Harmony echoes in your mind as you sing to Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd, "'lo. You
wanted to know when I had time to talk?"

The soft voice of Olethea tickles your ear, "Ah! Yes, please."

The soft voice of Olethea tickles your ear, "I am at the Master, but I can meet you... anywhere,
really. Do you like tea?"

Harmony echoes in your mind as you sing to Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd, "It's a good
beverage for holding conversations over. Is there a place in the Glomdoring that you'd prefer to meet
at? Assuming that you don't want to air your concerns in front of anyone who just happens to be
wandering by the nexus."

The soft voice of Olethea tickles your ear, "I was actually going to offer my Manse, I have a gazebo
with chairs and a table to sit at. It's... a bit sensitive, and I'd prefer it not be wandered into, for
Gurashi's sake."

Harmony echoes in your mind as you sing to Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd, "Very well."

*Speeeeedwalk*

Olethea curtseys gracefully before you.

A dark nighthag blinks and shuffles about impatiently.

You nod your head emphatically.

You begin to follow Olethea.

Esei tilts their head curiously at you.

You have recovered balance on all limbs.

A dark nighthag blinks and shuffles about impatiently.

A shadowlord widowrider blinks and shuffles about impatiently.

Olethea leans and touches her forehead to Esei's with a soft smile.

You follow Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd down to under a dark root.

You follow Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd east to below the forest.

You follow Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd east to dangling fronds.

You follow Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd southeast to damp tunnel.

You follow Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd southeast to rising passage.

You follow Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd in to the Portals of Glomdoring.

You follow Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd to a garden open to the void.

You follow Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd north to a blackened gazebo within a scorched
garden.

Olethea sits herself down on a lushly-cushioned backless chair and makes herself comfortable.

Olethea pours soothing white hemlock tea from an indigo bottle of golden dreams into a wyrden tea cup.

You sense the sweeping gaze of Esei looking upon you.

Olethea pours soothing white hemlock tea from an indigo bottle of golden dreams into a wyrden tea cup.

A blackened gazebo within a scorched garden.
Standing atop a tall central hill and providing some semblance of shelter to the nothingness that has
replaced the sky, the gazebo you find yourself in is beautifully crafted, a marvel of carpentry and
craftsmanship. Built in such a manner that it uses as few unbroken pieces of wood as possible, each
sculpted log is fit with the others in a manner befitting a puzzle box, and it becomes quite difficult
to determine where one piece of carpentry cedes to the next. Despite this, the gazebo is roomy and well
suited to a large gathering of people within it at is stands as a centerpiece to the strange and
twisted garden in which it has been built. It is not immune to whatever fire plagues the blasted earth,
and the wood has long-since blackened where it touches the ground, but this does little to damage its
apparent structural integrity. On all sides beyond the gazebo's ostensible walls sprawls a field of
smoldering, dying plantlife, obsidian sculptures that mimic the most verdant of fields in chipped and
rippled mockery, and curiously healthy, fragrant and lush night-blooming jasmine. Paths branch out
through this curious collection of abundance in all directions, each accompanied by an arching
'doorway' in the gazebo itself, and each doorway obscured by billowing, translucent indigo silk
curtains, wrought with delicate glass beads. There are 5 lushly-cushioned backless chairs here. Its
brilliant surface gleaming with reflections, a grand round table stands here. Nascent Olethea D'Cente,
Attendant to the Wyrd sits here upon a lushly-cushioned backless chair, shrouded. She wields a richly
decorated ravenwood viola in her left hand.

You sit yourself down on a lushly-cushioned backless chair and make yourself comfortable.


Olethea gestures at the cup on the table, as she herself takes a seat, tucking her ankles beneath her.
"...You're helping friend Gurashi with the... what he calls 'big brain stuff'...?"

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Mmhmm. Psionics, mental constructs, his
mindscape... to deal with the restoration of his left antenna. It went fairly poorly in the beginning."

You sense the sweeping gaze of Esei looking upon you.

Nodding slowly, Olethea takes a sip of tea as she gathers her thoughts, head slowly tilting to one
side. Her brow furrows. "I didn't know he had injured his antenna..." This is mumbled more to herself,
before she addresses you again. "Ah... a few months ago, I told Gurashi that I was very fond of him,
and his response... worried me. He seemed scared."

Frowning as she tries to find her phrasing, Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "I
don't... fully understand why. But I get a feeling in my gut tha something happened, and... well, since
you're helping him, I thought you would find out what it is before I will. I want him to be okay."

You have emoted: Tridemon blinks once, before raising a hand up to his face, covering what sounds like
a cough but could definitely be a laugh. "I can tell you with a measure of confidence that his reaction
was not something out of the ordinary for him."

Pressing a faint, sheepish grin into the lip of her teacup, Olethea nods without taking a sip, her gaze
on the table. "I - no, I got that. It's not that I'm... Mm, this is difficult to phrase."

Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "He began to cry in terror at the idea that
someone cared for him. He winced, whenever it came up. I worry about the memories that are going to
surface, and I worry he is going to be hurt."

