>>164154
You sit down right then and there in the storeroom and unpack your gear, taking advantage of this opportunity to brew immediately. Orange just blinks before settling down with a shrug.
"Do you need my help?"

"I'm out of venom and I might need some so yeah."

"I'm not actually doing anything else right now for once so sure."

You start brewing Heal-Alls while Orange watches. After a few minutes your concentration wanes and you settle back into autopilot.
"What does your venom even do?"

"This stuff? Not a lot."
Orange opens his mouth to reveal a black fluid weeping from his teeth. It's somewhat more viscous than venom usually is, more an ooze than a fluid.
"It's lethal but not in liquid form, it has to be gaseous because it only works by going up through the mouth and nose and into the brain."
He stops to think.
"I guess if I bit someone in the head it'd still work.But otherwise it just makes you feel a little wonky and nothing else."

"Oh. Sorry about that."

"It's fine. It's actually really good for my job!"
Orange holds up his quill to his mouth for a moment and withdraws it covered in thick black venom.
"Did you really think I've been using ink this whole time? That's too much of a hassle."

"Gross."

As you finish up brewing you notice that Orange is scrawling something down on his parchment. You’re a little curious but he seems to be intentionally angling it away from you so you can’t scan it from over his shoulder.
You decide you’re not going to ask but there is another question that pops into your head.
“You know Orange, wouldn’t it be dangerous if any of your papers got burnt?”

“I never thought of that! I don’t think so though, venom goes inert eventually.”

“Does it?”

“I think so! We should test it out someday.”

“Maybe when Quedesh isn’t trying to knock our fucking door down.”
You’re feeling much better now and the weight of potions in your pack is a comforting one. What now?

>You should really find Aqua and heal her soon.

>It's time to wake Hiss up. You have a lot to talk about.

>Find Zigzag. The idea of her wandering about in a warzone unsupervised is vaguely worrying.

>Keep talking with Orange.

>Find Aashenpreet. She and Zukhdeep are probably still where you last saw them.

>Other

>>164169
>You should really find Aqua and heal her soon.
Whatup Ouro?

>You should really find Aqua and heal her soon.

>>164169
>It's time to wake Hiss up. You have a lot to talk about.

>>164169
>You should really find Aqua and heal her soon.
>>It's time to wake Hiss up. You have a lot to talk about.

>You should really find Aqua and heal her soon.

You've dawdled about for too long already, you decide. You need to find Aqua and tend to her before her skinshedder wears off and you all end up with several tons of dead mermaid in your backyard. You clean your cauldron out and start packing everything back away.
"Come on Orange, we've got a bird to fix. Where did you say she was again?"

Orange leads you out of the storeroom grumbling.
"Didn't she try to kill you? You could probably just let her die."

"Yeah but if I took every attempt to kill me personally I wouldn't have any of the friends I do now!"
And boy is that a sobering thought.
"I can't help but feel a little responsible for her condition anyway."

Orange doesn't look too convinced.
"I can gather up a few other snakes if you want. Get a guard to make sure she doesn't try anything."

"She still owes me one wish, it'll be fine. And besides, having more people around might spook her."

"But what if she abducts you again? How do you think the Queen will take it, learning that you were stolen away before she even woke up?"

> "It'll be fine." Go alone.

> "You might have a point." Let Orange assemble a guard.

> Tell Orange to hang back. When you say go alone, you mean ALONE.

>Use Potion (Specify)

>Other

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12 KB PNG

>>164169
>It's time to wake Hiss up. You have a lot to talk about.

Because I get the feeling we won't be able to do that for long

>>164289
I say we get Hiss first.

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9 KB PNG

>>164177
Not much, you?

>>164289
>"It'll be fine." Go alone.

I thought we used the last wish to make her a bird instead of have her die by turning into something that couldn't survive the change?

>>164350
Yeah I'm pretty sure that was the third one. I wasn't gonna say anything though

>>164289
> "It'll be fine." Go alone.
> Tell orange to get Zigzag and then go look for Aash

>>164289
>> "It'll be fine." Go alone.

>>164350
>>164360
whooops

Calling for going alone.

>>164333
Those two were pretty qt cuddling together, too bad they hate each other

>>164333
Lewd!

> "It'll be fine." Go alone.

"It'll be fine, she'll be right. You can come if you want Orange."

"For once I don't have anything better to do. You might need me."

The two of you walk through the mansion, passing by several snakes and a lot of the living dead in the process. The dead salute as you pass and the snakes wave. They all seem to be quite fond of you now.

As you step outside you get a better look at Taldenral and wince. The city has definitely seen better days. The bruised light of dusk illuminates a city under siege, the third and final siege-ship still operational while the rest of the Quedeshi fleet blockades the harbour. You fancy that you can see people streaming over the ruined walls. They've got the right idea.

You find Aqua hopping about in the yard, a gull whose giant size is almost comical. She squawks when she sees you and Orange.
"Alright, calm down Aqua. Calm down. Take these."

You give Orange all of your Heal-Alls and start brewing more while he feeds her with a great deal of care. You pass them off to him as soon as you brew them and he keeps her supplied.
How much will you need? How much is enough to save her from the death that awaits her true form?

You find out after fifteen minutes or so when the bird begins to shake and tremble before bursting apart as Aqua's giant half-human half-snake form bursts out.
You rush over to her, scanning her for any open wounds.

She's still covered in scars and you think you spot a few new ones but there's no more blood. She blinks at you, her head up against a tree while her tail wraps around the entire courtyard.
"Senna? You saved me!"
She looks confused.
"But why?"

Orange is sweating a lot for some reason.

>"My name's Cennen, you know. You have to get it right at some point."

>"To repay a debt. We're even now, alright?"

>"I don't like seeing anyone get hurt if I can help it."

>"Why not?"

>Introduce her to Orange.

>Nobble.

>Other

>>164479
>"My name's Cennen, you know. You have to get it right at some point."
>"Why not?"
>"I don't like seeing anyone get hurt if I can help it."
>Introduce her to Orange.

>>164479
>"My name's Cennen, you know. You have to get it right at some point."
>Introduce her to Orange.
Well we're allies in this fight. Plus it was my fault you were hurt and I want you to live.

>>164479
>"Why not?"
>Introduce her to Orange.
>"My name's Cennen, you know. You have to get it right at some point."
>"Sorry about your friends"

>>164479
>"My name's Cennen, you know. You have to get it right at some point."
>"Why not?"
>Introduce her to Orange.
>Nobble.

>"My name's Cennen, you know. You have to get it right at some point."
>"Why not?"
>Introduce her to Orange.

"Uh...why not?"

"But I attacked you! I tried to mush your mind and I was going to eat you."

"Lots of things try to eat me all the time. It's not as big a deal as you'd think."

"I tried to drop you on the ship, Senna!"

"It's Cennen. Cennen.. You have to get it right at some point. Senna is a girl's name. And you were hurt and scared and I get that. It wasn't entirely your fault. I'm sorry about your friends too."

Aqua scowls.
"It was our own decision. Ow. This place is very dry!"
She stretches out, her writhing tail ripping a swathe through the shrubbery.

Orange is watching her top half rather intently.

"Oh right, Aqua, this is Orange. Orange, this is Aqua."

"Pardon?"
"What?"

Oh. Oh yeah. You've been using a potion to speak Aqua's language. Orange hasn't been understanding this conversation at all.

"Aqua, this is my friend Orange. He's snake too."
You say that to her in her language before turning to Orange and speaking in Avling.
"Orange, this is the aquatic constrictor...Aqua. It's not a great name, I know. She's a sea snake or something."

"But he's so small!"
"But she's so...big!"

