021215 Sami Miloko

[09:55] TT: As Sami is waking up from her alcohol-induced nap, she hears a faint voice, "s-sixty-six, s-sixty-s-seven, s-sixty-e-eight?"

 [09:56] AA: Sami stretches a little and comes over to check out the source of the voice.

 [09:57] TT: Miloko is walking along the edge of the roof, counting out her steps, failing to notice Sami approach

 [09:57] AA: "Hi Milly. How'd you get up here?"

 [10:00] TT: Miloko, being the easily frightened girl she is, takes a spill from being startled, luckly it was away from the edge, "o-ouch?"

 [10:01] AA: "Oh, god, I'm sorry Milly! I didn't mean to startle you!" Sami goes over to help her up. "That could've been really bad."

 [10:02] TT: "oh, it's o-okay?", she frowns, "w-what n-number was I on a-again?"

 [10:04] AA: "Sixty eight."

 [10:06] TT: "a-alright? umm, j-just g-give me a s-second?" she makes her way along the edge to the next corner, then pulls out a notebook and pencil and writes something down

 [10:08] TT: "I c-came up h-here to w-work on t-this?"

 [10:08] AA: Sami takes a look at what Miloko is indicating.

 [10:09] TT: it's the notebook she's holding, or more specifically, a map drawn in the notebook

 [10:10] TT: based upon the shape and notes, it seems to be a layout of the casino

 [10:10] AA: "Oh, wow. This is detailed. You planning something?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:11] TT: "umm, m-maybe? but it d-depends?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:13] AA: "Depends on what?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:14] TT: "w-well, w-we've b-been t-trying to get i-into the h-high r-roller r-room r-right? w-what's the p-plan for o-once y-you're in? or for g-getting out?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:16] AA: "Dunno yet. I've made friends with someone who seems to know the guy, so when we hang out later tonight it's possible she can tell me more about this Slim guy. But if not, I'm mostly just looking to get face time with him. Not planning on taking action just yet."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:17] AA: "Honestly I don't want to bet anything if I can help it. I've made a lot of money here tonight and I'd hate to throw it all away on a game of poker."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:17] TT: "k-knows him?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:18] AA: "Or has run afoul of him, at least. He's apparently not super respectful to the waittresses."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:19] TT: "a w-waitress? l-like one h-here? oh my g-gods, t-that's p-perfect?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:21] AA: "Yeah, but I definitely don't want to just use her for information here. She seems like a sweet girl who's been treated badly by the patrons here and I don't want to just be another person taking advantage of her."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:22] AA: "But if things go well we might be able to improve her situation, and everyone else's too."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:24] TT: "oh no, I j-just w-wanted s-some i-information on the e-employee's o-only a-areas?" she points to her map, marking some doors that are blank on the other side, "t-that's h-half the r-reason I'm up h-here?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:26] TT: "or w-well, t-that's the r-reason I'm s-still up h-here?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:27] AA: "Oh. If she tells me anything I'll let you know. I've got to be careful not to get her into trouble or make her lose her job though."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:27] AA: "What are you wanting to do in the employee only areas?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:29] TT: "n-nothing yet? but m-mother did a-always t-talk a-about the i-importance of p-plans and t-thinking a-ahead?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:29] AA: "Yeah. That's probably a good idea. But I've always been bad at planning. I mostly fly by the seat of my pants."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:30] AA: "It's good you're thinking about that stuff though! To be honest I don't think any of the three veterans on this team are the best long-term planners."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:32] TT: "s-someone has to be t-thinking a-ahead? i-ironic t-that it's the p-player w-with the a-aspect m-most r-related to gut f-feelings and o-outbursts i-instead of any of the t-three m-mind p-players?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:32] AA: "Haha. Actually, probably the best forward-thinker among the pre-scratchers is a Rage player too."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:33] AA: "Maybe that's the secret of a good Rage player! Turning it from tempestuous outburts into long term drive?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:35] TT: "p-perhaps, but I h-have a l-long way to go b-before I can e-even b-begin to c-compare?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:36] AA: "It's tough to say. It's not always about your Aspect score. I don't think Meouet's even reached +5 yet. She sort of cheated her way to God Tier through shenanigans of some sort."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:36] AA: "Some people seem to be born into their aspect. And other people seem to be challenged by it."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:37] TT: "no, I m-meant in t-terms of c-controlling y-your o-outbursts?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:37] AA: "Oh."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:39] AA: "Well just take baby steps then I guess. And maybe talk to Meouet about it."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:39] AA: "Because if anyone can help you figure out how to deal with something like that, it's a Seer, right?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:39] TT: "y-yeah?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:41] AA: "I'd offer to give you advice, but the few times I've had to deal with heavy emotion I haven't handled it that gracefully." She frowns.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:42] TT: "l-like w-what? if I may ask?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:44] AA: Sami sighs. "Like when Beau died." She frowns deeper. "Or when Libby told me about how Balish treated Darmok when he was little."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:46] TT: "I k-knew it w-wasn't g-good b-based u-upon his s-scars, but D-Darmok a-always a-avoided the q-question w-whenever I a-asked a-about it?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:51] AA: Sami shakes her head. "I don't know the exact details. But I know Balish is why he's all scarred up. And why he talks the way he does, as a coping mechanism."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:51] AA: "And..." Sami sets her jaw in anger. "...I imagine it's Balish's fault Darmok ever got desperate enough to get involved with THEM."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:52] AA: "They love to find people when they're at their most desperate."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:52] TT: "who?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:53] AA: "His 'Friends on the Other Side,' I think he calls them. Or *our* Friends on the Other Side, I guess."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:53] AA: "If 'friends' is even the right word. I still have no idea what their goals are. And sometimes they seem so heartless..."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:54] AA: "But I probably wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for them. And it might've been more than just Beau we lost when we fought Jack..."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:56] TT: Miloko just stands there, looking uncomfortable about the direction the conversation took

