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>>3845974
FIRST FOR SMILE STATUS: PROTECTED

Now let's keep it that way!

>>3845974
First for incest

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Time for CHYNUH

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I am ready for some fucking healing.

shhhh china doesn't exist

FIRST FOR I WANT GALATEA TO VAPE IN OUR MOUTH

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You are Alabaster Soliloquy, baby room batterer and action twink rescuer.

Back home, as you finish explaining what happened in Vail, Mom finally stops idly tearing the tissue in her lap to pieces. She stands -- strides over to where Amber sits. Amber is truly shamefaced for maybe the first time ever. She can't even meet Mom's gaze, instead just fixing her sight on the dining room's beachwood floor.

Mom slaps her.

"What the f--" Amber begins, reeling. But Mom hugs her close, cutting her off.

"You idiot!" Mom yells. "You stupid, reckless little moron!"

Amber pushes against her, to no avail. "Fuck. You're getting your tit sweat all over me--" she complains.

Mom nuzzles the top of her head with one cheek. "You reckless brat! Putting your life in danger like that!"

"Mom..." you begin, also shamefaced. Mom shoots you a menacing stare.

"Don't you start!" She growls. "You let her go with you! You're her older brother, Alabaster, you need to take better care of her!"

"You're right," you admit. "I..." but you couldn't possibly say "I'm sorry" for a situation as horrible as letting Amber lose an eye.

"I raised nothing but idiots," Mom sighs, pulling back, inspecting Amber's eyepatch.

Charlotte, sitting across the dining room table alongside her husband, sighs too. "I know how you feel."

"I know you know that," Mom says.

Charlotte isn't precisely tickled by that jab.

"Well I think it's super cute," Rose2 says. "It suits you for sure, Amber! It makes you look cool and mysterious!"

Amber gives her the bird. Rose2 giggles. "See? Like that. You've got that delinquent look on fleek!"

"Don't say that," you tell her.

Rose2 is genuinely confused. "What? Delinquent?"

"Is this ugly business with Mara done or not?" Saul wants to know.

"Done," you say. "For good."

He points at you. "The next time you bring my daughter into something like this, I'll kick your goddamn teeth in."

"Saul," Charlotte chides. "You know how Rose is. Once she sets her mind on something, there's no convincing her otherwise... don't go too hard on Alabaster."

Saul pouts.

"Things are gonna go back to normal now," you insist. "We'll all have normal lives again."

From upstairs, you hear Dr. Carte wailing like a banshee as Whitney pays her a welcome-back present of her own.

>>3845980
>china doesn't exist
If only

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>>3845976
Thank you for a very nice first post, anon.

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>>3845985
>From upstairs, you hear Dr. Carte wailing like a banshee as Whitney pays her a welcome-back present of her own.

>>3845985
>"Things are gonna go back to normal now," you insist. "We'll all have normal lives again."

Please don't talk like that yet, Ally. Don't let your guard down.

>>3845985
>"Things are gonna go back to normal now," you insist. "We'll all have normal lives again."

The fact that Alabaster can say this when Kaguya the Killer is still around amazes me.

>>3845985
Rose2 coming in hot after being banned since Palau.

>>3845985
>"Done," you say. "For good."
I'm terrified

>>3845985
>Things are gonna go back to normal
>[X] Doubt.

Glad to see Renee's back to normal though

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"You're grounded, missy," Mom tells Amber.

"You cannot be--" she begins, but Mom is already directing her wrath at you:

"And you too, Alabaster! You're grounded, too!"

"You can't ground me, Mom. I'm almost 23 years old."

"No backtalk! And no video games for a month!"

You sigh. You can't remember when you had the spare time to play video games anyway.

---

You lie in bed with Amber, who's hopped up on painkillers to deal with her eye injury. She's sandwiched between you on one side and Rose on the other. You both pet her hair to soothe her to sleep.

Amber looks forlornly up at you with her remaining eye. The moonlight makes her look almost ghostly. "Are you mad at me too?" She asks.

"No," you reply, firmly, and certainly. Then, thinking: "Are you mad at me?"

"No," Amber says. "Why would I be?"

"Because..."

"It's not your fault, Daddy."

You nod.

"Is that really your thing now?" Rose asks.

Amber shrugs.

"Maybe I should make you start calling me Daddy too," you tell Rose.

"Gag me."

"Is that a yes or a no? I can't tell."

With you and Rose to baby her, Amber drifts to sleep with her little fists balled up against your chest and her head resting against your collarbone. She sleeps through the alarm for school and you let her stay home. She and Noelle can keep one another company while they recuperate.

>>3846006
>She and Noelle can keep one another company while they recuperate.
Oh I really like the sound of that

>>3846006
Noelle's not dead thank god.

>>3846006
>Amber drifts to sleep with her little fists balled up against your chest
My former blackmailer and at-large domestic terrorist can't possibly be this cute!

>>3846006
Cute and wholesome family

>>3846006
The real journey of Fuck Quest is finding how to be a good dad.

>>3846026
Alabaster needs to start reading the paper

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Since you and Rose sleep together now, you wake up together at the same time, and get ready for work together, too. And since neither of you are quick risers, this involves a lot of bleary-eyed mumbling as you each stumble your way through your morning routines. You shower together -- no frisky business, too damn tired for that. You take a pee while Rose combs her hair in the mirror. You and she brush your teeth together, shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the sink, spitting foamy toothpaste into the basin together, flossing. When Rose sets the toothbrush holder on the right side of the sink, you take it and set it on the left. She takes it and sets it on the right again. You grumble but you're too out-of-it to fight. You comb your hair and get dressed while Rose does her makeup. And then as she gets dressed, you sit on the lid-down toilet, to read your emails on your phone. While she's distracted with dressing, you orient the toilet paper roll hanging beside the toilet back to the proper overhand style; you instantly sense the feng shui of the room drastically improve. You briefly let her know anything important you see in the morning's emails, which she briefly acknowledges with murmurs of understanding. Then the last part of the ritual before you head downstairs, Rose taking her small apothecary's worth of daily pills: multivitamins, supplements, and brain boosters. She grabs bottle after bottle, undoing the safety caps one by one, grabbing capsules one by one, knocking them back with sips of water one by one. Oftentimes, Rose tells you that you should also be taking these, which you typically beg off. You always point out that it's not exactly doing wonders for her physique, her complexion, or her general healthfulness... and let's not talk about the boosted versus unboosted status of her brain. You stand at the sink and sip at some water too, though, while she takes her pills. The last of them, as always, is from the little blister pack in the drawer right beside the sink, on the right: these are the pills you 100% fully support and agree she definitely should be taking, every day. But this day, she dithers. She presses against the plastic casing with a thumb, but stops short of forcing the pill through its thin foil backing. You notice that split moment of indecision. And standing there, she notices you notice it. So then the awkwardness of the moment is forced to blossom. You're standing there watching Rose standing there with the pill undispensed and untaken, you're watching her stand there hesitating. You don't say a word, and neither does she. She just stands there looking at the blister pack in her hands for a long minute or two. And then finally, wordlessly, she puts them away again. You don't tell her otherwise, which is agreement enough.

So here we go.

SEASON 4 OP: https://vimeo.com/354421891
SEASON 4 OP (Creditless): https://vimeo.com/354421989

>>3846031
IT'S
FUCKING
TIME LADS

>>3846031
"We've got three different groups who want us dead and have the manpower to do it, let's have a baby!" Fuckin' Christ, Rose.

