Though you continue to know nothing about it, it is not to say that Leigh and her companions are not doing important things all the way in Neir.

Awaiting an audience with Queen Eva, the members of Leigh's group have the pleasure of crossing paths with none other than prince Cargia and lord Welles. Word is they're fresh off a cousinly exhibition duel. Welles ended up emerging victorious, due to Cargia's continued refusal to use anything but axes.

After that conversation ends, Ansi is still swept up into following them around, as is a cautious Clint.

"Why're you following 'em around?" Clint asks, somewhat suspicious during a pause in ensuing idle conversation.

"Plenty of reason to be in good with the queen's son and nephew," Ansi whispers back.

Yulea, Yancy, and Leigh continue idly hanging around each other as well.

"Hey, didn't you say Zoe's sister had returned?" Yancy asks Leigh.

"Er, Monique... Monica, even. Yeah, princess Shea and the rest of them brought her back to Rakche." Leigh remarks, remembering earlier expositions. "Why?"

"I dunno, just... Wondered if she'd appreciate the company. Family friends, you know."

"How would Monica recognize you if she can't remember anything?" Yulea asks.

"One way to find out."

So while Ansi and Clint tag along with nobles, Leigh, Yulea, and Yancy head to the abode of the Falcoknight-turned-Maid.

>A. Be Ansi
>B. Be Leigh
>C. Be Yulea
>D. Be Yancy

(20 minute decision time)

>>44310357
>B. Be Leigh

>>44310357
>B. Be Leigh

>>44310639
Again, Leigh's perspective is taken as her party goes about.

"So then I lifted it off of her, no trouble at all," Yulea says, before looking puzzled. "Haven't talked to that shopkeeper in awhile, though. Guess whenever I'm in Darros again, assuming she's still in business."

"Do you need to brag about impressing other girls?" Yancy asks, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Hey, Leigh's the one who asked how strong I am... Figured an anecdote would be better, you know?"

You feel like a third wheel here, but in the moment you figured that accompanying Ansi and Clint would be worse. You barely even know any of these people mentioned, though...

That being said, with all that time Ymira spent with "Monique," who's to say it's safe to leave her alone, or even just... With people who look up to who she was?

But... Monique never seemed privy to her boss' illicit actions, but that could've easily been an act, but...

>A. Stick with Yulea and Yancy
>B. Change gears, catch up with Welles/Ansi/Cargia/Clint
>C. Just sort of go off on your own
>D. Write-in action/dialogue

>>44311004
>A. Stick with Yulea and Yancy

>>44311186
No, you'll just stick to your guns on this one.

You're certain Ansi is perfectly fine, and quite frankly prefer the company of Yulea and Yancy anyway, even in the face of being a perpetual third wheel.

Thinking about being such gets you thinking about your own relationship status.

You've been avoiding the topic for this long in lieu of focusing on your mission, but you have... Probably a couple hours to unwind now.

Somehow, you let something about this slip, which overrides the previous conversation. Eh, you've barely been involved beyond starting the previous topic anyway.

"Honestly," Yulea says, "it's clear that you and Lloyd still care a lot about each other, and you never gave official word on what you are now..."

"So what?" Yancy says, clearly similarly passionate about her distrust of your former allies, "holding onto feelings like that is gonna get you hurt. We can't trust Irene anymore, remember? And he sided with her over you when we found that out! Just... Move on, don't let your past influence the fact that you've been betrayed."

>A. Agree with Yancy
>B. Agree with Yulea
>C. This isn't an easy thing to answer!
>D. Don't respond
>E. Deliberately stall on a response until you get to Monica's
>F. Write-in response

>>44311524
>C. This isn't an easy thing to answer!

>>44311548
"Urgh... Sorry, guys, but you're really not helping by arguing over this." You rub your head. So much for asking advice on the matter. People conflict too much.

Anyway, you're approaching Monica's now. A shorter-haired woman answers the door when Yulea gives it a hearty knock. The woman softly says, "Yancy, Yulea."

"Hey, Zoe!" Yulea says. "We thought we'd visit your sister. Didn't realize you'd beaten us to the punch."

"Yeah..." Zoe says with a smile, "I mean, I live in the area anyway, so of course I'll help Monica get used to being back..!" You detect hints of weakness, sadness in her voice.

