You stand at the window looking out. You can't see it from here, but somewhere in this direction is the Harthren camp. And within that are the people that you want to see.

Behind you, Marcy tries in vain to keep Selene from bouncing off the walls. You tried not to let it slip that Laura would be in town, but some of you are not all that great at keeping secrets.

You turn back to the room, and find Selene staring at you expectantly

"Are we going now?" She asks
"Not yet" You say.
"Aww..." She says. "How about now?"

"Give it a minute, I need to- ow! Son of a..." You say, as something hits you in the back. You turn back to the window and look around to see what it was.

"Oh my Gods! Giles, there's an arrow in your back!" Marcy says.

Really? Speaking from experience, it doesn't feel like you've been shot...

"It's not in his back. It's on his back" Kuma says. She walks up to you and pulls something off of your back. "It's a message"

You take the arrow from her. It's blunted, with a piece of paper tied to it. "Odd, I was just looking out the window and I didn't see any archers..." You say.

But you examine the head further... It's crystal, and you can feel lingering magic on it. So you pull the letter off and read it.

"Dear Spymaster

I hope my letter has found you. You should recognize the arrow, it's the only one I had that 'knows you' well enough to pull off a seeking enchantment. I am still truly sorry about that..

As for the purpose of this message: myself, your lady, and a few others will be awaiting you at the top of the tower.

Please note that we will be on guard in case of the event that this arrow does not find its way to you. On that note, if you are not a spymaster, please disregard the contents of this letter.

With love,
Amelia"

So it's from Laura...

And the arrow is...

"That cheeky little..." You say.
"What does it say?" Marcy asks.
"Is it from mommy?!" Selene asks.

>[ ] Tell them

>[ ] Just leave now, let it be a surprise

>[ ] Other

>>41913560
>[ ] Just leave now, let it be a surprise

>>41913560
>[ ] Tell them

>writing

>I know it's a tie. I'll work with it.

>>41913560
>just leave now.

Made it, sorry for being late

You grab Selene and lift her up into a good position to carry her.

"Someone you've been really wanting to see" You say.
Selene's whole face lights up. "Is it mommy!?!" She asks.
"I dunno" You say. "We'll have to find out when we get there"

"Get where?" Marcy asks.
"The tower" You say. "Letter says that they're waiting at the top"

"How did they manage to get an arrow down here from there?" Marcy asks.
You hand Marcy the arrow. "It's had some experience, you should recognize it" You say.
"I should?" Marcy asks.

"Yeah, you're the one who pulled it out of my back" You say.
"Oh..." She says. "OH. Jeez"

"Shall we go?" You ask.
"In this?" Marcy asks, pull out the hem of her dress.
"Yes" You say. "You wanted to come clean, right?"

"But what if I'm not ready?" She says.

>[ ] "Just do it. If you wait until you're ready you'll never do it"

>[ ] Give her back her old uniform

>[ ] Other

>>41914075
>[ ] "Just do it. If you wait until you're ready you'll never do it"

>>41914075
>[ ] "Just do it. If you wait until you're ready you'll never do it"

>>41914075
>[ ] "Just do it. If you wait until you're ready you'll never do it"

DEVIL'S WHIM!!

>Besides, I got you a new one

>writing

"Marcy, what do I say whenever someone asks me if I'm ready for something?" You ask.
"I dunno... no but whatever?" She says.

"No, but that isn't going to stop me" You say. "Because certain things won't wait for you to be ready. You sometimes have to just bite the bullet and do it"

"But..." She says.
"If it's the dress that's causing you trouble, you'll be happy to know that you don't have to wear it" You say.
"I won't?" She asks.
"No" You say. "Because I got you a new one"

You pull the dress out of your cloak and hand it to her.

"What? When did you get this?" She asks.
"A week ago, after we got here" You say. "I got it because you were mad, but you had cooled off by the time I got back"

"But that's not-"
"I know" You say, putting a hand on her head. "But I promise you that no one will react badly"
"But what if they do?" She asks.
"They won't" You say. "If they do, I'll have Kuma beat them up"

"Me too!" Selene says.
"And Selene" You say. "Master of the nut-shot"
Selene smiles.

"Alright... just give me a minute to get changed" She says, eyeing the dress in her hands.
"We'll be waiting" You say.

>[1/2]

>>41914522
> You sometimes have to just bite the bullet and do it"

>Bite the bullet

MUH IMMERSHION!

"Are you sure this is not a trap, Giles?" Kuma asks.
"No" You say. "But if it is a trap, then they've put so much work into it that I'd feel bad for not walking into it at this point"

"That is not a good way to approach this subject" Kuma says.
"Relaaaax" You say. "'Amelia' is something that was between Laura and I, and that arrow was almost certainly hers"

"If you say so" Kuma says.
"Tell you what, if it's a trap we'll bail" You say.
"That is... fair" Kuma says.