>>3846031
Hell yeah

>>3846031
The unsafest of days.

>>3846031
I don't have the words.

>>3846031
o kawaii koto...

>>3846031
Greatest love story ever told.

>>3846031
Based

Remember back in season 1, when everybody was horrified at the idea of having a child? So much has changed since then

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You and Rose keep checking the news, waiting anxiously for word of what happened in Vail to make headlines. But it never does.

Kay explains it to you. "Some things make the local news. Drug busts and school lunch disputes, and blah blah. Some things are so big they make national news... Presidential corruption, auto recalls, mass shootings. Then there are the things that are so huge, so un-pretend-it-didn't-happen-able, that they make international news -- wars, and rumors of war -- things that change the course of history. But then... then there are the things even bigger than that... things so big that they don't make the news at all."

"You think the media is covering it up?" You ask, gobsmacked.

"Oh god, no," Kay says. "It's getting covered up at a level much higher than that. Chinese, Russian, and Americans all dead at a massive hidden server facility directly linked to Sand Reckoner? This kind of stuff can't be allowed to see the light of day. It's--"

Kay stops speaking as Nelson pokes his head into her office. "Hi Kay," he says. "You got a minute?"

"No," Kay tells him gruffly.

Nelson ignores that. "I heard about Lady. I wanted to give you my condolences."

Kay's expression turns gloomy, but she doesn't respond.

"You've been really nice to me in all your writing," Nelson says, "so I wanted to do a favor for you." He jerks his head in the direction of his office down the hall. "Can you come next door for a little bit? Won't take more than a minute. 72 seconds, max."

Kay stands and makes a halfhearted "after you" motion.

>>3846065
We've all grown up, Anonymous-dono. And we've watched Ally and his girls grow up too. It's a beautiful thing.

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In Nelson's office, he sets a tote bag on his desk. It's lumpy and misshapen from whatever lies inside it.

"Did I ever tell you about my pet Schnauzers?" He asks. "They're show dogs. Or at least show caliber... I haven't shown them in a couple years."

"Yeah," Rose says, the light of recognition flickering on her face. "Tutu and Roo, right?"

Nelson makes a finger gun at her. "You got it. They're brother and sister. Tutu isn't spayed since at one time I thought I might breed her, but Roo was supposed to be fixed. Apparently it didn't take. And there was a bit of an accident..."

He opens the tote bag to reveal a shivering little Schnauzer pup, no older than perhaps a couple weeks.

"That puppy is purebred, but she's the runt of the litter, and I would never be able to sell her. I was going to keep her myself, but I thought... well, if you want her--"

Kay makes a sour face. "I had a mean motherfucking Rottie, Nelson, who gave his life to defend me, mauling not one but two gangsters to death. That's the kind of dog I had. And you want to give me an incestuous toy Schnauzer as consolation?"

Nelson awkwardly shrugs.

The little pup is weakly trotting across Nelson's desk. She looks up at Kay and yips. Kay is petting her before she even realizes it as she says: "This is the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard in my life. I hate yippy little dogs like this. Can't stand them. I'm not some carry-my-dog-in-purse pet-mommy who takes her dog to dog boutiques to get pedicures. I'm not a mincing little toy breed enthusiast like you are, Nelson. I'm an actual dog person, not a cat person masquerading as a dog person."

The dog is in Kay's lap now, and Kay is hugging it close, scruffing it behind the ears.

"I want a real dog. A dog that can defend me, a dog that makes me feel safe. A dog who takes care of me just as much as I take care of it. Not some charity case runt who's gonna be a huge time sink and nothing but a pain in my ass. I--" Kay glances down. "What the fuck, Nelson. Why did you dump this thing in my lap?"

"You picked her up," Nelson tells her.

"Liar."

He shrugs again. "Well if you change your mind. She's all caught up on vaccinations and so on. I've got some food and a bed and a leash here, too--"

"You suck," Kay says.

"Her name is Faris," Nelson says.

"Guy."

"Huh?"

"She looks like a Guy," Kay says, standing. She totes the newly christened Guy under one arm. "That's her name now."

>>3846077
Godspeed, Lady. Welcome to the family, Guy. ;_;7

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>>3846077
cute

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>>3846077
>Tutu and Roo

>>3846077
If she doesn't train Guy to be the meanest little ankle-biter I will be very disappointed.

>>3846077
Wow, this is kind of like dog NTR

>Sleeping through Fuck Quest
At least everything is peaceful for now.

>>3846065
Whitney's pregnancy scare is still one of my favorite parts of Season 1. Tension, fear, slight erotic terror.
>>3846077
I'm not sure which is better, Kay's reaction, or imagining Nelson finger-gunning.

>>3846065
Ally was 17 and didn't even come close to the emotional maturity required to be a dad.

>>3846077
So is Noelle gonna end up raising OUR kid, too, after we leave for the lighthouse?

>>3846088
>Dog NTR
Knowing how much Kay likes her dogs it's probably literal NTR too

>>3846095
Pickles and ice cream, dude.

>>3846097
Bad anon, stop it

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>>3846097

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Whitney is dribbling up and down the indoor basketball court, dunking on her underlings. As always, the employees at Darkbloom Analytics are too scared to play fair against Whitney, and tend to sandbag when they're against her.

"Don't go easy on me!" Whitney pants, sweat beading on her face and dripping off her hair. "If you go easy on me, I'll fire ya!"

This does precious little to allay her employees' obvious anxiety to be playing ball with the CEO.

Dr. Carte, foot in a cast, sitting propped on her elbows at the bleachers, watches. You sit down beside her.

"This Chloe bitch is bad news, huh?" Dr. Carte says. She pulls a cigarette from her coat pocket and lights it up.

"You aren't supposed to smoke on campus," you tell her.

"Oh, sure, sure," Dr. Carte says. "You wanna princess carry me out, then?"

"My back still hurts from the last time I tried," you tell her.

She slugs you.

"Jeopardy tonight?" You ask her.

She blows smoke. "Oh hell yes."

"Loser has to be the other one's slave tonight," you say.

"I mean if you want to do some mistress-slave roleplay, all you have to do is ask," Dr. Carte says, winking. "You don't need to suffer a humiliating loss first..."

Whitney calls to her from the court: "Hey ma! Did you see that? Did you see that sick three pointer?"

"Give 'em hell!" Dr. Carte hollers back, genuinely enthused. Whitney trots off, wheezing happily.

You stand to go, but Dr. Carte stops you. "Alabaster..."

"What is it?"

"Have you talked to Noelle at all?"

"No, she was still asleep when I left this morning."

"You should talk to her soon."

>>3846113
fuck

>>3846113
>"Jeopardy tonight?" You ask her.
Fuck yeah

>"Loser has to be the other one's slave tonight," you say.
FUCK YEAH

>"You should talk to her soon."
fuck

>>3846113
Oof.

>>3846113
...My "Noelle's not dead thank god" was a little premature, huh?

>>3846113
Bad things are bad.

>>3846113
>"You should talk to her soon."
Ominous as fuck

>>3846113
I want to be Mistress Renee's slave

>>3846101
I like Kay, she's one of my favorites, but read what she said in that last post and tell me she isn't into it

>>3846125
There's nothing in that post that points to her fucking dogs

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>>3846113
First for miscarriage and Alabasters first (but not last) dead child!