"Her memories come back at all?" You ask.

Zoe shakes her head, the sadness becoming more prominent next she speaks. "Not yet, but... She's trying to remember things."

Zoe invites the three of you into the rather impressive, yet decidedly empty-feeling (which is fair; its owner only returned not weeks ago) abode for tea, also saying that Monica was going through some things downstairs.

>A. Decline, go somewhere else
>B. Accept
>C. Be silent
>D. Write-in?

>>44311953
>B. Accept

>>44312140
"Sure, yeah," you say, just barely shortly enough after Yancy and Yulea's response that you barely feel the awkwardness of the situation.

Tea is... Well, you don't lead the conversation at all, instead dominated by the others present. Sometimes you say something that the others generally agree is pretty funny.

This is why you're a fighter, not a socialite.

"Er, Monica, you alright down there?" Zoe eventually calls, head turned towards a door you presume leads into a basement.

"Yes, sorry for the delay. I'll be right up!"

And moments later, true to form, she is. She's somehow significantly paler than she was living in the mountains, and in a much lighter, more casual dress than the exceptionally fuzzy maid's outfit of the frigid North.

"Monica," Zoe begins, "these three are visiting to-"

"Yes, I heard." The amnesiac says.

"Huh... Here I always figured noise had trouble getting through in the basement."

"...I still heard it," the woman formerly known as Monique answers simply.

"Right, right, of course... Er, I assume you've already met these three, right?"

"...one of them," she says, looking straight at you.

"Right, right... Anyway, these are friends of yours, Yancy and Yulea," Zoe introduces them, and the conversation train starts again.

At least Monica is also bad at it. You wonder how much of that is who she is and how much of that is her lack of memories.

>A. Say something (specify)
>B. Skip ahead
>C. Write-in

>>44312436
>B. Skip ahead

>>44312643
Some conversational ribbing occurs, Zoe joking about how rarely Monica goes outside in the daytime ("I'm not fond of the heat. All I remember is snow."), and on one occasion the talk taking a melancholy turn towards Ellen. Zoe gets... Very overtly displeased, for some passing moments, when Ymira's disguise of choice (which is to say, resembling Ellen) is mentioned and described, prompting a slightly conflicted-looking Monica.

Eventually, Reese arrives, calling the lot of you to the castle. According to him, his son is bringing Ansi and Clint.

You're unable to shake a feeling of wrongness as the five of you (plus your escorters) are brought to the castle, past a pair of guards.

"-and the seat is so unbearable. Seriously, screw the throne room-" A redheaded woman of middle age speaks, only to turn and look you all over. "This the ones you mentioned, Reese? More of them than you counted."

Clint takes the opportunity to introduce himself with a gesture involving the removal of his hat. "Name's Clint. Bounty hunter by trade, me and a friend were mind-controlled and saved by these four."

"Right to the point, then!" She remarks, sounding pleased, her tone becoming more casual. "Everyone's always insistent on formality and the like, and really it's the most insufferable part about being queen. Like, I've been a sellsword, talked to people, had misadventures... By all means, treat me with the respect of my post, but I hate when people feel obligated to hold their tongue just because of who I am. That being said, I'll cut myself off before I go on a huge rant about nothing... Tell me all that you've learned."

By her demeanor, if it wasn't already obvious by context, this is certainly Queen Eva.

>A. Mention the usage of mind control
>B. Mention the death of Lupus' circumstances
>C. Mention Ymira's whole deal
>D. Mention that Irene is a terrible horrible liar
>E. Let the others handle this
>F. Write-in
(Got somewhere to run for a few minutes)

>>44313045
Vote time renewed, then.

>>44313045
>A. Mention the usage of mind control
>B. Mention the death of Lupus' circumstances
>C. Mention Ymira's whole deal
>D. Mention that Irene is a terrible horrible liar
I hope D is more about explaining what happened with Irene and her relation to the group she claims to have quit and less about going on a tirade than it sounds from that blurb.

>>44313491
Naturally, you tell everything that is to be said, finding a spark you didn't have in the more mundane socializations.

The chameleon who took "Monique" in, then plotted a whole massive... Thing, which ties in with some of the most heinously mysterious forces in the continent.

The utter bastard that is Lupus, apparently the son of Bolse and grandson of a late garou chief.