You nod to her, and Marcy finally emerges from the washroom.

"H-how do I look?" She asks.
"Splendid" You say. "Like the very image of beauty. If nothing else, it'll take them a while to actually realize who you are. If they manage to come to that conclusion themselves"

"You think so?" She asks, her spirits lifted.
"Yes. Now let's get going" You say. "The tower's not far, but I've heard that it's a bit of a climb"

Marcy nods, and the 4 of your leave the room.

On the way, you-

>[ ] Talk with Marcy about her 'reveal'

>[ ] Teach Selene a thing

>[ ] Talk to Kuma about a thing

>[ ] Other

>>41914843
>[ ] Talk with Marcy about her 'reveal'

>>41914843
>[ ] Talk with Marcy about her 'reveal'

>>41914675
Clearly this in the far future (a la Attack on Titan), and he's using a saying that, while contextually appropriate, no one truly gets anymore, origin wise.

I once read a quest where the MC used the phrase "In for a penny, in for a pound" even though he had no idea what either of those things were, considering it was 200 years from now.

>>41914843
>[ ] Talk with Marcy about her 'reveal'

>>41914675
>>41914926
I'll put this up on the list of reasons why one shouldn't run both a modern and fantasy setting at once...

I got so used to being able to use saying like that without worrying about them being out of place in BM that I didn't even think twice about it here. I'll have to be a bit more careful.

>writing

You walk next to Marcy as you make your way out of the inn and into the streets.

"So, how are we doing this?" You ask.
"The uhhh... reveal?" She asks. "I dunno... to be honest I'm trying really hard not to think about it"

"Oh, that's no fun" You say. "We want shock! We want awe!"
"I"d really rather not have either..." She says. "I think I'm fine with keeping it tame"
"That works too, I guess" You say. "We'll keep things subtle then?"
"Yes please" She says.

"Alright" You say. "Subtle works too"

"You want Kuma to bodyslam anyone that freaks out?" You ask.
"Hmmm..." She says. "Only if it's Dalen"
"You hear that Kuma?" You ask.
"I did" She says. "Bodyslam Dalen if he freaks out"

"Is Uncle Dalen going to be there?" Selene asks.
"Dunno" You say. "The only ones who I know about are Laura and Melissa, aside from that it could be anyone"
Marcy smiles. "It'll be nice to see them again" She says. "Well... once we get past the obvious of course"

You nod to her, and she smiles.

She seems like she's ready for this...

>[1/2]

You reach the foot of the tower after about half an hour of walking.

It takes a bit of work to sneak past the guards, but it's nothing you can't manage. After that, it's all climbing...

And climbing...

And climbing...

How in the hell do the duelists manage this? By the time you reach the next floor the stairs have done most of the work for you...

Just how many stairs are there in this place? A part of you wants to go back down and start counting from the bottom, if it didn't mean climbing all the way back up again...

You should have a chat with Laura about her choice of location for meeting spots. She couldn't have just picked a normal building? You would have been fine with a normal building.

After about 4 floors worth of tower, Selene gets tired and Kuma ends up carrying her...

4 more floors, and Kuma starts to tire, so she passes Selene off to Marcy.

4 more floors, and Marcy passes her off to you; as she's worried about sweating through her new dress...

"Just how many floors are there to this place?" You ask Marcy.
"Not many more" She says. "I think it's... 16?"

Another 4 floors, and you reach a pair of large doors. You hear voices from inside... familiar voices.

"Are you sure that was the right arrow?" Melissa asks.
"It had to be, it wouldn't have flown like that if it wasn't" Laura says. "Unless there's another person around here that I've shot..."
"Is there?" Eleanor asks.
"I don't think so" Laura says. "But it's always a possibility"

>[ ] Make a grand entrance

>[ ] Slip in quietly

>[ ] Make some noise and let them come to you

>[ ] Other

>>41915494
>>[ ] Slip in quietly
Let's see what they are saying about us.

>>41915494
>[ ] Slip in quietly

>>41915494
>[ ] Slip in quietly

>>41915494
>>[ ] Slip in quietly
Suddenly being in the room out of nowhere is our way of making a grand entrance.

>writing

>>41915494
>[ ] Slip in quitely

You turn back to your group, and put a finger up to your lips.

"Keep quiet, this is gonna be good" You say.

The doors are already open by a crack, so you peer in.

Most of the group is standing on the far side of the arena. You can make out Laura, Melissa, Eleanor and Cedric, standing in a group making conversation. Off to the side, Dalen and Zen are sitting and chatting.

Their attention flickers to the door every now and then, but they don't seem to be watching it too intently. So you edge the door open, little by little, until the opening is big enough to fit through.