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>>3846113
I'm sure everything is fine. This is a healing episode, after all, haha.
I would pay money to have Whitney dunk on me.

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>>3846113
Time to see if it's JUST a miscarriage, haha.

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So if we don't find a way to get Chloe on side WW3 is basically inevitable right?

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You lounge in the Nail House's living room, wearing just a baggy tee and panties, with Noelle. Who's down to her skivvies too, and has a grip of gauze wrapped around her midsection. What an odd couple you two make, the one-eyed monster and the gutted girl.

She's been in a downcast mood all day, which you fully understand and appreciate. She did get fucking stabbed, after all. But more than that... the glimpse you got of her through the implant's grain told you all you needed to know.

You've been trying to lift her spirits by indulging in some Japanime with her -- but all she's been doing for the past three-odd hours is complain about how anime these days is a barren wasteland of shit.

Rather than make her happier, this moe marathon is making her angry, and sad -- and soon she seems like she's about ready to have a full-on breakdown. Getting your mental breakdown triggered by bad anime seems kind of pathetic, so you make an executive decision; you pull the ripcord, and turn off the TV.

"What the hell?" Noelle pouts. "I was watching that."

"You were literally just saying that you would rather jump off a bridge than keep watching it."

"Got any bridges handy, then?" Noelle says.

You put one hand on your hip, peering down at her. "How are you feeling? Like physically. Can you stand?"

Noelle, with effort, pushes herself up off the living room couch, and stands. She holds her sore tummy with one hand, wincing.

"We need to get out of the house," you say. "Or we'll both go batty."

[ ] Just you and me.
[ ] Take your sister, too.
[ ] Take Kay, too.

>>3846146
>[x] Just you and me.

>>3846146
>[x] Just you and me.
Much as I'd like to see Noelle and Kay get more screentime together, I want to see these two's relationship develop more first.

>>3846146
>[x] Take Kay, too.

>>3846146
>But more than that... the glimpse you got of her through the implant's grain told you all you needed to know.
;_;7

>[x] Just you and me.

>>3846146
>[X] Just you and me.

>>3846146
>[x] Take your sister, too.
I dont know why I want it, but I do

>>3846146
>[X] Take Kay, too.

>>3846146
>[X] Take Kay, too.
I wouldn't mind some alone time, but Kay is also great, and she needs some smile protection right now, too

>>3846146
>[ ] Take Kay, too.
Co-misery.

>>3846146
>[x] Take your sister, too.
Happy bonding (for real) with Noelle and Cerise!!

>>3846146
As entertaining as it would be to have a Rose and Noelle interaction going on, I don't think it's the kind of stress Noelle can deal with right now.

>[x] Take Kay, too.
Engage in some underage drinking. It's well deserved, and now we got two people fronting for it.

>>3846146
>[ ] Take Kay, too.

It's time for a PTSD waifu party!

>>3846160
Actually, change my vote to
>[x] Take Kay, too.

Let all three wounded warriors commiserate together.

>>3846167
...wrong sister?

>>3846167
I am retarded

changing

>>3846167
>>3846146
>[x] Take Kay, too.

>>3846146
>[ ] Take your sister, too.
We need to get the weebs together

>[x] Take Kay, too.

Closing.

What's the sin tonight, /fq/-tachi? I'm finally able to relax again now that we're out of Vail, so Mario Maker for me.

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>>3846235
River city girls

>>3846240
Good taste.

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>[x] Take Kay, too.

Palo Alto Mini Putt advertises a family-friendly atmosphere with food and arcade games, but they do also serve beer for the over-21. When you and Noelle enter the swinging double doors and stroll through the cold, stickily concrete-floored lobby towards the registration counter, Kay is already there. She's waiting on a bench, ankle on knee, playing on her phone. She has a putter and a turquoise golf ball in hand already. This lobby has a sort of faux Jurassic Park theming to it, with rubber dinos and plastic forestry arrayed around, and walls in the shape of jagged rocks. You would never say it aloud, but you kind of like cheesy decor like this.

Seeing you, Kay stands, toting her purse over one shoulder. "Took you long enough," she says.

"So sorry to keep you waiting," you say sarcastically. "We raced here just as fast as we could... it's a shame our handicap sticker hasn't come in the mail yet, or we could have parked a little closer."

"It's been years since I've played minigolf," Noelle says. "This is going to be a disaster."

"I've never played at all," Kay says. "But how hard can it be? It's a kid's game. You hit the ball and aim for the hole. Easy peasy." She stares at the ceiling, forefinger to chin. Then: "Actually, it can't be much different from pool, right? Just with obstacles in your way. And I'm really good at pool, so."

"Of fucking course you're good at pool," Noelle says.

Kay laces both hands behind her head. "Hey, what can I say? Needed something to pass the time on base back in the day. I hustled so many of my fellow airmen that I practically didn't need the pay I got from Uncle Sam."

"That's a violation of the UCMJ, isn't it?" Noelle asks.

"Yep."

Noelle looks a little judgey.

"It's just how I am," Kay says. "The hustle's in my blood. Literally. You know, my dad once sued Fox because he claimed that Matt Groening heard him say 'ay carumba' in the 1980s and stole it for Bart Simpson's catchphrase."

"How'd that turn out?" You ask.

"They settled. The money from that suit would have put me through college... if the old man wasn't a degenerate gambler. Thus Kay Vera had to go and join the Air Force..." She scowls. "Fuck, that still ticks me off. He pissed away a small fortune on the ponies. Never apologized, even. Just kept saying the game was rigged and that's why we were poor. Couldn't fucking take responsibility for anything."

"Don't have a cow, man," you say.

She clicks her tongue against her palate.

You and Noelle go up to the counter, register, and take your balls and clubs.

[ ] How about we make it interesting? Third place has to be first and second place's slave.
[ ] How about we make it interesting? The two losers have to be first place's slaves.
[ ] No need for a punishment game. I'm sure we'll find something fun to do after we play.

>>3846255
>[x] How about we make it interesting? Third place has to be first and second place's slave.
Ha HA, time for bullying

>>3846255
That's an interesting flavor to add to Kay. Hmm.

>[x] No need for a punishment game. I'm sure we'll find something fun to do after we play.

>>3846255
>[x] How about we make it interesting? The two losers have to be first place's slaves.
Mainly for the chance that Noelle might be a savant at mini golf.

>>3846255
>[ ] How about we make it interesting? Third place has to be first and second place's slave.
I want to see this hustle in action.

>>3846255
>[X] How about we make it interesting? Third place has to be first and second place's slave.
Whoever loses, we win.

>>3846255
>[X] How about we make it interesting? Third place has to be first and second place's slave.
I'm a gambling man.

>>3846255
>[ ] How about we make it interesting? The two losers have to be first place's slaves.
What a great vote

>>3846255
>[ ] How about we make it interesting? The two losers have to be first place's slaves.
All or nothing.

>>3846279
Actually, changing to this:
>[X] How about we make it interesting? The two losers have to be first place's slaves.
Not that I'm complaining either way.

>>3846255
>[ X] No need for a punishment game. I'm sure we'll find something fun to do after we play.

>>3846255
>[x] No need for a punishment game. I'm sure we'll find something fun to do after we play.

>>3846255
>[X] How about we make it interesting? Third place has to be first and second place's slave.

>>3846255
>[X] How about we make it interesting? Third place has to be first and second place's slave.

