Session 70

11/08/2024

The Summary

Mack and Venoxyin chat. It turns out that Mack has had a bigger impact on Venoxyin than was once thought. Orianna receives a letter from her father, Garthos, and she regrets it. The letter also turns out to be enchanted with Edmeera’s symbol. The aftermath of this leads to a conflict with the group and a course change. Familia Bohemia heads towards Kaicrumao.

The Story

Venoxyin’s Demons

The cargo hold of the Valiant lay in a dim, quiet solitude, a cavern of shadows that seemed designed for secrets. Above deck, the crew chipped ice from the hull, their laughter and shouts muffled by distance and the groaning wood of the ship. Venoxyin embraced this quietness; it gave her a chance to let the joyful persona mask slip.
She let her thoughts wander, threading themselves into a tangle of worries, memories, and whispers of fear. The quiet solitude was fickle, though; it was not to last. She felt a presence before she saw it…a shift in the darkness, the approach of Mack, the golem. Venoxyin turned, heart twisting with the familiar worry. That gnawing voice in her head whispered that she was a burden, a mistake, destined to drive others away. If she wasn’t careful, Mack would see too much. And if Mack saw too much, she’d leave too.
A quick conversation led to middle ground and with middle ground Venoxyin’s eyes traced the worn grooves in the floor, focusing on anything but her spiraling thoughts. If she could just keep it together, be the Venoxyin everyone liked…the one who was charming, lighthearted, and funny. If she could keep her silly mask in place, everything would be fine. It was all a balancing act, an exhausting charade, but it was better than being left alone.
A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, she let her gaze lift, her eyes meeting Mack’s featureless faceplate. “So,” she said, her voice taking on a playful lilt, “how does this work?”
Mack’s voice cut through the quiet, mechanical yet oddly grounding. “Ask a question.”
The smile wavered. Venoxyin hesitated, but then, perhaps against her better judgment, she let the question slip past her lips. “Why am I a failure?”
Mack paused, her gears whirring softly, as if she were turning the question over. “We sometimes have choices we must make,” she said in her measured voice. “Choices that may seem like failures, but could also be opportunities to grow. Instead of asking, ‘Why am I a failure,’ consider asking, ‘How can I learn from this?’” She paused, and her voice softened…or perhaps it was Venoxyin’s imagination. “I don’t think you’re a failure. I would examine the choices made and see where you can improve.”
Mack’s answer was well-meaning. Simple. The kind of response anyone might give if they didn’t understand the inner labyrinth Venoxyin wrestled with every day. It wasn’t Mack’s fault…how could she know? They had only known each other a few hours. Yet, there was a strange comfort in the straightforwardness of Mack’s words, in the fact that she was here, listening.
Venoxyin forced a grin, shifting to the playful persona that felt safer. “Oh, so like with middle ground… you’re both? A duality, like the morphing of that statement.”
Mack paused, considering her words. “Yes… sort of like that.”
Venoxyin decided to push further, her grin still in place, though the cracks were showing. “How can I get people to like me?”
Mack’s gears whirred, her voice slow and thoughtful. “I think we all have different personas that live within us. We need to find the best version of ourselves, the one that fits with the people we want to associate with.” Mack hesitated, but Venoxyin jumped in before she could continue.
“Oh, so I could be like eight different Venoxyins,” she said, her words tripping over themselves in her eagerness to keep the conversation light.
Mack’s hesitation was palpable. “Yes,” she said cautiously.
Venoxyin’s smile widened, her eyes bright with forced cheerfulness. “An army of Venoxyins! Going out and making friends!”
Mack realized her point had been misunderstood. “No,” she said, her tone even. “What I meant was, we should try to find out which parts of ourselves match with others. It’s not just on you to make a connection. Choosing who we associate with shapes us, and it’s best to choose people who have a positive impact on us…whatever ‘positive’ means to you.”
