Yeah, not much to say here.

You and the rest of Marrius' Group have had a slow few days since getting back.

Irene was pleased to hear that that one Anna has potentially found a warp staff to sell for her studies, though that's still some days away.

Leigh, Yancy, and Yulea are off on their misadventure, the prince of Neir, Cargia, nearly died against the same type of monster that Vill was, as of last you'd heard Ansi was in a dungeon, Lyeim is still on vacation, and while your essence has been recovering you've been much less active in assisting Irene's studies...

You're bored, frankly.

>A. You missed being bored
>B. This is frustrating

And as for WHAT to do...

>C. Spend time with someone (specify who)
>D. Wander Elza Oasis
>E. Skip ahead somewhat

>>44530590
>B. This is frustrating
>C. Spend time with someone (Asra)

>>44530657
You're frustrated at how little you have to do! Sure, you can't be in the spotlight all the time, but is it so wrong to feel like you should be important to your own adventure?

You daydream at one point and another about Vill, his laugh deriding you. That bastard's fingers were what did this to you, after all.

"Is business always this slow," a voice asks from behind you.

You jump in shock and turn around, seeing Asra.

"Did I startle you? My apologies."

"No, no, it's... Fine." You shake your head. "And, uh, no, this is... At least the largest gap between jobs I've seen working here. I mean, Irene hasn't wanted me helping out with magic-science too heavily until I was certain my essence was restored, but..."

"..."

"..."

In that moment, you and Asra both realize how little you have to do, and figure that being bored together is, at least, better than being bored alone.

Anything in mind for being bored alone?

>A. See if you can't bug the Mage General
>B. Just go around the city
>C. Just idly hang out
>D. Find something to eat?
>E. Write-in action
>F. Your last hangout with Asra ended awkwardly. Don't repeat the past.

>>44530846
>A. See if you can't bug the Mage General

>>44530846
>B. Just go around the city

>>44530866
>>44530872
"We could see if Mage General Yancy isn't busy?"

"For what purpose," Asra asks.

"Well, I mean... He'd probably like to know about the Wampyr Staff, if, uh... Irene hasn't already discussed the fact that it exists, at least."

Asra supposes that's fair, and the two of you head to the tower of Longevity.

When General Yancy is busy after all, you recall Irene discussing something about a trade federation from some other continent and tariffs that could spell danger for Heim's spot in international markets, and the way it could affect the prices of imported goods and the economic position of Heim at large. Something about a... Trade blockade? It was all very interesting to you, but you don't see how you can have any input on it.

Explaining a bit of what you and Irene have discussed about it to Asra, however, nets a much different response. "I... don't care much about any of that. It all sounds boring."

You think but don't say some unkind comments in response of this disinterest, but at the same time can totally respect it. To be honest, it's probably because you described it poorly.

But anyway, now you and Asra are wandering the streets of Elza Oasis.

"Sorry if I seemed. Snappy earlier," she says at some point. "I am... Unfamiliar with much of current events, and don't try to keep up. Living in the mountains for 20odd years makes things hard to follow."

"Hey, you just described pretty much my entire life," you joke.

"True," she says. "Perhaps it's just not my subject, then."

So anyway, you and Asra are just sort of walking around now.

>A. Change the subject (specify)
>B. Find some food?
>C. Say nothing, keep walking
>D. Yeah, this isn't working out
>E. Write-in response

>>44531091
>B. Find some food?

>>44531126
"Er, hungry at all?" You ask.

Asra waits a moment. "Porcus' spirit numbs a lot of human needs, but... I should still eat at least every few days. I am still alive, after all."

You just sort of assumed that her seldom being seen during meals was because she's just... Elusive like that. You mean, it's probably true, but hearing that she literally doesn't HAVE to eat more than once every few days... Makes sense, anyway?

"Well, I mean, if you only need to so rarely, might as well make it good when you do, right?"

Asra nods slightly. "You. Have a point. If you know anywhere worthwhile, lead the way."

You estimate that it's... The tail end of lunchtime, and as a result bring her to this rather nice cafe that Irene introduced you to.

You and Asra eye the selection as you sit out in the perpetually-nice outside.

>A. Say something (specify)
>B. Offer to cover whatever she gets
>C. And then it was awkward. Skip ahead
>D. Write-in action

>>44531373
>>B. Offer to cover whatever she gets

>>44531412
"I'll, uh... Cover whatever you get, if you don't mind," you say, not sure what else to discuss.

"Mm," she responds. "Thank you."

Her order is quite large. Not necessarily "days' worth of food" large, and certainly not what a manakete or garou could eat after similar periods without nourishment.

You end up dropping about 740 gold, leaving you with 34,260, and Asra thanks you again at the end, but whatever. You're not actually there yet.

You wonder offhandedly about some of the greater implications of certain bodily processes being slowed by a Deadlord. Certainly the spirits don't affect you or the Mage General that heavily.

Okay, ugh, a couple of these thoughts are getting a bit uncomfortable. You don't want to think about this sort of thing while you're eating!

"You're cringing," Asra says, "is your food not good?"

