Rolled 37

>>21275979
Nothing.

>>21275979
It’s been a week since the incident at the airport. The whole experience must have gotten to me, because I’ve been having these headaches every now and again. It’s as if I’ve been on a rollercoaster: I get nauseous, my eyes sting, and I can’t keep my balance. I’ve found lying down and looking at the ceiling for a long time helps but I just can’t get them to go away. I don’t want to worry everyone, especially after what happened with Charles, so I’ve kept quiet about it. It’s probably nothing anyway…
Even though Jim came back, I’ve been so worried about Charles that I haven’t really had time to enjoy it yet, but he should be coming back today. I’ve been sitting here for hours now, at the bench by the gate. Every now and again, I peer past the portcullis of the inner gate and the cast-iron bars of the outer fence to the road. Sometimes a singular car passes, and I get my hopes up, but so far it hasn’t been the car I’ve been waiting for. Jim his here beside me, his arms and legs crossed and his gaze turned toward the sky. Despite being so close and having so much to catch up on, I find myself anxiously chewing on my thumbnail.
Is he okay?
Did anything get amputated?
Did that man do anything strange to him?
After a while, it seems like my fidgeting has finally gotten on Jim’s nerves. He clears his throat and turns to me.
“You know, it’s fine to be worried and all that, but I think he wouldn’t be happy to see your sloppy hand.”
Huh? I look down to the thumb I’ve been chewing on. Sure enough, there’s a thick coating of spit coming down from my thumb and drizzling the ground. My face feels like it’s on fire as I try to wipe it off. Stupid, stupid! How long was it like that!?
“Haven’t changed, huh? I remember you used to suck your thumb till the fifth grade.”
Great. And here I was, thinking he’d be wowed by my womanly charm. I guess there’s no changing a first impression…

>>21275979
Okay you know what? I saw this when the first thread came up and dismissed it as a silly thing looking for attention. But now? You've got my interest OP. I'll look into the previous threads. Kudos to you.

>>21276010
After a few hours, a taxi arrives and I practically leap from my seat as Charles exits. He turns to me and gives his usual gentle smile.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Diana.”
“W-welcome back, Charles…”
I have so many things I want to ask him, but I suppose I should focus on what is important for now. I…
[ ] Ask him how his injuries are
[ ] Ask him about the man who attacked me.

>>21276036
[X] Ask him why he was being such a pussy and got injured.

Ok, but seriously, who gives a shit about him, lets ask him who attacked us.

Waiting for just a few minutes more for more opinions, then going ahead.

>>21276036
[x] Ask him how his injuries are

Can't be selfish

Rolled 1

Well, shit, a tie. 1d2 coming up, calling in order of options

>>21276337
Yes... I am going to turn us cruel and unfeeling.

>>21276347
lolno

[x] Ask him about the man who attacked me.

“Don’t worry about him.” Charles has a smug look on his face.
“The estate has made a generous donation to the district attorney. He won’t be seeing the light of day anytime soon.”
It looks like Charles has a grudge against that man. I can’t imagine him being much of a threat anymore with all those broken bones….
“Now, Miss Diana, let’s head inside. There is much to discuss.”

>>21276375
Despite just getting out of the hospital, he took no time in reasserting his control over the estate, setting up tea and cake for us and chastising several maids along the way. Eventually, we settled in the garden to have the afternoon snack. I always liked the garden; it is sunny and quiet and the flowers always match the print on our cups. I always thought it would be nice to work in here, but Charles never would let me get close to the thorns and…
“…So, you say this man called his power a ‘Dragonline’?”
Ah, right, I’m filling Charles in on what happened at the airport. I nod silently to him and take a sip of tea. Jim didn’t have a clue about Dragonlines, but Charles is something of an expert on the arcane so maybe he knows something about this.
“I’m afraid that doesn’t make any sense.”
Eh?
“What are you talking about, Charlie?” Jim stuffs his face with the rest of the cake and downs it with his tea in one go. Charles looks on disapprovingly, but I think the crumb sticking to his stubble is a bit cute.
“I thought this kind of thing was your strong point. Don’t tell me you’re getting senile on me.”
Charles brushes the crumb off of Jim by swatting him across the face.
“At least show some table manners you ignorant…” Charles takes a second to collect himself before continuing.
“Give me a moment to prepare. I’ll show you why this idea of Dragonlines is nonsense.”