And you wait for the right time... and dart silently from the door to behind a pillar. You listen for a second, and no one seems to have noticed.

Next, you signal Marcy to do the same. You figure that if she can make it, Selene and Kuma will be able to as well. Marcy manages to get to you without notice, and your sneakier companions manage to do the same.

The four of you circle the room, heading around to the back where the others are. The closer you get, the more impatient Selene seems to be...

You're finally within striking distance, so you...

>[ ] Sneak up and join the conversation

>[ ] Let loose the Selene

>[ ] Other

>>41915949
>[ ] Let loose the Selene

>>41915949
>[ ] Let loose the Selene

>>41915949
>[ ] Let loose the Selene
RELEASE THE KRAKEN!

>>41915949
>[ ] Sneak up and join the conversation

While carrying Selene, and just casually hand her off to Laura

>>41915949
>[ ] Let loose the Selene

>>41916086
>>[ ] Sneak up and join the conversation
This.

>writing

You stop, and take a moment to consider the best approach...

And then you look down, and see Selene; who is ready to burst.

So you pat her on the back. "Go get her" You say.
"Really?" She whispers.
You nod, and she smiles for a few seconds, before turning and bolting.

You'll give it to her, her footsteps are quiet. To the point that they don't even hear her coming until she squeals "Mommy!"

"What? Selene?" Laura says.

Selene makes a flying leap towards Laura, but she grossly overestimates her jumping ability and falls way short; falling flat on her face in the process.

"Ouch" She says.
"Selene, what..." Laura says, before her own emotions get the better of her confusion.She strides quickly over to the fallen girl, and scoops her up into a big hug. "How did you get back there?"

"That would have been my idea" You say, coming out from your hiding spot. "I was going to surprise you by joining your little conversation, but I decided not to make Selene wait any longer"

"Giles?" Eleanor says.
"Oh damn, you're still kickin'?" Cedric asks.

Melissa stares at you wide eyed, and you give her a smile.

"Where's Marcellus?" Eleanor asks.

>[ ] Grab Marcy and bring her out

>[ ] She'll be out in a second

>[ ] I didn't bring "Marcellus"

>[ ] Other

>>41916437
>[ ] I didn't bring "Marcellus"

>>41916437
>>[ ] Grab Marcy and bring her out

>>41916437
>[ ] Make up some bullshit sob story as to how marcellus became a girl.

>>41916437
>[ ] I didn't bring "Marcellus"
"I brought Marcy."

>I'll be stepping away for a minute to eat dinner

>Writing will commence once I return. Feel free to talk about whatever/continue voting until then

>>41916699
He gave us permission to talk about anything, so lets talk about why your waifu is shit.

>>41916699
Since both seem to be kinda each other as well as us , Laura/Marcy threesome when ?

"I didn't bring 'Marcellus" You say.
"Giles don't! I'll come out in a second, just wait" Marcy says.

"That wasn't Marcellus's voice?" Eleanor asks.

"No, it was Marcella's" You say.
"Who is Marcella?" Cedric asks.
"The same" You say.

"What?" Laura asks. "Selene, do you know what's going on?"
"Shhhh" Selene says. "It's a secret. I'm s'posed to let Marcy tell you"

"At least someone remembers!" Marcy says.
"You know, you can't stay back there forever" You say.
"I disagree" She says.


"M-Marcellus... err... I guess it's Marcella... please tell us what's going on" Laura says.

Marcy groans and steps out from behind the pillar, her hands folded rigidly at her stomach, and her face bright red.

"H-hello" She says.
"Hello" Laura says.

"I'm... M-marcella" Marcy says.
"Marcell-...a... how long have you been... you know..." Laura says.
"Forever" Marcy says. "I can understand if you want to fire me or..."

Laura, with Selene in hand, strides up to Marcy and hugs her.

"It's alright" Laura says. "Come on, you can tell us the whole story"

Laura takes Marcy's hand, and leads her back to the group.

Well, that's not quite the reaction you were expecting... but you guess that Laura of all people would know how it feels to have a dark secret...

Now that the introductions are over, your eyes find Melissa's, who hasn't stopped looking at you this whole while...

>[ ] Go kiss her

>[ ] Go talk to her

>[ ] Other

>>41916437
>[ ] I didn't bring "Marcellus

I'll tell ya this: NO one suspects the princess' guardian to be playing happily married young mother.

>>41917649
>>[ ] Go kiss her

>>41917649
>[ ] Go kiss her

>>41917649
>[ ] Go talk to her

>Melissa: So... did you bring the stuff?

>>41917649
>[x] Go kiss her

>Other (Kill Melissa and then kill self)

Trust me guys, shadowrun anon here, either shes lesbian, she intends to betray us to the enemy, or she is insane, regardless this is the only safe way to avoid a bad end!

