Whoops, my trip wasn't on.

The actual memorial stuff is... Well, you're a bit bored by the events therein, but you're here for your job anyway. It's much more social an event than you'd expected, a lot of people you don't know talking to other people you don't know about things you don't care about.

Looking disinterested in catchings-up and the like is Jorden, that half-manakete you met earlier. The only person who he seems to be giving the time of day is a woman who has more of the typical manakete features, looking generally younger than him.

Natalie, Yancy, Yulea, and a brown-haired woman you don't recognize all talk about something or another.

Reese and that Jay guy are reminiscing and generally seem to be having as great a time as one could have in the circumstances.

Cargia is sharing some anecdote you're only half-paying attention to with you, Marrius, Lyeim, and Leigh.

>A. Approach Jorden
>B. Approach Yancy and all them
>C. Approach Reese and Jay
>D. Try to pay closer attention
>E. Look for someone else to talk to (specify)

>>43644658
>B. Approach Yancy and all them

>>43644698
"I dunno," the woman you don't recognize says, "I... Still feel extremely out of place here, Nat."

"Hey," Yulea assures her, "you're our friend, you've been a part of her family for so long, you've been to these things since before they became a formal thing, right?"

The woman nods, "yeah, but... Ellen's still not back. I just..."

Nat puts a hand on her shoulder, "Zoe. Your presence here has never been unwelcome. You've been... Distant ever since last year, so this is good for you."

Zoe (you guess) nods, "r-right, of course... Sorry I'm being weird."

"No one's faulting you," Yancy says to her, to which Yulea smiles and nods.

Yulea continues, "she'll be back sooner than you can imagine anyway, remember? You're the one who kept saying that!"

Zoe nods. "I'm just gonna go get some water or something. I'm a bit parched."

As she leaves, Yancy looks like she's remembered something and goes after her.

You aren't sure why any of this is significant.

>A. Follow them
>B. See what was up with Natalie and Yulea
>C. On second thought, let's talk to someone else (specify)
>D. Skip ahead

>>43644854
>B. See what was up with Natalie and Yulea

>>43644924
"So, uh... Who was that?" You ask, approaching.

Natalie responds, "that's Zoe. We've known each other for... awhile."

Yulea continues, "she's Ellen's wife. Used to be a pegasus knight herself, but then... A lot of bad stuff happened in a short frame of time. She was one of Princess Salia's guards, Ellen disappeared-oh, they're married. That's sort of important for that part-her oldest sister disappeared looking FOR Ellen, her other older sister's been gone exploring with the former Mage General..."

Natalie interrupts, "basically, recent history has... not been kind to her."

"Uh huh... What do you think Yancy wanted with her?"

Yulea shrugs. "She talks to her about things whenever they meet up. No clue what, but I don't want to pry."

>A. Fair enough
>B. She should pry
>C. Sounds sketchy
>D. Write-in response

And...

>E. Say something further (specify)
>F. Go after Yancy and Zoe yourself
>G. Go bother someone else (specify who)
>H. Skip ahead a bit

>>43645106
>A. Fair enough
>G. Go bother someone else (specify who)

Jorden?

>>43645210
"Alright, cool."

You part ways with them and notice that that Jorden guy is no longer speaking to... Presumably his mother. She's hovering around being affectionate to an embarrassed-looking but smiling Reese at the moment, basically confirming your suspicions.

You decide to take up the mantle of bothering Jorden.

"Hello."

"...greetings." He responds neutrally.

"Er... Thank you for saving my colleague earlier. My name's Lloyd."

He nods. "It's what a knight does, isn't it? Don't give it much thought."

>A. Okay cool (leave)
>B. He's certainly friendly (sarcastic)
>C. Awkward silence
>D. Write-in response

>>43645312
>You're a manakete knight? Never seen one before.

>>43645312
this >>43645352

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>>43645352
>>43645401
"Half-manakete, hmm?" You ask. You've seen Ice Dragons, of course (you are from Tordo), but you don't think you met anyone like this.

"You could tell."

"Right... Ask a silly question."

"Your point?"

"Well, it's just... That was impressive, back there."