>if Amber wins, she (we) can get creative
>if Noelle wins, she can engage in being a yuri voyeur
>if Kay wins, she'll bring out the bunny girl costume

This is the kind of vote we need after the series of stressful decision making last session. Truly, OP has blessed us.

>>3846255
>[x] No need for a punishment game. I'm sure we'll find something fun to do after we play.

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>>3846303
What about this though

>A third place Noelle, adamantly denying she's gay while being bullied by two domming lesbians

>>3846303
I see the light. Changing to:

>[X] How about we make it interesting? The two losers have to be first place's slaves

>>3846303
OP studios giveth, and OP studios taketh away.
(It's nice to not get a nail-biting vote early in an episode, though).

>>3846310
This works too.

>[x] How about we make it interesting? The two losers have to be first place's slaves.

Closing!

Close vote.

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>>3846316
>no ganging up on noelle
I'm sure it'll be good regardless, but that's such a shame.

>>3846316
So Amber loses because no depth perception, right?

>>3846328
The fact she couldn't hit anything even with two eyes could mean she just has naturally shit aim.

>>3846332
The implant might be an improvement.

>>3846355
Didn't help her last time.

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Noelle tees her ball, and lays her club's business end down in front of it, and does a ridiculous little shimmy like she's a WPGA golfer squaring up to take a drive. But in actuality she's about three yards from the first hole, putting across pristinely smooth astroturf the color of the fake grass in an Easter basket, and the only obstruction she has is a slightly angled curve and an uneven downhill slope. The Masters this ain't. And yet with her dignity, perhaps her very chastity on the line, she's as serious as a heart attack.

She pulls her club back to take a putt. Kay sneezes.

Noelle chokingly gasps, angered. But her aim is true -- despite the sabotage, she sinks it in 1 on this par-2 course.

"Yus," she says, pumping a fist.

Kay is next. She licks her thumb and pokes it into the air as if checking wind speed.

"Get on with it," you grouse.

She shrugs. Then lining herself up, she whacks the ball. Whuppp, like that. Instead of putting it -- she gives it some air and chips the thing straight into the hole from where she stands. Another hole-in-one.

"Your turn, commie," Kay says, stepping back.

If they can do it, you can too. This is a kid's game, after all, Kay was right. You rear back and putt; Kay sneezes. And unlike Noelle, you don't have the steely determination bred by years of being a cop. The ball caroms off the far edge of the course's wooden perimeter instead of arcing around the curve, and rebounds up the straight you just putted it down. It comes to rest only about a foot from where you hit it.

You angrily take the ball in hand, and put it back on the tee.

"Hey!" Kay says. "What are you doing?"

"Taking my fucking stroke back," you say. "You cheating cunt."

"I can't help it! I have allergies!"

"Sneeze again. I dare you. I'll take this putter and turn your asshole into my caddy bag."

You try again, this time with no sneezing to distract you.

It doesn't help. You didn't give it enough juice and the ball rolls lazily around the curve, coming to a stop just behind the hole, at the bottom of the slope. You try to tip it in, but you underestimated the slope's angle, and don't make it. And so you wind up +1 over par against the wonder twins, who are each -1.

"That's some bet you made," Noelle says. "Overconfident, huh?"

You grouse. "I'm just getting warmed up. First hole doesn't count."

"Every hole counts," Kay says slyly. "You'll see."

The next two holes don't leave you in any better position. You putt a +2 and a +1 respectively on them, humiliatingly getting your ball caught in a giant clown's eye socket on the third hole. Both Kay and Noelle remain under par.

This is gonna be rough, unless you lean on the ace you have up your sleeve. The thing inside your head, covered by your eyepatch, could turn the tide. It's painful to use it, but times are getting desperate.

[ ] It can't be helped. You'll have to use "that."
[ ] You don't need to cheat. You'll do your best and face whatever fate awaits you!

>>3846381
>[x] You don't need to cheat. You'll do your best and face whatever fate awaits you!

>>3846381
>[x] You don't need to cheat. You'll do your best and face whatever fate awaits you!

>>3846381
>[x] It can't be helped. You'll have to use "that."
Endangering our own wellbeing to get an advantage in a casual game of gold sounds fine by me

>>3846381
>[x] You don't need to cheat. You'll do your best and face whatever fate awaits you!

This is gonna be great.

>>3846381
>[ ] You don't need to cheat. You'll do your best and face whatever fate awaits you!

>>3846031
This is perfect. The culmination of FQ, dare I say.

>>3846381
We never did lay any ground rules in the event of a tie. Welp, we are out-caked anyway.

>[ ] You don't need to cheat. You'll do your best and face whatever fate awaits you!

>>3846381
>[ ] It can't be helped. You'll have to use "that."

If we aren't gonna have depth perception we might as well make the best of it.

>>3846381
>[X] It can't be helped. You'll have to use "that."
We are going to dom these girls. We are, after all, our "Daddy's" daughter.

>>3846381
>humiliatingly getting your ball caught in a giant clown's eye socket on the third hole
Ha.

>>3846381
>[x] It can't be helped. You'll have to use "that."
shoganai

>>3846381
>[ ] It can't be helped. You'll have to use "that."
I'm curious to see what this leads to

Tie vote!

>>3846431
Oh god dammit you guys.

>>3846431
What does this even entail?

>>3846435
A surprise appearance from Camelia!

>>3846431
I can't believe we're gonna use Catachresis for meaningless bullshit

>>3846442
>dominating women is "meaningless bullshit."
One of the few times I've fumed reading a post from FQ threads.

>>3846442
Don't you want to be the very best?
That no one ever was at minigolf

>>3846442
I want to use it now exactly for that reason. We might have to use it later, so I'd rather test the effects when we're doing nothing

>>3846454
I wasn't complaining. I just can't believe this is a circumstance where we (technically) chose to use it.

>>3846460
Being pals with gals is very serious.
This is serious business, we're engaged in.
Iyatemu, please.

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On the next hole, Kay and Noelle get into a protracted debate about whether LaCroix is actually drinkable or not. Kay is a big fan, and Noelle insists that Kay is lying. Kay insists Noelle is a disgusting NEET play-acting as a functional member of society. The word "tendies" gets tossed around.

While they argue, you assess the course before you. A couple patches of sand and a fake lighthouse separate you from the hole. You slowly peel your eyepatch back, baring the empty ruin of your orbit just long enough to do a true assessment. You can consciously understand very little of what the grain shows you, but you gather at least enough to feel like you can sink the putt in one stroke.

You rear back, and take your shot along the trajectory you know will work. You sink the ball as predicted. Then you black out.

---

When you come to, you're sitting on a bench, upper half draped over a table in the little eating area of the minigolf course, with Noelle and Kay both fanning you.

"There she is," Kay says as you rouse. She adopts a chastising tone: "Did you use your spooky eye to cheat?"

"Fuck you," you snarl. "I--"

That's when you notice Vivian Darkbloom standing across the table, primly regarding you.

"Whoa," you breathe. You sit fully upright, but still feel a bit woozy from your little fainting spell. You gulp down air. "Where did you come from?"

"I was told that you intended to spend the day laid up, and resting," Vivian says. "Not over-exerting yourself with athletic activity."

"I hardly count minigolf as athletic activity," you say. You make a show of looking Vivian head to toe. "Well. Maybe for you."

