>>32654105
>C) Studying

>>32654137
You leave the Rangers to their business of maintaining the forest, and search for whatever passes for a library around here.

You find an archive crammed with books and scrolls of all sizes. Most of the accounts are simple math, quantifying every aspect of Ranger life from scheduled patrols to purchases. You push them aside and continue looking until you find something quite interesting. Tucked into a single shelf in the corner of the room are a series of thick, musty books titled "The Complete Ranger Handbook Vol. 5". You flip through the first one, and sure enough the series is the textbook for ranger training. It serves as a history, index of nomenclature, and a bestiary. Most of the language is old, but you shouldn't have too much trouble getting through it if you sit down and concentrate.

A) Focus on the history of the Rangers
B) Focus on the Bestiary
C) Focus on Ranger hunting techniques
D) Other

>>32654250
>C) Focus on Ranger hunting techniques

>>32654266
You crack open the books and begin reading. The Rangers have a long and exhaustive history of hunting, especially in the forests. The sections that cover it are incredibly long, and long winded.

Through sheer tenacity, you manage to get through the forty page foreword, and reach the actual information. When it does reach this point, you are impressed by the level of detail that the author put into it. It covers everything from rabbit to manticore. Some of the beasts it describes in the footnotes you are fairly certain are just myths, but sure enough the book provides sketches on them and the tools needed to overpower them. There is even a chapter dedicated entirely to the proper method of capturing a live dragon.

You begin bringing the book with you as you go around the outpost. Reading in the dark gives you headaches. One day, two weeks after you're arrival, you find yourself in Leon's apartment, reading as he drinks his morning coffee. The two of you sit in relative silence, until Leon's front door opens. One of the Rangers enters, and gives Leon some information that you barely hear over your own thoughts. Suddenly, there is a tap on your shoulder.

"I need to head into the woods to examine some tracks the scouts have found. I'll be gone for a few hours, and Eva is out with the hunters. Do you mind watching the baby until she gets back?" Leon looks at you hopefully. It seems he trusts you a bit more than you would yourself.

A) "No problem."
B) "I don't think I'm qualified."
C) Other

>>32654579
>A) "No problem."

>>32654588
You give Leon your word, and he lights up. He runs over to a corner to grab his twins before heading out the door.

"She should sleep mostly, so don't even worry about it!" With that, Leon is out the door and tearing across the branch-bridge. You are left alone in the silent apartment with a book and a baby.

A) Continue reading
B) Check on the baby
C) Other

>>32654784
>B) Check on the baby

>>32654801
You mark your page and set the book down on the floor next to you. You then stand and quietly make your way over to Leon's bedroom door. Slowly, you open it and peek inside. All clear. You enter and approach the crate full of blankets where the baby is put to sleep.

Peering in, you see her, all scrunched up and soft. Her tuft of hair is beginning to curl like Leon's, you think. She seems well enough.

A) Watch her a while longer
B) Go back to reading
C) Other

>>32655056
>A) Watch her a while longer

>>32655062
You continue to watch the baby as she wriggles slowly and coos in her crate. Something about her is calming. Her smell, you think. You remember your first time seeing her, and wonder if Leon's trick will work again. You reach in carefully with a single finger and touch her hand. She wraps her tiny fist around it and squeezes. Her grip is surprisingly firm, to the point that you're afraid to pull away or you might wake her.

Suddenly she kicks her little legs violently and begins to stir, making a noise you don't remember ever hearing. It sounds vaguely like a grunt, and in seconds becomes a full on wail. She cries at the top of her lungs, eyes still closed and thrashing around helplessly.

A) Leave her
B) Pick her up
C) Other

>>32655151
>B) Pick her up

>>32655164
You reach in and scoop her up. It isn't until just now that you realize you've never held a child. She can't weight more than a bag of flour. You do your best to mimic the way Eva usually holds her, cradling her carefully. She continues to wail and paw at the air. Clearly there is something wrong.

A) Try to rock her back to sleep
B) Find Maurice
C) Other

>>32655216
>A) Try to rock her back to sleep

>>32655221
You begin rocking her gently, trying to relax her enough to get her to fall asleep again. You continue this for at least fifteen minutes, but she doesn't even seem to stop to inhale between screams. You're beginning to worry that the neighbors might hear and investigate.

Naturally, Leon didn't actually tell you what to do in case of this, so you'll need to gamble. As far as you know, babies are just small humans who can't do anything that resembles work. There must be something she wants.

