Fucking Cal. It does seem on-brand with my luck lately that it would be Cal who I'd have to deal with in order to talk to anyone from Athkatla (anyone outside of Barovia). Technically, it could be worse -- Korhorn would be a million times less helpful than Cal -- but. Still. Fucking Cal.
(I can practically hear Gritsk's hypocritical but valid response to this: "At least you have contact, Osrin, don't be a stubborn dumbass." ...Fuck, what I wouldn't give for Gritsk's help right now.)
Still, we aren't stranded here alone with no ties to the... world outside Barovia(?). Not comforted by the confirmation that time works differently here, though. I don't even know why I asked her what the date was, but I guess the Feywild fuckery was still in the back of my head. Maybe the disconnect will help them get to Bodaway's contact and get us information sooner, though, which, if nothing else, could be really fucking helpful.
For all that I'm more than satisfied to hit things and listen to information that isn't meant for my ears, it's helpful to be with others who clearly know something about at least some of the bullshite we're dealing with -- Ayduin and Bodaway having some insight on the undead shite. Aydiun's ability to navigate us. Bodaway piecing together various bits of information I would (and have) either not notice or write off as nothing. Ri-An, too, for that matter. And their understanding of the timeline disconnect. Sylvain, a better talker than the rest of us combined, I'd bet.
Granted, seeing Ayduin's body (covered in all the scars the rest of us have acquired so far, no less) and seeing the seemingly unshakable Ayduin gradually falter the longer we traveled on was... well. Less comforting. It has to be Strahd's fuckery though, right? Ayduin, I think, is the only one of us not to have fallen since we got here. Why wouldn't Strahd exploit the hell out of that to fuck him (and the rest of us) up? Not to mention the windmill, the smell of pies, the weakness for it that immediately got to Bodaway, sure, but also Sylvain and Ireena this time. Sylvain seems to be barely holding it together, windmill and Ayduin's charm aside. Ri-An... I don't even know where to start with, again -- still --, how thoroughly convinced I am that Ri-An shouldn't be in this mess.
Then, of course, there's me: that motherfucker getting in my head, (as if I didn't have enough of that shite to last a fucking lifetime) probably without even fucking trying. Susceptible to that brand of shite, eh? Should probably look into some sort of... fix for that, if that's even a possibility. If he isn't dead -- destroyed, not just undead -- by the time we get a way out of here, I'll stay until he is. Can't say I blame Sylvain for hitting Ayduin for doing essentially the same, even if the motivation was wildly different.
We've all got our weak points, I guess, but at least they don't all seem to overlap too thoroughly.
For now.
Fuck.
When (if) we get to Vallaki, I need a strong fucking drink.