"Snakes here aren't like you or the Quedeshi," you say to Aqua. You then turn back to Orange and change languages again.
"You've seen Aashenpreet. This shouldn't be a surprise."

"Aashenpreet wasn't this big," Orange says. "Or this naked," he mutters under his breath a moment later.

Ah. That's what has been getting him weird. Strange to think about it but you barely notice that about Aqua anymore.
"You're fine with that aren't you?"

"It's a little distracting. I mean...uh."
Orange looks away. Oh dear. You hope that Hiss' peculiar treatment of him hasn't given him some kind of complex.

Aqua lazily sweeps her tail around and wraps it around an unresisting Orange, slowly dragging him towards her. Orange isn't even trying to stop her.

"Oi! Cut that out, Aqua. Don't eat anyone."

"It's not my fault," Aqua pouts. "He got lured without me having to even do anything. It's instinct."

It hadn't quite occurred to you before but this isn't really a feasible form for Aqua to be anywhere in public. It stands out quite a bit.

>Ask Aqua to take human form.

>Ask Aqua to take snake form.

>Ask Aqua to put some clothes on or something.

>Ask her to move back to the ocean.

>Nobble.

>"Hey Orange, I don't know if you've noticed but if you keep doing nothing she's going to fucking eat you."

>Use Potion (Specify)

>Tell Orange to stop that. What would Zigzag think?

>Leave them be. You have more important matters.

>Other

>>164681
>Ask Aqua to take human form.
>Ask Aqua to put some clothes on or something.
>"Hey Orange, I don't know if you've noticed but if you keep doing nothing she's going to fucking eat you."
>Tell orange to turn Female form, that might help

>>164681
>Ask Aqua to take human form.
Normal size of course.
>Ask Aqua to put some clothes on or something.
Maybe we could give her a thoughtbrew and suggest a form in her memory that she should use?

>>164681
>Ask Aqua to take human form.
>Ask Aqua to put some clothes on or something.
>"Hey Orange, I don't know if you've noticed but if you keep doing nothing she's going to fucking eat you."
>Tell Orange to stop that. What would Zigzag think?

>>164681
>Ask Aqua to take human form.
And clothes
And not to eat our friend
>Tell Orange to stop that. What would Zigzag think?
Speaking of which, go get her
>Leave them be. You have more important matters.
Hiss

>>164702
The reason I say this is because a dark skinned form would be a bad idea

>Ask Aqua to change her form.
>"Hey Orange, I don't know if you've noticed but if you keep doing nothing she's going to fucking eat you."
>Tell Orange to stop that. What would Zigzag think?

"Aqua, can you take a human form? A giant mermaid sort of draws attention."

The mermaid sighs.
"I can. I suppose legs would be better for land too."

"And make it human-sized. And clothed."

Aqua shudders.
"But I've never been either of those things!"

You hadn't thought about that.
"You can try, can't you?"

Aqua groans but seems to acquiesce as she curls into a ball.

You reach over and grab Orange by the shoulder before he gets himself into further trouble.
"Hey man, I don't know if you've noticed but if you keep gawking she's going to fucking eat you."

"What, is she taking offence? Because looking like that is her own choice and-"

"No, because the whole reason she looks like that is to trap people like you."

Orange stops.
"Huh. I never...I never even thought about using the human form to hunt like that."

"Yeah well...don't let it go to your head. Have a little self-control. What would Zigzag think?"

"Uh?"
The idea that Zigzag would find Orange's current actions objectionable seems to be a confusing notion to him.
"She'd be fine with it? It's not like she owns me or anything."

"But how would you feel if she went after someone else?"

"To be honest I think she already has."

You stop.
"Wow. That's rough, mate."

"Don't bring your human ideas into this. Fidelity has no real meaning to us and you're going to have to get used to it."

"Pardon?"

Orange looks a little distressed.
"I mean, what do you think is going to happen when mating season comes around again? She has to be seen in the mating ball so we know that the lineage is being secured."

"She doesn't have to mate with other snakes to have kids. She can just-"

Orange laughs, a short bitter sound.
"She's not going to have children with you. Do you really think that she'd stay in human form constantly for nearly a full year while letting herself be subjected to the horrors of human pregnancy?"
He shudders.
"Don't think I haven't seen what it does to you people since I got here. It's disturbing."

"I just assumed we'd work something out."
But now that you think about it, the odds of Hiss letting herself be pregnant for nine months seems extraordinarily unlikely.

Orange shrugs.
"Nah. If you want to have kids with her I hope you're ready to brew them in a jar. Or...You could always use a potion to change yourself into a woman and let Hiss take up a male form to impregnate you. She'd be fine with that."

"What? That's ridiculous!"

"You'd have to stay female permanently until the baby is born. How does that sound?"

"I've got to be honest with you Orange, this is by far the worst advice you've ever given me."

"Then you know how she feels when she considers staying human long enough to bear your spawn."
1/2

>>164832
Orange tries to pull away from you but he can't break your grip.
"Fact is, Hiss is going to sire children eventually. She has to be seen at least making an attempt to keep the royal blood going. And none of them are going to be with you."
A somewhat dangerous look crosses his face.
"Really, I'm more likely to be the father than you are."

You tighten your grip and he yelps just a little.
"I'm just trying to tell you now, Cennen! If you keep up this delusion until the mating ball it's going to be much worse for you. ...If it helps, she's already participated several times. I'm pretty sure she already has children, they just weren't hatched with the red and black!"

You let go of Orange and shake your head to clear it.
"Fuck. There's a war going on. Why are we talking about this?"

"I just think you need to accept it before it actually happens. What other choice do you have? Insist that the Serpent Queen doesn't take part in the ball?"

>"I don't know. I don't really want to talk about it."

>"Yes actually. I might do just that."

>"Orange if I end up raising your eggs I swear I will nobble you to hell and back."

>Go check on Aqua instead.

>Nobble Orange.

>"It's not gonna happen like that."

>Say something else (Specify)

>other

>>164900
>"Orange if I end up raising your eggs I swear I will nobble you to hell and back."
>Go check on Aqua instead.

>>164900
>Twirl a potion bottle, "Well maybe I'll just have to join in too"
Time to get back to get this whole defense back on track
>let Hiss rest. take command

>>164900
I'll just turn into a snake and we'll have our own mating ball. The lineage could still continue and you snakes don't give a shit about parenthood anyway

>>164900
>Orange if I was the accepting type Hiss and I would be dead a hundred times over. I will deal with it SOMEHOW. But right now instead of wasting valuable and mental resources on it, we need to concentrate on the war, or else it's all moot anyways. Fair? no go find zigzag and Aash. They need to be here for things ASAP.
>Go check on Aqua, make sure she's had no issues
>Then go wake up Hiss.

>>164917
>>164922
I'm pretty sure everyone had this idea back at melire when we first talked about this with Hiss

>>164928
>But right now instead of wasting time and valuable mental resources on it, we need to concentrate on the war, or else it's all moot anyways. Fair? Now go find zigzag and Aash.

>>164922

>>164900
This is fine
>>164928
>>164948
Plus tell orange to stop with the crazy thoughts and give him friendly punch in the arm

>>164991
Orange isn't really our friend at all

>Go check on Aqua instead.

"This is dumb. Talking about this right now is dumb. Stop it. Not the time. Why don't you go find Zigzag or Aash? Both preferably."

"Fine. But you have to let go of all these human ideas at some point."

"We'll see about that."

As Orange leaves you walk back over to Aqua. Her giant coiled form is now just a coil of empty skin, from which you can see something small struggling its way out.
You recognize Aqua right away since she's simply downsized her dark-skinned and busty upper half and attached a human body to it. She's an inch or so over six feet tall and she's wearing...she's wearing what appears to be a somewhat ragged sailor's uniform. It doesn't belong to any navy or country you recognize, a loose white shirt and trousers with a blue neckerchief-scarf secured around her neck with a woggle.
"First shipsman Aqua, reporting for duty!"

