#rp logs

[saffron-slash]

Would you ever be willing to show more of the original rp screenshots? They're cool to read!!

You might get a kick out of this out-of-context exchange from one of our old logs... (solid 50/50 chance this ends up in the comic in some form lol)

[littlebhaalstain]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Baldur's Gate (Video Games) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: The Dark Urge/Enver Gortash Characters: The Dark Urge (Baldur's Gate), Enver Gortash Additional Tags: Named Dark Urge (Baldur's Gate), Tiefling Dark Urge (Baldur's Gate), Male Dark Urge (Baldur's Gate), Past The Dark Urge/Enver Gortash, Soft The Dark Urge/Enver Gortash, Angst, Rough Sex, Sorcerer Dark Urge (Baldur's Gate), Spoilers for Quest: The Urge | The Dark Urge Storyline (Baldur's Gate), Rogue Dark Urge (Baldur's Gate), Minor Astarion/The Dark Urge (Baldur's Gate), The Dark Urge Needs a Hug (Baldur's Gate), Artificer Enver Gortash, Enver Gortash Needs a Hug, Soft Enver Gortash, The Dark Urge Needs Therapy, The Dark Urge Also Needs to be Medicated, Warning: The Dark Urge (Baldur's Gate), emotionally fragile dark urge, Enver Gortash Being an Asshole, Roleplay Logs, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Not Beta Read, Consensual But Not Safe Or Sane, Emotional Infidelity, TBI | Traumatic Brain Injury, Bloodplay, Sadism, Masochism, sex as payment, The Dark Urge Has a Tail (Baldur's Gate) ‎, The Dark Urge has a martyr complex, Canon-Typical Violence, Self-Indulgent Summary:

Maelstrom turned his head away, briefly, in a vain attempt to hide the familiar twitching in his jaw. “All you would want in return for saving my friend’s life is my company.”

"Yes." His voice dropped slightly lower, as he added, "Your… close company."

“You’re not making sense.” He glared down at Gortash. “Her life is in your hands. You could demand anything of me. You know precisely what kind of devastation I could rain down on any of your enemies. Yet all you want to do is fuck me?” It was such a ludicrous proposition Mael couldn’t even be offended as he rightfully should. “I can’t possibly be that good.”

  Canon-divergent AU. Gortash possesses the one thing The Dark Urge wants most, and he is happy to provide it. The only price he asks in return is his Bhaalspawn's 'company'.

[durgetrashbrainrot]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

For funsies, @littlebhaalstain and I decided to share our rp shenanigans. 😇

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Baldur's Gate (Video Games) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: The Dark Urge & Enver Gortash, The Dark Urge/Enver Gortash Characters: The Dark Urge (Baldur's Gate), Enver Gortash Additional Tags: Roleplay Logs, Past The Dark Urge/Enver Gortash, Minor The Dark Urge/Gale (Baldur's Gate), Angst, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Soft Enver Gortash, Soft Dark Urge (Baldur's Gate), Self-Indulgent, POV Alternating, Named Dark Urge (Baldur's Gate), Male Dark Urge (Baldur's Gate), Tiefling Dark Urge (Baldur's Gate), The Dark Urge Resists the Urge (Baldur's Gate), Sorcerer Dark Urge (Baldur's Gate), Paladin Dark Urge (Baldur's Gate), Artificer Enver Gortash, Anger Management, Survivor Guilt, Guilt, Other Additional Tags to Be Added Series: Part 1 of Roleplaying Logs Summary:

Igarak's expression darkened. "So you merely said you could fix her to save your own skin, but in truth, you have no idea?"

“That is categorically not what I said.” Indignation made Gortash's tone brusque; it had been a long time since anyone other than Orin had dared to question his capabilities. “You’re asking a surgeon to treat a patient sight-unseen. How is one supposed to diagnose a problem without ever examining the afflicted? I cannot give you specifics, but I can tell you no one in Faerûn is better equipped for this job.”

Canon divergent AU in which the party captures Gortash instead of killing him.

[millenniumdueled]

discord chatlogs w @blueeyesking, specifically picking up immediately after Kaiba's Nightmare.

Seto Kaiba

Yugi pulls Seto out of his living hell by the hand, and the man sits up with a jolt, coughing, expecting something to come up but finding nothing there. He's obviously paler than usual, trembling where he sits- despite doing his best to return to a façade of cold detachment, it's impossible to hide how shaken he is.