How Lupus created a new mind control spell, but how Ansi has developed a counterspell for it, and how Lupus was slain by... Well, a mind-controlled puppet of his own master, Esmer.

How this Esmer is also a trusted mentor of Irene's, who claims to have left whatever this movement out of disgust, but... You reiterate a few times that you and your companions don't see reason to trust her word after she'd already BEEN working with her behind their backs. You admittedly get slightly... Opinionated, in your description, but you try your best not to get TOO passionate here.

You can't help but notice all eyes on Ansi from the moment he's mentioned. Ultimately, Queen Eva addresses this. "So this... This Ansi, I feel like I've heard of a man with that name and description somewhere."

"Come to think of it, yeah..." Reese looks puzzled. "When was that?"

"Something beyond a mere member of this little group?" Jorden looks more emotional about suspicious comments about Ansi. He really doesn't like any of you much anyway.

>Character limit, continued next post

All eyes on Ansi means that no one important seems to notice Clint, looking... Conflicted. You shoot him a "don't you dare" look, ironically filling Clint with daring. "I... Didn't wanna say anything, since he's really turned his life 'round, but Ansi here's a wanted man in Tarvos-"

"Clint! What the hell, man?!" Ansi shouts, clearly pissed.

"I'm an honest man myself," Clint quips. "Not about to lie to the queen for anyone's sake, 'specially not over something like this."

Gods, why is this happening now?

"Right, now I remember... You're a damned butcher," Eva says, suddenly sullen-sounding. "Thank you for your honesty, Clint."

"Weren't easy, Queen Eva..." Clint says, "but I reckon doin' the right thing ain't often."

"Oh my fucking gods!" Ansi shouts again.

"Reese, Jorden, mind showing Ansi out of here? Then we can get along with figuring out how to respond to all of this information you've helped into your hands."

>A. Stand up for Ansi
>B. Let this be
>C. Insinuate that Ansi had this coming
>D. Make some rather unfriendly accusations about Queen Eva's intentions
>E. Write-in response

>>44313919
>A. Stand up for Ansi

>>44313980
"H-hey! You can't just... Take him away like this!"

"Rakche and Tarvos Valley are both part of the Johan region," Reese says, "someone wanted in one's equally-criminal in the other."

"We... Girls, we can't just let them take him!" You say, looking towards Yulea and Yancy pleadingly, pleased to find determined looks on their faces.

"Urgh... Backup, send for backup!" Some ordinary guard you recognize nothing about nods, quite literally simply opening another door as more Neir knights flow in.

Ansi looks pensive for a moment, balling his fists, and you're all preparing to fight your way out of this...

"Wait," the long-haired summoner's voice cuts through suddenly, "this shit... It's bigger than me, isn't it? Yeah, not worth getting the rest of you branded criminals over bailing my ass out."

Clint says, "so you'll... Come quietly?"

Ansi sighs, reaching for and tossing his worn light tomes on the ground. "Don't talk to me, Clint. You think you know a guy, have a round with him and some other pals, but then... If you'd have just kept your damn mouth shut!"

"Lash out all you like," Clint says. "I did the right thing."

"That you did," Reese says. "Now, I suggest you all listen to your friend before you get into a lot of trouble."

"Listen... None of you forget what happened here, got that?" Ansi says as he stands still.

Something tells you that here is NOT the venue to dissect what he's telling you. In fact, it might be best to be out of Rakche before you say ANYTHING about what this means.

>A. Don't try to fight this
>B. Throw caution to the wind
>C. Write-in response

>>44314259
Vote time renewed, unless I'm beaten to the punch.

>>44314259
>A. Don't try to fight this

>>44314695
It physically pains you to just stand aside, but... It really is the only thing you can do.

You, Yulea, and Yancy are shown elsewhere by Reese.

Ansi, to your knowledge, does nothing, simply being shown away, calling out, "If you're within earshot, my love, don't forget me!"

"Look, I'm... Sorry that had to happen," Reese says as you're shown away. "You seem like way too good of a bunch to be associated with someone like that..."

"He was our friend, Reese," Yulea says.

"Debatable on the terminology," Yancy responds, "but... I know that 'he's changed' is probably thrown at you by a lot of liars in your line of work, but... he really has."

