>>41398561
BLOCK THE ROCK

You've never been fired before, and, given how unpleasant it was, you kind of hope you're never fired again. You've heard the expression "when one door closes, another opens", but, in your case, the door that opened happened to lead to the lair of a demon. At least he's more friendly than Koenma.

Your alliance with the ancient demon Koe gives you a small amount of unease. Most of the demons you encountered previously tried to murder you, and while there are exceptions (such as Kasai), you've never entered this kind of partnership with one before. Koe has warned you of a threat that could destroy both your world and his, and asked for your help in destroying it. You agreed, but have little idea of what's in store.

These thoughts make it hard to stay focused at breakfast, further worrying your father, who already seemed to be thinking you were getting sick.

"Look, I'll be home today," he tells you. "If you need anything, just let me know. But, if I were you, I'd get some sleep."

>A. Thank him

>B. Go to bed

>C. Go look for Bruce

>D. Dialogue writein

>E. Go look for Lucy

>F. Use your communication Mirror and try to contact Kaya

>G. Go for a walk

>>41398681
>>A. Thank him
>G. Go for a walk
clear our head.

>>41398681
>G. Go for a walk
Get some fresh air

>>41398681
>G. But instead of walking, we should go jogging. Its manlier and counts as training.

>>41398681
>F. Use your communication Mirror and try to contact Kaya

>>41398681
>>G. Go for a walk

Sorry, had to run outside and cut the grass. Update incoming

>>41398724
>>41398759
"Thanks," you tell your dad, deciding to head outside and go for a walk.

Of course, walks aren't really all that MANLY, so you decide to go for a jog. You can clear your head, and get some exercise while you're at it. It's a win-win situation. Saying goodbye to your dad, you leave the apartment and get started.

You jog right out of the complex, not saying anything to any of the other residents you pass as you go, you're in the zone, and on a beautiful day like this, it seems best to enjoy your jog in silence. Once you've made it a few blocks, you see that you aren't the only one who's had this idea.

You spot Lucy across the street, jogging along by herself much like you are. She's wearing a sleeveless white shirt and matching shorts, and clutching a water bottle tightly in her left hand.

>A. Call out to Lucy and say hello

>B. Try catching up with Lucy

>C. Keep jogging by yourself

>D. Dialogue writein

>>41399546
>>A. Call out to Lucy and say hello

>>41399546
>A. Call out to Lucy and say hello

>>41399546
>B. Try catching up with Lucy

>>41399546
>A. Call out to Lucy and say hello

>>41399546
>Impress Lucy by jogging up to her and matching her pace.

Time to subtley but not so subtley ask her advice about dealing with demons that we may or may not trust.

>>41399546
>B. Try catching up with Lucy

>>41399546
>A. Call out to Lucy and say hello

>>41399569
"Hey, Lucy!" you call across the street to your friend.

Lucy comes to an abrupt stop, her head turning towards the sound of your voice. When she sees you, she waves, then looks both ways for traffic before crossing over to you. Seeing that you're jogging, she comes to run at your side as the two of you move down the block.

"Hey," she greets in a friendly tone. "Surprised to see you out here. I thought you'd have work this weekend, or something."

You wonder if you should tell her that you got fired. She'd probably end up giving you grief over it, and some kind of lecture about how you should do what your boss tells you, even if you don't like him, and blah, blah, blah.

Besides, being fired isn't the part that's most bothering you. As far as you're concerned, Koenma was an ass and your actions were totally justified. No, it's the meeting you had afterward, and the deal you made, plus a tiny, tiny bit of worry that Koenma could have been right about Kasia. You doubt Lucy would understand the situation, in any case.

>A. Tell her you got fired

>B. Tell her you have the day off

>C. Shrug and keep jogging

>D. Dialogue writein

>>41399828
>>C. Shrug and keep jogging

>>41399828
>A. Tell her you got fired

>>41399828
Tell her you got transferred to a different agency with a better boss

>>41399828
>D "Change of management. Got the day off, but I may be called in later. How're you?"

>>41399828
>D. Dialogue writein
"Well I got fired/transferred to different workplace with a new boss, he is a lot better than my previous boss, but the problem is whether I can trust the new work environment"

>>41399828
>B. Tell her you have the day off

>>41399864
>>41399885
These

>>41399864
>>41399885
>>41399927
>>41399862
"Change of management," you explain as the two of you turn a corner. "I have the day off today, but I might be called in later. How are you?"

