Severance sat on the soft grass and leaned against the wooden legs of Mouna's bench. It was more comfortable than sitting on hard wood as far as he was concerned. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to just sit and think about nothing for the next unforeseeable future. That way, he could pretend everything was fine and normal and that he was fine and normal.

Mouna lightly tapped his shoulder. He craned his head to look at her. "What?"

You tell me, she signed. Something bothers you.

He gave a little half smile, because that was a huge understatement. There were so many things; where would he even start? It was better to not start at all.

He shrugged. "It was just a really long day. I'll be fine."

I will listen. Her lips drew into a thin line, and her signs were made with quick, sharp motions. It made it seem like she was insisting that he talk to her. Kind of like a certain golden-eyed player. Even if it was Mouna, who was a lot nicer, Severance wasn't in the mood.

"Thanks, but it's fine. Really."

It can make you sick, she persisted, and tapped the side of her head to emphasize what kind of sick she meant. Talk. It will help.

He thought it was almost funny in a sad sort of way; there were so few people that actually cared to listen in his life. But as it turned out, all he had to do was travel to another world to find them. Then they practically kicked down his front door one after another and refused to leave.

It made him chuckle, until he saw her face darkening. She didn't find any part of this amusing, apparently. Fine.

He lowered his gaze to the grass and idly plucked a few pieces. "I don't even know what to say. A few weeks ago, I thought this was only a game. Like, a fake place that we can go and explore and pretend to be someone different for a while. But then I learned it's real. All of you are real. And everything I've done here is real. That's kind of crazy, you know?"

Mouna's expression didn't change, but her signs became softer. It is easier if you think we are not real. Easier for all of us.

That was obvious. If a player thought everything was fake, they wouldn't care about the NPCs. They'd have no trouble slaughtering other clans and taking over cities. What would it matter in the end? They'd log off and be back in the real world, where they could conveniently leave behind all of the terrible things they did.

It was disgusting. No wonder the Traders and Chosen were scooping up as many Outsiders as they could; ignorant players made great soldiers.

His thoughts must have shown on his face, because her dark eyes narrowed. She leaned closer. Her thumb gently brushed against his cheekbone, so quick and fleetingly that he didn't have time to react until after it was done.

He froze, startled by the random touch.

I am sorry, she signed. Easier is not always better.

"No," he agreed, watching her fingers. Why had she done that?

Are you angry?

Severance shook his head. His cheek tingled. "I'm too tired to be angry."

And with that, he flopped onto the grass and lay on his back. The sky spread out above him, almost entirely covered by heavy gray clouds. Maybe it would rain later. And maybe she'd explain what was going through that mind of hers.

A shadow fell over him. Mouna peered down at him with her serious face.

You should be angry. We have not been fair to you.

Severance snorted. "I don't know about that. You did make me a really nice coat. Which reminds me... I may have, uh, wrecked it?"

Her lips pursed. Is that why you don't wear it?

She had noticed that? Severance winced. Of course she did.

He sat up, and pulled what was left of his coat from Inventory. The pile of rags and buckles fit easily into two hands, and he meekly offered it to her.

"See?"

Her eyes went to the ruined material. Quick as lightning, she snatched it from him and shook it out. Half of it tore apart and fell to the ground. They both stared. And then Mouna slowly shifted her attention to Severance.

What happened?

He made a face. "It got blown up a lot." Honestly, it was a miracle it hadn't entirely disintegrated by now. "I'm really sorry, it—what are you doing!?"

Mouna dropped to her knees before him. She looked him up and down, then carefully ran her hands down his arms, across his chest and back, as if looking for injuries. She didn't get very far before he scrambled back, face burning.

"I—I'm okay now! I heal, remember?"

There was a faint pink dusting her cheeks, but that didn't stop her from walking closer on her knees. She reached out again, this time slower, but abruptly froze. She snapped her head towards the House, and positively glared at something by the corner.

You can come out now, she signed fiercely.

Confused, Severance turned to look. And then he too scowled as Maun stepped out into view. The man was grinning in a very self-satisfied way that told Severance he'd been watching, at least for the past couple of minutes. His embarrassment only grew.

"You two are so adorable." Maun sauntered over. Amusement practically danced in his cobalt eyes. It made Severance want to punch him. "Sev, my man, you need to pull yourself together and make a move. Can't you see she's-"

He jerked his head aside as a knife careened past his ear.

"Mouna, it's not nice to throw things."

He snapped up a hand to catch a rock. It would have hit his nose dead-on if he hadn't caught it. "Come on, don't be so dramatic. I was just saying-"

He broke off to watch a stick plop to the ground beside his feet. "Really, Sev, that was just sad. You throw worse than a girl."

Severance flushed. "What do you want, Maun?"

"Who said I want anything? Maybe I just wanted to come see my two favorite people."