>>21276432
While Charles rummages around, I look at Jim. I haven't gotten a good look at him since he got back.
You can't even tell he went to war. His hair's already grown back out, there's not a single scar on him, and he's got that cool confidence he always had. It's inspiring, but at the same time, I'm a bit envious.
"Something up, Princess?"
Ah! I was staring! Not good. I should say something...
[ ] "N-nothing. I'm sorry..."
[ ] "D-did you make any friends, over there..?"

>>21276483
[X] "D-did you make any friends, over there..?"

>>21276483
[x] "D-did you make any friends, over there..?"

Saying 'nothing' and apologizing constantly is the worst.

>>21276483
"Hmm...well, there was this British guy. Wasted all the time, I tell ya." He slaps his knees begins laughing.

"Let me tell you about this one time, alright? It all starts when he finds this camel, see..."

..........

"...and by the time we got out of there, the whole place was on fire! We couldn't stop running for hours!"
...That's not a funny story, Jim! That's not a funny story at all! You nearly died five times, and I'm not sure you've taken enough showers to wash all that off yet!

"Phew...good times. Good times. Hey, Charlie, hurry it up!"

>>21276581
Charles brings out a dusty old box into the garden, dusts off his gloves, and clears his throat.
“This one’s gonna be long.” Jim! I know you’re probably right but you shouldn’t say that out loud!
Charles shoots Jim a dirty look, but quickly recovers.
“Well, since the hecklers are out in force today, I’ll keep this brief. The planet is surrounded by numerous fields of energy, born from the interactions between the earth’s crust, the mantle, and the core. While these fields are electromagnetic in nature, they….”
Charles, I thought you said you would keep this brief. He yammers on and on for quite some time, and I can feel myself starting to nod off before long. Just as it feels like I might fall asleep, I feel a stabbing pain behind my eyelids.
What? Another headache? I thought they were bad before, but this one…
“…and so basically, we can make a few adjustments with these.”
Another nauseating round of pain forces my eyes open. Charles seems to be sticking something in the ground, what is he…
“Ow!” Rods—no, stakes! Charles is planting copper stakes into the dirt. Every new stake makes my head pound more. I can barely stand it! My ears are ringing.
“Is everything alright, Miss Clark?”
Did it show? I can’t cause trouble for everyone again. Best to just hold it in for now. I give Charles a weak nod and a whimper, and he seems satisfied for now. But still…why does it hurt?

>>21276611
I bite my lip and try to focus on what Charles is doing. He’s holding a ball of some sort….
“This is made from iron, but there’s nothing special about it. Watch,” Charles drops the ball on the ground, “Completely normal, see?”
He slams one more stake into the ground and I draw blood from biting down so hard.
“Now see what happens…”
Charles drops the ball between the stakes and…it stops? The ball is hovering a few inches off the ground! Amazing! Amazing but…why do I feel so sick just looking at it?
“This is geomancy! Harnessing the power of the planet.”
I feel awful. I can’t look away from the stakes or the ball between them. My eyes are on fire. But…I feel like I can see something. Just underneath the surface. I get up and take a closer look at the ground.
Lines? There are lines running all across the ground. They’re like images burned into my eyes. I can’t quite focus on them; looking directly at them makes them vanish but… There are lines, all over the ground!
“Miss Diana…?”
I don’t have time to pay attention to Charles now, there’s something wrong. Yes, the lines. They’re all mangled around these stakes that Charles put in. Looking at this mess makes me want to throw up. I put a hand to my mouth to keep from gagging and…
“Miss Diana, are you listening?”
“Eh? W-what?”
“Let me repeat myself: The natural flows of this energy are called Ley Lines, but they’re also known as Dragonlines. I redirected them with those stakes and… is something wrong?”