“Make a connection,” Mack’s words echoed in Venoxyin’s mind, lingering in a way she didn’t expect. The guard she had so carefully kept in place buckled, her heart heavy with an old, aching loneliness that she had carried for far too long. She felt her eyes burn, her voice cracking as she whispered, “You’re right, Mack… about personas. I have two. One’s the mask I wear so everyone likes me. The other… the real one… it’s sad.” Her voice broke, trembling with anger now. “And for three days, I’ve wandered this ship. Alone. Buried in my thoughts of what I’ve done, things I’ve seen.”
She forced a smile, her voice lightening though it carried a heavy sorrow. “Volaris. Do you know that place, Mack?”
For the first time, Mack had a HUD pop into her view. The number 624 and the words, “Applicant needs to be purged.” Mack watched, her HUD displaying a swirl of emotions that saturated Venoxyin…red for anger, blue for sadness, yellow for happiness. She hesitated, trying to make sense of Venoxyin’s mood, overwhelmed by the sheer complexity of the dhamphir before her. “Yes,” she said, “I know Volaris.”
Venoxyin nodded, her eyes distant as her memories carried her away. “I was walking back to my home there. A pipe that housed a friend and his friends. I thought this was my second chance, my chance not to fuck it up. I took a different way, wanting to bring a gift back for everyone.” Her smile faltered, her eyes darkening. “And then, a club hit my head. Hard enough to send my world spinning. Six of them…laughing. I fought back… I caught two by the neck with my fangs.” She gave a short, hollow laugh. “Blood sprayed. They shrieked, called me a vampire, and scattered, leaving me there. ‘Let the rat bleed out,’ they said.”
Mack listened, her silence unbroken, her presence grounding.
Venoxyin swallowed, her voice quieter now. “I wasn’t sure why they called me a rat. I’m a Dhampir, but I felt like I was going to die. I just wanted to make it to the pipe…to be found by my friends.” She managed a faint smile. “I made it, and there was a bunny man named Morstar. He said he was sorry. I didn’t understand. He said my friend had broken some thief’s code, and his sister had died because of it. I thought… Aydriann wouldn’t do that. But he was convinced. We chatted until I blacked out.” She paused, her voice barely a whisper now. “My friends never came. I guess I lost too much blood.”
She blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the tears, her voice trembling. “I blacked out. I thought… maybe the quiet wouldn’t be so bad. No voices telling me I wasn’t good enough. No whispers blaming me for my family’s death.” She forced another laugh, a weak, broken sound. “Aydriann said he made a deal with an evil guy to keep me alive, but he holds it over my head. I can’t live up to his expectations. He told me to stay out of trouble…to stay on the ship. I did that and when Christine came along, I tried and help. Now he doesn’t talk to me.”
Venoxyin looked at Mack, her eyes red-rimmed but determined. “Three days since being attacked. Three fuckin’ days, and no one came to check on me. Except you.” Her voice cracked, and she fought back tears. “Thank you, Mack, for saving me. On the bow of the ship…when I thought I could silence the voices again…you showed me there might still be something worth living for.”
Mack remained silent, the golem’s gaze steady, her thoughts turning to the lives she’d known, the people she’d cared for…Charlotte, Adeline. She reached out, placing a large, steadying hand on Venoxyin’s shoulder. “That was brave, Venoxyin. You’ve been through so much. Thank you for sharing that.”
Venoxyin gave a shaky smile, her defenses slowly crumbling. “The silly mask, the one everyone likes… it’s my sister’s persona. She was goofy and silly, and I miss her. So I carry that mask. A piece of her.”
Mack nodded. “I understand. I had someone like that too. Her name was Charlotte. I miss her every day.”
Venoxyin straightened, a spark of something hopeful lighting her eyes. “I can help, Mack. I’ll find something. In Volaris, I did this kind of thing all the time.” She paused, her voice a little more sure. “I promise I’ll get you something in return for your gift.”
Mack paused, then remembered the scarf she had made, folded neatly in her hands. “I almost forgot,” she said, her voice softer. “I made you something.” She handed the scarf to Venoxyin, a simple black scarf crafted with quiet care.
Venoxyin took it, her eyes widening. Any guard she had left shattered, tears spilling over as she clutched it to her chest. “Thank you, Mack,” she whispered. “No one’s ever given me something like this. I’ll cherish it.”

