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Oh boy, OP post and I already have some redundant sentences, what a great start!

>>1143792
>Time for morning training.
>Or just eating. You could eat the stress away.

>>1143792
>Time for morning training.
>Or just eating. You could eat the stress away.
Contemplate how to become stronger.

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You finish tying your clothes together, and then step out into the hallway. Immediately, there's a maid standing right outside your door.

"Good morning, Ms. Kuchinashi!" The cheery maid happily smiles, "How may I serve you today?"
"I'm going to the training yard." You wave the maid away, "You can tell Marion or Anna where I am, but don't tell anyone else."

"Can do, Ms. Kuchi-"
"Yuuki, my name is Yuuki. Call me that, please."

"-Right! Yuuki!"

The maid happily prances down the hall, and you breathe a deep sigh.
This is very much your home, but even then it feels like most of the inhabitants barely even know you.

You suppose it is your own fault with how distant you were on your last visit. It's hard to get personal with the knights and the guards. It's a way different environment around here than in say, Biscotti.

You stalk down the stairs and slide out the door. You give the training yard another once-over just to make sure no one is watching you practice.
No one is around.

You take the sleeve off of your naginata, and gently start working through your forms.
It's no surprise that you're still just as good at waving your weapon at nothing as you've always been. The staff slowly raises and lowers at invisible enemies who surround you at every corner.

Of course, if these were real enemies, your fists would do just as much damage as a little knife on a stick.

"Stop it, STOP!" You say to nobody.
Forms are important, and they're what separates you from a crazed maniac waving a spear around.

You stomp your foot, and continue the slow and steady movement through the basics.
This used to make you calm. So, why isn't this making you calm anymore?

"I think I'm hungry." You say to yourself, before sheathing your weapon. You sigh and return to the castle. There is only one thing you can think to do now.

--

"This bundt cake is delicious." One of the nameless knights whom you used to see every day passively remarks. "I can't believe I'm eating this, though! I'm going to fail my next PT."

You're one to agree with the faceless bunny warrior. This is the fourth bundt cake you've indulged so far. It's not looking to be the last one, either. This is what will pass for your breakfast this morning until your mood improves.
You idly take another crumpet from a maid's serving tray, and sip a small teacup placed before you.

If Jack can turn his liver into a miniature distillery at-will, then your stomach can handle ruining your breakfast with some chocolate sweets.

What the- Oh no.
Dorje has seem to have bungled his way into the cafeteria. The poor, confused boy wanders aimlessly as more of the cafeteria's staff start to notice him.

This may not end well.

>Bolt upwards and immediately rush to the boy's rescue.
>Sit and watch, he's a strong hero, he can handle himself.
>Eat more junk food.
>Try to get his attention.
>Ask that someone escort him back to the guest quarters until you're ready to face the world
>Other?

>>1144353
>Bolt upwards and immediately rush to the boy's rescue.

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You growl.
What is he doing here? He should be leaving with Jack. Did Jack drink himself into a coma last night and is currently sprawled across the deck of his airship?

Or- maybe that's it. Maybe Dorje's here to see you off. That would be a very Dorje thing to do.
At the same time, it's a very Dorje thing to be so naive about coming here unescorted by a responsible adult.

There's a certain force that demands you keep yourself planted and your mouth full of chocolate pastries.

The other part of you realizes the possibility of the poor, confused boy being whisked away to the maids quarters and emerging a poor, confused man.

You stuff another cake into your mouth, and stand up to confront the boy. Or, at the very least, confront the maids who have confronted the boy.

"Did you lose your parent? Or-"
"-Do you even have parents?"

"W-what? No, I'm looking for Yuuki, have you seen her?"
"I haven't seen Yuuki around." The maid licks her lips, "But I have seen something else you might be interested in-"

You employ all the training which has been passed to you from Jack to defuse the situation.
Your hand extends outwards, wraps around a bunny-ear, and then slides toward the base of the fuzzy stalk.

The maid's legs buckle, and she emits a surprised squeak.
"Y-Yuuki?!"
"Hi." You say in a dull tone, "Lay off the kid, please."

"Ah, I wasn't- EEK! uhh!" The maid has a slight spasm under your grasp. You knead the soft skin attaching her long, floppy ear to her scalp.

"Go get some more crumpets, and I'll deal with the boy."
"Oh- Uh, Y-yes! Right away!"

The maid hurries to the back, and Dorje blinks.
"W-what was that about?!"
"Dorje, come with me, just- follow."

You take him out of the cafeteria, much to the embarassing cheering from the guard staff and some rather distasteful innuendo being shouted, and drag him out of the castle proper.

"What are you doing?" You huff, "Did Jack send you in there alone? I thought he knew better."

"Jack left." Dorje dusts off his shirt, "He departed about an hour ago."

You blink, "Then why are you here?"
"I wanted to accompany you. I didn't think it was right for us to split up after last time." He states, rather plainly.

Great, so here's ANOTHER hero who thinks you need to be babysat.

>I suddenly need more cakes.
>L-let's not think about that. Ask if he wants to train.
>Quiz him more on this.
>Grumble, you were hoping not to think about this hero stuff.
>Other?

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Bed, see you in the morning!

>>1144859
lewd buns are lewd.
>Quiz him more on this.
>L-let's not think about that. Ask if he wants to train.

I've had an epiphany on what Dogland is a best.

They are dogs... And dogs are man's best friend.

No wonder we hate everywhere else then cause when compared to Dogland they just can't compete.

>>1145677
...
you might be onto something.

>>1145677
Further reinforcing the fact that Tuile is best princess.

>>1145722
This makes a lot of sense.
Tuile really is the best.

>>1144859
>>Quiz him more on this.
>>L-let's not think about that. Ask if he wants to train.

>>1144859
>L-let's not think about that. Ask if he wants to train.
>Let him know it isn't safe to wander around the halls alone.
>At least for him.
>Because reasons he isn't old enough to know yet.

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"-You didn't think it was right for us to split up?" You feel confrontational about this line of thought.
"Of course not, especially after that tree thing yesterday." Dorje frowns.

"That's the only reason?"

"..Welll, I was also a little worried."
"About what?"
"Leaving you here all alone with that Atlas guy wandering around."

Oh great, so he is trying to babysit you!

"N-now hold on!" Dorje immediately recognizes the look you're giving him. "I'm only doing this because I don't trust that Atlas guy, not because I think that you need protection! It's just, if it came down to it, two against one would be way better against him!"

It's true, you don't trust this Atlas guy either and you're not entirely sure why Jack trusts him.
That said, it's iffy if Dorje's help would really matter if he turned out to be malicious. The whole festival is going to be everyone in every kingdom versus him, right? So you and Dorje versus him would probably not even register as a threat.
Maybe more like a brief warm-up session.

Damn it, there you go again! Thinking about all this hero stuff and feeling depressed as a result.

It sucks.

"..Dorje, wanna go train?"

"Yeah, sure?" He blinks, "I thought you didn't want me on castle grounds, though."

"I can make an exception for you." You tie your hair back up. "I want you to show me how you broke our fall from the airship. At the very least, I want to do that."

Dorje nods with enthusiasm,
"Okay!"

--

"Just like that." Dorje smiles to himself.

The pillar of sand he just conjured splashes into a large mound of orange clay on the training field. Several onlookers burst into applause as it comes crashing down.

