Sekhmet offers a round of drinks when you make it back to the tavern, which is so unlike them -
No. No, it's exactly what Jules would have done, once they knew that the rent was paid up, the fridge was full, and there was enough after this to sock away for an emergency. It's not that this isn't like them; it's that this is the first time they've had cause to relax or celebrate since they got to Mundus, and they'll be damned if they pass it up.
So you take them up on it, getting the apple cider - cool, refreshing, sweet and hard - which is also Sekhmet's choice, along with some nuts and cheese. Ace requests "to be hit in the fucking head by fruit" and soon has a glass of sangria, heavy on ginger, orange and strawberry; Hikaru has a dark sherry and makes jokes about inviting us down to the basement to sample the rest of the cask, and Alesha does more thoughtful swirling of her white wine than she does drinking.
You have to talk to her.
About... about a lot of things, including assuring her that she did fine but
also who you...
Who you think you
are, now. She can't keep calling you Jake, or sequestering you from Ace for the sake of a girl's space, or... any of that.
As night falls proper, and all of you are still wired and restless, and Sekhmet goes 'fuck it' and adds some cold cuts and pickles to the table, Hikaru peels away first - citing overstimulation, and his "need to slow my thoughts down with some reading if I'll ever sleep," and then Alesha sighs and says she's going to go for a walk for some fresh air, and asking who wants to join her.
She's a little surprised when you do.
guts+composure said:
So are you, for that matter. But... it needs to happen, and it needs to happen in private. This isn't a callout. It's a clarification.
You take a deep breath, and look up at more stars than you ever remember, and can't pick out any constellations you recognize.
"Can you pick out any constellations?" you ask her.
"None from Earth," she says, sighing. "We really are far from home. All of us."
"Yeah," you say, because what else can you?
You circle the block together in silence, passing the dim glow of candles and oil lamps, gleaming on the water of the fountain spilling from the statue of Flamma's cauldron; see the brightest stars, which glow colors. Not stars at all, then? Planets?
"Look -" you start - and Alesha holds up her hand.
"You saved me from making a mistake," she says. "A very costly mistake. I
should have seen what was going on but I just... treated someone as stupider than they were and that's not acceptable."
You blink.
"Leesh," you say, softly. "It's okay. We got our ride. We made a friend. One mistake isn't the end of the world; you'll do better next time."
Advice you could stand to take more often yourself, yes, but that doesn't make it less
true.
"I know," she says. "I
know that. It's just, a trap. Some part of me wants to think these are NPCs, that this is still just a game, that this isn't as
real as it is. And that's dangerous, and unfair to the Mundanes. A particular
kind of uncharitable that I should know better than."
"O...kay?" You've never seen her beat herself up like this before and it frankly worries you. "You did fine, Leesh. This came from a good place and like -"
You reach out and lay a hand on her shoulder, and see that shoulder drop as Alesha lets out the breath she was holding.
"...right," she says. "Right. No sense beating myself up for it, I'll get plenty beat up anyway."
"That's... less funny to me than you might have been going for," you mutter. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about anyway."
"...Oh."
int+empathy+flammite said:
She seems genuinely surprised by that.
How much has Alesha been bottling up, anyway?
"What, uh, what did you want to talk to me about, Jake?" she says.
You wince.
She
notices, and stops walking, and you hold up your hand. Square your breathing, drop your shoulders.
"...so I don't
blame you for not realizing about... god, it's been less than two weeks since we washed up on the Shores... about three days after I did," you say.
"Oh god," she says, burying her head in her hands. "Christ almighty."
You wince but keep going. You
need to spell this out. "But between, uh -"
There's no way to finish that sentence without outing
someone, so you don't.
"But I've been... thinking about how much more,
comfortable, I've been in Deedee's skin since I arrived," you say. Deep breathing, two seconds square, like Dad taught you, Deedee.
You hear Alesha hiss breath past her clenched teeth.
"...which put a lot of things IRL into perspective," you sigh. "I'm. I'm probably trans, Leesh. You deserve to know that, because I
know you wouldn't have said half the stuff you did to me if you
had known that."
