>>2984845
>>Pretend to be asleep

>writing

>>2984845
>>You're coming to Lutain
Time to blow her mind

You lock eyes with her for a moment. It's probably too to pretend you're asleep, but it's worth a try. You let your head fall back to the pillow and roll so your back is to the door.

...

...

"Cooooouuuuusiiiiiiiiinnnnn!" Daria says. You can hear her waving her arms about and flapping her wings in annoyance. "Wake up-!"

Now that is the sound of a Daria sized projectile launching itself at your prone form from across the room. Normally you'd assume that a girl her size couldn't make the jump, but you know she's quite experienced with using her wings indoors...

Figuring you should brace yourself you roll back over and get ready to catch her, only to find that she's much closer than you anticipated.

Daria collides and lands on top of you with a gleeful squeal. The impact knocks the wind right out of your chest. Completely unfazed, she sits back up and starts rocking your shoulder while chanting "Cousin! Cousin! Cousin! Cousin!"

You groan, open your eyes again, and you're met with such a bright smile that it almost melts away all of your will to seek revenge.

Almost.

You sit up and put her in a headlock so you can give her a noogie. "Daria! Daria! Daria!" You say.

"Ow, ow!" She replies as you let her go. She rights herself and rubs her head, puffing out her cheeks and giving you her best pouty face. "That huuuuurt"

You poke her cheeks to 'pop' them. "Good news?" You ask.

Daria's smile returns, like she's forgotten all about why she was mad a second ago. "Guess!" She says.

"You're getting a pony for your birthday" You say.

"It's not my birthday and I already have a pony" She replies.

"You do?" You ask.

She nods enthusiastically. "Her name is Swervy 'cause she doesn't like to run straight and she lives in the stables out behind the palace" She says in a matter-of-fact tone. "I don't get to ride her that often but Chrissy, who's the Centaur that runs the stables, keeps her nice and shiny, and-"

"Okay, okay. Slow down there" You say. "You're coming with me to Lutain"

"Nuh-uh. I'm-" She stops in her tracks and frowns. "Yeah, that's it..."

"Thought so" You say.

Daria throws her hands up in the air. "How'd you know! I came all the way here to surprise you!"

>Lucky guess

>Magic

>What else could it have been?

>Other

>>2985008
>>Magic
We can make her think we always MIGHT be watching.

>>2985008
>>Magic

>>2985008
>>Magic

>>2985008
>>Magic
We weren't asleep, we were...astral projecting! Totally!

>writing

>>2985027
We should really mix in rumors like this with the real ones. With some of the stuff we had done, people would believe it and it would add to our reputation with the enemy.

You poke her on the nose. "Magic" You say.

"That's not how magic works!" She replies. "And you can't even do magic!"

"That's not how your magic works" You say. "You see, when I sleep I can actually leave my body and float around to watch people without them knowing"

Daria's face turns bright red, and she recoils from you. "S-so you're some kind of sleep... pervert?"

You squeeze your eyes shut and pinch the bridge of your nose. "Not what I meant..." You say. "I was going more for a 'reading over your shoulder and listening to conversations' sort of deal"

"Oh. Y-yeah, that makes sense" She says, relaxing a bit.

...

"So... do I want to know why you went straight for the perverted stuff there?" You ask.

"Well it's really not like a thing where- huh? What's that?" She says, putting a hand up to her ear. "Sounds like they're calling me for breakfast. I should go down there. Don't wanna be late for breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day, after all. Ha ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha."

Daria gets off your bed with stiff, woody movements and marches towards the door, continuing her exaggerated fake laugh all the way to the door and out into the hallway until you can no longer hear it.

...

Is she going all the way down there like that? You know some of the staff already worries about her mental health, if they spot her walking around like that they might think she's lost it...

With a sigh you hop out of bed, shut the door and get changed. The sooner you catch up to your silly cousin the better...

>1/2

Luckily Daria doesn't move very quickly at her silly walking pace, and after changing, fixing your hair, and making sure all your equipment is where it should be you still catch up to her about halfway to the dining hall.

"You can stop now you know" You say, patting her on the back.

"Right. Yeah" She says, clearing her throat and loosening up to a more natural walk.

"So you're ridin' with me, huh?" You ask.

She nods. "Altea said it's okay for me to go to Lutain with you!" She says. "I'll have to deal with some increased security while I'm there, but I'm excited! It's been so long since I've been... anywhere!"

"Well I can't say how scenic the ride will be, since I did most of it in the dead of night. But Lutain is a nice place, and you'll be well taken care of at my home..." You say.

You reach the dining room and sit down. The entire meal is spent feeding Daria's curiousity as she excitedly rattles off questions on after another, giving you precious little time to actually eat.

When you finish eating, Daria gasps and shoots to her feet. "I should pack!" She says, before dashing out of the room.

"Pack light. The Rook doesn't have that much cargo.. space... aaaand she's gone" You say, looking down at Coral. "Think she got any of that?"

Coral shakes her head.

"Didn't think so" You say.

>Go after her

>Go do your own things

>Other

>>2985159
>>Go do your own things

>>2985159
>>Go after her

>writing

"Well here's hoping she calms down a bit once we're actually in Lutain" You say as you get up and go after her.

Along the way one of the butlers stops you to inform you that you have a guest waiting in one of the sitting rooms. You thank him, inform him that Daria will probably need a maid or two, then continue on your way.

By the time you reach her room it's already a complete disaster. She's taken much of the contents of her closets and drawers and strewn them about. You hear her mumbling to herself about what she should bring as she rifles through another drawer.

"Daria" You say in a soft tone, so as to not break her concentration too hard...

Your attempt fails, as she startles, gets her foot caught on something and falls backwards taking the entire drawer with her and flinging it and its contents up into the air. Judging by what's come out of it, it was probably her underwear drawer...

You rush in as quickly as you can, just managing to catch the drawer before it lands corner first on her head.

"Ow ow ow..." She says as she sits up, flinching and guarding her head when she sees the drawer, but relaxing when she notices you're holding it. "Oh hey. What brings you up here?"

"I came to tell you to pack light" You say, as you help her to her feet. "We're taking the Rook, so you'll have space for a small backpack and not much else"

"Oh..." She says, trying to look nonchalant... and failing, mostly because you just saw her excitedly rifling through her things, but also because there's a bra stuck on her wing, and a pair of panties hanging from her left horn. "Yeah. I knew that"

...

"But wait. How will I get my stuff there if I can't take it with me?" She asks.

"That's what I was going to talk to you about before you ran out" You say, plucking the underpants off her horn and tossing them. "Lutain is still getting regular airship trips from Leon. The rest of your things can be shipped over, but you'll need to set that up with the staff here. Okay?"

"Okay" She says, turning to go back to what she was doing.

"And remember, only a small bag" You say, putting a hand on her cheek to turn her back towards you, and holding her head there to make sure you've got her attention. "It's a long ride, and you'll have to wear what you pack the whole way. I don't wanna hear any complaints about sore shoulders, got it?"

"Got it" She replies, bouncing in place.

...

Judging by her demeanor, you'd say she got about half of that... hopefully it's the half that matters.

>Help her pack

>Go and see your guest

>Other

>>2985332
>>Go and see your guest

>>2985332
>>Go and see your guest

>writing

"Just to make sure, say it back to me please" You say.

Daria lets out an annoyed sigh. "Pack small. Long ride. Sore shoulders. Ship stuff" She says, giving her wings a little flap that brings the errant bra to her attention. She plucks it off and hides it behind her with an embarrassed smile.

"Close enough. I've got someone I need to meet with, so you keep at it. Some maids should be by in a bit to help clean up the mess" You say.

"Mess...?" Daria says as she looks around. "Oh. That mess"

You lean in and give her a peck on the cheek. "See you in a bit"

Daria jumps up and hugs you. "Seeeeeee yaaaaaa" She says, hopping back down and getting to work, repeating "Pack small. Long ride. Sore shoulders. Ship stuff" as she does.

You hear her continuing her little mantra as you walk out of the room...

"Pack small. Long ride. Sore shoulders. Ship stuff. Pack small. Long lide. Shore shoulders. Stip shuff- blehhhhh"

You chuckle to yourself as you head out into the hall. She should be fine...

Hopefully...

>1/2

You get down to the sitting room at the same time as a maid carrying a teapot with 2 cups. You let the maid step in first, as it's probably easier to let her do her thing before you've sat down than it would be for you to walk in and sit then awkwardly watch the maid pour tea.

As you follow the maid in, you see Namaki sitting on the couch waiting for you. She smiles when she spots the maid with her tea, and her smile widens when she notices you behind her.

"Good morning" She says.

"Good morning" You reply. "Didn't expect to see you so early"

"Didn't expect to be up so early myself" She says. "The Rynias were kind to offer me a room for the night, but I've grown quite unaccustomed to sleeping in a house with children in it..."

"Oh?" You ask as you sit down next to Namaki. "Cubs too loud for you?"

"Thank you dear" Namaki says as she takes her tea from the maid. "Noise I can handle, but apparently they wished to play with me specifically this morning"

You thank the maid as well when she finishes pouring a cup for you, then she takes her leave.

"That's normal. You're a new person and cats are known for their curiousity" You say. "So what... did they wake up up by jumping on you or something?"

"No, my door was closed so they sat outside for a bit, scratching and mewling..." She says.

"What did you do?" You ask.

"Well I let them in, of course" She says. "Cats and I have never gotten along well, but I'm not made of stone... anyways, my kindhearted nature was rewarded by having two kittens pouncing around as I got dressed"

>That doesn't sound so bad

>However did you manage?

>Where was their mom during all this?

>Other

>>2985433
>That doesn't sound so bad

>>2985433
>What's it like to have your tails chased when you have nine?

>writing

"That doesn't sound so bad" You say.

"Says the guy who doesn't have 9 extra things for them to chase... and my sash" She says, pulling at the fancy looking rope holding her robe together. "They stole my sash"

"You couldn't just... take it back?" You ask.

"Of course not! If I try to take it back they get their teeth and their claws in it and ruin the fabric..." She says, puffing out her cheeks. "I am a lady, and I will not be seen with something as disgraceful as a frayed sash"

You reach around behind her and scratch under her ear. "There there. I'm sure the second you left they got bored with it and it'll be good as new when you go back" You say. "And I'm sure you can find a new one somewhere"

She into your side, settling in like she usually does when you scratch her and pouting as she brings her cup up to her lips. "I liked that sash..." She says, taking a sip. "Oh, that's good. When that maid comes back remind me to compliment her choice of leaves and ability to brew them"

"O-okay..." You say, taking a sip yourself. "I guess it's pretty good... you probably appreciate this stuff more than I do"

She smiles and pinches your cheeks. "My dear, It's quite difficult to bring things like tea into Otuna, and they only grow one kind there" She says, taking a long sniff over her cup before taking another sip. "300 years of Sassery leaf tea with only brief respites every few decades or so will give you an unimaginable appreciation for these things"

"I could see that" You say.