Of course it involves magic that you have zero affinity for.
Sand magic, who would have ever thought that would be so useful?!

"..Dorje."
"Hmm?"

>I don't feel like training anymore, let's head back.
>Can you think of ANYTHING I can do that is helpful?
>I think I need to be alone for a little while.
>No! You came here to train! Challenge him to a duel!
>Try some magic practice. Think of something that you could do with ice..
>Other?

>>1146703
>Try some magic practice. Think of something that you could do with ice..
>Ice barriers? Try manipulating in ways like Dorje does earth?
>Dorje seems clever, maybe he has some ideas?

>>1146400
Darn, this was posted and I didn't get to see it while I was writing.

Maybe I"ll get it into the next post

>>1146703
>Try some magic practice. Think of something that you could do with ice..
>maybe some kind of scaffolding with tiny ice layers?
>>or an huge cup with tiny pebbles?
>Dorje seems clever, maybe he has some ideas?

>>1146703
>Try some magic practice. Think of something that you could do with ice..
>Snowballs?

>>1146721
Now that I think of it, Dorje being able to feel through the earth might lead to Yuuki learning heat-sense. Nearly as useful if she can't see.

>>1146703

>Try some magic practice. Think of something that you could do with ice..
>Ice barriers? Try manipulating in ways like Dorje does earth?
>Dorje seems clever, maybe he has some ideas?

Can Ice be turned into heat manipulation?
Because that'd be pretty useful.

Good discussion!

>writing!

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"Let's try some magic practice, I'm.."

You need to think of a way to let Dorje know that you're struggling without saying it.
"-I'm having problems with it."

"Oh, okay!" Dorje seems surprised that you would ask that. "There's a few new things I want to try!"
"Great.."

More changes for Dorje to become much more powerful than you are.
You're so happy you could puke.

"Let's see something that you could do, Yuuki!"

Oh, good, you get to go first so he can feel sorry for you.
You can feel yourself mentally kick something.

You know, you don't have to make something specifically combat related. Maybe you could try to do something else and pick up some tricks by comparing it that way?

You could try it, but you're sure that Dorje would just upstage you with something even more effective.
Either ways, you're upset.

You're just not upset enough to tell Dorje how you feel. That would just be petty!

Slowly, your hands extend outward. Tips of blue start to form at your fingertips.

Suddenly, The ice starts to mound!
It slowly starts to create a large snowball, but you're not done yet!

Slowly, another snowball starts to form, and then another!
They all slowly lurch toward one another, and then flip on top of eachother.

"Wow." Dorje watches on. You're glad that this is at least impressive to him.

You put the finishing touches on your creation. An icicle nose, bits of frozen soil for the mouth, and the eyes.
then, to finish it off. You give it two little icicle arms. One of those arms you form into the shape of a cup with ice in it.

Dorje claps, and walks up to investigate your snowman.

"That's AMAZING, Yuuki!" He looks back, with a wide grin on his face.

"Really.."
"Yeah! I can't really do that with sand, if I make anything bigger than my fist, it just falls apart."

Oh, well that's kind of sad.

"Can you make it any size you want?"

"I could make a giant snowman, but I don't know what I would do with it."
"Maybe you could make it walk around!"

You grumble, "Snowmen don't have legs, Dorje."

"Oh, right."

>Keep playing with snowballs
>See if you can combine Dorje's attack somehow
>Let's try the ice-lightning! That was a really neat trick when you learned it.
>You need to go find Anna, enlist Dorje's help.
>Other?

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I fell asleep in my chair, ohh god, I am so sorry.

I had the post done, too! It wasn't like I didn't write it. I was thinking of vote options and then zzzzzz.

I need an alarm clock! I used to have one that rang every fifteen minutes to remind me to post an update. Fifteen minute turnarounds on updates was how I used to do it.

Now I post one every hour, if I'm lucky.

Anyway, I may go lay in bed proper and continue in the morning. Let's see who is still up!

>>1147487

>Keep playing with snowballs
>See if you can combine Dorje's attack somehow
>Let's try the ice-lightning! That was a really neat trick when you learned it.

>LIGHTNING SAND-SNOWMAN

>>1147487
>Let's try the ice-lightning! That was a really neat trick when you learned it.

>>1147487
>See if you can combine Dorje's attack somehow
>Let's try the ice-lightning! That was a really neat trick when you learned it.

>>1147487
>Keep playing with snowballs
>Let's try the ice-lightning! That was a really neat trick when you learned it.

>>1147487
>>Let's try the ice-lightning! That was a really neat trick when you learned it.

But wow, we need to work on Yuki's self esteem.
She's got some problems there.

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You roll another big snowball right over your creation, and it smooshes into a snowy abomination.

"Aww." Dorje watches the crafted snowman merge with the massive orb of ice.

"It looks neat, but I haven't quite figured out how to use it for combat."

"Maybe you could just roll it along the ground?" Dorje laughs, but you don't find it very funny.
"That would only work somewhere that has lots of snow all year around. Like Bruschetta." You pout.

"Well, it's a good start!" Dorje seems to be trying to cheer you up. "I mean, when I first learned the ground-magic stuff, all I could do was make ant-mounds."

"Really?"
"Oh yeah! I felt useless! I really only started to get the hang of making pits, and now I'm all the way to sand pillars." Dorje laughs nervously.

That gives you an idea.
"Hey, could you try making another sand-pillar?"

"Here we go!"

He smashes the ground with his palms, and another gigantic pillar of dust appears!
As with last time, it quickly loses composure and collapses into a pile of sand.

"One more time."
"Uh? Okay."

You watch as the structure starts to break apart. You had first thought that the pillar was simply falling with all the sand collapsing on its own, but you notice something interesting about how the grains are splitting apart in mid-fall. It's almost like it's holding together for just a split-second, but then collapsing onto itself.

"Once more."
"I hope I don't have to clean this up." Dorje pouts.

Another pillar spikes from the Earth, and it towers toward the sky. You quickly take out your Naginata and throw a bolt of blue lightning at it.

The bolt spirals up the gigantic pillar in that one split-second, and then returns back toward the Earth.
In that moment; the sandy pillar becomes intertwined with your ice attack!

Tiny blue crystals mix and bond the grains together. The whole thing is standing upright by itself!

Dorje blinks, and then runs his hand along the surface. He gently takes out a handful of icy-sand.

"Wow." He says, letting the dirt and the ice mingle in his hand.

>Now we just have to figure out how THAT is useful in battle.
>Would that work with any kind of dirt?
>Hey, if I have ice-lightning, why don't you have ground-lightning?
>Or.. something like that, I hope that didn't sound too dumb.
>Other?

>>1149537
>Hey, if I have ice-lightning, why don't you have ground-lightning?
>Or.. something like that, I hope that didn't sound too dumb.

>>1149537
>Hey, if I have ice-lightning, why don't you have ground-lightning?
>Or.. something like that, I hope that didn't sound too dumb.

>>1149537
>Hey, if I have ice-lightning, why don't you have ground-lightning?
>Or.. something like that, I hope that didn't sound too dumb.
>Something about some elements having energy, and some being stuff? I have both, though... hmm.

>>1149537
>>Hey, if I have ice-lightning, why don't you have ground-lightning?
>>Or.. something like that, I hope that didn't sound too dumb.
>>Something about some elements having energy, and some being stuff? I have both, though... hmm.