Letters and Notes

Aydriann awoke with a pounding headache, the kind of pain that felt like a hangover but carried the echo of regret as its companion. His stomach made an unenthusiastic protest, advising against any attempt to eat. He groaned, but managed to sit up, his surroundings gradually coming into focus. The room was empty. There was no sign of Peach or Elira.
A small slip of parchment lay on his workbench, just visible beneath an assortment of tools and half-finished projects. Curiosity, mixed with a creeping sense of dread, pushed Aydriann to his feet. The note said simply: We need to talk. Meet me in the library.
Fragments of last night surfaced in his mind like painful shards of glass, disjointed and unwelcome. The realization hit, and his breath caught. He’d kissed him. Drunken, sloppy, and impulsive. A shiver of embarrassment coursed through him. What had he done? The note…that note…seemed to carry all the weight of his foolishness. Was Peach asking to impose some kind of rules between them? Was he asking for distance, or… worse? Aydriann felt an anxious churn deep in his gut, the kind that told him nothing was going to go right today. He slumped back into his chair, thinking…wishing for a way to undo what he’d done.

Orianna walked along the winding deck of the ship, watching the clouds swirl around the ship. She liked these quiet moments, when she could almost forget everything that weighed on her. That was, until the paper bird fluttered into her hands.
The bird unfolded itself…the telltale magic of her father’s correspondence…and there it was: Garthos’s reply. Orianna’s fingers tightened around the edges of the parchment as an icy chill ran down her spine. The possibility of what she might find within the letter left her weak at the knees. She knew she shouldn’t have written him. She knew it was too late now.
Dear Orianna,
I’m glad you wrote; much has changed since you left. Our family’s influence has grown here in Ruunmaire, and it would be good to have you see it for yourself. The friends you mentioned in your letter are welcome as well…I’ll arrange a grand celebration in their honor. And, when the festivities are done, we can sit down together and you can finally tell me all that you’ve been up to.
… Garthos
The words gave her panic that settled in her chest with a cold weight. She had made a mistake, a terrible mistake it seems. Orianna turned, her steps quickening. She needed to find Sirius. Surely, her older brother would know what to do.
She found him lying down below deck, in their bedroom, sprawled across a cot and snoring, clearly worn out from Mack’s relentless training sessions. Orianna hesitated and then poked him hard in the ribs.
“What in the Darthmar…!” Sirius groaned, bolting upright. He rubbed his eyes, glaring at her with sleepy annoyance. “What’s so important you’d wake me from my blissful slumber?”
Orianna opened her mouth, then closed it, panic clawing at her throat. She managed to push through. “Sirius… I messed up. I sent a letter to Father.”
The grogginess vanished from Sirius in an instant. He shot upright, eyes wide. “You…” He paused, his expression shifting from disbelief to a strained kind of humor. “You told him to go fuck himself?”
Orianna’s face filled with the signs of regret. “No… I told him… I wanted to see him. And… that he should meet our friends.”
Sirius’s face fell. He looked away, his jaw tight, and then he turned back to her. His expression was a mixture of disbelief and concern. Almost pained, he took a deep breath to save face, he’d been trying to do better with Orianna. With the family he loved. When he spoke again, his voice was softer, almost resigned. “Orianna… you know this was a mistake, right? Why…” He sighed, then seemed to make a decision.
“I’ll take the blame, Orianna. They already hate me. Don’t give fuel to the flame and rise against you in anger.”
Orianna blinked, the sudden shift from anger to tenderness catching her off guard. The nervousness subsided, replaced by something heavier…the desire to be better, with her own actions. She shook her head. “No, Sirius. This doesn’t feel right. I need to come clean. I need to tell them what I’ve done.”
Sirius studied her for a moment, then nodded, a slow, reluctant smile crossing his lips. “You’re valiant, Orianna. Alright then. If you’re going to face it, you won’t do it alone. I’ll be by your side.”
Sirius’s gaze drifted to the letter still in Orianna’s hands. Something on the parchment glimmered in the dim light, a faint mark…a watermark maybe. He frowned, leaning closer. “Do you see that?”
Orianna followed his gaze and narrowed her eyes at the strange discoloration. “Yes… I see it.”
Sirius looked thoughtful, the concern vanishing from his expression for just a moment. “Let’s ask Ember if she can produce a flame to investigate it further.”
Orianna’s heart skipped a beat, panic flooding back for an entirely different reason. “Uh… maybe… maybe we shouldn’t disturb Ember right now.”