>>41917753
Interesting theory. Mine is that she's attracted to women but loved Giles since they were kids before she ever realized that. Or worst case scenario we're just her closest male friend and she's using us to hide her homosexuality

>>41917753
I'm in the 'closet lesbian' camp, myself.

>writing

You walk briskly up to Melissa, tapping your cane on the ground as you go.

Gay, straight, closet whatever... she needs to know that you still love her in spite of what you found. And you know just the way to do that.

You stop on front of you, placing your free hand under her chin and your cane-hand at the small of her back. Then you pull her body into you, lift her chin, and kiss her.

She inhales sharply through her nose and wraps her arms around you. When you break the kiss, she settles into your embrace, resting her head on your chest.

"Miss me?" You ask.
"You know I did" She says. "So... Marcell-...a is a girl, huh?"
"Yeah" You say.
"When did you figure that out?" She asks.
"A while back" You say. "When we shared a room at your manor"
"And you kept it a secret this whole time?" She asks.
"I'm actually pretty good at keeping secrets, unlike some" You say. "I found the jewels, by the way"

"And the rest..." She says.

"That too" You say. "The drawings were pretty good, though your writing could use some work"

"You aren't... mad?" She asks.
"I'm not really sure" You say. "But this isn't the place to talk about this..."

>[ ] Go somewhere more private

>[ ] Talk about it later

>[ ] Other

>>41918319
>>[ ] Go somewhere more private
>Other (Hand her the critic card)

>>41918319
>[ ] Go somewhere more private

>>41918319
>[ ] Go somewhere more private

>writing

You take Melissa's hand, and walk off to the side by one of the tower windows.

"Where are you two off to?" Dalen asks as you pass him and Zen.
"Personal stuff" You say.
"Ah, carry on then" He says. "And try not to be too loud"

"Not that kind of personal stuff" You say.
"Suuuure" Dalen says.
You roll your eyes. "Go say hello to Marcy" You say. "And try not to freak out. I gave my assistant permission to bodyslam you if you freak out"

"Your assistant?" Zen asks.

"Hello" Kuma says, coming out from behind a pillar nearby.

"Oh gods!" Dalen shouts.
Zen turns, with his hand on his sword; only to be met by Kuma's usual neutral face.

The tension stays for a moment, before you break it with a chuckle. "Dalen, Zen; this is Kuma" You say.
"Nice to meet you" Kuma says.

"Hold down the fort for me, would you?" You ask.
"Yes Master" Kuma says, bowing lightly to you.

You and Melissa leave them to whatever they're going to do, and take a seat by the window...

>[1/2]

"So..." You say,
"So..." She replies.

"How long have you been... uhh... into the female form?" You ask.
Melissa pulls her knees up to her chest, hugging them as she leans her head on your shoulder. "I don't know..." She says. "I'm not sure when it started... but I got further and further into it..."

"You know that you could've gotten into a lot of trouble if anyone else found what you had down there" You say.
"I know..." She says. "Is it weird that... I almost wanted to get caught?"

"Yes" You say.
"I mean... inside... there was just so much pressure" She says. "A part of me wanted it relieved, even if it meant bad things happening"

"More than bad things, Melissa" You say. "You should know what happens to... y'know"
"I know, it's just..."
"Too much pressure?" You ask.
She nods.

"So... what happens to us now?" You ask.
"I don't know" She says.
"Do you still..."
"Do I still love you?" She asks. "Of course I do!"

>[ ] You do?

>[ ] That settles that then

>[ ] So you're not into chicks then?

>[ ] Other

>>41918988
>[ ] You do?

>>41918988
>[ ] That settles that then

>>41918988
>[x] That settles that then

>>41918988
>>[ ] You do?
Huh.

Also, on record we appreciate the female form as much as she does and would be happy to encounter it with her at our side.

>writing

"You do?" You ask.
"Of course I do!" She says. "At least... I think so... Ohhh... I don't even know anymore"

Melissa buries her face into her knees.

"Hey, it's okay" You say, reaching under her head to pick her face up by the chin. You turn her towards you and lock her eyes with yours. "We have plenty of time to figure it out. If you do, you do. If you don't, I won't be mad"

"You won't?" She asks.
"I'll be a little hurt" You say. "But in the end, I want you to be happy. I'd like it very much if we could be happy together, but if you aren't happy with me, then... well..."

Melissa looks at you in awe, a faint smile flickering on her face. Then she turns her body to you, reaches for you with both hands, and kisses you. She scoots over and up into your lap, with one hand over your shoulder and the other one clasped with yours.

She pulls away after a second, and licks her lips.