"Wh- why are there two of you." to The Yugis, of course.

Yugi.

Yugi, the one kneeling beside the shaken Kaiba, gives his rival a concerned look. He sort of tries reaching out to try and steady the other man, but stops halfway.

"That's a great question, Kaiba. One we were hoping you could answer." Yami says, standing over the both of them. He offers out a hand-- just in case. "After all, the last thing we remember was teleporting to one of your ships."

Seto Kaiba

Seto visibly flinches at the Other Yugi looming over the both of them, baring his teeth and knocking the doppelganger's hand away like a flying insect.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he snaps, pulling himself to his feet. The shock gives way to real, cold resentment, his normal feelings toward Yugi Mutou (and a comfortable crevice to hide himself from the fear still buzzing in his nerves). "Teleportation isn't something I've figured out yet, you couldn't possibly have done that."

He pauses, just for a breath, taking stock of their surroundings. "Though… you're here, regardless. And where is here…?"

yugi

Just as he'd expected. Kaiba's reaction makes the Other Yugi roll his eyes as he drops his hand.

Yugi gives his Other a nervous glance as he too rises, brushing off his black clothes."ummm, we have a friend. you um, you said you were watching mokuba's blog for a while, right…? so you have to know about….?"

"We don't know for sure," Yami cuts him off, getting down to business as he crosses his arms. "But we had to cross a set of puzzle doors earlier that reminded us of the last time we rescued you."

It's Yugi's turn to roll his eyes. "it reminds me of that virtual world that the big 5 tried to trap you in. we had to summon monsters of a certain star level to get to you."

Seto Kaiba

Seto nods to himself, mirroring Other Yugi by crossing his own arms. He's grateful for his showy overcoat and abundance of fashionable belts, in this moment; they're a comforting weight, a familiar feeling, after the ordeal of memories turned into nightmares.

"I see. From… what I can remember, the Blue Eyes Jet had its autopilot recalibrated right under my hands- it landed on an aircraft carrier at sea, somewhere, and armed robotic guards escorted Mokuba and I out onto the runway… And now I'm here."

Seto continues looking at their surroundings, examining something inscrutible. "If it is something like the Virtual Reality that the Big Five held me in, it isn't them running it, I'm certain. They never employed robots in their personal retinue."

He turns on his heel to look at the Yugis. "However, that doesn't mean someone else with a grudge against me wouldn't co-opt the old virtual military system KaibaCorp had. Especially if they were looking to remove me from the equation, and bring KaibaCorp back into the arms business. Having our old infrastructure would be a great asset, in that case."

"You mentioned your, and Mokuba's, friends. Are they here? Where is Mokuba?"

yugi!

Yami nods along in understanding as Kaiba explains his experience. "Something similar happened when we arrived, too. We were held at gunpoint and escorted into an all white room…"

Only to wake up in Hell. But he won't say it.

"if it isn't the big 5 though, is there anyone else who could access your umm, your carrier…?" yugi wonders, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"mm, a couple of mokuba's friends are here too, but… we don't know where he is.. he posted coordinates to that ship, but that's all we know…."

Seto Kaiba

Seto's eyebrows furrow in a microexpression of concern. They don't know where Mokuba is. His jaw sets.

"Then we'll have to explore the simulation and find him. Chances are, he's being held against his will in order to be used against me."

He doesn't mention the tone of his nightmare being Mokuba betraying him.

Seto steps into the barren street and looks directly at KC Tower.

"It's likely we'll find whoever it is, at the center of this place. Given who they caught first…"

yugi!

Yugi chews at his lip. Even if Seto hides his emotions, even if he has only a faint idea of what Seto has been through, he can only imagine the pain of losing Mokuba yet again.

"we'll find him, kaiba. i promise…"

The Other Yugi follows Kaiba's stoney stare towards the towering corporate headquarters and gives a confident nod of his spikey head.

"I have a feeling you're onto something, Kaiba. And I have a feeling we shouldn't waste much more time." He gives a little nod in the direction of the skyscraper.

NOA

[ far above them, from the top of that very tower, Noa frowns. He sits on an elegant, velvet couch with an arm draped lazily around Mokuba, who lounges aginst his supposed Big Brother while he occupies himself with a game on his laptop. Noa didn't give him access to his group server, but that's alright. He can't miss what he doesn't remember.