You have emoted: Tridemon moves one hand to the table, drumming his fingers idly across the surface as
he considers what has been said, marshaling his thoughts. "I think... that part of the problem might be
things he can't remember from before coming through the Portal of Fate. Something quite nasty, that
left a scar across his body and soul. Can't tell you what it was, because he doesn't know himself."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Another part of it is that he has been getting
quite a bit of attention from the Divine lately, and he is well aware of the kind of collateral damage
that can occur to those around him, should the mood take Them."

You ponder the situation.

Olethea bites thoughtfully at her lower lip, nodding slowly. "Yes. I'd noticed that too, he was just
telling me about what happened to him last month...."

Power surges within the Ethereal Plane as the Displaced Wilds illuminate with pyromantic flames.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "He's not terrified that someone cares for him.
He's terrified that someone might get hurt BECAUSE they care for him."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Though, if you like, I can ask for clarification
on his reaction..."

Frowning at that, Olethea does nod, but her brow furrows, and she closes her eyes. "...Perhaps." She
admits, quietly."But I'm not sure - yes, I think I ought to."

You sense the sweeping gaze of Esei looking upon you.

Clearing her throat slightly, Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "Upfront, I want to
get out of the way, that... the issue is not whether or no Gurashi returns my feelings. I'm... well,
it's not really here or there, except as a catalyst."

The Mantle of Starlight flows gently against your form, twinkling stars shifting across its surface as
the starry infinity continues its eternal motion.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "I'd assumed that was the case. It's a matter of
being worried about his well-being and mental health."

Olethea nods her head at you.

You ponder the situation.

Olethea sips white tea from an indigo bottle of golden dreams.

Olethea peers at an indigo bottle of golden dreams unscrupulously.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "I'm fairly sure he wouldn't mind terribly if you
asked if you could give him hugs whenever you see him, though."

Perking up somewhat, and even smiling, Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "Oh, I did.
He does like them."

You nod your head sagely.

You shift your eyes suspiciously from side to side.

Thoughtfully, Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "He really, really hates being
kissed. Even talking about them makes him really terribly uncomfortable, that was one of the things
that he quietly wept over... Right, from the beginning. I... am fond of Gurashi. I have been for a
while, and as cute as his being oblivious is..."

Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "And, he was... terribly forlorn, about that. Er,
that is to say - he hyperventilated a bit, then became exceedingly apologetic and said that he was
fairly certain he couldn't be something that I would want, and the more he spoke, the more he got
frantic. I assured him that... we would be friends regardless, as I do like the person he -is-, and
that's not going to be changing anytime soon, and the thread of conversation began to shift..."

Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "To his discomfort about kissing. And at
assurances that I only wanted to tell him, so that he would know that he is loved, he clutched at his
heart and grew very frantic. It seemed to cause him pain, in ways that he was having a hard time
putting into words. Every mention of it, like a sharp knife."

Olethea creases her brow in a frown.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "... something VERY nasty happened to him in the
past, before coming through the portal, I think. He forgot everything he had been, including his own
name, and found another."

Olethea nods her head at you.

Softly, Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "I don't think he recognized it as fear,
but... I did. I've seen that kind of fear myself, when I lived in Magnagora. I calmed him as best I
could, and haven't brought it up since, but.... as you are helping him untangle his memories, it's
something I thought you ought to know."

The perception of time momentarily slows to a fraction as Clotho takes up the Tapestry of Fate and
studies the weft of the fabric, lengthening and smoothing errant threads. Time rushes forward as the
memory fades, yet the understanding unfolds that a myriad paths in Lusternia have opened up before you,
some leading to noble deeds and others to dark triumphs.

Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "You're going to find something, and I don't know
what it is but..."

Olethea runs a hand through her fiery mane dripping red-gold embers, stroking the tresses gently and
tucking a lock back into place.

After a pause, in which she seems to abrubtly recall her manners, Olethea stares at you for a few
seconds before she coughs, sets down her teacup, and offers out her hands. "Also!" She chirps, with a
faintly abashed chuckle."My name is Olethea. Gurashi speaks of you so fondly, and I'm pleased to meet
you properly at last?"

You have emoted: Tridemon lets his gaze turn hard as he looks out into the middle distance. "A kephera
princess. Full of rage and madness, tied into his past. Nepra. Wasp-morph." He shakes his head
slightly, coming back to the present, looking at your hand, and extending his own to shake hers. "And
I'm Tridemon. Gurashi spoke of you, as well. He was excited to get you away from your sadness and fear
where you were living before."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "... Was it sadness and fear? I think he just
kept saying that you were upset about things... Hard to remember fine details sometimes, being old."

Olethea's expression softens in turn as she shakes your hand, before picking up a wyrden tea cup again.
"One of the Princesses..." She murmurs, the tip of her tail curling up upon itself. "Fear, I would say,
primarily - and pain - but definitely sadness as well. I'd even call it despair."

Olethea pauses, briefly.

Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "...Oh, you mean him."