"Well... that settles that then" You say, pulling her hand up to your lips and kissing it.
"I'm sorry that I kept this all from you..." She says.
"No worries" You say. "It's not exactly a small secret"
"I know... but..." She says.
"I said don't worry" You say. "I have a lot to make up for after 5 years of absence. The least I can do is be accepting"

She touches her forehead to yours and closes her eyes. "Thank you" She whispers.
"Besides, your... appreciation for the female form is something we share" You say.

"You have something in mind?" She asks.
"No" You say. "Just letting you know that I would be perfectly willing to... appreciate it... together"

"There's... something else you should know..." She says.
"What is it?" You ask.
"Promise you won't get mad?" She asks.
"Promise" You say.
"I may have... gotten a little too drunk and... done some... things... with Eleanor..." She says.

>[ ] And you didn't invite me?

>[ ] That's okay. Marcy kissed me

>[ ] I understand. You tend to get smoochy when you're drunk

>[ ] Other

>>41919730
>[ ] That's okay. Marcy kissed me
I still totally regret choosing melissa

>>41919730
>[ ] That's okay. Marcy kissed me

>>41919730
>>[ ] That's okay. Marcy kissed me
>[ ] Theres something you should know too... [Enter critic mode]

>writing

"That's okay" You say. "Marcy may have kissed me at one point as well"
"It was... a little more than a kiss..." She says.
"Was it now?" You say, running a finger up and down her spine. "Maybe you'll have to describe it to me in more detail when we have some time alone"

She arches her back as your finger tickles it. "You're still not mad?" She asks.
"Why would I be?" You ask. "I know better than anyone else, know how you get when you've been drinking. And I've already accepted your sexual preferences."

"But I..." She says. "Even though you said you wanted to keep things between us..."

"I kinda figured that's why you asked about that" You say.
"So you're not mad?" She asks.
"No" You say. "Just remember to invite me next time"

She looks surprised by your proposal, but then she smiles. "Sure thing" She says.

>[ ] Work this over a little bit longer

>[ ] Go back to the group

>[ ] Other

>>41920261
>[ ] Go back to the group
Lol what a pointless relationship

>>41920261
>>[ ] Go back to the group
>[ ] Other: Hand her the critic card.

>>41920261
>Just remember to invite me next time"

Uh, when did we pass into "I'm all for a threesome" mode?

>>41920374
I can't really tell if Giles is being playfully facetious, or actually serious.

>writing

>>41920484
You'll see

>>41920358
BACKING LIKE THE FIST OF THE NORTH STAR

"We should get back" You say. "The others will probably be wanting to talk to me, and there's some stuff that I need to tell Laura"
"Kay" Melissa says, getting off of your lap and brushing her dress down.

"Oh, and..." You pull the critic's review out of your jacket and hand it to her. "Take this"
"What is it?" She asks.
You wink, and head back to the group.

You find them mostly crowded around Marcy, with the exception of Laura and Selene. Those two are off in the benches having some mother-daughter time...

>[ ] Go see how Marcy is doing

>[ ] Go talk to Laura

>[ ] Other

>>41920695
>[ ] Go see how Marcy is doing

Might need to save her.

Actually... anyone reminded of when Laura was being crowded and we saved her... with a dance?

>>41920695
>[ ] Go talk to Laura

>>41920695
>[ ] Go see how Marcy is doing

>writing

You head into the group. Marcy could probably use a hand, and Laura probably needs to stock up on her hugs.

But you do have to talk to Laura at some point. If for no other reason than to let her know that you're sort of cousins...

You duck into the group and come up beside Marcy, "Hey" You say. "I miss anything?"
"Oh, hey" Cedric says.

"No, not really" Marcy says. She looks relieved to have you here.
"Aww... Kuma hasn't had to slam Dalen yet?" You ask.
"I have not" Kuma says. "But I am prepared"

"So when did you get an assistant?" Eleanor asks.
"Hmm..." You say. "Well, I struck the deal just after I left Catisse... I didn't hear back or finalize anything until Searise, and it wasn't until the road to Harth that Kuma actually showed up"

"She showed up on the road to Harth?" Dalen asks. "When?"
"When I went down the cliff after Laura and what's his face..." You say. "Kuma took down the majority of the guys he had waiting down there, so I could help Laura"

"Ohhh" Dalen says. "Well then, I suppose I owe you my thanks"

Dalen tries to hug Kuma, but Kuma evades him. "Please, no hugging" She says.
"Oh... sorry" Dalen says. "How about this?"

He extends his rather large hand to Kuma, who looks at you.

You nod to her.

Kuma takes the hand, which dwarfs hers, and shakes it.

>[1/2]

"So what have you guys been up to?" Dalen asks.
"Travelling about, directing a network of assassins and spies" You say. "You guys?"

