[The scene opens as Teal enters the infirmary room in which Tilia, Val, and Wynlynn have been recuperating. Tilia is standing at a window near the door through which the cleric’s assistant directs Teal. Val is sitting on one of the beds, and Wynlynn is standing next to her.]
Teal: Oh, I’m so glad that all of you are OK! [He gives each of them a tight hug, and tries to affect a cheerful demeanor. But he is a poor actor and looks visibly shaken–even a casual observer would notice that he has been crying.]
Wynlynn: [She grips Teals shoulders as he pulls out of the hug, holding a little too tight as she speaks to him] What’s wrong, Teal? Is everyone okay?
Teal: N-n-no … Travis. [He buries his face in his hands and sobs uncontrollably.]
Wynlynn: What hapened to Travis!?
Teal: He’s… dead…
Wynlynn: I don’t understand, how can you know that, he’s different than the rest of us, maybe you just think he’s gone but really he’s fine, just some sort of… I don’t know, restart or something. Some Warforged thing we don’t know about…
Teal: [takes a deep breath] He fell into the lava … the clerics teleported him out but not quickly enough. They showed us his burnt remains–they thought he was an automaton that belonged to one of us–there’s nothing they can do for him. Even that crystal in his chest … its glow has completely gone out.
Val: Well. Fuck.
[End of scene]
[After everyone is healed, the friends leave the infirmary. They pass the charred bodies of three of their opponents on their way out. The arcanist Alura appears and teleports away with Travis’s remains, promising to do her best to revive him. She will send Wynlynn a message to inform the party about Travis’s condition. Famished after battle, the party proceeds through a series of quiet streets to an upper-crust restaurant called The Shepherd and the Flask. There, Tilia treats them to a sumptuous meal including such delicacies as locally-sourced phoenix.
At Val and Panthagion’s request, the friends then head to the TEMPLE OF JOY, a well-known establishment which caters to all varieties of sexual desires.
The scene opens inside the Temple of Joy, a spacious antechamber that is almost entirely covered with plush red velvet. Val and Panthagion are walking away to private rooms off-stage with stylishly-attired attendants. Tilia whispers something to the chief host, then heads to a room upstairs. Jerry, Teal, and Wynlynn are left standing at the reception desk. Jerry walks over to the bar; Teal seems conspicuously out of place, but he looks curiously at the androgynous attendant whose silvery hair floats continuously as if windblown, even though they are indoors. He looks expectantly at Wynlynn, hoping that she will know what they can do in a place such as this while waiting for their friends.]
Wynlynn: Shall we sit in the lounge to wait for the others?
Teal: [overly grateful] Yes! [nods eagerly]
[They find a seat in the lounge area and sit in silence for a little while.]
Wynlynn: I was wondering how you are doing. I know it’s been a long day, what with Travis and all…
Teal: Thanks for asking. I’m actually feeling much better … I was SO relieved when that posh elven lady (what was her name?) showed up and promised that she could restore Travis.
Wynlynn: That was Alura. [cautiously] I am not sure we should expect everything to be the same after, even if she can bring him back. She said his memories could be affected. Who knows how much. What if he doesn’t even remember us? I tend to wonder what else could be changed as well. It’s not like anyone know that much about Warforged.
Teal: I’m just glad that it wasn’t the end for Travis. I don’t mind if he can’t remember me as long as he’s alive. I hated to think that all his dreams and projects would be gone just because of a silly competition that we dragged him into.
Wynlynn: It’s true that some of us wanted to go more than others, but we all chose to join the fight. I hope you don’t blame yourself for this, it’s no one’s fault that it happened.
Teal: [looks gratefully at her] Thanks, Wyn. Oops–do you mind if I call you that?
Wynlynn: Hmm… I guess, no one’s ever called me that before… It does feel strange that we could save him from that strange, I don’t even know what, ailment I guess, in the elven ruins only to have him die in the arena. I stand by what I said, he chose to join us there, but I do feel like I was rather naive in thinking it was safer than it really was. It just all seem rather ridiculous in hindsight.
Teal: Yeah. Here I was thinking that it might be good practice for some of us who have less experience in battle!
Wynlynn: I will admit I was excited to go to the arena. I like the focus I feel in battle. It is the one time that all my worries, all my mistakes, clear away. I can just focus on taking the perfect shot. And there has been so much worry lately. I feel like things have been rather dangerous for us recently, and now with Travis…
[A loud squeal of laughter is heard, even though the private rooms are supposed to be sound-proof. It sounds like Val.]
Teal: [after a short pause] But how are you doing, Wynlynn? I sometimes get so wrapped up in my own feelings that they prevent me from noticing how others are feeling. [pause] I mean, it can’t be easy for you to sit here (though thank Corellon I have you for company!) while Val is … uh … enjoying the … uh
Wynlynn: It’s okay, Teal, I know what you are trying to say. You’re sweet to check on me. I’ll be okay, I don’t really have a right to expect anything from Val. She’s been even more distant lately and I have been trying to give her space but it’s hard. I suppose the distance is harder than this place, this doesn’t bother me so much… honestly, it’s nice to be able to talk about it but it feels strange to share this…
Teal: [grabs her shoulders] Thank you for trusting me. Thanks for allowing me to be a friend to you. You know, it’s funny–but as we were walking into this place, the others seemed to get more … stimulated by the brightly lit signs outside. But all I could think of was Caedmon … and the men on the sign, they all seemed to look more and more like him! And I’d just die if he saw me in a place like this. [pause] Anyway, I guess I’m saying that I understand a bit of how you feel. I’m glad that you aren’t bothered by this situation too much but I hope that Val recognizes what a true friend she has in you.
Wynlynn: [quietly looks away] I wouldn’t say that, I haven’t been…
Teal: [gently] Whatever happened, you’re here for her now and you always put her wellbeing first … even before your own. Whatever happened between the two of you, isn’t forgiveness a part of friendship, too?
Wynlynn: [More distant than before] You’re right, it’s fine, I am going to go get a drink. [She immediately gets up and leaves, heading towards to bar]
Teal: I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean …. [he sighs sadly and stares down at the table, conscious that he has upset Wynlynn but afraid of making the situation worse. When he looks up, the air genasi is sitting opposite him. He smiles nervously.]
[Wynlynn avoids talking to Teal much the rest of the evening as they wait for the others and when they get back to the Octopus’s Smile, Wynlynn heads straight to bed without a word to Teal]
[End of scene]
UNOMAHA D&D 