"I'm great," she tells you. "Just getting a workout in today. My karate school is taking part in a regional tournament in about two weeks, so I want to be in tip top shape. But, back to you, what's your new boss like?"

"I like him better than the last one," you answer truthfully. "But, I'm not sure I can trust the new work environment."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asks as the two of you cross an intersection.

How to explain this? If you tell her the truth, she'll probably think you're crazy. So, what sort of lie should you come up with? New employees seem a bit shady? You think the boss has some sort of agenda? He provides delicious grapes, and that makes you suspicious?

As you round another corner, you come up with an explanation.

>A. Tell her the truth

>B. You think your new boss has some sort of agenda

>C. Lie and say that you don't trust new employees there

>D. Dialogue writein

>E. Tell her that he gave you delicious grapes, and you are now suspicious of him

>>41400133
>E. Tell her that he gave you delicious grapes, and you are now suspicious of him
Don't trust people that give delicious food for free

>>41400133
>E. Tell her that he gave you delicious grapes, and you are now suspicious of him

>>41400133
>>B. You think your new boss has some sort of agenda
We do think he has an agenda. We just neglect to mention the possible apocalypse and such.

>>41400133
>>A. Tell her the truth

>>41400133
"You know how some people just feel 'off', and you can't explain why? It's like that. He's nice, i just can't shake the feeling that there's something weird going on at the new place."

>>41400133
>E. Tell her that he gave you delicious grapes, and you are now suspicious of him

>>41400133
>E. Tell her that he gave you delicious grapes, and you are now suspicious of him

You know, if our new boss is possibly evil, do you think those were the grapes of wrath?

>>41400290
That book was so bad. So, so, soooo bad. Fuck every teacher that forced a pack of children to read it, and then really stretched to find hidden meanings. Its a bad book. Fucking awful.

>>41400154
"He gave me delicious grapes, and I'm now suspicious of him," you explain. "I don't trust people who give delicious food away for free."

Lucy rolls her eyes. "Yeah, your boss sounds like a real monster. I can see how being nice and giving free food to your employees can call the safety of the entire work environment into question."

She smiles over at you. "I'm glad you're enjoying your new job, and that your new boss is someone you like. Just don't do anything stupid to get yourself fired, okay?"

Yeah, you probably shouldn't tell her.

"This is a good thing for you," Lucy continues. "And it keeps you out of trouble."

Okay, now she's sounding like a parent. Maybe you should change the subject?

>A. Ask if she wants to go grab some lunch

>B. Ask if she wants to go get lunch, you'll treat

>C. Challenge her to a race

>D. Dialogue writein

>E. Ask about the karate tournament

>>41400290
Another analogy is that they were the fruits of the underworld and by eating them we are forced to live in Hades for eternity.

I knew this but I still proposed eating the grapes, because fuck it they looked good.

>>41400437
>>E. Ask about the karate tournament

>>41400437
>E. Ask about the karate tournament

>>41400437
>E. "Do you want a sparring partner? I need to brush up on my hand-to-hand combat skills anyway. The last fight I got into...didn't end so well. Got out of it by the skin of my teeth."

>>41400437
>>C. Challenge her to a race

>>41400437
>E. Ask about the karate tournament

>>41400442
So are we going to become king of the demon world now?

File: kingofhell.jpg (27 KB, 348x400)

27 KB JPG

>>41400506
We'd have to fight Majeh for that.

So we passed up a chance to be Batman in order to be Ghost Rider (if his benefactor wasn't a -completely- evil shit)?

I don't know whether to be upset or glad.

Maybe some shots will cheer me up.

>>41400506
Either that or we just got the right to become a big shot like the Three Kings in the demon world.

>>41400548
Well Ghost Rider's benefactor was evil as shit.

Mephisto remeber? The guy who spidey sold his marriage too.

>>41400599
Oh wait. Your talking about Koe. Nevermind, I misread that. Silly me.

>>41400548

Depending on how EEVIL or "evil" our patron turns out to be, our protag could end up becoming some kind of Spectre/Jim Corrigan type figure, minus the ironic punishments and overwhelming power.

I'm betting Koe is just adult Koenma with a skull mask on.