A) Ask a neighbor
B) Find Maurice
C) Look for food
D) Look for something else
E) Other

>>32655505
>C) Look for food

>>32655510
Carrying the baby with you, you begin scouring the bedroom for something to feed her. There is very little in the way of baby supplies here, you find.

Her crying is making you panic now. You need to quell her, quickly.

A) Search the entire house
B) Substitute
C) Other

>>32655601
>A) Search the entire house

>>32655608
You continue checking the apartment, single handed as the baby requires and entire arm. Just as you're about to give up hope, you find a small jar of white fluid. Upon twisting the cap (a feat that required the use of your teeth) you take a whiff. Milk to be sure, although you feel slightly uncomfortable now that you reflect on this decision.

You prepare to feed the baby, but quickly realize that the jar lacks something. In Lumen, you saw babies fed from bottles with teets made from rubber trees. This jar lacks that, and you aren't sure if there would be one at all.

A) Make do with what you have
B) Search the house for the necessary tools
C) Other

>>32655721
>B) Search the house for the necessary tools

>>32655721
>>32655733
on second thought, A

>>32655751
You look around for anything that might work. Your eyes settle on a pile of rags folded neatly in a stack. They are clean, you know, and they're all you've got. You grab one and sit in a chair, soaking it in the milk briefly before offering it to the baby. She latches on with her tiny mouth and begins chewing it, just like the goats who taught you this technique. In a matter of seconds, she is calmed.

You sit, feeding the baby from a rag. Your heartbeat is slowing finally.

A) Keep feeding her
B) Try to get her to sleep
C) Other

>>32655799
a

>>32655814
You settle in and continue feeding her, resoaking the rag as needed. She doesn't cry anymore, at least.

Soon she refuses to drink anymore, and you put the rag down. She seems relaxed. That is, until she stirs again, and begins crying.

A) Give up hope
B) Other

>>32655856
>B) Other
rock her some more
go find someone in the outpost for advice

>>32655869
You begin rocking her gently. You're nearly out of ideas now, and so you must resort to asking for help. You grab a blanket to swaddle her against the cold, and head out the door.

Outside, you look around to see all the Rangers hard at work. They trim the trees, make repairs, herd the stock, and grow food. You think back to your youth with Leon. If you remember right, Rangers take in abandoned children. If that's true, there might be something resembling a nursery. On the other hand, Leon did trust you to watch the baby. Handing her off to someone else might disappoint him.

A) Try to find more babies
B) Look for Maurice
C) Other

>>32655932
>A) Try to find more babies

>>32655945
The priority now is soothing the baby. To that end, you begin wandering the outpost in search of other children, hoping to find someone more qualified to care for her.

You check high and low, and see not a single person under the age of sixteen anywhere. If they do raise children here, they hide them. Eventually you break down and ask one of the Rangers flat-out where to find someone who knows about babies.

"Babies? In the outpost? Don't be absurd. There are terrible creatures all around this forest, we can't afford to put children in danger. We keep them miles from here, in a guarded safe zone. What's wrong with her?"

The baby continues to cry, her face turning an uncomfortable red.

A) Explain the problem
B) Keep moving
C) Other

>>32656064
>A) Explain the problem
and maybe ask for Maurice

>>32656076
You confess to the Ranger, explaining the baby's insatiable need to scream nearly constantly. The Ranger shrugs, unsure of what to do either. You ask if he has any knowledge on the whereabouts of Maurice.

"Creepy guy? About this tall and smells like brew? I saw him munching on mushrooms this morning, right over there. Though he might not be much use to anyone right now."

A) Find Maurice
B) Other

>>32656135
>A) Find Maurice

>>32656146
You descend from the trees and search for Maurice in the direction given to you. All the while, Leon's daughter continues to cry out.

You finally find Maurice spread out in the dirt with a stem hanging from his mouth. He stares off into space, fixated on some invisible object that seems quite astonishing by his expression. You nudge him with your foot and explain the problem. He gurgles, stuffing another wild mushroom into his mouth and chewing. Then he reaches into his robes and pulls out a white rag. You take it, unclear on its meaning. Maurice simply chews the mushroom into a paste and continues to stare at nothing.

A) Slap Maurice
B) Other

>>32656323
>A) Slap Maurice

>>32656335
You kneel down and grab Maurice by the shirt, lifting him up and shaking him violently until he begins to resist. He seems to gain his composure again, slowly.

"Ugh, my apologies, sir. I was merely conducting research on the various flora native to this forest."

A) "You have a funny way of researching."
B) "Fix this baby!"
C) other

>>32656525
>A) "You have a funny way of researching."
"what do you know about babies?"