>>21276648
“I..I’m sorry, it’s just…”
Those lines keep bothering me. If I could just straighten them out, untangle that knot! It’s driving me crazy. I’m going to really be sick if they stay like that, but I don’t want to be a burden on everyone. In the end, the only thing I can say is…
[ ] “I-I'm just feeling a little weak..that's all...”
[ ] “Just…just let me fix this, please…?”

>>21276648
Yes something is wrong

Ow my head

Take the stakes out please

>>21276666
[x] “Just…just let me fix this, please…?”

Step up to the plate yo

>>21276666
[X] “Just…just let me fix this, please…?”

"Why are you bending the lines Charles, you're mangling them. It hurts, it hurts to look at."

>>21276666
“Fix them? Miss Diana, you’ve never even seen this before…”
I have to straighten this out! Immediately, I set to plucking up the stakes and moving them, letting the lines flow together more freely. Each line makes a popping sound as it resets itself, and the lines become clearer and clearer.
This one goes here… *POP*
And this one here… *POP*
I work feverishly, but I just can’t let this stand. It only takes me a few seconds, but it feels like hours with the nausea hitting me so hard. Finally, I move the last stake into place and the lines begin to glow, shifting and sliding into a single shape.
“F..finally. I’m done now…”
I stand up and wipe my brow. The pain and nausea are gone, and the lines don’t hurt to look at anymore. I do feel a slight rumbling, though…Wait, the ball!
I forgot about the ball! Sitting at the center of the arrangement of stakes, the iron ball begins to tremble. It rolls around for a few seconds then—
“Watch out!”
The ball shoots up into the air! It just keeps going! All of us just stand there staring at it until it goes out of sight.
“Whoah, what was that!?” Jim comes over and slaps me on the shoulder. It hurts but...it’d be nice if he did it more often.
“..nothing…just…the lines and…”
“Miss Diana, are you saying you can see the leylines?”
Eh? Did I do something wrong? I can’t really hide it now, so I just nod.
“The ability to see the lines of force…what an incredible talent. Maybe you’ve got a future in feng shui.”

>>21276716
“By the way, Miss Diana, have you seen your father yet? He was supposed to return while I was in the hospital.”
“Papa was…?”
As long as I can remember, it’s just been Charles and I here. Sure the maids come and go, but we’re the only constant residents. Papa’s always overseas or on a business trip, and I’m told my mother died in childbirth. He can usually only come home for a few days a couple of times a year, but he almost never misses a chance to come back. I didn’t hear he was coming home so soon.
“No, I haven’t…”
“How odd. I shall send for him immedi—“ Charles looks over his shoulder. It seems one of the maids has brought in a telephone. Charles takes all the calls here, so it’s not too unusual. Charles excuses himself to take the call, leaving the two of us alone.
Alone? I’m suddenly so nervous that I start pulling desperately at the hem of my jacket .
This is a chance! I just need to think! Think of something to say! It’s the first time we’ve really been alone in five years! Come on, think!

[ ] "...I-I cut my hair..is it...good?"
[ ] "Do...do you want to go see a m-movie soon?"
[ ] "Would you like to stay...forever?"

>>21276754
The last one seems a bit too forward.

[X] "Do...do you want to go see a m-movie soon?"

>>21276754
[X] "Would you like to stay...forever?"
We need to build our Yandere meter!

>>21276754
>>21276842
Yandere mode?
[ ] Stay forever!

>>21276842
>>21276901
Certain choices will make Shychan have more or less yandere tendencies. Tendencies is the key word. She'll always be Shychan first. Keep that in mind.

