050.5 Aaeru and Arachiel

[Corwin]

[21:59] <Kotono> Drink flows. Arachiel and Aaeru feel good as they eat and drink. Lyris is with them, as is Silver. The four are currently sitting down a moment and drinking, Lyris reclining back. Despite the chill in the air it bothers none of you, the bonfires shedding warmth all over. "Aaaah..." Lyris sighs as she looks up at the stars.
[21:59] * Arachiel nods. "This is nice."
[22:00] * Aaeru just keeps quiet and to herself, lying on her back with a view of the stars.
[22:01] <Kotono> "Now I just want to go find someone interesting," Lyris says ina  relaxedly hungry voice, "Someone tall, in good s hape, with a cute smile..."
[22:04] <Arachiel> "Why tall?" Arachiel asks, watching Ulysses quietly tear into a handful of raw salmon.
[22:07] <Aaeru> "Why not?" Aaeru asks, drinking-- she had lost count which mug it is, by now.
[22:07] <Kotono> "I like tall men. They're stronger and that's nice," With a sloppy smile, "A taller man can hold you up so you can do it wrappeda round him while he's standing. It's nostalgic..." Trailing off, "Got interrupted with a boyfriend one time in the middle of it, and I was doing that as he cast spells and I threw darts at are assailants. We didn't even have time to untangle or stop." Taking another
[22:07] <Kotono> drink and staring off at the sky, "It's too bad he caught an arrow in the face two days later."
[22:09] * Aaeru doesn't really know what to say to that.
[22:09] <Arachiel> "It wasn't one of mine." Arachiel shakes her head, not really following what Lyris is talking about.
[22:13] <Kotono> "Yeah," Lyris grins at it, still looking up and off. "You two are lucky, aren't you? Most mercenary work is closer to Senaril than this. You piss people off, people who won't hesitate to have your throat slit and your body dumped in an alley." She goes for another drink, "You're lucky too, Silver. I know people who would take you in their fist and keep squeezing until you popped."
[22:14] <Kotono> "I'd like to see them try," Silver sniffs, crossing her arms and glowering.
[22:15] <Aaeru> "Really?" Aaeru asks, perking up just the instant before her brain catches up. "Oh. You're joking."
[22:16] * Arachiel looks at Silver weirdly. "I don't think she'd pop very well."
[22:16] <Aaeru> "You never know!"
[22:16] <Kotono> "No, I'm not," Lyris says, casting a gaze at Aaeru. "Balmuria's safe. The rest of the world...?" A long trail off and a shrug, "Mercenaries aren't the kindest folks around. Which is why I'm grateful I'm here with you, and why..." Stretching and lying back on the cold sands, "I want to have some fun tonight."
[22:16] <Arachiel> "Besides, that's mean."
[22:17] <Kotono> "Try it and die," Silver smiles sweetly, "I'll bend you back so far that you'll be able to kiss your own feet."
[22:18] <Aaeru> "That's nice," Aaeru tells Silver, before ignoring her as she tends to. "I... guess I can help you look for tall guys?" she suggests to Lyris. "Wanna go? We can fly around if you want."
[22:19] * Arachiel really looks at Silver. "Why are you so angry all the time, anyway?"
[22:19] <Kotono> Snapping her fingers, "That's a thought. We can fly down and sweep someone off his feet," Lyris says, "How about we all go flying!"
[22:19] <Arachiel> "Oh, I miss flying!" Arachiel abruptly changes direction.
[22:19] <Kotono> Silver sticks her tongue out at Arachiel, "Oh I don't know, why don't you guess?"
[22:20] <Arachiel> "If you were nice, people would be nice back!"
[22:20] * Aaeru counts in her mind. "Yeah, I think I can do that. We're leaving Silver behind, right? Because I don't wanna fly with her. I think she doesn't wanna fly with me, so that makes sense."
[22:22] <Kotono> "Thirded," Lyris says, as Silver crosses her arms and glares. "Well," she says, "I'll just go listen to Josa trying to charm some innocent thing into his grasp."
[22:23] * Arachiel shakes her head in exasperation.
[22:24] <Aaeru> "Whatever." Aaeru steadies herself on Lyris and Archie as she imbues the three of them with flight, before finishing her current drink and rising shakily into the air. "Working with her's already, like, too much for me. Actually spending time, you know, outside work? I think some suffering's just not fair, y'know?"
[22:25] <Arachiel> "I don't understand why she's so mean all the time! I try to be nice to her, and she can fly! She's got nothing to complain about!"