>>32656540
You chastise Maurice about his habits, then quiz him on his knowledge of human spawn.

"Can't say that I've ever seen one up close. From what I do know, they resemble tiny humans who are unable to do anything that resembles work. And I see you've already gone and upset Leon's. Excellent." You shoot Maurice a look, and he straightens out. "Very well then. Have you tried feeding it?" You nod. "Then I believe the answer is simple. She has eaten too much, and is sick. We should try to induce vomiting."

A) Agree
B) Disagree

>>32656695
>B) Disagree

>>32656725
"Hm. Then have you tried shaking her vigorously? She might just be stubborn." You don't have much experience with babies, but the very thought of this action makes you lose a lot of faith in Maurice's judgment involving them.

You raise the baby up and look at her. She still wails, red as a strawberry. By now the entire outpost must know about your troubles. You find yourself at the end of your rope.

Just then, the baby lets out a low, shockingly loud belch. With it comes up a stream of white stuff that you certainly hope isn't part of her brain.

"Haha! I knew it! She was sick!" Maurice gloats as the baby continues to burp and spit. After a few moments, she ceases and so does her crying. She reverts to her docile, cooing state.

A) Rock her
B) Bring her back to the apartment
C) Other

>>32656899
>A) Rock her
>B) Bring her back to the apartment

>>32656904
You cradle the baby again. She continues to coo, but occasionally belches again as you head back up to Leon's dwelling. By the time you get back, your shirt sleeve is damp with her spittle, but she is calm and sleeping peacefully. You sit with Maurice, trying to unwind after all the time spent running around in a panic.

"I must say, sir. You are terrible with children."

A) "She's not dead, is she?"
B) "Well, I'm gonna have to learn someday."
C) "Then you take her."
D) Other

>>32657002
>B) "Well, I'm gonna have to learn someday."

>>32657039
You continue to cradle the baby for a while, until you feel drowsy yourself. Maurice is already snoozing, but you must think of the baby before getting any sort of nap in.

A) Put her in the crate, and get back to reading
B) Just have a short rest in the chair
C) Borrow the bed for a while
D) Other

>>32657308
>A) Put her in the crate, and get back to reading

>>32657344
You take the baby back to Leon's bedroom and gently place her back into the small crate. You almost get her in without incident, but just as you think you're home free, she opens her eyes. Two bright blue orbs look up at you as she nestles in her crate. You hold eye contact for a brief moment, and she begins smiling, kicking her tiny legs.

A) Let her be
B) Stay a while
C) other

>>32657559
>B) Stay a while

>>32657578
You take a seat on the bed and look down into the crate. She stares up at you, vaguely distant. It's unclear, but a part of you wants to believe she knows who you are, and what you've done for her. I comforts you to think she might even like you in some way. You play with her a bit, getting her to grip your index finger a bit more. She smiles and tugs on it. Before you know it, you've spent over twenty minutes staring at her. She yawns, and finally begins to fall back asleep, shutting her eyes and slowing her movements.

You hear footsteps behind you, and look up to see Eva entering the bedroom. Her hair is messy, and her cloak is stained with blood. She removes it along with her boiled leather plate, and tosses them into a corner of the room.

"Where's Leon?"

A) "He stepped out for a minute. He should be back any moment."
B) "He had important business, so he left me in charge."
C) Other

>>32657849
>A) "He stepped out for a minute. He should be back any moment."

>>32657849
stepping out for a bit.

>>32657907
You try to play down Leon's departure. It seems to work, and Eva smiles. She approaches the crate to see her child, smiling down and speaking softly in a language you don't know, but recognize as being from the east. You tell her that she's been fed.

A) Leave out the vomit
B) Be honest

>>32658139
>B) Be honest

>>32658179
You tell Eva about your misadventures in trying to calm the baby after she awoke a while ago. She is thoroughly entertained by your struggles.

"It seems like she just needed to be burped. Have you really never taken care of a baby?"

A) "I'm a bit more restrained than Leon."
B) "It never came up."
C) "Not a baby person, no."
D) Other

>>32658478
>B) "It never came up."

stepping out for a bit longer. Don't know when I'll get back

>>32658492
You spend a little more time with Eva as she watches over the baby. Eventually she asks for some time alone to nurse her, and you're happy to give it. You shut the bedroom door and return to Maurice.

>>32658887
Something demands my attention. I'll archive this thread and call this a special minisode.

New thread on Friday!

>>32658911
ok, good luck with that.