OOS 89

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Out of Session Chats
OOS 90 →

 Korrinoth 10, the party leaves Wolis via rented carriage to retrieve Concludion from Eddelton. It occurred between sessions 41 and 42. It is immediately followed by OOS 90 and 91.

## Transcript

Kiono:

*Sometime relatively early in the morning, but after they've been traveling for an hour or two, Kiono glances at Lei, then casts the Message cantrip.*

[mescan] "I was curious which of my few treasured memories you found yourself in the middle of in Donjon." *She seems genuinely curious.*

Lei:

*lei's expression flashes very quickly through surprise, then anger, then goes relatively neutral. there is a long pause as she studies kiono before responding. [mescan]* "why do you ask?"

Kiono:

*She looks like she is barely avoiding rolling her eyes.* [mescan] "Because I'm curious. They were my memories, after all."

Lei:

*[mescan]* "Ephemera was there. Why don't you ask her?"

Kiono:

[mescan] "It wasn't her experience to tell about."

Lei:

*lei's eyebrows scrunch up and she is quiet for another long moment. there are obviously more pauses than she normally creates in conversations.*

*[mescan]* "Why are you asking me using the message cantrip?"

Kiono:

*Her carefully-selected friendly expression twitches in annoyance, but by golly she's trying.* [mescan] "Why can't you answer the asked question and *then* ask your unrelated question?"

Lei:

*goes to respond immediately, but pauses again*

Kiono:

[mescan] "You never give straight answers, but expect them from others."

*She's being snarky, the jerk.*

Lei:

*mumbles out loud* "feelings mutual."

*[mescan] in an even tone, looking out the carriage window and obscuring her expression* "i don't understand why you're talking to me. what do you really want out of this?"

Kiono:

[mescan] "Not everything is about screwing you over. I thought for a minute maybe people didn't always suck."

*She pulls her knees to her chest and hugs them. She casts Lei an annoyed look and then looks away.*

Lei:

*if you could see lei's face, you'd see that she is super confused. she does not see kiono casting her an annoyed look because she is looking out the window. she pauses to see if kiono will mescan or say anything else.*

Kiono:

*She doesn't. Her cheek is on her knees, staring out the window on the opposite side. She's spinning the ring.*

Lei:

*[mescan]* "cabin with concludion."

Kiono:

*It takes a moment before she reacts, slowly raising her head and turning to look at Lei. Her eyes are a hair wide, and she is clearly processing some sort of thoughts. There is some surprise.* [mescan] "Oh."

Kiono:

*A beat.* [mescan] "I thought since the memories were twisted against us, you didn't want to potentially discuss... the twist out loud."

Lei:

*out loud* "Is that what you wanted?"

*still looking out the window*

*it's super bad manners and unladylike, but it's better than the alternative, lei thinks*

Kiono:

"I said 'potentially'," *Kiono mutters, turning back to her own window.*

Lei:

*lei turns around and looks at the halberd, hesitating for a moment before gingerly touching the weapon, just barely*

*directed at ephemera, but spoken out loud* "you can tell her whatever she wants to know about donjon."

Plosi:

“Is— is what? Are you two— Oh. Sorry.”

Ephemera:

*Ephemera responds to Lei,* "I'm not telling her about you. That's not how friendship works as far as I can tell."

Teer:

*Teer makes a somewhat inscrutable gesture, not having the subtleties of a face, and looks out the window.*

Lei:

*lei removes her hand from the halberd and looks back out the window*

*her face is very controlled as she does so*

"kiono was asking me about what i experienced during donjon." *to plosi, but that may not be obvious because lei is looking out the window*

Kiono:

*Also Kiono doesn't respond. She knows she isn't getting info from Ephemera about it.*

Plosi:

*Well, who else could she be talking to?* “O-Oh. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Coachman:

*The coach driver, an unassuming gentleman in a wide-brimmed hat and high-collared coat, tilts his head ever so slightly at the sudden sounds of conversation, but otherwise has no reaction.*

Lei:

"it's fine."

Plosi:

*Plosi scratches Scabacca’s ears and Burben’s antennae.*

Teer:

*Teer looks at his companions, before focusing on Kiono.* "What was it like being in a robot body?"