"Yeah, I know," he says, grinning to himself. Bit smug, but rightfully so. "My aging only just started to slow down, so I don't need to spend centuries as some weak kid... I'll be the greatest warrior on the planet for thousands of years."

"So that's just... Gonna be your goal?"

"Yeah," he says, a bit hostile, "again, how's it your business?"

>A. It's not
>B. Just clarifying
>C. Aim higher, man
>D. Write-in response
>E. Just back away

>>43645512
>A. It's not
>But it's a good goal to have. At least you have plenty of time to devote to it.

>>43645596
"It's not, I'm just saying... It's pretty admirable that you already have your goals figured out. I mean, you certainly have time to devote to holding that title..."

Jorden nods. "Yes, time... And weapons. Time and weapons are what I will always have."

"Aha, but you're still younger than me as it stands now, Jorden!" Cargia says, holding out practice axes and popping out from behind some fixture.

Jorden is... You see his eyes widen in shock, but he doesn't physically respond beyond that, simply saying, "prince Cargia, a challenge like that would be improper."

"Ah, but how can I have peace of mind without knowing that the man who will be protecting my grandchildren's grandchildren is all he talks himself up as? Sure, you can kill a Dracozombie in an instant, but so can I!"

Jorden groans. "Your mother would have me drawn and quartered."

"My mother isn't here."

"Urgh," Jorden says, "fine, I'll humor you. What are your rules?"

"Don't light anything on fire is all I ask."

>A. Discourage this fight
>B. Encourage this fight
>C. Be neutral about this fight
>D. Skip this nonsense

>>43645718
>C. Be neutral about this fight

You don't have anything to say as Cargia finally eggs him into it.

"Back out any time, your highness." Later, Jorden messes around with the practice axe as a crowd gathers around the spectacle.

"Don't let me break your neck!" Cargia responds with a more bombastic confidence.

Leigh, standing nearby you, looks very interested in the events that are about to ensue. "Think Prince Cargia's gonna teach him a lesson?"

You respond, "not a damn clue."

With the practice axe, Cargia takes his first swing, which Jorden dodges with similar ease... Only to refuse to retaliate, leading to his getting hit.

"Jorden, you're not a punching bag, you're my opponent! Act the part!"

Jorden nods, rubbing his cheek as he suddenly strikes with full force with the practice axe.

Cargia is knocked over in an instant, and Jorden discards his weapon as he offers him a hand.

"Right... I would normally keep fighting, but your heart clearly isn't in it!"

"I'm not going to put all of my effort into striking my prince."

Cargia nods. "Of course, of course... These inhibitions are reasonable."

That's about the... Only remaining interesting thing to happen while you're on the job. Not much interesting happens with the way back to Elza Oasis, either, with Leigh primarily tied up with Marrius and Lyeim, Ansi being... Ansi, for better and for worse, and Yancy mostly keeping to herself. According to Yulea, she's "anxious about something," but won't let on what it is. And like hell you're going to get a decent conversation out of Gonzo. He's a decent guy, sure, but a poor conversationalist.

>A. Skip to Elza Oasis
>B. Show a moment with someone anyway (specify who, topic preferred but not required)

>>43645922
>A. Skip to Elza Oasis

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>>43645932
Yep, nothing particular to discuss or do.

"Ah, hey, how'd it g-Whoa!" Irene teleports into view slightly above the ground as they approach the Group's headquarters. She falls forward into the soft ground, albeit still wincing and clutching her ankle.

"Irene, are you alright?!" Marrius is quick to help her up. "Please, don't trouble yourself with trying to make a dramatic entrance."

He has to shoot Yancy an expectant glare before she gets around to healing the witch. "Oh, right, of course."

"Okay, Marrius, you can put me down now." After your boss obliges your other boss, she dusts herself off. "Anyway," she smiles, "how did it go?"

"There was an attack, but no one was harmed. Lloyd, Leigh, Gonzo, and Ansi were already on the scene before they could approach anyone innocent. The rest of us followed and disposed of all the Dracozombies shortly after."

Irene smiles. "That is actually really impressive!" She looks around, frowning. "But... Where's Gonzo? Don't tell me he..."