[22:26] <Aaeru> "Don't care, don't wanna care. I, like, didn't really forget she tried to kill us and Josa when I met her. Sure, she said it was a game but I was really cut! With a sword!"
[22:27] <Kotono> "Such a bitter creature," Lyris observes, "That's exactly what she deserves..." At that she frowns, watching Silver flutter off. "It's not like she deserves anyone helping her."
[22:27] * Arachiel blinks. "Maybe she's evil." Arachiel concentrates, floating into the air with a bit of a wobble. "Wooh"
[22:28] <Arachiel> "Everyone deserves help, even evil people! You can fix evil with enough caring! I know it!"
[22:29] * Aaeru gives Lyris a look. "You mean like people treating her like a friend? Like we did?"
[22:30] <Kotono> Lyris meets that look evenly, "Maybe I can help her beyond just that," Lyris says, witha  defiant shrug, "I didn't deserve it when it happened to me, either."
[22:32] <Aaeru> "Fine," Aaeru says tiredly. "You two... go and do that. I'll go train myself not to breath or something. Later." She starts flying towards the water on her own.
[22:33] * Arachiel scratches her head. "Mortals confuse me sometimes."
[22:34] <Kotono> Lyris crosses her arms and watches Aaeru go, then sighs, "Yeah." After a beat, "Hold on, Aaeru!" she calls.
[22:35] <Aaeru> "What?"
[22:37] * Arachiel hesitates a moment, then waves goodbye to her bear. "Bye Ulysses! Be good! If you get bored, go find Josa!" The bear grunts an affirmative as he munches on fish. With that, Arachiel flies off after the two girls. "Wait for me!"
[22:37] <Kotono> Lyris goes to catch up with her, "Don't go off and do that," she says, shaking her head, "How about we go find Neveril, then?"
[22:40] <Aaeru> "This party sucks and everything about it and it's my fault since I suggested it anyway," Aaeru tells Lyris in frustration. "We've been arguing, like, all the time since it came up. And it's a dumb idea since I'm the only one not cold anyway. And that bad guy showed up. And creepy things I don't remember happened." She shudders. "And whatever I do people look at me like I'm a bitch and maybe I am and I don't even know where Neve is all this time and I'll just go drown myself a bit. You should, dunno, go hug Silver one more time and then she won't be such an ass to everyone because if you're horrible to people that means it's some kinda disease and you have to be, like redeemed or something and you can't be born a nasty person or anything. So, like, I'll go sulk and you can sulk along or you can go and have fun or whatever, okay?"
[22:43] <Arachiel> "Umm...nobody's having a bad time, the crazy guy got what he deserved, nobody's really cold, this party is great!" Arachiel says.
[22:43] <Kotono> Lyris crosses her arms with a bit of a smile, "Not a happy drunk, are you?" she observes coolly, not batting an eyelash. "Aaeru," she says, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder, "Let's go have some fun then."
[22:44] <Aaeru> "I'm anti-fun. I'm a bad person. I can't have fun. I choke fun to death."
[22:46] <Kotono> "Oh bullshit," Lyris rolls her eyes, "Stop feeling bad for yourself." Squeezing Aaeru's shoulder, "Let Arachiel and I help you have some fun."
[22:48] <Aaeru> "You're just saying that cause I'm whining," Aaeru whines at Lyris, draping herself over her.
[22:48] <Kotono> "Yes, and you sound like a bleating girl instead of an adult having fun," Lyris pats Aaeru's back, "So c'mon. We're all gonna get another drinka nd have some fucking fun. You two with me?"
[22:49] <Aaeru> "My mom told me that's only for when you're alone."
[22:49] <Arachiel> "Yeah, we could always go find some of those people that Lyris was talking about and hold onto them while throwing darts!" Arachiel waggles her eyebrows. "It shounds fun!"
[22:50] <Kotono> Lyris cracks a smile, before glancing at Arachiel and starting to laugh. It's a helpless laugh, shaking her head back and forth. "Maybe Neveril and Aaeru can do THAt stunt."
[22:50] <Arachiel> "Yeah!"
[22:51] <Aaeru> "Oh do it with your bear," Aaeru mutters, allowing Lyris to guide her through the air. "Hmph. And what's with Silver anyway? Like there's more I could try? Like what? Get insulted again, after all the other times? If I, like, keep on smiling when she does it she'll, what, come around?"
[22:52] <Arachiel> "We'll need to figure out a way to make her not so...complainy? What's the word?"