He thinks he's being sneaky but he is not.

>>41400667
>implying Koenma would ever grow up to be anything other than a lardass

Fuck that guy.

>>41400456
Changing the subject, you ask Lucy about the karate tournament as the two of you continue jogging down the street.

"Well, different schools from all over come together to compete," she explains. "There are different, smaller tournaments you can enter. You can choose to enter a competition to see who can perform a kata the best, or has best mastery of their techniques. You can come up with your own kata using a weapon you trained with, and compete to see which is the best. Or, you can enter a sparring tournament."

You're kind of glad Bruce isn't here to ask a million questions about this.

"I'm hoping to enter a few of the small tournaments," she tells you. "I've never gone to one of these things before, so I want to try all I can."

You remember spying on her karate class with Bruce not long ago. You watched her practice, but you were...distracted, and so don't remember too much of what she did. But, you're pretty sure her technique is fine. You've never seen her fight before, though, except for the times she's hit you or Bruce.

The two of you keep making small-talk for a while as you jog around town, having more fun together than alone. Finally, after around an hour, you decide to call it quits.

Lucy, out of breath and covered in sweat, takes a sip of her water bottle before offering some to you, noticing that you didn't bring one. Parched, you take a sip.

"Well, that was fun," Lucy admits as the two of you begin walking back towards the complex.

>A. Tell her you'll have to do this again sometime

>B. Ask if she wants to grab some lunch

>C. Challenge her to a race back to the complex

>D. Dialogue writein

File: Koenma.jpg (18 KB, 333x500)

18 KB JPG

>>41400683
Put a skull mask to hide the JR on his forehead and the pacifier and it would work.

>>41400895
>A. Tell her you'll have to do this again sometime

>>41400895
>A. Tell her you'll have to do this again sometime

>>41400895
>D. "Well if I don't have to work, I'd like to see you at the tournament. I'll be your own little cheerleader on the side."

>>41400895
>A. Tell her you'll have to do this again sometime

>>41400895
>A. Tell her you'll have to do this again sometime
So are we being spied on by Koenma at the moment?

>>41400895
>>A. Tell her you'll have to do this again sometime

>>41400928
"We'll have to do this again sometime," you tell her as the two of you approach the complex.

She smiles. "Sure."

As you make your way up the stairs towards your apartments, you bump into Bruce, who sees the two of you, sweaty and, in Lucy's case, face-flushed and breathless. You can tell within about three milliseconds that he's about to say something stupid.

>A. Tell Bruce the two of you went jogging

>B. Tell Bruce you need to talk to him

>C. Ask Bruce what he's up to

>D. Dialogue writein

>>41401463
>B. Tell Bruce you need to talk to him

>>41401463
>B. Tell Bruce you need to talk to him

>>41401463
>B. Tell Bruce you need to talk to him
Cover his mouth and drag him into our apartment

>>41401463
>D. "Before you say anything; yes."
>"Yes we went jogging"

>>41401463
>B. Tell Bruce you need to talk to him

>>41401463
>>B. Tell Bruce you need to talk to him

>>41401497
"Bruce, I need to talk to you," you tell your friend before he can say anything.

"Uh....okay, man, but, why are-" he starts.

"Well, if you guys have business to take care of, I'll just head back to my apartment," Lucy says, cutting him off. "See you guys later!"

Lucy brushes past Bruce and makes her way back to her apartment, leaving you and a clearly confused Bruce alone together. Before he can start asking questions, you turn and walk away. Bruce follows, and the two of you find a spot where there are no other people.

"Alright, what do you need to talk to me about so bad?" Bruce asks, actually seeming a bit nervous at this point. "And why did we have to come here to talk about it? Oh, God, is another demon coming to kidnap me or something?"

>A. Tell him you got fired from your job

>B. Ask if he wants to continue his training

>C. Show him your new fire power

>D. Dialogue writein

>>41401762
>A. Tell him you got fired from your job

File: imonfire.jpg (31 KB, 560x280)

31 KB JPG

>>41401762
"Actually I'm working for one now."

Show him our fire power.

>>41401762
>A. Tell him you got fired from your job

Good news is that I got offered a new one right after I was fired. But, yeah, it's kinda complicated.

