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Character and setting info: http://pastebin.com/u/MagicalPrincess
Archives: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Start+Over+Quest
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MagicalMarquise
Ask.fm: http://ask.fm/MagicalMarquise
Collection of character descriptions (WIP, courtesy of anon): http://pastebin.com/pzYffs0R

>>45757321
>Bring the sack to her.
Time to traumatize some boys!

>>45757321
>Ask Bryld what to do.

>>45757321
>Bring the sack to her.
Run, children! Run while you still can!

You shrug and lift up the sack to bring it back to Tahenohan. Bryld is of course giving you that look of hers when she feels like either of you two are doing something stupid but nonetheless does not stop you.

"... Though of course if we're not allowed to build large, underground complexes we can't let it mature for long", Tahenohan sighs, surrounded by smaller closed ceramic pots and other larger iron pots where she filtered all the leftover whey, "It takes between twelve and thirty-six months for a cheese to properly mature assuming it's hard and has a crust. Some go as far as leave it to mature for forty-eight months. That's four whole years".

"Four years!", the younger boy exclaims, his normally floppy dog ears perking up in a strange way that makes him look like an out-of-place bat with red-brown fur for a moment, "Wow!".

"That sounds like an awfully long time before you can eat something", the other claims, considerably more skeptical.

Tahenohan just laughs it off, "You don't sit and do nothing for four years, you keep making cheese, so you always have some to eat. It just takes a while to start, that's why we need young people".

"Am I interrupting?", you ask to get her attention as you step on the wooden floor, carrying the physical remains of three humans inside a large sack.

"Ah! Lillith! Over here!", Tahenohan motions for you, then moves over to open the trapdoor where she kept all the pots, "Put it there, we'll need it later".

The two boys are between the very interested and the quite shocked at your sight. You're certain everyone has seen you before but you've hardly interacted with anyone since you came back. The younger looks ten or something, while the older should have about five or maybe six years more. They don't look to be related given the lack of dog ears on the second.

>”Who are these people?”.
>”Are you here to learn cheesemaking or...?”.
>”Do you know me already?”.
>”My eyes are up here boys”.
>Other?

>>45757590
>”My eyes are up here boys”.
>”Are you here to learn cheesemaking or...?”.

>>45757590
>”Do you know me already?”.
>”Are you here to learn cheesemaking or...?”.

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It sure is slow around here today.

>>45757858
Well it IS early on a weekday!
Can only hope some more anons stop by soon.

>>45757858
Writing or waiting MP?

"Are you here to learn cheesemaking or...?", you eye Tahenohan, just to make sure she is not, in fact, teaching them necromancy or something. You don't think she is, but then again half of her is of elven descent and that way lies nonsense.

"Yeah, I'm trying to spready my knowledge around before I leave for good", she offers a manic smile as she explains, "They'll have to learn everything in a day so they have to be really smart".

"Eeeeh?", the younger boy exclaims, "A-all in one day?".

"I don't think she was serious...", Bryld intervenes although she does have a shed of doubt herself, and eyes the half-elf with a bit of concern.

"No really", Tahenohan blinks, "We're going to leave soon right? We have to go visit the marquise and everything, and I think Maner would be more fun, too".

So she was serious, and now even the older boy gets wide-eyed and kind of concerned.

"Are you the only one that can make cheese here?", your frown, starting to feel like something is a bit off.

"Well, no, duh", she chuckles, "There's others, but since the place still isn't finished and that couple is expecting a child within days they left it all in my hands for today".

Bryld sighs more audibly than she thought she did. It is genuinely a relief to hear that something here makes sense. It also shows that Tahenohan expects to depart tomorrow or something, but you didn't actually make any plans yet, you were kind of busy being a familiar for a day and then you were immediately drafted into a cheesy necromantic plot.

You put the large sack down where she told you, hoping the two boys don't recognize the sound clattering bones do, and close the trapdoor before they become curious.

“Care to help us out? Or are you busy today?”, Tahenohan then asks, with her manic smile and making a... Somewhat smug face.

>”I'm busy, sorry”.
>”I have a date with Bryld, sorry”.
>”I'm free, let me help”.
>”I can't leave you alone with such cute boys”.
>”Other?

>>45758217
>”I have a date with Bryld, wanna join?"

>>45758217
Helping!

>>45758259
Fug, my paste didn't go off.
>”I'm free, let me help”.

>>45758217
>”I have a date with Bryld, wanna join?"