[22:53] <Kotono> "I don't think words or friendship are it," Lyris says seriously as you fly above the beach. A few people look up and point, but Lyris doesn't stop. "As fara s I gather, the entire summoning was botched. We need to find a way to free her. At worst, it gets her out of our hair. At best, maybe it gets through to her and removes her source of anger."
[22:53] <Kotono> "Bitchy," Lyris shoots back, "Bitchy's the word."
[22:54] <Aaeru> "I tried! I asked!" Aaeru throws her hands up. "I begged Josa! I tried with Silver! They don't wanna even talk about it, and when I offer, like, helping them break it or fix it they refuse! I can't force them! They might even secretly like it or something!"
[22:55] <Arachiel> "Bitchy! Good word!" Arachiel nods. "Maybe she doesn't like it, or she doesn't want to, but she secretly does, and she doesn't like that she likes it, so she takes it out on all of us?"
[22:56] <Kotono> "Something like that. Which is why we don't ask them. We ask someone who knows, someone who's an expert in fey and familiars," Lyris replies, growing deeper in thought. "We can't attack the problme head on that way, so we attack it from an angle."
[22:56] <Arachiel> "We need a wizard!"
[22:57] * Aaeru just sobs at this. "So, like, you need someone into arcane magic, who has a familiar and is around fey so much she might, like, be treated like one by them?"
[22:57] <Kotono> Lyris stops, wincing and rubbing her forehead. "Dammit all," she mutters, "That's not what I meant!"
[22:58] * Arachiel looks confused. "Why are you crying?"
[22:58] <Aaeru> "I'm a failure, a good for nothing failure!"
[22:59] <Arachiel> "No?"
[23:00] <Kotono> Lyris facepalms and groans, "You are not a failure!" she snaps, "Just...argh. Fuck!" That comes out as a heated curse, "Aaeru, calm down and put the depression away."
[23:01] <Aaeru> "I'm not smart enough and not friendly enough and not... something, I dunno, but you just need someone like me but better and you see how I'm just sulking and you'll be too if you're with me so you should just go and have fun on your own...."
[23:02] <Kotono> "Exactly. You're a complete failure of a woman, a warrior, a sorceress, a lover, a helper, a fighter and a friend." Exhaling a long sigh, "See how silly that sounds? You're being irrational. It's just the ale talking."
[23:03] <Aaeru> "I'm, like failing more than I thought," Aaeru says in dismay, although that does stop her piteous crying.
[23:03] <Aaeru> "As a woman? Really? Really?"
[23:03] <Kotono> Patting Aaeru's shoulder another time, "I was making a point," she says archly, "Of course you aren't a failure as a woman."
[23:04] <Arachiel> "I'm not very smart either! You guys are much smarter than me when it coes to all this! If it weren't for you, we'd all be dead, Aaeru! People respect you! They know you! You're so important to a lot of people! Even Veserya came to Balmuria just to meet you, right? See? Important! Not a failure. I've seen good people fail. It's sad. Very sad. You're not a failure!"
[23:05] <Kotono> "Besides," With a note of dryness in her voice, "How often has Neveril screamed your name? I'm fairly sure that those calls mean you're not a failure at that."
[23:06] <Aaeru> "Y'know, I do have pride," Aaeru admits. "A tiny bit, but I do. It's about, like, stuff I did, or stuff I wanna do." She colors a bit. "I guess I have a bit more pride than that, too."
[23:07] <Kotono> "Then have pride." Lyris shrugs again, "Stop eating yourself  up inside with insecurities. They're a damned waste of time."
[23:07] * Arachiel just kind of glazes over Lyris' comment there, since it really makes no sense. "Pride is good! Pride in yourself and your own accomplishments!"
[23:09] <Aaeru> "I'll help, you know," Aaeru says suddenly, turning towards Lyris. "If you really have an idea. If it's not just doing the same thing that's failed already over and over. I'll be there." She turns towards Archie next. "Too much pride is, like, bad. But yeah! Better pride than, like, money!" She shudders at that.
[23:10] * Arachiel shrugs. "Temperance is good too. Balance!"
[23:10] * Aaeru waves her hand dismissively. "Boring!"
[23:12] <Arachiel> "Good to see you're feeling better!" Arachiel smiles sunnily.

[Corwin]

[20:52] <Kotono> "If I come up with something, I will," Lyris says, and then after some thought, "So how about we go find Neveril?"
[20:54] * Arachiel nods. "Sounds good!"