And like all other things in this world, Noa controls what Mokuba remembers.

Noa shifts suddenly, his hand on his Little Brother's shoulder twitching slightly.

"Huh? What's wrong, Big Brother?"

Mokuba asks, looking up at him.

For just a moment, the look in Noa's blue eyes is dangerous. Something cold and vengeful. But Mokuba's voice pulls him back, his sweet smile returning at the flip of a switch.

"Nothing, my Baby Brother. Everything is okay, I just need to check on something," Noa assures him, yet he slips his arm from around Mokuba as he stands quickly. "I'll be right back, so don't leave this room. Remember, Mokuba. You're safe here."

"Sure thing, Big Brother!" Mokuba promises, eyes falling back to the screen that keeps him distracted.

Huh. That's weird though.

Why does his tummy hurt? ]

Seto Kaiba

That stony glare fixes on the softer Yugi after the other one agrees with Seto's plan.

"You promise? Please. I will find him, with or without you and your friends. He's my little brother."

He's the only good thing I have left."

Seto then begins walking the familiar streets, long legs setting a pace that will likely make the Yugis have to jog a little to keep up. He speaks while they move.

"We should also try to find your friends. I know where my search begins, but your friends may still be trapped in simulated nightmares; Mokuba cares about them, too, so we can't leave them behind. If this person is predictable enough to set themselves up in KC Tower, then, in finding them, we can find the controls for the simulation and free everyone else."

yugi!

Yugi tenses up slightly when he catches Kaiba's glare, exhaling eith a quiet, nervous chuckle.

"of course, kaiba," he defaults to agreement, trying to preserve their fragile alliance as he moves his little legs quickly to keep pace.

The Other Yugi raises an eyebrow at Kaiba as he walks behind him briskly, too proud to jog. "I didn't know you had the capacity to care about others, Kaiba," he says with a smirk, remembering the last time they walked side by side through these city streets. The last time Mokuba went missing..

"I could feel Joey's turmoil inside my heart before, but I'm confident he's found his way by now." That smirk softens a little, for just a moment. "As for the others--"

The two Yugi's glance at each other.

"we'll find them. i have a feeling we might all need to work together to get out of this…"

Seto Kaiba

Seto turns on his heel at Other Yugi's quip, anger flaring over fear for just a moment. He looms, or tries to, and scowls at the man.

"I do care. You put me through enough to make anyone reconsider their priorities in life."

The vitriol in his emphasis is almost physical. He hopes it takes attention away from the way his fists shake.

Turning back, he returns to his brisk pace- though, Yugi notices it isn't as hard to keep up, now.

"No matter what I have to do, I will save Mokuba at all costs."

yugi!

Kaiba's sharp turn catches the Other Yugi off guard, causing him to stop abruptly in his tracks behind the taller man. He flinches at the genuine anger that Kaiba directs at him, becore his brows pull tight together.

Before he can get argumentive, the gentler Yugi gives him a warning glance. "we've all made our mistakes, it's just.. really nice to see you caring about them too. even if it is just because mokuba would be sad if--"

He's cut off by a distant humming sound, growing louder as they get closer to their target.

"--hey do you guys hear that?" he asks, as his other self picks up his pace to walk closer to his Partner, readying the Duel Disk on his arm just in case.

Seto Kaiba

Seto stops. With enough people released or freed from their waking nightmares, maybe their Puppetmaster has sent something to deter them. Better to wait than to run right into it, usually. He squints at the street ahead of them, watching the intersections and skyline for the source of the noise.

yugi!

As the hum grows louder, Yugi activates his own Disk as well. The seconds seem to tick by painfully slow as their apprehension builds.

Then, all at once, a swarm of massive locusts descends from the side streets, hungry insects almost ten times their natural size.

The Other Yugi doesn't hesitate for a second, drawing the first card from his deck and immediately summoning forth his Celtic Guardian to slash at the incoming bugs while Yugi's own Big Shield Gardna defends the three Duelists*

Seto Kaiba

Seto draws and plays his Wicked Worm Beast! It claws and gnashes at the bugs, destroying them with its massive ATK as the players hunker down.

yugi!

the locusts seem unending, but the two Yugis continue to somehow work in perfect tandem, summoning monsters that work together against the onslaught. Even as the monsters that come for them grow larger and more fearsome, neither wavers.