Can we get Yuki to go full Elsa?

>>1149537
Wait I have an idea.
Can Yuki manage to make animated ice statues?
Like, just one, single giant one that'd move like her?

>>1149537
>Would that work with any kind of dirt?

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"Hey, if I have ice-lightning, why don't you have ground-lightning?"

Dorje turns to you, with a blank stare.
"Huh?"

Oh no! That sounded really dumb now that you've said it out loud!

"-Well, What I mean is that maybe some elements just have energy? Or are just made of stuff? Ice is just frozen water, so maybe mine is lightning because it's freezing water, or something?"

That didn't sound much better.

"Oh! I get it." Dorje claps his hands together, clearly lying. "So you're saying that Earth doesn't really have a big 'bang' to it, like Ice!"

You're starting to lose where this conversation is going.

"S-sure."
"Great! Let's try that again!" Dorje seems more pumped up about this than ever.

You're not going to argue.

Dorje tosses a hailstorm of sand straight in front of him.
Just like with the pillar, you throw your lightning at it!

"Wow!" You blink.
"That's amazing!" Dorje smiles from ear to ear.

The sandy cloud merged with your ice and turned into a statue!
It looks like-
Oh.

It's a statue of Jack made out of dust and ice.

"It's missing the flask in his hand." You cross your arms.
"Oh, I thought it was implied." Dorje stretches his arms, admiring his handiwork.

"Would that work with any type of dirt-"

Your thought is interrupted by clapping.
"That's impressive!" Aligot was watching you the whole time! "The both of you have really grown. It almost gives me a feeling of pride!"

"Hey, I thought you were leaving with Jack." Dorje seems just as confused as you are.
"I did too." Aligot's smile melts away, "But then I woke up this morning and learned that he left without me."

You sigh, and the breath escapes in a puff of icy air. That sounds like the most Jack thing in the world to do.

"I'm happy I got to see that!" Aligot's mood improves once more, "Watching my pupils improve is an amazing feeling."

"Are we your pupils?" Dorje seems equally confused by that remark.
"I would think so. I made the rings after all." Aligot seems to take pride in that statement. "Oh! But that's not why I'm here. Yuuki, are you aware of the guard tower tipped over in town square?"

>The WHAT?
>Go investigate immediately
>I- I don't know, I'll let someone else deal with it.
>Pretend you didn't hear him, focus more on magic training!
>Any suggestions, Aligot?
>Other?

>>1150009
>The WHAT?
>...Let me guess, Jack again?

>>1150009
>The WHAT?

>>1150119
Oh and
>Whatever we do, keep Dorje with us and in sight
>Bunnyland is dangerous for him

>>1150009
>>The WHAT?
>Whatever we do, keep Dorje with us and in sight
>Bunnyland is dangerous for him

>>1150009
>The WHAT?
>More information, please.

Great suggestions!

Writing!

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"The WHAT?"

"Yeah! They're still trying to figure out what happened, but a bunch of the guards in town square were fluffballed. The guard tower was tipped over, too. Any idea what happened?"

"Aligot, that's where the airship was parked!" Dorje immediately recognizes the description of the locale.

"Oh.. Huh."
Aligot coughs, "I guess that's why Jack didn't come and pick me up, he must have had some 'trouble' leaving."


You growl, and feel the frustration tingling at the base of your spine.
All Jack had to do was not wreck things for one day, just the one day that he was leaving.

"..Who else knows about this?"
"You two, because I just found out about it."

"Let's not tell Anna." You feel bad about saying that, but- "I don't want her dwelling on this for the entire trip back to Biscotti."

"Sounds good!"
"I agree."

"Oh, another thing Aligot." You put on your serious face to ask this of him, "Why did you let Dorje come into the castle this morning?"

"He came to the castle?" Aligot seems confused, "I had no idea."
"Why? What's wrong with that?" The danger seems lost on Dorje.

"I think you need to start waking up at the crack of dawn with the rest of us, Aligot." You cross your arms, "I don't think you should be letting Dorje out of your sight as long as we're in Bruschetta. It's dangerous for him."
Aligot laughs, "I don't see the big problem with it, when I was his age, I would have died to-"

"What?" Dorje clearly doesn't get the implication. "Why?! Why is it dangerous? Are there robbers? Thugs?"

You give Aligot an awkward stare, and he returns the same in-kind.

>Well you see-
>Errr-
>It's time for the discussion of the birds and bunnies.
>No! No nono, It's about the maids.
>Don't worry about it.
>Just get flustered and hope Aligot comes up with a reason
>Other?

>>1150516
>It's time for the discussion of the birds and bunnies.
ohh boy here we go

>>1150516
>Well you see-
>Errr-
>The people here-
>They do things-
>Things you're not old enough to know yet

>>1150516
>All Jack had to do was not wreck things for one day, just the one day that he was leaving.
...Hey we've saved multiple goddamn kingdoms.
That Atlas guy even had a point, if the rulership is so damn lazy Jack should take over.
At least then it's a guarantee that things would get done over here.
Tuile can become Queen of the World or something.

>>1150625
If they didn't want Jack to wreck things, they would keep the booze and fluff flowing.

>>1150695
I'm just saying, Jack's done a whole shitload of stuff previously.

>>1150733
I mean the best way to keep Jack docile is with booze, fluff, and the absence of any form of bad news.

>>1150516
>...We'll talk about this when you're old. Yes.

>>1150762
shit, oldER.

>>1150750
See if anything happens though he'd just go out and fix it until there are no more bad news.

>>1150773
But he'd also break things while trying to fix things.

>>1150780
That's only been happening recently.

>>1150783
ONLY been happening recently.
Ugh, not getting enough sleep today...

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Oh no.
Is this it? Is this what you have to do?

Do you have to give the dsicussion of the birds and the bunnies?

When your sisters always asked; it was your mother who would step up and answer.
Unfortunately, she's not here and Aligot is certainly not saying anything.

Thanks, Aligot.

"Well, you see-"

You try to think of the best way to put this. There used to be a story that went along with it, but you can't quite remember what it is right now.

"-Errr-"

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Dorje blinks.

"Well, you see, there's a certain time in a boy's life when-"
You glance up toward Aligot, and he's trying to hide his face in his hands.

"Ah- What I mean is, Let's pretend you're a, you're a bee, and-"
"I'm a bee?" Dorje is completely confused, "Where is this going? I just wanted to know why Aligot had to watch me anywhere I went.."

"These maids, and- um, these bunnies. They do things. To boys. Things you're not old enough to know yet!"

"..If they do things, and it's to boys, then shouldn't I know about it?"

You sigh, and you can clearly see Aligot smiling out from behind his hands. You monster! You did this on purpose!

"..We'll talk about this when you're older, yes. For the time being, stay with Aligot, and do NOT follow any maids to their rooms. Understand?"

"Fiiine." He crosses his arms. "Not like I was going to, anyway."

"Great! So,-"

>I'm hungry because I ate cakes for breakfast, let's go eat.
>I gotta go find Anna.
>Are we ready to leave, yet? I know we're leaving today, but I don't know what time.
>Aligot, want to help with training?
>..I should go look over the damage in town, I'll be back in a few minutes.
>Other?

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>>1150910
What a coincidence! Neither am I!

