>>41623389
>Diplomacy: "What do you expect to gain out of this, you crusty piece of shit?"

>>41623389
"We haven't done shit to you, you fuck—what do you even want?" I ask. My fist grips around the handle of my sword tightly, but I force myself to lower it. I can feel more than hear or see the others around me visibly relaxing, but internally I can tell that they're as tense as I am.

"I want you to begin working for me." Zeke says, standing.

"Bullshit!" Gun Guy says.

I shake my head. "We've had better offers from worse bastards lately. At least they didn't tie up one of our numbers." I gesture to BB.

Zeke holds up a hand. "You misunderstand. This one sought me out; not the other way around. It was just bad timing that his mask slipped. If I hadn't tried to restrain him, he likely would've killed more of my men than I care to count." He shrugs.

[Intuition(2d6): 7 + Spirit(2) : 9] He's not even trying to lie convincingly. Could've also rolled Mind + Cunning here, but it was lower.

"Yeah, that's bullshit." I say.

"Oh, but it's true. Sort of. You're all wearing masks, but this boy can't control his as much as I think he'd like." Zeke smiles down at him with an unsettling false affection.

"So you broke it and thought to use his panic for your own gain." Food Girl asserts. She seems calmer than I would.

"You're right." he shrugs.

"That doesn't explain why." Pretty Boy chimes in.

"It should be obvious. You're each walking massacre machines. I have some need of that if I'm to rebuild this garden." He gestures around.

That sheds a bit of light on things. He considers us strong, strong enough to do things that he can't. This is a show of force, but if he considers himself at risk right now... how could he be intimidated? Still, he fucked up BB... who is admittedly our most unproven member. What could he do to the rest of us?

[Part 1/2]

>>41624172
"But you want incentive, right? If you followed me, I could make you kings in the world which is to come. Anything you want."

"...Anything?" Pretty Boy asks.

WHAT DO YOU EVEN WANT YOU FUCKWIT? I think as hard as I can to Pretty Boy.

—Are you narrating your thoughts now?

...What? No.

—Well, to answer your question, i know how much you all adore the nomad lifestyle. I'm just not that comfortable with it, I guess. And besides, this guy has a good racket going on. Worst case scenario, you can chop his head off and we can pick up the slack in his stead.

You mean... like... run a post-apocalyptic demon cult, right?

Pretty Boy looks to me with a smile.

—Sure. Why not?

This seems like a shitty premise for a quest thread or something.

—Whatever you say.

"You sound like an anime villain." I say to Zeke. Loud Girl stops growling and snorts with amusement.

"Whatever." Zeke shrugs. "Together we could do a lot more than roam around the wastes of this world. And I can teach you a thing or two about yourselves." He looks down at BB, who's still unconscious. "What do you say?

>Yes
>No, but there's no reason we can't be civil.
>Hell no, you fuck with BB. If you don't want us to fuck you up, you better give us something worth our time. (Intimidation-Route)
>I've got a steel boner and I wanna shove it down your throat.

>>41624190
>Hell no, you fuck with BB. If you don't want us to fuck you up, you better give us something worth our time. (Intimidation-Route)

>No, but there's no reason we can't be civil.

>>41624450
>>41624578
oh damn it i just finished my response. Gimme a tie-breaker.

>>41624190
Ask him who he is. If he says something like angel comment on his demonic actions.

I think we should kill him when there's a good opportunity, for now we should bide our time and get information.

>>41624450
>>41624578
>>41624671
Mixing now

"You want a whole lot from us; but we don't have any reason to trust you. Let's start off with this: Who are you? What are you, specifically? Why do you go by 'Ezekiel', huh? I mean, you've got to know the religious context."

Zeke gives a shrug. "What's in a name? What I am is a visionary. I know what tomorrow holds, and I intend to lead my flock through these troubled times."

"But what are you?" Gun Guy asks, stressing the 'what'.

"I am a mirror of aspirations. I be what men may wish to be, and by example I can lead any to what they in their hearts desire."

"So you're a demon." I say.

Zeke shakes his head. "A petty word."

"But you're part of the Fallen Host?" Food Girl asks.

"I was. Once, but no more. Now I answer to none. And it can be the same for you." Zeke extends his hands.

"But we'd answer to you." I point. Ezekiel looks surprised.