>A. It's not the best (lie)
>B. Just thinking of her (yes, this is poor wording)
>C. You have science on the mind
>D. Make some shit up (specify)
>E. Give more of the truth than a person might be expected to welcome
>F. Write-in

>>44531635
>C. You have science on the mind

>>44531770
"No, it's just... Got distracted thinking about some. Magi-scientific logistics. You wouldn't be interested."

"...right."

You finish your somewhat late lunch without having much more to say to one another, and Asra is so hard to read that you can't tell if she's enjoying herself and the food or not.

Can't say you weren't expecting long spells of quiet, though.

After aforementioned paying (and griping to yourself about a slight rise in coffee prices. Damned trade disputes and inflation), you and Asra begin to head off again.

"...I've said it at least twice now, but thank you for lunch," she says. "Sorry if my demeanor was. Off-putting."

>A. You don't mind! (lie)
>B. You don't mind!
>C. You just need to get to know each other better
>D. Apologize for being unsettled
>E. She should be less weird
>F. Write-in response

>>44531930
>C. You just need to get to know each other better
>>D. Apologize for being unsettled

>>44532001
"Er... Sorry about that. It's not for the reason you think, though!"

Asra says nothing, which after a moment you take as invitation to elaborate.

"See, it's just... I don't know you all that well, so we don't know how to connect, right?"

"You... Are more socially-apt than myself," she remarks.

You nod. "But again, that doesn't have to mean we can't get along. There has to be something we can at least... Both talk about, and from there we can work out the rest?"

"Maybe."

And then there's another decent-sized gap of silence as you start towards Marrius' Group headquarters.

>A. Say something (specify)
>B. Do this again sometime?
>C. Write-in response

>>44532123
>B. Do this again sometime?
Need to put some thought towards a common topic.

>>44532448
You can't think of common ground at the moment, but maybe you will in the future.

So of course, you say something that will push the rest of this conversation into said future.

"Well, uh... Why don't we do this again sometime? Just, uh... Lemme know when you need to eat again?"

Asra nods. "I will. Thank you for your time."

You nod. "My, uh, pleasure."

And then you silently arrive back at headquarters.

The next morning, you happen to be the first to the lobby of Marrius' Group (you're covering for Irene while she finishes something up). There, you see a long-haired man in gaudy clothes and the brim of a hat looking very much like Clint's, arms folded and leaning against a wall.

Standing nearby him is Lyeim. In one hand he holds a box, in which something seems to thump against the inner walls violently every few moments when Lyeim doesn't slap the outside.

He smiles and waves slightly. "I'm back. Brought a friend, too!"

The man pulls his hat's brim up, proving conclusively what was already obvious: that's Ansi.

>A. What's he doing here?
>B. What's in that box?
>C. Ansi walked out on us!
>D. Take this all for granted. You're tired.
>E. What's with the new getup, Ansi?
>F. Write-in response
>G. Do nothing

>>44532746
>A. What's he doing here?
>E. What's with the new getup, Ansi?
>B. What's in that box?

>>44532746
>A. What's he doing here?
>>B. What's in that box?

>>44532789
>>44532821
"What're you doing here?" You ask to neither of them in particular, perking up at the familiar faces.

"Ran into Ansi with my brother Romulus," Lyeim says. "Funny story, I had just talked Romulus out of trying to have him killed when he showed up."

Ansi answers next. "The shit I've seen can be divulged somewhere more private. As for why HERE in particular... Suffice to say I realized my trust was in the wrong groups."

"Well, it's... Good to have you back!"

The ends of Ansi's mouth briefly curl upwards in response to that.

"But, uh..." You continue. "Why are you dressed like a rancher?"

Ansi takes off his hat and puts it back on. "Swiped this off of Clint. Figured it was too nice a hat to go to waste." Then he points at his body, the garish-but-not-in-the-same-way-as-his-usual-outfit. "As for this... My old clothes were lost, so the guy who helped me found me these. See these shitty pockets here? Apparently they're for holding balls, like for juggling and spinning and shit. What the hell kind of horse-rider needs to juggle on the job?!"

You raise your hands before lowering them. "Alright, no need to raise your voice..."

"Anyway," he says, "unless you threw them out or something, I should still have clothes like my old stuff in Gonzo's room. Probably keep the bitchin' hat, but other than that..."

>A. Suggest he keep the cowboy look
>B. Agree. He should replace everything but the hat
>C. The hat's stupid too
>D. No comment
>E. Write-in response

>>44533125
>B. Agree. He should replace everything but the hat

>>44533177
"Yeah, probably for the best."

Ansi nods, showing himself further in.

You have a bit of friendly catching-up with Lyeim after that, and Octoling remembers that he didn't actually have the thing in the box come up. Naturally, you ask.

"What the hell animal's in that?" You ask.

"It's a Wampyr hand," Lyeim says in a very casual tone. "Either has a mind of its own or that woman can remote-control it... Ansi says she was this maid up in the mountains, Monica I think."

"And you guys beat her," you say in an impressed tone.