Speaking of which, I think I'm going to hit the sack. I'll be up tomorrow, maybe even early! Maybe we can start the thread early tomorrow and get a good day in!

We'll find out!
See you all tomorrow!

>>1150921
>I'm hungry because I ate cakes for breakfast, let's go eat.
>Aligot, want to help with training?
Aligot likes to think he's a teacher, so he can go over some magical theory during brunch.

>>1150936
Also, maybe, tell us something useful about our potential powers.

>>1150921
>Aligot, want to help with training?
>If you don't, I'm sure I can leave so you can have a chat.

Go on Aligot, refuse us.
Then you can have The Talk with Dorje.

>>1150921
>Aligot, want to help with training?
>Get someone to bring you more cakes

>>1150921
>Aligot, want to help with training?

>Saturdays

I just need to quit trying to run on these days, it never works out.

Anyway

>writing!

>>1153130
Why, what's up?

>>1153163
The weekends are the days I try to get things done: Cleaning, cooking, traveling, meeting people, just preparation for my normalfag life on the weekdays.

So most of the time I don't think about the quest until I'm done, and right now it's almost 9:00 PM EST. I'll get a few posts done tonight and we'll try to pick up tomorrow.

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"-Want to help with training, Aligot?"

"Actually, I was going to go through some more books, and-"

"Well okay, I'll go eat then. You and Dorje can stay here and have 'the talk' if you want."

Aligot's slight smile turns to a sigh.
"Okay, let's do some training."

"Thank you Aligot!" Dorje claps his hands together.

He rubs the kid's scalp, and smiles. He may not say it, but Aligot clearly likes being the mentor more than you think he would like to admit.

"What did you have in mind, Aligot?"
"I think you're a little too concerned with the ice part of your powers, Yuuki."

That makes no sense, considering that the element you have is ice.

Aligot steps over to you, and examines your naginata.
"I think you need to think of it as being in control of the cold in general."

"That doesn't seem very helpful." You look toward the snow on the ground, "I tried making things cold once, but I just ended up chilling my fingers to the point of pain. I stopped doing it after that."

"Why do you think you chilled your fingers, Yuuki?"
"..What do you mean? I was using cold magic, so my fingers got too cold."


"Yes, but why?" Aligot seems to be trying to make some kind of point, here.
"..Because it's cold magic?"

"'Cold' isn't really a thing, Yuuki. Cold is the lack of energy. You're taking energy from things when you make them cold. The only thing ice magic is doing for you is creating the water that you then freeze." Aligot picks up a handful of snow. "This, here, isn't 'ice' magic, but frozen water. If you heated it up, it would melt. The strength of your magic isn't in creating ice, but the ability to steal and move heat to places. Do you get what I mean?"

You think about- Oh who are you kidding.
"No, I don't." You frown, "I'm sorry I don't understand these things as well as you do."

"That's fine, let's just work on a few basic things, first."

You spend some time focusing on 'feeling' the cold. It's a difficult thing to describe, but Aligot assures you that it's very possible to just feel where things are without even looking at them. Apparently, Dorje has already been able to do that through the ground.

Yet another thing that Dorje has which you don't.

You try not to let that get you down, and instead focus on trying to work on your skills. What do you think would be a good place to focus on while you have a tutor available?

>Focus on freezing things solid.
>You liked that double-attack you and Dorje did. Try doing more of that
>Better than that, let's focus on learning that heat thing Aligot was talking about
>more giant snowmen
>Other good ideas to maybe focus on?

>>1153427
>>Better than that, let's focus on learning that heat thing Aligot was talking about
Heat manipulation can be bullshit.
We just need to work on it.

>>1153427
>Better than that, let's focus on learning that heat thing Aligot was talking about

>>1153427
>Better than that, let's focus on learning that heat thing Aligot was talking about

>>1153427
>Focus heat thing on naginata?

>>1153577
Huh, what were you thinking?

>>1153986
Ice or heat-draining blade? Swings making ranged slashes of frozen winds?

>>1154000
I think we need to get more proficient at energy sense and manipulation, first.

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Aligot walks you through some basic steps of heat manipulation.

He first has you chill a stone stacked on top of another stone. To your surprise, the stone on top becomes red-hot as the rock below it dips in temperature.

"Why is that?"
"Ice magic takes energy from something, and sends it somewhere else. When you were freezing things, you weren't actually making it frozen. You were robbing it of heat. In this case, the stone that is touching it is receiving all of the heat."

"Okay, well, I don't get it at all." You cross your arms, "How is it receiving heat when heat is like a liquid?"

"Heat isn't a liquid." Aligot frowns.
"What?"
"Heat is just energy."
"Okay, then what is energy?"

"Oh dear." Aligot coughs, "Energy is the capacity to do work."
"So it's not real?"

"It is real, but it's just like heat. It's something that objects receive, but not like a substance. It's not something you can hold in your hand."
"Well-"

Your mind starts to flicker as exchange roars on for the better part of an hour.
He shows you some more examples, and the concept slowly starts to click.

You're not a very fast learner, but you can be persistent.

Eventually, you're able to both heat and cool something. Heating is.. different, but not exactly harder than cooling.

That's when Dorje tugs at your sleeve.
"Hey, I'm going to go get something to eat."

Dorje then immediately starts toward the cafeteria!

"NO YOU'RE NOT- WAIT!" You grab onto HIS sleeve, "What did we just tell you about that?!"

"Oh.. Well it's fine if I just get something and eat in the courtyard, right?"
"No! It's not! It's really, really not!" You huff.

You turn your head toward Aligot, but his happy mood seems to have a damper on it. You quiz him on this change of attitude.

"Aligot! Don't you feel bad about just watching as Dorje marches back into the barracks?!"
"Yeah, a bad case of jealously." He frowns.

What is that supposed to mean?!

"Hello everyone! Working hard?"
Anna approaches the three of you, and she appears to be in a surprisingly good mood!

"We're just finishing up." You let go of Dorje's sleeve. "You seem to be in a good mood, Anna. How are you today?"

"Really good, actually! I had a talk with Jack before he left, and we agreed on some things. I've felt on top of the world ever since then!" Anna's mood is punctuated with a great, big smile!

>Oh, ah, hahah.
>Want to go get lunch?
>Don't talk about the guard tower thing.
>Talk about the guard tower thing.
>When are we leaving, by the way?
>Other?

>>1154443
>Oh, ah, hahah.
>Want to go get lunch?
>Don't talk about the guard tower thing.
>When are we leaving, by the way?

>>1154443
>Oh, ah, hahah.
>Want to go get lunch?
>Talk about the guard tower thing.

>>1154443
>Want to go get lunch?
>Don't talk about the guard tower thing.

Seriously, don't.

>>1154911
>When are we leaving, by the way?

Oh and include this.

>>1154065
Yeah this is what I'm thinking as well.
Going to take some effort to work on this but should be well worth it in the end.

Damn it's late. how does this happen?
Anyway, I think I will go to bed and continue tomorrow morning. See you then!

>>1154927
Fair enough, see ya then, announcer.
Pleasant dreams and all that.

>>1154443
>Want to go get lunch?
>Don't talk about the guard tower thing.
I'd talk about it if we could explain his behavior, but Yuuki neither understands nor cares to do so. It wouldn't help.