"Oh, no. Pardon me, of course not. While it would be true that you would be in a sense under my employ and guidance, your responsibility would be to your true selves. In working for me, you would perform tasks to further the flock. But this does not mean I would request you acquiesce and relinquish your autonomy. I would not ask that you bow, or swear fealty either." He chuckles. It's a light, tinkling sort of sound.

"Then what the fuck do you actually want us to do?" Loud Girl says.

"Help me lead the flock. Protect it from dangers. And learn your heritage and history."

>Group huddle
>MY BLADE THIRSTS
>Accept without speaking to the others
>Talk to Pretty Boy telepathically
>Other: [Write-In]

>>41625029
>Group huddle
Vote to accept in the huddle

>>41625029
as long as it would be about protecting the innocent and furthering the cause of Mankind, the Emperor could agree to this.

>>41625128
"You can't actually expect us to accept this kind of shit without having a chance to actually talk about it, do you?" I ask.

Zeke smiles. "Of course. And I don't imagine that you'll leave your friend out of this, will you?"

"Of course not." Gun Guy says.

>>41625211
Your false Emperor's will means nothing before the purity of CHAOS! Hah. Weird that I'm thinking about Warhammer at a shit time like this.

"Then I trust that you'll be able to keep him calm?" Zeke asks.

Pretty Boy steps forward and kneels by him. "I'll think of something. Leave it to me."

Loud Girl points at Zeke. "When we're talking about this, if I smell you or any of your goons anywhere near us, I'm coming back here and making your guts into party favors."

Zeke smiles warmly.

"Move out." Gun Guy says. Pretty Boy manages to pick up BB without any trouble, moving him into a bridal cradle. His arms are still bound however. That might be a good idea, the way he was freaking out earlier.

Gun Guy heads us off.

"Let's go to the stock room. It's got the least smell anywhere in this place." Loud Girl says.

Food Girl looks over at her. "You're listening to yourself, right?" she asks.

"I'm going to make the best out of what I've got." She looks down at her gloved hand through her gas mask. "Even if it's turning me into a monster." There's a moment's silence.

Gun Guy speaks up. "Let's move it to the stockroom. LG, bring up our rear, I'll take point."

She nods, and we wind our way back to the stockroom.

Not long after we get there, I hear BB groan.

"Hey. Settle down." Pretty Boy says.

"Th- fuck?" he asks.

"We're on our way to discuss something important. Keep calm, okay?" Pretty Boy speaks in a weirdly feminine way.

"...H`okay." BB manages.

When we've gathered, Gun Guy takes off his mask. His horns are still nubs. Loud Girl takes off hers, and looks like a regular furry. Food Girl follows, and has skin as dark as charcoal.

[1/3]

>>41625601
I take off mine as well. My horns kept pushing out the mask.

"Well." Gun Guy addresses us, looking around at the group. BB gets down, but falls on his butt. "Why are we seriously considering grouping up with a demon again? Can anyone remind me?"

"One, we gain the security of numbers." Pretty Boy says. "Two, I don't know if I should be saying this." I can hear him chuckle through his mask.

"Put it all out on the table." Gun Guy insists.

"Well? I think I'm part sex-demon." He gives a shrug. That doesn't really come as a surprise to anyone. Gun Guy scowls hard. "And I don't think I should be taking out my urges with anyone present. I noticed some adverse effects in my partners this afternoon."

"Like you could even." Loud Girl says.

He shrugs at her. "Maybe, maybe not. I seem to have a lot of powers revolving around getting someone in bed." he laughs. "I can even read your thoughts, remember?"

She folds her arms.

He laughs again. "Crude."

"So besides you getting your rocks off, can anyone else give me a good reason?" Gun Guy asks.

"I think I missed a lot." Baseball says.

"There's one." Food Girl says. "He knows what we are. That's something I desperately want to know."

I clear my throat. "Cambion means half-demon, pretty much. That's what we are. We're basically the results of a union of some kind of demon, and a human. So... yeah."

She stares at me.

"It doesn't matter." Gun Guy says. "What's more important is staying alive, and that information isn't crucial to our survival."

"It could be." BB says, standing up.

"What do you mean?" GG asks.

"Well. What if we attract supernatural shit because of what we are? Or what if there are demons out there looking to round up our kind. We don't know."

"What were you doing talking to Zeke?" I ask.