The ground shakes, the concrete splits open as a massive, rotting Pumpking swells from the crevice, its vines lashing wildly in all directions. The Yugi's give each other a glance, and then to their teammate. Though Yami sacrifices their only two monsters to summon his ever faithful companion, Yugi's Kuriboh guarantees two sacrifies for their ally's convenience.

"you know what to do, kaiba!!!" Yugi shouts with a bright, confident grin.

Seto Kaiba

A couple of draws later, after pulling various useful, but situationally worthless, cards, Seto lands on what they've all been waiting for. His smirk is unmistakable as a Kuriboh and Wicked Worm Beast are destroyed as tribute to his signature Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

Blue-Eyes shimmers onto the field and roars at the Pumpking, superior ATK making them both completely certain of the group's victory.

"Blue-Eyes! Burst Stream of Destruction!"

The beam tears a ragged hole in the Pumpking and is brighter than the sun, briefly turning the world dark. The Yugis can see Seto's wolfish grin illuminated by his monster's attack.

NOA

[ from the top of the tower, Noa frowns. How can the three of them hold their own against so many monsters? Nonetheless, he won't give in.

As Noa decides what to throw against the trio next, back in the exquisite living room, the younger Kaiba grows restless. Mokuba sets his laptop aside at the sounds of the fight below and rises from that velvet sofa. Walks to the wall of windows to press a palm against the glass as he watches the fray unfold far below with a blank expression. It doesn't really matter. Big Brother has it under control.

But then that familiar beast with its piercing blue eyes takes the field, it's fearsome white hot attack darkening the daylight.

And Mokuba freezes.

His stomach hurts.

His heart pounds in his chest and he feels like he might be sick.

This is rage, right?

It's anger that makes his eyes burn, isn't it?

He remembers that great dragon turning on him. Remembers the voice of the man who commands it, echoing that Mokuba will never be good enough.

He can't stand it anymore.

Mokuba turns sharply, walking with purpose across the elegant living room. Noa is taking too long. Is he okay? What if Seto hurt him too somehow? He promised not to leave this room, he promised to stay put. But now Mokuba has made up his mind.

If Noa cant do it, then he'll kill Seto himself. He'll make his Big Brother proud.

There's no hallway, no elevator on the other side of that door. Mokuba finds himself stepping directly out onto the streets of Domino City. And as the Pumpking falls, deflating back into the hellish crevice from whence it came, stormy grey eyes meet sapphire. ]

[zeke-the-kamikaze]

RP Stories - ZekeTheKamikaze

Read stories about #air, #alternate, and #alt on Wattpad, recommended by ZekeTheKamikaze

Link to some RP logs/collabs I'm in I'd think you'd like. they're in a few different settings but if you like weird monsters and my awful sense of humor you'll be fine.

[screamting]

....so ignoring whatever is happening with tumblr rn, @askullandbones and I have been thinking about starting a discord server for people who have been enjoying our RPs?

Some of the RPs are stuff we don't really want to post all over the internet (and most stuff is just that I don't want to spend the energy posting all over the internet otl editing down 200 pages of stream of consciousness is hard) so the discord would be somewhere we can post links to the docs we're writing in for people to be able to read with the understanding nothing has been polished up really, and warnings can be put up wherever we may need them, and also it'd provide an easier place for people to talk about them than tumblr provides.

Would people be interested in this?

This is not a private club or membership thing. The link would be open to whoever, it's just a way to moderate a little better and provide a more private space for our less polished stuff that we didn't really intend for an audience but over time think others might also enjoy

Please like or reply if interested!

[lettersnorth]

Wayfinder

A full day's work at the small, ruined village of Dirtpatch had left Aislinn sore and well. ..covered in dirt. While the rest of the team from Heartwood had sailed for Gridania, Aislinn begged off and had made her way here to her home in the Mists to clean up and rest. But as it always had, the ocean called and beckoned her to come down to the shore to breathe with it. And she obliged, as she always did. Nymeia knew she could use it now more than ever. She stood on the beach, studying the wet sand, toeing a pit here or there to watch the seawater flow in and flood her little divots away, her mind not exactly in the here and now but someplace else altogether.

Barengar hadn't truly been expecting to receive a request from Bertram, at least not one that didn't include a call-to-arms, but it went without saying that he responded to it without even a moment of hesitation. As the situation was explained to him he knew better why Bertram had thought that he, in particular, might serve as a relatable ear. He followed Bertram's directions regarding where Aislinn was likely to be after her most recent job. It was a place that he'd been before, of course, so he made his way toward the apartment but found no one to be home. He decided to follow his instincts. He knew that Aislinn had a similar draw to the sea that he did. Perhaps for different reason, but he suspected a woman with much on her mind would find her way there.

