/donut/ - Donut Bar

>>1198

Riley's hand bursts into flame. She points at the ground, moving her finger a bit, and some words start to burn into the ground.

{He knows better.}

>>1198

"The lady has a point." William says, drawing his sword and heating the blade. He deftly begins cutting into a nearby tree, carving some kind of structure into it.

>>1198

He falters, taking a step back.

"...he did offer to do it, though there was context to that..."

Cayenne stares at him--studying his reaction.

>>1199

"He knows. He was leading us there."

Percy's eyes show fear.

"I doubt we could get lost with that massive castle as a landmark."

>>1202

"Unless magic were involved. I remember crossing a desert where the palace was 'just a few more feet' ahead of us for several days' travel. We don't know anything about this place, or this forest. For all we know the bears we killed could have been law enforcement after the spider." William muses, his work finished and a neat little seat carved into the tree trunk is ready, if a little scorched from the heat of his blade.

Sheathing his sword, he takes a seat to observe the conflict from comfort.

>>1200

Shudleng looks skeptically at Riley. "Really? He knows better? Let me guess he's the one that pushed you two together in the first place? I saw that web he made. And the Hammock. He did that the first time to me too. You really think he hasn't got more tricks in store? You trust a trickster?"

>>1202

"Oh, I'm sure there was context. There always is. Always have to be. Take the easy choice. As it stands though? I know people there. I have money, and I'm not a wanted man."

>>1203

"Travel takes time."

He takes another step away from the lady.

>>1204

"...you want my favor?"

He scowls.

"You and Vasnesh settle your diffeerences later. I won't have fighting here, not while my sister is still unable to speak. For now, you help us."

Rolled 17, 15, 14 = 46 (3d20)

>>1204

"And he is self-admittedly a trickster that gets pleasure, if not sustenance from deceiving others. I didn't trust him since that moment. I vote we let the woman get what she wants." William says.

>>1206

>FUCKING DICE GO AWAY

>>1204

{He's seen what I can do.}

Riley steps between Vasnesh and the rest of you.

{He is under my protection.}

>>1208

"What possible justification could you have to defend him at this point?" William asks with a frown.

Rolled 8, 7, 3 = 18 (3d20)

>>1209

"He's been friendly to us so far. You do not just abandon--"

>>1210

Cayenne whirls toward the circle, and Percy begins forming a spell--

>Rolling.

Rolled 16, 5, 5 = 26 (3d20)

>>1211

Both of them clutch their heads and scream.

>Rolling for Riley, as her player just went offline but has given me permission to play her in combat.

Rolled 7, 14, 14 = 35 (3d20)

>>1210

William raises his gauntlet and primes a blast-

Rolled 9, 15, 19 = 43 (3d20)

>>1212

Riley falls to her knees, gritting her teeth.

Rolled 4, 17, 2 = 23 (3d20)

>rolling for Shudleng

>>1215

>AND NOW I GET A DECENT ROLL.

>Fucking dice.

Rolled 20, 11, 12 = 43 (3d20)

>>1210

(Does "I have no brain to have mental anguish" get a pass on this?)

Note covers her head with her paws. "MY BRAIN!"

>>1214

A nauseating feeling overwhelms him, like the worst headache he's ever felt, but he holds his ground and looks all around him. They're surrounded, and he slowly lowers his gauntlet covered arm.

"CAN SOMEONE SHUT OFF THE DAMN RAVE MUSIC?" He shouts in anger and pain.

Rolled 19, 4, 20 = 43 (3d20)

Shudleng drops to the ground, seizuring.

>and for Vasnesh

>>1218

>Not quite. This isn't necessarily an attack on your brain. It's kind of past that and it's directly on your consciousness.

Rolled 10, 3, 4 = 17 (3d20)

Note manages to keep her head up, though she grits her teeth. "Ow..."

>Now for the bomb suit if he doesn't get a pass.

>>1220

>Ah. So if I Very Bad this roll it might very well KILL the bomb suit.

>Here goes nothing!

>>1221

>Now you feel my pain.

Vasnesh remains standing, but drops to the ground, placing his legs in front of his eyes. His yell is almost drowned about by the keening, but you all can barely hear it.

"DROP. THEY ARE THE LAW. JUST DO IT."

Rolled 14, 5, 14 = 33 (3d20)

>>1221

>...Can I get a reroll on account of jynxing myself?

>>1223

"What...will they...do..."

Percy barely hangs onto consciousness. Cayenne wisely does not say anything.

>>1223

William angrily takes a knee and slowly lowers himself to the ground, fiddling with his gauntlet the whole way down. Finally, he places his hands over his head, and the gauntlet collapses into a small vambrace again.

>>1224

>Lol, when I say attack, I mean attack in that it's something you don't want to happen, but if we have any psions in the gallery, they could point out that the intent isn't to harm, just to disable. He'd probably wink out for a bit, but be fine after a moment. It still hurts though.

>>1225

>Resurrection magic will not work on the pieces that will remain

>Fucking Psions

>>1226

Vasnesh replies as loud as they can. "NOTHING DANGEROUS. THEY ARE GUARD. WE ARE INTRUDERS IN THEIR WOODS, AND THEY EXPECT TROUBLE ALREADY."

>>1228

"If--if they hurt--"

He collapses.

Cayenne drops her rapier and gets on the ground.

Riley tries to speak, but shortly thereafter loses consciousness. She drops to the ground next to Percy.

>>1228

"I TOLD YOU PEOPLE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE LET THE OTHER SPIDER KILL HIM." William shouts through the din.

>>1229

William looks at the other's who have all fainted, then looks to Vasnesh angrily.

"What.

Did.

You.

==DO?== "

>>1231

>are you fucking kidding me what kind of bullshit is that why doesn't redtext ever fucking work right??

Rolled 3, 12, 10 = 25 (3d20)

>>1233

>So there's just a limp bomb suit now? Can others wear him?

Those of you remaining conscious suddenly feel the mental keening lessen to just a minor white noise somewhere in the back of your head. Like static.

Out of the forcefield steps a seven foot tall being clad in robes. He's reptilian, and he raises his hand up towards the unconscious ones, strange manacles formed of energy forming around their limbs and causing them to float up into the air. (or in the case of Shudleng, the whole body)

"The Spider is correct. As soon as you are confirmed to have no ill will towards Rothra, you may go free."

>>1232

>You have to put a space between the equals and the words. ==(Space)text(SPACE)== and nothing around it.

>>1231

Vasnesh talks back. "I didn't do anything but take a fruit. But we were just fighting and pointing weapons at each other. The Lords of Rothra do not take kindly to conflict!"

>>1235

Cayenne is the only one of the trio who is still conscious.

She remains silent. In her world, speaking before one reaches the court is considered a bad idea.

>>1235

"You took a fruit? What kind of fruit is so damn important that they send what amounts to magic riot police!?" William says angrily, slowly rising to his feet while keeping his hands behind his head.

"And where are we to be taken?" William asks the reptilian with a scowl.

>>1234

>Yes.

>He's going to be pissed when he gets up feeling like one would if they were naught but a flesh suit.

>>1235

"I mean no... whatever that is!" Note says.

She lets out a sigh of relief. "Yay! My head doesn't hurt anymore!"

>>1237

Vasnesh whispers quietly, looking into the ground. "It's not the fruit. It's-"

The reptilian speaks over Vasnesh, his yellow eyes looking at William. "It's the Law. Discipline. The first duty of every Rothran is to Discipline and Order. We deal with criminals harshly."

He clears his throat and answers your question.

"To the Wall. Then from there you can go in or out as you choose, assuming you are peaceful."

He glances over his body, blinking once, twice, and you feel some kind of strange sensation wash over you William, like a billion eyes were watching all at once.

"I think you should be fine, Wizard-Craftsman."

>>1239

William shudders at the feeling of many eyes, but it is countered by the swelling feeling of pride at being called "wizard."

"If Alice could see me now..." He thinks before remembering where he is and his smile vanishes.

"Very well." William says with a defeated sigh. "But I will not go chained. I have spent enough of my lifetime wearing them."

>Is Note just invisible or something right now?

>Also I just updated the counter. There is a guy with a bat coming now.

>And no, it isn't the Batter from OFF coming for a visit.

>>1239

"We are coming peacefully," Note says. "We need to get our friend's brain fixed, and the spider offered to bring us to the city to get her fixed."

>>1240

"Keep your Magic Stones in their place and you shall be safe. But we keep our own safe. Please do not make us destroy you. I am a craftsman myself, you see." He lifts a hand to show many glittering rings on his fingers. Set into each of them are glowing crystals that you recognize as having some kind of similarity to the manacores.

>>1241

He immediately over at the small fox. "You are something new. Something I've never seen before. And I've seen a lot. What is it you do, Magical One?"

>>1242

William eyes the rings closely before nodding in agreement.

>>1242

>He immediately over?

"I am told by one of my friends in a bunch of long words that I 'Facilitate the upbringing of a generation of guardians to protect the planet'. I shorten it to making magical girls!" Note says. "They fight monsters and protect people!"

>Just realized that Note's job is pretty much, in combat when she has one of the magical girls with her (though why she is in combat WITHOUT one is in serious question) is to point out weak spots to less obvious things.

>Might explain the Very Good in roll for perception.f

>>1244

>Sorry. Immediately snaps his head over.

He narrows his eyes and the frills of his neck stand a little.

"Where do you hail, from?"

>wow, sorry. Grammar is terrible tonight.

>>1245

>in a turn of events that surprised no one, a kyubey expy gets its party killed.

>>1245

"I come from my world!" She says with a big ol' grin like this explained anything. Though anybody could tell that she actually thought that was an acceptable answer just from her tone of voice.

>>1247

>But she isn't a Kyubey expy.

>She's just a generic magical girl enabler.

>Not fighting entropy with the shocking twist magical girls become witches.

>Nope. It is black and white. Monsters are dicks. Magical girls! Everything is peace. Hand holding. The whole shebang.

>>1248

Unfortunately, he is not amused and leans down very closely.

"What."

"Is."

"The."

"Name."

>>1249

William takes a step closer, "That one is not very bright. I doubt she could tell you anything else beyond what she already has." He says watching the reptilian carefully.

>>1250

He looks over at you very seriously. "Is it from Arcadia?"

>>1251

"I have no idea. I am not from her world and only met her yesterday." William says

>I am searching the location of an actual maid cafe to answer.

>Now I feel I don't need to...

>>1249

>>1251

"I'm not from an arcade! I'm from Japan!" She says.

>>1253

"A different world completely, then." He relaxes visibly, then turns and walks into an open gap in the force field towards the city. The rest of the circle moves with him, as do the floating unconscious members of the party and Vasnesh.