>>45758217
>>45758257
Yeah, sure.

How surprised is Bryld going to be that we have a date?

"I actually have a date with Bryld, do you want to join?".

She laughs and waves it off, "No, unlike you I am a very responsible person that cares about the wellbeing of this town", she jokes, "But you'll be back later tonight, right? I still need you to help with that other thing".

So she really wants you to help with that thing, after all.

You turn to look at Bryld and- yes. Her face is contorted into a mixture of surprise, anxiety and the deep, burning hatred of someone whose leg has been yanked so hard she actually fell down and hit her head.

Not that it's inappropriate, you made this up this very instant.

"Well then we'll leave everything in your capable hands", you say as you grab Bryld's arm and begin pulling her away as you wave goodbye, "Good luck! And don't eat those kids!".

"I won't. But only because you asked!", she waves back.

Once you're in a safe distance and Bryld managed to recover her wits, she focuses her expression in an annoyed frown, "What was that about, just now?".

"We're having a date".

"You just decided that on your own right now, didn't you?".

"Yes", you can't help but admit it, at this point, "Are you against it?".

She stares at you for a while as she thinks, and while her expression is still forcibly neutral, there is a somewhat smug look in her eyes. "No", she concludes, "Surprise me".

New Royo offers pretty much nothing to the young couple. Buildings are starting to come up, slowly, but they're mostly houses, public houses, indoors kitchens and the first hints of indoor toilets, even though there's no materials for plumbing.

But the center-of-town tradition of having large tables and open-air kitchen where practically everyone comes eat is still very much in fad, for one thing, and the only real points of reference are the town hall and the training grounds the volunteers use.

>Go to the town hall.
>Go to the training fields.
>Go to the outskirts.
>Ask Bryld what she'd like to do.
>Other?

>>45758522
>Go to the outskirts.
Pic-a-nic!

>>45758522
>Go to the outskirts.

>>45758522
>>Go to the outskirts.
Enjoy the rustic beauty, or something like that.

>>45758522
>Go to the town hall.
Not sure if excited or anxious to see how Tahe's thing tonight will go.

>>45758522
>>Go to the outskirts.
But first procure food.

>>45758591
Always wise, not sure we want to trust Lilith's foraging and hunting prowess to provide nourishment on a date.

Hopefully the time spent trecking through the wilderness with us hasn't soured Bryld on outdoor dates.

"Why don't we have a stroll out of town?", you offer, but she doesn't sound very impressed.

"I guess", she doesn't sound too convinced, then she sighs, "Sorry, I... Well".

A bit of awkward pause follows as she looks around herself. It's not that the few people who are there stare, but you're certainly easy to spot. You're actually used to being looked at to the point you don't really care any more, except now that you touched that topic with Bryld.

You wouldn't say that being at the centre of the attention is making you feel uncomfortable right now, but you don't see the point in having a date with her in town. You'd rather be alone with her, or as alone as possible since people will likely be foraging in the outskirts.

She offers no resistance as you move her in that direction though, and she is a lot more sensitive on the drawing attention issue, and still nervously adjusting the strap of her bag all the time as you've made her fully aware of the kind of effect she makes on people thanks to that.

You reach a point where the grass starts to get considerably taller and there's little but bushes and underbush. Small copses of three or four low trees at best, offering some much-welcome shade, though they are also often ridden with bees. Your surroundings are pleasantly green with some healthy brown from the bark, not to mention a plethora of other colours, most commonly red and yellow in various shades from berries and whatnot.

“After leaving Reboldeux I felt glad to be out in the wilderness again”, Bryld continues after a few minutes of strolling, “I hated it at first, but forced myself through it. Then I started to like it, but now...”, she fidgets nervously, “You know, I really would like to be in a city right now”.

>”Why?”.
>”Do you not like adventuring?”.
>”Do you like being surrounded by people?”.
>”Do you prefer the comforts of civilization?”.
>”Do you miss having a bed?”.
>”Would you rather be back home?”.
>Other?

>>45758832
>”Why?”
>”Would you rather be back home?”.

>>45757858
I slept in, I'm sorry.

>>45758832
>”Do you prefer the comforts of civilization?”.

>>45758832
>>”Do you miss having a bed?”.

>>45758832
>”Why?”.
>”Would you rather be back home?”.
>”Do you miss having a bed?”.
Guess we didn't pick the right place!

"You're the type that prefers the comforts of civilization?", you ask.

