But if it disgusts you, what would Caylen have to say? The young man was a beacon of ideals, with the prospect of knighthood and noblesse oblige driven into him since birth. Though legally speaking his opinion on the matter didn't expressly have any weight as to whether the course of action occurred or not - Rinnier was explicit in reminding you that regardless of his opinion, the choice was yours alone - Moving forward without your cousin's support was an uneasy prospect.

Somehow, you don't think this is something you can simply intimidate him into going along with.

You dismiss Alouette, the captain of your cousin's guard, after imparting a request for a polearm on Rinnier's behalf. Since her previous weapon, a stick, had since become a flesh covered wooden abomination, which later became a finger. Rinnier had refused to take ownership of aforementioned finger upon its return, so that left her unfortunately unarmed for the moment.

"I will see what can be spared." Alouette bowed her head in acknowledgement, bidding polite farewell as she moved away. You nod in response, looking past the armored woman and towards your soundly thrashed cousin as he struggled half-heartedly to regain his composure. Had it been anyone else, you suppose he may have been trying a little harder... You allow a small smile to slip across your face at the familiarity to be unminded in a moment of weakness- Only to frown when you realize it could simply mean he was being lazy.

>Perhaps the sword isn't for you, Caylen.
>A productive conversation, I take it?
>I've got something to tell you, but you won't like it.
>Other? (write-in)

Previous Threads:
https://archive.moe/tg/search/tripcode/!y56qKWqxyc/results/thread/
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?searchall=valen+quest

Where things are said:
https://twitter.com/Riz_QM

Pastebin Stuff:
Kara's Day Out - http://pastebin.com/8ZbiSKLs
Adventures with Asche - http://pastebin.com/RNviCBJu

Misc notes:QM is not solar powered; Exposure to sun may result in malfunctions and suffering.

>>42037370
Hey, I'm finally here for one of your runs Riz! I've caught up on all the archived threads and really looking forward to finally getting us some extra goodies from the remember promps fingers crossed

>>42037379
>>A productive conversation, I take it?
>I've got something to tell you, but you won't like it.
>Cousin I think polearms might be more your speed, or perhaps a very large shield.

>>42037379
>A productive conversation, I take it?
>Other?
"And here I had hoped you had actually improved since we were children. Well, I guess you can always be a commander or general."

>>42037379
>A productive conversation, I take it?
>I've got something to tell you, but you won't like it.

>>42037459
Congratulations on catching up, I'm glad to have you. Luckily none of the threads are terribly long.

As a reminder to everyone who may have forgotten, or joined recently, options in the format of "Am I forgetting something...?" or the like are little extras.

If you vote for it, it is an invitation to suggest what you could possibly be forgetting that relates to the current scene or conversation. Wrong answers will not penalize or cause harm, but correct answers will usually provide you some measure of advantage, perk, or otherwise.

To date there have been Nine so far.
You have succeeded at One.
____

>>42037511
>>42037513
>>42037567
Productive conversations

>>42037567
>>42037511
You're not gonna like this

>>42037513
>>42037511
Other (Our Cousin is not allowed pride in our vicinity)

Writing!

"I trust you've settled matters of estate with Alouette?" You drawl amusedly as you approach your gasping cousin, his skin slick with sweat as he greedily swallows lungful after lungful of air in an attempt to stand. "I seemed to have forgotten to inform her of some things of late." he admitted between breaths, "Rather dire things, as I understand it. I suppose I can thank you for her enlightenment?" He straightened himself out, wiping heavy strands of hair from his face to glower in your direction futilely. You offer an innocent smile in return, "It was pleasant to catch up with Alouette again after so long. I have rather missed her." His dower expression seemed as if it would intensify, but any motivation he had to continue attempting to impart his displeasure to you evidently fell to pieces in the face of your careless acknowledgement that, yes, this was entirely your fault.

Perhaps it had been too long since the last time you spent time together, if your dear cousin had regressed to the point that he believed he could make you feel guilty for getting him in trouble. At least this time it wasn't over something petty, or a quick redirection of blame from your shoulders to his, as it had been countless times as children. He brought it upon himself, and the matter was indeed serious.

Not unlike the time he had eaten your last pear. Your smile threatened to break as you recalled that particular trespass which you still had yet to forgive him for. "Still, I had hoped to see my dear cousin had improved after the valiant story of your chivalry I heard at the beginning of my Rite." You forge along, watching him flinch at the reminder of the Tier sister's regaling of a rather embarrassing 'victory' by outlast. There was no pride to be had when you win simply because your opponent is forced to forfeit out of pity, and reluctance to more physically wound. "Have you pray haps considered the sword is not your calling, dear cousin?"

You reach out to take his practice sword, letting the weight settle into your palm as he handed it over to you.