"Ah. That should be fine then. Come along, please. Let's get this over with as quick as possible. I wish to talk shop. Because of course today is the day I have the extraplanar party drop into my lap."

>>1254

William follows along, eyeing the reptilian and his compatriots closely as they walk.

>>1254

"Did I say something wrong?" She asks, tilting her head and following. "And... Talk shop? What? Are you a mind fixing person?"

>>1255

The force fields aren't opaque anymore, and you can see them. They are all humanoid, and most carry some kind of reptilian features, though the range varies from no traits, a few scales somewhere, to full reptile like the one who spoke.

The walk passes quickly, and before you know it, the massive wall of Rothra stands in front of you. The reptilian guard captain walks up to it and presses his palm against the wall, where one of the rings on his hand flash, and a door opens into an antechamber.

>>1254

>>1257

The three humans remain silent.

>>1257

Note looks around curiously, a child-like (Though she IS a child) look of excitement on her face.

She nearly wanders off a few times.

>>1256

He speaks. "I'm a Psion, little one. A Mind Mage to some. Though my specialty is different from someone who could help you with your particular problem."

He motions for you all to walk in, where the unconscious members are placed onto incredibly comfortable looking beds against the wall. Aside from them, there are a few tables and chairs. The chairs are wood but with much cushioning. There are no doors, however.

"Please come in, have a seat. Or lay down if you wish. I would talk to each of you. Do any of you want food or drink?"

>>1260

William warily takes a seat. The sound of whirring can be heard from his eyepatch as he surveys the room.

Vasnesh moves over to a bed and lays down, curling his legs under himself and watching.

>>1261

>roll if you want to use magic or anything to look through walls

He sits across from you, hands laid out on the table.

Cayenne takes a seat at a bench, with Percy and Riley still floating in their unconsciousness.

"...can you wake them up, please?"

>>1260

"That sounds like it is cool!" She says, hopping and curling up onto one of the beds.

"I kind of want some water, but I don't know what all you have," She says.

>>1263

>Belay that. Percy and Riley are on beds.

>>1262

>William doesn't have that kind of magic. He's limited to electricity and technomancy. Even that isn't very reliable since he's never been properly trained.

>>1263

He looks over. "I can, but I'd rather wait. Less volatile elements. Especially this early in the interviews. As it stands, the sleep they get on those beds will be the best they've had in years. They nourish the mind and soul as well as the body."

>>1266

>No worries

>>1264

He reaches up, a small ring on his pinky flashes, and there's a small glass bottle full of water in front of you.

>>1267

"If you say so."

She takes in the surroundings, breathing evenly.

"I take it the spider-shifter is who you're after?"

>>1268

He looks over at the silent Vashnesh. "Actually, he was just a lucky catch. Rothra has been having severe problems with Fae infiltrators in the Crystal Woods, so we respond to unfamiliar minds violently. Especially when violence is so prevalent within some of them. Considering most of you aren't from this world, then I'd consider that warranted anyways."

>>1269

"So what exactly is he guilty of anyway? Aside from the general abuses against the elf girl?" William asks

>>1269

"The good news is, we are only violent in self-defense. The spider was clearly trying to avoid conflict, and I doubt that Percival and Riley want more fighting than is absolutely necessary."

She coughs. "Speaking of, did you retrieve my rapier? It has some sentimental value, and I am uncomfortable travelling without a weapon. My profession is that of a fighter, unfortunately."

>>1267

"Hooray!" She says.

The small fox stares at the bottle wondering how to go about this...

She grabs a ribbon tail in her teeth and pulls it out a little bit, and carefully wraps it around the bottle, and does the same with another ribbon tail. "I did it! I'm smart! Yay!"

She proceeds to start drinking out of the bottle this way.

Said sleep does not help the bomb suit, which lays empty and flat... At least as flat as a normal EOD 9 bomb suit can.

>Oh, and on wearing the bomb suit- you don't have the benefits it has of the fact it can move at a normal walking speed and even run, and NOT move only 1 mile per hour walking speed if it isn't its normal awake state.

>>1270

He shrugs. "He stole a Coventina's tear. Birth Control native to the area around the Coventina Sea. We regulate it heavily here. He wasn't good enough to not leave behind a souvenir. Other than that, he's guilty of quite a lot, judging by how bad he's trying to cover it all. Now, what is your affiliation to the rest of these people, if you only met them recently?"

>>1271

He motions over to the hole to the outside, and in comes the rapier, floating to right in front of you. The force is dispelled as soon as you grab it.

>>1272

He has some mirth in his eyes as he watches Note drink. He does glance at the bomb suit before looking back to William.

>>1274

She takes hold of it, and sheathes it.

"Wait a minute. The spider stole a form of birth control?"

She laughs, exactly once--a sharp bark of surprise that sounds out-of-place.

"I think I know why."

>>1274

"I accidentally found myself in a nexus, and when they said they were going on an adventure I figured I'd tag along. The situation at home will still be there when I get back." William shrugs.

>>1275

He glances at her, then at Percival and Riley on their beds before looking back to William.

>>1276

He nods once. "Fair enough. Adventuring was never for me. I'll ask two more things. What are your destructive capabilities, and what has happened since you've stepped onto our world?"

>>1274

Note finishes the bottle of water quickly, giving herself the hiccups again. "Twice -HIC- now!?"

>>1277

"I, and these two--"

Cayenne gestures to the others.

"We all have offensive magic capabilities. We are all members of a group within our world--The Grand Academy of the Yagers der Schatten. In short, we're demon hunters."

>>1277

"I am just a man. My weaponry is capable of small scale destruction. If I sacrifice everything I have, the blast should be comparable of destroying the equivalent of a city square. Given time to prepare and proper materials I can of course make something bigger." William says as he thinks about his current equipment.

"However considering as how I left my world in the middle of a battle, I'd prefer not to do that. These weapons are not easy to reproduce. As for what has occurred, I helped these people defend themselves against some strange bear creatures, but that was all that we did last night." He concludes.

>>1278

He raises an eyebrow. "Twice now?"

>>1279

He then looks over at the ones you motioned towards.

"I see. And it was those two responsible for the Hive Bears? We can discuss your magic soon."

>>1281

"Actually that was mostly me." William says with an embarrassed grin.

"The others were... impeded in their attempts to fight the Hive Bears? Anyway, the sleeping lady executed 2 while I handled the rest."

>>1281

"The bears? I was not present."

She nods to the warrior-mage, and her two friends, and Vasnesh.

"They were involved in that fight, some time yesterday from what I saw. The spider must have made a meal of the bears, and Percy's got a new bearskin poncho from what I've seen. I'm not sure what to think of it."

She faces you again.

"As for myself, me and the female shapeshifter and the bomb suit were following the rest of them. I was searching for the twins, and the female shapeshifter was looking for the spider for personal reasons. We had just contacted each other, and were trying to negotiate, when your peacekeepers intervened."

>>1281

"Hiccups!" She says between hiccups. "Nooooo!"

>>1282

He nods. "I see. And I'm sure you can see why that might be something a guard would want to know before you go walking in."

>>1283

He chuckles a little. "There was an awful lot of weaponry out for negotiations. Maybe they do it differently on your world. Especially when one of you readied a spell when we showed up."

>>1284

At this, he's smiling.

>>1285

"To be fair, you ambushed us." William said with a chuckle.

>>1285

"There was quite a bit of unease. And there was already fighting going on between the spider and the shapeshifter."

She puts a hand to her temple, and sighs.

"It didn't help that, despite knowing Percival and Riley before this happened, I wasn't sure if I should side with them or against them, with regard to the spider. Facing the possibility of hurting one's--friend, is a troubling thing."

>Time for me to sleep.

>Be back tomorrow.

>>1286

"The area's as close to a warzone as possible." He nods. "Though we don't take half measures. We also caught some chatter. Those two. Siblings? And more?" He grimaces a little.

>>1287

"That's about to be expected. Shapeshifter feuds are never ever pretty."

>sleep well

>>1289

>I have as well. Just absolutely killer.

>>1290

"I noticed. May I have a glass of water?"

She takes a moment to think.

"So, what will happen to us now?"

>>1292

"You'll be free to do whatever you like, as long as you give the right answers."

>>1290

"I see."

Her brow furrows.

"I have no business here, aside from ensuring that their business," she says, gesturing to the two sleeping forms on the beds, "is finished safely. I cannot speak for them, unfortunately."

>>1294

Note is currently trying to untangle her bow from the bottle after her brilliant plan starts to backfire. She is pulling on the wrong ribbon to get that started.

"What's a -HIC- wrong answer?" Note asks.

>>1296

He shrugs. "As soon as they wake up we can handle that."

He does the water appearing trick.

>>1297

"Anything that could endanger my city."

He points at the bottle. "Pull the other ribbon."

>>1299

She takes a sip of her water, sighing.

"We'll just have to wait, then."

>>1300

He reaches into a pouch at his side and pulls out a small flask, takes a sip, and replaces it. "I can afford to be patient. I wouldn't infringe on somebody's right to sleep. So tell me more about this magical academy of yours."

>>1302

"It was formed about half a century ago, by the first Yagers--the first demon-hunters.

"They had found doors, appearing out of nowhere, leading to what could only be described as Hell. Strange, twisted realities, all centering on individual people and their fears."

She takes another sip of her water, closing her eyes.

"There were many deaths. At least one of the doors opened inside an orphanage. Others opened in public places. It's not known how long these doors had been opening before this group found them.

"What is known is that, following an event that nearly destroyed a major city--my home--they realized that they couldn't fight every single door.

"So they created a place to train people in the art of fighting these things. To study the demons, understand what made them tick."

>>1303

He studies her, his face neutral. When she's done, he rolls his shoulders. "Well, you have quite quite the set of problems then. We have the Fae, and they are bound by their roles. Demons made by people's inner darkness sound like something far beyond that."

>>1299

She begins pulling on that, and the bow starts getting unwrapped. "Thank -HIC- you!"

>>1303

"Your -HIC- doors sound sorta like a bigger version o-HIC- of some monsters fights," Note says, a look of mild concern on her face.

Riley sits up in the bed behind you all.

She looks around, and her eyes settle on Percival in the other bed.

Her eyes lock on the one person in the room she doesn't know, and the temperature of the room rises a few degrees. Her finger flicks through the air, and words of flame appear in the air in front of her:

WHO DID THAT

She points to her brother.

>>1307

The Reptilian man looks over at Cayenne and William with his eyebrow raised, as if to see if they plan on explaining anything.