Marrius interrupts, "he asked to pay his family a visit before reporting back to headquarters. He apparently picked up souvenirs in Tarvos Valley for them."

"Oh. That's good to know!"

And from there, it's back to the old daily business. You return some of your things to you and Yone's room.

"Oh, hey, you're still alive," he says dismissively.

>A. Yep
>B. Just ignore him
>C. Tell him all about what he missed
>D. Write-in response

>>43646171
>B. Just ignore him

>>43646402
You don't acknowledge him at all. Screw this dude.

Yone scoffs. "So while you were off on some party, I had my first job, with Calof."

You don't say anything. Yone doesn't care.

"It was security for a party held by an important merchant."

Uh huh, sure. You keep ignoring him.

"They weren't expecting any trouble, but thanks to my efforts, an entire smuggling ring was discovered. Right here, under the noses of the Magical Senate, and who toppled it? Me!"

You keep silently doubting him.

"And Calof said to just not make any trouble and get this over with... Pft, what kind of badass does that? There were these... These big guys with swords, no wait, they were axes! And swords! And they were the bodyguards to this kingpin who was hiring this assassin and this thief to team up and take them out of the picture, and... Right under their noses! None of them or the guests knew about it, and they never found out either! They just wanted to hire some security at a place they were renting out!"

>A. None of that happened, Yone
>B. Yone is obviously stretching the truth
>C. Believe every word
>D. You don't care
>E. More silence
>F. Write-in response

>>43646539
>A. None of that happened, Yone

>>43646565
"Yone, that's... Literally none of that happened."

"Do you really think I care enough about what you think of me to lie about my exploits?"

"Yes."

Yone is silent for a moment before responding, "I just wanted to have a conversation, jerk."

You don't say much to each other after that.

You just call it an early night, a bit tired from all the traveling. Yone looks sad when he gets into his bed.

"This wretched roommate of mine... I should know better than to share stories!"

Yep, definitely upset.
>A. Good
>B. You don't care
>C. Maybe you were a bit harsh
>D. Apologize?
>E. Write-in response

>>43646636
>C. Maybe you were a bit harsh

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>>43646824
"Alright, maybe I was a bit harsh just now."

Now Yone's giving you the silent treatment.

"Look, just... This last job was a stressful one. A lot of scares, Leigh got hurt pretty badly..."

"Well, maybe I don't believe you!"

"Okay, now you're just being immature."

"Your point?"

"What do you mean 'my point?'"

"I..." He grumbles, "just wanted to show you up, dick."

"Well, you're not very good at it."

"I know!"

After a moment of silence, Yone looks at the open doorway and makes a surprised, high-pitched yelp at a floating eyeball hovering in the doorway. "Wh-what the hell is that?!"

>A. An Arch Mogall
>B. Perfectly harmless
>C. It's challenging you, Yone (lie)
>D. An evil probe! (lie)
>E. Write-in response

>>43646938
>C. It's challenging you, Yone (lie)
>D. An evil probe! (lie)
Probably going to make the situation with Yone worse but I want to see where this goes.

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>>43647022
"It... Must be a spy from those... Smugglers."

"You said those didn't exist!"

"I said you didn't topple them! Anyway, you need to defeat it before it does anything terrible!"

"Right!" He picks up a Heal staff and charges at the Arch Mogall. "You're going down!"

He bops it on the head, and you snicker, expecting it to retaliate. Instead, it... Blinks. Did it even notice it was being attacked?

"Take that! And that! Send this message to your smuggler buddies!"

Eventually, it just floats away in the middle of one of Yone's swings, causing him to fall forward.

"Ow..."

>A. Laugh
>B. Gotcha
>C. Keep playing along
>D. Be silent
>E. Write-in

>>43647090
>C. Keep playing along
I gotta leave now so hopefully someone else comes along.

>>43647153
"A-after it!" You exclaim, trying to keep a straight face as Yone chases after the thing.

You finally let yourself laugh as he runs off, before regaining your composure to follow him.

Yone chases the Mogall all the way to Ansi and Gonzo's room.

