082914-SamiBeau

 -- arcaneArtisan2 [AA] began pestering chessAficionado [CA] at 17:35 --

 AA: Sami comes up to Beau looking exhausted, and wearing a snazzy new pair of God Tier jim-jams.

 AA: "Hey. You wanna go get dinner?" Her voice sounds tired, too.

 CA: Beau looks up from his book and his eyes widen. "Sami you god tiered! That's great! But... are you ok?"...

 AA: She sighs. "I've been better."

 CA: "Oh dear, ok, let's talk about it over dinner, if you want"...

 AA: After they've got their food and sat down, Sami starts pushing her food around listlessly, as though thinking about stuff.

 CA: "What're you thinking about?"...

 AA: She looks sad for a minute, but finally responds "Why every time I try to do the right thing, I end up making things worse."

 CA: "That isn't true Sami"...

 CA: "You've done plenty of good"...

 AA: "Maybe little things. But every time I try to like....fix a problem, or save the day, or be the hero, or even just help someone who's hurting, I end up losing part of my soul or bringing Jack back or getting cursed."

 AA: "One of these days I'm going to end up doing something that's going to get one of you seriously hurt." She looks sad. "Assuming I haven't already."

 CA: Sami... don't be ridiculous. You're a fine teammate, and an even better friend. Whatever you've done, I'm sure it's outshined by your positive qualities"...

 AA: Sami looks down, as if she's not sure about that.

 AA: "I hope you're right. I hope I'm not just dragging everyone down."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "Geeze, what happened to make you think like that? Did that turkey talk to you more?"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "No. I..." She looks away. "...I don't even think I can tell you everything. Like physically, I can't. But..."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "I tried to talk to my Denizen. He's a Horrorterror, but it turns out the Horrorterrors are just former players who god tiered and couldn't die when their sessions ended. So I figured he was sad and just needed a friend..."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "...so I join him in the river, and I try to talk him through his whole tragic thing, and he starts trying to drown me."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "He was way too powerful for me. I don't even think Jack was as good at Time as he was at Breath. I mean, I know Breath pretty well, but this was at a level I've never even imagined before."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "I would've definitely drowned if I hadn't grimdarked....but I think....I think when I was grimdarked I did some really bad stuff. Stuff that's going to complicate everything from now on."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "Oh my, I'm sorry to hear that"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "Sami, unless you managed to gain control over horrorterrors, what happened wasn't your fault"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "...it was my choice to go grimdark. I could've held back....or I could've refused, and just let him kill me."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "Don't get me wrong. I didn't want to die and I still don't. But I reached out for power because I was scared of dying. If I did something bad while under the effects of that power....I'm at least a little culpable."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "Yes, but why were you in danger? Did tell your enemy to attack you?"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "No." She sighs. "I really just wanted to help him. Like Libby does for the others."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "See? You wanted to help. You and Libby have different talents, and she has a lot more experience. Perhaps it would be easier if you asked Libby if you could help her, then you can learn with less danger."...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "Yeah. I think I need to talk to her anyway."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "I'm pretty sure I'm going to get an earful for what happened on LOGAT though." She sighs yet again.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "So do I actually, I need to thank her"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "Thank her?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "Yeah, you know, for everything. Without her, there's no way we'd have gotten as far as we did."...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "Heck, because of you and her, I got to be here"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "Yeah. I thanked her when she took me to meet with them, but it makes sense that you would be grateful too."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "I just hope she doesn't take any disapproval she has toward me for making that deal with them out on you."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "I think it will be fine"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "Beau....do you think someone can become a bad guy just because they're dumb, even if they're trying with all their hearts to help people?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "No"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "Because you have to be trying to be a bad guy to be a bad guy"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "...I don't know. Jack thought he was a hero."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "Really, everyone is just the hero of their own story"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: She moves over to his side of the table, and leans her head against his chest. "Just....tell me I'm not going to become Jack. I need to hear it."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "Sami, you'd sooner slap the colonel than become Jack"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "...if I have any choice in the matter." She sounds sullen.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "Ok Sami, I promise, you will never become Jack"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: She nods, and nuzzles closer into him.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "Okay. I just hope you're not putting too much faith in me, Beau."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "Don't worry about it Sami"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "Now, do you feel better?"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "A little. Still not a lot."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: "That's good, is there anything I can do to make it a lot?"...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: "Maybe just....hold me for a little while?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: He complies, nuzzling close...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> AA: She leans against him for a while, but within a few minutes she's started gently dozing. She begins to snore only a minute or two later. She is no more graceful a sleeper than she's ever been.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> CA: Beau smiles and pats her head. He carefully picks her up and brings her to her room and sets her on the bed. "G'night Sami" he whispers...

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> -- chessAficionado [CA] ceased pestering arcaneArtisan2 [AA] at 20:49 --