"For you as well, apparently," Vivian says with a frown. She slides herself onto the bench beside you. "I am glad you are safe, Amber. Please do not foolishly do things that could change that condition."

"You're not my boss--"

"In this matter, I am." She thinks for a moment. "I am told that you made a wager against these women. Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"Allow me to assist. Together we will prevail, and punish them accordingly."

[ ] Please assist me!
[ ] I can win on my own!

>>3846475
>[x] Please assist me!

>>3846475
>[x] Please assist me!
Alright, plan B time. Let's fuckin go

>>3846475
>[ ] Please assist me!

>>3846475
>[X] Please assist me!

>>3846475
... She's not really there, is she?

Oh fuck this is spooky.

>[x] Please assist me!

>>3846475
>[ ] Please assist me!
So this is the power of Diegesis...

>>3846475
>[X] Please assist me!
Vivian will be our ace in the hole(s).

>[ ] Please assist me!

Please wait warmly.

>>3846475
>A couple patches of sand and a fake separate you from the hole.
>lighthouse
Soon.

>[x] Please assist me!
At least this means Mara didn't jump ship to Vivian's body, r-right?

>>3846475
>[x] Please assist me!
obviously we ask ghost Vivian for help

Goddamn a naruto reference made me laugh. Stackleford would approve.

>>3846475
>On the next hole, Kay and Noelle get into a protracted debate about whether LaCroix is actually drinkable or not. Kay is a big fan, and Noelle insists that Kay is lying. Kay insists Noelle is a disgusting NEET play-acting as a functional member of society. The word "tendies" gets tossed around.
Kek

>and a fake lighthouse separate you from the hole
Fuck you OP

>[ ] I can win on my own!

>>3846490
Oh boy! First of this season I catch live, love what you do OP.

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You follow behind Vivian for the rest of the back 9. You hardly take any further putts -- what can a girl with no depth perception, and shitty aim besides, possibly hope to accomplish against a born hustler and an FBI-trained crackshot, anyway? It's Vivian who does the heavy lifting for you. The first time she goes to take a putt, gothic loli getup and all, Kay and Noelle both snicker at the sight of it -- but that haughty attitude doesn't last for long, because Vivian putts a -1, a -2, and a -2 on the next 3 holes respectively. She makes it look effortless as she gently sinks her ball with strokes that seem to have no kinetic force behind them whatsoever.

After Vivian makes a hole-in-one on a par 4, Noelle has seen enough. She clutches at her face. "How... how is that possible? Are you -- no. You're cheating, too, aren't you? You weird anemic little--"

"I have no need of cheating," Vivian insists. "I am merely superior in this endeavor -- as in all endeavors."

"She's a regular puttputt fanatic," Kay says. "Turned on to it by her dear sweet sister... they've been here many, many times over the past year."

"So you ARE cheating," Noelle says.

"Being familiar with the course is not cheating," Vivian says airily. "It is merely being prepared."

You smile at Noelle. Can't argue with that logic.

In the end, Noelle's deadly aim can't stack up against Vivian's familiarity and Kay's inborn hustle; she's a lock for third place. Kay has a shot at unseating Vivian on the final hole, a par-6 behemoth that requires putting through a semi-vertical pachinko board of sorts. But Vivian comes out on top, by 1 stroke.

"Son of a motherless cunt," Kay huffs. "Fuck."

Vivian laughs; it actually comes out sounding like "ufufufu." Then, folding her arms, she announces: "You two ladies made a wager. Now the time has come for the victors to collect."

"I'm sooo scared," Kay says, playing tough. "What are you gonna do, bully me?"

"Your ass belongs to me now," Vivian says, as simply as she would report the time. "Me and Amber."

Kay isn't so tough anymore all of a sudden. And Noelle is neon red.

>>3846524
Oh god. It's finally happening. My dick is absolutely diamonds.

>>3846524
I have missed superior Vivian.

>>3846524
The birth of the lolidom(?) duo.

>>3846524
>"I am merely superior in this endeavor -- as in all endeavors."
Beyond words.

>>3846524
Oh no

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>>3846524
>Kay isn't so tough anymore all of a sudden.
classic

>>3846524
Blushing Noelle is CUTE!

>>3846599
Good stuff, Anonymous-dono.

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This is nice and all, but I am waiting for Armstrong mentoring Cerise on political intrigue so she can become el presidente

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https://pastebin.com/hedn0a6S

>>3846685
Hell yes. Satan guide my cock.

>>3846685
Ohhh man.

>>3846685
What great pals

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>>>3846685
"I'm not a lesbian," Noelle says hungrily, as she dives back in for more lesbian kissing.

>>3846685
As expected, cakes really are no match for hungry little girls.

>>3846696
Beat me to it

>>3846685
>"No!" Noelle shouts. There's real, fearful desperation in her voice. She presses your legs apart again. "I'll keep going! I'm a dyke! Okay? Please let me keep going!!"
magnificent

>>3846685
this is the future I've longed for

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"There you are." You sit down beside Alex in the otherwise empty theater area of the DBA rec halls. "I've been looking all over for you."

"What's up?" He asks.

"I don't know. You tell me. You've been a ghost all day."

"Sorry," he says, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm still kinda getting used to being back at work. I didn't think I would ever be back after..."

He trails off.

"I wanted to make sure you're hanging in there," you say. "Things were really fucked up, you know... back there. But we're alive, and..." you sigh. "I'm really bad with this kind of thing. But I want you to know that I'm glad you made it. And that-- well. I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine, Ally. Don't worry about me."

"Would you tell me if you weren't fine?" You ask him.

He smiles. "Uh huh! Of course!"

You somehow doubt him.

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>>3846731

>>3846731
Well, at least we're trying

>>3846731
The light inside has broken but he still works.

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"There's a board meeting later," you tell him. "Whitney wants you there."

"How come?" Alex says. "I'm not on the board anymore."

"That's still up in the air," you say. "Just because of Chloe--"

"There you are."

Here comes the girl herself, now. She strolls down the long aisle of the theater and seats herself uninvited on Alex's other side. "This is the vaunted Alex Best, yes? A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Alex frowns at her.

"I understand that you completed your work on Diogenes and then burnt it down, all in the span of a week and a half?" She says. She crosses her legs. "What a magnificent mind you have. A truly worthy successor to Sable Guiteau."

"I guess you're the successor now," Alex says, voice level and inscrutable. "I report to you."

"Oh, but a demotion is such a sad thing," Qiangxiang says. "I fully believe you deserve your place on the board. Surely more than some of the people who populate it. You, Alex -- you truly are a peer. This afternoon I intend to propose to Whitney that she cleave the R&D division in two. I, in the CTO role, and you, in the newly created role of Chief Innovation Officer."

"CINO," Alex says.

"Yes."

"So you're a biter, after all," he says.

"...Excuse me? I am not following. Biter?"

"You want me to continue the innovative work that Sable and I sweated, bled, and died over... so you can reach across the table and take it off our plate when it's all finished."

"Mr. Best, we are colleagues," Qiangxiang says. "I am fully committed to the success of this company, and to your own personal happiness. I seek what you seek."

"Do you?"

"You have been through heavy trauma," Qiangxiang says. "This is not a fortuitous time to broach the discussion. Many apologies." She stands, and takes her leave. Alex watches her depart with suspicious eyes.

"That girl is evil," Alex tells you.

"Yeah, pretty much."

He looks at you. "What do you think, Ally?"