He then raises a hand, and there's a sudden flash of light from his left ring finger as the temperature drops back to normal and the flames are buffeted, though they don't go out. "Calm down, Broken one. He'll wake up when he wants to. As it stands, he'll have his mind and soul nourished. You are in the heart of power for the Rothran Guard, and I am the Guard Captain. Nobody has been harmed, and you can rest calmly knowing your brother and lover will be fine."

Rolled 19, 2, 10 = 31 (3d20)

>>1307

"It's okay, Riley!" Note says. "Everything is cool!

>Might as well roll to see if the suit is getting up any time soon.

>>1309

>So yes, but it'll be weak for a while?

>>1310

>Pretty much.

>>1308

>>1309

Riley clams down noticeably. She waves a hand and the burning letters disappear, to be replaced with new ones:

{You can fix this?}

>>1312

He shakes his head.

"Sorry, I'm not a healer. I focus on other disciplines. There are healers in town though, and you should be able to handle that there. There's nearly nothing mental they can't fix."

>>1305

"There is a bright side. Fighting the demons enables us to understand why they are there--and through this, we can fix some of a person's problems in life--"

>>1307

>>1308

>>1309

>>1312

>>1313

"...Well. This is awkward, in a manner of speaking."

"You're telling me," Percival mutters as he sits up. "I'll have to remember this place. That was quite a nap."

>>1314

He clears his throat.

"It should be. Those beds were made for it."

"Welcome to the land of the awake, Demon Hunter-Mage"

The bomb suit suddenly rises up, clutching its helmet, quickly muttering something along the lines of I think therefore I am quickly and repeatedly. It seems it didn't like what it saw while it was asleep.

>Eh, It was supposed to be a mix of good and bad. Turns out when something that is literally a consciousness in a suit loses itself, it doesn't like that.

>>1314

"Good morning! Or afternoon? What time is it, anyways?" Note asks.

"And Demon Hunter-Mage sounds cooler that Magical Boy! I think I'll call you that from now on!"

>>1316

>>1318

"Well, this doesn't look like a prison cell. Then again, maybe it isn't."

"It's more of an interrogation room," Cayenne explains. "Well, perhaps even an interview room. I doubt they are going to hold us for much longer."

>>1318

"It's a little after bluehalf. Or a little past the half of the day."

He looks over at the bombsuit.

"So you are sapient, and not just a golem. Interesting."

>>1319

"Agreed. As long as you all are open, then you should be fine. Tell me, boy. Is it normal to ready an attack on the guard in your world?"

He has a neutral expression as he asks, though the emphasis placed on the words gives it a very serious undertone.

>>1320

"No, it isn't. However, when travelling in a strange world, in woods that have already brought hostile things to your doorstep..."

He shrugs.

"As far as I knew, merely setting foot in those woods was grounds for execution."

>Good night.

>>1319

"It isn't! I didn't crash like you did," Note says.

>>1320

"Thank you!" Note says. "Not from around here, so I don't know the times that well."

"Fuck you, there was nothing but forever and there is a lot of forever," It says.

It begins taking a moment to calm itself. "I am and I am not a sapient being, I'm more of just a mind inside of a thing. I'm a sapient mind but not any actual being."

>>1323

>Sleep tight!

>>1324

>For the record, the bomb suit sounds more hungover than pissed.

>>1323

>Good night

>>1322

"I understand, though when threatened with extralethal force or execution, I'd take execution every time."

>>1324

"Which would explain why your mind reacted so violently to the Shrill."

>>1328

"I didn't experience anything, and if that is my mind reacting violently, I will give anything to never experience that again," It says, shaking its head. "I felt like I didn't exist in the sense I was the only thing that existed, the closest to nothingness I could imagine... I'm fairly certain you've put the fear of death into me."

>Congratulations, +34 experience points, you traumatized a bomb suit.

"What's extralethal force mean, anyways?" Note asks.

>>1329

"It's supposed to just make you lose consciousness. Like a sleep. You should consider picking up mental safeguards in the market if you are quite that worried."

"Ah. In certain regions of the world, you can be resurrected for a very steep price. Extralethal ensures that when you die, nothing in this world can rescue you from whatever death you are sent to."

>Good night all.

>>1312

>>1330

"I don't sleep," The bomb suit says. "Unlike the spider's group, my entrance wasn't planned, I don't have any cash on me, and certainly not in this world's coin."

Note looks concerned about that. "Wow... That is... Why is that a thing?" She asked.

>>1332

>Why did that quote Riley?

>>1330

>>1332

"And furthermore, I pretty much am just a consciousness in a suit. Losing myself was not good," The bomb suit says.

>>1332

>>1333

"You are a tethered consciousness. I'm sure you can make money doing plenty of things." He shrugs. "As it stands, Sorry. Didn't know you would react so adversely.

He looks over at Note. "So horrible monsters in your world don't have a habit of coming back from certain death? Because ours do. And if one has received the death penalty, they should keep it."

>>1334

"I understand that," It says. It stands up... And promptly sits back down. "I think I'm going to be out of action a little bit, I feel like the space shuttle fell on me."

"They don't stay dead forever, even though some have tried to find ways..." Note says.

>>1328

"There isn't exactly a way to bring me back, in my world."

He sighs. "Well, there is, but--"

"But it is extremely dangerous," Cayenne adds. "A deal with the devil."

>>1335

He looks at the fox and nods. "Yes, and we have found our ways. Though they are trade secrets. I can't have them being circumvented."

>>1338

"Literal Devil? We just have myths on demons. There hasn't been a demonologist or wizard in almost 150 years."

>>1339

"A sort of devil, yes," Cayenne explains. "One of the legendary Seven, a group of demons who represent the worst sins of the world."

"If one were to make a bargain with them," Percival mutters, "one could bring back the dead. But doing so is forbidden, for obvious reasons."

>>1339

"I'm actually okay with that," Note replies. "I'm terrible at keeping some secrets, like how-" she preemptively shuts up about whatever it was she was about to say.

>>1340

"Has a deal with a devil ever gone good in a story?" The suit asks.

>>1340

He looks almost amazed. "You only have seven of the worst sins? Rothrans have 42." He takes a drink. "And that isn't counting the other six hundred."

>>1342

"In my world we have a story of a scholar who made a deal with the devil, then managed to redeem himself enough that the devil couldn't take his soul." William chimes in, before addressing the reptilian, "In my world, death is death. When someone is gone, they are gone for good, so long as they aren't raised as undead."

>>1344

"Zombies! Braaaaaiiiiins!" Note says. "...and my world doesn't have a story that ends like that, the closest I think is this one about a guy named Faust."

"Undead? Like some horror novel?" The Bomb Suit asks.

>>1345

"Considering the things I've seen over the course of these wars, I could probably write my own horror novel." William says grimly.

>>1348

The suit nods. "I'm a suit made to protect a person from getting killed by an explosive if they mess up while disarming it. Seeing as I don't need somebody in me to do that, I've seen some things. War is not a good thing."

It pulls out its small book, and starts writing in it. The pen is kept inside of it, apparently.

>>1343

"They cover wide swaths of sin," Percy notes.

"But they overlap quite a bit," Cayenne adds.

"Not to mention that there is also the four," Percy mentions.

"But they aren't so much sins as harbingers of doom," Cayenne corrects.

>>1350

"Famine, Pestilence, Death, Conquest?" The suit says, guessing the harbringers.

>>1363

"More or less."

Percy nods. "They're generally regarded as a cut above the Seven. Hardly anyone has even seen them in action. My father claims to have met War."

"And we all know how everyone reacts to that," Cayenne mutters.

Percy waves her off. "It's not clear what happened. The key thing to take away from all this is that if Riley were to die--"

Cayenne puts a finger to Percy's lips.

"It's not important. She is alive."

Before the reptilian can react, Vasnesh suddenly leaps up. "If Riley were to die, what? You didn't think to mention this when we were yanking her out of her Hell?"

>>1377

"She was not dead then! We still had a way to bring her home!"

He stomps toward you, grimacing.

"If she died, I'd have one extremely slim chance at getting her back. And I would take it."

>>1383

"You told me that it was a long shot that we would even be able to pull her out. You just didn't want to tell me that something bad would happen if she died?" He stands his ground on the bed, looking back at you indignantly.

>>1385

"It was irrelevant. We were going to pull her out."

Cayenne begins walking across the room.

"I--"

"Did not want to admit that something bad could happen. Percy, you are as predictably stubborn as ever."

Cayenne pulls him away from you. "This is no reason to be yelling at him, Percy. And it is not the analytic, intelligent man I know."

>>1388

The Reptilian Guard Captain speaks up. "She is correct, that is not the reason to yell at the spider, though there are others. Did any of you have any questions from me before I render judgement?"

>>1390

"...no."

Percival goes back to his seat.

Cayenne nods. "I have spoken my piece. I doubt anything else I could say can change the outcome, and otherwise what is the point?"

The suit watches this go on with interest.

>>1390

"Judgement on what?" The suit asks.

"Judgement?" Note asks.

>>1391

"Fair enough."

>>1393

He looks them over impassively. "Judgement on whether or not you may enter the city and have your friend healed."

>>1394

Cayenne's face is as level as ever.

Percival looks concerned, but not desperate. Yet.

>>1394

"Didn't you already say 'Yes, as long as we bear no ill will.'?" The suit asks.

>>1396

"I did, but that's in the standard case. Do you think that this party of yours constitutes a standard visiting group anywhere?" He raises an eyebrow.

>>1397

"I got figuratively and fairly literally dragged along on this to keep the spider and other from killing each other," He emphasizes the literally part by glancing at Riley.

"I just followed them through the door!" Note says.

>>1399

"Ultimately, it comes down to whether or not you'll do more damage in my city than you would fighting the rejection. As it stands? You are all dangerous in your own ways. Some catastrophically." His eyes glance over William's arm, and Riley. "Others psychologically." He specifically looks at Vasnesh and the still inert Shudleng.

He takes a deep deep breath, so much so the frills on his neck move with it.

"You all may enter the city for the purposes of trade and healing. Do not cause trouble. Do not engage in anything illegal. If in question, use common sense and we will know if you were circumventing the law."

>>1401

"That makes sense," The suit looks at the fox.

"So... How do you think the population would react to the talking fox?" It asks.

"I wanna look around! It looks cool!" Note exclaims.

>>1405

"They'll know she is a visitor, because she's in here. I'll make sure to throw out an announcement to not attack the small fox."

He looks her over. "It is very cool, if that means good."

Rolled 5, 18, 4 = 27 (3d20)

>>1406

"That sounds reasonable," It says. It attempts to stand up.

"It does mean that!" Note says, hopping off the couch.