She titters into her cup, taking another sip before sitting up to set it back on the table. "So what took you so long? I figured you'd come running to see me as soon as you heard" She says, giving you the mock sad eyes. "Weren't you happy to see me?"

>They didn't say who you were

>Cousin's having some trouble packing

>I thought I'd let the anticipation build a bit

>Other

Taking a dinner break here. Will resume writing when I'm done.

>>2985516
>>They didn't say who you were

>>2985516
>>They didn't say who you were
>>Cousin's having some trouble packing

Back, and >writing

"Well they didn't say who it was" You say. "Also Daria was having some issues packing"

"Indecisive?" She asks.

"Unattentive and overexcited" You say.

Namaki laughs. "You almost sound annoyed" She says.

You shrug. "I've put up with worse" You say.

One of Namaki's tails makes its way into your lap where you can pet it.

"Thanks" You say.

"Happy to help" She replies. "Especially when helping is so easy"

You sit back, relax, drink tea, scratch Namaki's ear and pet her fluffy tail for a little while. Until Namaki's cup is empty and she decides to speak again.

"So the Commander said yes, did she?" Namaki asks.

"I didn't think she'd refuse" You say. "And I know you didn't either, so I don't know why you sound surprised"

"Not surprised. Just sparking the conversation" She says. "I'm sure she'll do well out there. Shelter and safety are important, but a queen needs to know how to deal with people in ways that don't involve pouting."

"She's cute enough to pull it off" You say.

"That won't last forever" She says.

"Works well enough for you" You say, poking her cheek.

"Yes, well, when I do it I'm not simply being impatient. It's a calculated act of weaponized charm against a person's weak spot." She says, poking you right back.

"But you do it all the time" You say.

"On you" She says with a mischievous grin.

It takes a second to register her meaning there... "I do not have a weak spot" You say.

"Oh, not even for me?" She asks in a playful tone, giving you her best pouty face.

>... maybe a bit

>Oh god stop. I'm sorry

>I have built a resistance.

>Other

>>2985706
>... maybe a bit

>>2985706
>>... maybe a bit
>>At least the enemy has no hope of using it against me since you clearly have the fluffiest.

>>2985706
>>I have built a resistance.

>writing

"M-maybe a bit" You say, feeling your cheeks flush as you turn away.

Namaki rests her chin on your shoulder. "Only a bit?" She asks, her voice low and soft. "Perhaps your weaknesses have shifted. I'll have to reacquire them if I want to keep toying with you like this..."

She turns your head back towards her and stares straight into your eyes. For a moment you're taken back by the intensity of her gaze, but she holds you steady.

"How is this suppo-"

Namaki's ears flick, and she smiles. "Weakpoint found~" She says, popping up and darting in towards you. You think she's going for a kiss, but then she swerves and goes to nibble on your earlobe instead. Her tails wag happily behind her, the sheer weight of fluff causing her hips to sway as she giggles and pulls away.

"See now, that's just not fair" You say, wiping off the little bit of saliva left on your ear.

"Oh?" She asks, crossing her legs and resting her chin on her hand. "And why is that?"

"If that were anyone else's weak spot, you wouldn't be allowed to do that" You say

She smiles. "But it's not anyone else's weak spot. It's yours" She says. "And who says I wouldn't be allowed to do that to anyone else? You don't think I'd be able to charm my way into that sort of familiarity with another person?"

"I just mean it's not something that people usually-"

"Or are you perhaps saying you want me all to yourself?" She asks, licking her lips and giving you a smile that's part mischief, and part lust, with just a hint of menace hidden somewhere. "Careful what you wish for, dear. It might just come true."

You find yourself at a complete loss for words, and Namaki starts to laugh.

"Oh goodness. That face there was delightful" She says. "A shame you have to return to the front. I do so enjoy toying with you..."

>You know I'm not the only one with weakpoints...

>Why not join me there?

>What kind of face was I making?

>Glad someone's having fun...

>Other

>>2985850
>>Why not join me there?

>>2985850
>You know I'm not the only one with weakpoints...

>writing

>>2985850
>Glad someone's having fun...

You purse your lips and give her an unimpressed stare.

"Oh, did I hurt your feelings?" She asks as she leans in and hugs you. "I'm sorry. I do take things to far sometimes"

You return her embrace and smile. "I'm a big boy. I'll be fine" You say in a teasing tone, before whispering right into her ear "I was just thinking that I'm not the only one here with weak spots"

Namaki lets out a little gasp as your hand comes to rest on a familiar spot just above her tails...

"Now now dear, whatever do you mean?" She asks in a confident voice as she pulls away. "We both know a refined lady like myself has no such openings"

If you didn't know better you might actually believe that. But even without your past experience, the way her ears are standing up and her tails have straightened out tell you that she's quite nervous.

"But I think that's enough games. We-" She cuts off with a squeak, scrunching her face up and arching her back as you scratch where your hand.

You stop after a second, but don't take your hand away.

Namaki gives you a dirty look, and you just smile.

"No no. Go on. You were saying?" You ask.

She takes a breath. "That's enough-" She flinches as you give the area a little pinch, then turns and glares at you again.

"Something wrong?" You ask. "Enough what again?"

"Enough g-uh"

"Enough guh?" You ask.

"Not guh. I said-" You start scratching again. Her back arches like usual, but she fights through it. "-that's... enough... games..."

"Enough games? That doesn't sound like you at all" You say. "You're all about games, aren't you?"

She shoots you a dirty look again. Her breathing is a little heavier than usual, but you think a little more revenge might be in order...

>You've had your fun

>More games

>Other

>>2985986
>>More games

>>2985986
>>You've had your fun

>>2985986
>You’ve had your fun

>writing

"Yeah that's enough" You say, taking your hand away and petting her between the ears. "Just remember that next time you decide to toy around too much"

Namaki smiles. "Careful what you wish for, dear" She says. "In a more private setting I'd never ask you to stop that"

"In a more private setting that wouldn't be teasing, it'd be fore-" You stop as she puts a finger to your lips. You notice one of her ears pointed towards the door, and decide to let that topic die off. "So I know where I'm off to. What are your plans?"

"I'll be staying here a while longer" She says, settling back and away from you into a more natural position. "A few days at most. Then I'll be going to Bell's Run for a week or so to see if staying away from Otuna has any adverse effects"

You tilt your head. "Have you been feeling strange?" You ask.

"Strange, yes... somewhat... diminished" She says. "I've not tested it out yet, but I feel as though my ability to create larger illusions has been lessened somewhat by my time away"

"So you're going to stay in Bell's Run for a bit... are you sure it's safe?" You ask.

"Safe enough. Should anything bad happen I'll have someone ready to whisk me home in a flash" She says. "So don't you worry about me, dear"

Before you can respond, the maid comes back in to take away the teacups. You use this time to mull over what you want to say next...

>Just be careful

>Be sure to write

>Ask for advice on using power

>Other

>>2986074
>>Ask for advice on using power

>>2986074
>>Ask her if that yeti ever showed up for her ax.
>>Ask about the sword she brought to the duel.

>>2986074
Supporting >>2986095

>writing

"Did the yeti lady ever show up for the axe?" You ask.

"Not as of yeti" She says with a childish grin.

You chuckle. "Nice"

"Thank you. I imagine she won't come by until the front moves a little further south, closer to where Otuna is" She says. "The Spire is actually... well, not close, but it's as close to Otuna as the war will be getting, hopefully. And close enough for a soldier to come and visit, if they wish"

The maid gives a polite bow as she exits the room.

"And of course, if a certain someone wants to stop by for a break... I wouldn't be averse to filling one organ and emptying another before you went on your way..." She says with a lustful grin.

...

"And I thought I was being very clever for a second there with my illusions, but I forgot that you can't see them so now you're just confused" She says, looking disappointed and dropping the charm with a deflated sigh. "The organs I was referring to were your stomach and your balls, in that order. Fill stomach. Empty balls"

"Gotcha. Sounds like a lovely evening" You say, pecking her on the cheek. "Oh! And speaking of weapons, did you want the sword back? I remember you saying something, but..."

"You were understandably preoccupied at that time" She says. "You can keep it if you want, I suppose. Could come in handy in the future if you have trouble getting your own sword back... though I couldn't really see you needing it too much, given how that fight went..."

"I wanted to ask about that too actually" You say. "What did you think?"

"It was very impressive, though a bit blunt" She says. "From one person with more than normal power to another, I'd suggest working on your finer control over it. A warhammer is a fine tool when there's space to swing it, but it's a glorified paperweight every other time"

"Any suggestions on how I might get that finer control?" You ask.

"Practice" She says, leaning forward and rifling around in a purse that's sitting on the table. She pulls out an old wooden brush and tosses it to you. "I have had that brush my entire life. The bristles have been replaced a dozen times over, and the handle has been repaired by woodworkers every time it broke. But it's been with me from 1 tail all the way up to 9. Look it over carefully, please"

...

>Is the comb supposed to help?

>Is this a roundabout way of asking me to brush you?

>Keep quiet

>Other

>>2986190
>>Keep quiet
>>Look it over carefully.

>writing

You shrug and look the brush over carefully. It doesn't take long. It's just a brush, right?

"Now, after all these years it's nowhere near the same as it was, but back then it was the first object I ever reproduced perfectly as an illusion" She says. "I tried, and studied, and tried, and revised, and tried, and tried, and tried, until it was perfect. Every little crease, every bristle, every patch of colour in the wood"

You nod, finally starting to understand why this would be important.

"Now, had you asked 17-year-old, 7-tailed me to create this brush, she'd probably scoff at you and lecture you about how very beneath The Kitsune such trivial things are... I won't lie, I was a massive brat back then" She says.

"I'm a prince" You say. "Would she really lecture me?"

Namaki goes to answer, but reconsiders. "Good question... I don't think I ever met any princes back then..." She shakes her head. "But that's not important, stop making me go off track"

"Sorry. Continue" You say.

"Now, 17 year old me might have said all of those things, but the brush she projected would have been... generic. Not this brush, just a brush that looks vaguely like it" She says. "Going from tail 7 to 8 required much finer control. By recreating the brush I learned that the details are important, and became better at seeing them, and including them in my works. By working as hard as I did on the little things, my grander illusions became that much more real"

"How long did that take you?" You ask.

"Years" She says. "I was your age when I grew in my seventh tail, and the eighth didn't come in until I was 21"

"So to get to 8 you needed control... what about number 9?" You ask.

"Experience" She says. "So start small, darling. This new power of yours is wild and vast, but it obeys your call. Temper it, master it, and study it until you need not call it at all"

"I will" You say.

>Anything else?

>>2986304
>>Tell her to take care given she's the kitsune too and the demons already went after Lyvia. Especially if she is feeling weak.
>>Otherwise, no.

>writing

"But I suppose I've stolen enough of your time" She says, standing up and stretching out. "You've a long way to travel, and other people to say goodbye to so I will say farewell here"

You stand with her. "Just take care, alright" You say. "If you're feeling weak... you know the Legion has already come after Lyvia. I don't want you to get blindsided if your power fades..."

