031215milokosami

 -- arcaneArtisan2 [AA] began pestering timidTheurge [TT] at 22:08 --

 [10:08] AA: (( Miloko in her room? Or elsewhere? ))

 [10:09] TT: ((in her room, she's finally getting some sleep after having to keep Merrow in line for some time))

 [10:13] AA: Sami knocks on the door to Miloko's room.

 [10:16] TT: The sound of an exasperated sigh, followed by some crashing precedes the door opening. A tired looking Miloko peeks out of the room, "w-what?"

 [10:17] AA: "Oh, I'm sorry, were you sleeping? Rubi said I should come tell you what I can about....certain things."

 [10:17] AA: Sami's eyes are puffy and red, and she looks weary.

 [10:19] TT: "oh, c-come on in? w-what's w-wrong w-with y-your e-eyes, if you d-don't m-mine me a-asking? you not g-getting any s-sleep r-recently e-either?"

 [10:19] AA: "Oh. Uh....it's nothing. Allergies." Sami looks ashamed, and isn't meeting Miloko's eyes when she says this.

 [10:21] TT: Miloko frowns, "if it's s-something s-secret, you can j-just say so? no n-need to t-treat me l-like a c-child?"

 [10:22] AA: Sami shakes her head, looking at her feet. "It's nothing to worry about. I've just been crying."

 [10:23] TT: "it m-must be s-something r-really sad if it's got you c-crying?"

 [10:25] AA: Sami bites her lip. "I really can't talk about it. I'm better now anyway. I've figured out how to do what I have to do."

 [10:25] AA: "Rubi said you wanted to know about Muses?"

 [10:26] AA: "And Lords?"

 [10:26] TT: "y-yeah?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:26] AA: Sami eyes her suspiciously for a moment, before continuing.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:27] AA: "Well, one thing to know about Muses is that the game compensates for the presence of a Muse or a Lord itself. So say, for example, someone were to use Shenanicite to become one at the same time someone else did the same thing, they wouldn't be one another's counterparts. The game would assign other people to be their counterparts."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:27] AA: "I'm just speaking hypothetically, of course."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:28] AA: "Which means right now, there are eight Master Class players in our session. Assuming none of them have died yet."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:28] TT: "e-eight!?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:28] AA: Sami nods.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:29] TT: "how do you k-know?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:29] AA: "I do not know the identities of all of them, and it would probably be REALLY WISE for anyone who does know to keep that crud to themselves." She eyes Miloko significantly.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:30] AA: "I've spoken to Libby about it."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:30] TT: "can I ask why it s-should be k-kept a s-secret?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:33] AA: "Because Master Class players are incredibly powerful. So powerful that one who abuses their power could very well hurt a lot of innocent people."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:34] TT: Miloko's face begins to pale, "and y-you're s-saying we s-shouldn't k-know who we n-need to k-keep an eye on?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:35] AA: "No....I don't know. Maybe you're right." Sami sighs and hangs her head, like she's exhausted.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:36] AA: "I just....I'm sorry. You're right. We should know. *I* should know." Her jaw sets resolutely.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:37] AA: "It's been a long, emotional night. I'm sorry Miloko. I'm probably not thinking as clearly as I should be right now."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:38] TT: "it's o-okay?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:38] AA: "Lords and Muses are powerful enough to hurt themselves and others really easily. They're not supposed to show up in a game unless the odds are stacked so hard against the players that they can't win without that sort of power."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:39] AA: "Which means pretty much only two-player sessions."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:39] TT: "can we t-take it b-back?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:39] AA: Sami shakes her head. "Not that I'm aware of. Maybe with Shenanicite? But I'm only guessing."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:40] TT: "I d-don't w-want to h-hurt p-people t-though? I was s-scared e-enough of my p-powers b-before?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:40] AA: Sami looks at Miloko with sympathy, and pulls her in for a hug.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:41] TT: "are you o-okay? you s-seem k-kinda 'm-mood s-swingy' r-right now?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:42] AA: Sami shakes her head. "It's fine." Her voice is sad.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:42] TT: "no, it's o-obviously not?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:43] AA: "It's going to have to be." She sniffs. "This is what I signed up for. I just didn't know it was going to come up this soon, when I did."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:43] AA: "Listen, Milly. Your powers....it's wise to be scared of them. You being scared of what you can do is your best chance of not abusing your powers."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:44] AA: "It's really important that you give yourself time to grow. Not into your role, like the rest of us. But as a person."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:45] TT: "I d-don't u-understand?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:46] TT: "did s-someone get h-hurt? is t-that why you w-were c-crying?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:46] AA: "No. No one got hurt. I just made a hard decision."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:48] TT: "I s-still d-don't u-understand, w-why do I n-need to g-grow d-differently?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:48] TT: "w-what did I do w-wrong?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:50] AA: "Because you've been given immense power without having to work for it, and be taught what the game has to teach the rest of us. It's like someone took a child--er, that is to say, a wiggler--and put it in the body of a grown up. And now that child's got all the power of an adult but hasn't yet learned all the other things you have to know to be an adult."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:50] AA: "And really, we did sort of the same thing with how we god tiered. But I guess it's even worse with Muses or Lords somehow? I don't know. I've only got vague details here."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:51] AA: "I just know that things aren't supposed to go like this."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:51] AA: "Milly....did you use Shenanicite to become what you are?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:52] TT: "no?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:52] TT: "at l-least I d-don't t-think I did?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:52] TT: "I d-don't r-really k-know w-what t-that s-stuff is?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:52] AA: Sami nods, looking relieved. "Good. Okay. That means you're a counterbalance to someone else. The game chose you to balance out the danger of someone else."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:53] AA: "You didn't do anything wrong, Milly. But you've still got power that is more than you were meant to handle. So you have to be really careful with how you use it."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:54] TT: Miloko begins shaking, "I d-didn't w-want t-this? I d-don't w-want t-this!?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:55] AA: "I know. I know sweetie." Sami hugs her again, and pats her head. "It happens. The game does this to us. It throws things at us that we're not ready for, or it lets us sign up for things we don't know we're signing up for." She grabs Miloko's shoulders and pushes her back a little so that she's looking into her eyes determinedly. "But we can overcome it, okay? We can be too strong for it to break,