Rolled 18, 7, 18 = 43 (3d20)

>>1407

Aaaaaaaaand he sits right back down again, his knees nearly buckling under him. "Still staying in here, for a bit."

>Fuck that, using a fate point, REROLL!

>AND HIS NAME, IS [FUCKING REDACTEEEEEED!]

>Name, Name no.

And it tries to stand once more, and easily gets its footing.

"Well..." It seems surprised that happened.

>Fate Points work!

>Hope this session doesn't NEED need a reroll!

>Or that you slap my bullshit down like it should be!

>>1413

"For the record, I can only hope that you will remain safe inside Rothra. After all, we try to keep it the safest city of the Coventina. The guards will answer calls for help, and you can do what you need to get done."

He stands up and dusts of his uniform-robes.

>>1415

>Doesn't the room not have doors currently because of magic.

"This body I have is a suit made to be as indestructible as it can be. If I ever get into a fight, worry about the aggressors."

"It'll be awesome!" Note says, hopping off the bed. "Yeah!"

>>1418

>was just getting to that, actually

"Fair enough, be safe all." He waves a hand and a door on the opposite side from where you entered appears and then opens into a long hallway with a door at the end.

>>1420

Note immediately runs out of the door. "I'm the first ever universe spanning tourist!" She exclaims has she runs down the hall.

"I'll try, maybe get some odd jobs for some money to get some of those mental things you suggested," It says, starting to walk out.

William follows behind the rest of the group slowly with a grin on his face. The others' excitement rubbing off on him.

>>1420

"We will."

Percy nods, and wraps a hand around his lover.

Cayenne strides out the door, still calm. The woman's like an anchor.

>>1432

Cayenne quietly studies the signs, as Percy catches up.

"...I'm not familiar with this language, I'm afraid. I don't know if I'll read it right."

>>1432

Note is excited throughout her entire being just looking at everything, and... Just wanders off in a random direction to get started in seeing sights.

The bomb suit looks at the sign, deciding where he possibly could go to get his odd jobs plan going. Obviously, one would think some places would be easier to find quick work than others.

>>1433

Vasnesh and Shudleng (still in the form of the petite elven woman) both speak up from the back "I can read-" They both stop and look at each other, and then Vasnesh looks up and speaks. "I can tell you that sign directs us to the Monastic Plaza, and this one over here" he points at one of the signs. "Points us towards the Market District," He begins pointing at signs and naming them off, all the while changing his form into a rough approximation of Percy. If one were to put them together, one would say they were siblings. "Fountain plaza, Viewing Plaza, Mental Center, Inn District.... "

Shudleng puts a hand out onto a nearby person's sleeve and asks where one can find the healers. The person offers directions towards the other end of the city, quickest if one takes a trip through the Mental Center and out the other end."

>>1435

"...Vasnesh, what are you doing?"

Percy's caught up, and he looks unhappy.

Cayenne nods to Shudleng, and almost starts on her way.

>>1435

"That's useful," The bomb suit says. "...And since you two can't fight here, I'll meet you up later.

It pulls out its notebook and jots a few things down. "I'll head where you guys are going in a little while, alright?"

Note ended up heading in the direction of the Fountain plaza. She already left you guys. One would hope she doesn't get lost.

>>1438

"I'm not sure I appreciate the gesture," he mutters--but he falls silent.

"Which way are the healers--"

"This way," Cayenne shouts, some ways down the road to the Mental Center.

>>1439

Vasnesh moves close and wraps his arm around percy, waving his other hand at the people around them. "This is a city of mind readers, Percy. The little brother with the crush on his big sister is waaaaaaaaaaaay more acceptable than the big brother who gets it in with his little sister!" He throws a wink over at Riley, then begins pushing them along after Cayenne.

Shudleng, for her credit falls into step beside the others.

>>1438

"Will do," The suit says. "I'll head to the Inn District first."

And then it heads that way. No see you later, it just goes.

Note didn't stick around for the sign explanations, having already wandered off prior to that, and wasn't paying attention to the signs anyways. She wanders around, looking at the fountains and gazebos in awe and excitement. "Wow! All these fountains are really pretty!"

>>1440

"...I fail to see how that's any better. We are twins. If anything, you being younger makes it worse, not better," he grumbles.

Cayenne stays out of this. It's another one of Percy's immovable moments, and there's no need to butt in.

>>1442

"A young hormonal boy thinking dirty thoughts about his sister is worse than the twin who willingly had incestual relations with his twin sister?" Vasnesh mock gags and grins madly. "Don't make me laugh you dirty old bastard!"

He looks over at Cayenne and sees her keeping out of it. "What do you think, Cayenne? Did you know it was Riley who put all that stuff in your locker? All because she was so jealous!"

>>1443

"I know."

Percy raises an eyebrow.

"Your sister signed the love letters in your name...but in her handwriting. It was obvious. The main reason I left you was our personality issues."

"What do you mean, personality issues? We've got so much in common!"

"And that's bad for you, Percy; you were closing yourself off. Plus, I saw this drama coming a mile off. Why else would your sister try to split us up?"

Percy considers this for a minute or two.

>So... My two characters are basically sightseeing while you guys get things done?

>>1445

>Looks like it.

>>1441

They are, and there are loads of them. All over the plaza. Each one has people in it, though there's more than enough room for Note wherever she goes.

The suit makes it to the Inn District rather quickly, offering you pretty views. It's obvious the inn district was built with many foreign investors as the architecture of most of the inns are rather different from the buildings around them. They range from awful looking dive tavern/inns to beautiful stone-wrought affairs that would be considered 5 star in modern times.

>>1444

Not everyone, but certain people give weird looks to the party as they come walking past, mainly those with crystals placed somewhere near their heads.

>>1445

>Oh don't worry. Vasnesh will do whatever he can to mess with their ability to get things done.

>>1447

"...anyway. I fail to see how a young boy lusting after a twenty-year-old-sister is any better than a twenty-year-old man doing the same."

>>1449

"Because the young boy can be blamed on hormones. Upon not knowing better. What's your excuse?" He looks at you with a serious expression.

Up ahead looms a gleaming crystal dome you can see from far away.

>>1447

The bomb suit considered which one it would wander into first. Of course one of the fancier ones were out on account of him being armor. One would expect the workers there to look fancy as well, and shoving a suit over this suit would look ridiculous. On the other hand, something low quality would be that: low quality. It looks for something of a decent middle quality.

Note heads inside of a gazebo, since she is a tourist, wandering around is a good part of it. "This city is incredible!"

>>1446

>I am okay with this right now!

>>1448

>Do that!

>>1450

"Her sanity. Then again, I suppose that's hard to communicate through incidental thoughts..."

Cayenne silently stares at the dome.

>>1451

The middle one you chose has a sign on the front in a few languages, one which is close to yours proclaiming it the "Cobbler's Stopper." Inside it is actually rather nice, with tables and booths covering the entire floor, except for a set of stairs on each side going up, doors and a bar on the other side, and a desk near the door.

The people within the Gazebo look at Note curiously, a few raising their eyebrows and the others looking sleepily through some from some kind of smoking stick. A rather older looking woman says, "ah, you are the little fox the notice was about, huh?"

>>1452

"That's no excuse here, in the city of Mindbenders, Percy." He leans in real close and whispers. "They can change that too, if you'd like."

Before your eyes, Cayenne, the light reflecting off of the dome seems to almost bend and form together from the disparate rainbow hues to an image of the thing you want most in life, though it stops the moment you stop staring.

>>1453

"..."

He looks very, very concerned.

Cayenne's expression goes soft, on the other hand. She watches, as the dome creates an image of--

She snaps her head away from it, and stares at the cobblestones. No time for such things.

>I'm making a hard choice here...

>Play Hat Simulator/Team Fortress 2, or stay here while a bunch of us are online...

>...

>You guys win this round!

>>1453

The suit walks up to the desk. It has never applied for a job before, the military sort of gave it a job as what it is, it never had to job hunt before.

"Yep!" Note says. She just looks, in general, excited about everything in general.

>>1454

Vasnesh considers his whispering. "Mindbenders are called that for a reason. They could do anything to her you'd want. She is sick after all. You mentioned something scary earlier, if we talked about that, I'm sure they could even change that too. They keep horrific beings in the magnificent Crystal Menagerie known the world over."

Cayenne will catch some light aftereffects, like the scent and phantom feelings of what she saw before they fade. The cobblestones are rather nice, though. All the same size and kept flat and level.

>>1455

There are two people at the desk. A blue man, normal in all ways except the light blue hue of his skin, and a woman that looks completely normal. The woman speaks first. "Welcome! How can we help you!"

The woman leans out of her chair towards you and pats you gently on the bow if you let her. "You are very cute, you know. What brings you here?"

>>1456

"I don't know that I want to do such things," he mutters. "Meddling in her mind..."

Riley's staring at you.

She does not look happy.

Meanwhile, Cayenne focuses as hard as she can on the cobblestones; they are neat, logical.

>>1457

"Is exactly what you came here for." He shrugs and goes back to the normal walk, speaking at a loud volume, still with his arm around Percy.

"Don't pretend like you won't think about it. And I hope you do. It would make your life much easier."

Cayenne is getting some weird looks from the people they are passing, and Shudleng moves in next to her. "Did you look at the Dome?" she asks gently so the others can't hear over Vasnesh's loud speaking.

>>1456

"I was looking to see if I could get some quick work here, since I don't have any local currency," The suit says. It wonders if they often see empty suits of armor around these parts.

Note allows her to. "Friends! They are working on getting a mind fixed right now!"

>>1459

The blue man looks you up and down. "Where's your master?"

The older woman smiles sweetly. "I see, and you thought to go off all on your own to see the beautiful sights, is that right?"

>>1458

"There is a difference between fixing what is definitely broken and meddling with things that may well be core parts of her personality. I don't know if I want to take that risk."

Meanwhile, Cayenne glances toward Shudleng. There is worry in her eyes, more emotion than usual.

"Yes."

>>1460

"I don't have one," The suit says.

Note nods. "Yep! This place is all sorts of pretty!"

>>1461

"Really? And that difference is one is essential and the other would just make you and her happy?" He shrugs and looks over at Riley.

"Look, I'm just making him aware of his options. You don't think your life wouldn't be easier if you didn't have all these feelings for your twin?"

Shudleng nods. "I figured as much. That's the reaction most people have to it. Being confronted with your greatest desire is key to the Rothran way of life. The discipline to work towards it without taking it is what all of them strive for."

She looks back at the others, then leans in and whispers, "I'll tell you what I see, if that would make it easier for you to deal with yours."