"You are the last person to be telling anyone about being careful" She says. "But if it worries you so much, you'll just have to keep their eyes on you. Can't go looking for threats if there's one already knocking down their door, after all"

"Namaki..." You say.

"Alright. I will take care" She says. "And if it will ease your mind I shall write to you regularly... hmm... though I think that might get boring after a while, receiving letter after letter with nothing but 'nothing much happening here'..."

"You don't really have to-"

"Oh, I've got it! I'll write each letter from a different... character" She says, clapping her hands together. "One from your glory-seeking younger brother who was too young to join, another from a concerned grandmother who just wants to know if you're eating well"

"Now you're just being silly..."

"Perhaps another from a lover. 'Oh, my dearest Yuu. How long has it been? My body yearns for your tender embrace'." She says, swooning back and forth in an exaggerated way until she comes in for a hug. "But yes. I will be cautious"

"Do you still have to send the letters?" You ask as you return her embrace.

"Oh, that's just a bit of fun. I won't do it if you don't want me to" She says.

You shrug. "If you really want to do it..." You say.

Namaki laughs and steps away. "Then you can look forward to my first letter as Alfred, your once wise but now perhaps a bit senile uncle who can't seem to remember which war you're fighting in" She says.

You walk her back to the entrance, talking along the way about travel plans, how she might look in more modern clothing, and kitten handling tips.

When you get outside, her cart is waiting there, and after helping her in she blows you a kiss and drives away.

Now that she's away, you're free to-

>Pack your own things

>Check in on Daria

>See if there's other news from the front

>Other

>>2986499
>>See if there's other news from the front

>>2986499
>See if there's other news from the front

>writing

You probably should have done this as soon as you heard there was any info from the front... but now's as good a time as any. You head down to the military area of the palace, and find Leah already in the strategy room.

"Good morning" You call out as you enter.

"Easy for you to say. You get to go back out to the front where things are actually going right..." She replies.

"What's wrong?" You ask.

She holds up a small stack of papers. "Reports on automaton realigning" She says. "Way behind schedule"

"Well... how are things on the front then?"

"Take a look" She says, waving towards the big map on the table.

"I see a Lubrian flag over Riverhold" You say.

"It's technically coalition territory, but the coalition doesn't really have a flag" She says. "The attack was a success. Airfleet caught the southern ships unaware. We didn't get out squeaky clean though. Most of the ships that didn't go down in the initial volley turned tail. A few stayed and tried to fight, and 3 decided to go down swinging"

"Meaning...?"

"They suicided" she says. "Overloaded their engines and made a run at us. We lost the Valiant after 2 hits, and the Harpy's Wail is going to be out of commission for a while"

"Losses?" You ask.

"Valiant went down with all hands. Minimal on the Harpy's Wail. Minimal on the ground" She says. "I guess the surviving ships might have been planning to swing around and try to catch our fleet in a pincer, but then word of their boss's death hit and they went home"

"Derrick's probably not too happy about losing a whole ship..." You say.

"Nobody could have predicted they'd try something crazy like that" Leah says.

"I dunno. He spends an awful lot of time around me..." You say.

>Ask how long she's been here

>Ask if there's word from Ebiha Isle

>Go check on Daria

>Other

>>2986625
>>Ask how long she's been here
>>Ask if there's word from Ebiha Isle

>writing

"But I'll talk to him about that when I get back" You say. "When did you get here?"

"I came here with Lady Namaki" Leah says. "Figure I'll be here most of the day trying to figure out why we're so far behind getting these bots up and running, so I let her take the family cart for a spin around the city"

"You sure that was a good idea?" You ask.

"It's not like she's gonna steal it or crash it. Should be fine. She seems trustworthy enough" Leah says. "Though If I'm being honest I thought she was full of shit when you first introduced me"

"Really?" You ask.

"Oh hell yeah. Lady shows up sayin' she's 350 years old, owns a town that most people never even heard of, happens to be in the prince's good graces" She says. "I thought she was playin' you... but it's kinda hard to deny her story after seeing what she can do"

"She's more honest than she seems" You say. "Coming from someone who can't actually see what she can do"

"Any idea how she lived so long?" She asks.

"I have a few theories" You say. "We hear anything from the south?"

"Nothing yet, but we don't really have our hands in there. It's all hunters, so they'd contact their own before us" She says.

"What about Kameh's fleet?" You ask.

"Last report I got says they were still heading south, all ships accounted for" She says. "Looks like you scared 'em away well enough"

"A few hours after I leave, send a report on their movements to the postmaster in Locke" You say. "I'll check in there. If they have any people inside the city, they may just be waiting for me to leave"

"Will do" She says "When will you be leaving?"

"As soon as I can" You say. "I figure once Daria finishes her packing we'll mount up and go visit the performers, then head out so we can hit Locke by nightfall"

"Sounds like a plan" She says.

>Anything else?

>>2986739
>>No.

>>2986739
>No.

>writing

"I should go make sure Daria is actually packing" You say. "She's been really excited this morning and I know she doesn't stay on task well when she's excited"

Leah chuckles and offers her hand. "It was good workin' with you" She says.

You accept her handshake with a smile. "Just doing my job" You reply.

"Well hey. Anytime you wanna swing by again, maybe solve some more of the city's problems with giant energy beams..." She says.

"I don't think your usual problems can be solved like that" You say.

"Might motivate the guard to work faster" She says. "Good luck out there. Stop by for dinner again next time you're in town. Mom's kind of iffy on you since you don't want to marry me, but my aunt loves it when you come by"

You chuckle. "That's just because I'm the only guest who hasn't freaked out over being attacked by her children" You reply.

"Did the fox tell you about this morning?" Leah asks.

You nod.

"Her stay should be interesting. I'll write you if anything funny happens" She says. "Safe travels"

"Thanks. Good luck with the bots"

"We might be beyond luck, as far as getting back on schedule goes..." She says. "I may spare some workers to go and pray for a miracle..."

>1/2

You head up to Daria's room to see how she's coming along. Looks like the maids have been by to help clean things up, though they missed what looks like a pair of panties caught up high on Daria's bedpost...

...

That can just stay up there. You're going to pretend you didn't see it.

Daria herself is sitting in a chair when you come in. She doesn't stay seated for long, bursting to her feet holding her bag high in the air as soon as she sees you.

"All packed?" You ask.

"All packed" She replies.

"You talk with them about shipping your stuff?" You ask.

She nods.

"You planning to make this trip in your pajamas?" You ask.

She nods, stops, looks down, and curses

You step out with a smile. "I'll be right out here" You say as you close the door.

After a minute or so, Daria emerges once more dressed in clothes you didn't know she had. You're used to seeing her in dresses and other fancy attire, or pajamas. What she has on now looks more like something Altea would wear... and because of that it's almost scary how much Daria looks like her.

"I didn't know you had something like this" You say.

"Training clothes" She says. "They belonged to my sister... they fit me, but I've never worn them before"

You rustle her hair. "Well they suit you just fine" You say. "Let's go see your dad, then we can stop by Tian and Ava's, and hit the road. Okay?"

She nods.

>I didn't think princesses got hand me downs

>Ask what she usually wears when she trains

>Ask if there's anywhere she wants to visit before you leave

>other

>>2986904
>>Ask if there's anywhere she wants to visit before you leave

>>2986904
>I didn't think princesses got hand me downs

>writing

"I didn't think princesses got hand me downs" You say, looking her outfit over as you head up to see the King.

"Sister said it would be wasteful to get something new when this was still perfectly good" She says. "I was happy to take it... even though it didn't fit me yet"

You pat her back as it's clear that remembering her sister is making her feel down. "Well you've grown into it nicely, cous" You say. "Makes you look a bit like Altea"

"You think so?" She asks. "I mean, not exactly like her since my horns are uneven..."

"Are they?" You ask.

She nods and turns her head to you so you can see straight on. "The left one's smaller 'cause I sleep on that side a lot" She says. "Dad says I should stop doing that but I don't like laying on my wings..."

"Why not sleep on the other side every once in a while then?" You ask.

"Don't wanna" She says, puffing her cheeks out and turning away.

You shrug and decide to change the subject. "Anywhere you want to go before we leave?"

"Ava's house!" She says.

"We're already going there" You reply.

"Oh... Can we pick up snacks for the road?" She asks.

"We'll stop somewhere for lunch. Probably Sherton" You say.

"But that's soooo faaaaar" She whines, grabbing your arm and pulling you back and forth. "What if I get hungry before that?"

"Then let me know and I'll pick up the pace" You say.

"But what if I staaaaaaahahaaaarve?" She asks.

>You won't starve

>Fine, we'll stop somewhere for snacks

>Other

>>2987016
>You won't starve
Gotta be firm

>writing

You put your hands firmly on her shoulders. "Daria you're not going to starve" You say. "You had a big breakfast. The Rook is fast enough to have us in Sherton in no time"

"But-"

"Hey, look at me" You say. "Do you really think I'd let you starve?"

"Well... no..." She says.

"You'll be fine" You say. "Now come on. Your dad's probably waiting"

You make your way up to the King's study with the now quiet Daria. When you get there the King is indeed waiting.

"Good morning" You say.

"Papa!" Daria calls out as she dashes over to her father for a hug.

The King's usual stern face softens whenever Daria is concerned, though you can see an edge to him this morning.

"Are you two leaving?" He asks.

"Yes papa" Daria says.

"You be careful on the road now" He says. "Listen to your cousin, especially if he thinks there's danger"

"Kay" Daria says. "Love you papa"

"I love you too" Dein says. "Now, could you wait outside for a moment? I'd like to speak with Yuu"

"Kaaay" Daria says, popping up to kiss her father on the cheek before heading out.

Once Daria is gone, the King fixes you with his usual stern gaze. "You know what I'm going to tell you"

"She'll be safe and well cared for in Lutain, you have my word" You say. "Sir Frederick is there, Kanzka will be watching over her, Lutain's walls have already repelled the legion once, and if they turn their eyes back to it I'll never be more than a night's ride away"

"Good" He says. "And ride fast, nephew. I feel a storm coming on..."

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will be tomorrow, starting around the same time.

As always I'll be sticking around for question/suggestion time.

>>2987159
Thanks for running Smiley, good to have you back

After you're done with the King, Daria races back into the room for a more heartfelt, tearful goodbye. Once her father assures her that he'll be alright without her around, she says goodbye for a second time and the two of you head down.

Next stop is Val's nursery, where the little slime is all fed and ready to go. The butler present here tells you that they put a small carrier on the Rook so you won't have to worry about losing her. You thank him and head outside.

Sure enough there's a little baby seat at the front of the Rook, underneath where your chest usually sits. Instead of the usual straps that a baby seat would have, it's actually got a clear bowl about the size of Val's stomach.

It takes a minute to figure out how to get her in there, and thankfully she isn't feeling very fussy today. Once she's all strapped in, you mount up. Sitting comfortably on the Rook causes you to squish her a bit, bu she doesn't seem to mind. Once Daria is on behind you, you send Coral to Ava, you're off.