"Wait a minute, this room... This is..." His eyes widen. "Is Gonzo in on this whole thing?! Is HE the spy? Th-that explains everything! I mean, we don't know much about him or his hobbies, and... And I'm only seeing this thing now that you're all back!"

A half-dressed and tired Ansi, seemingly having had the same "get some early rest" idea as you, is quick to chastise, "Yone what in the hell are you going on about?!"

"Th-this Mogall! This Mogall, it's..!"

The Mogall gives a blink you read as incredulous to you and Ansi. The Summoner says, "what, is there a problem? Well, too bad."

Ansi starts to shut the door, only for it to be blocked by Yone's staff.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Please, Ansi. You've... You've gotta do something about this!"

"Y'know what? I should..." Ansi's frustrated look leaves his face and is replaced with a thoughtful one. "No, no... For Jolie's sake. This thing's scaring you?"

In a single gesture, the Arch Mogall quite literally vanishes.

"What did-"

"There," Ansi says, "it's gone. Don't bother me again."

NOW he pushes the staff out of the door and shuts it.

"Wait..." Yone looks at where the Mogall once stood, then at Ansi's door, then at you, before he adopts a mad expression, "you tricked me!"

>A. Guilty as charged
>B. No...
>C. Mourn the tragic demise of Arch Mogall
>D. Write-in response
>E. Silence
>F. Laugh

>>43647304
(nevermind I'm back now)

>A. Guilty as charged
>C. Mourn the tragic demise of Arch Mogall
I thought you wanted an interesting story to one up me!

>>43647333
"Yep, guilty as charged."

"And now you're not even amused? Then what was the point of all this?"

"Oh, it was absolutely hilarious."

Yone blinks. "Then... Why aren't you laughing?"

You admit rather straightforwardly, "I liked that floating eyeball monster more than I liked you."

After a moment of silence, Yone starts laughing. "Gods, really? That is... That's sad!"

You have a very strong suspicion that that particular Arch Mogall would have accompanied Marrius' Group on further adventures had this not happened.

You mean, Ansi can just make more, but it just won't feel the same.

Yone just keeps laughing. You decide to go back to bed and sleep this mistake off.

The next morning, over breakfast, Leigh asks, "hey, what happened to that... Floating eye thing? I haven't seen it around."

>A. Ansi un-summoned it
>B. It's dead
>C. Respond with silence
>D. Does it matter
>E. Write-in response

>>43647455
>B. It's dead
RIP Arch Mogall

>>43647567
"It's... dead."

Leigh blinks. "Come again?"

"I was trying to mess with Yone when it came to our room, then he chased it to Ansi's room... Ansi thought it was just scaring him, so he destroyed it without a second thought."

"That's, uh... Lloyd, that's just what summoners do."

"Yeah, but... I dunno, you weren't there for most of the battle. Saved my life, had some good times..."

Leigh is just... Silent for a moment. "Consider this punishment for messing with Yone, then!"

"Way to kick me while I'm down."

"You're 'down' because of your own actions!"

>A. How could you have predicted this?
>B. Wait a second. this is stupid.
>C. Admit it's your fault
>D. Play the "what is our purpose" card
>E. Write-in
>F. Be silent

>>43647654
>A. How could you have predicted this?

>>43647694
"How could I have expected something like this to happen?"

You and Leigh are both starting to sound mad. She responds, "well, I didn't say you could see it coming! Just that this is your fault!"

"Oh, boy, here we go..."

"What do you mean 'here we go?!' Lloyd, this is your fault! There's nothing you can do about it! Just move on!"

"Leigh, would you say that if it was anyone else?"

"You knew the damn thing for... A few days! You barely interacted with it anyway!"

"You're dodging my question!"

"I am not! The point is, it's just... Something made of magical essence. They're made to be returned to that state after their work is done!"

"So what?"

"'So what?' You're overreacting and being a big baby, 'so what!'"

>A. Can we not do this
>B. Defend your actions
>C. Fine, she's right
>D. Write-in response
>E. Silence

>>43647832
>C. Fine, she's right

>>43647860
You sigh. "You're right. I'm overreacting."