"Law doesn't care if you've changed, Yancy," Reese says. "Hell if I know for a fact it can happen, but... Hey, any of you know who that 'love' he was talking about is? If there's someone he's intimately associated with in the knights of Neir..."

>A. You're pretty sure Jolie dislikes him
>B. Maybe he was just saying shit
>C. No clue
>D. He probably meant Jolie
>E. Be silent
>F. Write-in response

>>44314836
>B. Maybe he was just saying shit

>>44314976
"Ansi's a pretty melodramatic guy," you say, "wouldn't put it past him to just want something cool to say before being locked up."

"I see," Reese says. You don't know if he buys it, but he drops the subject. "Anyway, her majesty is gonna go talk to King Garrus, Yvette, the like, about all that we've just found out. If there's any more we require of you, we'll come get you."

Yulea nods. "Appreciate it!"

The three of you (Clint is no longer hanging out with you after what he just pulled, intentions be damned) mutually decide you need to ease your damn minds, maybe find something to eat.

A brief amount of time passes. It is now dusk.

"Hey~," you hear the princess of Neir herself, Shea, say, approaching you all alongside Jolie. "How're the three of you doing?"

Yancy blinks. You understand the sentiment. This cheeriness is so... Uncharacteristic of Shea. Could something be up?

"We were just about to get dinner somewhere," Jolie adds, "figured we might as well invite you along when we heard you were in town."

"I know this nice, quiet eatery with a great view of Rakche... It'd be great to just unwind and unload there, you know?"

Yeah, this invitation is... Really sudden and friendly for someone so distant.

>A. Accept it. Must be your imagination
>B. Accept it. Could she mean to tell you something?
>C. Decline it. You already had plans
>D. Decline it. This is too suspicious.
>E. Say nothing, let the others decide
>F. Write-in response

>>44315234
>B. Accept it. Could she mean to tell you something?

>>44315251
You're... Pretty sure you can trust Princess Shea at this point.

There has to be SOMEONE you can trust, anyway. It's... Uncomfortably hard to know who.

The building in question appears run-down from the outside, raising your suspicions slightly, but following her in shows a rather well-furnished place, Welles inside and insistent on preparing some oddly-shaped dish from another continent.

"I will get to preparing your meals posthaste!"

"He insisted," Shea explains with a return to her usual demeanor, "the moment he heard my pretense for inviting you here. I use this building as a... Hideout of sorts? I mean, it's not well-hidden, but I'm never followed here by anyone besides my own two knights." She points out Jolie, quietly following.

You're led upstairs, to a large room with a window you somehow hadn't been able to see out from outside. You're invited to have a seat, and do so.

"So, Lady Yvette has told me about... How recent events are said to have played out. Says she heard it from Sir Reese, and I'm certain he's truthful, but... Just to be entirely safe, could you tell me yourself what happened in the throne room, with my mother and your associate?"

>A. Tell her
>B. Do not tell her
>C. Why's it matter to her

>>44315572
>C. Why's it matter to her

>>44315619
"Why's it matter to you anyway?"

"The... Conclusion that this information has drawn myself and my brother to is... Very large. If there's any major sign it could be untrue, we would like very much to cling to it."

This seems explanation enough for Yulea, who quickly divulges the facts of the events.

"I see... So the suspicions really did begin right after a means to dispel Lupus' mind control was mentioned. I think that settles it, then."

"Settles what?" You and Yulea ask.

Yancy's eyes, meanwhile, widen in surprise. "No way... Your highness, you can't mean that..."

"Yes. Filtering all information about this my father ought to hear, asserting herself as leader of Neir's overall military forces, her... History of passion for might-makes-right-she still views the conquering of Malva as one of her finest achievements-how she was a supporter of my late uncle Lars' own schemes despite their extremes, throwing someone into the dungeons the minute she learns of their ability to counter a major controlling ability..."

Jolie pats Shea on the shoulder. "Are you alright, princess?"

"Yes, but it's... Still a very hard pill to swallow."

"What is?" Yulea asks, either still slow on the uptake or wanting to make sure you're all on the same page here.

>A. Answer her yourself (write-in)
>B. Let Shea answer

>>44315811
>B. Let Shea answer

>>44315827
"Whatever conspiracy is looming over this continent," Shea says, "my mother, Queen Eva, is very likely a part of it."