[ ] Keep Alex on the board in the new role of CINO.
[ ] Demote Qiangxiang, and reinstall Alex as CTO.
[ ] Keep Qiangxiang as CTO, and have Alex reporting to her.

>>3846747
>[x] Demote Qiangxiang, and reinstall Alex as CTO.

>>3846747
>[X] Demote Qiangxiang, and reinstall Alex as CTO.
Chloe is our only real threat now, and this is the best chance we will ever get to demote her

>>3846747
Ooh, this is a tough one. Let's not provoke her so overtly just yet.
>[X] Keep Alex on the board in the new role of CINO.

>>3846747
>[ ] Keep Alex on the board in the new role of CINO.
This will make it so we can still monitor her but she'll have to share power with Alex

>>3846747
>[x] Keep Alex on the board in the new role of CINO.

I'd love to be rid of the bitch, but now she's already entrenched. And we've seen what her hitsquad is capable of.

>>3846747
>[ ] Keep Qiangxiang as CTO, and have Alex reporting to her.
Demoting Chloe seems like a fast track to Alaska. And I can't give her what she wants in good conscience.

>>3846731
How about an apology to Alex for flying off the handle? No?

Okay, be seeing each other on a random bake sale then!

>>3846747
Cool. This is happening, but man is it a tough call.

>[x] Keep Alex on the board in the new role of CINO.
I can't deny that Chloe's mercs did kinda help in a pinch. But they did also try to take Amber.

Alex calls her a biter, so have him dangle a morsel in front of her. This way, she has no incentive to go for Amber at least.

>>3846747
>[x] Keep Alex on the board in the new role of CINO.
We didn't need her help with Vail, so she has nothing to offer us now. That said, I don't think we should piss off China yet.

It's a pipe dream, but what do you guys think about putting Darkbloom inside Chloe now that we don't need Dalton?

>>3846747
>[ ] Keep Alex on the board in the new role of CINO.

If we demote her she'll probably hold a grudge and if we put Alex under her it'd give her too much leverage over him.

>>3846770
The man's been through enough as is. Let him retire as Dalton once all this business is over.

>>3846747
>[x] Keep Alex on the board in the new role of CINO.
Keep them as rough equals. She caan't have power and we can't piss her off.

>>3846770
But the Chinese were pivotal at Vail. It's not a stretch to say that without their presence gutting gangsters, shit was fucked beyond fucked.

>>3846770
No way Darkbloom has any desire to do that, and I wouldn't want to force him. If he's okay with it we can, but it would be pretty damn rude and he doesn't deserve it

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>[x] Keep Alex on the board in the new role of CINO.

With all the recent insanity, it's bizarre to go through the motions of a board meeting in which nothing insane happens. Qiangxiang makes her proposal, and Whitney accepts it, and the board welcomes Alex back to its ranks with very little to-do.

Whitney also announces another new board member.

You're not surprised that she got the nod -- but she is.

"I still technically outrank you," you remind her after the meeting as the rest of the board is filing out. "My role is somewhere around COO level, I think."

"Go to hell," she says -- but she's smiling, and can't hide it.

>>3846795
This really shouldn't have come as a surprise. Amazing.

>>3846774
>>3846780
Fair enough. I figured he might be willing to take up the role since it would be in the interest of protecting his legacy, but narratively I can understand why we'd want to let him retire. Vail did feel like closure to his character arc.

>>3846795
Good for her

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That's it for tonight.

Sunday evening: campaigning. Momming? A confrontation.

>>3846804
Lookin forward to it. Sleep well, OP!

>>3846799
Actually, I made that post, but the more I think about it...

I want to let Darkbloom fade into obscurity. I think that's both the proper mixture of reward and punishment for his actions. His final atonement, as it were.

... but would it really be safe to let Penelope stay out in the wild? Even if he never uses it, he'll die someday, and that implant will outlive him. Who's to say that somebody in the future won't dig it up (again) and start the cycle anew?

>>3846804
Sleep tight, OP-sama~.

>>3846804
See ya next time, OP. Little sisters sure got a lot of mileage for this episode, for which I'm very grateful.

Kinda surprised how cordial (relatively speaking) the Chloe and Alex face to face went too.

>>3846804
nighty night, OP.

>>3846804
Sweet dreams

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"Oh!" Whitney shouts, bursting back through the doors of the boardroom like a one-woman SWAT team. "One last thing."

You and Rose watch, somewhat perplexed, as Whitney breezes past you, towards the far wall, sharpie in hand.

She pulls a wheeled chair away from the table and props it against the wall. She stands on it, precariously, and uncaps the marker. She takes the fat felt tip to the giant portrait of David Darkbloom still hanging there.

Below the word ASSHOLE, she scrawls:

(mostly)

Darkbloom himself watches this transpire. When Whitney climbs down off the chair and leaves the room again -- Darkbloom wheels it back to its rightful place at the conference table for her. He turns and stares up at the portrait for a little bit.

He begins to say something to you -- but stops, and departs without a word, leaving you and Rose alone in the sunlit room.

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>>3846817
D'awww

>>3846817
... okay, that's kind of adorable. We should say something nice about him at some point.

>>3846817
My heart can't take this

>>3846817
WHOLESOME

CUTE

>>3846817
DADDY ISSUES: Resolved?

>>3846824
(mostly)

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>>3846817
THat's the cutest thing in the world

>>3846804
>Momming?

Well, this is relevant to my interests and I wish to know more.

Also, just as an aside, what's Galatea's opinion of the Cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser?
And could Galatea do a cover of ACDC's Thunderstruck on a Cello?

>>3846804
I'm disappointed they haven't been using Alabaster's jizz in the ejaculating dildo.

>>3846911
What make you think they AREN'T using Ally's jizz in the ejaculating dildo?

>>3846795
I guess it's only appropriate there's yet another boardroom shuffle in season four too.
>>3846817
Worth it.

>>3846807
One thing that does need to be dealt with are the reverberations of Sand Reckoner even existing. You can't put the genie back into the toothpaste tube, but something needs to be done to mitigate the fact that people now know they can create something that radically alters the perception of everyone.

>>3846799
Don't lie you just want to check turn the tilde into a checkmark.

>>3846911
Vivian impregnating Amber with Ally's jizz is top tier fetish.

>>3847821
Extra check for no reason.

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>>3847821
I, Chartmaker Anonymous, have a dream

>>3848002
>Spancer still alive

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>>3848006
YOU CAN'T PROVE HE'S DEAD

whoops

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"Second after the Volga," Trebek says.

A contestant buzzes in, but Dr. Carte is faster on the ball: "What is the Danube," she says. Curled up with you on Whitney's living room couch, face palely lit by the TV screen, she takes a confident sip from her snifter of brandy.

"What is -- the Danube?" The contestant says, much less confident, and lagging behind the good doctor.

"Correct. Board remains with you, Ji."

"I'll take Second Bananas for $800, Alex."

"Series with the most widely-viewed finale, after M*A*S*H*, of course."

The players are stumped -- but so are you and Dr. Carte. You seize on the opportunity to bring the score a bit more even, though: "What is... Seinfeld?" You try.

A contestant also tries Seinfeld, which is wrong. Dr. Carte sticks her tongue out at you. As the time ticks down, Dr. Carte raises her glass high in the air and says: "What is Cheers!"