[20:56] <Kotono> roll 1d100
[20:56] * Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d100 and gets 88." [1d100=88]
[21:01] <Kotono> roll 1d20+22
[21:01] * Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+22 and gets 33." [1d20=11]
[21:01] <Kotono> You wander. You see people here - Sinnah is noted, talking to Josa as you pass by. The two are laughing together over something or another. Farther along, a small cluster of rough-looking sorts are together, drinking and laughing. But all of this pales as yo ucome ahead. There is a small crowd, as you hear it. Neveril's voice is pure and beautiful, echoing up to the night sky like the leaping
[21:01] <Kotono> tendrils of flame.  The crowd stands in rapture, listening to her every word.
[21:03] * Aaeru wouldn't dream of interrupting, and she is a hundred years too early before she can try to perform alongside Neve. All she can do is listen and marvel at how much Neve has changed from the woman who wanted to avoid crowd just as this one.
[21:04] * Arachiel smiles. "She has such a nice voice!"
[21:06] * Aaeru mirrors that smile. "She has a nice everything."
[21:08] <Kotono> "I'm sure," Lyris listens quietly to all of it, as the song winds on and on. In a low voice, "She's extrodinarily talented."
[21:10] <Kotono> As the song wraps up, cheers and clapping follows! Neveril bows once and hurries around them, coming towards Aaeru and company! "Did you like it," she inquires with a breathless little smile, "They all did."
[21:10] <Aaeru> "Totally!" Aaeru affirms, clapping with the rest. Cheering Neve on is something she won't lose at to anyone!
[21:10] <Arachiel> "It was great!"
[21:16] <Kotono> With a small bow to them, "Thanks." After a beat, "Aaeru, you didn't bring me a drink, by any chance?"
[21:17] * Aaeru snaps her fingers. "No! But! I can do that!" She zooms away at the order.
[21:21] <Kotono> As Aaeru's off Lyris sighs and calls, "Bring me back something strong! Arachiel too!" In a lower voice after as Aaeru goes off, "Aaeru's not in the best mood. I'm going to get her drunker and find something to cheer her up. Any ideas, you two?"
[21:21] * Arachiel shakes her head. "I'm afraid I don't know everybody as well as I'd like."
[21:23] <Kotono> "If worst comes to worst, I have a way," Neveril vows.
[21:24] <Kotono> Lyris looks to the two of them and exhales slightly, "Okay then, we'll settle on getting really drunk and making it up as we go along."
[21:24] * Arachiel nods cheerily.
[21:26] * Aaeru returns in good time, her arms laden with alcohol!
[21:29] <Arachiel> "Alright!"
[21:30] <Kotono> Drinks are taken, Lyris slamming hers down in one gulp. Licking her lips after, "Just like that, you three," she says, "Drink with some passion!"
[21:30] <Kotono> Neveril takes hers and takes a dainty sip, looking over the top of her mug. She starts to say something and shrugs instead, starting to drink deeply.
[21:31] * Aaeru offers Archie hers, before drinking from the remaining one.
[21:32] * Arachiel copies Lyris, taking the offered drink and slamming it down!
[21:33] <Kotono> It's strong stuff - faintly fruity beer of some type, with a good kick. Once drank down, "C'mon. That's a good warmup. There's a game mercenaries play, I'll teach it to you three." Lyris says with a little smirk, a hand on her hip, "I'm the grand champion of it, so you'll learn from the best."
[21:33] <Arachiel> "Okay!"
[21:34] * Aaeru nods her agreement.
[21:36] <Kotono> Lyris leads the four of you along to one of the booze stations, getting four bottles. She goes to sit near a bonfire at the edge of the beach, the waves lapping at the shore just feet away. She sits back, passing everyone a bottle. "The game is called Chug. You get four bottles and drink it as fast as you can. The person who finishes last has to pay for all four and for any other drinks for the
[21:36] <Kotono> rest of the night."
[21:36] <Kotono> Neveril gives Lyris a sidelong look at that, "That's a very simple game."
[21:36] <Aaeru> "And we're not, like, paying for it."
[21:37] <Arachiel> "So it's all fun, then!"
[21:37] <Aaeru> "But how do you win?"
[21:37] <Kotono> "So we do need something for the loser to do to make up for it. Suggestions," Lyris looks to them in turn.
[21:37] <Kotono> "The winners are the three who finish before the loser," Lyris says, "Winning means you get to drink for free."
[21:38] <Aaeru> "So, like, we need a penalty game?"
[21:39] <Kotono> "I think the point is that we need something for the loser to do?" Neveril says, "Sort of like losing a bet and having to do something?"
[21:39] <Kotono> "Close enough," Lyris shrugs, as meanwhile Veserya and Balyss emerge from the waves. They're able to see the four sitting at the bonfire, boozebottles in hand.