>>1463

Riley glares at you; there's fire in her eyes.

She glances to Percy, who clearly sees that fire.

"Vasnesh? Stop talking. Now, if you value your freedom. I certainly don't want mine to be taken."

Cayenne nods silently to Shudleng, as she watches the others argue.

>>1464

He shrugs again. "Look, Riley. I brought you here to get you fixed. I carried you out of Hell with your brother. I obviously care about you. I just want to help the two of you. I thought the sex would help you move on, like a bottle popping off. It's just made things deeper. I'm sorry. I had no intent to offend you. I just want to see the two of you happy."

Shudleng whispers gently in her hear. "I see a brood of shapechanging spider-children. With a couple of shapeshifting parents in the back."

>>1465

"Dammit, Vasnesh, would you shut up--"

Riley starts closing in; Percy has to hold a hand out to keep her from reaching you.

He sighs.

"I've got a sneaking suspicion that simply erasing parts of her behavior isn't wise, Vasnesh. Imagine if you simply...removed a word from a spell. One word, at random. Perhaps it wouldn't do anything, but it just might explode, yes?"

Shudleng's confession gets an actual chuckle out of Cayenne.

"...I suppose you want to see mine, then."

>>1466

He shakes his head. "Do you think I'm stupid? I'm not advocating removal of personality. Just alteration. Nothing without both of your consents. This isn't Malorhi. They don't do slavery here. People here get themselves altered so as to be better people. I ran into a man that once apparently loved sex with fish. He came here and fixed it. I figured it'd be much easier if Riley heard the pitch from you than me. And guess what." He shoots a look at Riley. "Because of her fiery temper, I was right, wasn't I?"

Shudleng shakes her head. "You don't have to. I just wanted to let you know that just because they are your deepest desires, that doesn't mean you have to be ashamed or hide it away. In that way, I'd certainly like to hear it. Yes." She then nods.

>>1462

"Then what are you? A Masterless Golem?" He goes back to counting coins. "What can you offer me?"

"Where did you come from, little one? I'd love to hear stories about it." She pats on the chair next to her for Note to hop up.

>>1467

Percy opens his mouth, only for Riposte to shove him aside and show you a hastily-scribbled note.

{It was never lust I felt for him. I love him for everything he is; for his triumphs and his mistakes. To remove that from my life would change my very being.}

>>1469

He reads the note, and then looks at her incredulously.

"Well, you see, how was I supposed to know that? All I saw was your feelings for him drag you off to your own literal Hell. Most places consider Hell to carry darker meanings than loving someone for everything they are." He shrugs and then sighs, "This is why I tell everyone to just be honest about what they want, but nobody ever wants to talk about love. Noooooo."

Shudleng shoots him a dirty look.

>Time for me to sleep. Working early tomorrow.

>Good night, everyone.

>>1471

>good night

>>1468

"I'm a consciousness tied to a suit," It says. "And I can offer the fact I don't tire and I'll pretty much do whatever you ask me to."

Note hops up onto the chair next to the lady. "I'm from a place called Japan," Note says. "And it is pretty interesting! I get to help people!"

>It would cost exactly 7300 dollars to advertise across the whole site for exactly one year.

>>1473

>Yo dude, what?

He looks up again. "So you think I want some suit of whatever coming in here and scaring my customers? Look. What do you want to get paid?"

She's petting Note along her back as they speak. "I see. And how do you help those people?"

As the others take off to various parts of the city, William opens a small canister on his belt and takes out a few metal components and what appears to be a long metal cable. Flipping a few switches on his gauntlet, the metal prongs and an emitter pop out, only to be replaced by the cables and metal components. After a few moments, he stows the tesla cannon parts and looks up at one of the high towers that overlook the city. Spotting an outcropping, he aims his gauntlet at the surface of the tower and fires a long metal cable attached to a small harpoon. Upon making contact, his gauntlet reels him in and soon he is sitting on a perch high above the city streets.

His eyepatch whirrs as the widest lens moves into position, informing him of the location of his companions, before he draws his sword and busies himself with cleaning and maintenence.

>William doesn't really need anything from here, so he's just gonna chill. If things happen, he can support the party. If for some reason I'm not here when things happen, William is a capable marksman, so he can use some focusing lenses on his gauntlet to snipe at moderate ranges or he can use the grappling line to Erol Flynn his way into a fight.

>>1470

>>1470

{But you don't talk about it either.}

Riley scribbles another note.

{You... and Shu... There's feelings between you. At least one way. You should talk about them seriously. Sit down, maybe while I'm getting fixed up, and talk to her.}

>>1470

>>1476

"...it's a wonder our problems even exist, Riley."

Percy chuckles. "You are on point today with the advice."

>>1467

"...interesting."

It took an awful long time for Cayenne to say that.

>>1476

He looks at her like she just shit in his cheerios. "Feelings? Between me and her? You must be damaged in the mind. There's too much history there, kid." He waves his finger around his temple so as to show someone he considers her crazy.

>>1477

Shudleng looks at her intently, then nods. "You'll be ok. If it's something I can help with, I'll help you. After all, you got me here."

>>1478

"Well, Shudleng is angry that you've broken her heart so often."

Cayenne quietly guides Shu toward Vas.

"Perhaps, at least, you can talk it out."

>>1479

"That's different. And not really what we are here for, Percival." He looks at you seriously, then over at the two girls.

Shudleng actively attempts to derail the guiding, looking in every other direction of where they are going. She's muttering some kind of protests, though not loud enough for anyone to hear.

>Will be back tomorrow morning for more character development shipping.

>>1481

>The toppest lel, I'm super excited.

>>1480

"Question: How long will it take to fix Riley's words issue? Do you know?"

Percival raises an eyebrow. "Because I doubt it is a quick procedure. And there's no sense in just waiting around."

"In fact, you might as well get started now," Cayenne says. "I certainly have things to talk to Percival and Riley about, and I'm sure you two have quite a bundle of things to go over."

Shudleng leaps at the chance to change the topic. "If they are healing it the way I think they would, they'll be done in minutes, but want to keep her there for the night. Just to make sure they don't have to do it again. It'll be expensive though."

Vasnesh looks at Percy. "We need to handle that first. Whatever thing you think is going on here comes second to getting Riley fixed, right?" He's very clearly straining away from the idea of being alone with Shudleng, who is nodding furiously.

>>1484

"And who's to say that you should ignore it while Riley is resting?" Percy asks. "I'm sure Cayenne wouldn't mind making sure that you don't kill each other."

Cayenne nods.

It is at this moment that you notice an important detail: Cayenne's stopped pushing Shudleng closer to Vas, because she's right next to him.

>>1492

The two of them are pointedly facing away from each other, as much as is conversationally possible. Vasnesh leans in to Percy. "I'll be glad to not ignore it. When Riley is resting. We don't even know how much money it will be, if we have it, and if we even want what they are going to do!"

Shudleng, for her part, has stopped moving completely and is staring at Cayenne like a wooden doll. Her eyes are alight with some kind of emotion, but it's hard to tell.

>>1494

"...that does raise the question of how I'll pay for it. I doubt they take dollars here."

He digs out a wallet to demonstrate. It's filled with odd little green slips of paper, all marked with symbols, pyramids-with-eyes, and old people. Definitely not the local currency. Well, probably. I might be basically omnipotent when it comes to what Percy's thinking, but I can't say anything about this world in particular.

Cayenne quietly stares back at Shudleng, like a child might stare at a particularly confusing square peg that doesn't fit in a perplexingly round hole.

>>1496

Vasnesh looks down into it, then takes one out and feels it between his fingers before putting it back in. "Paper money? That's terrible. No. They take coin here. Not as easy to fake as paper." He shakes his head. "Your world sounds weirder and weirder the more I hear."

Shudleng leans in very closely to Cayenne, whispering so faintly and so closely she can feel her lips brush her hears. "I will only talk to him if you tell me yours."

>>1497

"It has actually been a problem for quite a while, now--not that people counterfeit money, we have ways of dealing with that, hidden images and special tricks and such--no, it's that our governments print too much."

He sighs, and puts the wallet away. "My home country's currency is so badly devalued that nobody even uses it anymore."

Cayenne nods, and whispers back:

"I saw Percival."

>>1498

He shakes his head. "No, we'll need money, if Shudleng doesn't have enough. Or if she isn't willing to spend it." He looks over at Shudleng who is currently whispering to Cayenne.

You can almost hear the light smirk in her voice. "Fair enough. Then you'll receive all the wonderful help you've given me. Now the question is, and this is for all the bones: Do you want him all to yourself?"

>>1499

"No doubt. Where did the others go? I'm sure we can raise funds."

Cayenne shakes her head. "I want him to be happy with...whoever he picks."

She doesn't sound too confident in that.

>Good night for now.

>>1500

Vasnesh thinks back in a very theatrical manner, leaning back on his heel and tapping his chin. "The Suit went to do exactly that. Note disappeared. As I expect her to when near something shiny. William is somewhere."

Shudleng reaches up and wraps her hand gently around her elbow. "Sure. But you want that to be you. It's ok. You don't need to lie to me. I'm your ally."

>>1501

>good night

>He's not exactly hiding. I'm sure someone with good eyesight could spot the glint of his armor or weapons on the tallest tower in the city. Roll for perception and then wave him over if you need him.

Rolled 20, 11, 2 = 33 (3d20)

>>1502

"Mm."

Percy glances around...

>Perception roll!

Cayenne shrugs Shudleng's hand away; her face grows more stony, paler even.

"I shouldn't want him. I have moved on."

Rolled 8, 13, 10 = 31 (3d20)

>>1504

>>1503

"...is that him up there? I can barely see, these buildings are shiny as all hell..."

Percival peers up into the skyline, blinking.

Rolled 1, 6, 11 = 18 (3d20)

>>1504

Vasnesh looks around as well, hoping to see him.

Shudleng however does not let up, replacing her hand. " Shouldn't want him? Who in their right mind would ever say that? You have as much right as every woman, and certainly more right than his sister." She hisses the words through gritted teeth so that Cayenne can still her her. "I shouldn't want Vasnesh. He's literally considered everything one of my race should hate. Yet you want to put us together. And you think that of all places, all people, and all things, you shouldn't want the man you want?

Rolled 14, 19, 15 = 48 (3d20)

>>1506

"I had my chance with him," she mutters.

"I quickly realized that it would only bring conflict. You and Vasnesh do not have such an issue. If you and Vas get together, you wouldn't have to live with his spurned lover."

>>1507

She looks between the two of them, then back into her eyes. She's wearing a very neutral expression, but her voice is intense. "That's why I ask. Why does she need to be spurned? You are willing to give him up, are you not willing to share?"