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"Oh, ah, Ahah, yeah." You smile, nervously. "Anna, let's go get lunch!"
"Sure, but- Don't you want to go say goodbye to Jack?"

"He left hours ago, and left me behind." Aligot crosses his arms.

"Really? That seems.. unlike him. Are you going to be riding with us back to Biscotti?"
"I suppose I don't have a choice." He nervously laughs.
"You could stay here, we'd love to have another archmage."

"Anna, no, no no nono-"
"Really?!" Aligot almost seems excited.

"No!" You shout.
"It was just a joke." Anna crosses her arms. She clearly doesn't understand the implication here.

--

Anna leads your group into town, and gives them a slight sightseeing tour.
This place isn't very big, but it does have a lot of luxury places to shop. Dorje certainly seems impressed by all the sparkles and the glitter.

After a big snowstorm; this town appears to be a place straight out of a storybook. The lights and lamps from the stores give an almost pleasant glow off the ice.

You already know where Anna appears to be going. She's going to her favorite restaurant located just outside of the 'quarter', which is a rich-person section of town specializing in imported clothes and food.

Aligot continues to ignore the sights and instead appears lost in thought.

"Something wrong?" You nudge him.
"I was just thinking." He watches the feet of the two in front of him. "Should we tell Anna about the guard-"

"No." You state plainly, "Anna is in a great mood right now, and if she has to find out it's best to just have her find out long after it's too late to do anything about it."

"Well, okay. I had another concern, but I'm not sure-"
"Just say it, please." You stretch your arms, the cold feels great after training for what feels like an hour.

"Where do you think that Atlas guy goes when he's not doing.. whatever?"
"How should I know?"

"Okay, well, what do you think he does in his free time?"
"I don't know, smash rocks with his forehead?" You feel a slight smile across your face.

"Then, how is he going to get to Biscotti? He didn't even ask to ride a carriage, and I don't see him as the kind who would ride something." Aligot seems really concerned about this guy he knows nothing about.
"Walk, maybe."

"I'm just wondering, do you think he's agreeing to this entirely because he wants to help? Or does he have some other, ulterior idea in mind?"

>Pfft I don't know.
>Even if he does, what do we do about it?
>I thought about it too, but if it were money or goods he were after, then he could have taken those at any time.
>Maybe we should just ask.
>I just wish he would fall over.
>Other?

>>1157291
>>Even if he does, what do we do about it?
>>I thought about it too, but if it were money or goods he were after, then he could have taken those at any time.
>>Maybe we should just ask.

>>1157291
>He's ancient right? So I'm guessing he's powerful, nutty and bored.
>I thought about it too, but if it were money or goods he were after, then he could have taken those at any time.
>Maybe we should just ask.

>>1157291
>Pfft I don't know.

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"Even if he does, what do we do about it?"

"I don't know, yet. It's-" Aligot rubs his forehead. "It's- How does a guy like him, a man who can use every type of magic, who has lived for thousands of years, and eats dirt for breakfast possibly manage to survive without a summoner?"

..
Well, that's an excellent point.
"Is that a rhetorical question, because I have no idea."

"Exactly! Which is why I don't understand what he could possibly want."

"I thought about that, too." You try to hang back from Anna just so she doesn't hear your conversation. You're not even sure if she shows that this Atlas guy is even real. "but if it were money or goods he were after, then he could have taken them at any time."

"Which is what I thought. He clearly must not desire anything we have. So why else is he suddenly just, showing up! Acting like our friend!" Aligot sarcastically waves his hands in the air.

"He's ancient, right? What else is he going to do? Just die? My guess is that he's powerful, nutty, and bored."
"Yeah, that's true, but if that were the case; then why would he only show up now? Shouldn't he be like a permanent fixture from before history itself?"

"Maybe we should just ask." You sigh.
"..Just ask?"

"Yeah, just go up to him and ask him, 'Hey, why are you suddenly around here? Why did you team up with bearland? Why are you responsible for every single bad thing that has seemed to happen in the last few months?"

"..You really think he would answer a question like that?"
"Pfft, I don't know. Why not? Again, not like we could stop him even if there was something he was after."

"Yeah but that just seems-"

"What are you two doing?" Anna spins around, her cute bunny ears lag slightly behind her body spinning. "We're here!"

Of course, she's come to the same restaurant that she knows and loves.

"Uh." Aligot seems confused. "This is a pastry shop."
You lean over and whisper in his ear, "For her this is real food."

"Oh." He blinks.

"What are you two saying?" Anna frowns, "Is something wrong with eating lunch at the bakery?"

>Nope! Not at all!
>I just wish you would eat a little healthier.
>You don't have to eat like I do, but just something besides donuts and cakes all the time.
>Think about food, and think about magic.
>No! You're sick and tired of thinking of these things. You're going to have fun, damn it!
>Other?

>>1157948
>No! You're sick and tired of thinking of these things. You're going to have fun, damn it!

>>1157948
>No! You're sick and tired of thinking of these things. You're going to have fun, damn it!
>But maybe if you stop worrying about it all, a good idea will fall out.

>>1157948
>No! You're sick and tired of thinking of these things. You're going to have fun, damn it!
>But maybe if you stop worrying about it all, a good idea will fall out.

>>1157948
>Think about food, and think about magic.

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"No, nothing's wrong."

You're just thinking of awful stuff that you don't want to have to deal with, that's all.
Why would something be wrong, Anna?

"Good! Yuuki, do you want the usual?"
"Yes, bread."

They do make really good bread. There is no denying that this is the best bread you've ever eaten.

"What about Atlas, though?" Aligot nudges you.
No! You're stick and tired of thinking of these things.

"Aligot, I'm through."
"What?"

"I'm through worrying about it. I'm back at home with my princess and my new friends. I'm going to have fun, damn it!"

"..Okay Yuuki, if you want to do that." Aligot sighs, "It's just, there's less than two weeks until the festival, and-"

"I don't plan to stop thinking about it altogether, Aligot." You make sure Anna has entered the door before you continue, "Just let me think about something other than this."

"That's fair." Aligot smiles, "Let's get inside before Anna gets suspicious."

You both enter the shop, and are relieved to see that Anna is none the wiser.
"Ooh! I want that, and- I want that. That too!"

The nice lady behind the counter is just smiling. She knows that Anna usually overpays, and is more than happy to give her anything she wants.

"What do you want, Aligot?"
"Custard. How about yourself?"

What do you want? How about being way more powerful, stronger, and-

"I'll take cinnamon rolls."

You sigh and take a seat.
This is really eating at you, but it's not like obsessing over it will fix anything.

Maybe if you just stop worrying about it all, something good will fall out.

--

Anna was right.
Cinnamon buns make everything better.

You sit in silence, idly eating the last of your roll. Anna seems oddly more talkative today. She's even managing to outpace Dorje and Aligot!

"Really? That's why Bruschetta is so rich?" Dorje is eating up her every word.
"Yup! The biggest silver mine. We used to have the biggest gold mine too, way back before gold became kinda worthless."

"Wow! I-"

You feel their voices fade away, as you think happy thoughts about food, about home.
-And about magic. You try to visualize what Aligot was talking about.

Something about energy, and things moving back and forth.
You're still not entirely sure what that means, but it sounds neat.

>Talk about something.
>Nah, you're okay with this.
>Aligot, tell me more about cold magic.
>Think about home. Both this one and your other one.
>Other?

