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[alchemistake]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, VARIAN. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 018.07.154.55 *** CHARACTER NAME/ALIAS has joined 018.07.154.55 <thealchemist>This thing is SO COOL okay- hey, hi, Varian here! If you're seeing this then you've reached my channel for messages. Leave me one if you need something!

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[alchemistake]

[Varian isn't familiar with the way people just fall asleep to relive parts of their lives from home. He had to have it explained to him by Elsa, who no doubt has been watching over Cassandra ever since she fell asleep. There's not much they could do about it otherwise than wait...which Varian does. He's been juggling several projects this month, on top of working on getting himself another space to work in. He'd decided separating his work into a shop-front/garage type set-up elsewhere with his alchemy and all of the plants given to him by Elsa and Anna at his lab in Solsikke would be a smart move, so his fingers are in many pies.

That means he's tired. Exhausted, even. Probably not a surprise that he's dozing across his workbench when Cassandra comes exploding into his lab, startling Ruddiger off a chair and nearly causing Varian to fall out of his as he jolts awake, both wings flapping straight upwards.]

Huuah!?! C...Cass?

[He turns to face the werebear, still trying to shake off what bits of sleep remain. Mostly, he's just glad to see her awake? But...]

What- what's going on? Are you alright?

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[An explanation was far better than the way Cass learned about it; when Elsa and Anna both one day didn't wake up with no answer as to why. Fortunately, that time had been nothing but good news for all of them. It's just a shame that there's never time to prepare for it, no time to warn your friends that you'll be out for a day or two.

She shouldn't have barged in so suddenly, or loudly. There were just so many thoughts in her head now. Memories still settling in as she realized Varian typically worked himself half to death with a variety of high-grade explosives around him.]

Oh, wow. Sorry, but... [She can barely get through her own apology.] Varian, I'm better than alright; I remember everything now.

[alchemistake]

You do. You do?

[That's...abrupt. About as abrupt as her arrival, actually. Varian still feels bad about the way he accidentally dropped a whole ton of hard-to-believe information about herself into Cassandra's lap, so knowing that she's actually experienced it all...]

How...are you feeling? About all of it, I mean.

[She seems to be excited, which is a good sign.]

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[Oh it's definitely abrupt. A lot of things in Ryslig are abrupt. Do you think you get a warning before corpses rain from the sky? Or a whale crashes into downtown Bavan? No!!]

I feel... [Which is when her mood starts to dip. Being peppy and excited takes a lot out of you, how does Raps do it?] Pretty stupid, actually. About all the things I said, the things I did. To Rapunzel, and Eugene... and you.

I'm sorry, Varian. For kidnapping you, and everything that came after. I should have listened.

[alchemistake]

Thanks, Cassandra. I mean, given the whole "Project Obsidian" thing and stuff...I'm pretty sure we can just say we're even, now.

[He didn't mean to blast you with his amber gun, is what he means.]

Even though your circumstances were different than mine...I get it. It's hard to pull yourself back in line when you're already so deep, even when you know you're doing something wrong.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

And of course, you remind me of that. [A bit of a sore subject, even now.] Yeah, I'd say we're pretty even at this point, all things considered.

[You tried to squeeze her to death, she probably cracked a couple of your ribs... it works out, somehow.]

...But yeah, it is. I always wanted more out of my life, but I never wanted to hurt anyone to get it. I'm not sure I would have even come back to Corona if I didn't need that scroll. And well... things spiraled.

[alchemistake]

[HAHA, YEAHH...]

The most important thing now is that you remember. And you remember that, whenever we do eventually get out of here...things are going to be okay.