You take it slow going to Tian's place, stopping suddenly when you need to and taking turns sharply to see how Daria, Val, and Val's carrier can handle such things. Val giggles as she jiggles around, the carrier stays put... but Daria complains.

"Sorry cous', just testing. I promise the ride out will be smoother" You say.

You can't see it, but you know she's making a pouty face as she rests her head on your back.

As you approach Tian's house, you spot a familiar, bright pink flier hovering above the house watching for you. When she sees you she dives back down... maybe a bit too fast. You hope she didn't hurt herself...

Tian and Ava are both still outside their house waiting for you when you arrive. You notice that they're both a little dirty, and Ava has an embarrassed yellow-red colour to her feathers but they're both acting like everything's completely normal...

>Ava crashed didn't she?

>Ignore the dirt

>Not happy to see me?

>Other

>>2989194
>>Not happy to see me?

>writing

"Not happy to see me?" You ask.

A flash of yellow goes through Ava's feathers. "Wh-what? Of course! We just-"

"Ava!" Daria squeals as she bounds off the Rook and flies right into the unsuspecting Siren, knocking them both to the ground.

You sigh and hop off the Rook yourself, unstrapping the slime and picking her up out of her carrier. "Dang it Daria, way to ruin my fun" You say. "I was gonna see how long I could milk that before someone admitted that Ava crashed into Tian a few seconds ago"

"Saw that, did you?" Tian asks.

"Not the crash. I saw the dive and thought she was going a little fast, then I got here and you guys were all dirty" You say, giving Tian a handshake.

Tian dusts herself off with her tail. "That's more common than you might think..." Tian says.

"It's more common?" You ask. "I was the one who warned you about this stuff, remember?"

"Oh... then it's probably just as bad as you think..." She says. "Alright, off the floor girls, come on"

You help the two ladies back to their feet, and head up to a bench on Tian's porch to sit for a bit.

"Heard anything from Gwen and Ariadne?" You ask.

"Sounds like they're settling into Locke pretty nicely" Tian says. "Ariadne asked about you, by the way. Wanted to know if you'd be in town anytime soon"

"Really?" You ask.

Tian nods. "She sees you as a kindred spirit who can appreciate the finer points of web design" She says with a wry smile.

You chuckle. "Well I am going through Locke..." You say.

>I could stop by their place

>Maybe some other time

>Other

>>2989366
>I could stop by their place

>>2989366
>>Maybe some other time
Probably really need to be getting back to front now.

>>2989366
>I could stop by their place

>writing

"I could probably stop by for a bit..." You say.

"Probably or will?" She asks. "If you say yes I'll be sending a sprite ahead so don't go flakin' out now"

"Will" You say. "I may not stay very long, but I'll be spending the night in Locke anyway so I might as well drop in"

"Alright. I'll let them know you're coming" She says. "Assuming you don't outrun the sprite that is..."

"I won't. Sprites are actually a lot faster than I am, but they slow down quite a bit whenever something is nearby, whether it's the ground, another flier, an airship..." You say. "So they can race me fine, but they can't catch me"

"Oh... I didn't know that" Tian says. "Got any other tidbits to share?"

"None that come to mind" You say.

"Where'd you get that one from?" She asks.

"A scholar at the archive with a theory that Sprites only take their human form when they can be seen-" You say, scratching Coral's nose. "-and that they lose their forms when no one is looking, which is what allows them to fly so fast"

"How's that goin' for him?" Tian asks.

"No success as of yet" You say, as Coral hugs your finger. "Hard to record something that only happens when nobody's looking"

Tian gets a kick out of that.

>1/2

You talk with Tian a while longer about sprites, mageblades, her performances, the possibility of setting up a theatre in Lutain... but eventually you decide it's time to leave.

"Alright Daria. Time to go" You say.

"Already?" Daria asks.

"It's a long ride and I want to be in Locke before it gets too late" You say. "So say your goodbyes. I've gotta strap Val in"

Daria nods and starts talking to Ava about exchanging letters while you and Tian bring the slime down to the Rook and get her set back up in her carrier.

"Didn't think you'd want to bring the baby all that way..." Tian says.

"Val's not too fussy, and she can eat from my stash of sprite food in a pinch" You say, patting the pouch of dried berries and nuts on your belt. "And she'll have good caretakers in Lutain, so I'm not worried"

"Well hopefully the next time we see you will be when we come by to perform, but if you find yourself back here before then make sure you stop by" Tian says as she hugs you.

"Of course" You say.

Now finished exchanging info, Daria and Ava come down to you. Ava practically leaps up to hug you as tightly as her wings can manage. Her feathers turning a pink-purple colour as she steps back down.

"Good luck out there, Yuu!" She chirps. "Hope you're looking forward to hearing my performance!"

"I am" You say, ruffling her hair. "I'll be sure to let everybody in Lutain know to fasten their socks..."

"Warn them all you want, I'll still knock 'em off" She says, puffing up with pride.

>Anything else?

>>2989556
>>Can't think of anything.

>writing

"Now don't go crashing into things, alright?" You ask.

"That was an accident!" Ava says, her feathers turning orange. "I thought I was high enough for a proper dive..."

You start ruffling her hair again. "Well next time check how far away the ground is first" You say.

Ava puffs out her cheeks and tries to stay angry, but her red feathers pulse with happy yellows, blues and pinks as you pet her head. Eventually her face turns red as her feathers settle into a cotton candy looking blue-pink mix which doesn't last long as she throws her wings up in the air and squawks.

You take a second to tease Ava a bit more, but then it's time to mount up. You say your goodbyes once you're on the Rook, and hit the road.

The streets of Leon have gotten pretty busy, as people come out to do the things they put off due to the impending invasion. But most of them are familiar enough with the sight of you riding around that they make some room, and you're out onto the bridge in no time...

>1/2

Oh god why did you think it would be a good idea to bring both Daria and Val on this trip?

Why on earth did you believe this ride would be anything but hell?

You're currently sandwiched between 'Princess complains every 5 minutes' and a baby who thinks it's hilarious when she goops up your goggles and you have to stop and clean them...

It wasn't so bad going to Contique, but once you got past there Val learned that she could extend her arms toward something she wants to touch, and Daria started to get hungry...

It doesn't help that Daria mistook Contique for Sherton, thinking you were already half way there and it was time to stop for lunch. Breaking that news to her really soured her mood.

But the towers of Sherton are in sight now. You can even see the smallest one that's still being rebuilt.

As the walls come into few Val slips her hand into your mouth and starts trying to grab your teeth. You decide to ignore it as you don't want to stop now.

"Is that Sherton?" Daria asks for the hundredth time.

"Yesh" You say.

"Fiiiiiiiinally!" She says.

You pull through the gate and stop, taking a second to get your bearings, decide where to eat, and extract Val's hand from your mouth.

"You okay cousin? You look kinda mad" Daria says.

Your eye twitches, just a little bit.

>I'm fine

>As a matter of fact...

>Other

>>2989708
>A little irritated, but I'll get over it now that we're here.

>>2989708
>I'm fine

>>2989708
>>As a matter of fact...
Best to hear from us now than others later.

>writing

"As a matter of fact I am a little irritated, yeah" You say, as you pull Val out of her Carrier and give her your goggles to play with. She seems to like them, and you can wash them before you leave.

Daria tilts her head. "Was Val being fussy?" She asks.

You let out a long sigh and drain the Rook, putting a hand on Daria's back. "Walk with me, cous. There's a place pretty close to this gate and we need to have a little talk..." You say.

"About what?" She asks.

Once you're moving you take a breath and try to structure your words. "Daria, I know this trip is difficult. I know that you're not used to travelling... but could you maybe cool it on the complaints?" You ask. "I already have to deal with Val gumming up my goggles, having you-"

"Was I complaining?" She asks.

Your eye twitches. "You were" You say. "Every five minutes"

"I was just asking if we were here" She says.

"And saying how hungry you were, and how bored you were, and how badly you want to fly, and-"

"Well soooooooorry if I'm not an ideal passenger" She says, turning with a 'hmph' and walking away.

You would very much like to let her go, sticking close by while she cools off, but you really need to get back on the road...

"Daria wait! Come on, the restaurant is this way!" You call after her.

>1/2

You sit at the restaurant in complete silence, save for the occasional gurgle from Val. Daria is angry. The tension is making you uncomfortable.

Even the waiter looks nervous when he takes your order, and rightfully so as Daria practically snaps hers at him.

You take an apologetic tone as you order for yourself, and ask for something that you think Val might like...

Letting out a sigh as the tension starts to settle again, you take this time to weigh your options.

As bad as it might be that she's mad at you, the silent treatment may just save you some sanity in the long run... but it might also strain things.

On the other hand, trying to reconcile could end up making things worse, either by making her more mad or accidentally giving her the idea that her constant complaining is fine.

You feel like you're caught between a rock and a hard place, but the situation isn't quite unsalvageable... you'll just have to tread carefully.

>Let her be

>Ask what's wrong

>Apologize for making her mad

>Try to explain things

>Other

>>2989891
>>Try to explain things

>writing

"Alright Daria, come on" You say. "You've gotta work with me a little here"

...

"I get that you're mad, but we need to be a team on this" You say. "Getting where we're going is gonna be a group effort"

"You're just saying that so I won't complain..." She mumbles.

"If all I wanted was quiet, I'd let you keep giving me the silent treatment" You say. "But I don't want you to be angry. Staying angry for too long isn't healthy. I just need you to help me out"

Her jaw starts to tremble, and her eyes well up with tears. Oh fuck, she's not going to cry is she?

...

Fuck she's going to cry. What the hell did you even say?

Your mind races for a way to defuse the situation before a scene happens as she starts to sniffle.

>Roll 1d100

Rolled 2 (1d100)

>>2989967

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>2989967

Rolled 82 (1d100)

>>2989967

>writing

Okay. She only really cries like this when she thinks that someone else thinks she's bad... which means she's not mad at you, she thinks you think she's bad... you think...

Which isn't entirely wrong, but you really do need to boost her confidence a bit.

"Daria, I'm saying I want you to work with me" You say, reaching across the table and wiping away a tear. "Help me out"

"B-but what can I do?" She asks. "I'm not good at anything..."

"Nonsense. Who knows Val better than you do?" You ask. "That's what I need you to do. Find a way to keep Val busy so she'll stop gooping up my goggles"

She sniffles and wipes her eye. "You mean the ones that are in her stomach?"

You look over to see that Val has engulfed your goggles. The strap is sticking out and it kinda looks like she's trying to pull them back out.

"Yes... those ones..." You say.

Daria reaches over and takes Val out of her seat, cradling her and helping the little slime extract your goggles.

"Thanks" You say. "So can you do it?"

"I'll try" She replies, wiping away another tear. "You're probably gonna want to wash these..."

"I was prepared for that when I gave them to her" You reply, feeling relieved now that your current crisis has been averted.

