um. i'm...sorry for....losing my temper. i should have waited, um--"

Plosi:

“I-I feel like this is— better.”

Ephemera:

"I'm sorry," *She repeats. Another sigh, then somewhat bitterly at a volume that is as close to a mumble as possible via telepathy.* "If someone isn't upset, then I might have thought I had done something right in the Shadowfell."

Teer:

*Teer makes the mental equivalent of just texting someone a single question mark, but doesn't move.*

Lei:

*lei opens her mouth to speak, closes it, signs to teer and then realizes that isn't going to work, and message cantrips him instead.* "teer?"

Teer:

"Hm?"

Lei:

*message cantrip* "we should get--um....are you...okay?"

*mescan* "i'm...really sorry for losing my temper--i--"

Teer:

"I'm fine. Just... confused."

Lei:

*mescan* "um--are you...ready to start heading to jin-ri again?"

Plosi:

“Well, it’s— done now. It’s a thing that happened. History will be the judge.”

Lei:

*mescan* "if you want to, um, talk about it--"

*mescan* "i...have a lot i'm trying to think about, too, but i think--i think i would just get angry again if i focused on it..."

Teer:

"Right... Then maybe it is best if we kept moving," *Teer returns in message.*

Ephemera:

*Very intentionally ignoring Lei's multitude of spellcasting,* "We should indeed move forward. There's no telling what trouble Kiono may find herself in."

Plosi:

“Agreed. Thank you for telling us.”

Teer:

*Teer rights himself from the wall, still holding the upper portion of the halberd. He looks to his companions and waits.*

Lei:

*lei lingers on the halberd for a bit longer, then starts walking silently*

Ephemera:

*Once Lei has lost contact, Ephemera quietly says to Teer,* "We'll have to tell her about the Dark situation at some point..."

Teer:

"Oh, right." *Teer starts walking after Lei and presumably Plosi.* "We also have to fill in Kiono and Concludion, so we might as well wait until we've reunited," *he responds silently.*

Ephemera:

"They're not the ones I'm concerned about telling," *she mutters.*

Teer:

"Why? Because Lei tends towards panic at unknown variables?"

Ephemera:

"Decidedly so."

"It was a decision I made without fully considering the potential for it to go badly. It has *already* resulted in a question situation."

"Her anger is exhausting."

Teer:

"It didn't seem the situation with the Dark was much of a decision. Or are you referring to Anna?"

Ephemera:

"I meant the Dark, but Anna applies as well, I suppose."

Teer:

*Teer looks at Ephemera, but he is a robot and she is a halberd, so any exchange is unreadable.*

"I don't fully understand your decision."

Ephemera:

"To kill Anna, you mean?"

Teer:

"Yes."

Ephemera:

"I feel like that should be evident by now that I make decisions that are based too deeply in logic--" *She stops suddenly, a thought occurring rather rudely in the middle of her bitterness.*

*She is quiet, sorting her new thought with her previous ones. Eventually she says, very quietly,* "I have so many reasons for why. That time on this plane was too short to try. That we as a group would still be arguing now about it. To eliminate the risk of betraying Kiono, who I am dependent on."

*She sighs, then even more quietly,* "Kiono is my reason. I depend on her willingness to let me use her. I can't risk breaking trust with her..."

"...I made an emotional decision... a selfish one..."

Teer:

"Kiono was set on it? You're saying that is why you did it?" *Teer's voice is soft and hesitant.*

Ephemera:

*She is quiet a moment, adjusting to talking to someone instead of simply thinking out loud.* "She seemed so, yes. I can only guess at her reasoning, though I'm sure it is similar to the reasons I have thought of."

Teer:

*Teer glances away, and walks in silence for a bit.* "Maybe you knew the situation better. I'm not familiar with Yumia, or curses, or..."

Ephemera:

"I'm not so familiar with her myself," *she sighs, bitterness once again creeping into her voice.*

Teer:

"Perhaps she wouldn't have helped us. Perhaps we owe it to the people here in the wider world that we returned to fight on their behalf." *Teer pauses.* "But it seems strange for us to take such a route. I'm used to us always trying to do as much good as we can."

"Maybe, not always succeeding. But, trying." *He finishes lamely.*

Ephemera:

"We have guaranteed that Strahd's hold on Barovia is broken, returned it to where I presume it once resided on the prime material plane." *She grows quiet again.* "I can only hope that good outweighs the loss of an innocent life."

