080914beausami2

(( This log takes place about a week after Beau has arrived on the Ark. ))



 -- chessAficionado [CA] began pestering arcaneArtisan [AA] at 19:03 --

 [07:03] CA: ((test))

 [07:04] AA: (( bluh ))

 [07:05] CA: Beau wandered down the halls of the ark. Being restricted to just the bubble tended to get a little boring after a while. He sighed and continued walking...

 [07:06] AA: Sami comes out of her cabin, rubbing her eyes and yawning, headed toward the commissary.

 [07:07] CA: When Beau saw Sami, he almost looked shocked for moment, but it turned back into his usual tired but happy expression. "Sami, hi..."...

 [07:08] AA: Sami smiles and nods her head at Beau demurely. "Hi Beau."

 [07:13] CA: "How are you today?"...

 [07:15] AA: She smiles. "Not bad." She sighs, but her smile doesn't go away all the way. "Actually, I don't think I've felt this good since the Scratch."

 [07:19] CA: "Ah! I'm glad to hear that." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I've been well too, even if a little bored"...

 [07:20] AA: "Oh...sorry. I spend so much time studying lately. I started so I could try to live up to my memories of you....of her."

 [07:20] AA: "But then I found out Doir is like three times smarter than me, and now I just kind of....want to be smarter for ME."

 [07:23] CA: "And that's a pretty great breakthrough!"...

 [07:24] AA: "But I guess it's made me less fun to hang around."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:26] CA: "Nope, you're still pretty fun!"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:26] AA: "Hey! You want to play chess? I haven't played with anyone since..." she trails off. "...but one of the books I've been studying is that book she gave me months ago."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:26] CA: "That seems like it'd be great, I'd love to" He smiles...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:28] AA: Sami leads him to a spot in the commissary and decaptchalogs a familiar chessboard and pieces.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:28] AA: "You want white, or black?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:29] CA: "I'll take black"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:31] AA: Sami nods, and starts setting up the pieces, then makes her opening move.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:31] AA: "How are you adjusting?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:31] AA: "To....you know. All the stuff that's different here?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:32] CA: "Eeeh, it's quite the leap" he says as he moves a piece...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:33] CA: "Not everyone is as... welcoming as you or Doir..."...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:33] AA: "What? Really? Has anyone been giving you trouble?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:34] CA: "I wouldn't call it trouble, just that some believe the dead should stay dead"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:36] AA: Sami grunts and rolls her eyes. "Let me guess--Nate and Rilset?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:37] CA: "I haven't seen Rilset much, but if he's anything like the one in my session, I could imagine why he'd avoid me"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:38] CA: "But yes, Nate is less than happy about my return it seems"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:38] AA: "Don't worry about it. Nate has drawn further and further away from all of us."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:38] AA: "He probably wouldn't be any happier to see you if you had never died."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:39] AA: She sighs. "Sorry. Nate's kind of a sore subject for me."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:41] CA: "Oh, I'm sorry" He glues his eyes to the chessboard, planning his next move...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:42] CA: It looks like he feels bad about hitting a sore spot...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:42] AA: "No, I don't mean like that. It doesn't make me upset when you bring him up. I'm just sorry that I probably sound like a jerk for getting tired of his shit when he's been a friend for so long."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:45] CA: "I see, well you don't sound like a jerk."...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:45] CA: "If anything I sound bad for complaining about it"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:46] AA: "No, not at all. Nate's been an ass lately."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:47] CA: "It's because he was only in it for protection against Jack. Now that he's dead, Nate has no reason to stick around. He told me himself"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:48] AA: "Yeah. That's pretty much it. He doesn't want to be our friend anymore, or be part of the team."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:48] AA: Sami shrugs. "For a long time I fought it, trying to make him part of our group....but if he doesn't want to be part of the group, I'm tired of trying to force him."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [07:50] CA: "and that's ok. All you can do is be yourself. Not everyone is going to be your ally"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> -- arcaneArtisan [AA] is now an idle chum! --

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:04] AA: She sighs. "Yeah....that's a long way from what I thought when I started this game though. Check, by the way." She nods toward the move she just made. "So....you don't think I've lost my way?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:08] CA: "I think you should think about it like one of those novels you read"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:09] CA: "You're going through your plot, and it's changing you. It might not seem like it's for the better, but in the end I think you'll get a happily ever after"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:09] AA: Sami gives a weary chuckle. "I don't know if I believe in happily ever after anymore. But it's sweet of you to say."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:09] CA: "If the main character never changed throughout the book, it wouldn't be very good, would it?"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:10] CA: Beau moved a rook to take Sami's offending piece....

