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Blurg and Omeluum had planned to leave for the Underdark immediately after the Elder Brain situation had been dealt with, but like all travel plans, there had been complications like the remnants of the Absolutist army between Baldur's Gate and everywhere else; then, Havkelaag had demanded that they finally organize and archive the fieldnotes from their previous expedition, which was a fair request but took weeks on end, and then the Society organized a multidisciplinary seminary - mainly, a series of meetings and enjoyable soirees that made for a nice contrast to field research - due to the influx of Society members coming to town to see the aftermath of the Absolutist plot and the reparations of the city. The Lodge was busy, practically swarming.
Omeluum was not the only illithid among the ranks of the Society. There were two. Blurg wasn't personally all that familiar with with the other one. They had met, of course, but Blurg hadn't really conversed with it.
However, it was one of the top scholars on faerzress, so it had come to the city, and that was how Blurg found himself talking with the illithid scholar at a Lodge soiree.
Grazilaxx was passionate and sharp, and as expected, extremely knowledgeable. Its mind felt dynamic, like sparks and fire, whereas Omeluum's mental voice was deep and calm. It also had something like a sense of humor, and Blurg found himself chuckling at the - not really jokes, but sort of jocularities. “Next month I shall publish a most delicious paper on the initial findings of faerzress around that former sharran temple,” Grazilaxx said, and Blurg raised his glass.
“A toast to that! Are you planning to stay for a longer time in the area?”
“Perish the thought,” Grazilaxx responded, and its eyes glinted with mischief. “That temple complex is connected to Shadowfell, and its architecture has a most depressing resonance. I have no wish to spend more time alone in such circumstances. But you know how it is, publish or perish. These temples are a news item, so naturally any papers published on them will garner interest.”
“True that.” Blurg grinned. This was nice. Sure, he wanted to get back to the myconid colony soon, but having a glass, or two, or three, of wine and a stimulating conversation in the city was nice every now and then. Those temples, they were near his and Omeluum's area. Perhaps he could persuade Grazilaxx to do a joint project on the side. Two illithids and himself, they might be able to write a really good treatise.
He felt a gentle tug at the edge of his mind. Omeluum always asked for permission, even after all these years. “Come on in,” Blurg called mentally. “Don't mind if I'm a bit drunk. Grazilaxx is a great conversationalist! Have you heard about its latest research?”
The other society illithid floated next to Blurg, close enough that its sleeves brushed Blurg’s arm. A short burst of contentment at seeing Blurg - their version of a kiss in greeting. Omeluum’s mental space, the part that it shared with Blurg exclusively, felt surprisingly cool, however. A tentacle briefly slid on his upper arm, there was a tiny wave of embarrassment, then Omeluum floated a little further away from Blurg, so that the three of them formed a nearly even triangle.
“Grazilaxx. It has been a long time,” Omeluum said. It was speaking openly - broadcasting its telepathy so that Blurg and anyone close enough could hear its thoughts. This was considered the polite thing to do at a soiree where scholars were expected to mingle.
To the untrained eye, illithids looked similar. But side by side, it was easy to see Omeluum was somewhat smaller and rounder. Grazilaxx resembled a wasp, in Blurg's mind; it was taller and more slender, its head longer, its eyes large and dark. Its tentacles were longer than Omeluum's, and swished sharply as it conversed, like little whips.
“Omeluum, old sport! I was just telling Blurg about my latest research on the Sharran ruins that were involved in the recent Absolutist plot. I hear you were here for the grand finale.” Grazilaxx's thoughts felt to Blurg somewhat as if it'd slapped Omeluum on the back and guffawed.
“We were fortunate enough to evade the Elder Brain's influence,” Omeluum responded coolly. Blurg empathized; the whole ordeal had been traumatic for Omeluum; first imprisonment that left it with a fear of deep water, and then the terrible day the Elder Brain rose over Baldur's Gate. Omeluum had locked itself in a box in the basement of the Lodge, and begged and pleaded Blurg not to come looking for it if its mental defenses failed and their mental connection was broken. All in all, it had been a horrible time.
Blurg sighed. “Thankfully, that's in the past now. We did meet the heroes of Baldur's Gate, but the less said about the events themselves, the better.” He relished the wave of thankfulness and adoration Omeluum sent him.