"Iria knows I do", she sighs, leaning on your arm a little, "I've heard that people from the countryside didn't even know what an indoor toilet was and had outhouses at best, but I never thought I'd be in their situation".

Which is funny because you've always been in the situation she's describing, and while she doesn't say it out loud it's clear she thinks of it as undesirable. "I thought you'd have missed sleeping on a bed the most".

"I do that too", she agrees, "But between the change of diet and my period I've found I miss a whole different sort of comforts much, much more".

Well, that's a kind of aspect you tend to give pretty much for granted in a small group of nothing but women, though you can't deny its importance, no matter how used you are to rough settings.

"Would you rather be back home?", you ask her, a bit of tension hidden under your tone.

"No", she confidently shakes her head, "I'm glad I'm here, I'm glad I made the trip and I'm happy where my life is leading me. Just...", she sighs, "I don't know, I guess it's my sheltered lifestyle, I complain a lot don't I?".

She offers a brief chuckle and looks up at you, her bunny ears tickling your own ears and horns with their soft fur, though you can barely feel such a light touch on the latter, "It's funny because despite everything I said, I hated being in Reboldeux. I mean I liked it when I first arrived and was almost tempted to refuse your offer, because I much preferred to stay where civilization was, but seeing how that place turned out to be with time...”.

She then gets a bright smile on those soft lips of hers, “I hope Maner's going to be different”, and then she freezes, “Say... Are we... Properly dressed to see the marquise?”.

>”We are”.
>”I'm sure she won't mind”.
>”I don't know”.
>”We aren't”.
>”What can we do about it?”.
>Other?

>>45759201
>”What can we do about it?”.

>>45759201
>”I don't know”.
>”What can we do about it?”.
>”I'm sure she won't mind”.

>>45759201
>>”I'm sure she won't mind”.

>>45759201
>”We aren't”.
>”What can we do about it?”.
So it goes.

>>45759201
>”I don't know”.
>"Never seen nobles before, like this. Might as well go naked and hope for pity."

"Well, what can we do about it?", you shrug, "Even if we could afford proper clothes, who would make them for us? The tailors we have in New Royo will take weeks to make proper outfits for us to meet the marquise and we can't afford to wait that long, assuming we had the right materials to begin with. I'm not sure Maner will have such readily available clothes either, they will most likely stock up on something fit for living in the frontier".

"Y-you're right, of course...", she nods, but doesn't sound too comforted.

"Besides, I'm sure she won't mind", you smile, "We're rough frontier folk following the footsteps of rough soldiers far from home, I bet she meets people in much worse shapes than we are in right now".

She chuckles, offering you an amused smile, "You don't know nobles".

"I do not", you openly admit. You never met one, not even by chance, not even on parade. You at best heard talk about them, but never saw one. Even back in Reboldeux you dealt with one through intermediaries, you never actually met the duke, nor you expected to, and even if you did you knew, deep down, that you were not going to see him in person. It's just such a huge class divide that you never even given much thought to it.

You were, after all, much more interested in improving your own situation than chatting up someone far above your station. Had you believed the latter might have helped you you could have done something about it, but what little you've heard of Prontera nobility is that they're very racist, which puts you out of the question on principle.

“I wonder where she lives”, Bryld suddenly muses as you keep walking at a slow, energy-conserving pace, “I can't fathom a noble living in a semi-permanent tent condition. Do you think she's the kind that forces people build her a manor first?”.

>”Yes”.
>”No”.
>”I have no idea”.
>”Like our mayor here?”.
>”I'd rather not think about it until we meet her”.
>Other?

>>45759389
>"She probably has a really fancy tent, don't you think?"

>>45759389
>”Like our mayor here?”.
>”No”.
Hopefully not.

>>45759389
>”Like our mayor here?”.
>"She probably has a really fancy tent, don't you think?"

>>45759389
>”I have no idea”.

"Like our mayor here?".

She actually laughs out loud at that statement, "It's so true! It was so stupid when we first arrived and there was... Nothing but that big town hall that served no purpose at all, hahaha!". Proof you weren't the only one to think that, and you're quite certain the majority of the population shares the same feeling, along with the fact that they would have preferred to call this place something other than New Royo. It does sound a bit stupid, you have to admit.

Still, most people, like you, have better things to do than worry about such simple matters.

"In all seriousness, she probably just has a really fancy tent, don't you think?".

"And plenty of good furniture, the sort you can move without breaking", she nods, "Maybe even chests, metal boxes. Jewelry for sure, plenty of that. I bet she needs multiple wagons just to carry her stuff".