"More than once, I have wondered if that is quite the life I was meant for." He admitted tiredly, "It is something mother insists I be at least adequate at, though it seems I am ill fit for that manner of expectation." His shoulders slumped as he continued, allowing you a chance to roll the hilt back and forth curiously whilst you listened. Your fingers clenched around the it experimentally, feeling the several pounds of blunted metal weigh against your arm heavily. It was far more unwieldy than most things you carried, and the ease with which Caylen handled it was something you're unsure you could do yourself - It wasn't even worth comparing to Alouette's swordplay. "Perhaps you would simply be better fit for a different type of arm?" You suggest absently, tightening your grip on the sword as you spoke.

"A polearm?" He laughed, "I overheard your conversation with Alouette. I didn't expect you to have taken on a martial discipline." You narrow your eyes, muscles burning as you clumsily swat the sword in your hand towards your cousin. "And just why-" The weight disappeared just as your retort began, a sensation of vehement rejection wresting the hilt from your grip as you moved to wield the blade and instead sending it clattering across the room as if you had been attempting to hurl the dull blade. "-Because you are more ill suited for the life than I?" Caylen laughed, jerking to the side slightly as the practice sword flew wide. "Though I suppose you are perhaps more at home with a polearm?"

"And I suppose you are more at home with a shield." You spit back petulantly, flexing your hand in frustration. "The polearm was for Rinnier. If anything, she is likely more adept at its use than your swordsmanship."

You were a little sore over being made a fool of, so at least this much was to be expected, however your cousin's attention redirected towards the spitfire Testament contemplatively. "Truly...?" He muttered, "I would be welcome to spar with you at some point, if you're willing to demonstrate."

"Perhaps." Rinnier answered shortly, "I am unfortunately out of practice given my circumstances, though I would prefer we address a more pressing concern first?"

You blink, remembering why you had come here in the first place. "Ah yes, we've discovered something that may help in regards to the brigand's audience-"

"That's wonderful!" Caylen interrupted brightly, energy visibly flowing back into him as he quickly retrieved the discarded sword.

"It is, but... I do not believe you will like it." You frown, and begin to explain exactly what the option entailed. At first there was confusion, but as Caylen's face darkened with your words, the sinking feeling in your stomache told you exactly what you had been worried about.

"Unacceptable." He crossed his arms - A sign of closing oneself off, you remember. It was a subconscious reaction to put up defences against perceived threats, or a refusal to be moved. "This is not an action to be undertaken by a Valen. We have our pride to uphold, Irue, how could you even consider this?"

Because it would maybe help?
Because you were told a civil war would be bad?
Because it was all you had found out?

"Do the Valen family not have slavery in tradition?" Rinnier interrupted pointedly before you could voice your concerns, "Or was my purchase a whim of the stewards?"

Caylen's opened his mouth immediately to retort, but nothing came. "That... That is in the past. We have become more civil since, and even the Testament was a form of liberation from slavery. An elevation, and test of loyalty, not some dehumanization for convenience!"

>You're right. It isn't a course of action I could take.
>What if it helps? Is our pride worth more than our people?
>You seem to know a lot about the Testaments.
>If you're so opposed, then offer me another option!

>>42038662
>>You seem to know a lot about the Testaments
>Cousin if you have any other options please tell me. So far Rinnier has given them and us the best chance to live through this and rebuild.

>>42038662
>You seem to know a lot about the Testaments.
>If you're so opposed, then offer me another option!

>>42038729
>>42038834
Testament stuff

>>42038729
>>42038834
other options.

Writing.

"Well what is your suggestion, then?" You counter his staunch refusal with a reversal and put him on the spot. "We've been searching for a solution since we got here, and this is all we've managed to find. The brigands will not wait forever for their audience, so unless you have some other alternative, I do not see that I have much of a choice in whether or not I am to consider this an option."

"It was not an option to be considered in the first place." He snorted irritably, "I told you I would help you search for something, just give me time to gather materials." You knew he wouldn't be onboard with this, and honestly you were finding it difficult to defend the idea yourself. You didn't want to do it, but if it was your only option... No, even then, you didn't want to do it. No amount of necessity was making you want to do it. Unfortunately, what you wanted and what would happen may be entirely different.

You swallow the bitter taste in your mouth, refusing to step back from your position. Rinnier had worked hard to find this, even if you hated the idea, discarding it when it might be of use...

"I'd rather attempt to help them than give them a non-answer." you retort flatly, "They've had nothing but non-answers and being ignored since they were forced from their homes. This is hope to them, and anything less than the first straight response would be an insult."

"And if their 'first straight response' is to have them declared as slaves?" He raised his voice angrily, "You said it yourself: Forced from their homes, abandoned by nobles, abused by crown, the first thing they hear is that they're no longer even human in our eyes? You think giving them a vague answer is an insult, but THIS is something to consider?"