There's a moment of unbearable tension, of silence interrupted only by rushing wind and distant animals; barking dogs, bleating sheep, lowing cows.
aura+rapport+sylphani said:
And then she laughs.
"Uh?" you say, helpfully.
It starts tense and unhinged, but only for a moment before it becomes actual sweet laughter, golden bells tolling out mirth.
And then she's hugging you, and you aren't sure why, but it
is nice, and hugging her back seems like a good enough idea so you may as well?
"I should have known," she says, chuckling then sighing in your ear. "I... should have listened to the feeling. But, well."
"Didn't want to assume?" you ask.
"It's tricky," she says, still holding you. "And I'm sorry. And I'm... glad, so glad, you still felt like you could tell me."
Then she slid apart from you. And for a moment, there's a twinge, and you wish she hadn't; But then the moment's gone.
"So... yeah," you say. "Trying on she and her, and
this," and you gesture to your chest and she laughs again.
"And what should I call you?" she asks, her hand under her chin. "Do you have a name in mind?"
You blink. "No, just... Deedee, right now."
She nods. "Sure. Might be a better one when you get back."
You... manage to smile. "I'll burn that bridge after I cross it, Leesh."
"Of course," she says, sweeping a lock of hair behind her ear. You think her face fell, a little, just then. "Who can I tell?"
You shrug. "I mean... the party should be fine, and we
want people we meet to assume I'm just Deedee," you say. "I'll loop everyone else in."
It's not like there
is anyone else in the party that doesn't know.
She smiles at you, and you have to take a step back at it. "Thank you for walking with me, Deedee," she says.
And that feels
incredible. "Thanks for inviting me," you say.
And then, wordlessly, you both agree to circle back to the inn, and to sleep; so you all can awaken ready for your first proper adventure.
End of volume 2, chapter 3.
These votes are for the upcoming chapter as a whole, not just the next update.
When we need to make a detour, we should go:
[] [DETOUR] Through the woods.
(Uses a guide's Guts+Survival+Thornite, with combat if you fail.)
[] [DETOUR] Down a riverboat.
(Uses Sekhmet's Intuition+Stewardship, with a setback if you fail.)
[] [DETOUR] Up a hill.
(Uses Alesha's Muscle+Athletics+Auroran, with exhaustion if you fail.)
When we need to stop at an inn, we should get on the village's good side by:
[X] [INN] Learning and participating in the harvest rites.
(Mandatory; vote for this and one other. Uses Deedee's Aura+Mysticism.)
[] [INN] Participating in the festival games.
(Uses Ace's Dexterity+Athletics.)
[] [INN] Helping with a broken machine.
(Uses Hikaru's Intuition+Science+Gnomic.)
[] [INN] Banking on the good name of Tayeb.
(Uses Tayeb's Aura+Rapport.)
We'll spend free time training, and talking with (Approval voting, best three win, there are more opportunities to talk than these):
[] [TALK] Ace. I really need to thank her for helping me, and teach her a little char-op.
[] [TALK] Alesha. Things are still tense and she needs to know she's doing fine, and can lean on me a bit.
[] [TALK] Hikaru. I like him, and he knows more about this world than the rest of us combined.
[] [TALK] Sekhmet. We should catch up more with our roommate, and take a look at our finances while we're at it.
[] [TALK] Tayeb and Shadi. This trip wouldn't be possible without them, and they've made this trip before; they know the way.
CHARGE CHANCE: Our combat tactics should be:
[] [CHARGE] Write-in combat tactics given what you know about the party. We will be gaining an archer, as well as two non-combatants and a supply cart we can't afford to lose. Ask me any questions you need about this. The best plans will be discussed ICly with Warmaster Alesha.
Also, I will need the following rolls:
Int+Perception, TN opposed, three times.
Mus+Athletics, TN 13
Int+Lorewise, TN 11
Aura+Mysticism, TN 15
Int+Healing, TN 11
Vote opens in an hour, and closes on Wednesday at 5 PST. New update hopefully next Saturday.
Oh, and I'll add 2 Tension for last Charge Chance, and IC'ly explain Hikaru's reasoning for naming the Caer next update.