Goddess of Pain

A knock at Ember’s bedroom door was the last thing in the world she wanted. She had finally found time to be alone with Preslynn, a rare and precious opportunity. Now that moment was being interrupted, and the voice calling her name only made it worse.
“Ember, we need your help,” Sirius said from the other side of the door. “It’s important. We need your fire magic.”
Ember groaned, rolling her eyes. She cracked the door open, glaring at Sirius. “Did someone die?”
“No,” he said quickly, shaking his head. Ember began to close the door again. He put his shoulder to the wood to stop it. “It’s still serious, Ember. We need a flame. There’s something weird about this letter, we think it’s enchanted.”
Ember sighed, clearly annoyed. “Fine. Give me a few minutes.” She shut the door in his face, leaving him outside. Moments later, Ember emerged, her expression clearly showing that she’d rather be anywhere else.
Sirius smiled at her to convey a silent apology as he held out the letter. “Just a quick flame, Ember. We need to know what’s hidden.”
With a resigned huff, Ember raised her hand, a flicker of fire appearing in her palm. “I can’t wait to get to New Moonshire.” She brought it close to the letter, and immediately, a symbol shimmered into view…a crude, circular face with no eyes and a wide, sharp-toothed smile.
Ember’s eyes narrowed, her gaze flicking to Sirius. He stared at the symbol, his face going pale, his voice tight with panic. “Burn it. Burn it now.”
Ember didn’t hesitate. She pushed more heat into her flame, the letter igniting quickly. But as the parchment burned, the symbol floated away, hovering just above the ground. It twisted and shifted, solidifying into something small and red. A moment later, a tiny winged creature appeared, its leathery skin a deep crimson, its eyes a sickly yellow.
Before anyone could react, Orianna rushed forward, her weapon flashing as she struck the creature. It vanished in a puff of smoke, its essence dissipating into the air, leaving only a small red sphere behind. The sphere had a cloudy texture, shifting strangely as it lay on the deck.
Orianna bent down, reaching for it, but the moment her fingers brushed its surface, an eye appeared in the sphere, and a voice echoed in all their minds…the voice of Edmeera.
“I see you,” it whispered, dripping with malice.
Orianna yelped, dropping the sphere as if it had burned her. She tried to stomp on it, but instead, flames erupted from the orb, engulfing her. Ember didn’t hesitate…she grabbed the sphere, flames wrapping around her as she ran, sprinting towards the nearest balcony. Hers and Presylnn’s.
Ember hurled the sphere over the railing, her hands still on fire. The final words of Edmeera echoed in the air as the sphere vanished into the sky.
“It would be a shame, Preslynn’s wings be plucked.”
Seconds later, an explosion rocked the ship, the shockwave reverberating through the hull. Ember’s eyes widened, her gaze darting back to where Preslynn still waited behind her.

