"you want it?"

                              "i don't think i know how to use it, do you?"

"i've never done one myself but i know the theory."

she is advancing on you.

                  fern stays right where they are and has no change of posture.

you guys can both make a perception check to try and find long-burning candles.

                                 mhm.
                                               natural 20.

i'm pulling fern up.

                                         i am getting up and moving.

outside your inn room window
  there is a large, delicate spider web spanning the entire windowframe.
    you do not see a spider.
      you do not see a spider's prey.

what you do see,
  however,
    is a wasp,
      buzzing and circling,
        weaving in and out through the intricate patterns of the web.

you watch it for a moment as it flies, and you see it circling a minute more
  before it lands in the center of the web.

rather than sticking,
  struggling,
    and becoming ensnared and entangled in the thread,
      it takes to it as easy as a spider to its own silk.
        tiny, delicate feet step along the web
          without sticking or stopping,
            and it navigates the woven intersections as if it knows them well.

you don't know how long you watch that wasp in the web,
  but you sit there watching for some time,
    and eventually,
      it
        flies
          away.

here's what i'll give you:
   1. i spearheaded many of the conversations with crais.
      2. i was threatening where i should have been diplomatic.
         3. i dismissed him due to my own personal biases and distractions.
            4. there are a number of facts i forgot, again due to the number of distractions.
               5. you were not awake for it, but i did cast the final spell.
                  6. i did not hold onto him when he went out of the window.
i am aware of every single one of these.

                     yes.

and they're unacceptable.

there is like, five seconds, and then if anyone is around there is a thudding as victor throws one
                                                                                                                                         and then two knives into her door.

                                                                        fern has paused outside the door, and hears this and goes, welp!

"i suppose i could put in a good word."

        "that's not gon' work and you know that."

"i do, but. well..."

        "when he comes to try and claim my life again he'll have a right to it. that doesn't mean i ain't gon' put up a fight."

"understood."

"you're leaving."

                                               "i am."

"you'll be back."

"should we not put holes in the top?"

              "i don't trust it to not [indistinct, a mention of oxygen]."

"oh, yeah, 'cause you wouldn't really have any of that in there, now would you."

              "no, i wouldn't presume. i might be wrong though. never been there, thank god."

"not a vacation spot."

              "no. but presumably, it doesn't exactly need oxygen. at least that would be my, my guess."

"if it starts thrashing we'll know."

              "... yeah, we'll just keep an eye on it."

"mmm."

fern gets one hell of, kind of an expression.
                                               ...confusion slash derogatory, is what i can say.

                                                                             slight head tilt.

she turns around and does not say anything.

                                                                             mmkay.

      during your meditation, fern,
you don't really dream during meditations the same way one can dream when they sleep,
           it's more like your thoughts are going somewhere and you don't really have a way to guide them elsewhere.
you feel cold when you begin your meditation,
               not in any specific area of your body in any specific capacity, the way it has been in the past that would be worrying to you,
                      more like your room is a little bit chilly.
over the course of the four hours you gradually, gradually seem to warm again, except...
                                  it's an odd sensation, it's like the inside of your ribcage stays just a little bit cold,
                                                                   but it's kind of nice — it's kind of a soothing cooling sensation.

fern comes down the stairs and you can kind of notice victor tense, and the closer fern comes
                      the more victor kind of like —;
                                                               her hands curl against the edge of the table, and she's clearly trying to like, be normal.

                                           fern makes note of this and sits as far away from victor as possible.

for the first time in days, the look victor gives you is not overly hostile, but instead an ackowledgement.
                                                                                                   like at once i see, and, thank you, almost.

          "of course they hate me. i killed crais."

you don't notice it at first, there's a couple things that catch your eye before this hits, but as your friend approaches you at the breakfast table and smiles at each of you
when you look in their eyes,
you don't know how much it has changed because before they were sort of
cloudy,
foggy, in a strange way,
and now they have cleared, but not quite how they were before,
now they are a more metallic, silvery metal color - the irises, with sort of an off-white of the sclera, and it's not particularly chrome, or otherwise shockingly reflective, but they are metallic and silvery
and maybe its just because the black drips of their eye... liner? maybe—equivalent? takes up more of their face, but the contrast is quite striking.

[and i'll say you think embrace destiny is hot as hell.]
                             [that's what i have to say about it.]

               [and it's true!]

[and it's true, and are they wrong?]

               [no !]