"It IS something to consider." Rinnier interceded emphatically, "Ser Valen, please. Right now they're criminals, your house cannot so much as entertain their complaints without the crown taking it as an excuse - Though it is distasteful, dehumanization may be exactly what is required here." You close your eyes, pursing your lips as Rinnier tried to make a case for the option. "Dehumanization is never what is required." Caylen rejected firmly, "I am unaware how it was in Teranford, but you are not part of House Valen. You do NOT understand the garden you would walk across with this course of action."

"Ser Valen, if the brigands are rendered property, they can be heard and taken in without causing unrest. There is precedent for this, the crown could not object to the actions taken, which would allow you to work with impunity in regards to-"

"It. Is. Never. An. Option." Caylen ground out roughly, "We do not take, or make slaves. We do not devalue those under us as property."

"You would only be doing it in NAME!" Rinnier stressed, "If you this was done, the master would have full discretion as to how to use and organize their property, they need suffer no change in life quality - This may even be what is needed to improve it!"

"..." He inhaled slowly, "Improve their life?" He reiterated, "By taking them as slaves?"

"You could handle how they are treated," Rinnier repeated, "Nothing would change for the worse."

"They would be branded."

"Marked as slaves, for the world to see. Their every word and action would mean nothing unless permissed by their nominal master. Their deaths would be nothing in the eyes of crown and law, with only monetary recompense provided IF demanded. You say nothing would change, when they would be trading their freedom, miserable as it is, for a cage and leash? Their children will be slaves as well. Everything, their family line from here forth, their homestead, their earnings, their skills, their very lives would be nothing but a possession to House Valen."

"You could not simply release them after their lot improves?" Rinnier demanded, "It would be temporary at most!"

"Temporary? A day? A week? Perhaps you think we will resolve this in a month? three months?" He rounded on Rinnier angrily, "Temporary is consigning all of them to dehumanization for years, perhaps decades! You consider discarding themselves to be property for such a 'temporary' span of time to be acceptable?!"

"It is better than how they live now!"
"It is anything but!"
"Enough!"

You interpose yourself between them agitatedly, "It isn't an option I like either-"

"You cannot seriously consider this a possibility." Caylen stared at you disbelievingly, "Irue, this is not-"

"Not something that is ours to decide." You cut him off sharply, "I am loathe to consider it as you, cousin, but Rinnier may be correct. The life they lead could be improved... For a time. If it is the only resort left to me, then I would offer it to the brigands and let them decide their own fate." Crimson eyes narrowed imposingly at your armor-clad cousin as his muscles tensed. There was a sense of danger tingling down your spine, a distant call to battle as your body fought to ready itself for a conflict it could sense on the horizon. Your cousin was anything but happy, one gauntleted fist shaking at his side as his pupils dilated.

>Challenge for dominance
>Dismiss him
>Apologize and retreat
>Attempt to defuse
>Try to change topic

>>42039879
>Attempt to defuse
>Try to change topic
This is the option of absolute last resort Caylen, It's either this, or by law they all die, then they have no humanity, or future at all. The alternative would be to start civil war, which unless I am gravely mistaken, we are not ready for and would be crushed attempting. So how about we continue to look things up and try to find another option before the audience. I came to you for another option, because I realize you know this better than I. Rinnier has a solution distasteful, yes, shameful even, but I will not let my pride damn those people. Caylen calm down and help us look.

>>42039969
You are the sole vote.

Writing.

>>42039879
>Challenge for dominance

"In the end, the choice isn't ours." You repeat levelly, "This isn't something to be forced on them, but it's an option all the same. It isn't our place to make the choice of which life they prefer."

"It IS our place to keep them making the wrong decision!" Caylen grit, "They trust us, if they think this is a good idea and sign away their humanity and future for this, then-"

"-Then we will ensure they understand IF this course of action must be made. It is a last resort, Caylen, though we cannot dismiss it, nor do I find it particularly tasteful, it is currently all we have and it is potentially better than nothing."

"It is not-"

"The alternative!" You interrupt with a sharp scowl, "Is a potential civil war, which we discussed already. That is all we know right now, and all we have found. If given the choice between allowing them to consign themselves to slavery, or thrusting La'Fiel into war and putting it at the mercy of potential invaders, what would you prefer?"

"I would prefer to fight for what was right!" He growled, and with those words you realized exactly where he stood. It was not that he was reluctant, but that his preference was to burn before buckling. His pride, his morals, everything about Caylen galvanized him against the concept. The stubborn noble would adhere to his ideals even to the end, if it meant he died for what he believed in. For a moment, you realize exactly what kind of attitude it was which had nominally 'won' the duel for the Tier sister's honor not long ago...