Leigh sighs. "I... sort of lost my cool there. Sorry about that."

"It's alright. It was only in front of literally all of our coworkers. They've seen us have worse fights."

"Don't be so casual about it."

You sigh. The rush of a near-death experience can only ward off your relationship problems for so long before they rear their heads again.

You see Yone at another table, sitting across from Calof and laughing at your plight. Everyone else is politely ignoring you two.

>A. Call him out
>B. Ignore him
>C. Complain to Leigh
>D. Throw breakfast at him
>E. Write-in response

>>43647959
>B. Ignore him

>>43648005
You and Leigh don't acknowledge any of this.

Calof shoots Yone a glare, saying, "look, you're not some hotshot. You're lucky that you didn't just end up humiliating a lot of guests of our clients'."

"I saved your lives, dude!"

"By accident and dumb luck. Don't pretend you knew there was foul play planned until you did what you did."

"You don't know that I don't know that."

Calof sighs. "Look, it's not cool to laugh when people are fighting, alright?" Calof whispers the next part, which Yone nods in response to, shooting you both another look.

You open your mouth, but Leigh is quick to respond, "don't humor him."

You nod.

>A. Mention you didn't believe Yone's story
>B. Mention you knew he was exaggerating his story
>C. What an asshole
>D. Suggest you discuss your relationship somewhere more private
>E. Write-in response

>>43648121
>A. Mention you didn't believe Yone's story
>D. Suggest you discuss your relationship somewhere more private

>>43648188
"And I thought he wasn't telling the truth about all that when he told me..."

Leigh shrugs. "It is a bit outlandish, Yone doing all that. If Calof wasn't the one who told me, I wouldn't have bought it either."

"Right, right... Listen, can we talk? Like, er... In private, someplace."

Leigh nods. "Yeah, that... Sounds like a good idea."

Finishing up your food, the two of you leave. She leads you to her room, which you note has a few personal touches of someone you never met. Make-up, beauty supplies, lockpicks, books on charms and enchantments, notes crumpled up, torn apart, stabbed...

"Uh... Who's your roommate?"

Leigh responds, "I don't know. Irene said she was on a mission clearing out some bandits when we first moved in, she and these two other girls would be back in just a few days. Just told me last night that they found what was left of them, so... Never met them, yeah."

"That's fucked up."

"It is."

Silence fills the room.

"Anyway, uh... What was it you wanted to talk about?"

>A. We need to work some stuff out
>B. Why did we get together to start with
>C. You think she knows
>D. Now your mind's on the dead fucking roommate you've lost your train of thought
>E. Write-in response
>F. Silence

>>43648416
>A. We need to work some stuff out
>Do you think we've been arguing more these days? I'm not saying it's anyone's fault or we can't have different opinions. But these shouting matches leave both of us in a bad mood...

(I'm not a relationship master but I kinda doubt that arguing a lot is healthy for them.)

>>43648520
"I'm sure you know that both of us... Have a lot of things to work out."

Leigh nods. "Definitely, yeah. It's... Getting a lot harder to ignore."

"I mean, we've just been... Fighting an awful lot lately. Without even... Without even giving examples, since that would just add fuel to the fire."

Leigh agrees, "yeah, best to stay clear of citations right now. It happens way too much, and... It hurts me, it really does. And I'm sure it hurts you too."

"It does, it... Really does, Leigh. Just... Shouting at each other, getting on our nerves about the most hair-trigger of things... That's not what I want for us."

"What do we do about this?" Leigh asks, her voice... Softer, more uncertain than usual.

>A. You don't know
>B. Just... Make mutual efforts to be better
>C. Figure out why we started this relationship
>D. Write-in

>>43648742
>B. Just... Make mutual efforts to be better
>C. Figure out why we started this relationship

>>43648807
"Let's... I dunno, let's just... Be more mindful of this sort of thing. Talk things over, don't raise our voices as much... We're not your parents, Leigh. Things don't need to be a screaming match at all times."

Leigh sighs. "I still miss all of them."

"Me too. Still dream about my little brother hitting me until I get my head off the table after reading too much sometimes."