>>41401762
>D. Dialogue writein
Might as well tell him about our previous case
"Well I got fired from being a spirit detective yesterday, after training to get fire powers. But at the same time I got a new job from the voice that helped me in my latest case"

>>41401762
>A

>>41401762
>>A. Tell him you got fired from your job

>>41401792
"I got fired from my job," you tell him bluntly.

"Whoa, for real?" he asks in shock. "How'd you manage that?"

"I was training to get fire powers," you explain.

"Fire powers?" Bruce asks in confusion.

You turn your right palm upward, and direct the fire within your body, fueling it with your own Spirit Energy. A tiny flame flickers above your hand, and Bruce steps back, wide-eyed.

"Dude, how did you do that?!" he asks in shock. "They fired you for that?"

You nod. "But, I got a new job. But, yeah, it's kind of complicated."

"Complicated how?" you ask. "In a way that's going to make my brain hurt?"

Probably. Still, you decide to tell him everything, starting with what happened in your latest case, from the strange voice, to Kasai, to the training that got you fired, to your meeting with Koe.

"Okay...so you got some hot demon girl to teach you to use fire, and they fired you from your job for that?" he asks. "And now you work for a demon?"

>A. You told him it was complicated

>B. Well, technically you work "with" him

>C. Pretty much

>D. Dialogue writein

>E. You never said Kasai was hot

>>41402108
>E. You never said Kasai was hot

>>41402108
>B. Well, technically you work "with" him

Bruce, that pun was awful.

>>41402108
>>B. Well, technically you work "with" him

>>41402108
>B. Well, technically you work "with" him

>>41402108
>D. "But she's really hot dude. Nice big ... eyes."

>>41402108
>D. "Koenma probably had a good reason, but I need an edge against these demons. My normal attack is pretty much a one trick pony and I was left wholey unprepared to face my last case. This demon may just be using me for his own ends but I don't see what choice I have. Its either this or I just let the world fall to shit, and I will not let that happen."

>>41402148
"Bruce, that pun was awful," you comment. "And technically, I work "with" him."

"Whatever," Bruce tells you. "Just sounds like a crazy few days, that's all. So, you're not a Spirit Detective anymore? Or, are you still kind of one, just working for-sorry, with someone else now?"

Bruce seems to talk in circles for the next few minute about your current status as far as a detective goes. Then, he pauses, seeming to think of something.

"Does that mean Kaya isn't around anymore?" he asks.

>A. Yes

>B. Sadly, yes

>C. Try contacting Kaya with your communication mirror

>D. Dialogue writein

>E. You don't know

>>41402360
>E. You don't know
sound sad about it

>>41402360
>E. You don't know

>>41402360
>>B. Sadly, yes

>>41402360
>C. Try contacting Kaya with your communication mirror
I really dont know why you guys keep avoiding this

>>41402360
>C. Try contacting Kaya with your communication mirror

>>41402360
>Have Bruce try and use the communication mirror

Koenma probably blocked us, but not Bruce!

>>41402360
C

>>41402360
>>C. Try contacting Kaya with your communication mirror

>>41402438
You pull out your Communication Mirror, opening it and attempting to contact Kaya. It takes a few seconds, but the face of your former assistant appears in the glass. Her eyes go wide, and a smile comes to her face when she realizes who's calling.

"You kept your mirror?" she asks in surprise. "I thought Koenma would have confiscated it! How are you doing? You aren't in any danger, are you?"

"She sounds worried," Bruce says, stating the obvious.

"What's going on?" she asks. "Koenma's been having a fit over your meeting yesterday. He told me you'd been fired, and disciplined me for not reporting what you did. I'd thought he might have punished you in some way too."

>A. Assure her that you're fine

>B. Ask why she kept her mirror

>C. Ask what kind of punishment she received

>D. Dialogue writein

>E. Explain everything

>>41402651
>A. Assure her that you're fine

>>41402651
>>A. Assure her that you're fine
>C. Ask what kind of punishment she received

>>41402651
"Bruce wanted to know if you wanted to have a date. He thinks you're cute."
Then when we stop laughing,
A, b, c.

>>41402651
>C
"Was it hot?"

>>41402651
>D. Dialogue writein
"Hope I didn't get you in to much trouble and if I did I'll buy you lunch as an apology if you are ever in the neighborhood. I'm fine, but why'd you keep the mirror?"