Vasnesh gets a particularly bad glare off of a crystal nearby and gets blasted in the eyes. "Oh, damn it all. William will catch up when we need him."

>>1508

"To share?"

She turns away.

"It would only end in more conflict. Better that I stay away. I have someone else now, anyway."

>>1509

"That's bullshit, Cayenne. At the very least be fair about it. Vasnesh and I would ensure that I'd never be able to interact with anyone else I've ever known. What, Riley would have to learn that she probably shouldn't have sex with her twin brother? And where is this someone else? I haven't heard of him once before now. This sounds like a lot of excuses, and I can assure you that unless you give me actual reasons, I'll strive with every mutable fiber of my being to push you two together."

As she talks she looks more and more determined, and somehow her face somewhat comes to resemble the resolute warrior you know her to be.

>>1510

"It would not work!"

Percival stops and stares at Cayenne, who takes a step back.

"I need to be alone," she states, and calmly starts to walk off...

...meanwhile, at the city gates...

Someone bangs on the doors. The voice of a man rings out:

"OPEN UP ALREADY! I gotta catch up!"

The stocky man shoulders his odd little metal club, his perpetual grin coming back in an instant. "I can't wait to start explorin' this city! Me an' Cayenne, two brave souls in a new land! What kinda hijinks are we gonna get up to? Only one way to find out!"

>>1511

There's a loud crack beside the stocky man as a large reptilian figure appears next to him. "Are you with the others? Cayenne? Percy?.... Riley? Any of them?"

>>1511

Shudleng walks over to Percy, in the process transforming to a much older looking and steely woman. Her eyes are unnaturally grey, and her hair is wiry, but slowly they both tone to acceptable levels. She stops just short and all but yells in his face.

"Percy! We need to talk! ALONE. NOW."

>>1512

"How did you know?" the man with the ever-lasting grin says.

Dear gods. His eyebrows are as thick as your thumb.

"I heard they were in town, so I thought I'd join them! No sense in missing out, after all!"

>>1512

"If you'll tell me what you two have been talking about this entire time, sure."

He looks like he's having flashbacks to a very strict mother.

>>1513

She points back at the dome, staring at him down the bridge of her nose. "Stare at that and tell me what you see. Exactly. Then I'll tell you."

The reptilian reaches up and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Of course there's more. You are a demon hunter too, right? If that's the case, you will find none of your demons here. Do you understand what that means?"

>>1514

"I see..."

He stares at the dome, confused.

"...oh, god. Dad?"

>>1514

"Of course!"

He flashes a smile, complete with little twinkly sound effect. "I don't mind adventures that don't have any fightin' in them! As long as I get to see the sights, I'm satisfied."

>>1515

She nods. "Good. Then we've been talking about your past and future." She puts her hand on his shoulder and begins pushing him in the direction of an alley. "Vasnesh. Get Riley to the healer. We'll be there quickly."

Vasnesh for his part nods, obviously not wanting to get involved.

>>1515

He looks visibly relieved, his shoulders slumped. "Thank you for that. Cause no trouble. Welcome to the greatest city on the continent." He waves a hand at the gates, which slowly open.

>>1516

"Why am I seeing an image of my dead father?" he asks, as he stumbles toward the alleyway.

>>1516

"Thank you, kind sir!"

He nods, and tosses a handful of small metal objects to you.

What on earth is the "United States of America", and how much is a "quarter" worth?

"A tip, for your assistance!" the man shouts--and then he takes off down the street, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

>>1517

She finishes shoving him into the alley, then spins him around to face her.

"The Dome shows you what you want most. I see somebody you know. Others see relatives, or objects, or themselves in a situation. Do you know what Cayenne sees?"

>>1517

The Reptilian just shakes his head and walks back into the gate. It closes behind him.

>>1518

"What does she see? Maybe herself holding a fencing trophy?"

He shrugs, bewildered.

Meanwhile, the stocky man continues jogging down main street at a leisurely fifty miles an hour.

"These streets are great! So evenly built! I could run for days on one o' these roads!"

>>1519

She sighs, frustrated. "Here. I'll give you a hint." As she lists off each of the features, her form changes to match eventually ending up in a close approximation of Percy. "He's about this tall, with these eyes, this hair, looks about this age, with this voice, and these clothes." The new fake Percy looks him in the eyes, speaking in his voice. "Got an idea now?"

>>1519

Actually, alongside him comes an elderly looking reptilian woman. Well. As elderly as one would think a reptile would look. "Some of us do run for days. But only on the running roads. Run this fast on any of the others, and the Guard will break your legs!" She smiles and keeps pace alongside him, before skidding to a stop and turning off onto a side road.

Looking closer, you notice that some of these roads to have light furrows in them where people have ran channels into them.

>>1520

"...oh. Ooohhhh dear."

He looks significantly more bewildered now.

"I thought she and Hal were happy together! Well, with Cayenne, it's hard to tell, but--well, they acted like they were happy together!"

"What a place this is!" the strange man with the bat shouts, as he rounds a bend onto another one of the running-roads. "Now, if I could just find Cayenne..."

>>1521

She pops back into the strict matron. "Listen to me. There's a difference between acting happy and being happy. She's settling right now, and I will not let her do that. She wants you. And I know you want her. You still look at her like you do."

>>1521

Interestingly enough, all the roads seem to lead to one point near the center of the city, and a great crystal dome.

>>1522

"W-well, yes...what will Riley think?" he mutters. "I hope she doesn't freak out too much..."

The running man glances up at the dome.

"All roads lead to dome, as they say! Hah!"

As he turns toward the dome, his grin grows wider.

"Ah, the legacy of an adventurer! Tales told in every pub and alehouse! It seems so real, I can taste it..."

>>1523

"Then you talk to her. When you get her fixed, you talk her down and let her know that what you two have can't be. Cayenne is better for you, and you know that." She pokes him in the chest.

>>1523

The paths are deeper here near the dome, but they stop at the edge of the plaza. There are tons of people here, all wearing the clothing you've come to associate with Rothrans. It's all generally flowy, light clothing where there is plenty of folds and a crystal motif.

Rolled 6, 20, 3 = 29 (3d20)

>perception roll

Rolled 7, 10, 12 = 29 (3d20)

>>1524

"Yes, I suppose so. But what about Cayenne's current suitor? Wouldn't he object?"

He sighs, putting a hand to the side of his head and rubbing slowly. "And just when I thought this couldn't get more complex..."

Meanwhile, Bat Man continues his jog. Thankfully, he's clever enough to slow down as he reaches the high-traffic areas.

"Now, enough dreaming! Where are they...?"

>Perception roll!

>>1526

"He isn't your concern. Your current suitor is. She can deal with him, but she was willing to suffer in anguish for your happiness. I will not let her do that." She cracks her neck.

Rolled 15, 9, 17 = 41 (3d20)

>>1526

"AHA! There they are--"

He pauses, eyeing the old woman Percy is currently being accosted by.

"An assailant! A burglar! Such deeds will not go unpunished, even when committed by the elderly!"

He strikes a pose, chest out and eyes atwinkle.

"Hal von Eyros will not stand for this!"

>>1527

Percival nods--and then looks over your shoulder.

"...as it turns out, Cayenne's suitor may just be our concern after all."

>>1528

>Stop that, dice.

>>1528

Shudleng whips around, steel in her eyes. "How dare you consider me a thief when I'm helping your friend! What would Cayenne think of you screaming at old women in the street!"

She walks up to him and throws a similar pose, hands on her hip then throwing her chest.

>>1530

"Wait, what?"

'Hal von Eyros' does a double-take.

"But why were you holding him against his will?"

Percival sighs. "Hal, she was trying to offer me advice concerning...well, Cayenne."

"Is she in danger!?"

Another sigh from Percival. "No, Hal, she's not in danger..."

>>1525

William's gauntlet beeps a few times, and he opens the holographic map. Among the thousands of grey blips moving through the streets of the city, a single red dot is flashing through the streets at extremely high speeds.

"Probably one of the kids' friends" William thinks as he observes. Looking up from the map and switching the lenses on his eyepatch, he zooms in on the road leading to the city square. For a brief moment he sees a figure dash past, and tries to reaquire his target.

"Wait. Riley & the others don't seem to have a concept of subtlety. This idiot could get the guards on us again!" He thinks urgently as he leaps to his feet.

Thinking quickly, he removes the grappling line from his gauntlet and replaces it with a series of small rotating manacores. Each spinning sphere orbiting the gauntlet and each other in complex patterns. The aperture on the front of the gauntlet opens wide and William places a full size manacore in it. Using his eyepatch, he zooms in on the plaza in front of the running man, ans his eye begins to shine an electric green. The glow starts with his iris, but soon spreads until the entirety of his eye is shining. Meanwhile the gauntlet manacores whine as all of them spin at dangerous speeds while the orbiting balls fly ever faster. Electricity crackles around his outstretched arm, soon spreading to the rest of his body, while his coat and hair begin whipping about as if caught in a strong breeze. In the plaza, a clearing in the crowd begins to shimmer and crackle, smelling like the ground before a thunderstorm. In an instant it's passed, and there is a sound like a bolt of lightning striking the ground. A brilliant flash of light, and the smell of ozone fills the senses of those nearby. And there stands William, panting, but otherwise normal in his appearance. Directly in front of him is the sound of heavy footfalls, and a rapidly approaching figure.

Taking a moment to remove and store the extra manacores and to fix his hair a tad, so it only looks unruly, not like he'd just left bed, he plants himself directly in front of the running man. The crowd which had stopped it's activity when this man seemingly appeared in a bolt of lightning, holds its breath as a collision seems imminent.

>>1532

"And who's this!?" the man shouts, pointing at you.

"He's a friend, Hal," Percy mutters, putting a hand to his face and groaning. "I swear, your hair-trigger is going to get us killed faster than your grenades..."

Rolled 3, 15, 8 = 26 (3d20)

>>1532

>>1533

Shudleng reaches out with a suddenly much longer than normal arm, attempting to wrap it around William and Hal, pulling them into alley.

>>1532

Fuck me. I before my browser updated with the new posts.

Looking around at the others and at the man standing before him, William smiles and the crowd slowly disperses with nothing to see.

"Sorry for the flashy entrance," William begins as he checks his gauntlet for any damage, "But I wanted to be sure that you wouldn't be attracting the attention of the guards. I still have a killer headache from their version of riot control."

Rolled 14, 9, 6 = 29 (3d20)

>>1534

Rolled 16, 10, 7 = 33 (3d20)

>>1536

William spots the arm and slaps it away from him, but Shudleng still grabs his arm and drags him back. William is not pleased.