Kiono:

*Kiono slowly turns her head until she can see some part of Teer, then rests her chin on her knees and stares at the floor.* "I-it was.... weird. My senses were... weird. Some were... missing. No cold... or warmth."

Teer:

"Sometimes I would get temperature alerts for my root system, but yes, most of the time that sense would be inactive," *Teer muses.* "People have too many senses. When I was in Renn's illusion it was hard just to think."

Kiono:

"Illusion?" *She's asking a question despite knowing the answer she'll receive and knowing it will be an exhausting response, but she has to deal with this or she will explode. That is the tone of her question.*

Teer:

"Dreamscape? Donjon... place?" *Teer offers.*

Plosi:

“You were in her body, right?”

Teer:

"Y...es?"

Plosi:

*Plosi flutters his hand.* “Just because that’s an easier word. Her body, and her... Dreamscape Donjon Place. What about Mind Palace?”

Teer:

*Teer does the equivalent of opening and closing his mouth, which is just him raising a finger and putting it back down again.*

Lopmp”

*Kiono glances between the two, then realizes that nothing she says here can clarify any-dang-thing.*

Teer:

"I know what dreams are, that wasn't real," *Teer says with wavering confidence.*

"I imagine that it was what being in a person's body would really feel like though, because I was still in Renn's - oh my goodness."

*Teer seems to come to some sort of realization, and then just stops talking to look out the window.*

Kiono:

"That was real," *Kiono finally says, just needing to say it and hoping someone acknowledges it this time. Everyone being wrong has bothered her for so long. 'Please stop being wrong, guys.'*

Teer:

"It wasn't *real* real, though. It was really us and it was probably really Xelbari, but I am absolutely confident that no one has put on a disturbing play about us, and that Evelynn is alive," *he responds emphatically.*

Plosi:

“It may not have been literal, but it was real.”

Kiono:

"Oh. Yes, those were... I-I suppose illusions is a... a good enough word... But *we* were real. If... if Renn had drowned in my body, that... that would have..." *She pauses, contemplative. She muses quietly,* "I wonder if I would have been permanently shifted to her body, or if we would have been returned, so I would have been dead..."

Teer:

*Teer looks at Renn.*

Lei:

*lei is still looking out the window, her face still obscured*

Plosi:

“Kiono? Is there something you’d like to talk about?”

Kiono:

*She ceases her musings and glances at Plosi.* "About Donjon?"

Plosi:

“Not necessarily, but that’s what I thought.”

Teer:

"She... she was fine afterwards though," *Teer says quietly to himself, barely more than a whisper.*

Kiono:

*Kiono glances at Lei, then back at the floor. She looks frustrated a moment. She opens her mouth, closes it, and looks more frustrated. After a moment she says,* "I only remember feeling terrified of what came after Teer's memory. I... I could run, but after.... I could only hide behind the halberd. It w--"

*She tucks harder into her knees. She whispers to herself,* "What was it?"

Teer:

*Teer looks at her for a moment, tilts his head, and then perks up.* "Ah! Akaros, you were there, weren't you?"

*Teer makes a VCR tape rewind noise, not waiting for a response from Akaros and desperately looking for a distraction from thoughts of involuntary manslaughter.* "Do you mean after the tea party, Kiono?"

Kiono:

"Ah, y-yeah. When I tried to leave, it twisted and tried to keep me there." *She mutters into her knees,* "It was scary."

Plosi:

“That is frightening.” *Plosi validates.*

Teer:

"I was told the illusion of Evelynn turned into your brother, and then Akaros... ate him?"

Kiono:

*Kiono doesn't respond for a moment, then nods.*

Teer:

"Perhaps that was when it all broke down and you felt chased," *Teer offers.* "It was a... troubling experience for all of us."

Kiono:

"I..." *She seems to reconsider her words and shakes her head.* "I'm sure it was."

*She looks at the halberd and places a hand on it. Out loud she asks,* "What would your Donjon have looked like?"