You narrow your eyes.
"Where did you get those clothes from?"

"A boat I helped eat once. They were very far off course."
She steps forward and her fake smile quickly turns into a pout when she notices that you are several inches taller than her.
"I thought I was getting the sizing right! Am I too short?"

"No, no. I'm just really tall. You're fine."


>"I'd prefer it if you could do something a little more light skinned though."

>"Let me get you some clothing that's a little more local."

>"I'd prefer it if you kept your human form a little more plain. You're going to stand out and you aren't trying to lure anyone."

>"Looks perfect. Let's go."

>Other

>>165032
>>"Looks perfect. Let's go."

>>165032
>"I'd prefer it if you could do something a little more light skinned though."
Don't want you to get confused for a Quedeshi while we're fighting them. Could we give her a thoughtbrew to give her a fake memory of a light skinned and properly clothed form she can imitate?

>>165032
>>"Looks perfect. Let's go."
No need to waste time with this.

>>165032
>"Looks perfect. Let's go."
>Anybody gives you trouble you tell them you're with me (you're going to have to get my name right to do that). Or you kill them if they're quedeshi

>>165103
She doesn't speak their language

>"Looks perfect. Let's go."

"So this look, it is a good look? I've never been fully human before."

You stroke your chin thoughtfully. It's not perfect. Her clothes are a little strange and she has entirely the wrong skin colour for a city currently under attack by Quedesh. But the sun is setting and can you really afford to waste more time on this tomfoolery?
"You look perfect. Mostly perfect. Your colour is a little off but if we're only among snakes that should be fine."
She's a little darker than most Quedeshi anyway as far as you can tell. Maybe that'll help distinguish her.
"Let's go."

You walk back towards the mansion, Aqua following you haphazardly. She doesn't have the usual problems of a snake taking human form for the first time, the freezing and the unnatural stillness. You suppose that's because she's practised looking human a lot already.

Instead she has the opposite problem. She's moving a little bit too much.

"Ooh, whoa! Check out these legs, Se-Cennen! How do any of you keep balance?"
She sways wildly to and fro as she walks. True enough, her balance looks extremely poor. You could probably shove her over easily despite her superior strength.
"This is ridiculous! Don't you get sick of these things?"

"They seem pretty normal to me. You'll get used to them too. Oh...and in future Aqua, it is not polite in human society to ask people to look at your legs."

"This all seems so much more work than just a nice tail to slither on. Is it seriously just putting one in front of the other constantly? That's so much concentration!"

"The more you think about it the harder it gets."

"And what's this thing supposed to be?"

"That's a bum."

"What's it for?"

"Uhhhh..."

She manages to make it through the mansion with you and soon you find yourself outside the door to the room you were held in. Is Hiss still asleep there? She is.
Now, how do you go about this?

>Wake Hiss up from a safe distance.

>Lie down next to her.

>Make some loud noise outside and pretend that you haven't noticed she's been asleep.

>Wake her by nobbling.

Additionally:

>Keep Aqua around for this.

>Tell her to give you some privacy.

>Nobble.

>>165221
>Wake Hiss up from a safe distance.
>Keep Aqua around for this.

>>165221
>Wake her by nobbling.
Immediately spend the wishes to calm her down.
>Tell her to give you some privacy.

>>165221
>Wake Hiss up from a safe distance.
>Tell her to give you some privacy.

>>165249
>>165254
I doubt that leaving Aqua unattended is a good plan

>>165221
>Lie down next to her.
>Keep Aqua around for this.
Would rather have her wait outside but >>165260 is right, tell her to sit in the corner and be quiet

>>165272
I don't see why we would be so demeaning toward her

>>165275
It's not being demeaning, just asking her for a little space

>>165302
You wouldn't be offended if someone told you to sit in a corner and be quiet? We can just introduce her and she can stand next to us.

>Wake her by holding her hand

>>165311
We are the superior here, this is not a relationship she is not our girlfriend or our buddy. we are second in comand of a city currently under attack.

Rolled 2 (1d6)

Looks like a tie between telling Aqua to buzz off or letting her stay. Evens the former, odds the latter.

>>165338
I don't think she sees it that way and pissing her off to feel superior doesn't help anyone.

>>165351
Surely this will go well. Come on guys.

>Wake Hiss up from a safe distance.
>Tell Aqua to give you some privacy.

"Is that the Serpent Queen you people keep talking about? She's a lot smaller than I expected her to be."
She looks around the room.
"Everything here is a lot smaller than I expected it to be."

"Give us some privacy please Aqua."

"Okay."
She stands out in the doorway.

"No, I mean you should leave."

"It's fine, I won't pay attention."

"I doubt she'll like it either way. You're an enemy snake who she doesn't know. I'd rather if you not be around."

"You don't own me Cennen. Not anymore. I can do what I want."

"If Hiss wakes and she doesn't like what sees I can't guarantee your safety. Hiss has a habit of ...reshaping what she doesn't like."

"I don't follow."

"She can eat other snakes."

"Oh."
You notice a bead of sweat running down the side of Aqua's face.
"One of those. I'm not scared but- But I think I'll see the rest of this building. Goodbye."

She backs out without another word, leaving you alone with Hiss. Now, how best to go about waking her up?
"Hiss."

"Hiss?"

"Hiss!"

That last one gets her and she sits up immediately, her fangs out and ready to bite! She calms almost immediately when she sees you.
"Cennen! Come here!"

Your feet drag you forward without your mind getting a say as she leaps off the bed and practically tackles you to the ground. You land with a hard thump and groan just a little. Still a little sore.
Hiss sits astride your chest and holds your head in both hands.
"I can't believe you're alright! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

You can't help but smile. She looks so frantic.
"Everything's good Hiss. No more injuries."

"Oh, good."
She slaps you hard enough to make your head spin and your head thumps back down against the floor. Stars and strange colours blossom behind your eyelids.
"What the hell were you thinking, you idiot!

"Hiss-"

"Did you think I didn't see any of that? How much danger you were in? How do you think that made me feel?"

She raises her hand to strike you across the face once more and you cringe back away from her as best you can. She sees that and something about her expression collapses. Her hand pulls back just moments away from your face and buries itself in the wall instead. The stone cracks.

She rolls off of you and lies beside you on the floor.
"I-I'm sorry, Cennen. I didn't mean to hurt you again."

>"It's okay."

>Hit her back.

>"We're going to have to talk about this later but not now."

>Get up and leave her on the ground.

>Nobble.

>"You should be. You broke your promise."

>Other

>>165475
>>Nobble.

>>165475
>"It's okay."
I was kinda deserved, I should really try to stay out of trouble or at least get into trouble closer to you.

>>165475
>"It's okay."
Okay I might have deserved that but I'm pretty tough when I use a champion brew. Unfortunately I'm not wearing one right now. I wasn't thinking about how you would feel at all but it was pretty effective.

>>165475
>>"You should be. You broke your promise."
but
>"It's okay."

When I'm using the pain numbing and skin toughening Champion brew I way risks differently than I would normally. Seriously though don't do that again, i'm not using one now.

>>165475
>Nobble.
>"I met a guy who hit harder than you. But remember that under all this art and despite my overall manliness there's still a frail human body so do be careful in the future"

>"It's okay."

You groan a second time and rub your cheek. She was holding back at least so you don't have anything broken. You're also not dead which is a pretty significant clue.
"It's okay, I may have deserved that a little. But you have to remember the Champion's Elixir Hiss, it makes me take risks differently than I normally would. But I'm not using one now so seriously please don't do that again."