"I can walk just fine thank you." He says with an air of irritation.

She looks at the two of them.

>>1537

"Both of you shut up. The Guard will be here quickly unless you stop causing a disturbance!"

>>1534

>>1535

>>1536

>>1537

Caught off guard by the sudden arm usage, Hal is quickly dragged in; he carefully studies the people around him, comes to a conclusion, and speaks:

"Now THIS is how you start an adventure."

>>1539

"This is nothing, I once hijacked a battleship with an amazonian." William says with a chuckle.

God damn it hotwheels, let me post in peace.

Shudleng takes the time to very carefully untangle her arms. "Alright. Can we just meet up with the others? I still need to track down Cayenne." She looks up at Hal. "And you are the one who she's with? Why?"

>error, no.

>error pls

>pls

>>1540

"Sounds like fun! I'll have to add that to the list--my lovely Amazonian will surely love to go on a cruise! Speaking of, where is she?"

>>1541

"Yes I am!"

He strikes another pose.

"We make an unstoppable team of love and zeal!"

>>1542

>I used to have a le meem face gif.

>Where did I put it...?

>>1543

William simply observes, the look on his face seems to imply that he's unsure with how to react to the strange young man before him.

>>1543

She looks dumbstruck. Literally speechless.

Rolled 15, 4, 11 = 30 (3d20)

>San Check

>>1547

>and then william lost his mind

>>1547

>nah, it's mixed

>>1544

>I have literally seen like fifteen minutes of Dragon Ball.

>None of it involved the "Ginyu Force".

>I suspect this is gonna land up there with that one time I accidentally made furry not-time-travelling Dave Strider, or the dynamic duo who managed to be a reference to Shinji Ikari, Kanji Tatsumi, and Panty & Stocking all at once--all before I'd even heard of any of their source materials.

>>1550

>>1551

>it's like Dragon Ball parodying Dragon Ball

>dear god

>>1545

>>1546

"...I see. We will have to demonstrate our power later! First, where did she run off to?"

Hal chuckles confidently. "Knowing her, she probably left in search of something more exciting..."

>Fun fact: The actual inspiration for Hal's personality is Bang Shishigami.

>I have barely played any BlazBlue.

>He's also sort of Guy-Sensei, even though I've only seen one scene of him thanks to my Naruto-obsessed nephew.

>>1553

Shudleng looks around. "Yeah... No. She wanted to be alone for a bit."

>>1554

"She wanted to be alone?"

He rubs his chin, brow furrowed. "She hardly ever wants to be alone. For someone who hardly ever expresses herself, she loves company!"

>>1556

"...I see what you're trying to do."

He glares at you for a moment.

"...if you wanted a threesome, you just needed to ask. I'll have to get Cayenne's input on it first, though."

Percival groans, head in his hands.

>>1557

She bats some eyelashes at him. "Well, why don't you give me a big fat kiss as a show of good favor?"

In the back of her shirt, there forms the words "Really? This is the guy you thought she was happy with?"

>>1558

Percival stifles a chuckle as Hal crosses his arms.

"I have to get her input on it. As open as I am to the idea, I must respect her wishes. It would be unmanly of me to not do so!"

>>1559

The letters clear up, and Shudleng pouts. "Aww, if you say so, big guy. I think it'd be much more manly to just take what you want. After all, I'm sure she'd understand..."

>>1560

"Nope. I am a man of my word. And my word is faithfulness!"

He adopts a stern expression, staring into the distance.

"No matter the temptation, no matter the reward--I gave my heart to Cayenne, and to hurt her would be to hurt myself! No true man cheats on his love!"

>>1561

"You sound very serious about her. Why aren't you two married?" She lengthens her legs a little bit so that she's within his field of vision.

>>1563

"We're taking it fairly slowly. Which isn't to say that we're not taking it seriously!"

He grins. "We've moved in together. But marriage is a little ways off."

>>1564

She smiles sweetly. "And you think you are the best possible man for her?"

>>1565

"If I am not, then I have much work to do."

His grin softens.

"I owe it to her. I still owe her for the first time I saw her smile."

>Damn you for actually making him sweet.

"I see. And you'd fight for her if there were other suitors?" She raises an eyebrow.

>>1572

"If it came to it!"

He hefts his metallic club, which has the word "Louisville" imprinted upon the side, and laughs.

"I doubt anyone would want to fight me, though. Too much collateral damage!"

>>1575

"I bet. I bet." She leans in close. "I wonder though, would you fight if she wanted someone else?"

>>1581

"...if she wanted someone else?"

He stops grinning.

"Well...if we're just talking hypotheticals..."

"It should be something a strong, secure man like yourself should be able to talk about."

>>1583

"...well, it just wouldn't be worth fighting over. If she wants someone else, that is what she wants."

His determination returns.

"It isn't the way of a good man to keep someone who doesn't want a relationship! What kind of man would I be, if I tried to keep her against her will? Or if I complained and whined about being left behind?"

>>1585

She shrugs. "Fair enough. Percival." She turns to him. "You should tell this young man why we are here."

Observing the interaction between the three, William softly chuckles as he remembers a man very similar to Hal.

Drifting off into memories, he only half-listens to the conversations of the party.

>>1589

"Hal...you know how Cayenne acts like she's gotten over what happened in high school?"

"Yes, she has mentioned this. I still think it was childish of your sister to do such a thing--"

"She's not over it," Parry says.

Hal seems to deflate a little.

"What are you saying, Percival?"

"She's...she still wants me, Hal."

Hal von Eyros's shoulders slump, and you realize that he's held himself tall and proud this entire time--up until this moment.

>>1593

Shudleng glances between Hal and Percy multiple times. "WOAH. WOAH. THIS WAS NEITHER THE TIME NOR THE PLACE FOR THE CONVERSATION PERCY."

She reaches out and puts a hand on Hal's now drooped shoulders.

"Hey. Come here big guy. Let's forget that for now."

>>1596

"I...I thought that's what you meant when you told me to tell him why we're here."

He blinks. "Wait, you meant her voice, didn't you? Shit. Shit."

>>1596

William chuckles, thinking to how Albert reacted to a similar disappointment.

"Once we've finished our business here, we can go back to the bar & you can drink your sorrows away." He says with a grin.

>>1597

She gives him a look like he's the densest stone in the quarry.

"All the goblins in Assarn couldn't have fumbled this worse than you did."

She reaches up and drags Hal into a hug. She's warm, and smells like flowers.

>>1601

>what exactly are the limits of her shapeshifting?

>>1601

Hal wraps his arms around you.

Despite his build--wide and muscular--he is quite gentle.

"...and this is why she needed to be alone, I take it?"

Percival nods.

"And to top it all off, it turns out Riley's not entirely insane. She's just in love."

Hal snorts and rolls his eyes. "She needs to get over you. What irony, hm?"

>>1602

>She couldn't turn into the Tarrasque if you were wondering, but I figure nothing Clayface, Beast Boy, or Madame Rouge couldn't pull off, but not to the level of like, say Plastic Man. If she were shattered and broken she'd be dead. Her race are meant to be the apex of shapeshifting on this world, hence the racial imperative to hunt and murder all other shapeshifters.

>>1604

She leans back so she can look in his eyes. "I know how you feel, by the way. I've had it happen many many times."

>>1605

>So she can basically be almost anything, as long as it's roughly equal mass as she normally possesses?

>>1606

>Roughly, though unless she takes her time, they are a sweeping change that she has to fine-tune later, which is the reason there's always something wrong. In terms of mass, she's pretty heavy. It's just packed in there well.

>>1608

>There are also limits in what she can use if she takes a form. If she turned into a snake, she could do venom. If she became a dragon, she couldn't breathe fire unless she rigged it together organically. If she became a Gorgon she couldn't turn others to stone but you better bet all those snakes will be venomous.

>>1605

"It is painful."

For a moment, the facade of the powerful hero drops, and you are looking into the eyes of a mere human.

"But I can deal with pain."

The grin returns to his face, though it is a little more grim now.

"Where did she run off to?"

>Time for sleep now. Good night, all.

>>1608

>So what's her biggest size if she were to maintain humaoid form? Can she go full Giganta?

>>1610

"Good question. Don't really know, though I'm sure she'll show up. This is a safe city and she knows where we are going."

>>1611

>good night

>>1612

>She'd have to eat a little bit first. Forceful Acquisition of Mass. Without eating? Probably only about the height of a three story building. She would really not want to be humanoid if fighting at that size though. She'd rather just be an amoprhous blob and manifest many many pointy things as she falls into her enemy.

>>1613

>I take it she's not able to violate the square-cube law then?

>>1615

>She could, though that's blamed more on her being a magical creature and without a standard physiology. She's not comprised of blood and muscle and bone, more like mentally controlled protoplasm. She's like one giant cell.

>>1617

Interesting.

>>1618

>thanks

>>1618

Fuck me I forgot to put the >

>>1613

"That's not what I'm concerned with."

Hal lets you go, and steps back.

"We Hunters try to be stoic, but more often than not, it's just a ruse. When a Hunter starts to fall apart..."

"...all hell breaks loose," Percival finishes. "Cayenne's too smart to be caught by surprise--if she's going to manifest a Door, she'll head back to the bar--"

"But if we find her," Hal replies, "we can keep the door from opening."

>>1623

Shudleng cracks her neck. "So we need to find her then? Is there any magic that removes scent that she'd do? Because otherwise?..."

Before your eyes she drops to the ground on all fours and shifts to a hulking canine form. Each of its paws are at least the size of your hands, and its slobbering mouth could wrap around your neck. The fur is all matted and bald in some spots, and the tail isn't shaped properly but those change with time. She looks up at the two of you and speaks in a rumbling voice that sounds like two rocks being rubbed together.

"I've got this."

>>1624

"Our training is almost exclusively in combat magic," Percival explains. "Shadows don't track you by scent."

Hal just shoulders his bat and smiles. "We'll be there for her. Where's Riley?"

"She is with one of our other new friends, on her way to be healed. Long story."

"I see! You'll have to tell me later. I love a good story."

>>1625

"Good," she gurgles."Then this form is modified for speed. We keep to the running roads until we are close. Ready?"

>>1626

"I doubt I'll be able to keep up with you all, so I'll catch up." William says, looking at the map on his gauntlet.

>>1625

>>1624

Riley is currently walking next to Vasnesh. She scribbles a note on her pad, then hands it to him.

[Are we there yet?]

>>1628

He looks up at the signs around them and points to a building up ahead. It's a two story building sandwiched between two much wider ones, but it is nice and pleasant nonetheless.