>>41402651

I'll support this: >>41402733

>>41402733
Second, if we are even going to explain anything, it's better face to face instead of through something that Koenma could wire tap easily"

>>41402733
"I hope I didn't get you into too much trouble, and if I did, I'll buy you lunch as an apology if you're ever in the neighborhood," you tell Kaya.

"It could have been much worse, all things considered," Kaya says, though her tone tells you she still found it pretty bad.

"What was the punishment?" Bruce asks.

"Well, Lord Koenma decided to take a page from his father's book and gave me the punishment his father would have given him," Kaya answers. "One hundred spankings."

"O-one hundred sp-" Bruce begins before you cut him off.

"I'm fine," you tell Kaya to alleviate her fears and to stop Bruce from pissing her off. "But, why'd you keep the mirror?"

"Lord Koenma never asked for it back," Kaya tells you. "He was probably too angry to remember, but I'm sure he knows we're talking now, so he'll probably take it soon. I was hoping to contact you to see if you were alright, but you beat me to it."

>A. Ask what's going on in Spirit World now

>B. Explain everything to her

>C. Ask if she can meet you somewhere

>D. Dialogue writein

>>41402917
>C. Ask if she can meet you somewhere

>>41402917
>>A. Ask what's going on in Spirit World now
>B. Explain everything to her

>>41402917
>C. Ask if she can meet you somewhere
"We might not work together, but we can still be friends. Besides, i feel like i owe you for taking those spankings for me."

>>41402917
>C. Ask if she can meet you somewhere
Rather not have Koenma hear it

>>41402917
>D "I need all the information you have on a demon named 'Koe'. Its important."

>>41402917
>C. Ask if she can meet you somewhere

>>41402917
>spanking

Damn you SOM I just got done.

>>41402966
"Can you meet me somewhere?" you ask her.

Kaya shakes her head, her expression sad. "Sorry, but I have to meet with Koenma again in a few minutes. I've been assigned to work with the new Spirit Detective."

Well, that was fast. Koenma really wasn't bluffing when he said you could be replaced, apparently.

"And, if he heard this conversation, he'll probably be confiscating the mirror when I meet with him," Kaya adds regretfully. "So, I guess this is goodbye."

>A. She'll see you again, you promise

>B. Ask if there's a way you can talk to Koenma

>C. Say goodbye

>D. Dialogue writein

>>41403168
>A. She'll see you again, you promise

>>41403168
>A. She'll see you again, you promise
"I just have a feeling our paths are going to get entangled a lot more than before now"

>>41403168
>B. Ask if there's a way you can talk to Koenma

>>41403168
>>A. She'll see you again, you promise

>>41403168
>A. She'll see you again, you promise

>>41403168
>A. She'll see you again, you promise

>>41403168
>D
Please train that new detective wrong as a joke. I don't want to be smelled later.

>>41403264
Pretty sure we are the ones going to do the whole smell you later, unless the guy is made to be broken.

>>41403297
Check out Somnius' comments at the end of last thread

>>41403179
"You'll see me again, I promise," you tell Kaya.

She gives you a small smile at that. "I hope so. Take care, and be safe. I have to go now."

The communication ends, and you close your mirror, looking over to see Bruce staring at you with a sympathetic expression.

"Man, that really sucks," he tells you, putting it eloquently. "I hope these tricks you're learning are worth it."

You hope so too.

>To be continued

That's it for tonight everyone

Follow me @qmdralo for updates

I'll answer questions/take feedback here for a while

>>41403509
So when are we going to meet our replacement?

>>41403509
Were those normal grapes we ate?

>>41403586
Yes.

>>41403554
In time. Probably during one of your missions.

>>41403606
Did Koenma even send our last paycheck after firing us?

>>41403618
If not he'll probably give it to us when he takes back the mirror.

>>41403618
It's in the mail.

>>41403606

So Koenma wasn't having us keep the mirror for a big and elaborate sting operation or to keep track of other powers that might want our protag in their ranks?

>>41403655
N-no.

>>41403655
Yoink!

>>41403693
Guess it's time to place the mirror in the bathroom if Koenma wants to spy on us.

>>41403726
You'd figure out if he was spying on you. His office isn't usually quiet.

>>41403774
So is Ogre still working with Koenma?

>>41403791
Of course.