"You know more about nobles than I do", you notice, "Are they all so... Impractical?".

"Well, everyone of a higher station needs to boast about it all the time, that's... Kind of the point", she blinks, as if she's saying something that should be obvious, "I mean it's funny because it's silly but... I don't know, on one side I would like her to be more down-to-the-earth and everything, but on the other... I'm not sure".

"Like you'd respect her less if she didn't do these kind of things?".

Bryld actually stops to think about it, “Mh... I don't know. It would certainly feel odd. I mean, they're meant to rule. Rule over lands, you know. It makes sense that they get the riches and the best of everything, if they don't have that...”, she pauses, “It's like, we'd lose to Reboldeux”.

“... Lose?”.

“Well if she has nothing to show it means her lands have nothing of worth”, she makes it sound obvious, “So we'd lose to Reboldeux and that'd make us laughingstock”.

>”That's unacceptable!”.
>”Why is any of this important?”.
>”I don't really care”.
>”But we ARE poor”.
>Other?

>>45759619
>”But we ARE poor”.
>”Why is any of this important?”.
Silly nobles!

>>45759619
>>”That's unacceptable!”.

>>45759619
I... don't know how to respond here.

>>45759619
>”That's unacceptable!”.
>”But we ARE poor”.

>>45759851
Sounds like it's time for a cuuuustom!

>>45759905
It's like, it's noble business so I don't really care, but annoying a noble is also troublesome. So I'm feeling neutral on the matter.

>>45759931
Those darn nobles. They ruin frontierin'!

>>45759619
>>”But we ARE poor”.
>"Bryld, you're acting like a noble. Are you one in disguise?"

>>45759974
SECRET NOBLE would be quite the backstory.

"That's unacceptable!", is your gut answer. After seeing Reboldeux in what is arguably its worse state, you cannot fathom them being smug because your lands did not have the same amount of time to properly develop and civilize, not to mention that they hold the only port in the continent and... Well, that's a pretty big deal now that you think about it. "... But we are poor", you then conclude.

"Yeah, we are", Bryld confirms, realizing that there's not much else to say.

"I'm not really sure why we should care, though", you also confess, "I mean, there's not much we can do about it, is it?".

"Well...", she ponders a bit, frowning with intent, "Admittedly, no. It's just... Idle chatter, I guess. I was just wondering whether we'd make a good impression or not. I mean that's really important if we're going to meet her in person".

"Wouldn't it be better to impress her regardless of our clothes, then?", you suggest, "I mean we can always fix that later, can't we?".

"I suppose our only hope is that she's practical enough to understand that she needs our help and effort as well if she wants the Shadow Marches to surpass Reboldeux's prestige. Which will happen, they only have a town with a port while we have, well, the entirety of the continent to call our own".

You stare at her for a while, until her bunny ears perk up, proving you have her undivided attention, "Say Bryld... You're oddly familiar with this kind of thing. Are you sure you're not a noble in disguise?".

"Me? Hahah! No!", she chuckles, "Not a single drop of blue blood in my veins, I'm afraid! I'm just more familiar with gossiping, that's all".

It's not that she doesn't have a point, gossip on nobility was distant, if at all present, back in your homelands. You definitely had an entirely different kind of deliciously local gossip going around. And quite boring, actually.

>”Well that's a pity”.
>”Good, that'd make things awkward”.
>”Are you sure? I can check”.
>Other?

>>45760103
>”Are you sure? I can check”.
Is this meant to sound like a serial killer?
Whatever, I'm going all out!

>>45760103
>"Really? No secret team of maids and butlers following us around and helping out when we're not looking?"

>>45760103
>”Are you sure? I can check”.
>"You can be my princess, and I can be your prince~"
Wink wink nudge nudge

>>45760103
>”Well that's a pity”.
>"Everyone deserves to be treated like a princess from time to time, after all."

>>45760103
>”Are you sure? I can check”.
>>"I want to check, even if just for fun"

Okay I feel like I need clarifying what we're supposed to check. Offering to check her blood is a bit...

>>45760394
Oh, right, I forgot about that!

This is actually pretty cool and could reveal things that not even bryld knew about.

>>45760463
I agree. However, if we don't ease her into what we're intending it'll sound like we want to take a knife to her and see how it looks. At least until she puts 2 and 2 together.

"Are you sure? I can check", you offer, but she pulls away a little, by reflex.

"Wow, I didn't mean to-".