>>1629

Riley grabs Vasnesh's hand and pulls him towards the building! She's clearly very excited about regaining her voice.

>>1626

"Understood."

"Born ready!"

The two of them step up alongside you, and make ready to run.

Rolled 11, 20, 14 = 45 (3d20)

>>1630

He nods, happy to help. "Relax. We'll get you all taken care of."

>>1631

"Perfect." All at once, the beast lunges, rippling muscles spilling out over the torso, and in a small could of dust, she's gone.

>rolling to track

>>1633

The beast is making good time, she's obviously kept the scent from when she was close to Cayenne. Cayenne can go fast, but right now, Shudleng has her number. She goes tearing through, dodging others running, and quickly getting close.

>HOTWHEEEEELLLLLLSSSSSSSS! LET ME POST!

>Literally been trying for fucking 3 hours. GOD FUCKING DAMNIT

>>1634

Behind you, Hal and Percy spring into action--and can barely keep up, even with their magical enhancement.

You can smell Cayenne's tears. They lead toward the wall.

>>1634

Her scent leads to the outer parts of the city.

Behind you, Percival and Hal waste no time in trying to catch up--but with your new form, even their ridiculously-fast magic-enhanced speed is only barely enough.

Up ahead, you can see her, curled up at the base of the wall (thank the gods she isn't at the top).

She's watching you approach. Well, she's watching Hal and Percy approach.

>>1635

>>1636

>oh cripple god why do you do this to me

>>1636

>>1637

Shudleng gets to about ten feet away before she comes rolling in close, changing form mid roll to a smaller looking weasel-type creature with soft-looking (and feeling) fur. Its teeth are crooked and it's clumsy at first, but it's cute as shit. It comes up and whumps right at Cayenne's feet.

"Hey, demon hunter. How are you feeling?"

>RIGHT??

>>1638

"..."

She stares at you for a long moment.

"Not well," she mutters. "My friends are in need, and all I can think of is my own desire."

>>1639

She purrs in your lap. "Your greatest desire. The fact is, there's nothing here life threatening. She just can't talk properly. It's a visit to a healer."

She looks over at the two approaching.

"So, I told Percy. Then in his infinite wisdom and ability to put his stupid foot in his mouth, he told Hal. Everyone knows but Riley."

>>1640

"He told--"

She looks up. Hal and Percival have arrived.

"Listen, Cayenne."

Hal takes a knee next to her, smiling sadly.

"You remember the first time you smiled at me? How I told you I would work my entire life to pay you back for that smile? Well, I found a way to pay my debt in full."

He gestures to Percival.

"I won't get in your way."

>>1641

Shudleng puts her paws over her eyes and shakes her head. "Noooo... you dunce that will only make her feel more guilty."

>>1642

"What am I supposed to do? Try to cling to something that doesn't make her happy?"

Hal sighs. "I cannot simply maintain the status quo if it makes her miserable! Let her enjoy herself, for however long it lasts."

>>1643

She looks at him, all but spitting out the words. "You do it in a way that cares for her feelings, you dolt. She obviously wasn't happy about it before, and now you make her feel even worse by being such a big guy about it."

>>1644

"Hrrmf."

He ponders for a few moments, turning over the situation in his head.

"What would you suggest, then? I'm afraid I've no subtlety."

>And now I have to sleep. 'Cuz goddamn am I tired.

>>1645

"I'd suggest just being calm about it." She nuzzles into Cayenne's lap a little before continuing.

"Just tell her, 'I heard you still want Percy. I understand. For the record, I'm fine with it. How would you like to approach it?'"

>goodnight

>>1646

"Hm. An excellent idea."

Hal nods to you, then looks Cayenne in the eye.

"As our mutual friend mentioned, I heard that you've still got feelings for Percival. And, well, I don't mind. What makes you smile makes me smile. Now--"

He offers a hand to Cayenne.

"How would you like to move forward?"

She reaches up, and takes Hal's hand.

"I...I feel that we should wait for Riley to come back," she mutters. "Legitimate or not, she has feelings."

>>1647

Shudleng uncoils out of her lap, dropping to the ground as she stands up. "We can go visit her at the healer. They should be there by now."

Her form ripples, and again there stands the canine.

"Assuming Vasnesh actually took her where she's supposed to go, and didn't take her on some ruse trip."

>>1648

"If he did, there will be hell to pay," Percival says. "You feeling up to a quick jog, Cayenne?"

"I think I've got some of my magic back, yes," she replies. She sounds stronger already.

>>1649

"Good. I know where we are going. We'll have to slow down once we hit the Mental Center though."

She readies herself, and she's off! At a leisurely pace this time. No reason to go sprinting across the city faster than needed.

>>1650

Behind you, Cayenne carefully studies the faces of her friends.

Hal stares straight ahead, ready to meet the problem and talk about it like a gentleman.

Percival focuses on not running anyone over.

>>1651

Within a minute or so, you reach it. The small building sandwiched between two larger ones. It's homey looking, and out from the top curls some smoke.

She transforms back into that elven woman, and stands out in front. "They should be in there. It smelt like they went in."

>Smelt

>Fuck me

>>1633

Riley, inside the building with Vas, is looking around, fascinated.

[What is all of this?]

>>1655

The inside is rather nice, it's a small foyer with a desk situated inside of it. Through an open entryway you see a living area and a kitchen. There are a set of stairs leading upstairs as well. Sitting at the desk is a young looking reptilian woman with a gold chain looped over her head and around to the front of her shoulder like a braid. She smiles as you two look around.

Vasnesh reads the note and says "This is the healers, right?"

She nods.

"Great. My friend here cannot form words properly anymore due to an incident. We are looking to fix that. Can we?"

She nods and motions for you two to come closer.

>>1656

>Ghostwriting for Riley.

Riley bounces closer and scribbles a note.

{Hi! I'm Riley de Gracie! I can't talk properly...}

Under this she draws a little person speaking gibberish.

The woman smiles and reaches out to touch her forehead. Inside you hear the words "Me too. But hopefully we can fix yours."

Mentally you can feel someone gently moving through your mind, never leaving more than a light touch, until it feels like she ran into a tender spot. He forehead creases, and you hear her, "Oh, I see. You have been through a lot. Let's go into the other room. Down on the couch. We will discuss what I have to do, ok?"

>>1658

Riley simply nods, following.

She tries to think something to the healer: "What is your name?"

>>1652

Meanwhile, Percival, Cayenne, and Hal are making their way up to the door.

"Do they take walk-ins?" Percival asks.

>>1659

The healer turns around and touches her on the arm.

"Lotl'ssthicyt. You'll want to call me Lot when you get fixed. It's a little easier."

She then motions to a rather plush looking sofa that really almost looks like a bed with how big the cushions are. At one end, it's raised so that one could place their head there comfortably, and a seat on that side.

Vasnesh remains in the entryway by the desk, eyeing the sign that says "Quiet, please."

>>1659

Shudleng follows along close. "If they have the capacity, they should accept anyone. They are apparently motivated by healing here."

>>1660

Riley sits in the middle of the bed, her legs crossed.

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I am ready, Losi."

>>1660

"I see. I suppose it's just a matter of working off the debt, then."

Percy pushes the door open.

>>1661

She gives a little smile and touches you gently on the shoulder.

"I know. But there are things to discuss first. You say you are ready, but we do things a little differently than you are used to, here. I will fix the damage. Is that all you wish for me to do? I can change things as well. Add memories, remove them. I won't touch your attraction to your brother, but is there anything else?"

>>1661

You see Vasnesh standing there in the entryway alone. As soon as he sees the lot of you he puts a finger to his lips, and points in the direction of the room.

>>1662

"I want to forget... there."

Riley visbly shudders. "I want to forget..."

A series of images flash through her mind. Her time in her personal Hell, before she was saved. The slow insertion of the pins, one by one. The collar clamped around her neck, made to slit her throat if she turned her head.

"This."

>>1662

"...I see."

Percival quietly takes a seat next to him, and Hal follows suit. Cayenne paces.

>>1663

She nods, then looks back to the entryway. "I will do that. Let me go and check on the others. Lay here, get comfortable and try to sleep. I'll be back in a few moments."

She stands up and walks out in the entryway, looking over the others who have just come in. She gives a bow to each of them, then reaches out to touch Vasnesh. He turns to the rest and says, "She knows who we are, and is asking if any of us need care."

>>1664

"I will be fine," Percival says.

Hal simply nods to Cayenne, who sighs. "I am doing much better than before, Hal. A love triangle is not something that needs mental healthcare."

Meanwhile, Riley closes her eyes and tries to relax.

>>1665

The woman smiles a little bit at each of you. Vasnesh looks at her weirdly for a moment before relaying, "Uh, she apparently wants to say while it's not something that needs it, it is something that can be treated. There is also the matter of payment."

>Time for me to sleep, actually. Early morning coffee person training.

>>1667

>no worries. Sleep well.

>>1666

"We have no local currency," Cayenne explains. "Unless one of you came prepared?"

Percy and Hal both share a worried glance. "Sorry," Percy mutters. "I didn't think to ask Vasnesh before leaving."

>>1669

Shudleng raises a hand. "How much will it cost? And what can we offer payment in."

Vasnesh stumbles over the reply. "Coin always works, but she'd also apparently accept each of us letting her... look through our minds?"

He looks at the rest of them.

>>1670

Percy shakes his head. "I'm not sure I'd be happy with that--"

"I've nothing to hide," Hal says, standing up. "I suppose that's one fifth of the payment, assuming the shapeshifters are among the ones she wanted to look at."

Cayenne remains silent.

Vasnesh shakes his head at her a few times before continuing. "She says it's alright Percy. She's already had a look-- a full look inside of Riley's mind."

Vasnesh for her part raises her hand. "I'll submit for it." She looks over at Percy and Cayenne.

>>1672

"...if she's seen what Riley's seen, I doubt I've got anything left to hide," Percival says, standing.

Cayenne sighs. "I'll accept--but I must ask that my thoughts remain private. Do not share them, please."

>>1673

Vasnesh chuckles a little. "She could not speak of them even if she wished. With that handled, she'll be back in a few minutes when she's done with Riley."

Shudleng sighs.

>>1674

"Very well, then."

Percival and Hal take their seats again.

Riley is sleeping, relatively peacefully.

>>1675

The woman steps out into where Riley is sleeping. She steps over gently and places a hand on her head. Out in the hallway you hear a sound like the tinkling of bells, and inside your mind there's a light white noise like waves. For those of you looking there's also a soft blue light that is washing out into the room.

After about ten minutes of this, she comes walking back out. She touches Shudleng this time, who relays "It's done. She's resting now, but you can see her."