Ephemera:

*Ephemera will wait to respond until whoever wants the response has a hand on her, then says,* "I did take control of Kiono's body from Renn towards the end. Yumia and Meyrin tried to stop me from leaving." *She chuckles.* "I didn't have any idea who they were at the time, so it didn't have much effect."

Teer:

*Teer nods in response. His foot is touching the halberd from the floor.* "Do you think it would have changed anything? Had you remembered them?"

Ephemera:

"Hm. I suspect not. I had a task, and it wasn't truly them."

Teer:

*He nods again, and looks out his window.*

Ephemera:

"Whatever happy memory it pulled would have been entirely unknown to me," *she muses, chuckling again.*

Teer:

*Teer projects the memory of punching Adrienne Worthing in the face, but only to Ephy.*

Ephemera:

*She laughs, loud and happy, only to Teer.* "I suppose that could be what happened if we went there now."

Lei:

*[lei isnt touching the halberd]*

Plosi:

*The squire is.*

Teer:

*Teer makes a quiet whirring noise to himself.*

Lei:

*lei starts fiddling with her hair length and style a bit.*

*after a long silence from kiono, lei assumes ephy and kiono are perhaps done conversing. she tries to sneakily message cantrip kiono.*

*[mescan]* “i am asking quietly because i don’t want to risk upsetting teer. do you have a knife scar on your chest?”

*her thought tone is very even*

Kiono:

*Kiono's gaze snaps to Lei, confused and maybe just a hair annoyed. She shifts quickly to puzzle solving mode and the expression is replaced by thoughtful curiosity. Still hiding behind her knees she responds,* [mescan] "For a time. It wasn't a dramatic injury and healed quickly."

*A beat.* [mescan] "Your twist turned violent, then?"

Lei:

*her hair length at this point probably helps with obscuring her face and hands as she looks out the window. [mescan]* “yes. glad it healed quickly.”

Ephemera:

*Ephemera, meanwhile, says,* "I do wonder what good memory it would have pulled for me, though. I can think of a couple now it might have been."

Teer:

"From before?" *asks Teer.*

Ephemera:

"Indeed. I didn't have many, ah, more modern memories it might have pulled, and the whole of time to choose from."

*She considers a moment, then says,* "I think... Heh, well. It was the middle of an apocalypse. The first Tiamat flew overhead, and we were overlooking the wreckage of a great metal city. But my best friend and I had ice cream together amid the wreckage."

"Even during the apocalypse they sometimes stop fighting to eat ice cream and relax," *she says softly.*

Teer:

*Teer tries to quiet his whirring.* "Your best friend?" *he asks, after a moment.*

Ephemera:

"Lysaro's predecessor. The first god of death." *She pauses.* "My dearest friend."

Teer:

"Oh..." *Teer takes a second to process.* "I didn't know that Lysaro was not the first. Were they more..." *he searches for a word.* "agreeable? Than he is?"

Ephemera:

"He's never been.... *friendly*, but it's not like he--" *She begins, defensive, then sighs.* "Yes, technically she was, I suppose."

Lei:

*lei continues fiddling with her hair, shortens it a bit and lightly taps plosi sitting next to her*

Plosi:

“Hm?”

Lei:

“think it’d be possible to sit on the roof of the carriage?”

“i mean, dort did it, so—“

Plosi:

“Oh. Oh, yes, um— sorry. Of course.”

*Plosi unbuckles himself and starts climbing out.*

Lei:

*lei climbs out too*

Teer:

"Woah - wait what are you -"

"Be careful! Don't hurt yourselves!"

Lei:

*as she’s halfway out the window* “getting some fresh air. tap the roof if you need us.”

*yeet. to the roof.*

Plosi:

“Wait, you’re coming too?”

Teer:

*Teer glances at the halberd as if she's capable of objecting.*

Lei:

*brief pause* “if that’s okay.”

Ephemera:

*Ephemera sends the approximate emotions of a shrug to Teer.*

Coachman:

"She'll hold." *The Coachman says, indicating that he's totally been listening in on the conversation.*

Plosi:

*Out we go. The squire clambers onto the roof, possibly with Burben’s help, and offers Lei a hand up.*

Lei:

*lei could definitely use the hand up, and does*

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