In theory if Daria is busy keeping Val busy, neither should have time for you... hopefully it works that way in practice...

>1/2

You eat quickly and even let Daria get a little dessert to ensure her good mood while you wash your goggles, then hit the road.

Thankfully everything you did pays off. Daria keeps Val busy, which keeps Daria busy and neither of them end up bugging you. Thanks to that you make it all the way to Locke with only a quick stop when Daria feels a little sick after a bumpy stretch and needs to take a break.

It's dark out by the time you pull through the gates, though it seems like it's been getting dark earlier and earlier lately... you may have to ask someone about that.

Now that you're here, you should-

>Get dinner

>Visit the spiders

>Stop by the castle

>Other

Taking a dinner break. Will resume once I've eaten.

>>2990110
>>Stop by the castle

>>2990110
>Visit the spiders

>>2990110
>Visit the spiders

Back, and [s][/s]>writing[s][/s]

"Have you met Ariadne before?" You ask Daria.

"No, but Ava mentioned her" She says. "So her mom is like... Tian's friend? And I think there was some drama over something... I dunno, Ava didn't really explain"

"Ariadne's parents were taken to Mortifas" You say. "Tian never told Ariadne where they really went, not until after I destroyed the place and brought Gwen home. Ariadne was definitely not pleased about that"

"Oh..." Daria says.

"Her father didn't make it, so try not to bring that up, okay?" You ask.

"O-okay" She says.

You reach Gwen's house with some direction from Coral, and go knock on the door. You hear Gwen ask who it is from inside, and after announcing yourself, she tells you to come in.

"Awesome!" Daria says, as she opens the door and steps right in...to a trap. A familiar trap. She squeals as she's carried up into the air by he foot.

"Yeah! I got one! I got one!" Ariadne cheers as she dances back and forth. "I'm. So. Good. At. Traaaaps~"

As you go to scold Ariadne, a trapdoor opens underneath her and she squeals as Kanzka pulls her inside.

"Oh shit. Wait! Kanzka! No!" You call out.

Kanzka head pops out of the hole in the floor, and she gives you a quizzical look. "My apologies. Is this one a friend?" She asks.

"Yes, she's a friend" You say. "Now let hergo so she can let Daria go"

"Oh, goodness!" Gwen says. "What the hell is going on?"

Kanzka pulls Ariadne out of her hole and gives her a quick check for injuries as Gwen dashes over to make sure she's alright.

"Sorry Gwen. This lady works for me, she's just a little overzealous" You say.

"Are you alright, dear? She didn't hurt you?" Gwen asks, fussing over her daughter.

"Th-that... was... SO COOL!" Ariadne shouts as she skitters over to Kanzka before the assassin can retreat back into her hole. "I thought I was good at traps but then WHAM! Outta nowhere!"

Gwen looks confused, and Kanzka looks uncomfortable. Above you, Daria grunts as she tries to extricate herself from her sticky predicament. Val is doing her part by munching the webs off her cousin, but if it's just up to her then this will take a while...

>Explain things to Gwen

>Help Daria down

>Let Kanzka make her escape

>Get Kanzka to hang out for a bit

>Other

>>2990270
>>Explain things to Gwen
>>Help Daria down

>>2990270
>Get Kanzka to hang out for a bit
>Explain things to Gwen
>Help Daria down

>writing

"Ariadne, you can bombard Kanzka with questions later" You say. "Right now, you need to get my cousin down"

"Fiiiiiiiiine" Ariadne says.

"Sorry about all this, Gwen" You say.

Gwen doesn't look very impressed. "You almost gave me a heart attack" She says. "Who's this, anyway?"

"This is Kanzka. She's a bodyguard of sorts" You say. "Very good at her job, not so much at telling a friendly web trap or tackle hug from an unfriendly one"

"Ah..." Gwen says.

You turn back to see Kanzka slowly inching her way back underground, and shake your head.

"Come on. The least you could do is come up and introduce yourself" You say.

Kanzka looks like she would rather eat a box of nails but she does as you say, exiting her hole and sealing it behind her. "I-I am Kanzka" She says, giving Gwen a very stiff handshake. "Pleased to meet you"

"Gwen" Gwen says, as she accepts Kanzka's hand with a much smoother motion. "S-so you're a bodyguard?"

Kanzka nods. "I guard Princess" She says, her face turning a little red as she corrects herself "Th-the princess, I mean"

...

Your attention is drawn back to the entrance by a sudden thud. You see Daria lying face down on the ground, and Ariadne climbing down looking very worried.

"Oh crap! Sorry! I didn't think that would drop you" Ariadne says as she helps Daria to her feet.

"I-I'm fine" Daria replies. Looks like Val broke her fall, as the little slime is smooshed into the floor. Not a problem for her. You can actually see her smiling at the spot where you think her head is...

"Oh! Oh fuck! I squished your baby!" Ariadne shouts.

>You SQUISHED my BABY!?!

>Val's fine

>Language

>Other

>>2990398
>Language
>You SQUISHED my BABY!?!

>>2990398
>>Language

>>2990398
>>Val's fine
>>Language

>writing

"Hey, hey, watch the language there" You say as you go check on Daria, who's sitting up covering her nose. "Val's fine... probably"

"P-probably?" Ariadne asks.

"You okay?" You ask Daria.

She sniffs. "Y-yeah. I'm fine" She says, putting up the obvious brave front.

"Let me see your nose" You say.

She hesitates at first, but takes her hands away and show that her nose is bleeding a little. 'I-Is it bad?" She asks.

"Looks fine. Nothing's broken, you just bumped it a little hard" You say. "Gwen, do you have like a handkerchief or something?"

"Of course. Ariadne, could you head to the kitchen and grab a handkerchief and a bar of soap?" Gwen asks, crossing her arms.

"A-a b-bar of soap?" Ariadne asks, obviously scared. "Wh-what for?"

"You know exactly what it's for, young lady" Gwen says.

"Awww maaan..." Ariadne says. "B-but the baby is gonna be okay, right?"

"Val's a slime. Splatting like this is her favourite game. Right, Val?" You ask.

Val gurgles happily as her head starts to reform.

Ariadne breathes a sigh of relief. Relief that quickly passes as she sees her mother still looking at her, and with her shoulders drooping she sullenly skitters off to the kitchen.

...

"Right!" Gwen says, obviously put off from everything that's just happened, but working very hard to take it all in stride. "I'd like a drink. Does anyone else want a drink?"

>What kind of drink?

>What's the soap for?

>I see Ariadne hasn't changed...

>Other

>>2990515
>I’ll have a drink

>>2990515
>>What kind of drink?

>writing

"What kind of drink we talkin' about here?" You ask.

"Wine, probably" She replies.

You nod. "That sounds good" You say, plucking Val off the ground and helping Daria to her feet, then following Gwen into the sitting room with Kanzka.

Gwen's sitting room is fairly large, with a chair and a few web hammocks large enough for a spider to sit on.

You and Daria take the couch that looks like it was made for regular human butts, while Kanzka awkwardly settles into one of the hammocks.

Gwen comes back after a minute with a glass of wine for you and a handkerchief for Daria, heading back into the kitchen after asking Kanzka and Daria if they'd like something other than wine.

Once everyone's got something, Gwen sits down on the spider couch. "Everyone comfy?" She asks.

"This hammock is quite well made" Kanzka says. "Your work?"

Gwen nods. "Ariadne and I work on patterns for these sorts of things together sing web, then sell rope versions of them at the market" She says. "That one's a bit old, but it'll be a few days more before we have to toss it"

"I see..." Kanzka says, admiring the webwork.

Gwen waits a moment, and when it becomes clear the Kanzka isn't saying anything more, she turns to you. "So Yuu, I never took you for a wine drinker" She says.

"Recently acquired taste" You say. "Has everything been good for you two? Business? Nobody's giving either of you trouble?"

"It's been great, actually. A strongly woven hammock like that one is a popular item among ladies with uhh..." She pauses and looks back at her lower half, then clears her throat. "... larger posteriors..."

"I can't imagine a couch that big would be cheap" You say.

"This was a gift from the Holy Order and the King, actually" Gwen says.

"Really?" You ask, looking to Daria to see if she knew anything about this.

"They had people go around to everyone who was affected by... that place... with gifts" She says, looking uncomfortable with the topic.

>How do you feel about that?

>How come I never heard anything?

>I wonder where the money came from...

>Change the subject

>Other

>>2990683
>>Change the subject

>writing

You clear your throat and decide to change the subject. "So the city's been quiet while I've been away?" You ask.

It takes Gwen a moment to shift topics, but she smiles at the welcome change. "Oh, yes. Nothing out of the ordinary since the attack last month" She says. "I understand we have you to thank for that"

"Best defense is sometimes a good offense" You say.

Ariadne slumps into the room with her eyes glued to the ground, crawls into Kanzka's Hammock without looking and snuggles up beside her.

...

It'd be cute if Kanzka didn't look so incredibly uncomfortable.

"Ahem" Gwen says, drawing her daughter's attention away from the ground. "I'm over here, sweetie"

Ariadne looks at her mom, then at you guys, then at Kanzka, as her cheeks slowly turn red. You can practically see the steam rising from her head as she gets up without a word, goes over to her mom and buries her face in Gwen's shoulder.

"There there. You're not used to having other spiders in the house" Gwen says, turning to you and Daria for help. "It happens sometimes, right?"

>It does?

>Does Daria calling me 'mom' count?

>Yeah, it's no big deal

>Other

>>2990793
>>Yeah, it's no big deal
>>It's cute too!

>writing

"Yeah, it's no big deal. Actually it's kinda cute. Right Kanzka?" You ask.

"I-..." Kanzka says, taking a long pause before putting her hands on her cheeks and continuing. "I'm not ready for motherhood..."

You and Gwen both laugh, though she does it much harder than you. Daria and Ariadne don't seem to get what's funny.

"That's not what he meant" Gwen says, giving her daughter a big hug. "And yes, I think it's cute too. Reminds me of when we used to go and visit Hella"

"That wasn't cute. That was torment!" Ariadne says.

"You could've stopped trying to sneak up on her any time..." Gwen says.

"Did she ever manage to catch Hella off guard?" You ask.

"Not once" Gwen says with a little giggle. "How is Hella doing now? It's been so long since I've seen her"

"She's well. I'll let her know you asked about her" You say.

"Please do" Gwen says, turning to Daria. "So this is... your cousin?"

You nod.

"Ah..." Gwen says. "Well I apologize for the short welcome. Had I known I'd be hosting royalty..."

"I'm royalty..." You say.

Gwen's eyes widen. "Oh... right" She says. "Well I suppose I've no excuses then"

"Nonsense. You had a trap fit for royalty all ready for us" You say.

"I'm surprised you let her just walk in, after your first run in with Ariadne..." Gwen says.

"You know, it crossed my mind but then Daria ran in before I could say anything..." You say, taking a sip of wine and turning to your cousin. "How's the nose? Feeling better?"

"Better" Daria says. "Feeling hungry"

You look at Val and see that she's got your free hand in her mouth.

