(2022-03-27) Jo's Replacement Journal, Entry 16

Details

Author:	Alli
Summary:	Jo catches her journal up on all the latest gossip. Who's in love with who, who's murdering who.
Rating:	T for Teen

Chain: Jo's Replacement Journal

Pretty much everything has changed since last I wrote! We're not stranded in Hellfire anymore, but free to teleport to our heart's content across worlds! That's thanks primarily to Gwen, though she definitely had some help from Sandy and Gerhold. And I suppose the other Sanctum mages, but honestly if they're giving her a hard time I find it difficult to want to give them any credit. She's really only my apprentice in name now, I think, since the Kirin Tor have already snapped her up. I'm fine with her keeping that title as long as she wants it.

Right now, I'm staying in a city that rests atop a giant mushroom. The whole place is much cozier than it sounds, with nice snug walls and really tasteful decor, in my opinion. I suppose the elevator up and down isn't terribly convenient, but I reallly only use it when I'm with others. If it's just me, it's floating time! I have not done any gliding off the mushrooms with Nish, now that I think about it. We did other I really ought to suggest it, next time I see her. On a Nish note, I also need to remember to suggest that we remove our armor when we emerge from Serpent Lake later on today. After, you know, we save all of Zangarmarsh from the naga and rescue the missing druids. I have high hopes.

Outside work, other people are a whirlwind lately. There's romance all around, but also death. A few marriages - Ben and Mizzy just announced they'd been secretly married, and then Colson and Mordecai last week. Colson and Mordecai, I kept forgetting they didn't love each other, that it was just a contract thing. And then I went to their wedding and… well, I'm pretty sure they love each other. I don't think you look at people like that over a contract, if you're not a goblin.

And wow, so many other romantic rumors since then. I did not even know Gerhold had a thing for Cressidha, but now she's free, since she gave her fiance to someone who loved him better (that was Mordecai, if you're not keeping up with this game of musical lovers). Which means Gerhold and Nish might be coming to an end? So okay, that's a lot of mage gossip, but then Gwen is not into a mage. She likes Sandy. Butterflies and beaming smiles likes.

Which, well… brings me to death. I'm worried about Sandy, and increasingly warlocks in general. I didn't say any of this to Gwen, because she's just so happy right now. But Sandy has proven he is susceptible to mind control (he is going to work on that). He killed Rae, though Colson was there to bring her back right away. More on Rae in a few minutes, but he didn't kill her on purpose. What if Gwen is the nearest person, next time that happens, and Colson isn't there? I don't want her to be afraid of him. I don't want her not to love him. I love him, in a little brother sort of way. I just don't want her to die. And I don't want Sandy to know that I'm afraid he's going to hurt people. That would hurt him, too. And he's already got that stuff with his possible birth father going on…

But anyway, Rae. Sandy is the least of her worries. Should I have refused to hire her in the first place, to keep her safe? Did those people only find her because I I make decisions, every day, that affect a lot of people, and what if they're the wrong ones? We needed to stop that lich, and for that we needed Almeiria. Should I have just delayed, found somebody else? Colson says she and that paladin Alynnra are going to kill her, and there's nothing I can do that won't make things worse. Except. What if…

We do have bronze dragon allies, sort of. If this necklace thing happened to Rae at the wedding, that's not so long ago. Couldn't we ask Chromie to just, you know, pop back a little team? Or even only Ivri? And maybe then the culprit could just be dead? I should bring this up with Colson or Ben. Not Gerhold. He'd just say it was a horrible idea and I'm going to destroy reality or something. Though maybe he has a p Gerhold's really overdramatic about stuff like that.

Anyway, my personal world is pretty simple right now. No one's trying to kill me. I'm not in love with anyone. There's just… all this stuff happening that I can only just barely touch with my fingertips, and I can't do anything to make sure it comes out alright in the end for anyone. I have to trust everyone else to take care of each other, right? I have never been good at sitting on my hands.

Maybe I need to go somewhere, for a little while. I don't know where. Somewhere else. Maybe after we find the missing Cenarion people in Serpent Lake, and we do what we can to help Zangarmarsh. Maybe I'll go looking for Hex. She's still out there, I'm sure of it. I'll think about it.