"Huh?" Yulea says, still disbelieving. "I mean... Do we mean the same queen here, your highness?"

"We do," Shea says, expression unchanging, though her eyes are watering.

"Ansi must've figured that out then and there," Yancy remarks.

"He couldn't just risk this information dying trying to protect him..." Jolie frowns. "That was... I wasn't even there, but he still put himself at risk for you and the greater good..."

>A. Ansi mentioned her
>B. Don't tell her that
>C. Now what do we do
>D. Who can be trusted
>E. Write-in response
>F. Be silent

>>44315969
>A. Ansi mentioned her
>C. Now what do we do
>D. Who can be trusted

>>44315998
"Ansi did... Call out to you, asking not to be forgotten... Not by name, though." You say to Jolie.

"He did, huh..?" She seems... Genuinely flattered by the entirety of the gesture, considering the three of them were confirmed to be nowhere near the castle at the time of the arrest. "Awful theatrical, isn't he?"

You nod, quickly attempting to move onto the necessary questions. "Wh-"

"What do we do now? Who can we trust?" Yancy asks, interrupting you about to say exactly the same thing.

"Well, once Cargia and Yvette both arrive from their respective errands [ref: Yvette is in that earlier-mentioned meeting], we'll... Figure out who to plan. Talk out who we think can be trusted there and then..." She looks down, noticing a large, blue-haired, cloaked figure rushing towards the building, chased by a woman in a mask whose hands seem to brush against every single passerby.

>character limit, continued next post

(things might be about to happen really fast from here on out, due to time constraints, and wanting to have this thread's events finished before this thread ends)

>>44316417
"By the gods, I've been followed!" Cargia calls as you hear the door slamming downstairs, a lock turning, furniture being dragged.

"Food is ready!" You hear Welles call, before also hearing him say, "H-hey! I needed that table to lay out hors d'oeuvres!"

"Priorities, man!"

The five of you rush down to join the young men, Welles gripping his so-called harmless (read: he's hideously powerful with it) training sword's handle in its sheath.

"For the love of your lives," Cargia says with dead seriousness, "do not allow her to touch your skin. Two sympathetic guards... Drained of their lives just after I'd spoken to them."

The barricaded door bangs.

"So, another assassin..!" Welles says, "I'll take care of this one like the last!" He smiles genuinely. "A stern talking-to ought to turn her masked frown upside-down! Or, face-side-out, as it may be!"

"Don't be foolish! You can't take the head of this!" Cargia declares, "I'll lead this! There's more of me to drain than there is of any of you runts!"

>A. Let Welles try. He's strong, well-liked, and you've genuinely seen him turn people from evil
>B. Let Cargia lead. He's got the closest thing to experience against this thing
>C. Suggest that you lead. You have a Miracle Sword, so... Will that save you from being life-force-drained to death?
>D. Everyone hide, try to surprise her when she gets in
>E. Write-in suggestion
>F. You got nothing

>>44316434
>B. Let Cargia lead. He's got the closest thing to experience against this thing

File: Short_Axe.jpg (223 KB, 586x1072)

223 KB JPG

>>44316517
"Welles, I... Think we should defer to Cargia on this one," you say, readying your weapons.

"But..!"

"He knows what we're dealing with here," Shea agrees, readying her lance, "at least... More than the rest of us. Besides, if this person can't be turned... He's more willing to do what's needed."

Welles sighs. "I hope you are right... I will still try my best to give her a talking-to from the back here!"

Readying your weapons, when the door finally breaks down, the masked woman looks... Masked? Menacing? Anyway, she walks immediately forward, and Cargia readies a Short Axe. "Take this!"

The assassin simply raises up her hand as she runs, not seeming to react as it embeds itself in her skin. Blood barely falls as she pulls it out, Cargia looking shocked as the woman rushes forward, ducking down and hiding behind/in front of Cargia's massive frame as she reaches forward with both hands.

"Hrk-!" Cargia wheezes, seeming to wither before your eyes, calling out, "a-attack this monster now! Take the opportunity before it gets stronger!"

It would be very difficult to do so without harming Cargia as well, but he's a dead man anyway if you do nothing!

Still uncertain at the prospect, Shea is... Visibly shaking, her uncertainty copying itself onto Jolie and Welles as well. All hold their weapons with uncertainty and horror.

