Fourth Wall

Four: Just Keep Playing

The others had been a little easier to convince, with the exception of Shadowheart. She had only been swayed by the fact that Chloe had not taken her life while she slept.

Wyll had been the most interested in the differences between their worlds, though the others were slowly becoming curious as well.

"So the...screen. It shows you moving images?" Wyll inquired, and Chloe nodded, the two of them sitting in the dirt as they discussed. Lae'zel sat nearby as well, just listening. She offered fewer harsh remarks than Chloe expected.

"Yeah, they're like these really intricate drawings that move frame by frame to make a movie. That's what we call them."

"And the buttons are how you move the image?" Lae'zel asked the question this time. Chloe shrugged.

"Kind of. They're the buttons I press to give commands and control her— the Chloe that you know. When you play a video game, you're the one controlling the character's actions, which is what I did. But yes, the controlling of the character does technically cause the image to move and change."

"So Chloe's decisions were really your decisions." Wyll summarized.

"Precisely."

"And you do this...for fun?"

"...yeah." Chloe answered lamely. Difficult to explain that she and thousands of others volunteered for the hardships of their world because they didn't have enough in her own.

"So, aboard the Nautilus..." Shadowheart began, her dark eyebrows furrowing slightly as she pieced something together. "Could you have chosen to leave me behind in that pod?"

Chloe gave her a look that bordered on apologetic, though she didn't know why. She had chosen to save her, after all, when she'd become trapped inside a pod aboard the Nautilus, which was under attack from Githyanki dragon riders. They only all found each other after it crashed, with the exception of Lae'zel and Shadowheart, whom Chloe had freed from the pod and found on the beach a second time after the crash.

"Yes. In fact, when we met I had the opportunity to leave you all behind." She looked over her shoulder at Wyll. "And you." She glanced at Astarion.

"And you, and Lae'zel."

The githyanki in question raised her head at the mention of her name. Her expression was unreadable as she stared back at Chloe.

"But you didn't," Wyll said after a pause. He seemed to be trying to decide whether he felt touched or disturbed by the revelation.

"I didn't. The game is better with you. All of you. Even Astarion, who is by every definition a brat." She winked at him as he pretended his feelings were hurt.

"You are a strange one," Lae'zel murmured. She was staring at Chloe like she was some sort of puzzle. "In my world, no one would be so weak as to rely on others for help. Partners are a burden, something that can only slow one down."

"That's the way of the githyanki. But I think that's wrong for me. It's lonely, to travel without friends."

Lae'zel shook her head and stood up, her long sword hanging from her belt. "Friends," she spat sardonically. "I have no friends." And with that, she walked away.

Chloe watched her go, her expression somber. She had a feeling that it was going to take more than just a few good deeds for Lae'zel to open up.

"Well, I think you're a fine friend, Chloe." Wyll assured, clapping Chloe gently on the shoulder. She smiled at him, thinking once again how handsome he was, and doubly so for his attitude. Too Good-aligned for her tastes, maybe, but a wonderful addition to the camp regardless of whether or not he tagged along on expeditions.

"We are all better off with a druid such as yourself." Shadowheart nodded in agreement. "It is good to have someone here to keep our morale high. I don't think any of us know how to relax."

"Speak for yourself," Astarion objected.

Chloe chuckled at their exchange. 

She took a moment to study her surroundings again. The dirt beneath her was packed hard and cool enough to seep through her pants, the morning light shining on the camp and those within it. It looked so real. Felt so real. Hell, she could even smell the fresh air, the campfire smoke.

Her smile faded. It was getting harder to deny the fact that she wasn't home, that this was all very, very real.

She sighed and stood up, stretching. "Well, I think it's time to get going."

Astarion looked up from sharpening his dagger. "Going?" He questioned.

"Yes, going. We still have mindflayer tadpoles in our heads." She clarified, putting her hands on her hips expectantly.

"Well yes, that's a bit hard to forget. But aren't you curious why you're here? How you got here?" He questioned. Chloe sighed.

"If I know one thing about games, it's that if you want answers you just have to keep playing. We can't sit here all day and expect to figure out the answers to anything."
Wyll agreed. Lae'zel and

Shadowheart had been arguing for the past day or two about which way to go, Lae'zel insisting it was paramount that they reach the githyanki crèche, where they could potentially remove the illithid parasite. Chloe didn't have the heart to tell her she was almost certain they would not be able to remove it, it was too early in the game.

It was a lot to take in.

Astarion shrugged as everyone bickered over the map, his tone bored.

"Well, what do you think, my pretty?" He asked Chloe as he gestured to the map spread out on the table.

She looked it over for less than thirty seconds, already knowing most of it.

"Here," she gestured to a spot on the map. "We'll need to go here first."

He quirked a brow.

"What's in this direction?"

"We're going to kill a metric fuckton of goblins, likely. I can't be certain but I think this is where they're holding the Druid Halsin. We can get more information from him, and maybe a lead on where to go next."

"Can I ask how you conveniently know about the whereabouts of the Druid Halsin?" Astarion interjected. Chloe stalled, trying to think of a better thing to say than "it got spoiled for me on the internet." It would take too long just to explain the internet.

"Some hints I picked up along the way." She answered vaguely, and luckily Astarion dropped it.

Wyll nodded, his lips turned down in a slight frown. "If we must. Let's go."

Shadowheart agreed, as did Lae'zel, although she was obviously displeased. Her mood brightened at the thought of engaging in combat with a horde of goblins, though.

Chloe didn't know what to make of the others. Lae'zel was...interesting. She seemed like the kind of person who was hard to really get to know, but also easy enough to understand. Her entire existence was built around the principle of battle.

Astarion and Shadowheart flirted - or rather, Astarion flirted at Shadowheart, who did not return the sentiment. Shadowheart and Lae'zel bickered. Wyll tried his best to keep the peace. Chloe was just trying to keep everyone alive, and thus far, it was working.

If she strategically positioned herself between Lae'zel and Shadowheart she could even sometimes dissuade their arguing.

Aside from the fact that this was not a video game when it should be, everything was going according to plan.

Until it wasn't.