It was equal parts pride and frustration that filled your chest, to look upon your cousin's staunch determination. Admittedly, a part of you was outraged at his constant rejection. Caylen's outrage was enough to set off warning bells in your head, but you would be lying if his resistance to your plan wasn't blooming a similar sentiment in your own heart. You breathe out, letting that urge simmer out as you do so. Now wasn't the time.

"Then we are fortunate you are not the one making this decision."

"What." Caylen's response was flat, more a statement than a question. "Irue I will NOT allow this to happen, not in my estate." The roiling rage resolving itself into something cooler, something harder. "You would restrict their own choice, then?" You offer, jerking the tracks out from under him before his momentum could build up. "If their freedom is such a concern to you, then you admit that you've no say in their choice."

"I..." You shake your head as he tried to respond, mind scrambling for some justification, "It's not an option either of us want to entertain, but it is one I will offer if we can find nothing else. If that displeases you so much, then find me an alternative." The ultimatum was nearly a physical blow to Caylen, as his jaw clicked shut without immediate response. "I'll find something. There has to be something better." he finally admitted unhappily, "But if it comes down to it, I will do everything I can to convince them not to sign themselves away."

You suppose that's the best you're getting. You sigh, shaking your head in resignation.

Conversation fell short after that as Caylen went to work cleaning up the sparring area and you quietly rubbed your temples to ward away the fatigue. "This didn't go well." Rinnier grumbled silently, "He'll damn them for some sense of righteousness, and still claim to be thinking of them?"

"Haa.." You breathe, "It's... It's what he thinks is right. To an extent I agree with him, but..." Rinnier looked at you, but you shook your head to answer that unasked question. "Needs necessitate musts. If we can't find an alternative, then..."

"...Are you prepared to force it through?" You shift towards her at the unexpected question, finding yourself caught in Rinnier's humourless gaze. "Force... You mean even if they don't want to?"

"Yes. With that wood golem, you could potentially enforce it with impunity, even if Caylen resisted."

"Why would I..."

"If they resist, the hearing would still have gone through. Word of what occurred within can and will spread, especially if nothing satisfying results for them - They will spread, potentially bringing danger in the form of your crown and sympathizers whose hands are less tied."

"That goes beyond offering, I would be literally TAKING them as slaves!" You hiss back, glancing across the room towards Caylen.

"Only for a time...!" Rinnier stressed, "In time they would understand their life improved, if you are this concerned over it then surely you could do that much for them." You shake your head incredulously, "Are you suggesting I force them into slavery for their own good?"

Rinnier remained silent for a moment, one sharp tooth pressing down against her lower lip as she thought over her response. After some time, her reply came in a measured, and slow pace.

"Sometimes it is the responsibility of the ruler to do what is best for the people..." She explained carefully, "Even if the people do not realize it."

>Yes, if it's still the best option we have then... I'll do it.
>No. Even if it's all we have, I refuse to enslave them against their will.
>Decline to comment.
>Other? (Format: "Answer. Justification.")

>>42041218
And sometimes the worst tyrants are the ones with the best intentions Rinnier. If your captor stood before and gave you the same hollow justification, would you accept it? Or would you take your pole arm and run him through? I will not force it Rinnier, I will destroy them if I must, but I will not force it.

>>42041300
...Well this was an interesting direction.

"I'll kill them before I enslave them."

As you're the only vote, I suppose this wins by default.

Writing.

>>42041548
More about if we take their hope, they're already dead. Which is what forcing it would be. It'd be analogous to Rinnier watching what's left of her people slaughtered.

>>42041548
I can't believe you have so little players, Riz. Your story telling is fantastic and you've obviously put a whole lot of effort into the setting.

>>42041587
Should I take this as clarification you do not intend to kill them rather than enslave them?

>>42041590
[spoilers]I am bad at timely updates due to word quantity. I doubt many people care to sit and wait between updates, so I rather love the few players I have who are patient enough to wait.[/spoiler]

>>42041672
Honestly I don't think Irue knows what she would do. She does know if she forces it however, she breaks them more profoundly than most people can recover from. Like our quietest testament.

>>42041715
>she

>>42041754
Irue is a girl, anon.

To quote the very first thread.
> However, none of their little plans particularly matter to you in the face of one specific fact: The head of House Valen goes to the firstborn son, or if failing that, the husband of the firstborn daughter.

>That is to say, it can only be passed directly to the current you's control whilst you are unmarried.

>>42041877
Oh no

You close your eyes, letting Rinnier's words roll through your mind in consideration. You had been reluctant to pursue the option in the first place, even if they agreed, but to force it... "A ruler, maybe." You reply, "I'm not royalty, Rinnier, just a noble. House Valen will not force slavery onto people."