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:57] AA: "Darmok probably knows more than I do. Heck, I think even Libby isn't sure she knows as much as Darmok does about what they're up to. But it's hard to figure out exactly what he's saying sometimes."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:57] AA: "And he's probably got a Cosmic NDA. They seem to dig those."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:59] TT: "I d-don't k-know who t-they are, but I k-know I d-don't l-like t-them?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:00] AA: "Yeah. That's pretty much everyone's reaction. They don't have great PR."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:02] AA: "I'm not sure if I like them either. But I don't have any more choice than Darmok does about them anymore." She sighs.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:02] TT: Miloko shuffles a little awkwardly before deciding to change the topic, "uhh, so, how h-have you b-been d-doing on r-reconnecting w-with y-your f-friends?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:03] AA: "Not super great. Nate isn't interested, and I haven't gotten in touch with Kate yet."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:03] AA: "I seemed to make progress with Meouet last time we talked, but who knows if it will last? She's not the sentimental type."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:04] AA: "Ryspor seems to be doing as well as can be expected considering he's sort of dead....but he's less dead than Beau is, so it's not like he's really gone."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:05] TT: "t-this is a s-strange g-game? so m-much d-death and yet it can be m-meaningless?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:05] AA: "Yeah. 'Death is Only the Beginning,' right?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:06] AA: "All of the vets have died at least once. Most of us have died at least twice."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:07] AA: "Ryspor must be up to four times by now."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:07] TT: "t-that's not v-very r-reassuring?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:08] AA: "Well, it means you can screw up a few times and still be okay, at least."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:09] TT: "I've p-probably a-already s-screwed up?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:09] AA: "How's that?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:12] TT: "w-well, a-after we k-killed the g-giant g-gobblebeast, J-Jack s-showed up and g-gave up g-gifts, and he may h-have t-told me to use m-mine to s-stab D-Darmok, so I may h-have l-lost my t-temper and t-threw a b-bulge in his f-face?" her face becomes a deep brown as she recounts that last part

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:13] AA: Sami frowns. "Sounds like him. And yeah, you're lucky he didn't punish you for it. He probably wouldn't have killed you yet, but I wouldn't have been surprised if he took your eyes or your arm or something equally horrifying."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:14] AA: "I wonder why Jack would want Darmok dead..." She thinks about it for a while. "...is Darmok a threat to his plans?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:15] TT: "I d-don't k-know, he g-gave me t-this to do it t-though?" she holds out a small dagger, circuity racing across the blade