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Sleep, See you tomorrow!

>>1158575
>gold is worthless now? (talk more about economics)
>Aligot, tell me more about cold magic.

>>1158575
>gold is worthless now? (talk more about economics)
I dunno if we heard about the silver coin hoard, but maybe bring it up if so. Perhaps not enough to expose locations, however.

>Aligot, tell me more about cold magic.
>Maybe if you just tell me something neat I can do I'll figure it out without worrying about the details.

>>1158575
>Aligot, tell me more about cold magic.
>In terms I can understand

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"Tell me more about gold being worthless." You idly try to change the topic to something else, just to stay awake.

"I thought I told you Yuuki."
"I probably forgot." You sigh, taking another bite of your last cinnamon roll.

"No one ever told me." Dorje frowns. "In fact, I haven't seen any gold at all except for Gallete's vault."

"Well, funny story about that!" Anna smiles, "It's why archmages today are decided by a council instead of by making something new. A long time ago, there was a mage who wanted to make pulling iron ore from the ground easier. So he had the idea of making it super-hot, like really hot, and then pulling the liquified version of it from the ground."

"..Metal becoming a liquid? What?" Dorje blinks, "How?!"

"Almost everything becomes a liquid if you heat it enough." Aligot helpfully chimes in. "Just like how almost everything becomes a solid if you cool it enough."

"Wow." Dorje seems inspiried by this impressive bit of knowledge, "Yuuki! Maybe you could do that with your power? Just make the air into a block of ice, and then no one could breathe it!"

You giggle, that certainly would be a way to end a fight.
"Then I would just have to find a way to breathe solid ice."

"Still a thought! I mean, you can turn anything into a solid if it's cool, right?"

"Well, most things, but-"

"So maybe Yuuki should do something like that!" Dorje seems really into this! "Like.. Maybe summoning a sword out of water! Or-"

"Well, anyway-" Anna laughs and keeps on talking, "His plan worked out great the first few times he tried it, up until he started trying it on places that had not been mapped yet. He started using the same spell to pull things from the ground, and he ended up pulling something much more brittle from the ground. Gold! He pulled liquid gold straight from the ground. He first tried to cover it up so he could keep it to himself, but it was too late; he had already published his research. Within a few years almost every archmage had also figured it out and ended up pulling so much gold from the ground that it quickly made it worthless."

"Oohh." Dorje blinks, "So why does everyone trade in silver, then?"

"Silver is much harder to do that with. While it's still possible, there hasn't been a silver vein found in the same proportions that people found gold veins after the first rush. After a hundred years, almost all currency switched to silver or gemstones. The only place to really find gold anymore is on cheap trinkets and inside treasuries which pre-date that era."

"That's amazing!" Dorje seems completely enthralled! "I wonder if I could do the same, with Earth magic?"

"You know." Anna flashes you a snide smile, "The gold thing reminds me of another funny story.
Oh no.
No, no, no.

You mouth 'No' to her, but she continues smiling.

She's going to tell 'that' story.

>Cont.

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"S-so Aligot! Tell me more about Cold magic! C-could I use it to summon swords from the air?! Uh! Maybe pull solid objects from-"

"When I first summoned Yuuki, we had the hardest time with her."
"Really?" No, Dorje! Don't help!

"Oh yeah." Anna keeps smiling; she knows this is making you uncomfortable! "I had this big speech prepared for Yuuki when she first arrived, and I had maybe completed a sentence of that big long speech before she punched out the guard I had with me and took off for the hills."

"Wow! Why did you do that?"
"I thought I was kidnapped!" You pout, "I saw a flash of light and some weird girls with weapons, what was I to think?!"

Anna laughs, "It took us forever to find her. For weeks there were reports of a woman pretending to be a man wearing a black scarf stealing from the bakeries and asking weird questions."
"How did you find her?"

Oh boy, here is the embarrassing part.
"It's because, late one night; one of the shopkeepers spotted a girl with her chest tucked in trying to trade for blankets using gold. She had amassed a whole bunch of it and was going shop to shop trying to find someone who would take it! The shopkeep knew something was up, went to the back, and summoned the knights."

Anna gives you a sly smile, "And that's how we caught'cha."

>Frown and look at the table.
>Mumble something about totally not being caught.
>Laugh nervously!
>S-so! Uh! Aligot! Let's go try some cold stuff!
>ANNA, WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT THAT STORY?
>Other?

>>1160279
>headtable
>...So, Aligot, what are some advanced cold tricks I can focus on?

>>1160279
>S-so! Uh! Aligot! Let's go try some cold stuff!

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You feel the collective eyes of every patron at the table.
Oh god they're all smiling!

No! No! This isn't what you wanted at all!

You sigh, and gently bump your head against the table's surface.

"Whyyyyyy."

"Aww! C'mon Yuuki! I think it's a cute story looking back on it!" Anna winks.
"It's NOT CUTE!" You pout. "You were up for DAYS worrying about me. That's not cute at all."

"I thought that was a fun story." Even DORJE IS SMILING!
"Yeah! It's very cute! A lost girl wandering Bruschetta, searching for home-" Aligot! You're not helping!

You can feel your cheeks burning at this point. You dare not raise your head; in the off-chance someone notices the mighty red blush that has overtaken your cheeks!

"Did she try running away again?" No, don't keep it going!
"After we formally introduced each other. She seemed to calm down after that." Anna is beaming. She's taking pride in this, even!

"Oh lighten up, Yuuki. That was months ago." Anna pats you on the head.
"It feels like yesterday." You slowly raise your head from the table.

"..Aligot, before I disappear into ash, can we talk about cold magic some more?"
"Yeah, sure! Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

"Making things out of ice doesn't seem too helpful now." You rest your head on your hand. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"Dorje might be onto something, maybe you should try chilling other things besides just water."

"Like what?" You frown.

"Have you considered freezing something to use it for later?"

"Like what?" You feel yourself frowning.
"Maybe lit cannonballs? Or how about elements?" Aligot seems to be less than helpful on suggestions.

"You know what, everyone. I think it's time to consider packing for the trip." Anna interrupts the strange discussion you're having to make an even better suggestion.

"Oh, right! I was going to borrow some books from the librarian. I'll go do that and meet you at the merchant."
Aligot stands up and shows himself out the door. Dorje stands up with Anna.

>You need to pack too, right? Go grab things you might want for the trip
>Talk to someone in town, say goodbye before you leave.
>Like maybe to the knights who put up with Jack's nonsense.
>Keep. Your. Eyes. On. Dorje.
>Go to Anna's room, you want to talk about how you've been feeling.
>Other?

>>1160748
>You need to pack too, right? Go grab things you might want for the trip
>Keep. Your. Eyes. On. Dorje.

>>1160748
>Keep. Your. Eyes. On. Dorje.
This is concern number one right now.

>>1160748
>Keep. Your. Eyes. On. Dorje.
>Is that Atlas guy around? Might as well talk to him now if we can.

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"I think I should go pack up, too." Dorje heads for the door, "Princess Bruschetta, thank you for your generosity."

"Please, Dorje. Just call me Anna."

"Anna, thank you. I'll be heading back to the castle."

Immediately, both you and Anna look at one another.
"Actually-" You cough, "I think I'll walk you back to the castle."

"Don't you need to escort the princess?" Dorje asks, still not getting it.