"Even if it's for their own good?" Rinnier emphasized, "The lower class often don't understand the delicate positions they find themselves in, Irue. It's your responsibility to make sure they come out of it the best they can."

"I know that!" You snap, "I'll do what I can, but... Guiding them isn't the same as making their decisions for them! If we force them into slavery, then whose to say we're any better than the crown that evicted them?"

"You are! You know you're doing it for them, and they'll come to see that eventually as well!" You shake your head in rejection, "Admittedly, I know little of history, Rinnier. You've seen my library, it's nothing but tomes of the Mana... But I know people. It's one thing that the past month hasn't shaken. Even if it is the right thing, if we do believe it's the best option to save them - No one who removes the agency of another is loved."

"...Loved?" Rinnier blinks, "They don't need to love you, they need to have a better life!"

"You're right, I don't need them to love me, but they won't have a better life if they live it resenting me for pushing them into it." Your mind worked as you pieced your response together to try and get Rinnier to understand. "A person's freedom is more than an abstraction. It's a right to choose, whether to live or die, and what path you take for even the smallest things. Unless someone has been fundamentally broken, or consented, any choice made for them is something they will resent to some degree. Eventually, they'll resist, often at the worst times." Your tone trailed off, a recitation of philosophy and experience that you knew more by instinct than you did experience.

"...Then what?" Rinnier didn't press you, but her scepticism was clear. At the very least, she would hear you out - You had earned that much this past month.

"If you force people to do things, then eventually they rebel. The stricter and more obvious it is, the quicker someone will snap; If you wanted me to make them slaves, we may as well kill them now to save ourselves time later." Rinnier's eyes widen, but you continue before the shock of what you're suggesting can settle too far. "I'm not suggesting we kill them, but that in time we would probably be forced to... If you ever wanted someone to do anything, then the most reliable way to do that isn't stubborn force."

"If they don't want to do it, then what do you suggest?" Rinnier frowned, trying to follow your train of thought. "Bribery?"

"No." You shake your head, brushing a stray strand of stubbornly long blonde hair behind your ear, "We make them want to do it. No one will support a cause more fervently than one which they believe they chose to support themselves."

"...How is deliberately manipulating your people into believing they want something any better than forcing the very same outcome?" Rinnier boggled, "You're just tricking them into the same chains."

"Because it's what they think they wanted, so they'll embrace it rather than resist." You explain distantly, "It's a matter of perspective, and it's important. Freedom of choice isn't something you violate carelessly."

"They have no choice, what you're telling me... It's just an illusion!"

You smile; It's small, barely a quirk of your lips as you accept the look on Rinnier's face.

"If they never find out the path was straight, they'll always believe it was their choices which brought them there. If they're happy with what they chose, does it matter what the truth is?"

Rinnier staggered back, her head shaking slowly from side to side as she stared at you in some mixture of disgust, confusion and bafflement. "...Of course the truth matters, Irue." She choked out as she looked between Caylen and you, finding nothing in either of you to reassure her. "I can't believe you."

>Go after her
>Talk to Caylen about Testaments
>Excuse yourself to spend time with Ari
>Return to the library to look into other options (skips ahead)
>Other? (write-in)

>>42042348
>>Go after her
Caylen after I talk with my rather confused testament we need to talk on just how much you know about the trials. I know next to nothing and you know more.

>Talk to Caylen about Testaments

I'd rather the opportunity to get information out of Caylen doesn't pass, personally.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>42042414
1. Go after Rinnier

>>42042493
2. About the Testaments.

I hate doing this...
Time to throw our fates to the dice gods.

Writing.

You look between Rinnier's retreating form, and Caylen's back across the room. There are questions you desperately want to ask him about what he seemed to know regarding Testaments, and the rite in general. You take several steps towards him, knowing that if you miss this chance then the tension between you will make approaching him later extremely difficult. As your mouth opens to call out to him, you hear the sound of a door silently clicking shut behind you, and something in your mind snaps, sending a cascade of icy water through your veins. Like a spring pulled taught, you snap back in the other direction with a speed that left your hair swirling behind you in a flaring wake.

You've gone this long without knowing, you go can longer. Ari is at your side, struggling to keep up as your stride lengthens quickly, stopping just short of a frantic march as you hurry after your Testament. The chance to learn more about this rite you had blindly stumbled into receded behind you, an opportunity you had unexpectedly stumbled upon, but the dismissal of it - and your disgruntled and fuming cousin - are the last things on your mind right now.

If you let Rinnier go now, you'll regret it later. This thought spurs you into action and you click the door to the sparring room shut behind you as well, never glancing back to see your cousin's half extended hand, but ultimately unspoken, call for you to wait.