Hiss lets all her breath out beside you.
"Sorry. It's just that I saw your dumbass bombing run from the shore. I was fighting fucking anacondas and yet all I could think of was you. Did you have any idea how worried I was?"
Her voice rises high again but she stops herself before she sounds angry.
"It was like a sickness, a twist in my gut. I could have sworn that you'd nobbled me in my sleep again. I couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like if you got hurt or killed."

"I understand. It had to be done."

"And when I saw the state of you when you'd returned...Cennen, never do that again. This is an order."
She wraps her arm around you and pulls you to her chest.
"In fact," she murmurs. "I am issuing you a royal decree. You are forbidden from taking part in the front line. You must stay back here."

You feel the command lock in.

>Argue against this. She can't stop you.

>Get up.

>Acquiesce for now. If it makes her feel better.

>Explain your reasoning (Specify)

>Nobble

>Pet snake

>Other

>>165643
>Argue against this. She can't stop you.
I will fight by your side. I've been doing my own poorly thought out plans too much but I will play my part in reachi NH greatness with you, where I belong.

>>165643
>Acquiesce for now. If it makes her feel better.
>"Unless I have to save your dumb ass"

>>165688
reaching*
Fuck autocorrect

>>165643
>Explain your reasoning (Hiss we both know that's silly. I am one of the most useful fighters you have. I can use and improvise alchemy on the fly, which most snakes can't do and wouldn't use even if they could. I can turn enemy assets into allies or neutralize them in ways they don't expect. Did I not buy you and every else time and breathing space with my "stunts?" How is this different from me following you all over creation nearly dying at every turn? If we're going to win this you can't afford to hold back Hiss. Teleran nearly broke your campaign on the field before I rallied the snakes, and even if it was salvaged we'd have ben in no shape to deal with the Cosntrictors, or even the armies that were returning that the serpents annihilated easily. What's more you're fighting an enemy that knows the weaknesses of snake, how to fight and kill them in droves, and has as many if not more fighting for them. You need people who know how to fight them in way they can't understand. I am probably one of the if not the most dangerous human to snakes, period. Let me help you.

>Nobble
She seems to forget who the snake catcher in the relationship is.
then burn all three on simple temporary relaxing wishes

So what happened to Hom and Eva?

>>165774
Your tegaki skills have marginally improved

>>165774
Tegaki sneks are literally the only thing I like about you running on this board. But damn if I don't like it a lot.

>Argue.

She goes to say more but you hold your finger to her lips. You hastily retract it a second later before she can bite it.
"Hiss, we both know that's silly. So maybe I've been doing some poorly thought out plans too much but I will fight by your side and do my part in reaching greatness with you."

The echo of her old promise with you seems to set her back.
"But you might get hurt."

"When has that ever stopped us? Do you think it was easy for me to see you lose an eye? But I never once told you that you had to stay back. I am one of the most useful assets you have. And if we're going to win this then we can't afford to hold back."

Hiss looks away and you can tell that she has been shamed.
"...You're right. Of course you can fight by my side Cennen. I don't know what came over me."
She leans back into your side.
"Now tell me everything that happened. And don't leave anything out."

You give her a recount of your adventures and get the pleasure of seeing her frown and sigh and smile at different parts. And when you are done you catch your breath and return the question.
"And what happened to you? How did the fighting at the docks go?"

"You saw the aftermath didn't you? Then I'm sure you can hazard a guess. It was a fucking disaster."

"Oh?"

"Don't get me wrong, I was there. None of those anacondas were a match for me. But what they did to the humans...well, it wasn't pretty. I'm pretty sure at least half of what's left of Teleran's mortal defenders have deserted by now."

"And what does the General have to say about that?"

"Don't know. He got eaten by an anaconda."

"Then whose in charge?"

Hiss shrugs.
"Me, I think? They're all taking my orders. I guess I'm finally Queen of Taldenral after all. Just in time for the fucking Quedeshi to turn it all to shit."

A thought strikes you.
"Hey Hiss, why didn't you do the same thing you did back in the Battle of the Kuri? Go huge and smash their ships yourself."

Hiss looks displeased.
"I could but it burns a lot of souls.And more importantly, it all makes me feel a little uneasy. This fleet might be disposable by their standards but they wouldn't just throw it away. They must have come prepared to deal with me in some way."

You think back to the double-headed priestess emerging from her box.
"You're not wrong."

Hiss nods.
"If I attack and that thing is waiting for me and it can beat me somehow then we'll be worse off than if I didn't attack. Snakehome's forces will probably flee entirely."

"Sounds like you need someone to take it out."

This time it's her turn to plant a finger over your mouth.
"Hush with that fool talk. I just got you back. At least wait a few more hours before you try and kill yourself again."

>Ask her how she's doing.

>Ask her about what snake alchemy will be like now thanks to the anaconda corpses.

>Pet snake.

>Ask about Oster.

>Ask about the homunculi.

>Nobble.

>Other

>>165868
>Ask her how she's doing.
>Pet snake.
>Ask about Oster.
>Ask about the homunculi.

>>165868
>Ask her how she's doing.
>Ask her about what snake alchemy will be like now thanks to the anaconda corpses.
>Honestly getting any alchemist Crazy enough to stay here and having them whip up brews might turn the tide. You'll just have to have either some loyal humans or snakes keep an eye on them.
>Ask about Oster.
>Ask about the homunculi.
then
>Pet snake.

>>165868
>Ask her how she's doing.
>Ask her about what snake alchemy will be like now thanks to the anaconda corpses.
>Pet snake.
>Ask about Oster.
>Ask about the homunculi.
Maybe we need to make a new homunculus to beat that two headed snake.

>>165931
Problem is she seems to take out Arts, Homonculi are made of Arts. She'd unmake it. We really need to ask Aash the fuck they're using.

>>165946
Right but homunculi are connected directly to the art heart so that's the only kind of art that stands a chance against that thing.

>>165961
this might be something a man(or snake) of strong will and strong arm needs to deal with.

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>>165777
>>165802

>>165982
Nothing a Snake dispel an KO brew wouldn't cure.

>>165982
I need Cennen laying in bed:
"I forgot to turn off my nobbling and woke up covered in snakes. Please help."

>>165995
Might make an amusing omake.

>>166054
"Its for you body heat only baka!"

"Baka? What the fuck is baka?!"
"Please help."

>Basically all of it

"Maybe for now," you say and you can't stop yourself from grinning. "But I think you'll find that I am quite the expert on hurting myself."

"I think I noticed around the same time that you turned yourself into a tree. What a coincidence."

The two of you share a small and weary laugh.
"So what about you? Are you doing alright? You looked like you really needed that sleep."

"I wasn't sleeping, I was-," Hiss stops. "Thank you for letting me rest for so long. I did need that. It's just that...To have this all finally in my grasp! And then for them to show up at the last possible moment."
She growls from deep within her throat.
"It's so frustrating."

"I know exactly how you feel. It just never ends, does it?"

"Ain't that the way of things."

The two of you lie in silence for a short time, simply sharing the peace and quiet and the welcome proximity of one another. It would be too easy to fall asleep like this, uncomfortable floor or no. But you do have work to do.
"So where is everyone?," you ask lazily. "I know where most people are but what my homunculi? Have you found Oster?"

You feel Hiss suddenly tense up beside you and you almost stop breathing, all too aware of the danger. What the fuck?
But then Hiss slowly relaxes and gives off a short laugh of relief.
"Them? They're fine. They found their way to me, said that you'd probably show up wherever I was."