Trebek is his usual empathetic self when no one else buzzes in before the clock winds down. "Ooh, time's up. What is Cheers -- what is Cheers. You still have the board."

You rub your forehead. Dr. Carte is the only person you know who can show you up in trivia. You wonder how the fuck she does it.

"Don't worry," Dr. Carte tells you, grinning. "Even if you're my slave, I won't peg you."

You choke. "You-- how do you--"

She giggles drunkenly.

On the sectional in the corner, Gal sits Indian style, with Cerise draped over her, chin on shoulder. They're focused on something amusing on Gal's laptop; they may be watching Youtube videos, but you can't tell because they're listening through a shared pair of earbuds. They occasionally stop laughing to kiss. On the other side of the room, Whitney and Rose2 play King of Fighters. Rose2's Mai is kicking the living shit out of Whitney's Geese. Whitney isn't usually so bad at fighters, but maybe Rose2's character pick is distracting her. You'd join them, but you're legitimately worried about what Mom's reaction will be if she sees you playing after her proscription on video games last night.

In the long space separating living room from dining room, which comprises a sort of secondary living room or lounge, Amber and Vivian take turns throwing darts at a life-sized cardboard cutout of Bill and Hillary Clinton. You've no clue where Amber found those cutouts, but that's fine. They're practicing Amber's aim, she says, in case of future minigolf outings or other tests of aim and depth perception. From the luxurious kitchen emanates equally luxurious smells of baking; Mom is going to make an accomplished cook of Rose if it kills them. And it might, judging by the volume of bickering coming from there.

Alex is missing. He was supposed to come by for dinner, but he never showed up; just sent a text that he was busy on campus and would catch up some other time. This is what's keeping an edge on your otherwise serene mood.

[ ] Go and drag Alex back for dinner.
[ ] Give Alex space and enjoy the rest of the night at home.

>>3848064
>[x] Give Alex space and enjoy the rest of the night at home.

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>>3848064
>curled up with Renee on the couch, watching Jeopardy

>[x] Go and drag Alex back for dinner.

>>3848064
>[X] Go and drag Alex back for dinner.
Best boy must be fixed.

>>3848064
[x]give alex space

>>3848064
>just sent a text that he was busy on campus and would catch up some other time.
[x] whip out cock and send dickpic

>>3848064
x] Go and drag Alex back for dinner.

>>3848064
>[X] Go and drag Alex back for dinner.
Smile restoration time

>>3848064
>[x] Go and drag Alex back for dinner.

>[x] Go and drag Alex back for dinner.

Closing and writing.

>>3848064
>[ ] Go and drag Alex back for dinner.

>>3848064
>You'd join them, but you're legitimately worried about what Mom's reaction will be if she sees you playing after her proscription on video games last night.
This is great by the way

>>3848064
>[ ] Go and drag Alex back for dinner.
We're worried about him, need to make sure he's okay. We need to show him that we really do care about him after everything we said.

ya'll nagas r GHEY

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>[x] Go and drag Alex back for dinner.

Alex has already evicted Qiangxiang from that old subbasement office you're so familiar with -- which, over the course of the past year, has passed from Sable, to him, and then to her. Now it's back to him.

Fazil is just finishing loading Qiangxiang's things onto a pushcart and taking it from the office when you arrive. He smiles and nods at you as you enter. "All is right on planet Earth, yes?" He says. "The best man's Best man has come back. That is wordplay."

You suspected Alex would be here, and you were right. He's sitting in Sable's old chair -- but not at the desk. He's idly rocking back and forth, twirling a dry erase marker in his hands, staring intently at a whiteboard on which he has some diagrams doodled. The diagrams are in two parts, separated by a dividing line. One shows a bunch of eyeballs with a cat's cradle of dashed lines between and betwixt them all; the other shows a bunch of eyeballs with dashed lines all leading to a central rectangle, which you suppose represents a server -- like branches dangling off the trunk of a tree.

"There's some pound cake with your name on it," you tell him, walking up. "You should come and get it."

"Thanks Ally," he says, not looking back.

"Chloe is gonna be mad," you tell him. You pull up a chair and sit next to him.

"Nah. She doesn't care where we put her. I already told her I was kicking her out of here... she doesn't deserve to sit where Sable Guiteau sat."

"What's with the doodles?" You ask.

"Those Chinese stormtroopers in Vail..." Alex says. "They were taking equipment out of Mara's office before Le-- before that man barricaded us in there. They've got parts and pieces of Diogenes, now... how much, I don't know."

You expected that already. Still, it makes your stomach curdle to hear confirmation.

>>3848107
nope nope nope this is a healing episode, conflict doesn't exist

>>3848107
>She doesn't deserve to sit where Sable Guiteau sat.

And now he has the confidence to know he does. Were it anyone else, this would make me relieved, but as things are now, it's almost eerie.

>>3848107
You expected a fling with a trap, but in reality it was me, the plot!

>>3848107
>"Those Chinese stormtroopers in Vail..." Alex says. "They were taking equipment out of Mara's office before Le-- before that man barricaded us in there. They've got parts and pieces of Diogenes, now... how much, I don't know."
Fuck. Let's pray they didn't get anything important

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Alex finally looks at you. "We've got something of theirs, too."

You raise an eyebrow. From his pocket, Alex pulls a grain attached to a long, thin wire. You see the dollop of hotmelt securing the wire to the grain -- you're no expert but you can tell shoddy workmanship when you see it. This this is a mass-produced knockoff.

"You... took that off one of the Chinese mercenaries?"

"Uh huh."

The sheer level of foresight and quick thinking to have done that in the heat of the moment -- the literal heat of the moment -- not to mention the obviously grisly method he would have needed to procure it...

"Remind me not to underestimate you," you tell him.

"I've been doing a little bit of tinkering with this thing. You know, there's two primary architectures that an SR based platform can rely on. Peer-to-peer -- no pun intended -- or server-based, which is what we've been using. These things, though, the implants Chloe's got installed in her serfs? They don't use either structure."

"Then what?"

"They're self contained. Not networked at all. They're weak, Ally -- it's like a Casio pocket calculator compared to a supercomputer. Broad Dynamics is years behind the curve. Xi Shi is a glorified AR platform, not even as advanced as the Gateway to Heaven that David wanted to use SR for."

"Is that good news?" You ask. "It must be."

"It's... interesting news," Alex says. "It shows why they're so intent on piggybacking off our work."

"What do we do?"

"We don't let them -- of course." He stands. "I wanted to tell you, Ally... that... all this time I was being held by Mara, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry -- sorry for -- and I told you that, when you found me. But I don't want to just be sorry. I'm sick of just being sorry. I want to help. In any way I can. I want to be part of the solution."

"You are," you tell him.

He nods.

"There's one thing, though," he says.

>>3848118
HA! Knew it. Fuckin chicoms.

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>>3848118
>"There's one thing, though," he says

>>3848118
>"They're self contained. Not networked at all. They're weak, Ally -- it's like a Casio pocket calculator compared to a supercomputer. Broad Dynamics is years behind the curve. Xi Shi is a glorified AR platform, not even as advanced as the Gateway to Heaven that David wanted to use SR for."
Wow, the Chinese are more pathetic than I guessed. Just as e though, Chloe must be desperate

>Alex pulls a grain attached to a long, thin wire. You see the dollop of hotmelt securing the wire to the grain -- you're no expert but you can tell shoddy workmanship when you see it.