>We should go then

>Stay a while longer

>Other

>>2990885
>>Stay a while longer
Might as well.

>>2990885
>We should go then

>writing

"Well as much as I'd like to stay, tomorrow morning comes early, and we still have to eat and get back to the Castle" You say.

"It's fine. Tian told me you wouldn't be able to stay long" Gwen says as she gets up and comes over to you. "It was good to see you again"

"Likewise. When I have more time I'll stop in for an actual visit" You say, standing so you can give Gwen a hug.

"With a less eventful arrival next time, perhaps?" She asks as she steps away. "That hole isn't still there, is it?"

"No. It is closed" Kanzka says.

"Thank goodness..." Gwen says, stepping over and hugging Daria as well. "Nice meeting you, and safe travels"

Daria nods her head.

"And you as well, Kanzka. It's nice to meet another spider every now and then..." Gwen says.

"Actually, I was hoping I might stay a while longer and-"

"And talk about traps?" Ariadne cuts in, looking excited.

"err... no" Kanzka says. "I wish to purchase one of your hammocks, actually..."

"Aww maaan..." Ariadne says.

"There there" You say, patting Ariadne on the shoulder. "You'll find someone who shares your enthusiasm someday"

Gwen looks like that might just be her worst fear...

>1/2

After saying goodbye to the spiders, You, Daria and Val head off to the castle, figuring you'll just get food from the kitchens there instead of wandering about looking for somewhere else to eat.

You recognize some of the people posted around and stop in to chat a few times. The kitchen staff is happy to feed the three of you, so yo head to the dining room and sit down.

"Have you ever been here before?" You ask Daria.

"Once. When Derrick moved here" She says. "It's smaller than I remember it being..."

"You're bigger than you were then" You say. "Nose all better now?"

She nods. "You have very strange friends" She says.

"They're more like acquaintances, but yeah" You say. "I actually fell for the same trap the first time I met Ariadne, back in Bell's Run"

"Really?" She asks.

You nod. "Tian's house was bigger than Gwen's, so I got pulled much higher" You say. "And then Tian nailed Ariadne with a slipper, and she fell... and then I fell... and then we all had ice cream"

Daria giggles.

>Ask if she knew about the King paying reparations

>Ask how it feels to be leaving home

>Ask if she's alright with having Kanzka watching over her

>other

>>2991018
>>Ask how it feels to be leaving home

>writing

"So this must be the first time you've left home in a long time, right?" You ask.

She nods.

"How do you feel?" You ask.

"It's... exciting" She says. "I've been begging papa to let me go out somewhere for so long... but now I kinda miss home..."

She goes quiet, and the air gets kinda heavy for a second.

"What is it like for you?" She asks. "You travel a lot. Do you ever miss home?"

"If I'm being honest with you, I don't think I really have a home" You say. "I've lived places, yeah, but I don't know if I'd call any of them 'home'"

"Is that... easier?" She asks.

"I dunno" You say. "Easier for now, I guess... but then I do have a house now..."

"You wouldn't call that a home?" She asks.

You shrug. "I've lived there for like a week" You say. "It's more of a home to my staff than I'd say it is for me... though they do make it a pretty welcoming place... you'll like them, by the way"

"Who, your staff?" She asks.

"Yeah" You reply. "They're all really friendly... and you can finally meet Cheska, since she wasn't with us last time..."

Over dinner you tell Daria all about what she has to look forward to in Lutain, leaving out anything that might put her off so she's looking forward to getting there enough to make her forget how much she'll miss home.

A little while after eating, you notice her starting to nod off, and decide that maybe you should both get some sleep...

>Anything else to say to Daria?

>>2991119
>No.

>>2991119
I got nothin

>>2991119
Nah let's take her to bed.

>writing

"Daria" You say.

She snaps up, wide awake. "What?" She asks.

"Let's get you to bed" You say.

"Yeah. Bed would be nice" She says.

"Come on" You say, getting up and helping her out of her chair.

The two of you take Val, who is already asleep, and head out into the hall. You flag down one of the maids to ask where your rooms are, and she's happy to help.

You can't help but notice that the uniforms the maids here wear are a bit more utilitarian than the ones yours do. Not that you mind the cuter outfits your girls wear, but maybe you'll ask if they wouldn't mind something a bit more functional.

Your room is... your room. You didn't think it'd still be yours after being away so long, but you guess the castle's not strapped for bedrooms with the army away. Daria's room is right next to yours.

"Oh" Daria says, standing at her door. "I didn't bring pajamas..."

"So sleep in something else. It's just for one night" You say.

She lets out an all too familiar nervous laugh.

"You did bring a change of clothes... right?" You ask.

...

"What exactly did you bring?" You ask.

"Underwear" She says.

...

"Just underwear?" You ask.

"You said to pack small things!" She says.

"I meant pack a bag that was small and light" You say, taking a breath to calm yourself before you blow it. "It-it's fine. Just... sleep in your underwear or something for tonight, and we'll find a way to keep you clothed while you wait for the rest of your things. Okay?"

"Okay..." She says, looking like a freshly kicked puppy.

You sigh and give her a big hug. "I promise it's fine. You were excited, excited people make mistakes" You say. "Take Val for the night, sleep well, come knock on my door if you need anything, and I'll get you up for breakfast tomorrow. Sound good?"

She nods and hugs you back. "Goodnight cousin" She says.

"Goodnight"

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will be tomorrow, and I'll be skipping ahead to Lutain.

As always I'll be sticking around for question/suggestion time.

>>2991230
Just curious, who is in the running for wife still? And any dark horses or unusual options?

>>2991239
Just about every girl is in the running, but only a few girls are close enough for it to actually happen. Of those few Namaki is the only really unusual option.

>>2991252
I guess my question would be what you consider the difference between "in the running" and "actually happen." Last time you mentioned this, I had impression we were down to a pretty small grouping. I was curious if anything had changed much lately.

>>2991252
>Just about every girl is in the running
Not the dead ones. RIP slime waifu, your screentime was so low the producers killed you off.

>>2991265
"In the running" means Yuu fancies them in one way or another, and since he thinks everyone is cute, that means everyone. "Might actually happen" goes to the ones who've started to show affection towards Yuu. In other words, "The League of Extraordinary Waifus" in the char bin, with the exception of Emi who's fallen off a bit.

>>2991283
She evolved into Slime daughteru.

>>2991289
I only wished i had joined these threads sooner. Emi is a top tier waifu with an interesting backstory.

>>2991289
It's odd, I think I'd be fine with any of the girls winning the Yuubowl, they're all so great.

>>2991783
She's not out of it yet. She's just fallen off because Yuu sees her more like a big sister than a potential love interest. Certain things could still happen that might change his view of her, especially now that she's going to be around more often. And even if she doesn't win, the title of "best hugger" will always be hers.

>>2991823
I have no idea what I did to avoid the waifu wars in this quest, but I hope I can repeat this success in the future. As much as I appreciated the discussions that the wars sparked, I appreciate not having my players at each others' throats even more.

You pull up in front of the manor just as the sun is setting. Nothing looks out of the ordinary, except for Cheska up on the roof. You see her hop off and start gliding down when she spots you. "Alright. We're here" You say as you cut the throttle and drain the engine.

...

"You don't sound impressed" You say.

"I'm sorry! It's just... kind of plain" She says.

You chuckle as you dismount and start unstrapping your baby sister. "Functional, I think" You say, handing Val off to Daria. "Less imposing towers and grand archways, and more solid walls and cozy rooms"

Daria looks up, giving the front face of your house a good look over before turning to you with a smile. "I think it suits you" She says.

You raise an eyebrow. "Am I truly so boring, cousin?" You ask.

"What? N-no! That's not what I meant at all!" She says, waving her free arm around. "It's just that it looks sturdy and reliable but not all flashy and stuff because you're really strong but you never really go out of your way to-"

"Alright, alright. Calm down. I was only kidding" You say. "I know it was a compliment"

...

"Are we going inside?" Daria asks.

"Give it a second" You say, looking around. "I could've sworn I saw Cheska-"

"Yuuuuuu catch me I can't stop!" Cheska squeals.

You turn to the sound of her voice and see her coming in for a crash landing from behind you.

>Roll 1d100

Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>2992928

Rolled 5 (1d100)

>>2992928

well this looks bad

Rolled 82 (1d100)

>>2992928

>>2992973
Savior!

>writing

You quickly scramble to get yourself in a position to catch the flying Devil. But Cheska seems to think you won't be ready in time and tries to pull up.

With her changing things up like this you take some steps back to give her more room. Seeing this, she points herself towards you and starts coming in.

Everything looks like it's going alright, until her foot catches on the Rook and sends her into a tumbling fall.

Looks like backing up might not have been the best move after all...

You run in and dive towards her, managing to catch her while she's upright and pull her into you. Then you turn to land and slide on your back, coming to a stop right next to the Rook.

It takes Cheska a few seconds to process what just happened. Once her brain catches up, she wraps her arms around your neck. "My hero" She says in an exaggerated tone, as she kisses you on the cheek.

You roll your eyes. "I take it flying lessons have been going okay?" You ask, putting a hand up to hold the Rook as it starts to fall on the two of you.

"I can still glide fine, and I'm getting the hang of the whole magic updraft thing" She says, her tail swishing around above her. "But braking for a landing takes more strength than my poor little wings can handle"

"Do I want to know how you do it when I'm not around?" You ask.

"That's a secret" She says. Her tail coming to a stop and darting down to wrap around your leg as she gives you another kiss on the cheek.

You give her a pat between the wings as you sit up, pushing the Rook back onto its stand so it doesn't come down on you.

"Are you guys okay?" Daria asks.

"I feel fine. You feel fine?" You ask.

"I feel great" Cheska says with a happy smile as she nuzzles your neck. Then she suddenly realizes that you're not alone. "Wait, who's this?"

You lift Cheska up to her feet as you stand up. "This is Daria, my cousin" You say.

"So... Derrick's sister... so princess" Cheska says. You can see the gears turning in her brain.

"Yep" You say.

She purses her lips in thought. "So is she like... royalty royalty where I have to bow and stuff, or is she royalty like you and Derrick where she doesn't care?" She asks. "I'm just tryin' to figure out what kinda greeting I need here"

>Like me

>You should get on your knees

>I don't actually know...

>Other

>>2993123
>I don't actually know...

>>2993123
>>I don't actually know...
>>But it would really hurt my self-esteem if you only bowed to royalty other than me.

>>2993123
>I don't actually know...

>writing

>>2993123
>Don't ask me I've got no clue. It's not like I'm gonna make you get on you knees.

>>2992390
I have had mixed feelings about it at times, but I think part of the reason is during a lot of the quest there was usually only a couple girls around. The antagonism increases in quests (not yours specifically) where every other choice is "Build affection with Emi / build affection with Cheska / build affection with Stella / etc." There's always an inherent meta in those choices where you have to sabotage the other faction. Also, in a lot of quests only the waifu choice allows for any real player agency, so people get angrier. Most of the time the option in this quest we had was being nice or not being nice to a girl, not choosing who to diss. That encouraged us to get to know them.