The hall is empty as you leave the room behind you, and you strain to listen for some sign of her. Foot steps, breaths, anything... Your head shakes in frustration when there's nothing. You consider raising your voice to call for her, but dismiss the thought as quickly as it had come, you weren't that desperate. You weren't desperate at all, you just... You couldn't leave it off at that.

That look on her face as she left burned in your mind. Had you said too much? No, no you said exactly what you meant to. All of it was true, too. There was nothing there for you to apologize for, so she must be confused about something. You needed to find out what, to clarify it and clear all this up.

You weren't chasing her down to apologize.

Hurried footsteps carried you through the halls, head on a swivel as you glanced through hall after hall. Where would she have gone?

Library? Empty.
Courtyard? A doused bonfire and guards.
No one had left the estate.
Bedroom...? It took you a little time to locate it, but nothing. With all the time you had spent in the library, you wonder if Rinnier even knew she had an actual bedroom.

You pause in your search, clenching your eyes shut angrily as your fist slammed futilely against a marble pillar. Ari clung to your sleeve, breathing softly from the exertion of having followed you through your determined searching in and out of the estate, but she voiced no complaint other than the concerned look she would shyly shoot you ever so often. You wonder if it's Rinnier's departure that had her bothered, or your own state.

Your fist dragged down the pillar tiredly, squeaking softly against the rock which didn't seem to so much as acknowledge your displeasured lash aside from the dull ache in the offended hand.

"Dammit, Rinnier..." You spit out venomlessly, glancing out the window towards the setting sun. At this rate, you wonder if you should have just stayed to talk to Caylen. At least you knew where he was, you could have learned more about this Rite business.

A flash of red catches your attention as you go to turn away, it's enough to snap your attention back towards the window.

...Right, of course you hadn't checked the roof. You spare a moment to wonder how she even found her way up there, but the 'how' didn't mean much to you as you set off towards the overlooking parapet.

It didn't take you long to get to the roof, and the you click the door open to step out onto the rooftop veranda - The same, you remember, that Caylen had been standing on when you arrived. In the setting sun, you catch sight of Rinnier's back to you as the evening wind howled distantly through the sun-painted leaves of the forest around Caylen's estate.

She hasn't noticed your arrival just yet, and you wait for a few moments to see if that would change. She didn't pace, nor could you hear if she was talking under her breath or not, and after a while the only things that had happened was the occasional gust of wind and deep breathe from the spitfire.

...Maybe she was watching the sunset?

>Set back until she notices you.
>Greet her by bopping her on the head with your finger.
>Realize you have no idea what to do now. Awkwardly leave. You're bad at this.
>Approach the parapet to get her attention.

>>42043298
>>Approach the parapet to get her attention.

>>42043298
>Set back until she notices you.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>42043354
1. Approach

>>42043361
2. Set back

Dice gods guide us.

Writing.

>>42043361
>>42043500
Welp there goes all our time now.

You settle back against the door and sigh quietly, trying to figure out what to do from here. You had moved without thinking, and from there you fixated so purely on finding Rinnier that you never stopped to decide what you'd once you found her. You had expected to find her angry, or studiously ignoring you, or something. If you had some aggression, you could at least redirect and slip through some of it, but...

You watch on silently, Ari at your side, as Rinnier's sunset watching continued peacefully. If she was angry, you didn't see it... What you did see was a beautifully painted sky and an expansive orange-tinged forest of lush emerald leaves spreading out beneath said sky. If you weren't so preoccupied with dealing with Rinnier, you might have taken the time to consider it breath taking; A treat that your own house simply didn't possess.

...Or not that you knew of, anyway. Admittedly you had never gone looking. That was all beside the point though, as you ended up spending most of the rest of the evening sitting against a door and watching the sunset over Rinnier's shoulder. Off and on your mind would wander back to the task at hand - How to broach the topic. You knew she was upset; Granted most of the time you had known Rinnier she was upset about one thing or another, so at this point part of you wondered if that wasn't simply her default state. The vital question was really... How to address it?

You hadn't said anything to apologize for. Even if she took offenses, what were you going to do? 'Sorry, that's how it is'? Thought after thought led to a dead end, and before you knew it, you would become distracted by a breeze or a particular cloud, eventually losing your train of thought entirely as you watched the glimmering orange orb gradually slip from the sky.

"It's cold." You blink at the non-sequitor as Rinnier turned around in the dim lighting of the after-dusk twilight and leaned back against the parapet with her arms crossed half-heartedly. "You knew I was here?" You couldn't help but ask, even as Rinnier shook her head. "I heard you sit down about an hour ago." she admitted, "I figured you'd say something. You always have something to say."

You had exactly nothing to say right now.

"Well, thanks for not interrupting the sunset, I guess." Rinnier shrugged tiredly, "What did you need?"