"They know me too well."
That weird moment a second or so ago has really woken you up. Woken up a lot of you. You start unbuttoning her tunic and Hiss splutters out something incomprehensible.

"A-A-And for Oster, he's fine! I found him while you were off gallivanting about. He's in recoverrrrrreeeee," she trails off as you get to work.
She pushes you back for a moment but then seems to relent.
"You know what? I need this."

So do you.

Several minutes later the two of you have taken to the bed and things are starting to really heat up...when Aqua returns from her self-imposed exile. She slams the door open accidentally, making you both freeze.
"What are you two doing?"

"Um."

Hiss looks past you, a strangely desperate look in her eyes.
"Want to join in?"

Aqua blinks.
"What?"

"You can if you want. If Cennen's okay with it."

Uh.

>Agree

>Disagree

>Nobble

>Flee

>Other

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>>165995
No joke, Aashenpreet would probably kill him from weight alone in this scenario.

>>166075
>Agree
inb4 cennen gets yuricucked

>>166094
Haha great Ouro.

>>166075
>>Disagree
>This is something not done in the heat of the moment. Plus she's never done it as a human before. She can watch if she wants though.

>>166075
>Agree
I can't tell if this is a trap or not so I'm just going for it.

>>166075
>"Hiss, this is Aqua and she's... kind of new to this"
>Disagree
I feel this could be kind of dangerous...

>>166117
Pretty sure it is a trap of some sort. Why I changed my boat.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

This might have been a somewhat weird decision to foist on you lot but it's an even weirder one to be decided by a tiebreaker roll.
Evens for agreeing, odds for not.

>>166145
Well it might get us some loyalty points with Aqua I guess. I bet Cennen gets left out though because Aqua has some kind of passive sexiness magic going on.

>>166161
Fuck I hope not

>>166149
Welp, I can only hope this won't end in tears.


It totally will won't it? Cennen gets discarded and cucked.

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>>166149
These decisions are for the dice gods to make, us mortals shouldn't trifle with some powers

>Agree

This all feels very strange and it's not really Hiss has given any indication about doing before but the idea can't help but excite you.
"Sure?"
Is this a trap? Surely Hiss is past doing stuff like that.

Aqua looks a little unsure but when you agree she seems to feel a little safer.
"Okay. This looks fun."

What follows is fun but it is also a very intense and incredibly awkward experience. Nobody quite knows what to do with one another at first and the only person who seems to know what she's doing is Hiss. Benefit of having the collective experience of thousands, you guess.
At first Hiss had been remarkably greedy but she let you take your share as well. And Aqua was...well she was just amazing. She's eaten plenty of souls too after all and has plenty of experience via proxy.
It is a little difficult to remember the details. Does one dwell on the details of a hurricane or a tidal wave? They are simply events that happen and the best you can do is gird your loins and hope to ride it out safely.

...

Night has well and truly fallen by the time you wake. You're lying on the broken remnants of the bed, Hiss by your side. She has one arm around you.
Looking past Hiss you can see Aqua nestled up on her other side. Hiss has her other arm around her, holding you both to her. There was no doubt about who had been the focal point of that little exercise. Both of you belong to her, she seemed to declare unconsciously.

The room is a fucking mess and a half. You didn't even know solid stone could be splintered like that. It's kind of amazing that you're only a little bruised.

Well, you can't say that you regret that. But now that you've burned yourself out and your groin no longer thinks for your head, you can see that something is definitely wrong about all of this.
This was not a particularly Hiss thing to do. Since when does she share anything?

You manage to work your way out of her grasp and get your clothes on. They are miraculously undamaged. Your pack is in the corner and you breathe a sight of relief. Nothing in it was broken. You get dressed quietly.
But nah, what the fuck?

>Wake up Hiss.

>Wake up Aqua.

>Nobble.

>You need to talk this shit out with someone.

>Other

>>166199
>Wake up Hiss.

>>166199
>Wake up Hiss.
>Was that the mating urge, or what? Because you've been a little off, and emotional.

>>166199
>Wake up Hiss.
Yeah let's keep that as a one time thing

>>166199
>Wake up Hiss.
This was fun and all but people are dying

Well that was kinda weird. No need to get all dramatic about it though. Just blame it on her sexiness art and stress

>Wake up Hiss.

You twitch the curtains open and look out upon the world. The sight of the Quedeshi fleet in the bay sobers you up immediately. What are you doing? People are dying!

You reach back down and shake Hiss on the shoulder, trying to get her to wake without triggering her bite reflex. She does so slowly, holding Aqua closer for her non-existent body heat before she finally wakes.
She sees the look in your eyes and immediately sits up with a serious expression of her own.

"Hiss, I think we have to talk about this."

"Hold on a moment, Cennen."

She casually slaps Aqua across the face, waking her. Now that you think about it, you remember her treating Aqua quite roughly during the night.
Aqua gets up with a start, her eyes wide. She says something but you can't understand her anymore since your potion has worn off.

Hiss just laughs and says something in Quedeshi before pushing Aqua away, swatting her buttocks. She gathers up her ragged clothes and leaves, tossing one final scared look back at Hiss before vanishing.

"What the fuck was that, Hiss?"

"Huh? Oh that bit in particular? Remember when I said how the Quedeshi had frustrated me so terribly? The moment came up and I felt like teaching one of them a lesson."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah. I guess she's like, my concubine now or something? I own her. Whatever."

"That was your whole reason for that?"

Hiss looks away.
"...Yes. No other reason. And you liked it, didn't you?"

"Well yeah, it was fantastic bu-"

"Then no complaints! No need to worry about anything we were talking about. Now get you going."
She waves you off.


>Press the issue. Was she trying to distract you from something?

>Go find Aqua.

>Leave.

>Nobble.

>"I just wish you could be truthful with me, Hiss."

>Other

>>166279
>Press the issue. Was she trying to distract you from something?

>>166279
>Press the issue. Was she trying to distract you from something?
>"I just wish you could be truthful with me, Hiss."
Is it something about our homunculi?

>>166279
>>Press the issue. Was she trying to distract you from something
>>"I just wish you could be truthful with me, Hiss."
>Hiss you made a suspiciously specific denial we both know that's not the truth. Besides if you wanted to own her or vent your frustration you wouldn't have fucked her. You'd have just kicked her ass. Like you hitting me or just about any other time you get angry.

>>166279
>Press the issue. Was she trying to distract you from something?
Surely she wasn't jealous

>>166316
I don't think so. She was just trying to keep us busy maybe? I don't know.

>Press the issue. Was she trying to distract you from something?

Yeah, you're not going to let this slide. You wait for her to get dressed but when she turns to leave she finds you standing in front of the door, your arms folded.
"Come on Hiss, I'm not stupid. If you'd just wanted to vent your frustrations you would have kicked her arse. You know, like you do to everyone else."

Hiss still isn't looking you in the eye.
"It might not have been the best plan..."

"Be honest, were you trying to distract me from something? Because it seems to me that you just jumped on the first big distraction you saw to throw me off track."
You remember that strange desperate look in her eyes.
"What was it?"

"It was nothing. Nothing."

You sigh.
"I just wish you could be truthful with me, Hiss."

That makes her flinch just a little.
"You have to promise that you won't hate me," she whispers.

"Of course I don't hate you."
You think back to what you had been talking to her about before this all began. And that's you remember that strange little jolt she'd had when you'd raised a certain topic.
"Is it the homunculi? Is something wrong with the homunculi?"

"No. They're fine."
Hiss looks a little queasy.

"Then...Oster? You said you found Oster. Where is he?"

Hiss takes a deep breath in and you watch her fingers interlace with one another frantically as she wrings her hands.
"There may have been a problem with Oster."