"Sorry!", Bryld goes, clearing her throat, though she's a bit more careful and doesn't quite stick to you as before, "I didn't want to look mean, I just... Well, let's not".

"I wasn't really serious".

"I know, I know", and she smiles nervously, "But... I'd rather you not do... Things with my blood, if possible. It doesn't sit right with me".

"I won't", you assure her, "But I can be your prince, everyone deserves to be treated like a princess from time to time after all".

At least that brings a smile back to her face, "Oh you".

"So there's no secret team of maids and butlers following around and helping out when we need them? Or secretly making our life easier?".

"If there was, I'd fire them all, they clearly aren't doing their job properly", she jokes, "But seriously, no. There's nothing like this going on".

"Well that's a pity".

"No", she smiles, "I like it better this way, it wouldn't make sense to go away from home if you bring your home with you, would it?".

“Well my offer of being a prince still stands”, you smile, and she playfully pushes you away.

Even assuming a slow pace and a tranquil setting, there's not much to do but taking a small promenade and it's relatively easy to run out of conversation topics. Actually, now that you think of it, you pretty much have nothing to do all day.

And it's not even noon yet. Yay.

Unfortunately Bryld has a point when she misses a proper city: this backwater town barely even has houses, there's absolutely zero entertainment and you don't have a back-breaking job to keep your mind busy all day so you don't pay attention to the desolation around you. Though in all honesty the Shadow Marches have a very fertile and abundant desolation, so you don't have to at least worry about survival.

>Go to the town hall.
>Go to the training grounds.
>Go to town and visit [someone].
>Forage.
>Hunt.
>Other?

>>45760723
>Go to the training grounds.

>>45760723
>Go to the town hall.
Let's go back to civilization then.

>>45760723
>>Go to the town hall.

>>45760723
>"Want to explore some more, all by ourselves? Not too far, of course."
>Forage.

>>45760723
>Hunt.

"Shall we head back to civilization?", you offer.

"Yeah", she agrees with a stifled yawn, "I don't think there's much to do outside anyways".

"We're going to spend a lot more time there, you know?".

"But at least we'd be doing something", she replies, "Whereas right now...".

Yeah. Idling about after being busy for so long is making it uncomfortable for you to just stay there doing nothing. Making cheese with Tahenohan would have been preferrable. Heck, even helping her with necromancy would at least distract you from your own thoughts.

Not that there's anything bad with them, or with Bryld's company, but you're just not used to lay about doing nothing and even if the place is nice and the nature is quite the opposite of hostile, well...

It's difficult to explain.

You return towards the town hall, the only half-busy part of town. Of course there's not quite enough people to call it a crowd by any means, but most of the old people, or those who are too young to work in the fields that are slowly starting to appear around town or to help get the lumber, just gather there and pass the time doing menial chores such as laundry, cooking, sewing and whatnot.

At least there was one positive side effect of building the town hall first: it acts like a public house in the absence of anything better. Some have even brought tools and whatnot to make things easier, much to the chagrin of the mayor you imagine.

Not that he has any actual say on the matter. You don't think he does. You'd like to see him try and tell Tahenohan that she can't raise undead in the cheese tanks. Actually no, you don't really want to see that scene. Especially Tahenohan raising undead from a cheese tank.

Or maybe you do? That'd be amusing, at the very least.

Everyone seems kind of busy with menial chores or small matters, but most of the people greet or make some sort of gesture of acknowledgement towards Bryld.

“Say”, she goes, “How about I actually introduce you to the locals?”

>>45761281
>“How about I actually introduce you to the locals?”

Isn't this the place we did a census for? They should know who we are.

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And this is it for Episode 53!

Sorry for the pauses and delays. I'm also sorry that we have the usual problem of this being a weekday and early for plenty of people, unfortunately I don't know when else to run, so I hope it can still be good enough to keep us going.

And I really should go fix dinner.

>>45761321
Thanks for writing!

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>>45761307
Yes. They all know who you are. You also kind of know their names meaning you don't really remember all of them but maybe some stuck with you.

But, aside from that, you didn't quite socialize with them. You had little chances to and you were mostly busy with other matters. Bryld, on the other hand, had more free time to do that, so they remember her name not because she's tall, voluptuous, red-skinned and has horns and a tail, but because they know her and talked with her and everything.

That's what she wants to do.

>>45761351
What an interesting crystal ball

>>45761321
Thanks for running!

>>45761351
Thanks for running and explaining. Have a good one MP