Also, having participated in or read a number of your quests, the player base always thinks you are lying about the resolution. You told everyone in Blood Moon they could do a harem and everyone tried to stick with one girl. I think some of us still believe we won't be forced into a hard choice in this quest because you told us we would. I have no idea why, but that's just the way it is.

"I don't actually know..." You say. "Daria?"

"I-it's fine" Daria says.

"Okay then" Cheska says, smiling as she shakes Daria's hand. "I'm Cheska. Yuu's ex-demon friend"

"And Fran's little sister" Daria adds. "I've heard a bit about you"

"Not too much I hope" Cheska says, looking sidelong at you.

"Only the good stuff" You say. "Now let's get inside. It looks like it could start raining any second..."

You start heading across the bridge, with Daria going ahead and Cheska staying close as her tail's still wrapped around your leg.

"Good thing Daria's not a stickler. I'd hate to make you jealous, bending the knee for another royal..." Cheska says, playing with the hair on the back of your head with the little appendages on her wing.

You snort. "Yeah, like you'd ever go down on your knees for anyone" You say.

"Maybe if you asked me nicely" She says, poking out her tongue.

...

"See that kinda sounds sexual, but I'm not sure I get it" You say.

Cheska's face turns redder then usual, and she covers her mouth with both her hand and her free wing. "W-well... usually when a guy asks a girl to get on her knees it's... like..." She says, getting quieter and quieter as her tail squeezes your leg a little harder.

You tilt your head.

"Like a girl... on her knees... in front of a dude..." She says. Her tail squeezing even harder. You start to feel pins and needles. "Wh-who's not wearing pants..."

>Oh... OH!

>I still don't follow

>Okay stop before I lose the leg

>Other

>>2993219
>>I still don't follow

>>2993219
>>I still don't follow

Tease the Cheska

>writing

>>2993219
>fellatio joke
That feel when you didn't vote in time but still got what you wanted

>>2993219
>>I still don't follow

"I still don't follow" You say.

"S-so the dude's penis is out" She says, almost whispering now. "A-and the girl's mouth is right there..."

You look down at Coral, who shrugs, then back to Cheska.

"W-well you know how regular sex works right?" She asks. "It-it's like that... but with a mouth instead"

"Ohhhh... but isn't that just kissing? How would that even work if the girl is down there?" You ask.

"God fucking damn it's COCK SUCKING! COCK SUCKING, YOU NIMROD!" She shouts. Her tail squeezing even harder, until it suddenly unwraps and recoils away. "Ow! Mother fucker!"

"Oh, crap. You okay?" You ask.

Cheska holds her tail and tries to rub the pain out. It seems oddly stiff. "Twinged it from squeezing too hard" She says, still sounding quite frustrated.

Daria looks horrified by Cheska's language. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to push those buttons... but then you just can't help yourself. She's so cute when she's embarrassed.

"Ahh... sorry" You say. "Maybe I took that a bit too far..."

She cuts you a dirty look.

"I-is there something I can do to make things even?" You ask.

The dirty look fades into an intrigued smile. "Kiss it better" She says.

>Well if that's all I gotta do...

>I'll do it later

>You can do better than that

>Other

>>2993304
>>You can do better than that

>>2993304
>Well if that's all I gotta do...

>>2993304
>>You can do better than that

>>2993304
>You can do better than that

>>2993304
>>Explain to Daria how to soothe a girl by rubbing her tail. Look how much she's learned in just a few days from us!

>writing

"Oh, come on. You can do better than that" You say, patting her on the shoulder. "Why don't you go up and see Monique to make sure nothing is wrong while I go see everyone else, then come back and meet me with a proper condition. Kay?"

"Fine" She says, turning and heading inside. "But you may not like what I come up with..."

Once Cheska's through the door, you turn to Daria. "So that's Cheska" You say.

"Uh... huh..." She says. "You two seem to have an... interesting relationship"

"It's always been that way" You say. "Come on. Let's actually get inside"

You head through the doors with Daria, and find Lola waiting for you.

"Sir!" Lola chirps as she hops in for a hug. "Ohhhhhh, we've missed you so much!"

"I see the house is still in one piece" You say.

"It's even better than when you left" She replies, giving you a big squeeze and letting you go. "We've got more kids now, and your friends are here!"

"And they didn't even come down to see me?" You ask, stepping aside and motioning towards Daria. "This is my cousin and my sister, by the way"

Lola smiles. "She's adorable~" She says, as she hops in and hugs Daria as well. She turns her head a little towards you and whispers "which one is which?"

"The dragon you're hugging is the cousin, the slime you're squishing is the sister" You reply.

Lola steps back, and Val is stuck to her chest, bent backwards around her bust. The little slime gurgles and reaches up at Lola's face.

"She's a sweetie" Lola says as she works to unstick the slime. "Your friends are up in the tea room, by the way... though you may want to bathe first. And uhh... there's something I'd like to discuss with you, when you have time"

>Am I dirty?

>I'll head up now

>I've got time to talk

>Other

>>2993414
>>I've got time to talk

>>2993414
>Am I dirty?
>I've got time to talk

>writing

"Am I dirty?" You ask, checking yourself over.

"Not particularly. I just figured you wouldn't want to go see them without washing first" She says, finally managing to pry your sticky sister off and hand her back to Daria.

"Oh, that's fine. They've seen me after worse than a road trip" You say. "Why don't we show Daria where she'll be sleeping, and we can talk on the way"

"This is something I'm sure you'd rather discuss in private, but..." She says, closing her eyes to concentrate. Despite the fact that her ears are so floppy, you can see the bases of them moving as she tries to pick out a sound. "What luck~ Lana!"

Another maid rounds the corner. Lana the ears and tail of a cat, but doesn't have paws like Ilica or Katherine.

"What is it Lola?" Lana asks, before turning to you with a smile and a light bow. "Oh, welcome back sir"

"Good to be back" You say. "If you're not busy, could you show my cousin where she'll be sleeping?"

"Certainly" Lana says. "Right this way, miss"

You send Coral with Daria so she can find either you or the others, and once she's gone you turn to Lola.

"So what's up?" You ask.

"Umm... well... it's about your prisoner..." She says.

"Oh jeez... she didn't escape, did she?" You ask.

"N-no... she's still down there" Lola says. "I figured you wanted to keep her around, and she seemed to be getting pretty crazed from what the guards were saying. So I had her... "fed"..."

You furrow your brow. "Fed as in...?"

"I had one of the condemned prisoners- one of the other captured demons from the big invasion -brought in so she could... y'know..." Lola says, slowly sounding more and more panicked. "I didn't think it was my place, but I wasn't sure if it'd be too late by the time I got in touch with you and I didn't know if it was the kind of thing I should take to Miss Belladonna so I'm sorry if I overstepped and I understand if you want to fire me but-"

You put up a hand to stop her. "Slow down. Relax. Take a deep breath" You say, watching as she breathes in. "Now let it out..."

Lola shuts her eyes and breathes out, giving you a guilty look when she opens them again.

You take some time to come up with a response... perhaps a bit too long, as Lola starts getting antsy again...

>What say?

>>2993481
>Huggu the bun

>>2993481
>Hug the bun. Always hug the bun.

>>2993481
>The bun must get the hug

>writing

You pull Lola into a tight hug. "I'm sorry..." You say.

"Eh? S-sorry as in 'sorry for what's about to happen' or-"

"Sorry you had to do that" You say. "The one in the dungeons is my responsibility. I should've had things set up to keep her from going crazy long before I left"

"I-it's really no big deal you don't have to apologize-"

"Yes I do" You say. "I'm sorry my lack of foresight put you into such a tough situation, Lola. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again"

"Is that like 'it won't happen again because I'm fired' or-"

"I'm not firing you" You say, as you release her and put your hands on her shoulders. "I'm admitting fault here. Why would I fire you for something that I'm admitting was my fault?"

Lola looks around nervously, somehow not realizing that question was rhetorical. Her face starts to turn red... because she's holding her breath...

"Lola look at me" You say, putting your hands on her cheeks. "Breathe. In... out... in... out... you're not fired. In... out... you're not in trouble. In... out... in... out..."

Lola finally starts to calm down. Her dark-ish skin is about as red as it can get, she's sweating profusely, and breathing like she just ran a marathon, but you can tell she's getting it under control now.

"You good?" You ask.

"I feel like... my heart's gonna... beat... right out of my chest..." She says between pants.

>What does that feel like?

>That can't actually happen... can it?

>Why don't you take the night off?

>Other

>>2993534
>>Why don't you take the night off?
>>Offer to brush her.

>>2993534
>Why don't you take the night off?

>>2993534
>What does that feel like?
>Why don't you take the night off?

>writing

"You look pretty done. That's probably enough stress for the night, yeah?" You ask. "Why don't you take the rest of the night off? Take a nice long bath, sit back, relax, and I'll come check on you in a couple hours"

"Yeah..." She says, still panting. "That... sounds nice"

"Good" You say, rubbing her shoulders while she catches her breath. "How does that feel anyway?"

"The... shoulder thing?" She asks.

"No. The heartbeat thing" You say. "Mine just flows faster. Doesn't the constant beating get annoying?"

"I could... do... without it... right now... hah... hah... it's kinda... kinda like... hah... well... here" She says, taking your hand and putting it on her heart.

You can feel it pounding right through her ribcage, going much more quickly than any pulse you've ever felt.

"It's like... that... but like... everywhere... feel it... in my head... my... ears... my... hands... my..." She stops as her eyes widen a little.

...

Is it getting faster?

...

She stopped breathing again.

"Damn it, Lola. Keep breathing" You say, holding her steady with your hands on her shoulders.

As she starts breathing again she's panting even harder than before. You decide to take her to the nearest empty room with a chair so she can sit down before she passes out.

Once she's comfortable you grab a pitcher and fill it with water, pouring her a glass and leaving it on the table next to her.

After making sure she'll be fine, you decide to have another maid stick with her for a minute so you can go-

>See your friends

>Check in on Raven

>Other

>Check in on Raven

>>2993593
>>See your friends

>writing

>>2993593
>>See your friends

>>2993593
>See your friends

You should probably check in on Raven soon, but it's better to do that later when no one is waiting on you.

So after double checking that Lola will be okay, you head up to where she said your friends were waiting.

You pop your head in the door and see Ilica, Vivian, Emi, Hella, Daria, Pip, and Cheska all sitting around on the various couches.

Vivi is the first to notice you, and she brings you to her sister's attention.

"Hey" You say.

"Oh hey" Ilica says. "I was wondering when you'd show u-"

Ilica is distracted by Vivian pawing at her again. "Mew" Vivi says.

"Well go say hi then" Ilica says.

Vivi hops down, and everyone watches as she pads over to you, taking a seat about a foot away, taking the time to make sure all of her paws are perfectly placed...