Aftermath

Aydriann, Mack, and Peach raced down the hallway, their footfalls echoing against the wood, hearts pounding as they drew closer to the source of the commotion. The chaos in the air was almost tangible, thick with uncertainty and fear. The bedroom hall was a scene of tension, figures gathered…everyone except Dax, who was blissfully unaware, likely still too preoccupied with perfecting his romantic plans for the evening. Aydriann’s earlier thought hammered at his mind: Nothing is going to go right today. The feeling gnawed at him, and the pressure built until it erupted.
“What the fuck is going on?” Aydriann snapped, his voice cutting through the clamor like a blade. He wasn’t in the mood to be careful; frustration had breached the dam of his patience.
Orianna looked up, her face pale, her eyes swimming with emotions…fear, regret, panic. She took a shuddering breath, her voice trembling. “It’s my fault. I wrote to my father, and now… now Edmeera knows. She’s watching us. I… I didn’t think… I made a mistake.”
Sirius stepped forward immediately, his instinct to protect flaring like a shield before her. He positioned himself between Orianna and the others, his expression fierce as he spread his arms, attempting to defend her. “Back off, Aydriann. She’s admitted her mistake. There’s no need to…”
But before Sirius could finish, Peach moved, his tail snapping out like a whip, connecting with Sirius’s side. Sirius stumbled, struggling to catch himself before he fell. Peach’s eyes locked onto Orianna, his growl almost animalistic.
“Stay out of this, Sirius,” Peach snarled. He leaned in, the intensity of his gaze bearing down on Orianna. Ember, standing a few feet away, suddenly felt a chill settle into her bones. A realization struck her…she had been careless earlier. She had mentioned New Moonshire, their supposed safe haven.
“She knows about New Moonshire,” Ember said, her voice breaking through the escalating tension, a tone of regret underscoring every word.
Peach’s head remained turned towards Orianna, the rage not diminishing, only refocusing. “You think it’s just a mistake?” His voice rose, the words heavy with accusation. “You’ve put all of us in danger. Edmeera knows about New Moonshire now, and who knows what she’ll do to them.”
The realization of the risk hung in the air like an oppressive weight, and Mack’s unease grew. The argument wasn’t something she could afford to be part of…not now. She turned quietly, slipping out of the room as the heat of the argument blazed on.
Aydriann’s expression darkened, his hands clenched into fists. “This has probably doomed all those creatures, Orianna.” His voice was harsh, the frustration bubbling up to bitterness.
Sirius’s face tightened. He took a step forward, his voice almost desperate, “Edmeera. She wants me. I can lead her away from New Moonshire, give everyone time to escape.”
That was the breaking point for Aydriann. His eyes blazed, his fury spilling over. “Enough!” He strode forward, his hand striking Sirius across the face with a sharp crack. The room fell silent, the shock freezing everyone in place.
Sirius staggered, wide-eyed, staring back at Aydriann, stunned. He took a breath, then another, his face flushed with anger and a touch of something else…hurt. He finally spoke, his voice low and controlled, each word dripping with tension. “Are you sure you want to go down this road?”
“Stop this. That’s enough,” Peach interjected, his voice snapping like a command. He stepped between them, his eyes hard as they flicked from Aydriann to Sirius and back again. “You want to act as bait for Edmeera? That’s not happening. Not now, not ever. Sirius, Orianna…both of you need to leave. Let us figure out the next steps. Just go.”
Sirius clenched his jaw, looking away, the anger warring with the shame that had settled in his chest. He knew Peach was right, but the urge to protect Orianna…to make up for what had happened…still gnawed at him.
Orianna lowered her gaze, her eyes shimmering with tears. She could barely manage a whisper. “I’m sorry.” The apology fell into the heavy silence, barely heard. She turned to Sirius, her shoulders sagging, her voice fragile. “Let’s go.”
Sirius nodded, his anger softening as he looked at his sister. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, guiding her down the hallway towards their room. His eyes flicked back to the others, lingering on Aydriann, then on Peach.
As the door to their room closed, the tension in the hallway seemed to release, leaving Aydriann staring after them, his breaths coming fast. He dragged a hand down his face, trying to regain control, to quell the storm that raged inside of him.
“Alright,” he said, his voice calmer but still charged. “No more impulsive decisions. We can’t go to New Moonshire; it’s too risky now that Edmeera might know where we’re heading. We need a new plan.”
“Kaicrumao,” Ember said, her voice breaking the heavy silence. It was clear and confident, the resolve shining through. “We go there instead. It’s safer, and Edmeera won’t expect it. We can regroup, and figure out our next steps.”
Aydriann met her eyes, nodding. He glanced at Peach, who seemed to visibly exhale, the tension slowly unwinding from his shoulders.
“Kaicrumao it is,” Peach said, his tail flicking nervously but his voice steady.
Aydriann nodded, a grim smile touching his lips. “Kaicrumao then.”