A chill runs down your spine.
"Where is he?"

"I don't know! I haven't found him!"

You stop.
"Is that all? Hiss, why didn't you just tell me that? That's bad but it didn't warrant all of thi-there's more to it, isn't there?"

Hiss nods.
"I stopped feeling his brand. His connection with me is gone. He's dead."

You sit down all of a sudden, the air gone from your lungs. Hiss starts to pace the room nervously.
"Why didn't you just tell me Hiss?"

Hiss chokes out a crazy little laugh.
"When would you have liked me to tell you, Cennen?"

When? Why would that matter? And then the true nature of what Hiss had done slowly dawns on you. You almost don't want to believe it.
"How long, Hiss? How long ago?"

Hiss looks miserable. You can't tell if it's about Oster or if it's about losing you. You're not sure if you care anymore.
"This morning. Early this morning."

That was...that was when you were just getting ready to storm Taldenral! It feels like an age ago.

You don't say anything so Hiss just picks up from where she left off.
"I felt him die Cennen. His brand, already so weak and flickering, it was like blowing out a candle."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you had a job to do! We all did. Taking Taldenral was too important! I couldn't let any part of it fuck up!"

"So you lied."

"Mostly by omission. But yes, I wanted to break it to you later. He killed the High King. But I've eaten witnesses, I've seen the wounds he took when he was fleeing. He must have died from them later, cold and alone."
1/2

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>>166346
RIP in peace broster

>>166346
"Do you understand now, Cennen? I was going to tell you after I woke up but then I saw your face and...argh! All I could think about was that telling you about how I had been lying to you all day would do to you! And what that would do to me!"

"So you pulled that big facade. And what, you'd think that would distract me forever? That I wouldn't ask after Oster tomorrow?"

"I don't know, Cennen," Hiss says and all of a sudden she seems to shrink in on herself, becoming something tired and empty and far too old.
"This is what being Queen is all about. Sometimes you have to make these decisions and you're not supposed to regret them. And I didn't want you thinking I was some kind of monster."

You put a hand on your shoulder and she looks up, faint hope alive in slitted eyes.
"Hiss, I already think you're a monster."

She smiles, just a little.

>Ask her more about Oster.

>"You didn't do this right, Hiss. I need some time alone."

>Nobble.

>"You didn't have the right."

>"Oster died for you and this is how you repay him?"

>Leave her.

>"I can't believe this."

>"...Fuck."

>"So what, I've just got tell this to Aash now?"

>Other

>>166370
>>Ask her more about Oster.
>"...Fuck."

>>166370
>"...Fuck."
>Ask her more about Oster.
You could have told me. I always want to rely on me. You didn't have to suffer with that knowledge alone. I'll support you and you'll support me because we love each other, that's how this all works.
>Hug the snek

>>166370
I don't know how you do things in snakehome but after this battle we'll spread stories of his bravery and have a memorial for him.

>>166370
>"You didn't do this right, Hiss.
>"I can't believe this."
>"...Fuck."
>It's not the end I end i wanted for him, but I think it's how he wanted to go. Ornery bastard was always gloomy as a bad storm. Seriously tell me next time Hiss, don't try and lie to me. I just hope the constrictors didn't desecrate his body, he doesn't deserve that at all.

>Fuck this is going to hit Aash like a ton of bricks. I'm guessing you want me to tell her since we still have to figure out the deal with that priestess?

>>166370
>"...Fuck."
>"He said he didn't expect to survive, but I was expecting him to show up at any second anyway. Maybe in really bad shape, but... Shit..."
>"Do you know where he is?"
Telling Aash is going to suck, can't blame Hiss for not being eager to tell us

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Vote called.

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>>166404
Damn straight. Oster was a hero. Manly tears.

>Ask her more about Oster
>"...Fuck."

Hiss takes your comment for the affirmation it is but about Oster himself...you're not sure what to say.
"Fuck."
That'll do.

"So...you're fine with it?"
Hiss looks far more concerned about you hating her than she is about Oster's death.

"You could have told me. You know I want you to rely on me. You didn't have to take on that burden alone. You support me all the time, can't you just let me support you this one time?"

Hiss nods glumly.
"You're right again. When did that start happening? When did you get so smart?'

"Would you believe I was still expecting to show up at the last second? Maybe in really bad shape but...shit."
Shit, you're going to have to tell Aashenpreet. How are you going to do that?
"Can you tell me more about him? About his last day?"

Hiss looks you in the eye.
"He was on that blasted mission of his. I forbade him from going, you know."
You know. You let him go.
"He made it into the royal palace somehow and when he could wait no longer, he killed the High King with a single swing. He then...tried to retreat but took far too many wounds doing so."

"So what? He just crawled off somewhere and died?"

"Don't you dare focus on the place and time of death. Those circumstances don't matter. He died a hero."

"I can't believe he's dead."

"That's what humans do, Cennen. They die."

"I was the one who let him through, you know. I gave him my blessing to kill the King."

"Don't blame yourself. It was not your hand nor mine that set him on this path. He did it. For the first time in his fucking life," Hiss' tone rises and becomes suddenly venomous. She hates him, you realize. She hates him for dying.
"He finally gets his freedom and look what he did with it."

"Hey, we-"

"I shouldn't have rebranded him," Hiss says. "He was my father's greatest servant. He didn't really belong to me. He never did. Should have refused him, sent him away."

"He wouldn't have wanted that."

"But he'd be alive, wouldn't he? Some old fool working as a village blacksmith somewhere. A sword rusting in its sheath."

You never fixed him. You never gave him his life back in the way you wanted to.
"Fuck," you say again.

"You can leave me now, Cennen."
It wasn't a request.

>Leave.

>Stay

>>166459
He would have probably fought to the death beside the king when Hiss took over. hew was loyal like that.

>>166459
>>Leave.
space is necessary and we have things that need to get done.

>>166459
>Leave.

>>166459
>Leave.

>>166459
>Leave.
Shit, I legit believed his good timing skill would make him appear out of nowhere at some time

>Leave.

You're not going to contest her this time. You step out the door and close it behind you and suddenly, the rest of your encounter with Hiss springs into focus.
Of course she was worried sick about you. Knowing that Oster was dead, how could she not? She must have been watching you from the docks constantly dreading that same feeling, a brand dimming and winking out.

Standing in the corridor outside you find your hand going to the hilt of your sword. You don't fight it, you just watch as you draw the curved blade. Ishmin steel.
Tanni may have given this to you but it was someone else who had shown you how to use it.

A small and ragged shout escapes your lips as you hurl the suddenly repulsive sword at the wall. It strikes it with a clatter and falls to the ground.
And the moment passes and you are desperately picking the sword back up and re-sheathing it. What are you doing?

"Ah, hello Cennen! What are you doing?"
A voice from the far end of the corridor.

It's fucking Orange again, the feminine little bureaucrat with his stack of papers and his envenomed pen.
"So," Orange says. "I couldn't help but overhear you and Hiss. And Aqua. I'm pretty sure everyone heard it and...what's wrong?"

"Oster's dead."

Orange nods, making a small mark upon his paper.
"Yes. Passed away this morning I believe. A tragedy. He shall not go-"

"Wait, you knew!?"

Orange takes a step back as you advance.
"Of course! I was, uh, present with her Majesty when she felt his brand fade."

"You mean you were in her pants."

"In her tunic actually, if you have to know."

"Yeah. Like always. You know what, Orange? I was too lenient on you with my wishes."
You step forward once more, towering over the little snake.
He's always annoyed you. His incessant complaining when he was your servant, his undisguised ogling of Hiss, his touching of her! And now this, spouting fake condolences over the death of a friend who he didn't even know or care for. And he'd known about it all the while because he couldn't keep his fucking head out of Hiss' tits. Of course he hadn't told you. Why would he?