“…Um…J-jim…I, uh…”
“Miss Diana!”
What!? What now!? Can’t you read the mood old man!?
“It’s your father! They have your father!”
…huh? Papa...?
“There’s someone on the line right now! They’re demanding to speak to you about a ransom.” Charles swears. He never swears…
“I knew I shouldn’t have let him go by himself! I should have gotten old Jack to watch him!”
This is all too fast. There’s someone on the phone? And they have Papa…? What should I do?
[ ] Get Jim to answer the phone
[ ] Pick up the phone! Papa’s in danger!
[ ] “What do they want, Charles?”

Minor cliffhanger while I grab a quick meal. Take this time to discuss options, the two or three of you here.

>>21276944
[X] “What do they want, Charles?”

He can handle the phone better than either of us. He knows what questions to ask, what information to get. If Friend takes the phone he'll start yelling, and if we take the phone we'll stutter.

>>21276944
[x] Get Jim to answer the phone

Alright hero boy, this is your territory.

>>21276944
>[x] Pick up the phone! Papa’s in danger!
Let's try to be as alpha as fuck.

Also, jeez, does Shy-chan have to go yandere with >>21276919. I actually am a yanderefag, but I like Shy-chan to be different.

>sage for making non-questfags less irritated.

>>21276968
>>21276972
>>21276995
>Threeway split.
Oh boy.

>Also, jeez, does Shy-chan have to go yandere with >>21276919. I actually am a yanderefag, but I like Shy-chan to be different.
It will change some of her inner dialogue, but Shychan isn't going to be kidnapping or murdering rivals anytime soon.

>>21277018
>It will change some of her inner dialogue, but Shychan isn't going to be kidnapping or murdering rivals anytime soon.
Okay, thank the God-Emperor.

I'm >>21276995, and I'll change my vote to >>21276972. Just to make things easier for you, ikara.

>>21276944
>[x] Get Jim to answer the phone
I reach over and tug on Jim's shirt. I'm too paralyzed to force out words, but Jim seems to get the idea.
He marches over to the phone and snatches it from Charles.
"Yeah, what do you want?" He's scowling. I've never seen him frown this deeply, but he seems to be acting rationally for a change. This was the right choice.
"Yeah. Mhm...well, I've basically memorized it."
Huh? Memorized?
"Memorized what? The sound of your voice. There's no way you can hide from me now."
What? Jim! Jim, no!
"You want a compass? I'll tell you what you're getting," Jim points, like the stranger on the phone can see him, "A one way, all expenses paid ticket to hell, courtesy of me!"
Jim slams the receiver down.
"We should probably expect company soon..."

>>21277122
Tell Jim that was dumb.

>>21277122
Okay so we can pretty much make railguns out of the earth by shaping leylines. So we should set some of those up along pathways the enemy is likely to take.

>>21277122
Company?
"Jim! W-what did they tell you!? What did they want!?"
Jim seems a little startled, I know I don't yell that much, but...
"Your dad is holding on to some kinda doodad called a Celestial Compass. They want it, but like hell they're getting away with kidnapping your dad."
Jim slams a fist into his palm. He looks excited, too excited. I'm flattered that he'd do this for me but...
"..we should have just given it to them..."
Jim makes a weird face, like I'm telling him the sky is green.
"Well, whatever. One of their thugs is on their way or something. I'll just take care of him like last time, and then we'll go get your dad."

It can't be that simple, Jim! I need to get something useful from him...
[ ] "Is my dad still okay?"
[ ] "Who is holding my dad hostage?"
[ ] "Did they tell you what this compass is like?"

>>21277193
[x] "Who is holding my dad hostage?"

Other two are bitch questions for wimps

>>21277193
[X] "Who is holding my dad hostage?"

>>21277122
Gosh, Jim, you're not Captain Hammer. Stop acting like you are.

>>21277193
>[x] "Who is holding my dad hostage?"
followed by >[x] "Did they tell you what this compass is like?" if we have time. If Jim's not going to be responsible, we need to step up our game.