"It's fine, I know all the guards on the first-name basis anyway. I'll have one of them walk me back." Anna smiles.
"Oh, okay. But I think I won't get lost if you just want to go ahead without me, Yuuki."

Darn it, Dorje. Stop being so dense!

"I really, really think I should walk you back to the castle."
"Well, if you insist." He shrugs.

You follow him out the door, and wave goodbye to Anna.

"Yuuki, seriously, why do you see the need to walk me home?" Dorje still doesn't get it!
"Dorje, you'll understand when you're older." You try to shrug off the very concept

You both walk in silence past the rabbit knights and the shopkeepers. You see several of them give a warm hello and greetings. Thankfully, nobody seems to be giving Dorje much mind at all.

"Ohh." Dorje stops, and slaps his forehead. "I get it!"
"You get what?"

"You're worried about one of the maids or the guards putting my balls in a vice! It would be like getting in their rooms and having a rope tied around my-"
"DORJE! STOP!"

You whack your hand over his mouth, and then silently look around.
A nearby maid on an errand looks over toward you with one of the most smug smiles you have ever seen.

She laughs to herself as she walks inside one of the nearby shops. You feel your eyebrows furrow.
Quickly, you turn Dorje to face you and give him a mean look.

"Where did you learn to say those things?!" You can feel the redness on your cheeks continuing to burn.
"What? That's what I should be afraid of, right?" Dorje seems genuinely confused.

"No, first I want to know where you learned that!"
"Cody said that." He blinks.

Oh that just figures!

"He told me 'Never date a woman who would put a leash around your neck'. Then I told him that I didn't know what that meant and he told me about how Amaretti sometimes puts one on him before she has him bend over her to grab onto her-"

"No, stop!" You feel the frustration mounting. "From here on out, you're not allowed to repeat anything Cody tells you, understood?!"
"What's the big deal?" Dorje STILL doesn't get it! "It's just some couple thing that adults do. It's not like I'm going back to some stranger's room."

"We'll talk about why this is a bad thing later." You step in front of the guest mansion. "I need to return to my room and grab my stuff. Can you get packed and meet me at the carriage in a few minutes?"
"Fine, I promise."

He walks off, and you wonder if you have not just become the victim of some kind of prank.

"I am going to crush Cody with my bare hands next time I see him." You growl.

>Thread Pause/End?

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Folks, I would like to keep going but I am tired and also the thread is on page 6.

Since my normal run day is tomorrow. I'll leave it up to you:
-Continue this thread
-Start a new one tomorrow with maybe a different character

Let me know what you think! Until next time.

>>1161035
A good suggestion that I didn't manage to fit in! Maybe if thread continues I can make it as part of the next post.

>>1161094
It is only on page 6 and /qst/ moves slower than a zombie snail without a foot.

>>1161094
Yeah sorry was distracted for a while. I suppose it doesn't much matter when or how we run into him, but it makes sense to ask the questions that were brought up previously.

And yeah we have plenty of time, let's just keep it going.

>>1161094
with how dead this board is, this thread could last you a good extra week
let's keep going

>>1161094
Eh might as well continue.

Hello. It's 10 PM.

Wow.

Okay! I'm writing a post, and I'll continue tomorrow. My apologies everyone!

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You place the last of Anna's bags into the cart with a grunt.
Anna really doesn't travel very heavy, but she has a habit of overstuffing some of her baggage.

Thankfully, you almost don't need anything to travel. So this means that you're set to leave at any time.

Dorje approaches the cart. You think he's ready to leave as well.
"All set." he seems worried, "Should we try to get some kind of escort for this caravan?"

Escort?

"Dorje, there's two heroes on this caravan, we'll be fine."

"I was just curious. Maybe you wanted to bring one of the knights back with you to Biscotti?"

Well, that is a possibility. It might be nice having more familiar faces around.
"..I'll think about it."
"Great! I got one more thing to get-"

He turns and heads back for the guest mansion.
Another figure passes him on the way to the cart. He seems to be carrying a MASSIVE quantity of books in a backpack.

"Geez Aligot, are you sure that's enough?" You ask, with a smile.
"Nope." He boldly misses your sarcasm, "In fact, I have another backpack full of books that I would like to read before we reach Biscotti."
"Oh." You cough, "Sorry I asked."

"It's fine. I intend to get a lot of work done."
"What do you even do anyway that requires so much reading?" You help him sling his backpack onto the cart. "Is there anything in these books that is worth spending your entire life slaving away at them? I'm sure they will still read the same when you return to Biscotti."

"It is not that my reading is part of my life, Yuuki. I would stop reading today; if I felt I could." He goes through the backpack one more time just to ensure that it's packed securely. "Merely, the easiest discoveries in nature and magic come not from doing the research yourself, but reading what other people have done and applying them in different ways. Most of these books were written hundreds of years apart. So most of my work is reading them and correlating the concepts described."

"Wow, that sounds very boring." You wanted to say that was interesting but, no, you couldn't.

"To each their own, I suppose." Aligot shrugs, "Either ways, I'm ready. Do you need anything before we go?"

>Yes, I was going to go try and find that Atlas guy one more time.
>I think I'll go try to find a Knight to take with us
>Going to go say goodbye to Marion one last time. I know she misses us.
>Yes, more bundt cakes.
>No, I think I'm ready.
>Other?

>>1162831
>Yes, I was going to go try and find that Atlas guy one more time.
>I think I'll go try to find a Knight to take with us.
>Yes, more bundt cakes.
I expect to find Atlas eating bundt cakes.

>>1162831
>Yes, more bundt cakes.

>>1162831
>Going to go say goodbye to Marion one last time. I know she misses us.
>Yes, more bundt cakes.

>>1162909
>>1162999
>>1163018
>we go to get bundt cakes, find everyone there

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"Yes, I was going to try and-"

Oh, who are you kidding?
"..I'm going to go get some more bundt cakes."

"Right, I seem to have misplaced a book somewhere in here." He unfurls pocket after pocket on the massive leather backpack. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

You hop off the carriage and slowly walk inside. There is a certain feeling about being home that you don't really want to leave behind. You know that this whole stupid festival will end soon, and you'll be back.
At the same time; it's always hard leaving home.

You're going to say goodbye to a few people.
-After you grab some bundt cakes.

Bundt cakes first. You must have your priorities in order, here!

You enter the cafeteria just in time to find it mostly empty. All of the guards have gone on their shifts, and the only ones remaining are the few returning from their night patrols.

Which is why you spot a familiar face.
"Cassata!"

The rangers long, white ears perk up. Her gaze leaves the cake in front of her to meet you.
"Oh, Hi Yuuki."

"What are you still doing awake? Shouldn't this be your sleep time?"
"It is, but I wanted a cake, first."
"Oh, so did I."

One of the maids hears your conversation and gently places one in front of you in the open seat next to Cassata. You thank the kind woman as she saunters off toward the kitchen.
"How was your patrol after we left?"
"Devoid of any action. Of course, I saw something interesting last night."
"You did?"

"I saw Jack, some dirty looking guy, and some huge guy in a field. They pulled some kind of giant monster out of the ground, beat it up, and then buried it again."

You blink.
"What?"
"Yeah, I don't get it either. Do they just do that for sport?"