"Cennen, I think you should probably calm down. If you do anything the Queen will know and she will be very displeased with you!"

>Nobble.

>"She doesn't give a shit about you."

>Just push him out of the way.

>Okay, calm down.

>Use Potion (Specify)

>Other

>>166459
>Leave.
"Fuck."

>>166500
Punch him in his obnoxious mouth

>>166500
>Take orange out to the yard with a couple of regen brews and a spare sword

"This what Oster left me. And its what he is going to leave you too you little shit. If you are going to spend you time curled up between the queen's tits, the least you are going to do is protect her if it ever comes to it."

>>166509
Lol no. We aren't even good with a sword, anyone we teach would be worthless with it. And if he can kill something with a sword it poses no threat to Hiss whatsoever

>>166500
>Just push him out of the way.

>>166510
We are good enough to beat Oster once, even if luck was involved.

>>166500
>nobble, grab him by the collar
>"it ends now, orange. And if you so much as look at her ever again you're spending the mating season in a flask under my bed, is that clear?"

Yo Ouro what are Oranges snake arts?

>>166522
He has the usual stuff and he's aquatic with poison breath.

>>166523
Literally impotent against us, ergo. Unless he tries to drown Cennen I suppose.

Okay, I'm not rolling out through a four way tie so I'm just going to treat all of the options people voted for as nominations for this vote.

>Punch him in his obnoxious mouth.

>Put him through sword training hell.

>Just push him out of the way.

>Nobble the hell out of him and tell him to stay away from Hiss.

>>166527
>Punch him in his obnoxious mouth.
Dude needs to learn his place. We are literally more dangerous than him even without our brews and he's a snake for fucks sake.

>>166527
>Punch him in his obnoxious mouth.

>>166527
>Punch him in his obnoxious mouth.

>>166527
>Put him through sword training hell.

>>166527
>>Punch him in his obnoxious mouth.

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>Punch him in his obnoxious mouth.

"Cennen? The Queen won't lik-argh!"

You punch him right in the mouth and Orange drops to the ground like a sack of potatoes. His mouth is smeared with blood and by the looks of it you've knocked out at least one tooth.
"Aaawwwgh! What's wrong with you!"

"What's wrong with me? Oster's dead and all you can do is keep on bragging about what you get to do with Hiss!"

"What?"
Orange looks up at you blearily.
"I don't think you're in your right mind, Cennen. I understand. You're not thinking straight."

You raise your fist again.
"And if you ever-"

Orange slaps you across the face. It barely stings.
"Don't you dare touch me again," he says quietly. "I don't know what's wrong with you but sort this shit out yourself. Get the hell away from me."

"Or? Or what?"

"Well...uh, Zigzag probably won't like it for one."

"What? It's not enough that you have to wear a skirt, you gotta hide behind one as well?"

Orange mutters something under his breath.

"What was that?'

"I said, you're literally the last person who gets to make that claim. If the Queen wasn't fucking you you'd have been snakefood months ago!"

>Punch him again.

>Nobble.

>Drag him to Hiss.

>Say something (Specify)

>Stop.

>Other

>>166560
>>Nobble.
Then leave

>>166560
>Say something (Specify)
If any snake wants to eat me I wanna see them fucking try. They better not be as pathetic as you for their sake. Lucky for me they all respect me.
>Stop.

>>166560
>Stop.
>Jiiiiiiiiii
"I'm not the queen's lover because I have pretty face."

>>166560
>Stop.
I've dealt with every threat she's faced head across two countries and you write shit down for her. Don't fuck with me.

Looks like Cennen's finally showing his PTSD more than just having disturbing nightmares

>Stop.

What are you doing? Orange might be right. You're letting yourself get carried away over nothing.
"I've dealt with every threat she's faced across two countries. You write shit down with her. Don't fuck with me."

"I haven't been 'fucking with you'! I don't know where you got that idea. You just punched me! Me! The cute and loveable Orange!"
He holds his hands up and cringes as if to forestall another blow.
"I'm not trying to mess with you Cennen, I just wanted to offer my condolences. You're the one who's freaking out over this."

"Well maybe if you didn't rub your connection with Hiss in my face all the time..."

"I don't do that! She just stuck me in there one day for convenience! And then...and then YOU fed me that awful potion that messed up my life! Now I can barely talk to her without being flustered and she knows that. She puts me down there to tease and mock me when she isn't making me run around doing literally everything so you know what? Get whatever idyllic life you think I live out of your head and don't you dare ever act like I'm the bad one here because you ruined my life as a joke!"

He punctuates this with a shove to your midsection.
"A-and for the record, I don't hide behind skirts because Zigzag wears trousers and also we don't have weird ideas about men and women like you humans do. So there! Now get out and don't let me see you again for the rest of the night."

He swings his arm out and points down the corridor, clearly wishing for you to leave. He's breathing very heavily.

>"Okay." Leave.

>Nobble.

>Knock his papers out of his hands.

>"Have you tried talking to Hiss about this?'

>Apologize

>Other

>>166587
>"Okay." Leave.

>>166587
>>"Have you tried talking to Hiss about this?'

>>166587
>"Okay." Leave.
Was Orange always this annoying?

>"Okay." Leave.

You're not going to apologize. Oster is fucking dead.
"Okay," you state simply and walk down the way he indicated. Orange just watches you leave.

What are you going to do now? Is there someone you haven't alienated completely to talk to? Maybe Zigzag but she wouldn't understand. Who else was friendly with Oster?

Ah. Of course.

You spend much of the remaining night talking to Elle. She and Oster had always been friendly before and you'd gotten the idea that they'd known each other for some time.
Unfortunately Elle had had most of her intellect scooped out weeks ago by Hiss. Whatever history they shared was gone and the lobotomised snake could only barely recall him.

"He had a sword, right? It was a funny shape."

"Yeah. It was."

Anyway, that's that for tonight folks. I hope you had fun! I have an Interlude coming in just a few minutes and I'm going to be back in this thread tomorrow to finish it off!

>>166600
"Yeah. It was."
"Really funny. So funny I could cry."
Cry a little

>>166607
Thanks for running!

Interlude 32

"I can't believe he punched me!"
Orange cradled his jaw with one hand as he lay on the tattered floor, his head resting on Zigzag's lap.

Zigzag wasn't sure what to make of all this other than it was probably some kind of drama. Zigzag didn't like drama. Not to mention that she was tired from eating insects all day. Didn't even taste good. She patted Orange on the head.

"He's out of control," Orange mumbled. "He didn't even apologize afterwards."

That didn't sound like Cennen. Cennen apologized a lot. So Zigzag decided she would get involved in the drama regardless.
"Did you do something to him?"

"No. He's upset because the other human died. And maybe because I told him about the mating ball. I think he sees me as some kind of competitor for the Queen?"

Zigzag blinked.
"That doesn't make sense. It's not like you can take the Queen from him or anything, she does what she wants."

"He acts like he owns her half the time, it's really aggravating. Like she's some human woman that he gets to control. It's not like I'm grabbing her against her will or anything, she's jamming me in the damn things!"

Zigzag thought for a while.
"He's going to have a bad surprise after winter ends and it's mating season."

"Exactly. You've been in way more seasons than I have, Ziggy, did any of our kind ever get jealous about that stuff?"

Zigzag shook her head and then stopped.
"I remember one snake getting annoyed that the King would latch onto me a lot instead of her. You wouldn't know her. She died a while ago."

As far as Zigzag could tell, Orange was only four or five human years old. Barely on the cusp of adulthood. It was a strange comparison to her as she was much older. Sometimes it made talking to him a little difficult.