"We've mostly been sticking close to Laura" Cedric says.
"Both by choice, and not so much" Dalen says. "Laura seems to think there's a traitor in our midst"

"That's not entirely unfounded" You say. "I've stopped telling the council about my plans, after a little mishap a little over a week ago"

"What kind of mishap?" Cedric asks.
"One that would have brought Honoue into this, and effectively allowed us to dominate this war" You say. "It didn't end too badly though, but it wasn't the best outcome"

"You managed to learn anything?" Dalen asks.
"I have" You say. "Not much of it is related to the war itself... but I have gained some new knowledge..."

>[ ] Tell them about Pitre

>[ ] Tell them about Cassandra

>[ ] Keep it to yourself

>[ ] Other

>>41921351
>[ ] Keep it to yourself

>>41921351
>[x] Keep it to yourself

>>41921351
>>[ ] Tell them about Cassandra
Better they learn now than have her use it as a trump card to get them to shank us.

>writing

"Most of which is classified" You say.
"Aww... not going to share?" Eleanor asks.
"I would if I could, but I can't. So I won't" You say.

As much as you'd like to let them know about Pitre and Cassandra, you should probably keep the news about Pitre between you and Laura... maaaaybe Melissa as well. Cassandra... is another matter altogether.

You may keep that to yourself until you know more...

"Let him be, guys. He is a spymaster, and sometimes there will be things he isn't allowed to tell us" Zen says.
"Thank you Zen" You say.
"So how'd you land that gig anyway?" Dalen asks.
"I asked the King" You say.
"You just... asked?" Cedric says.
"Well, I asked and told him that I have actual spies" You say. "That does make a difference"

"So you've heard about the revolts in the north then?" Dalen asks.

>[ ] I am aware of them

>[ ] Who do you think started those?

>[ ] Other

>>41921833
[ ] Who do you think started those?

Shit eating grin to last the ages.

>>41921833
>[ ] Who do you think started those?

>writing

>>41921833
>[ ] Who do you think started those?

"Who do you think started those?" You ask. "As far as a way to divert troops away from the front, it has been working pretty well"

"That was you?" Dalen asks.
"It was" You say. "I had a few of my men sowing rebellion in that area, as well as keeping the fires going now that it's been lit"

"You don't think that's a little... unethical?" Dalen asks.
"Please. Displeasure with the hands of fate has been aparent everywhere I have been" You say. "This is the one chance that people have gotten to stand against it. I just gave them a little push"

"But I mean... people have been dying up there..." Eleanor says.
"I am aware of that" You say. "But the reality is that they are dying for their own freedom. Our job is to ensure that this goes our way so their deaths aren't in vain"

Melissa comes over from the window. "We should be getting back soon, guys" She says.
"Already?" You ask.
"Not just yet" She says. "But we do have duties to attend to today"

You nod in understanding

>Go see Laura now?

>>41922307
Y

>>41922307
Sure

>>41922307
Yup

>writing

"Alright, give me a minute. I still need to talk to Laura" You say.

"No problem" Melissa says. "We can spend that minute talking about how CUTE you look!"
"Dangit! Just when I thought I was finally being ignored" Marcy says.

Melissa giggles, and starts chatting enthusiastically with Marcy as you walk over to where Laura and Selene are.

"Hey there" You say.
"Hey" Laura says.

"You picked a hell of a way to send your message" You say, pulling the arrow out of your cloak and handing it to her.
She takes it with a guilty look. "Sorry... we knew you were in the city, but not where. It was the only way I knew to get the message out" She says.
"You know, we would have come to you" You say.
"I know... I just..." She hugs Selene a little tighter. "I was having trouble staying patient"

"You could at least have picked a less strenuous meeting place" You say.
Laura smiles and peers out the window. "I wanted to kill two birds. We needed a private place, and I always wanted to see the view from here"

"You weren't here for Marcy's win?" You ask.
"I didn't get out much then... for obvious reasons" She says.
"Ah yes" You say.

"I am still sorry about... this" She says, holding up the arrow. "By the way..."
"And you were forgiven" You say.
"I know... it's just..." She trails off.

You could use a change of subject here...

>[ ] Ask how things have been on her end

>[ ] Tell her about Pitre (the 1st and 2nd)

>[ ] Other

>>41922808
>[ ] Ask how things have been on her end

>>41922808
>[ ] Ask how things have been on her end

Need to see if she has an idea of who our traitor might be.

>>41922808
>[x] Ask how things have been on her end

>>41922808
>[ ] Ask how things have been on her end

I feel bad to missing the last 2 treads

>writing

"So, how have things been on your end?" You ask.
"Well enough" She says. "The war is going in our favor, at least. With Roderick's forces split between the rebellion in the north and us in the east, we've made some prett big gains"

"And the traitor?" You ask.
She scowls. "No leads yet" She says. "Still working on it, though. I have a plan brewing, but it's not quite finished yet. When I have a more solid base to work from, I'll contact you with the details"

"Sounds good" You say. "I'd be glad to lend my support to it, if it means routing this traitor for good"

"Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you regarding our advances" She says. "Our strategy ended up working anyway... but why did you ask us not to attack Barrowlen?"