"Why didn't he tell me about that?"
"I don't know, it was impressive to watch, though." She takes another bite from the cake.

Jack went demon hunting last night, and didn't even tell you? Why not?!
Grr, you'll worry about that later. Right now, you have an important question.

"Cassata."
"mm?" She lazily bites another cake.
"Do you want to come with us? Back to Biscotti? We could use some of our own knights protecting the princess, after all."

She blinks, "This seems, unlike you Yuuki. Are you sure?"
"I'm positive."

She gives a knowing smile.
"You're not lonely, are you Yuuki?"
"Please don't start." This cake tastes so good, it's amazing how they manage to make such a delicious treat.

"If you can convince Marion to borrow me for a few weeks, then it's a deal." Cassata smiles. "Word of warning, though. I might be sleeping through most of the trip. I kind of need to fix my sleep cycle if I'm off night duty."

"It's a deal!"

You wonder silently to yourself if you can pack more cakes for this trip.

>Cont.

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You head upstairs to Anna's room, and notice maids wandering in and out.
They didn't even wait until she was gone until they started cleaning. They're like vultures.

Nearby, Marion leans against a wall, and stares idly into the empty space.

"Your majesty?"

Her eyes snap toward you, and her expression goes from sullen to beaming!

"Yuuki! What have I told you?!"
"..Call you Marion."
"Exactly." She grabs you into a sudden, unexpected hug!

"Eep."
"Yuuki, I know you always do, but please take good, good care of Annette. I worry about her every day she's away from home."

You lightly return the hug, and then slowly pull from Marion.
"If it makes you feel any better, I worry about her too." You smile.

"I really didn't think you two would be gone so long." She holds your hand, tightly. "It's just, the Konditorei thing happened, and then the kidnapping, and now we're just finally reaching the festival. It-"
"I know, Marion." You sigh, "It's been a tiring few months for me, too. I can't even imagine how hard it's been on Anna."

"That girl is so stubborn." Marion wistfully gazes into Anna's room. "Her ears could fall off, and she would insist that she's fine."

"..Is she taking this harder than she's letting on?"

Marion smiles, and then gives you a pat on the head.
"Don't worry about it, Yuuki. Just try to make her happy in the now, and it will all be better."

Marion has a certain charm about her. Something that just makes everything you do with her relaxing.
She does have a habit of scaring the visitors, though.

"One more question." You adjust the nervousness out of your voice, "Could we take Cassata with us? I could use another familiar face in Biscotti."

"Absolutely, in fact I was going to suggest that!" She claps her hands together, "Of course, I would have had you take Schell."
"..I could take both?"
"No, that's fine. I have business for her to attend to. I think Cassata needs a break, anyway."

"I'm glad you think that."

"So, are you departing?"
"I think I am."

"Good, well, then. Just one thing, Yuuki."
"Yes?"

"-That boy, Dorje. Or that nerdy guy, Aligot."
?

She gives the most subtle, but also the most sly smile she can manage.

"Which?"

>'Which' what?
>Remain oblivious as a defense mechanism
>Slowly come to the realization.
>NO!
>Dorje is like.. Three years younger than I am!
>I don't even know how old Aligot is!
>I don't know, okay?!
>Other?

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Off to bed, have a nice night!

>>1163434
>Slowly come to the realization.
>NO!
>You can't have Dorje either.
>He isn't mine.
>He is just too young.
>And highly impressionable.
>Dammit Cody

>>1163434
>Slowly come to the realization.
>NO!
>Dorje is still a kid!
sorry Dorje, no sweet /ss/ for you under yuuki's watch

>>1163434
>Slowly come to the realization.
>Dorje is too young, and I don't think Aligot is my type? What is my type?

>>1163434
>>NO!
>>Dorje is still a kid!

WOW

Today was even worse than yesterday!

I'll write a single post just to keep the thread alive, but I gotta sleep.l I've been up since 5 AM.

Writing.

>>1165410
Wow, seriously?
Also, uh, think the thread's gonna die soon. It's already in autosage mode.

>>1165418
Oh bloody hell.

Okay! Let's see if I can finish up this thread then. Next post almost done!

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'Which' what? What the heck is she talking about?

"You know, I can see the charm in Dorje, but maybe there's something about Aligot that I don't know about." She licks one of her fingers.

Oh.

OH.
OH NO.

"NO!" You shout, and the color in your face changes to a deep red. "Dorje is just a kid!"
"He's only like, a couple years younger than you." Marion, why are you trying to push this?! "Two more years, and he would be dyin' to-"

"Marion, NO!" You cross your arms. "He isn't mine, He's too young, and highly impressionable!"
Damn it, Cody.

"Well, fine. Then how about that other guy, hmm? Aligot was his name?"

"..Marion, no."

"Aw, why not? I would think you would like the silent, nerdy type!"

"Marion, I don't even know what I like."

She sighs, and scratches your head as if you have ears just like hers.
"You'll understand someday." She wistfully replies.

You hope you DON'T understand someday, lest you turn into a pervert like she can be.

"Take good care of Anna though, okay?"
"I will, Marion."

She wraps her arms around you, and she starts rubbing your scalp agin.
What is it with this place and rubbing your head?

--

"I think I'm ready." You sit comfortably in the carriage.
"Same." Dorje and Aligot sit in the carriage in front of you. They start to unpack the mountain of books Aligot brought with him.

"Ngnn." A bundle of blankets inside of the carriage mumbles under its breath. You think that means Cassata is also ready.

The coachman gives a shout, and the team of carriages start to move one by one.
Goodbye Bruschetta. It feels like you just arrived.

Oh who are you kidding? Jack has an airship. You can visit here any time you desire.
Still.. you would be lying if you said you weren't a little off-put of watching yet another home slowly draw away into the distance.

"Yuuki? Is everything okay?" Anna nudges closer to you, her floppy white ears rest against your arm.
"Yeah, I'll be fine."

You lean over and give her a hug.
"O-kay?" Anna seems a little weirded out.
"Sorry, I was talking with Marion. You know how she likes to get in your head."

"Ugh." Anna sighs. "You're telling me. When I left she gave me this stuff."

Anna leans back and grabs a small container of something. It's pink in color.
"What is that?"
"Grounded passion peddles." She sighs, with a blush. "Marion wanted me to put it in Dorje's food."

"What?!" Your hand slaps your mouth.
"I swear, I don't know what's wrong with that woman."

>Thread End.

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Sorry everyone for saying I would run and then drawing it to a close. I didn't realize thread reached autosage, and I didn't realize today would be so hard on me.

My sincere apologies, I may be able to get this week's make-up thread up and running either tomorrow or Friday/Saturday. I'm not sure yet.

Let's just wait and see how things turn out!

Let me know what you thought of the thread, and I will see you next time!

>>1165790
Thanks for running
I hope you'll get some decent amount of sleep, I worry for ya.

>>1165790
thanks for running
hah, these damn horny rabbits.

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>>1165794
Don't worry! I do too

I had my first meal of the day maybe twenty minutes ago!


>>1165815
They just know what they want.

>>1165790
This quest would be very different if we chose Dorje and bunnyland at the start.

>>1165900
Hah, yeah.
Think Announcer mentioned that at the start.
I'm glad we're Jack + fluffy tails, though.

>>1165900
yeah, it's kind of a shame we didn't play as Dorje, i'm sure "interesting" things would have happened.