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:15] AA: "Wow. Fancy. Looks like that paintbrush he gave my Dreamself." Sami pulls out the Shoopbrush.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:16] AA: "I wonder if he's using the same base item to alchemize these things or something."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:17] TT: "m-maybe? but w-why w-would he h-hand t-these s-sort of t-things out?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:18] AA: Sami shrugs. "He benefits somehow, I'm sure of that. In the case of my dreamself, it's becuase he had made her into a puppet to use against us and guard his base against us coming for him."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:18] AA: "In your case....I don't know. Maybe he really thought you would use it on Darmok, and he really wants Darmok dead for some reason. Or maybe that was a red herring and he really wants you to use it on something else."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:19] AA: "The heck of it is, if you try to avoid doing what you think he wants you to do, it might turn out he was using reverse psychology on you the whole time."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:20] TT: Miloko looks over the edge of the building, "m-maybe I s-should j-just t-throw it a-away t-then?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:20] AA: Sami shrugs. "I don't know. I didn't throw away mine. But I have a bad habit of making use of tools the game offers me that I should know better than to get involved with."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:22] AA: "I'm a Witch. Not a Seer. I'm good at changing the situation, but I'm not so great when it comes to figuring out where those changes are going to lead."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:24] TT: "hmm, I g-guess I'll h-hold on to it for now, j-just n-need to be c-careful u-until I k-know w-what t-this t-thing a-actually d-does?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:26] AA: "Yeah. Probably for the best. You don't want to do like I did when I first started playing around with the majjykks."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:27] TT: "oh, I k-know a-about m-mishandling m-magic and the c-consequences of d-doing so?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:29] AA: "That's good. Majjykk always seems to come with a hidden cost. Usually more than you're comfortable paying."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:29] AA: "So it's good you've learned to be careful with it."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:30] TT: "m-more f-fearful t-than c-careful r-really?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:31] AA: "That's probably even wiser, in all honesty. You know one of my teammates almost shot me because of how scared he was of what happened to me when I used too much majjykk?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:31] TT: "r-really?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:32] AA: "Yeah. I've never actually seen myself when I'm like that, but I saw Libby grimdark once. So I can imagine it was a pretty startling change."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:35] TT: "c-change? you m-mean l-like p-posession? or s-something e-else?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:36] AA: "Yeah. If I use up too much majjykk, the "me" inside me sort of has to take a breather and one of the Horrorterrors takes over until I catch my breath."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:37] AA: "When Libby did it there were physical changes too. Like this dark aura with wisps that look like tentacles."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:39] TT: "t-that's h-horrifying, but at l-least it s-sounds e-easy to s-spot? and p-posession is n-never fun to h-have to go t-through?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:40] AA: Sami shrugs. "I'm not really there for it when it happens. The horrifying part doesn't occur until after I wake up and I see what my body has been up to while I was unconscious."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:42] TT: "y-yeah, to you it j-just f-feels l-like y-you're s-sleeping?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:42] AA: "Kind of."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:43] AA: "The weird thing is....the things they do while I'm out of it....they seem really horrifying at first, but then in the long term they end up being something that sort of helps. Or at least doesn't hurt us as much as it just inconveniences us."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:43] AA: "Like one time, I woke up to see I had strangled Seriad. Only it turned out that Seriad had been taken over by Jack using some sort of horrible technology to make her a puppet. And once she was dead, I was able to kiss her and her dreamself woke up free of Jack's influence."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:45] AA: "So it's like they kind of helped us....just in the most sad and creepy way they could've done so."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:47] TT: "y-yeah, I s-still t-think I'm g-going to see if I can s-scrounge up the c-components to p-preform an e-exorcism t-though, j-just in c-case t-these t-things s-start t-trying to h-hurt us?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:47] AA: "You can try it if you like but I doubt it'll work. Doir tried exorcising me the first time it happened."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:51] TT: Miloko frowns, "and you t-think he and I e-even c-compare on k-knowledge of e-exorcisms? I am the h-high p-priestess of the T-Trolltec f-faith for a r-reason?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:52] TT: "and he's, w-well, t-there's a r-reason I f-followed him and L-Lily up h-here?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:52] AA: Sami shrugs. "Give it a go then. Just don't piss them off. They're immensely powerful."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:55] TT: "I d-don't e-even k-know if I can get all the c-components a-anyways? and a c-couple of the key o-ones are b-back in my r-room? it's not l-like I can do it r-right h-here and now?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:55] AA: "If I were you I would avoid drawing their attention if you can help it. But then again with you being involved with Darmok, you might already have their attention."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:59] TT: "d-don't w-worry, I h-have a k-knack for b-being i-ignored?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:03] AA: Sami frowns and pats Miloko's hand. "Are you feeling neglected, hon?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:05] TT: "m-maybe a l-little?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:07] AA: "Would you like to hang out more often then? Spend some quality bonding time with your future mother-in-law?" Sami gives her a wicked grin.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:10] TT: "s-sure?" Miloko gives a slightly worried chuckle

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:18] AA: "That'll be so much fun! Let's not wait too long, huh? As soon as we get some downtime, we can just hang out. No need to be planning for how to beat a world or anything."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:21] TT: "o-okay? but s-speaking of p-planning, a-aren't you m-meeting w-with y-your new f-friend s-soon?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:21] AA: "Yeah. Just gotta get some coffee before that."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:21] AA: "But yeah, I'd better go now. We'll talk later, right?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:22] TT: "a-alright? h-have fun S-Sami?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:23] AA: "Okay. And I'll let you know if I learn anything about the employee-areas. Oh! And consider asking Doir if he can investigate with his astral projection-y powers!"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:23] TT: "he can do t-that?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:24] AA: "I think so. Don't know if he can be invisible when he does it, but he can go through walls I think."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:24] TT: "g-good to k-know? m-more o-options is a-always a g-good t-thing?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:25] AA: "Sure thing. And good luck."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:25] TT: "you too?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:26] AA: "Thanks. Talk to you later!"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:26] AA: Sami jumps off the ledge and into the air, before floating gently to the ground in front of the entrance to the Casino.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);">[12:27] <span style="color:rgb(100,149,237);">AA: Waving all the while.