Finally, you break out the big concern that worried you out of a lot of sleep awhile ago. "Speaking of all that, instead of just getting caught up in it... Let's, uh... Do you remember WHY we hooked up at all? Honestly, I don't."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"No, no, no, it doesn't mean anything! I just... Literally could not remember why we hooked up, when Ansi asked me awhile ago."

You think about it in silence for awhile. Ultimately, Leigh is the first to figure it out. "I think it's the same thing that makes us fight so much."

"Come again?"

"We're... There's not much we have in common."

"Granted."

"I think, at least for me... Yeah, I see a lot of... A lot of what I'm not in you, a lot of what I could never be, and... It makes me want to be closer to you."

>A. Like?
>B. You get what she means
>C. That makes sense for you too
>D. You don't think that's it for you, at least
>E. That's outlandish
>F. That sounds unhealthy
>G. Write-in response

>>43648925
>A. Like?
>C. That makes sense for you too

>>43648959
"I... Think I get what you mean, but... Could you say what you mean, just in case?'

"Well, I guess..." Leigh is thoughtful for a moment. "You're... You think things through, people get along with you easily, you're a good listener most of the time, and you're... You can be normal, when you try to be."

"Well, I mean, what's normal? I piss people off if they don't hit it off with me, I'm not principled at all, or strong, or easy to admire, gather energy from... I mean, you can react heavily sometimes, but it just shows how... Passionate you are about things you care about!"

Leigh grins, looking flustered. "You're... Much better with words than me, too."

Mutually, you realize that you can't just be in Leigh's room talking about this all day.

"So... We're gonna make more of an effort to be patient with each other? Fight less?"

"We'll certainly try," Leigh responds before pulling you close.

A few exchanges of "I love you" and the like pass before you carry on. Not much happens until the next client shows up later that day.

>To be continued next thread
I figured I wouldn't have time to establish the next mission/few characters, so I decided to draw out the character interaction. Glad I did, wish the turnout was better.

Thanks for playing. As always, you can find us on twitter @qmgrandflocto, check out http://ask.fm/qmgrandflocto, or just talk in-thread for awhile. I do appreciate the questions/comments/concerns.

>>43649136
Thanks for running. It was probably just a bad night for quests today but I'm glad you stuck around.

>>43649209
Yeah, Saturday nights are a crapshoot.

Even with minimal turnout, I run these threads because I like to write for them, and people will be able to read them later anyway.

I wonder if there's a general consensus for Lloyd's appearance yet.

>>43649262
I always imagine characters in this quest looking like other Fire Emblem characters. Lloyd looks like Canas to me for instance. Although that probably isn't good enough for an actual appearance. Especially if purple hair is too weird for this world.

>>43649383
Purple hair isn't too outlandish (blue and green and the like are established), but I don't personally know about Canas as a visual reference. A particularly striking hair color doesn't really suit an overall normal guy.

Personally I've seen him as having rather thick black hair, if only because that's what the one other Tordo-native person who's had their appearance described in detail (Yone) has.

Come to think of it, did I ever describe Leigh beyond "bigger than you are?"

>>43649455
Black hair works. He has some sort of glasses in my mind but I'm also ok with no glasses.

And I imagined Leigh as being similar to Ellen, but with lighter skin and light brown hair.

>>43649541
Grandflaw likes the glasses idea too. I could probably get away with abruptly mentioning that they were always there.

>>43649588
In particular, he's described his idea as "big-ass circle glasses."

>>43649602
Whelp he's basically Harry Potter then. Not like that's a bad thing.

>>43649622
...shit, you're right. At least appearancewise (I don't recall Harry Potter being an anti-hero).

And if he becomes a spirit charmer, he'll be marked permanently, which isn't EXEMPT from happening on his forehead.

>>43649684
If this happens I will laugh. Hope other anons don't feel too strongly against it.

>>43649796
There's still a ways to go until promotions are available anyway, though. I figure it'll be right around whenever the plot becomes tighter, if not shortly before or after.

The "job of the week" format is largely so we can introduce and establish a lot about the world in short, easy-to-jump-into bursts, and we do have a greater game plan in mind.