Teer:

*Teer nods hesitantly.*

Ephemera:

"I am... sorry, Teer... This is... only going to get worse from here."

Teer:

"What... do you mean?"

Ephemera:

*She sighs.* "Don't worry about it. Probably just negative thinking."

Teer:

*His grip on the halberd tightens slightly.* "Ephemera."

Ephemera:

*She can't look at Teer nervously out of the corner of her eye, but the emotion probably gets across anyway via telepathic link nonsense.*

Teer:

*He takes a moment, and then softly,* "I don't understand what happened today, but I trust your decision making. I'll just have to make my peace with that."

Ephemera:

*Ephemera is feeling all sorts of guilty. She is quiet for a very long moment, then whispers,* "Okay." *She is filled with regret for a lot of things.*

Teer:

*Teer looks at the halberd with the slightest head tilt, but says nothing. He doesn't have a stomach to churn, so he blames any sensations on Akaros.*

Ephemera:

*Ephemera is on the verge of saying something for probably the rest of the walk to Jin-ri's, which likely isn't long now. Just constantly opening her nonexistent mouth and closing it again, like a beached fish.*

"Standing by and watching is the same as doing it, right?" *She whispers oh so softly, like an echo of a thought in the far corner of Teer's mind.*

Teer:

*Teer nearly stops in his tracks.*

*The others get ahead a bit, lost in their conversation about dice games.*

"I... suppose. If you look at it that way."

*Teer seems unable to move.* "We're all complicit."

Plosi:

*Plosi looks back.* “Teer?”

Ephemera:

"No." *Her answer comes quickly, perhaps too sharply.*

"You cannot be complicit in something you are unaware of, don't know to stop."

Teer:

*He looks up at Plosi and walks quickly to catch up.* "Don't mind me. ...I thought I saw a cat," *he says aloud.*

Lei:

*lei also stops and looks back since plosi pulled her attention that way*

Plosi:

“Oh! Okay. Um, anyway, even if Queen Joy can’t supply them, we can always stop by Pollo Darbo...”

Ephemera:

*Ephemera is growing angry now. The lies never stop once they start.*

Teer:

*As if on cue,* "Why did I even say that." *Teer shakes his head.* "Anyway. I... We may not have known ahead of time, but, as a party we are one unit. Our actions reflect on each other, don't they? We may as well hold part of the responsibility."

Ephemera:

*Ephemera spaces out a little bit as she has a flash back per the DM.*

Gloom:

*The Light and the Dark were playing around the Dread Creator's mud ball, doing what approximating giggling for ethereal beings without lungs, in a void without air.*

*The enormity of Dread Creator had always made her uneasy- his undulating heads saw much and more, the gnashing of powerful jaws enough to snuff out any material essence in a single snap. It was difficult to tell where the many-headed hydra began and where it ended, he filled the entire expanse granted to them.*

***Such a curious little thing.*** *The roar of his voice filled her mind, he was not talking to her, but he was Talking.* ***It seems to have even more parasites each time I return here.***

*She balked, it was difficult to keep her head in his presence, her thoughts swam, but she latched onto one in particular,* "More? You did not make them?"

*The heads recoiled as if struck, or at least surprised, and fixated on her. She shrank under the weight of his gaze(s?)* ***I made all*** *The voices hissed* ***I Made YOU***

*It took her a moment to find her voice, such was the primal fear she felt under his scrutiny,* "Y-yes, o-of course, I did not mean-"

***You CANNOT 'MEAN'*** *He continued, the mass of the Dread Creator uncoiled,* ***You have no meaning, no PURPOSE, but what I give you.***

*She shrank back, as small as a formless concept could be, and merely waited as he seethed. Eventually, he calmed.*

***Look after them until my return*** *he said, still an edge in his voice. **Perhaps I will forge something new for you to occupy yourself with.** And then he was gone*

Ephemera:

"You hold no responsibility," *Ephemera says at length, a distracted note to her voice.* "I was the only one who could have done something about it, and I chose not to. Do not hold yourself responsible for my failings."

Teer:

*Teer makes a small noise of confusion.*

Ephemera:

*Ephemera sends her own question mark, then rereads her last message and sighs.*

"Teer, I..."