And then Liz pounces on her from behind the doorway where you couldn't see her. The kitten and the serpid wrestle for a second, before disentangling and dropping into their 'on guard' stances: Vivi with her head low, back arched, tail poofed up, growling, hissing, and licking her lips, and Liz giving herself about an extra foot of height, holding her arms up and rattling her tail.

It takes a few moment for the tension to build to its breaking point, and the two kids jump at each other, engaging in a brief tussle before chasing each other around the room.

You hear a few bangs around the room as whenever they catch each other, and eventually Vivian runs back up into Ilica's lap, and Liz climbs up onto Hella's shoulders.

...

"Is that normal?" You ask.

"Yeah, they're just playing. Right, Vivi?" Ilica asks, putting a hand on Vivi's head.

Vivi completely overreacts, hopping right off of Ilica's lap, then hopping around the floor on stiff legs before booking it over to a box in the corner that has a little Vivi sized hole in it. On closer inspection, the box has a crude sign that says 'Fort Vivi'.

...

"So how's everybody doing?" You ask.

"Well enough" Ilica says. "How'd things go out in Leon?"

"About the same..." You say.

>Ask Emi about Kameh

>Ask Pip what she's doing here

>Ask Daria what she thinks of her room

>Other

>>2993646
>Ask Pip what she's doing here

>>2993646
>>I was all set for a duel, but he kind of pissed me off and I ended up obliterating him in one shot. I'm not sure if that was bad or not.

>writing

>>2993646
>Ask Pip what she's doing here
And I want to do
>Ask Emi about Kameh
But we should probably talk about it in private

>>2993670
I kind of feel like whether she wants to say anything about it or not is up to her. No one really knows what went down besides us and Namaki. Telling her the result is what she needs to know and she can go from there. Though it kind of seems like a lot of the girls were in on it before we left.

"I was all set for a fair duel, y'know? Fight it out like men, may the best swordsman win" You say, as you go over and sit down in the only empty seat next to Hella.

"What happened?" Pip asks. "We heard you won. No details though"

"Well first he 'happened' to forget my sword, and figured he'd refuse my challenge based on that" You say. "But I met Namaki on the way to Leon, and she lent me her sword which she won from a southerner like 330-something years ago"

"Namaki left Otuna?" Cheska asks.

"Not important, but I'll get to it" You say. "So then he tried to blindside me with some kinda wind cutter, but I had been gethering soul in around me while I was waiting so it didn't even get near me... and I could've just fought him then but I was pretty pissed off so I just used the remaining energy to blow him away"

"Oh damn..." Ilica says.

"... which I wouldn't have done, if certain details had not been kept from me" You say, letting your frustration show on your face for a moment before dropping it go and smiling. "But that's a topic for another time. How come you're here, Pip? I figured you'd be right back to work once you'd healed up"

"Well I'm still recovering, and Emi's taken over my care after a fantastic little flip out at the medical tent" Pip says. "So I'm here as a recovering patient/guard of sorts"

>Flip out?

>Tell them about Namaki

>Tell them about Ava

>Other

>>2993680
>Flip out?
>Tell them about Namaki

>>2993680
>Flip out?
>Tell them about Namaki
>Tell them about Ava

>writing

>>2993680
>>Flip out?
>>Tell them about Namaki

You raise an eyebrow. "Flip out?"

"Yeah, Emi blew her top a little at the other healers" Ilica says. "Something about... inside out and outside in..."

"They should know better!" Emi says. "If you don't think your patient has the strength to recover all at once, you ALWAYS start from the inside"

"It's fine, Mimi. Nobody's accusing you of anything..." Pip says, rubbing Emi's back.

"What sparked this?" You ask.

"Pip started hackin' up blood the morning after you left, so Emi took a look at her" Ilica says, leaning over the side of her couch to peek over at 'Fort Vivi'. "Then she stormed off to the medical tent and started givin' it to 'em"

"Ohhhh. I get it" You say. "If they'd done it the right way, any leftover wounds would have been up on Pip's skin where they could do no harm. But the other way around left some unhealed spots in her lungs..."

"I just... it was irresponsible..." Emi says. "And then they put me down, like my age makes me stupid or something..."

You shake your head. "I'd've done the same thing as you, had I still been there" You say. "Did Altea hear about this?"

"She did" Pip says.

"And...?" You ask.

"Sh-she told me not to overstep my bounds like that" Emi says, sounding frustrated.

"Anything else?" You ask.

"She left Pip in my care and sent her with us, and then we had to leave for here" Emi says.

"You know she wasn't actually mad at you, right?" You ask. "She told you not to overstep like that, meaning you should have gone straight to her"

"I was just..."

"Mad. I know" You say. "But Altea would have given them a talking to that'll stick with them for the rest of their lives... in fact she probably did that anyway. Misconduct like that is no small matter"

"But..."

"You're a part of the force now, Mimi. Not officially, but you should still follow the chain of command" Pip says. "And you're lucky enough to be following some of the best commanders Lubars has ever had, so next time you wanna blow up, think about how much more satisfying it'll be to watch Altea do it for you"

>1/2

"So how come Namaki was out of her den?" Cheska asks, breaking the awkward silence that followed Pip's little lecture. "I got the impression that Otuna was helpless without her"

"She's looking to get back out into the world" You say. "She made a deal with Lord Dustin from Bell's run to get some guards and fortifications to protect Otuna so she could go to Sherton and visit Marybell's family, then she rode with me to Leon so she could meet with the Rynia family"

"Why would she go see Marybell's family?" Cheska asks.

"Oh! Right! This is the lady who sent Marybell that letter a while ago, right?" Pip asks.

"Yeah. Marybell is her descendant, down the line from her son Gregory" You say.

"Really?" Emi asks. "How strange..."

"Oh! And Ava's doing solo performances now" You say. "We talked a bit about having her come do one out here"

"That'd be nice" Pip says. "We could set up a few for the soldiers, if she's comfortable getting closer to the front. Might make a nice morale booster"

"I'll talk to her and Altea about it. See what we can come up with" You say.

"How's Tian doing?" Hella asks.

"About the same as Ava. Still performing regularly" You say. "I stopped in at Gwen's place on the way through Locke, too"

"You did?" Hella asks. "Are they doing alright?"

"Gwen wants to know why you never write" You say, poking Hella on the nose. "But yeah, they seem okay. They sell hammocks and stuff for girls like them, because spider couches are huge and expensive"

"I guess she must not have much in the way of furniture" Hella says.

"They have a few things..." You say.

>Ask if anyone knew about what the King was doing

>Leave it be

>Other

>>2993735
>>Leave it be

>>2993735
>Leave it be

>writing

"Good! And... um... does Gwen still drink a lot?" Hella says. "It was getting to be kind of a problem before the civil war and everything. I was wondering if things had gotten worse..."

"Well you could ask her about it if you wrote her" You say, poking her nose again. "But no... well... yeah, she did have some wine while we were there, but that I could understand"

Hella tilts her head.

"Well she had a web trap set up inside the door, which Daria got caught in. Then Kanzka burst out of the floor and dragged Ariadne into her hole. Then when we got that sorted out and let Daria out of the trap, she hit the floor pretty hard and smushed Val..." You say.

"Yeah that sounds like a lot to take in" Pip says. "I wasn't even there and I feel like I need a drink just hearing about it...."

"It wasn't that bad" Daria says.

"Having an assassin burst out of your floor sounds pretty stressful to me" Cheska says.

"Ummm..." Ilica says, putting her paw up. "Who is Kanzka?"

"She's the assassin who I beat in the tournament up north, who serves me now because I walked on her webs" You say, knocking on the floor. "Come up and introduce yourself Kanzka. I promise I won't make you mingle this time"

A hole opens up in the room's outside facing wall, and Kanzka pokes her head in. "Hello"

...

"Okay then" Ilica says.

"Not through the floor?" You ask.

"The floor below yours is occupied" Kanzka replies.

"Isn't it cold out there?" You ask.

"It is nothing I cannot ha-..." Kanzka says, pulling her head back like she's going to sneeze. "Ha... HACHOO..."

The loud sneeze surprises Vivi, who starts rattling around inside her Fort.

After sniffling and wiping her nose, Kanzka continues. "It is nothing I cannot handle, master. Against my duty, this cold is nothing"

You sigh. "Get inside, Kanzka. Handle it or not, I won't have someone who serves me sitting out in the cold all night" You say, as you get up and go pull her into the room.

"But it is my duty..." She says.

"Your duty can be done just fine from in here, now come on" You say.

Kanzka reluctantly allows herself to be pulled in. Her hands are freezing and she's shivering, most likely because she's wearing the same kinda-skimpy outfit she always wears. While you will admit that it's nice to look at, it is in no way proper winter clothing...

You go out into the hall and ask one of your maids to bring you a shit ton of blankets, then head back in just as Kanzka sneezes again.

This time Vivi's got her number and the little kitten makes a run at Kanzka, only to be intercepted by Liz, and their little play fight begins again...

"So yeah... Kanzka" You say.

"N-nice to meet you... I think" Ilica replies.

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will be tomorrow, starting around 5pm EST.

As always I'll be sticking around for question/suggestion time.

>>2993768
Thanks for running

I was just remembering how much I missed this story when you started the thread Smiley, thanks.

You get Kanzka set up in the next room while you wait for the maid to come back with the blankets.

When she arrives, you see that she two other maids, and that they're all carrying as many blankets as they can...

"A little overkill..." You say. You didn't even know the house had this many blankets.

"You said, and I quote: a shit ton" The dog eared maid replies matter-of-fact tone. She looks a few years older than you, with long brown hair and pointy dog ears. If you remember right, her name is Tina. "Since that isn't an actual amount, we had to estimate"

You nod your head. "Yeah, I guess I did say that. Good work" You say, petting the maid's head.

Tina gets a proud smile as her tail starts wagging. Then the four of you get to work covering Kanzka in blankets.

Once you've finished, you step back and admire your work. It looks like... a giant pile of blankets with Kanzka's head poking out the top. She looks pretty unenthused by this set up.

"That'll do it. Thank you girls" You say.

"You're welcome, sir" They reply in unison with a polite bow, before heading out of the room.

"So how's it feel?" You ask Kanzka.

"It is quite warm" Kanzka replies, sniffling a little. "Though if someone were to attack right now..."

"If someone attacks right now, I'll take care of it. The most I want you doing right now is warning me" You say. "Get warm. Stay warm. I don't want you getting sick"

"As you wish, master" Kanzka says.

You nod and head back to where your friends are... and it looks like they're all getting ready to head off to bed.

"Not us. We'll be awake a while longer" Ilica says when you mention it. "Kids need their beds though, so we'll put 'em down and come back"

You see that Daria's got Val, Ilica's got Vivi, and Hella's got Liz. Cheska says she's off to make sure Fran's not too absorbed in her reading to put the Devils to bed, and it looks like Emi is sticking around here...

>Where go?

>>2994709
>stay with emi

>>2994709
>Stay and talk to Emi

>>2994709
>Stay here

>>2994709
>Stay here

>writing