Barengar made his way to the beach in the hopes of spotting her. He hadn't dressed appropriately for the occasion -- due to his haste to make as good time as possible -- but it wasn't about to stop him as he spotted Aislinn and made his way over to her side.

"Figured I'd find y-ou h-ere." He grunted with gentle amusement.

Aislinn was pulled from the maze of her thoughts by an all-too familiar voice. Blinking, she stopped her toying in the sand and snapped her head up. An unexpected smile lit up the depths of her eyes as she spied the highlander. "Ren. Where did you come from?" she laughed, or at least what passed as a laugh for her. Then she took a step back and looked him over. "The battlefield by the looks of it." Her gaze wandered up to his face and caught sight of his hair, grown out almost as long as Bertram's. "Twelve above, has it been -that- long?" she blurted.

Barengar cannot help but let out his own laugh at that. It was a hearty and resonant sound that felt equal parts delighted and amused. He offered the woman a slanted smile before taking in a a deep breath and glancing out over the ocean. "It's been more than a couple moons, that's for certain," he glances back over to Aislinn, "The time just seems to fly these suns."

He pauses for a moment to go back and address her first question. He gives a slight bob of his head to the side. "No battlefields for me. Just the barracks training grounds," he offers lowly, "I'm behaving." Another pauses before he clears his throat, ". ..I'll admit that I probably should have changed before leaving."

Aislinn made a noise in the back of her throat that spoke to her doubt of what he considered 'behaving'. But she nodded all the same. "I'm sure that keeps you toasty in Ishgard but I can't see it doing you any favors here." she looked around and motioned to the bit of shade to be found from the evening sun under the large umbrella at the end of the pier. "What had you rushing off from the snowy climes of bloody Coerthas in such a hurry?" she asked as they made their way to the pier.

Barengar followed along with Aislinn as she led them to pier, a gentle snort caught in his throat as he stifled his urge to laugh in response to her gentle jab at his hasty decision making. It wasn't exactly the first time he'd been known for that kind of behavior in their time knowing each other.

He was grateful to be out of the sand and water though. The last thing he needed was to have to explain to Stalwart why he'd been standing in saltwater for a prolonged period when he went to have the armor repaired. He took up a position at the railing and glanced out over the soothing ocean before answering her question.

Barengar grunted and shook his head, "Bertram asked me to," He rumbled, bobbing his head to side, "An-d after he explained th-e situation I wanted to." It was always better to be straight and honest in Barengar's book. It didn't help that he was an awful liar, so someone that knew him like Aislinn would know it immediately.

Bertram. Aislinn turned her head away, trying to hide her sudden self-consciousness. Looking out past the pier, her chin rose minutely but it was more out of defense than anything else. "Just what did he say the situation was?" she asked, her tone growing more subdued.

Barengar lifted his hands up as his shoulders gently shrugged. His right hand came down to rest upon the railing as he took a moment to study Aislinn. His attention then drifted out toward the water. "Not too many details, but e-nough f-or me t-o know tha-t it's been no picnic f-or y-ou. It's eerily familiar." He sighs quietly and shakes his head. "Bu-t I'm not a-bout t-o make y-ou talk a-bout it, Aislinn. Y-ou know that's not me."

After a moment spent peering into the distance as though she could divine the answers there, she gave a long sigh. Bertram had obviously been worried enough to call in his elder brother, knowing Aislinn saw him the same. "And if I don't want to talk about it you came all this way to stand on a pier and swelter in that armor." she said giving the heavy plate a sidelong glance. "I would hope I'm not so far gone as that." shaking her head she turned back to Barengar. "Eerily familiar in what way? Because I know -I- can think of several but what of you?"

Barengar grunts in an amused, but casually dismissive way to her observation about his having coming out there for nothing if she didn't talk. Though, as she continued, he waited and let her finish before he offered his reply. "... T-o Bertram's condition be-fore we healed it." He clarified before shaking his head, "Not exactly the same, o-f course, but ..." He settles his gaze upon Aislinn, "Close e-nough for it t-o sting a little extra, I figure."