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:10] AA: "Maybe..." She looks away and blushes a little. "...but I don't know if I'm really the girl you fell in love with anymore."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:11] CA: "No, you aren't the girl I fell in love with, but you're the girl that changed and I still loved her."...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:12] AA: Sami blushes harder and looks at her feet.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:12] AA: "It really is just like old times when I'm with you, sometimes."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:15] CA: Beau blushes a little. He feels like there's something he's supposed to say but it won't come out...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:15] AA: Sami sits in awkward silence for a moment. "...you know, Libby thinks we should give it a go." She doesn't look up from her feet.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:18] AA: "...I'm just so worried. I've never been attracted to a boy before....but I was never attracted to girls before you, either. And I feel the same things around you I did around her. But I would hate to lead you on only to find out later that I can't..." she trails off.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:20] CA: "Sami..."...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:20] AA: "...I keep wanting to protect you. Stop you from deciding to take the chance that I might break your heart. But Libby's right. I should trust you to make your own decisions."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:20] AA: She finally looks up at him, looking nervous.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:21] AA: "So if you want to try....we're going to have to take it slow. Even slower than the first time."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:21] AA: "...but if you want to take the chance..."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:22] CA: Beau is, by now, a stark red. His wide white eyes provide a great contrast as he tries to stutter out a response...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:22] AA: "...well. You are the Heir of Light, right? Maybe you'll get lucky."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:22] AA: She sits for a beat before realizing what she said and then blushes harder. "I mean....maybe you'll luck out!"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:22] AA: "Not....I wasn't trying to say..."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:22] AA: "Oh shit. I'm fucking this up." She looks at her feet again.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:23] CA: Slowly, a small chuckle comes out of the blue screened boy...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:23] CA: "Wow uh... the tables sure have turned huh?"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:24] AA: Sami looks down at the chessboard.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:24] AA: "Aw dammit! I thought I was doing so good, too!"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:25] CA: "Last time it was you who was all shocked silent... and..." He reaches forward, moving Sami's queen into place. "Checkmate... you win..."...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:26] AA: "Are you sure you want to do this? I don't know if I could ever forgive myself if I end up breaking your heart, Beau."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:27] CA: "Sami... The day you break my heart is the day pigs fly"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:28] AA: She hunches her shoulders, looking nervous. "But what if it turns out I really am a lesbian? I'm not certain I'm not just leading you on."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:29] AA: "...but I do know I've never felt this way about a boy before. Just like I never felt that way about a girl until Beau."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:29] CA: "Well if you are, you wouldn't break my heart, because you can't control that."...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:32] AA: "Okay. If you're sure. Then....we can try dating. But like I said, we're going to have to take it slow. Let me get used to the whole....boy thing."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:32] CA: "If it's something you'd be willing to try... well there are somethings I should tell you..."...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:32] AA: Sami cocks her head. "Like what?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:32] CA: "And if you don't want to date after I tell you I understand but um..."...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:32] AA: Sami looks concerned. "What? What's wrong?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:33] CA: "In my session... the Sami in that timeline..."...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:33] CA: "Have you heard of a mental disorder called 'PTSD'?"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:33] AA: Sami nods. "Some of the Colonel's war buddies had it."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:34] AA: "It sucks."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:34] CA: "Yeah, I know firsthand..."...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:34] CA: He avoids looking her in the eye, almost afraid of her reaction...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:34] AA: "Oh....because of what happened to her?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:35] CA: "Yeah... Nightmares... Flashbacks... all that not so fun stuff..."...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:36] CA: "So...If you don't want to have to deal with me freaking out sometimes, I understand if you want to nip this in the bud..."...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:36] AA: "I know a thing or two about nightmares. Did she ever..." Sami thinks for a minute how best to ask in a non triggering way. "Did she have those....night terrors?" She puts emphasis on the last two words.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:37] CA: "Yes, Sami's dreamself in that timeline was also taken by... him"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:37] AA: "On this side, Beau would sometimes sleep beside me, so if I woke up screaming, she could hold my hand and calm me down."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:39] AA: "I'm not ready to sleep beside you yet or anything....actually, I'm not even sure if ghosts sleep. But I could do the same for you. I owe you....or rather, I owe her, and your Sami owes you, so....I don't know, I'm just saying..." she sighs.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:39] AA: "...I don't mind helping you through tough times, Beau."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:39] AA: "But....is being around me going to make things worse for you?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:42] CA: "I'm not sure... but I'm willing to take the risk honestly..."...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:45] AA: "Okay." She sighs. "Then let's give this a shot." She looks around. "Do ghosts eat? I was about to get breakfast. We could eat together. As a....y'know....date."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:46] AA: She re-captchalogs the chess set.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:47] CA: "It'd be my pleasure" He gets up and offers her his arm...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [08:48] AA: She accepts takes his arm, and they walk together toward the kitchen.