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:55] AA: or we can rebuild even if it does break us, all right?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:57] TT: Miloko stares at the ground, "I'm not s-strong?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [10:59] AA: "You've made it this far, haven't you? You've survived the apocalypse, you've adjusted to a universe completely unlike anything you knew before entering it, you've lost parents and everyone you've ever known and you're still standing at the end of all of it, aren't you?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:00] AA: "But you know what? You don't HAVE to be strong yet. In fact maybe it's better if you're not. This game is about helping people grow into who they're supposed to be. You're unbaked clay right now. You've still got to go through the kiln."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:00] TT: "o-only b-because o-other p-people w-were p-pushing me f-forwards the w-whole t-time?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:01] TT: Miloko sighs, "not l-like t-that's not the s-story of my l-life t-though?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:01] AA: "Well how do you think any of us keep moving forward, silly?" Sami's eyes are still sad, but she chuckles affectionately. "I couldn't have done anything I've done so far without my friends to give me strength."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:03] AA: "We're not like twinks. We need each other to survive. But that's what makes us strong! It's why we beat Jack before the scratch. And it's why we're going to survive this session, too."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:04] TT: "I e-envy y-your o-optimism? but g-given t-that I j-just l-learned my p-powers are a d-danger to e-everyone, I d-don't see it?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:07] AA: "Let me show you something, Miloko." Sami pulls a paintbrush out of her sylladex, covered in buttons and circuitry. She holds it in her hands, stares at it for a moment, and her eyes turn inky black, and all of the blue color in her body and clothes melts into the paintbrush, becoming a smattering of paint. With a few quick flicks of her wrist, she fills the room with gently glowing fireflies that