*She sighs again. RIP her.*

Teer:

"Isn't that how - no, I suppose this isn't - I keep thinking of things in terms of how I would a team of warforged. Isn't it better to shoulder such things as one, though? Or do people not work like that?"

Ephemera:

"I wouldn't know. I'm a halberd."

Teer:

"You're a person in the shape of a halberd," *he argues.*

Ephemera:

"I was *Time.* I was never a person."

"And even now, I am only a *part* of who I was."

Teer:

"R-Right..."

"No, wait, I thought - I thought the gods were just people, isn't that the *point?*"

Ephemera:

"Some were. Some of us were *blessed*—" *the **sarcasm** in the word* "—with having been directly created."

Teer:

"What difference does that make?"

Ephemera:

"Empathizing with the mortals takes a realization that it is lacking in the first place. Then a rewriting of everything they perceived about them in an attempt to gain that empathy. We were created without it, to see the mortals as simply playthings, toys for our own amusement."

*She sighs for the umpteenth time, trying desperately to take the angry edge from her voice.* "I'm missing so much more than they. What I had once gained, I lost and have barely begun to obtain again."

"I can't even feel properly about the death of Anna. I'm missing the parts of me that would... care more..."

"...or perhaps I'm not. Perhaps I've overstated the empathy I claim to have obtained at one time."

"No, I know I should feel more. Surely that is a sign that if I had those pieces of me that I would in fact feel them?"

*She's on a good ol' ramble and has forgotten she's talking to Teer.*

"A guilty conscience is a sign of the existence of that very conscience, even if it is incomplete."

Teer:

"You don't need emotions to have a conscience, and you aren't lesser for not feeling a particular way," *says Teer after a moment.* "And you can decide you're not a person, but that's an odd angle to take considering who you're talking to."

Ephemera:

*Ephemera once again comes back to the conversation. She gives a laugh, weak but extant.* "I'm sorry, I... I wish I could feel properly about this entire situation."

"A situation made worse every passing moment. I'm such a fool." *There's the anger once again.*

Teer:

*Teer readjusts so that he's carrying the halberd with both hands.* "You aren't. Now that the Dark is holding things in place, we can go get the rest of you. You'll get yourself back, Ephemera."

Ephemera:

*The guilt rushes in full force once more. If she drew breath, it would knock it right out of her. Hesitantly she says,* "Teer, I have no right to ask you this, but for Kiono's sake... Or... For the sake of... keeping the party together. Long enough at least to deal with Varren..."

*She falters. It's all so wrong.* "Don't tell Renn what... She'll never forgive me, but I must accept that. But Kiono was... I have to believe she was doing what she believed was right. Renn would never forgive Kiono. I..."

Teer:

"What? I don't understand. You were the one who - *Oh*."

Ephemera:

*She stops. She's rambling and she knows it. Why are the words so hard to say?* "Kiono killed Anna. I... I did nothing to stop her. I suppose I... approved of the decision. I hoped to defend Kiono for... selfish reasons." *She sighs again. Stop that, you don't breathe.* "Maybe I panicked in the moment, I don't know. I'm sorry."

Teer:

*Teer quietly tries to re-process the conversation they just had in his head.*

"Oh... Oh, that makes so much more sense."

Ephemera:

"???"

Teer:

"I had sort of thought, given the circumstances that perhaps Kiono had killed Anna. But then you said that you had, and I was trying to reconcile that with what I know of you as a person," *Teer says very calmly.*

*He's silent for a moment.*

"I stand by everything I said."

"Even if I wish you hadn't lied about it. I'm easy to take advantage of. For shame."

*There's a touch of humour in his voice, and a bit of melancholy.*

Ephemera:

*Happiness beats alongside a dull emptiness within Ephemera. Something has been lost, and she cannot mourn it properly.* "I'm sorry," *she repeats.* "I will endeavor not to let fear lead to such mistaken decisions again. I--"

*She frowns loudly.* "I fear the volatile reactions of a child."

Teer:

"I don't know. ...I don't think anger is an entirely misplaced reaction to have here." *Teer sighs internally.* "I don't, however, want to see the party fractured. I can't."

Ephemera:

*Ephemera is silent, contemplative.* "Is she truly a part of our party, or simply one of our tools who happens to be a person?"

Teer:

*Teer looks as slightly taken aback as a robot can.* "Who?"