Grazilaxx's tentacles waved. “I would not want to get anywhere near a damn brainlord, that's for sure. Colonies in the Underdark give me endless grief, here you are near a great faerzress deposit and BOOM, you start hearing the siren call so all that can be done is point it out for someone else.” It whipped its tentacles in frustration. “I understand you are working on fungal research. Nice, less risky.” Omeluum showed mental images of its mushroom lab and data; Grazilaxx responded in kind with its research, and then asked, “So you work with a myconid colony?”
“With Blurg,” Omeluum’s mental tone had a hint of uncharacteristic bluntness to it. “We do work in cooperation with a myconid colony. The arrangement is mutually beneficial.”
“It's quite a nice spot,” Blurg said cheerfully. “Not too far from your temple complex, I'm given to understand,” and there it was, Omeluum's mental temperature dropped. Omeluum did not want to talk about the colony, or their laboratory and samples, or invite Grazilaxx over. “But, eh, it's nothing as exciting as your faerzress research, I'm afraid. Tell us more, how do you handle the background noise from Shadowfell in your data?”
“It was a stroke of genius, even if I say so myself,” Grazilaxx said, and launched into an explanation of its data collection methods. Blurg listened with great interest, and had to admit Grazilaxx's experimental methods were ingenious. And its data gathering missions! Altogether fascinating, in fact, and he told Grazilaxx so. The illithid seemed to swell with pride.
“This has been enlightening.” Again, that carefully neutral tone Omeluum used when it was unhappy about something. “If you'll excuse me, I must rest. Do not mind me, Blurg, do stay if you prefer.” The last bit was privately to Blurg, and Omeluum really put in the effort to feel honest. It wasn't, of course. You didn't have to be an illithid or even a scholar to know that ‘Don't mind me, just keep talking to this other guy whom you find so interesting, while I go to bed’ was a lie.
“Now that you mention it, it's getting late. Or perhaps we're not as young as we used to be,” Blurg said with a chuckle. “I'd love to continue the discussion tomorrow, if you're still here,” he continued, ignoring the brief chill in his and Omeluum’s connection. He meant it. He felt like he had learned more new information about faerzress from the conversation than he had learned from multiple treatises on the subject.
“Yes. Have an enjoyable rest, old fellows.” The feeling was there again. Had Grazilaxx been humanoid, it would have been a back-slapper. Grazilaxx’s pupils flickered from Omeluum, to Blurg, then back to Omeluum, but as Omeluum said nothing, Blurg just bade it good night and hurried just a little unsteadily after Omeluum.
They were on the stairs when Blurg asked the question. “Omeluum, what was that about?” Ordinarily, he might have waited until they were in their room, but he was a bit drunk and a bit disappointed his enjoyable wine-and-scholarly-chat had been cut short. He felt a wave of embarrassment, and found himself gently but firmly removed from Omeluum’s mental space. “Omeluum, what's wro-HOOOAH!” Blurg tripped over Havkelaag’s staff, which the duergar had left on the stairs, and he fell backwards.
His fall was broken by a quick, yanking telekinesis. Omeluum’s telekinesis was careful and slow, like a gentle envelope around Blurg; this felt almost aggressive, even though in the end Blurg found himself painlessly deposited at the top of the stairs. Grazilaxx was standing in a group of linguistics researchers, Limeleech among them. It gave a short nod and a wave with its hand, and flickered an eye in a wink. Blurg grinned, waved, and showed a thumbs up gesture in return, signing that he was all right.
Omeluum was suddenly next to him. “Are you hurt?” Tentacles and hands brushed all over Blurg, ensuring he really was uninjured. Blurg could see the wicked grin on Limeleech's face. Seeing Omeluum possessively fawning over him must have felt like a prize. He would not hear the end of it for weeks at least.
“No, I'm not hurt…wait, in fact, no, I am, can't even walk, I will need telekinetic assistance to get to the bedroom. If only there was a handsome illithid here to help.” Blurg leaned on Omeluum. Actually, Limeleech could chew rocks for all he cared. He was not hurt or injured, but his play worked, and he felt himself picked up into the air, carefully, gently, and the two of them floated into their shared bedroom.
“Now, will you tell me what was that all about? Usually, you're quite happy to talk about our work.” Instead of opening its mind space to him again, Omeluum spoke. There was a difference between Omeluum communicating thoughts telepathically, and feeling Omeluum's feelings and thoughts in its mind space.