"Uh... looking for you, man. Sorry." he puts his hand on the back of his head. "Does anyone know what happened to me while I was out?"

I stay silent.

[2/3]

"You turned into a huge fucking monster, and Zeke had to restrain you." Pretty Boy says.

Food Girl breaks her glare at me and shakes her head. "He turned you into a monster."

Loud Girl laughs, and puts an arm on Food Girl's shoulder. "As if! We're already monsters. He just knows how to let the monster out." She looks over at BB, and says "Don't worry. You looked pretty kick-ass if I say so myself."

BB pulls up his mask and furrows his brow, but then smiles. "I did?"

She nods. "Yeah. You sure did."

>What pros can I think of in this situation?
>Cons? Which side of the scale outweighs the other?

>I need to tell them that I'm gonna kill this demon as soon as I get a convenient opportunity.
>I need to tell them that I don't want to lead these poor fuckers to their death.
>We need to milk this bastard for information on what's going on in the bigger world. That would require cooperating.

>Any others: [Write In]

>>41625662
>We need to milk this bastard for information on what's going on in the bigger world. That would require cooperating.
As soon as he does something we don't like, we can ditch or kill him. But, he is apparently protecting this huge group of humans.

>>41625696
Waiting for a bit more input. If you can think of some pros and cons for Fa/tg/uy to use to support his argument, I would appreciate it.

>>41625877
Pretty much just the part of my post that isn't greentext. BB already mentioned the other advantages.

>>41625909
Okay. I'm writing now. It's kind of dead today, isn't it?

>>41625662
>>We need to milk this bastard for information on what's going on in the bigger world. That would require cooperating.
And then we kill him when the time is right.

Pro: He might have real information about what is going on. Safety in numbers. We could clease the world of (his) evil if we know more about him.
Con: he's a manipulative bastard with a holier-than-thou con going on, staying near him might suck us into even badder territory (either morally or because he does something to us.
Pro outweights con I think

>>41625934
Yeah. There were like 20+ threads up yesterday, people might be quested out.

>>41625962
oh man. Should I try again another time?

I step up. "I see this going a couple of ways. Right off the bat, I think we need to get any information we can out of him. We don't know what's going on out there, and he may be full of shit but he knows more than we do."

Gun Guy shakes his head slowly.

"No contest." I say. "And as soon as he does something we don't like... I think we could get rid of him. But keep in mind, right now he's managing to protect all of these people. Can we say that we're able to do the same? Come to think of it, he might be stronger than he appears. Still... this could be an opportunity to get rid of a seriously dangerous customer. On the other hand, he's obviously a manipulative bastard. He may not be that good at it, but if we're not careful? We might get sucked in."

I look out towards the store proper, thinking. "He might even convince us to actually buy into what he's selling. But I don't think so. I think it's time to admit that we're not the good guys here. We're out for ourselves. And on that note? This is a good opportunity. He seems convinced that he can do no wrong. I think his inhuman nature can actually benefit us. What made the Hospital Demon so inscrutable was how well he knew the human condition. I don't think this is remotely the same."

"So you're saying...?" Gun Guy asks.

"I'm saying we should take the opportunity, and when it gets down to it? Take his shit from him. The worst that could happen is we all wind up dead, and without knowing more about this new fucked-up world and way of living? We'll still wind up just as dead. Maybe a bit more morally superior, but if we're half demons I don't think that there's any pearly gates waiting for us anywhere."

I look back, and around at my group. They're all staring at me, a few pairs of eyes glow in the darkness.

"Sounds like a plan." Loud Girl says.

I wish I had a better one.

[1/2]

>>41626175
Zeke was waiting for our answer it seemed. The office looks cleaned up, and the table is gone. Now there are some chairs in place, but none of his guard are using them.

"Welcome back." he says as we enter.

"We'll take your offer." Gun Guy says from beneath his mask.

Zeke smiles. "Good! Great. Wonderful. So then, let's get started right away."

>Actually, I have a few questions.
>Let him continue. There'll be another time for questions.

>>41626175
>Let him continue. There'll be another time for questions.

Continue or not at your discretion. I'll be here.

>>41626352
Tbh, I'm really not feeling it. I think I'm gonna shelf this for right now. And it's not just because it's deadish today. I'm not feeling well at all.

>>41626396
k, thanks for running

>>41626396
Thank you