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:07] AA: fill the area with a calming aura.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:08] AA: After a few minutes, the scene fades and Miloko's room returns to how it was, but Sami still looks drained of color.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:08] AA: "Do you see the colors on my body gone like this? That's the cost of my power. The colors go away, and the Horrorterrors come one step closer to taking over."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:09] TT: "w-what!?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:09] AA: "My powers are a danger to everyone. But they've also saved my friends a dozen times."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:10] AA: "It's good to be scared of this sort of power. But you can't just curse the heavens for throwing a dark fate on you."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:10] TT: "t-those a-aren't y-your o-only p-powers t-though?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:10] AA: "No. I am also a God Tier Witch of Breath. And even that came at a price that might put others in danger."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:12] AA: "I'm not an optimist, Milly. Not anymore. Maybe when I entered, but that's all gone now."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:12] AA: "I still believe that we can make the most of what the game throws at us, because I have to. Because if I didn't believe that I'd....I don't know. I don't think I could go on."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:13] AA: "I'm not saying everything is going to be peachy. I'm not saying any of it's going to be easy. But I do believe very firmly that if you were past the point that you can continue to grow and be better, you would already be dead."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:14] TT: "or the u-universe c-could h-have f-forgotten a-about me and t-that's why I'm s-still a-alive?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:15] AA: Sami shakes her head. "Now who's the optimist?" She chuckles but there's no mirth in it.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:16] TT: "t-that's not o-optimism? t-that's j-just a-accepting t-that I'm i-insignificant?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:16] AA: "It's assuming a universe that isn't actively trying to kill us or make us miserable in any way it can."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:17] AA: "But we can beat it at its own game. We can snatch happiness and survival from its jaws at every turn."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:18] TT: "m-maybe you can?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:18] AA: "Well thus far, so have you."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:19] AA: "Anyway, what other choice do you have?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:19] TT: Miloko holds up a dagger

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:20] AA: Sami goes pale, and gulps. "Milly..."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:20] AA: "...don't do anything rash now..."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:21] TT: "I c-can't a-anyways?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:21] TT: "I'm too s-scared?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:22] AA: "Oh yeah? Because I don't think it's that you're too scared at all. I think it's that deep down inside, you still want to survive. Deeper down than even you know, you're a fighter. And you don't want to give up without a fight."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:26] TT: "so you t-think I'd r-rather a p-painful d-death out t-there?" she gestures to her window, "o-over a q-quick and m-mostly p-painless one in h-here?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:30] AA: "What, and let THEM beat you?" Sami shakes her head. "You, the princess of Earth? You, the high priestess of the Trolltec? You, the daughter of the Condesce?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:31] TT: "I d-didn't c-choose to be any of t-those t-things?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:32] AA: "You choose to continue being those things every day you get out there and do it. You could leave it all behind in a second. Change your name, disappear, become someone else."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:33] TT: "I did? for a w-while?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:33] AA: "What made you come back?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:34] TT: "f-fear?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:34] TT: "and l-loneliness?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:35] AA: Sami smiles, shakes her head, pulls Miloko in for another hug, and pats the back of her head. "Well you're not Maid of Fear anymore, Miloko. You're its master. Just be careful how you use it."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:36] AA: "And don't let it run away from you."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:38] AA: "And....if it puts your mind at ease any..."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:40] AA: Sami gulps, then sets her jaw. "...we're not going to let the Master-ranks destroy the session." Her voice sounds hollow, but edged, and her eyes are focused a thousand yards away.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:41] TT: Miloko's eyes are as large as dinner plates, "are you one of 't-them'?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:42] AA: "Who is 'them?'"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:42] AA: "The Master Ranks? Because no. I'm just a Witch."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:43] TT: "no, was t-that j-just one of the h-horror t-thingies? t-that was d-doing the c-creepy t-talking?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:44] AA: "Oh. No. You would know if I had gone grimdark."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:44] TT: "t-then w-what was t-that!?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:44] AA: "What was what?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:45] TT: "I d-don't k-know? I'm all f-frazzled and s-stuff now?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:45] TT: "I t-think I'm g-going c-crazy?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:46] AA: "You've got a lot on your mind. And I told you a lot of scary stuff right now. You're probably just jumping at shadows."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:47] TT: "y-yeah? t-that m-must be it?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:47] AA: "Look, Miloko....don't overstress about this. Don't get me wrong, you need to be on guard against using your powers in reckless ways, but as long as you're careful, you can do this. Rilset's managing it, apparently, and Jack certainly thrived as a Lord."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:48] AA: "Experience will be your friend, and patience, and a gentle touch."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:48] AA: "Especially as a Muse, a gentle touch should come naturally."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:49] AA: "You're not like Witches, or probably Lords. We swing power around like a hammer. It'd be easy to get carried away as a Witch, so I'm sure it's even worse for Lords."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:49] TT: "o-okay? you s-said t-there was e-eight m-master c-class p-players? can I ask how m-many you k-know of e-each?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:50] AA: "Including you....I know three of the Lords, and two of the Muses."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:50] TT: "you k-know of one m-more M-Muse t-than me t-then?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:50] AA: Sami nods.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:51] AA: "Two of you kids used Shenanicite to rise to the Master classes at the same time. They thought it would make them counterparts of each other, but the game compensated for both of them."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:51] AA: "I would guess you are the counterpart to the one who became a Lord. Which means there is probably another one of you kids who became a Lord."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:52] TT: Miloko nods