"Well, mostly Ansi, but I certainly helped catch this hand! The other one was destroyed right off, so she's not gonna be sucking anyone's essence out until she gets this..."

"...meaning a handless wampyr is gonna be heading to our headquarters any day now." You finish, Lyeim nodding.

"We might've just saved the world," Lyeim says confidently, slapping the hand-box again.

>A. We have got this!
>B. Better keep close watch on the hand
>C. It's safer to destroy the hand
>D. Let's not underestimate the body
>E. Write-in response

>>44533373
>B. Better keep close watch on the hand
>D. Let's not underestimate the body
>Tell Irene that a less dangerous Wampyr is on its way.

>>44533417
"Well, don't underestimate the hand," you warn.

Lyeim nods. "Of course! Ansi and I have been nothing but careful all trip long."

"The, uh, body is still probably super fast and durable," you add next, "even without her best-known ability. I dunno, what if she can like... Fire beams from her eyes or something?"

"I think we would know if she could fire beams from her eyes," Lyeim snarks back.

"It was just an example."

Naturally, Irene is informed of everything, and from there suggests informing the Mage General of the possibility of trapping a potentially vital information source. All of the group is present for the discussion at Hand.

"What'd I just say?" Ansi responds in return to Irene's suggestion. "We can't trust anyone not to have us silenced for fighting this shit. Asking for the Mage General's support could fuck the plan up."

(you pick up Une muttering something along the lines of "commanding, not taking shit, and he killed that self-righteous man... Feels like old times," to which Sheena raises an eyebrow)

Calof (you forget that Calof is even in the group at times) adds, "yeah, not like we need any of them. The lot of us should be plenty if we're smart about this, whenever Monica strikes. That being said, we can't afford NOT to be careful as it is... Lady Monica's reputation as a warrior precedes her, and amnesiacs are sometimes known to retain skills they 'forgot' about learning."

"We have... No reason to distrust the Mage General," Asra responds. "First off, your leader said she should tell him. Second off... He has been nothing short of an upstanding civil servant since we met in Aum dungeon."

Gonzo, surprisingly, also chimes in, "just do what's safest and get backup. I'm tired of this 'who to trust' game."

>A. No comment
>B. Ansi's right. It's your best bet to act alone
>C. Asra's right. The Mage General's trustworthy.
>D. Getting backup might dissuade Monica from showing
>E. Write-in response

>>44533929
>C. Asra's right. The Mage General's trustworthy.

>>44534005
"Ansi, Calof, if it's... Any help for your senses of trust, I'm also pretty confident in the Mage General. He's helped me become a spirit charmer, after all, and..."

"And how do we know that spirit charmers are a real thing?" Calof snaps, slamming the table with surprising ferocity. "Maybe you've been put under his control without even realizing it!"

"Wh-what? No, Spirit Charming is a real and documented art that..."

"Doesn't mean he couldn't fake it if he tried."

"Enough of this, Calof!" Irene says, defending you. "What has gotten into you?!"

"What the hell do you mean 'what's gotten into me?' Maybe I'm tired!"

"At noon," Ansi says skeptically.

"Yes at noon!"

Well, Calof flies off to his room, leaving the whole room in stunned silence.

Ultimately, Sheena clears her throat, breaking the silence with, "so, uh... Just to be safe, without making things needlessly tense with accusations in a stressful time, let's. Not let him near the hand, alright?"

Starting with Une, a disorganized chorus of "yeah" and similar monosyllabic expressions of agreement rings out.

After the meeting, you notice Ansi and Asra bickering in whispers.

"...well, I'm just saying distract him and if he's anything more than sore and a little pissy with me, then we know he's at least not a Wampyre, can move onto mind control checks."

"And if he isn't."

"Then problem solved," Ansi responds.

"But... If he is a Wampyre, or mind controlled, then he is being forced to act in this way. It would be. Wrong to risk killing him so unnecessarily."

"Look, Wampyrism is just an unlikely possibility I wanna rule out first. I doubt it even CAN be 'fixed' by anything short of a staff belonging to King Garrus, AKA the husband of our highest-ranking known enemy."

>A. Walk right on by
>B. Interrupt in Ansi's favor
>C. Interrupt in Asra's favor
>D. Write-in response

>>44534349
Vote time renewed, unless I'm beaten to the punch.

>>44534349
>A. Walk right on by

>>44534848
You really don't feel like walking right into a situation where you side with one of them at the risk of pissing off and alienating the other. You couldn't avoid it with Leigh and Irene, but here you can just... Walk on by.

You wonder how that little ethical debate turned out. Guess if Calof's still alive later you can ask him about it.

Anyway, soon enough, you'll surely have some sort of unfortunate run-in(s).
>To be continued next thread
Yes, I know this is a really short closing post. That's the joke. But on a more serious note, I'm sorry this thread as a whole's been slow. It was an exhausting day, and the past several straight threads have all been pretty major developments so a breather was due.

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

>>44534973
Don't worry about it, thanks for running.

>>44534991
Always a pleasure.

Gotta admit, it's a little fun to write the uncomfortable mutual awkwardness that is Lloyd and Asra's dynamic.