"To prove a point and gain an ally" You say.
"Who?" She asks.

>[ ] Someone important

>[ ] Johann Pitre II

>[ ] Other

>>41923182
>[x] Johann Pitre II

>>41923182
>[ ] Johann Pitre II

>writing

>>41923182
>[ ] Johann Pitre II


By the way, is anyone keeping a count on where we currently fall on the henderson scale? We've got to at least be at .5 hendersons currently. I wonder what happens once we reach a full 1.0 on the scale.

"Johann Pitre II" You say. "His wife was stationed there. If fate had its way, she would have died, and he would have routed your entire army out of vengeance"

"But we never attacked there" Laura says.
"Because I told you not to" You say. "I also had some of my men make sure she stayed safe, just in case"

"Hmm..." Laura says. "I never made this connection before, but... isn't Pitre the name of your father?"
"It is" You say. "That's not accidental, my father is Johann Pitre I"

"Interesting..." Laura says.
"Oh, that's not the best part though" You say. "Do you know what your father's name was before he married the queen was?"
"No..." She says.
"Mercutius Pitre" You say.

Laura blinks in surprise. "So your dad is..."
"Your uncle" You say. "I guess that kind of makes us cousins"

Laura looks pensive for a moment. "Have you talked to him about this?" She asks.
"Not at length" You say. "I kinda had to ditch Searise after the siege"

She nods. "Perhaps I should send him a letter then" She says. "All this time I thought I had no surviving relatives on that side... but now..."

"I'm alright with you contacting Pitre I, but my deal with Pitre II is a secret" You say. "To the point where I'm not even sure it exists"

"You aren't?" She asks.
"Well, he ordered his forces away from Searise when I contacted him. But aside from that, I'm not entirely certain where he stands as of yet" You say.
"Then maybe you should get into contact with him again" She says.

"I've been considering it" You say. "But I've had quite a bit to work through recently"

"Like what?" She asks.

>[ ] Tell her about Cassandra

>[ ] Melissa

>[ ] Just... a lot

>[ ] Other

>>41923610
>[ ] Tell her about Cassandra

>>41923610
>[x] Tell her about Cassandra

>writing

"After all this time I finally have a lead on who my mother might be" You say.
"Really?" Laura asks. She seems so happy about this, you almost don't want to break that with the actual truth.

"It's Cassandra" You say.
Aaaand there goes the happy... "Oh..." She says.
"Right?" You ask.
"But... how?" She asks.
"No clue" You say.

"I mean, how did you find out?" She asks.
"Oh, Pitre saw her during the siege" You say. "He recognized her as the woman that brought me in as a baby"

"So she might not be your mother" She says.
"Is there a better explanation than that?" You ask.
"She's Cassandra" Laura says. "For all we know, she could have stolen you from your real parents for some kind of sick thrill"

You look at her and laugh. "As farfetched as that sounds, I wouldn't put it past her" You say.
"Right?" Laura asks. "So don't get yourself down"

"I'll try" You say.
"No trying" Laura says. "Selene, if you see Giles sulking you have my permission to jump on him"

Selene says something, but it's muffled by Laura's chest.

You and Laura both look at each other.

"That was muffled agreement" She says.
"I figured" You say.

"Laura" Dalen calls over.
"I know... we have to go..." Laura says.

>Anything further?

>>41924044
Not that I can think of, besides well-wishes. Making sure they stay safe

>>41924044
"Your waifus a shit!"

>>41924044
>I've seen how a real mother is supposed to be, Laura. <big grin>

>writing

Laura stands up, and tries to hand Selene off to you.

"Do you hafta go?" Selene asks.
"I do, sweetie" She says. "But don't worry, you'll see me again"
Selene's eyes water, so you step in.

"Don't worry about her, kiddo. She's got the best around keeping her safe" You say.
"I thought you were the best" She says.
"I'm working to keep her safe too" You say. "Not directly, but I do my best"

"And in return, you have to keep him from sulking" Laura says. "Okay?"
Selene nods. "Okay" She says.

Laura hands her over to you. "I'll see you next time" Laura says.
"Bye bye mommy" Selene says.

You can see Laura's eyes start to water, so you give her a hug. "We'll be fine" You say. "You worry about yourself, okay?"
"Okay" She says. "Maybe when this is all over, we can all put some work into finding out who your parents are"
"I'd like that" You say.

Laura smiles and takes a few steps away.