>not even CA
baka

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"I know it isn't him," Alex explains. "But it's his body. Mara gave the order -- but Dalton Cantor is the one who murdered Sable. Right in front of my eyes. Being in the same room as -- as that monster -- I can't stand it. It makes me sick. Physically ill..."

"It makes me sick to work with David Darkbloom," you tell him. "He killed my parents. I know where you're coming from here, Alex, really -- I do."

"There's so many awful memories for me here. Even in this office. You know-- earlier today, before the board meeting, I was even thinking about resigning. Moving back to LA."

"You--"

"I won't. Not unless you want me to. It would be so selfish... so horrible, after everything. I wouldn't leave you in the lurch like that." He fiddles with the eraser sitting on the sill of the whiteboard. "Still... that one thing, that man -- Dalton. I've never had hatred in my heart like this before, Ally. It hurts, and it won't go away, and it's weighing me down... I don't like it. I don't know what to do with it."

"I do," you tell him.

>>3848118
Reminds me of the time the Chinese were having a lot of trouble with a stolen Russian jet design and when they asked for help in fixing it Russia just laughed at them.

>>3848145
uh oh

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>>3848145

>>3848145
Had a feeling this would come into play. Fuck.

>>3848145
The man known as Dalton Cantor is basically dead. What's the point in holding a grudge against a corpse?

>>3848149
>stolen Russian jet design

which one lol

>>3848145
Not only was Dalton just a pawn that Mara commanded to kill Sable but he's also dead in all but body. This amount of pettiness is much more than Alabaster's

>>3848161
I don't really know if that's fair considering how hard everyone was to get Kaa-san 'back'.

>>3848145
>"I do," you tell him.

I swear to god, if we try to convince Alex to help us kill Darkbloom I'm going to be mad as hell. I don't want to kill him.

>>3848170
Imagine how absolutely fucked it would be for us, as Amber, with all of Camelia's memories, to let him live, only to kill him as Alabaster.

>>3848168
Scarlet has both the same body and personality. Hell, she even got the same memories eventually. Darkbloom just has the body of one of Mara's grunts. If he didn't do it, someone else would've. And this isn't even mentioning that he's the reason we were even able to save Alex

>>3848193
She is, but she isn't. At the same time she's Scarlet Soliloquy, she's also Scarlet Catcharesis. The only reason she's mom is because that was the only result we would accept.
It's probably similar for Alex. Logically neither of them are the same person, but at the same time it's impossible to separate them from who you want/dread them to be. Like the Ship of Theseus, but with people.

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Darkbloom is just wrapping up for the evening, and is on his way towards the opposite side of the C-suite with Nelson and Armstrong. They don't notice you and Alex bringing up the rear.

As usual, Dumb and Dumber are having an argument:

"They're not!" Nelson cries.

Armstrong is beside himself. "I will throttle you. My hand to God. Crack a dictionary open, you'll learn something."

"They actually aren't, though. This isn't even up for debate. Did the syphilis finally spread to the language centers of your brain?"

"What are they, then?" Armstrong demands, gesticulating.

"Shorts are NOT pants. Period. Shorts are a different category of legwear entirely. Separate. Wholly disjoint. You might as well call skirts a type of pants too, while you're at it."

"I'm glad to see you two ladies are the same as ever," Darkbloom cuts in. "I'm giving this point to Steven, though. Sorry, Nelson."

"Whatever, bodyjacker."

Darkbloom stops to examine his face in the reflection of the elevator's stainless steel doors. He pulls at the skin around his lower eyelid. "These shiners are clearing up nicely," he says. "Alabaster punches like a Nancy."

It's at this moment that Alex taps Darkbloom on the shoulder. He turns. "Mr. Best. Hello. What do--"

Alex punches him in the jaw. Darkbloom stumbles back, into the now-open doors of the elevator, trying to catch his balance on flailing feet and not succeeding, finally falling over. Alex follows him in. Darkbloom shields himself with one arm, but Alex is quicker; gets on top of him and gives him a few hard wallops. Darkbloom, roaring, manages to land a strike of his own, which knocks back and floors Alex too. They lie groaning and defeated together on the carpeted ground of the elevator. Armstrong and Nelson watch on from the hallway with you, baffled. The door starts to drift closed; Nelson stops it with a foot.

"Uh..." Nelson says.

"Sorry," Alex says. "That was for Dalton. Not you, Mr. Darkbloom."

"Are you quite done, Mr. Best?" Darkbloom groans.

"Yeah, I think so."

Darkbloom struggles to his feet, and magnanimously offers his hand to help Alex up, too.

"You pack a harder punch than Alabaster, at least," he says. You glower at him for that jibe he couldn't resist. "I am going to start carrying mace," he adds. "Do not strike me again. Either of you."

Alex laughs, even as he rubs the quickly developing black eye of his own. "Oh, the Rose special? I don't know that that'll stop Ally if he decides to come at you again. He's got a lot of practice, I think."

Darkbloom has no idea what to say to that.

>>3848197
God, being Darkbloom is s u f f e r i n g

>>3848197
Even here there is comedy, how do you do it?

>>3848197
... okay, this is great.

>>3848197
isn't shorts a shortened form of short pants? Would that not make them pants?

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>>3848205
In a director's cut extended version of this dialogue, I cover precisely that.

---

"'Shorts' is literally an abbreviation of 'short pants', Nelson. You goddamn trainable. Don't make me beat you."

"This is asinine."

"Fine. Enlighten me. That thing you rode to school when you were a kid, Nelson. The short bus. Do you consider that a type of bus? Or was that its own category of vehicle separate from buses, too?"

Nelson pounds the table. "If you ask someone to get you a pair of pants, and they hand you a pair of shorts, what would you say? 'Thank you'? Or -- 'What the hell. I asked for pants, not shorts'? I rest my case."

"WHY would I ever ask for a pair of pants without specifying what kind of pants I want? If I'm ever in that scenario, the fault is on me. Doesn't change the FACT that shorts are pants."

"If only you could dodge DUIs like you dodge questions. You might still be a US Senator."

You clear your throat, and grab their attention.

>>3848209
You know you're great, right?

>>3848196
No, she absolutely is. If you lost your memories lived a new life then, say, met someone from your old life and suddenly remembered everything are you no longer the same as your old self? No, that'd be ridiculous. She's fully our mom in looks, personality, and memories. Not like rebuilding ship at all. Darkbloom, one the otherhand, just looks like him, THAT'S IT. It's like killing a twin of the person who killed your friend, absolutely irrational

>>3848209
I would read an entire quest of these two's bickering

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>>3848215
>She's fully our mom in looks, personality, and memories.

In all technicality, only the first one is correct - looks. She has a whole new lifetime's worth of memories conflated with the ones we know of, and her personality will, of course, adjust - even slightly - to account for the experience of both lifetimes.

>>3848197
This is not the kind of healing I was expecting, but damned if I don't approve regardless

>>3848197
Let's hope that's the end of this

>>3848209
>"Fine. Enlighten me. That thing you rode to school when you were a kid, Nelson. The short bus. Do you consider that a type of bus? Or was that its own category of vehicle separate from buses, too?"
That made me laugh harder than anything I've read in a long time. This is gold

>>3848225
I think I know what Alex needs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjlSiASsUIs

>>3848227
>For all we know, with all the mirroring that we know has taken place, a good chink of her memories with Amber and Rose2 are the same as with us and Cerise.