Aislinn nodded as her shoulders slowly slumped and for once she stopped trying to pretend she was fine. Because if anyone understood this, it was Ren. And if anyone understood her as she was now, and not who she had been, it was Ren. "Aye." she breathed. "More than close enough, really. Except the person that woke up isn't anyone I know. And Wyda is just. ..gone. Dead. And I. ..have not been handling it well." She shifted uncomfortably as she recalled some of her behavior over the past moons. "At all. Bertram was probably at his wits end to call you."

Barengar offered Aislinn a look a understanding. It wasn't pity, or anything akin to it, Barengar wasn't about to insult Aislinn by suggesting that she needed as much. He would, however, have her know that he 'got it', so to speak. The mixture of having thought Bertram dead and then finding him to be a stranger that wanted to kill him was ... a shock that was hard to take to say the least. "Worried is more like it," He rumbled quietly, "I figure he thought our shared experience would help."

"An-d I don't really think anyone ever 'handles it well'. Not really. Not sure tha-t I'd want to." He muses quietly.

Aislinn bowed her head, her fingers plucking at the end of one of her sleeves. "Sometimes I don't understand it. I've held myself together through...a lot. Is this just the straw that breaks the dhalmel's back?" she shook her head. "Or is it because there's nothing I can do about it. Nothing I can -fix-. There's no solution I will magically come across that will put things to right." she lifted her head and stared at him, letting go a sharp breath.

"I yelled at her. Cravendy. Emptied my gun into a target to feel the noise and just...full-on yelled. Stepped right into her space. That's...not me. I don't lose control."

Barengar listened to Aislinn quietly and attentively. It was a skill he'd not truly developed until well into his adulthood. It's possible he never would have if he'd never 'lost' Bertram. There was a gentle look of surprise when Aislinn explained that she'd yelled at this 'Cravendy' and fired her weapon in a flurry. She was right; that wasn't her usual self.

Barengar took in a deep breath. "When we finally met back up again, Aislinn, would y-ou describe me as th-e same person y-ou knew back in Gyr Abania?"

Aislinn exchanged a long look with him. "Ren. We both know the answer to that. Neither one of us were who we had been in Gyr Abania." It was a statement that held many layers. The dour, taciturn man with the cold visage who grunted instead of forming words had nothing in common with the bull-headed, brash, fiery youth looking for any excuse for a fight that she had once known him to be.

Barengar bobbed his head to the side slightly in acknowledgement. That was, indeed, the short of it. There was no denying that. It was more a rhetorical question in any event. He let out a quiet grunt before continuing on with his thought. "Righ-t," he rumbled, glancing back out over the sea, "Losin-g Bertram pushed me down tha-t road. There's no tellin-g how far I'd have gone down it wi-thout folks around me constantly forcin-g me to pull back."

He quieted for a moment before looking back to Aislinn. "Shite like this changes us. I don't think tha-t there's any way o-f really stoppin-g that an-d it's best to accept tha-t ..." he shook his head slowly before drawing in a deep breath, "Bu-t we can try an-d steer that change in a direction tha-t's not self-destructive. We can own it. I know I wish I h-ad back then."

"So don't go berating yeurself f-or bein-g different. Y-ou are, bu-t tha-t doesn't h-ave to be a bad thing."

She knew he spoke from experience. And she heard the truth in his words. Most of it she already knew, intellectually. But knowing something with your head wasn't the same as knowing it in the core of you. "Suppose not. But more than anything I suppose I'm...hurt and scared." she said, looking out over the water because not looking at him made it easier to talk to him about this. "Wyda made me a better person." Aislinn quietly stated. Speaking it aloud she knew it was the truth. "She helped me see the good in the world. In myself. Reminded me not to be so serious all the time. Without her I'm scared of falling backward. That I’ll go back to being that closed off, cold person too afraid to stand too close to someone."

Barengar grunted and bobbed his head to the side slightly, following Aislinn's gaze out to sea with his own. "I know tha-t feelin-g. At least in part." He pauses and shakes his head, "Not tha-t I'm about to assume tha-t I know exactly wha-t yeur goin-g through." A gentle and slight smile touches his lips at a crooked angle, "Y-ou an-d I are as different as we are similar. It's really somethin-g sometimes."