>I'm sorry.
>You left in a hurry, so I was worried.
>I think you misunderstood something, so I wanted to clear things up.
>Thanks for finding the slave thing.
>Apologize for Caylen
>..It doesn't really matter now.

>>42043978
>You left in a hurry, so I was worried
>Ask her what happened.

>>42043978
>You left in a hurry, so I was worried.
>Thanks for finding the slave thing.

>>42044003
>>42044013
Left in a hurry

>>42044003
What happened

>>42044013
Thanks for slave thing.

Writing.

"You left in a rush." You admit after a moment, managing to refrain from just blurting something out entirely until you could think over things a little more. "I never actually thanked you for finding the slave precedent either, and since you seemed upset earlier..." You shrug, trying to find some way to wrap this together. You're saved from your continued mouth running when Rinnier waved her hand dismissively, "It's fine. I understand it wasn't exactly what you were looking for, though."

"It's not." You agree, "But it is something, which is more than we had. I owe you my thank for that, since it gives us a direction to try and work on, if nothing else."

"Nn." Rinnier grunted non-committally, slowly lapsing into silence again.

"...Caylen is not what I expected." Rinnier broke the silence this time, causing you to perk up curiously and motion for her to continue, "He's... Stalwart. I remember he was with his guards when we arrived, so my first real impression of him was favourable. A noble who stood and fought with their retinue - He would have fit in back home." She shook her head, "It's clear that he honestly cares for the people he is to be responsible for. His drive to help them is admirable..."

"I sense a 'but'." You chime in sardonically, eliciting a small frown from the spitfire as she sighed. "He holds tightly to ideals that won't hold up. The world does not work like he believes it does, and listening to him speak... Those good intentions of his will pave the path to Shade's Demesne with the bodies of his followers, and the ones he's trying to help." She snorted, "I had honestly hoped... Maybe to recruit him into helping me with my people. Everything about him sounded far more experienced and reliable than you."

"..." You toss a half-lidded stare at the spitfire's blatant admission, but she simply shrugs.

"Having met him, I fear help from him would simply do more harm than good. I understand now why you said that your cousin's value was in his friends; The man himself is too naive."

"He has his moments." You agree absently, thankful to steer the conversation towards Caylen. Just like old times, you'd gladly let him take the fall for you. "If he believes in you, there's no one better to have your back. He'll support you with everything he's got."

"And destroy himself in the process." Rinnier snorted, "What good is an ally if you have to keep them from doing something stupid? Micromanaging even your friends is worse than going alone." You can't really disagree with her there, as you had come here for the express purpose not of asking Caylen for help, but for Caylen to get a friend to help; The difference was important. Caylen was a medium to connect you to resources. You weren't putting him directly in a position where he would get himself in over his head. Though some might consider it using him for his connections, you considered the care you took to keep that idiot from running off at the hip on a crusade for morals and justice to be the kind of unique doting that was unique purely to you.

To be honest, you had hoped that one day he would start picking up that he could solve things subtly if you kept using him for it.

No such day seemed to be coming.

"Well, you've still got me." You hold your hands up as if to say 'oh well' "Though evidently I wasn't your first, or second choice." A note of agitation slips through your tone here, a point of contention for you that remained sore was just how completely Rinnier had routinely discarded you as a partner, or planned to get help from elsewhere. While you suppose it was fair that someone in her position try to acquire help from as many sources as possible, and you did get off to a rough start...

Well, she was your Testament. Unless you were greatly misunderstanding something, one of the vital aspects of this rite was to establish trust and comradery between you and the Testament - To inspire loyalty. You couldn't call any of Rinnier's behavior particularly loyal.

...And you might be a little jealous of the fact she keeps asking other people for help.

"Do I...?" Rinnier's doubtful murmur snapped you from your reverie. "Do you what?"

She shifted against the stone wall she had chosen to lean against earlier, arms shifting up to cross under her chest as she finally directed a difficult expression towards you. "What do I really have with you?" She asked plainly, "You needed your Testament to work with you to pass this rite of yours. Fine. Ari and the demihuman both seem to have become decently fond of you in short order, haven't they?" You tilt your head as she continues, trying and failing to understand what her point was. "When we met, you were quick to hear me out and make a deal to get my cooperation. After I learned more about you, I realized you were nearly useless to me... You're still not very well versed in anything of practical use, but you've made a point time and time again to assure me you'll help."

"Obviously, I did give my word." You agree a little confusedly, "What does this have to do with anything?"

"I want to help my people." She repeated, "You knew that immediately. If relying on you to help them was my best option, of course it's what I wanted to do. If I relied on you, then you stood a good chance at passing whatever this rite thing is, didn't you?"

Oh.

....Oh.