Yulea and Yancy, however, are not so debilitatingly attached to this victim, Yulea rushing forward with her lance as Yancy approaches with similar speed and her staff.

>A. Attack!
>B. Hold back, let them handle this!
>C. Stop Yancy and Yulea! It's too dangerous to get close!
>D. Write-in response!

>>44316776
>A. Attack!

>>44316801
You don't hesitate to oblige, only seconds behind Yulea in aiming your weapons. Taking care not to murder the prince in your efforts takes precious instants, sure, but it's not like it's IMPOSSIBLE to go around him at such a close range.

You end up slicing off the assassin's hand, Yulea stabbing her through the heart with her lance...

It actually seems to seriously injure the assassin, but her good hand continues loyally draining, even as Yancy intensely waves her Mend Stave towards Cargia...

"I'm... Doing this..." The masked woman says, as though she's realized something awful, before managing to shove away both of your weapons and removing herself from Cargia. Curiously, both of her wounds seemed to have healed while she was draining the prince. While he's still scarred, already they look to be... Almost healing."

Cargia lays on the ground, and before anyone can react, the masked woman mutters something two-syllabled under her breath before bolting off.

Despite Yancy's best efforts, Cargia still looks... Horribly withered.

"I-I just... Froze up," Shea says.

"Think... Nothing of it, sister!" Cargia weakly declares. "This was... A shocking scenario, most definitely."

>A. Insist Cargia rest, not banter
>B. Have Cargia explain what happened
>C. Try to chase the masked woman
>D. Write-in

>>44317025
>A. Insist Cargia rest, not banter
>C. Try to chase the masked woman

File: Mauthe_doogGBAIcon.gif (1 KB, 76x68)

1 KB GIF

>>44317053
"Look, Cargia. Rest. Focus on not dying."

"R-right... A bit of blood and Essence in me would be nice. Rush me to a hospital?"

Yulea, Yancy, and Shea immediately oblige, though you don't know if they'll make it in time or not. Meanwhile, you, Jolie, and Welles hurry after the assassin. It's not too hard to find a trail of people discussing the "masked woman who ran by," so it's similarly not difficult to chase her...

Eventually, though, the path goes cold, at least for the short-term. People will hear about this, though.

The consequences of today's events penetrate your psyche nonetheless, though.

An assassin attempted to take Prince Cargia's life for reasons unknown (thankfully, you would soon learn he survived the ordeal, but it's doubtful he'll be fighting again soon, or even walking well on his own, unless he recovers inhumanly fast).

You're probably gonna be in Rakche for a few days, with all of three or four people you know you can trust, one of whom is badly injured for it, and some sort of life-sucking assassin is on the loose.

>To be continued next thread
Beyond that, not much to be said. Was debating as to whether or not Cargia should die, but ultimately figured that thread's actions made him able to survive.

That being said, at this point I feel comfortable saying that I try to plan things so there's some sort of "death" to every 4-ending chapter. Chapter 4, it's a funeral for a major character of gen. 1. Chapter 14 had a LOT of literal death opportunities, and Marrius' in particular was guaranteed. This one... Well, it's a metaphorical "death" of the trust of characters who've already felt betrayed, and the further breakdown of Leigh's allies, along with the barely-averted potential literal demise of Cargia (could've been Welles, too). Of course, that's not to say that other-numbered threads are always safe...

Thanks for playing, as always. Update twitter and ask.fm are qmgrandflocto, and I'll be around in-thread to chat for awhile.

>>44317406
...huh. Accidentally left in that Mauthe Doog. That was from a little gag I'd written in where Leigh and co. see a Mauthe Doog tunneling up from underground, then briefly glimpse Ansi, who immediately covers the ground back up. Figured it both didn't make sense for it to happen that quickly and that it generally distracted.

>>44317406
Thanks for running

>>44317453
Always a pleasure.

I forget if I've ever mentioned it or not, but I've entertained the idea of Eva as a major villain since her inception literally had her as more of an Azula-type character when I realized that Lars was probably not gonna end up being the true main villain of Gen. 1, even wondering several times if I should have her betray Garrus' faction for Lars, when he was still, at the very least, an antagonistic force. In the end, though, she was always written as a slightly-offputting hero with some rather... Strong opinions.