Olethea runs a hand through her fiery mane dripping red-gold embers, stroking the tresses gently and
tucking a lock back into place.

Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "Talking about me."

You nod your head emphatically.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Not clear about what you were feeling at the
time, because it was mostly mentioned in passing because... well, he wasn't sure what you were going to
do with yourself and didn't want to be TOO much of a gossip."

It is now the 8th of Klangiary, 558 years after the Coming of Estarra.

Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says to you, "I was Magnagoran growing up. And I
remember enough of that to know I was not someone I would particularly like, if I met her today. And I
was Magnagoran a bit after the Portal too - but it's an awful, toxic place that, I'm sure you don't
need me telling you. I moved to Gaudiguch to get away from them, just before their betrayal.... and the
gaslighting the Sultan did about both Celest and Glomdoring was a source of no small distress."

Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "I... had a Goddess, though, that I did love. She
was everything good that I had left from my old life, and giving Her up was.... hard."

Aquamantic symbols suddenly project themselves upon the very air in dark blue light, fading after a
brief moment.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Well, at least the parting seems to have been
more or less amicable, between you and Her. ... Believe me that it could have gone much, much worse."

With a soft, dry chuckle, Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "Isn't that the truth. I
am... much happier these days, as momentous a gesture as moving felt at the time.""

You nod your head sagely.

(Celest): Romaan (from the Astral Plane) says, "Has the Ship of the Dead been sunk yet?"

Olethea sucks thoughtfully on her teeth.

(Celest): Azula (from the Prime Material Plane) says, "Hail Celest."

(Celest): Aeral (from the Air Elemental Plane) says, "Tidings."

(Celest): Romaan (from the Astral Plane) says, "Hail Azula."

(Celest): Romaan (from the Astral Plane) says, "Come hunt with us. On Libra."

(Celest): Aeryon (from the Astral Plane) says, "I don't believe it has. Last I checked the Cay, the
sphere I need is back, but the otters were not."

(Celest): Romaan (from the Astral Plane) says, "Alright."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "I'll be sure to keep what you've said here in
mind... and confidential."

(Celest): Aeral (from the Air Elemental Plane) says, "I may join you on Astral in a bit."

(Celest): Aeral (from the Air Elemental Plane) says, "I need to thieve more essence first."

Softly, Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "Ah, I don't mind if he knows I'm
concerned. Thank you for hearing me out, too - if you're going to be there when whatever happened comes
to light, this was important for you to know."

(Celest): Romaan (from the Astral Plane) says, "Go go go, Aeral!"
ponder
You ponder the situation.
sayto olethea By the way, Bizirik loves shrimp. If you ever want to bribe her
with them, you can beg them off of the kelpies of the inner sea.
Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say to Olethea, "By the way, Bizirik loves shrimp. If
you ever want to bribe her with them, you can beg them off of the kelpies of the inner sea."

Olethea turns her attention towards you as her ears perk up in interest.

Olethea's eyes crinkle at the corners as her face warms with an imperceptable smile.

Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "I remember -- he said you'd brought some for when
she disappeared. I still don't actually know what happened with all that, but I'm glad she's home."

You have emoted: Tridemon shakes his head slightly. "Nepra again. A psychic assault that left something
behind in his head that Bizi didn't like at ALL. That got fixed though."

Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "The... Khep?"

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Khep and Nepra are enemies, or at least rivals.
Nepra REALLY didn't like Gurashi's efforts to defend and succor Khep..."

Olethea nods a few times, slowly. "He explained a little, while she was missing, but I didn't hear
about how she came back."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "He went looking, and found her. Psionically.
Brought her into his 'circle'- the set of mental defenses that he's built. Which was what made Nepra so
upset, though apparently making Nepra very upset is extremely easy."

Quietly, Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "She sounds like a gem."

(Celest): Aknarin (from the Astral Plane) says, "Don't forget to lead bards and scholars to the City!"

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "Mm. I think Gurashi would like to rehabilitate
her, soothe her rage... but I've my doubts on the feasibility of such, especially from the distances
we're working from. He hates hurting people."

(Trasto): Evette (from the Astral Plane) says, "When was the last quake?"

Chuckling quietly and letting her gaze sink to her teacup, Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the
Wyrd says, "That does sound like him, trying to save everyone he meets."

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "And food. Food for everyone."

Olethea nods her head sagely at you.

Smiling, Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "I'm glad hes the first person from
Glomdoring I ever met."

You nod your head sagely.

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "I should probably get back- he's currently
wandering around the bamboo forest I keep in my manse, and while it would be extremely difficult to get
lost there, he might actually manage it."

Olethea hides a grin behind her hand.

Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd asks, "Do you mind if I come and give him a hug?"

Ocean waves echoing softly behind his voice, you say, "I don't mind. ... Which way is out to the
aetherplex?"

Olethea gets up off a lushly-cushioned backless chair.

Nascent Olethea D'Cente, Attendant to the Wyrd says, "Just south, once."

You get up off a lushly-cushioned backless chair.