He takes in a slow breath before continuing, "But y-ou've surrounded yeurself with good people, Aislinn. I haven't met half as many as I should h-ave, but ... if Wyda was an example of them ..." The man side glances toward Aislinn before reaching over to very gently set his hand upon her should and give a firm squeeze. His tried and true gesture of solidarity. ". .. they'll be there. As will we. I'm not about to let you shut me out now. After everything."

Barengar's reassurance, both in what he said, and the solid weight of his hand went a long way in reminding her she wasn't alone. She wasn't out there floundering on her own any more. She had family. She had friends. People who wouldn't let her fall back down to the depths of her past self. It didn't erase the fear and the pain of losing Wyda. Not completely. But it helped. "We do seem to share a thing or two in common." she nodded, hazarding a sidelong glance in his direction. "As hard as that might be for most people to believe." With a sigh, she shifted back against the deck railing. "Thank you. For saying all that. I needed the reminder. Because you're right. I do have good people around me. And there's certainly no dodging you from here on out." her attempt at levity subversive and unassuming.

Barengar gave a firm nod in acknowledgement to her gratitude, "Y-ou've rapped me o-ver the skull with reminders more time than I can count. I figure it was a-bout time I was able t-o return th-e favor."

He left his hand upon Aislinn's shoulder for a moment longer before giving it one more squeeze and then letting it fall back to his side. "It doesn't make th-e pain go away," he rumbled quietly, ". .. but it h-elps make weathering it a hell o-f a lot easier." He quiets for a longer moment, along the shifting of the tides to fill the space before taking his own crack at levity. He produces a gently slanted smile, "Besides, yeur a god-ma now, can't h-ave y-ou shirkin-g on those responsibilities."

Aislinn nodded slowly at the truth of his words. "Nymeia's blood, when did you get so wise?" she murmured, only half teasing. In truth, it was the talk she needed. The words she had been needing to hear. She just hadn't expected Ren to be the one to come and deliver them and set her back on her feet again. Though perhaps she should have. He was like a brother to her and who better to bring some much needed sense and support?

At his mention of the triplets, her expression softened into a slow smile. "You could have sent word, you know. What're their names?"

Barengar shrugged his shoulder in a half-shrug as he continued to wear that slightly slanted smile in reply to her gentle jest. "Guess She figured it was only fair f-or me to get to h-ave a little wisdom f-or all the trouble if y-ou were goin-g to go an-d be the whiz-kid." He teased right back before his own expression softened in turn. "Trevain, Celeste, an-d Varden." He answers before letting out a low laugh, "And y-ou and Bertram were out Ilsabard at th-e time ... an-d then it just sucked me in."

"I'd really like f-or y-ou to come see them. Ellie would too."

Aislinn softly murmured the names to herself, smiling all the while, feeling a gentle hum in her chest. She looked up at him, a flicker of much needed happiness in her eyes. "Suppose that's one time the trip out to Bloody Coerthas would be more than worth it. I'd love to come see them. They can't very well have a godmother they don't know."

Barengar bares a gentle smile at Aislinn, both at the idea of her getting to meet her god children and in reaction to the mote of happiness in her eyes. "I'm of th-e same mind," He dips his head forward for a moment before noticing the ... less than stellar state of his greaves. Certainly not the sort of condition that he'd want to leave them for very long. Not if he didn't want to get a lecture from Stalwart. "I ... don't suppose tha-t y-ou h-ave a cleanin' rag an-d some oil at yeur place, do y-ou?"

Aislinn follows his gaze down to his greaves, a mess of saltwater and sand. She tsked lightly but nodded. "Of course I do, you know me." she pushed off from the railing. "If you're lucky Bertram may have left some clothes from the last time he passed through." she motioned for him to follow. "Let's go see what we can find before you or your armor suffer any longer."

Barengar emits another deep laugh before bowing his head gratefully and turning to follow behind Aislinn as she leads the way to the apartment. It was true, he had a pretty good feeling that she'd have something on hand. She was just reliable like that. "That'll be twice tha-t you saved me to-day," He commented with a gentle amusement as they walked.

Aislinn turned around, walking backwards a few steps. "Well, one good turn deserves another, right? You save me, I save you." she nodded and turned back around as they made their way up the hill.

[kuruising]

Concerns and Confessions

Asato and Hinata go home, Ren's anon ends, and he collapses. Akira helps him back home, so concerned that Ren wonders.

the second chatlog, this time taking place on january 2nd, again with @side-eyed ! this ones formatted a little differently because i actually did this one first

the first chatlog from November, some things there are referenced here