Ephemera:

"Kiono. Renn and I have weathered anger on both sides. Perhaps we will recover, perhaps not. But... Besides your conversation about rubies and bodies - and perhaps there has been more when I've fallen in combat - I'm not sure when the last time was anybody truly spoke to Kiono."

"It's all business. The rituals, the asteroid. Did anybody besides Concludion talk to her after Kitano showed up? I sure didn't, not after I woke up."

Teer:

"I - I'm trying. We've only even known about her existence for a couple of weeks, and I spent the first week... being self-absorbed, I suppose..." *He trails off.*

"Is she alright? Is she lonely?"

Ephemera:

"We all have." *There is something approaching an attempt at comfort, but also self-reproach as she says,* "I don't know. I don't talk to her either."

Teer:

"But you... live in the same body. You never speak just to pass the time?"

*Teer looks down slightly at his own choice of wording.*

Ephemera:

"We are simply tools for the other to use." *It is a statement, a clinical observation. Then, somewhat softer,* "I should probably feel worse about it than I do."

Teer:

*Teer shakes his head.* "What do you think the party is? We're all here to try and help each other through their hardships. If Kiono had been trapped in the Shadowfell, do you think we wouldn't have gone after her just the same as Renn? Rituals or no rituals."

Ephemera:

*Ephemera is silent, doubtful. Softly, realizing her thoughts aren't going to help, and deciding something else is more important, she again asks,* "Who spoke to her after the disaster in Bromwich? I've never seen her so downright cheerful after an encounter with Kitano."

Teer:

"We all tried to be supportive, but it was Concludion who spent the majority of time with her," *he sounds confused.* "I wouldn't say she was cheerful, not until after the first night."

"Perhaps what she received from her visit to Noh brightened her spirits, she seemed much more focused after that," *he thinks out loud.*

Ephemera:

"I was... indisposed that first night," *she reminds him, bitter again. She keeps getting mad at herself.* "Maybe she's.... I don't know, changing more than I thought. Even Concludion has struggled to calm her in such a short time from what I've--"

*She stops abruptly at the mention of Noh.* ".....Is that where she got the stone from?"

Teer:

"Yes? I believe so. She came to me for the mirror."

Ephemera:

"I see. Perhaps the new focus helped her... She truly is changing in that case. I've seen her cowed by the simple memory of his presence for weeks afterwards."

Teer:

"She... was able to talk to me about him quite soon afterwards, though we didn't say much. Other than that she wants to avoid killing him." *Teer's thoughts are tossing around in his mind.*

"Perhaps it is getting easier for her."

Ephemera:

"Her whole reason for hiding behind me was her fear of him... An impressive step, if true. Perhaps..." *She pauses, considering new possibilities.* "Perhaps I have misjudged how much apart of the group she feels."

Teer:

"Perhaps..." *Teer watches Lei and Plosi as he walks. After a time, he says,* "I don't like keeping secrets. But if you feel this is important, I'll... remain silent on the matter."

Ephemera:

"I feel like it's the only way to give Kiono a chance. Thank you." *She isn't happy, but what else can she do.*

Akaros:

"Hey Teer, I have a question."*Akaros says privately to the robut.*

Teer:

*The robutt answers.* "Yes?"

Akaros:

"That guy y'all were talking to for awhile. The vampire...... Who was that?"

Teer:

"Who do you mean? *Strahd*?"

Akaros:

"Oh, *that* was Strahd?" *Akaros is quiet for a second.* "He lost some weight."

Teer:

"He mentioned you by *name*, and you didn't -" *Teer's fingers go up to the bridge of his wooden nose.* "I sometimes forget how little you pay attention to what's going on." *He says defeatedly.*

Akaros:

"A lot of people mention me by name. I'm famous, you know." *Akaros retorts* "Infamous. Whatever. Anyway I'm used to people calling my name and not actually expecting a measured response."

"Well, he seemed fine. Do you have any objections to these potions being organized by scent?"

Teer:

*Teer is suddenly very aware of Akaros' mere existence indirectly leading to everything that just happened.* "Go for it. Just leave the ones in my spine so I know what they are." *Pause.*

"Do different healing potions have a distinct scent?"

Akaros:

"Hmm, yes, but the ones made by different people are more distinct than different healing potions made by the same person."

Teer:

"Interesting. I'll take your word for it." *Teer sighs internally and shakes his left arm. There is a sad jingling of coin.* "We're going to need to buy some more, I think."

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