"Right." Severance rolled his eyes. He exchanged a look with Mouna. Both of them knew better than to believe a word Maun said.

"Okay, fine, I–oh. Is that your coat on the ground?" Maun noticed the pile of ruined material on the ground. One buckle lay on top, shining as it reflected daylight. It was probably the only way Maun recognized the coat, because the buckle itself had been quite distinctive.

"What's left of it," Severance admitted.

Carefully, Maun nudged it with a toe. A small puff of ashy dust came free. A faint furrow creased Maun's brow as he eyed it. He glanced at Severance, lips briefly pressing into a thin line, before he slipped a hand inside the fold of his tunic.

He withdrew a collar of braided leather and offered it.

"I've brought something for you. For Vast. Of course, one knows if it'll actually fit him since the beast won't let anyone near enough to check."

"Really? I thought he didn't mind the kids." Severance took the collar, turning it over in his hands. It was well-made, with two metal fasteners designed to hold it closed. There was also a delicate socket worked into the leather, which held a single Amaurite crystal.

"Well, he's nearly full grow," Maun returned. "Adult vastlhidans are solitary except for their little family units." A small smile creased the corner of his eyes. "Vast tolerates us, but he only has one person in his family now. It's rough on him when you're gone."

Severance totally didn't feel a rush of warmth at that, nope. He held the collar tightly, running his thumbs over the even stitching around the leather's edge. Had that been Mouna's work?

"Thanks for this. Where is he, anyway?"

"You're welcome. If I had to guess, he's probably hunting. He likes to bring back his own sheep."

"Great. At this rate, he's going to be as big as a horse," Severance grumbled, and tucked the collar into Inventory. There was no heat behind it, though. He was very grateful to have it. Vast would be a lot safer now.

"Get some rest, Sev." Maun watched him carefully. "You look like you need it."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll go in a bit." Severance went and flopped down on the grass again. He didn't feel like logging off quite yet. It was nice to hang out here and chill a bit before returning to his own world of work, sleep, and therapy at Chad's Pad.

Maun gave Mouna a pointed look. "Make sure he doesn't stay long."

She nodded once, then sat on the bench again.

"Good." Maun turned to go, but after a couple of steps, he paused. He looked back, hesitating over something.

Noticing this, Severance frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I just wanted to let you know that we appreciate what you did today. I know it was difficult, but it was something that had to be done. For our safety, and yours."

Severance stiffened. Whatever amount of solace he'd managed to find in the last short while vanished beneath a numbing fog. Why did Maun have to bring that up again? He didn't want to think about that at all.

They're manipulating you, Jack's voice came to him. They'll start with the small things. Which you'll do, because you feel obligated to, and then it'll escalate until today, where you kill at their command like a loyal pet.

Shut up, Severance threw back. It wasn't like that. Jack had been wrong. He was doing this because he had to. There was no other way. Like Maun said, it was a matter of safety. Ervante was never going to leave him alone.

What about Fester? What did she ever do to you?

Shut up! Severance managed a nod and a bleak sort of smile. "I know. It's fine."

A shadow passed over Maun's face. He looked like he wanted to say something more because he lingered, but eventually, he just gave a little wave and left without another word.

Severance lay back in the grass and stared up at the sky. Gone was the peace and beauty of the moment. Now he just felt sick.

He closed his eyes. It felt like he was caught in the middle of a whirlpool that threatened to suck him down into its darkest depths.

What if they did want him to kill someone else? Jack's words kept coming back to him with irritating persistence. It made Severance wish that he'd never accepted that teleport in the first place. That conversation would have never happened and he would have never learned that he wasn't the only player in Eliona who knew. Now everything was even more complicated.

You'll need a shield.

Why? Why would Jack offer such a thing?

Mouna touched his shoulder. When he opened his eyes and looked at her, she signed, I will listen.

It was her way of offering support, he supposed. But he was done talking. Even if it was her.

He turned his head to the side. Grass tickled his cheek. He let his thoughts drift. He wondered what would happen to the Traders in Ervante's absence. Would that other Trader, the one who called Ervante his brother, come looking for revenge? Maybe he wouldn't even care. He didn't seem to be all that bothered by Ervante's deteriorating condition.

Traders. How typical. Friends and family meant little to them.

And what about the Valkyries? They had all but vanished, and from what he'd seen, the chances of there being any survivors was very low. He still had that scroll he'd picked up from the storage. Perhaps now that Ervante was no longer a threat, it'd be safe to show it to Olen or Maun and ask for them to translate it.

But as soon as he had that thought, he rejected it. That was a terrible idea. They'd know he'd been somewhere he shouldn't have been. And would they actually tell him what it said? It'd be more likely they'd confiscate it and follow him everywhere for the next week.

Oh wait, they already were doing that.

Thinking about all this gave him a headache.

He decided it was better to just quit thinking entirely for a while.

It was easier that way.