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:52] AA: "I guess whoever Jack's Muse is, she must have been raised when we entered the game." Sami shakes her head. "I have no idea who that is."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:53] AA: "And as for Rilset's Muse....I don't know. I'm not sure when he rose. It must have been after that alteraction with Scarlet on the Ark. I don't know if it's one of us veterans or one of you kids. Or if it could have even chosen someone outside of our sessions."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:56] AA: Sami sighs. "I don't know. Libby seems to know who all of them are, and there's only one person she told me to deal with. Maybe I don't have to worry about who the other two are yet. Jack's Muse must be safe enough if she's kept the secret this whole time and not put herself in danger."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:57] TT: "hmm, I'm g-guessing the o-other M-Muse you k-know of t-then is the one who c-chose to r-rise a-alongside my L-Lord?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:58] AA: Sami nods. "Yeah. I know the kids who used shenanicite to rise to their positions."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:58] AA: Sami looks oddly sad when she says this.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:58] TT: "w-what's w-wrong? is s-something bad g-going to c-come of t-that?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [11:59] AA: Sami doesn't meet Miloko's eyes. "I would be very sad if anything bad came of that."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:00] TT: "you d-don't e-even k-know the h-half of it?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:00] AA: "What do you mean? Do you know something?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:01] TT: "I'm p-pretty s-sure I k-know who the l-last L-Lord is?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:02] AA: "You do?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:04] TT: "y-yeah? s-since you s-said two of my f-fellows r-rose t-together? I was w-with him w-when my s-sheet c-changed? I k-know his did too?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:04] AA: "You were....with him?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:04] AA: Sami's breath catches.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:05] TT: "s-sorry?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:06] AA: Sami sighs, and her head hangs. "It's okay." She sniffs a little, but she doesn't cry. "Libby said the ones that were raised by the game itself....she said they weren't in as much danger. And he's got his....'friends.'"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:06] AA: "I think I need to talk to him though."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:07] TT: "as m-much d-danger!?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:07] AA: "Or rather," Sami blushes "That they're not as dangerous."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:07] AA: She sighs. "I guess in the end it's the same thing though."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:08] TT: "no, t-there's a d-definite d-distiction to me?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:12] AA: "Don't worry. Darmok is safer, and less dangerous, than he would be if he had sought out the power himself."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:15] AA: "Honestly, given what I've seen of how life craps on that boy, this is probably not even the most dangerous thing that's happened to him this WEEK."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:15] TT: "p-probably not?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:17] AA: Sami pats Miloko's hand. "Darmok is probably better equipped to handle this than anyone else in the session. Maybe even the veterans."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:17] AA: "But when you saw it on your character sheet....did you notice how he reacted when his changed?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:18] TT: "he j-just s-showed me his s-sheet? no s-surprise or a-anything? I had a-assumed he had s-something to do w-with it at f-first?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:19] TT: "if he d-didn't t-though?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:20] AA: "You know he knows things, Milly. I think he might even know things Libby doesn't."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:20] AA: "Him not being surprised about something....well I guess it's just not all that surprising."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:21] AA: "But if he didn't seem scared, or excited, or even depressed about it....I suspect he knows he can handle it."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:22] TT: "I g-guess t-that t-true? I f-forget a-about him 'k-knowing' t-things a lot of the t-time? we d-don't r-really t-talk a-about it m-much?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:29] AA: Sami nods. "That's good. A lot of people would probably try to take advantage of his knowledge in your position. I'm glad he found a sweet girl who cares about him for him, and not for what he can do for her." Sami smiles at Miloko sweetly.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:32] TT: "t-thanks? but to be f-fair, it's r-really q-quite e-easy to not w-want to m-mess our r-relationship up? k-knowing w-what he's b-been t-through and all the g-good q-qualities he got f-from you? I t-think a-anyone e-else in my p-position w-would do the s-same?