“Grazilaxx takes too many risks and lacks patience in its research. I prefer not to risk our mushroom samples with its,” and here Omeluum imitated the sharp tentacle movements Grazilaxx had made. “Besides, its research into faerzress is mostly theoretical. It does not focus sufficiently on practical applications.” Omeluum's tone was guarded, which made Blurg want to laugh. He had never seen Omeluum quite like this before.
Blurg reached out to touch one of Omeluum's tentacles. Omeluum hadn't put him down, just absent-mindedly floated him close. “If I didn't know any better I'd say you're being jealous.”
Omeluum's free tentacles actually wound together. Oh dear, that was a tell that the illithid was nervous. “Would you prefer to work with Grazilaxx on its expeditions around the Underdark? It would be more exciting research than mushrooms.”
Blurg lifted the tentacle to his cheek, and it curved along his head in a little hug. “My friend, haven't we had enough excitement for a lifetime at least?” He grasped another tentacle, unwound it from the others, and raised it to his other cheek.
“You found it physically impressive. It would be a more adequate protector, certainly.” Omeluum’s thought was tinged with poorly hidden embarrassment, and Blurg let go of the tentacles and instead put his hands on Omeluum’s cheeks.
“My dear Omeluum. Let me back in, please.”
Omeluum was still wringing its two remaining tentacles, and now, its hands as well. “I… I feel irrationally possessive over you. I do not wish to enthrall or manipulate you into staying with me, and I am worried I may do so if I–”
Blurg grinned fondly at his partner. Sometimes, Omeluum could be really dense, for someone so intelligent. He had learned to take it in stride a long time ago. “If you show me how you feel? That you might convince me to stay with you, instead of seeing me run off into the sunset with someone I just met because they're taller than you? My dear, you astound me.”
Illithids do not blush, not really. But there was an emotion Blurg had categorized as a mental blush. As Omeluum let him back into his mental scape, that mental blush colored everything. Omeluum was embarrassed for being jealous, and for being so irrational, and for feeling possessive over Blurg.
“It's the first time you're feeling like this, isn't it?” Blurg leaned forwards, and Omeluum floated him closer until their foreheads touched.
“Yes.”
“Did Grazilaxx give you any indications it would try to poach your research partner?”
“It was boastful, transparently trying to make itself seem impressive.” Omeluum's tone was hilariously petulant. Blurg chuckled and shared mirthful warmth with the illithid.
“I could think of several reasons why you are more impressive,” Blurg let his thought be colored with several images of himself and Omeluum, and passionate nights at the myconid colony.
“Anything I am capable of as a lover, is not out of the capacity of others of my kinhhhhhnnnnhh–” Blurg had slid one hand off Omeluum's cheek down a tentacle, and brought it to his lips. As he kissed the appendage, he shared his own feelings and memories with Omeluum, completely interrupting it.
Omeluum was flustered, its tentacles wound around Blurg of their own accord, caressing him, Blurg's memories still playing in its mind. Blurg's next thought was a sly whisper, almost coquettish. “Perhaps you're right. How about you demonstrate your personal methods and capabilities to confirm my allegiance to our myconid research?”
While Blurg and Omeluum had their discussion in the bedroom, Limeleech and Grazilaxx had gone to the upstairs library to see Limeleech's original manuscript.
“As I was saying, this really demonstrates–” Limeleech was interrupted by a soft thump, and the creak of mattress springs. Then, a low, rumbling vocalization that wasn't a word in any language but that could be understood by speakers of almost all languages.
Illithids have little in the way of facial expression, but Grazilaxx looked shocked. Omeluum, while not consciously broadcasting, was not as guarded as it had been earlier, and the mental waves it released were similar expressions of desire and joy as the gasps and growls that escaped the bedroom.
Limeleech was grinning. “How do you suppose that works,” she giggled, craning her neck to hear better.
Grazilaxx huffed. “I refuse to hypothesize. Illithids do not need to mate.” It was scandalized, and did not want to admit it was also intrigued; Omeluum was apparently bursting with happiness at its partner, whose vocalizations had grown in intensity and pitch. “We should take your manuscript and go downstairs. That sort of…loss of control should remain private.”
Limeleech sighed. “Aw, where's your sense of scientific curiosity?” At the wave of disapproval she rolled her eyes. “Fine. Spoilsport.”
They were almost halfway down the stairs when they heard a cry of “O-o-omel-uUM!” from the bedroom. Limeleech laughed, Grazilaxx huffed again, tentacles whipping the air.