>>21277193
"P-papa! Who took Papa?"
"They gave some bogus name, Ebony Dragon or something like that." Jim looks away and snorts.
"Not like that will help them hide. I can tell from the reception and their accent--they're calling us from Hong Kong."
Jim takes my hand and looks into my eyes. ..T-this is a serious situation, me! Keep it together, stay focused!
"I promise, I'm gonna get your dad home safely. No matter what it takes. So don't worry about it, and let your own thugs handle this thug."
Jim points to where my guards should be.
"...Hm? Are they on break?"

>>21277346

Oh shit.

There is a crash. I can hear the guards screaming. Gunfire, and it's getting closer.
"Stay back, Miss Diana. Jim and I will handle this."
I-I didn't expect them here so soon. It certainly sounds like there's a whole lot of them out there. I see the gate to the garden buckle, then smash into the ground.
"M-my head..." I put a hand to my temple. My head is throbbing again...what's going on? I turn my eyes up and look across the garden.
There is a lone man standing there. He's tall, fat, bald, and dressed head to toe in black leather...gross.
"Good evening, Miss Clark!" A heavily accented voice calls out. My headache is getting worse. I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes focused.
"I heard you and your friend were being a little...difficult."

>>21277408
Grit teeth and stand tall.

Keep mouth shut.

>>21277408
I try my best to stay calm, but this man...
This man...he's not just gross. There's something, wrong about him. Even though it's painful, I focus my eyes on him and then...I see it. That same black tattoo, crawling over his face.
It's...it's looking back at me! My head splits! I can't! I just can't look at it again!
I need to get some space between this man and me. I need to get away, now! There's a shed where the gardener keeps his things, I could go hide in the brush, or maybe I could just stay behind Jim..there's no time to look for anything else!
[ ] Go for the shed!
[ ] Hide in the bushes!
[ ] Stick with Jim

>>21277467
[X] Stick with Jim

Jim is the safest of the options.

>>21277467
[x] Stick with Jim

>>21277467
I'm too scared. I just can't move. I grab on to Jim's back and peer around his side.
"Ha ha ha ha! How pitiful! Is that all we can expect from a high born lady?"
Charles steps forward, pulling a pistol from his coat.
"I will only ask you to leave once. Now, go!" Charles levels his pistol, but this new man seems unafraid.
"Fine, then! I warned you!" Charles opens fire and...nothing happens. Confused, Charles fires the gun again. The weapon is clearly going off, I can see the casings fall to the ground but...wait...
"Oh ho. It seems the little girl has caught on." The begins to walk forward, and Charles keeps discharging his weapon. It won't work, Charles! It won't work!
I point to the ground near this strange man's feet.
"D-down there...the bullets..."
There, at the man's feet, lie every single bullet Charles had fired. His aim was perfect, but the bullets just slammed into the ground... How?
"I suppose I shall tell you before you die. My name is Gu! And my Dragonline's name is "The Chain" of the 52 Hexagram!"
THE END

>>21277467
>[x] Stick with Jim
The obvious option is often the best

The end for now, anyway. We'll pick up about this time next week, with our first true conflict. I felt it was all too much to do in one night.

>>21277578

...

N-NO! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! CLEARLY, IT WAS THE BEST OPTION!

[x] Reload at >>21277467

>>21277578
So he fucks with magnetism. All we have to do is fix all of the ley lines in the area and throw him into space.

>>21277609
>So he fucks with magnetism
Does he? Bullets are made of lead.

>>21277625
Yeah, but who wants to think about actual science.

Though he very well might fuck up the ley lines in the area as shown by the nausea. Fixing them might do something funny.

>>21277672
I've already done most of the work on this upcoming conflict, so I hope you enjoy it. I already gave a minor spoiler as to the nature of The Chain's ability, so if you're feeling nosy, you could research it. Also, archived for those two or three people who care and missed it.

Shychan needs more MOE

I came expecting romcom