You go around and say your goodbyes to everyone else, including a somewhat awkward and strained one with Melissa. Then they take off back down the tower.

"So... what now?" Kuma asks.
"We wait a bit, and then we sneak out" You say.

Marcy comes up and takes a seat next to you. "That went well" She says.
"I thought so" You say, leaning back and staring at the ceiling...

Well, there actually is no ceiling to this place, just the reddening sky...

Then Selene jumps on you.

"Ooof" You say, looking down to find Selene's angry face. "What was that?"
"No being sad" Selene says.

You laugh, and ruffle her hair. "Alright, alright" You say.

Funny, you don't think you were sad... You don't really feel sad, just... off.
You were supposed to work things out with Melissa, and you did... kind of. She seems to feel better, and you thought you did too... but it feels like there's a knot somewhere inside that's only gotten tighter...

You let out a sigh, and Selene jumps on you again.

Something tells you this will become a regular occurence...

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will be Blood Moon, probably tomorrow night.

As always I'll be sticking around for questions/suggestions

>>41924613
>inb4 end of thread

>>41924635
I'll be honest, the whole thing with Melissa and the lack of any action is totally killing my interest in this quest

>>41924635
Thanks for running!

>>41924645
Yeah, Im itching for action in BOTH of Smiley's quests, I hope to see more soon

>>41924645
Thats weird, the thing with Melissa is actually INCREASING my interest. Im really curious to see where it goes.

>>41924645
>>41924666
Both BM and ODW are heading for quite a bit of action.

For better or for worse.

This has been a sort of temporary lull for ODW, before the ultimate lead up to the finale.

>>41924635
>>41924645
And the thing with Abigail is killing mine in Blood Moon. We all have our buttons.

Incidentally, great thread, Smiley!

>>41924720
>to the finale
Oh boy
Do I sense a Cassandra and Roderick showdown coming...?

>>41924734
Yeah, I actually wouldnt mind if we killed Abigail in the arena

That would mean not every thread is filled with us having sex with a slut

>>41924734
Yeah you would think that we would learn our lesson about trusting waifus in smileys quests. Abigail is still great though.

>>41924755
I wanna say that Cassandra's been provoking the other nations, and Giles, into screwing over Fate's Chosen. It's very easy to make enemies when you employ someone with her specific skill set, after all.

>>41924900
Honestly, I don't even fucking know anymore, all I actually know is that whatever Cassandra is, she has a massive advantage to us and I think we've fallen perfectly into her plan. All we can bank on is that shes one of those "End Justifies the Means" kind of douchebags.

On an unrelated note, we are roughly at 0.6 Hendersons as of now, what happens once we reach the full 1.0?

>>41924862
>>41924891
It's fun to see the obvious divide in the playerbase over certain things.

I can promise that Abigail will be neither the best or worst thing to happen to Saif or the quest itself.

>>41924944
>what happens once we reach the full 1.0?
It will be glorious/horrifying

>>41924862
Yeah, it's turning into Lewd Moon, pretty fast.
>>41924891
She's interesting, but her presence makes the MC come across as a horny idiot, which doesn't do much for character advancement.

>>41924977
I had a feeling you were aware of that scale and were running the campaign off of the idea of hendersoning the universe. You aren't the first person to do that but this is certainly a new take on it.

>>41925039
'Hendersoning'?

>>41925084
Its a /tg/ meme you can look up. Old man Henderson was an infamous greentext story here on /tg/, where someone created a min/maxed character with a 40 page long bio because he knew his GM wouldn't read 40 pages worth of bio so he could slip whatever the hell he wanted into it as needed. He was obsessed with his missing lawn gnomes and managed to ruin the entire campaign the setting was in, by permakilling Hastur in an ice skating rink with explosives.

This resulted in the Henderson Scale of Plot Derailment which is being referenced here, as the MC in this story is effectively trying to henderson the entire universe and destroy the wheel of fate.

>>41924891
Haha he definitely loves making the women we like betray us.

>>41925142
>Implying it won't be you betraying them

>>41925201
Now you've made me think of 'Tasha' (totally the Traitor). Hmmm... didn't you say that a god manifesting during Blood Moon can't get back their full strength until Blood Moon is over? It's simple: we find a way to take out Tasha, and her champion can't compete (no patron). Rules say you "Can't kjll another CHAMPION outskde of the ring", right?

>>41925337
That only applied to Kyla as far as you know, and that's just because she no longer has the energy to take on her divine form.

>>41925356
Here's the thing: didn't you say that the reason gods choose champions is because if they manifest they lose their omnipotence and immortality, until it's over?

>>41925573
I said that if they come into direct conflict that they lose their powers, which is why they use champions as proxies

>>41927332
Also I assume gods perma-dying would be a thing that would quickly draw other gods into ganging up against the murderer god.