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:34] AA: "Not all of his good qualities are from me. I know it must be hard to believe, seeing what he was like on this side. But the Balish on our side was actually really noble, and really strong. It's why I get so mad when I think about the Balish from this side, and what he did to Darmok....and how the Sami on this side could love him after all that."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:35] TT: "g-good guy, r-right? I'm s-skeptical?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:36] AA: "Yeah. I'll bet. It would be hard for me to believe, too, if the only Balish I knew on this side was the one that treated Darmok so badly."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:36] TT: "w-which is t-totally the c-case h-here?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:37] AA: "Balish had his demons. But he fought them off. He never let them win. He stayed loyal to all of us, in spite of all the things that were done to try to make him into a monster."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:38] AA: "In a lot of ways, he was a lot like Darmok. Not quite as sweet, and not quite as knowing. But he overcame all the horrible stuff that he could've been to be someone we could all depend on."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:40] AA: "Don't get me wrong though. If I ever see the Balish from this side, he'll be lucky if still has skin when I'm done with him."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:40] TT: "you m-might not w-want to go to D-Darmok's l-land t-then?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:41] AA: Sami looks at Miloko in surprise. "You found him?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:41] TT: "y-yeah? he was t-tied up?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:41] AA: "What, like literally?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:41] TT: "b-bound and g-gagged?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:41] AA: "Really? Who caught him?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:42] TT: "D-Darmok, I t-think?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:42] AA: "Haha!" Sami laughs triumphantly. "That's my boy!"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:43] AA: She settles herself down. "Well, Darmok has more right to deal with him than I do. I just hope for his sake he doesn't get carried away. Get too tied up in revenge, and it might take away some of his sweetness. And there's nothing that could make me hate this Balish more than if he did that to Darmok."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:48] TT: "y-yeah? I'd r-rather not l-lose him a-again?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:49] AA: Sami looks crestfallen. "Me neither. I'm going to do everything in my power to keep him safe."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:50] AA: "But don't make the mistake I did, Miloko. Don't assume you have forever. This game has a way of ripping away the things we love from us."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:50] TT: "I k-know? t-there's j-just b-been a lot of o-other s-stuff g-going on r-recently?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:51] AA: "I know. But make time for each other, okay?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:51] AA: "I know it's going to be tough, but it will mean so much to you, if anything ever happens."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:51] AA: "And it'll mean so much to him, if anything ever happens to you."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:51] TT: "if?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:52] AA: "Well you know what I mean."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:53] TT: "y-yeah, if t-there's one t-thing you've b-been c-clear on, it's the d-dangers t-that w-we've got to f-face now?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [12:58] AA: Sami nods. "Don't let it defeat you though Miloko. You're stronger than you think you are. I never thought I would be strong enough to deal with the stuff I have, but I did it."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [01:01] TT: "j-just b-because you did, d-doesn't m-mean I w-will?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [01:02] AA: "No, it doesn't. But I think it means you CAN."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [01:02] AA: "You've just got to summon up the courage. Be fear's master instead of its servant."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [01:03] TT: "o-okay? j-just be s-sure to t-tell me if it l-looks l-like I'm g-going to h-hurt p-people?"

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [01:04] AA: "I will. Because I'm going to be the one who has to deal with you if I don't." Sami's face is grave.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [01:05] AA: "Okay, I'm going to try to get two or three hours of sleep before flying practice. You try to get some sleep too, Miloko."

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [01:05] AA: Sami pats Miloko's shoulder one more time before she leaves.

<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"> [01:06] TT: Miloko just sits there stunned about Sami's ominous penultimate words