Yeah, and how everyone is on edge beforehand, too, because no one can be sure when it will start, but if you're in a dungeon when it does... 

God, yeah.  Some people get... really anxious, about what if the dungeon they're in supercharges when the confluence hits.

" - actually I wonder if we should get Bryce in on this," he says.  "He's a good storyteller, I bet he'd have helpful stuff to say about keeping your head during the confluence, and in the leadup.  Did you wanna meet him properly?"

"Yeah! We could probably do with a couple more people to chime in, anyway." Jamie will peer down at his phone, "Though I still don't wanna interrupt whatever's going on in the other room. Only Ly's been through a confluence before, anyway." 

" 'Sfair.  I'm gonna text Bryce, though - "

hey bryce fr this time.  jamie and i are putting together a little confluence 101 crash course we're gonna give to some of the newbie espers here & we think you'd be good to help!  come see us when you get a chance?

He shows the message to Jamie, and then hits send.

He gets a thumbs up! 

"So, let's put together some resources lists while we wait? Here, I'll send you mine-" 

"Yeah, on it."

Knock knock!

"Oh that was fast!" He doesnt bother to hup off Toby, just 'ports over to open the door. 

(He startles and chuckles.)

oh hi shirtless jamie

He blushes and clears his throat and says, "Hey, I got a text...?"

"Yep!" He is indeed shirtless! And pretty buff for someone as tiny as he appears in a shirt and vest. "Wanna help us figure out what all the newbies need to know about the confluence? We're also working on some reading lists to email around, but the 101 is more urgent." 

"Yeah, absolutely."  He is not so unprofessional as to remain flustered for more than a moment.  He sits down on the couch next to Toby, giving him plenty of space so as to not zap Jamie while they're guiding, and gets out his phone.

It was only a little zap... He's still holding out hope! 

"What is your backlash, anyway?" He asks as he's digging out a few more links, "If you don't mind the question." 

"Pathological guilt," he says, levelly.  "Can I ask yours...?"

"Huh, sensory deprivation. How do those line up...?" 

He shakes his head and shrugs.  "I obsess about my internal world and you blot out the external world?  I... feel like I'm sinking into darkness away from goodness and light... and you literally... no I have no idea."

"Your backlashes both make you think too much, by increasing the amount of thinking you do," he nods toward Bryce, "and decreasing the amount of anything else you can do relative to how much you think," Jamie, "and mine makes me think too little?"

"You didn't really zap me, though," he muses.  "It was like almost neutral, but not totally-nothing in the way it is when they have nothing to do with each other, more like we were right near the edge."

"It was the least bad tinfoil I've had," he muses. 

He offers his hand? 

"Try again?" 

"Yeah, okay."  Bryce does not have a leg to stand on in re: being fascinated by weird bad sensations.  Handbrush.

"-huh." 

He reaches to clasp his hand more firmly.

"Huh!" 

" - hi there," he says.  "I don't think I've ever heard of that happening.  Uh, unless you've just decided you kink on tinfoil right this second - ?"

"No it's um. It's still tinfoily. It's just really barely tinfoily? It's kind of neat, actually, like a tiny electric shock, or swiping your hand through a flame, or something."