"If I never knew the path was straight, I'd think my choices led me here." She repeated despondently, watching you distrustfully, "I'm left wondering just how much of our relationship was something I chose for myself, and how much was something I was led into in desperation."

>Stay silent. To an extent, you have tried to manipulate her into this.
>Reassure her it's legitimate. You gave your word to help, and you'll do it.
>Admit to playing on her anxieties to get her to agree to help you.
>Isn't she over thinking this? You didn't mean for her to take your explanations that seriously.
>Other? (write-in)

>>42044756
>>Reassure her it's legitimate. You gave your word to help, and you'll do it.

>>42044756

>Reassure her it's legitimate. You gave your word to help, and you'll do it.
>Other? (write-in)

We'll prove it to her, we just need to get this audience situation settled first - and then hopefully we can gather more information to help her out after. Maybe if the audience goes well, some of the brigands may know something of use pertaining to Teranford's former people?

>>42044947
>>42044975
Attempt to reassure.

>>42044975
rrrrright after the audience.

Writing.

You push yourself from the ground once you realize exactly what it is that had been bothering Rinnier. "Wait, wait! You're making a mistake." your enthusiasm is denying it only causes an arched brow, "I promised to help, so I definitely will. I wasn't just saying that to get you to go along with being my Testament, it was a deal we made."

"So you keep saying." She responded neutrally, shaking her head as if to clear a fog before continuing. "No, it's not like that. I... Do believe you'll try to help me. I still have doubts as to how effective you'll be, even more so after having spoken with your cousin earlier-"

Your face strained, as if to convey 'Please don't compare me to Caylen', but the silent plea went unheard.

"-I've no reason to not believe you, not after what we went through on the way here, but..." She paused, averting her eyes slowly as the words came together. "I feel I've underestimated you. You aren't the simple, sheltered fool I thought you to be initially." She frowned, "This is twice now I've underestimated or misjudged you, and I'm beginning to feel like I understand why it keeps happening."

You blink, a little lost as to the direction of the conversation. "I had some time to think it over, and I suppose that so long as our deal is legitimate, this doesn't really change anything; I was just... unsettled when I realized what I had been missing. I apologize if I worried you by acting rashly."

"Ah..." You acknowledge her wordlessly, trying to make sense of the mood. It seemed like there was a particular atmosphere surrounding you that no one had bothered to clue you in on. "As soon as this audience is over, I'll prove it to you." Your mouth starts to run on auto-pilot, only bothering to alert your brain post-statement. "We'll focus on trying to find out more about your people, maybe where some of them could have gotten to."

Of course this has been on your To-Do list since you met Rinnier really, but it was always kind of a distant 'thing that needs doing one day'. You had earnestly meant to get around to it... Probably after the Rite was over and you were the head of House Valen. It would have been pretty easy then, given just how expansively influential House Valen actually was. Flex a little muscle, distribute a few contacts, and it would be over just like that, right?

Over a month later, you realize you honestly don't know how long this rite is supposed to last. 'I'll do it later' meant nothing to you, and even less to Rinnier - Especially given her only dedication to you hinged on her people. If you simply waited to become the head of House Valen before doing this, how long would she have to wait? Would she even wait that long?

"I..." Rinnier began, "I would appreciate that." she finally answered, lacking any of the enthusiasm you had come to expect from moments like this. "If that's all, then I'll be going ahead." she shifted her weight from foot to foot lightly, proffering a tight smile as the night wind picked up. "I think I'm going to spend the night in a bed, for once."

You nodded after a moment, letting her go as several questioned bubbled up behind your lips.

What about researching? - Could you even ask her this? She was the only one who had found anything, and the result had been... this disaster.

Aren't you excited? - You're finally making good on that constant promise to help. Doesn't that warrant some enthusiasm? ...How long had it taken you to actually resolve to put action to those words? Even now, you've only paid lip service, like all the times before. To be fair, you've also been busy all the times before... But the principle remains the same, doesn't it?

Despite your attempts to reconcile, even though she had apologized instead and insisted nothing had changed in the end...

File: ValEnd.gif (1023 KB, 500x281)

1023 KB GIF

Standing out under the stars as several bonfires began to slowly spark to life on the outer walls, you can't help but feel like something fundamental had been altered tonight.

One hand rose to cup your eyes, pressing your forehead back to the sky in a formless and writhing sense of frustration.

"Dammit."
___

Ending here for the night. Was waiting for over 2 hours for 4chan to let me post.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Valen+Quest

And we are archived.

No thread lurking for me this time, but if you have a question then leave it and I'll try to answer it next thread.

Apologies to all anons who participated in Valen Quest but died at their keyboards wondering when QM would finally stop.

To those who did not make it to the end, we will never forget your sacrifice.

>>42045202
Thanks for running
So how badly did we fuck up with Caylen and Rinnier?