"Really? You and the King mated a lot?"

Zigzag nodded again.
"I don't know if it was coincidence or if he would seek me out. Maybe 'cause I'm oldest. It really annoyed that other snake though but only because she wanted to be the one who laid the egg with Royal Blood in it."

"That's silly. She wouldn't have even known for sure if it was hers."

"Yes. Cennen and humans in general are like her but much worse. I don't think he quite understands us. Not really."

Orange rubbed his jaw again. It probably didn't even hurt that bad. Zigzag knew he was prone to exaggeration sometimes.
"I thought we were friends. I was just helping him earlier. Was willing to overlook that he ruined my life, filled my head with all this damage. I want to write it down and that's his fault too!"

"He does that," Zigzag said. "Cennen is very good at hurting us."

"I wish I could be invulnerable like you. Nothing hurts you."

"You're still very young. You'll grow into your Art."
Zigzag deliberately didn't respond to the comment about invulnerability. Mostly because she knew Orange seemed to draw some emotional stability from her apparently unshakeable presence. It wouldn't do him good to know that Cennen had already broken her.
1/2

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>>166643
God this is sad. The snakes are monster but shit, we are too. Also:

>punching a child
>when we are fucking one, technically
>and literally

What I want to believe.

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>>166643

>>166643
"He's kind," she said. "At least in heart."
As if to accentuate her current thoughts, she thought she smelled something familiar on the wind for the moment. Gunk. Her mouth went dry and her breath was shorter. And then the phantom scent was gone.
"He tries to be kind but he is very good at being cruel."

"Just sounds like an asshole to me. I just wanted to pay condolences! Maybe tell him what I knew from Oster's last moments."

"Hmm?"
That had Zigzag's ears perking up. She'd never been close to Oster though she'd known him all his life (she remembered him more as a snot-nosed little boy with bad moods and good timing than anything else) but she was curious.
"What do you mean?'

"Something I found in the records. I was going to tell Hiss about them but everything has been messed up today and she was either fighting, asleep or acting weird."

"You can tell me."

"So he killed the High King right?"

"Right."
Humans had kings. That was hard to remember because as far as Zigzag could tell, their royalty had no special magic powers or bloodlines. Just one human no different than any other. It seemed absurd even now, with her newly expanded and human-wise mind.

"But according to these messenger logs, a note was sent to call back some fleet to come along the coast and attack us from the side."

"I don't remember that happening."

"Exactly! Turns out that the lighthouses they had out there for ships going along the coast were broken. Broken just in the nick of time."

"And you think that was Oster?"

"Nothing else makes sense. The Queen must have felt him die out there in the ocean. Dedicated guy. I wanted to let Cennen know that he probably died a hero in more ways than one. But now I don't think I'll ever tell him."

"What happened to the fleet then? The one he delayed?"

"No idea. Haven't seen them around so I assume they got destroyed by the constrictor ships."

"And the Queen said she felt his brand link disappear?"

"Exactly. Probably succumbed to his wounds and fell into the ocean. So what do you think, Ziggy? Do you think he did the lighthouses up? ...Ziggy? Zigzag?"

Wheels started spinning in Zigzag's head. Cennen had once called Zigzag 'simple' and he hadn't been wrong. But she wasn't stupid. A fleet with broken lighthouses probably wouldn't move much. That seemed like a human thing to do, right? So if the Quedesh fleet destroyed the Teln fleet then they would have had to pass within sight of the broken lighthouses. The Quedeshi were also the only people in existence who knew the significance of a snake brand...and thus the only people who might try to remove the brand from a prisoner. Zigzag didn't know much about Quedesh but surely, if it truly was a society of snakes all twisting and turning against one another, removing the brand from prisoners captured from other Lords would just make sense. They might even know how to safely remove it from sensitive places like the neck or face.
2/3

>>166690
These same Quedeshi would have been within sight of the broken lighthouses. And the Queen couldn't actually feel the death of her servants, she could only feel the removal of a brand and assume it as such.
Hadn't she had the same reaction to Cennen losing his hand at the Kuri? Zigzag couldn't remember.

But regardless, she decided, the odds of all that happened was a long-shot. For the fleet to arrive at the perfect moment while a man was dying, to see him, to be able to take him alive...it would require extraordinarily good timing.

"Excuse me Orange," she said as she gently rolled his head off her lap. "I need to go talk to someone."

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Oh nooooooooooooooo

>>166697
There's hope he can return for his funeral

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>>166697
Ouro you are a magnificent bastard. Devious and evil and ready to give us exactly what we deserve but magnificent.

Hey guys. Be postin' in about an hour from now.

>>169057
HYPE

>Sleep

You are awoken rudely from your slumber by someone shaking you hard enough to slam your head into the wall. Oh shit! The Quedeshi have come for you! Where's your pack?
"Get off me!"

The figure recedes and as you squint, you wake up properly and realize it wasn't an Ishmin at all.
"Zigzag? Uh, good morning but this isn't the right time."

Is it a good morning? It's still dark out. And really, can any morning be good after what happened last ni-

"Oster's alive, Cennen!"

"What!?"

"Maybe alive. He could be dead. Again."

Last night all comes rushing back to you. Poor Elle. She hadn't understood.

You're not saying anything so Zigzag just powers on regardless. Something about lighthouses? You don't get it.

>"Slowly please, Ziggy."

>"This is a bad time for one of your shitty jokes."

>Freak out.

>Nobble.

>Hit her with your pillow until she starts making sense.

>Other

>>169564
>"Slowly please, Ziggy."

>>169564
>"Slowly please, Ziggy."

>>169564
>Hit her with your pillow until she starts making sense.
>"Slowly please, Ziggy."

>>169564
>"Slowly please, Ziggy."

>>169564
>"Slowly please, Ziggy."

Ziggy is great

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Votes called. Also, I forgot to archive last night so I did that just now.

So is anyone else thinking Oster is the best choice to kill that two headed snake since he doesn't rely on art at all?

>>169699
Probably, yes.

>"Slowly please, Ziggy."

You blink repeatedly and clear the sleep from your eyes. Is she trying to pull some kind of prank? Zigzag's grasp of humour mostly revolves around trying to hurt people after all. But she wouldn't do that to you. Would she?

"Zigzag. Ziggy. Oi. Slow down please."

Zigzag takes a moment to collate her idea into a series of proper sentences.
"Do you remember when Oster killed the King? Well, here's what I think happened next..."

It takes her a few minutes to get it all across but when it does it hits you like a brick across the face.
"And Hiss doesn't sense death," you say, getting excited despite yourself. "She only senses the destruction of a brand!"

"Exactly."

"So he could still be alive? Just taken prisoner!"

"Yes. It's unlikely but..."

"Zigzag you're a genius!"
You grab her and kiss her right on the lips. A spontaneous decision, you don't bother questioning it.
"Thank you! I've got to go prepare!"

You get to your feet and grab your pack, Zigzag following you somewhat awkwardly. She looks a little dazed for some reason.
"Uhhhh..."


>You need to brew!

>No time! You should leave right away!

>You need to tell Hiss.

>Wait, how are you going to get back to the fleet?

>Use Potion (Specify)

>Thank Zigzag again.

>"Where did you get the idea from anyway?"

>Other

>>169699
If we're outside its art draining range we could shoot it with the caster too. I wish we had ammo with a tighter spread for longer range though. It can stop Art but not projectiles.

>>169719
>You need to tell Hiss.

>>169719
>"Where did you get the idea from anyway?"
>You need to tell Hiss.

>>169719
>"Where did you get the idea from anyway?"
>You need to tell Hiss.
We need to form a plan. Hopefully Aash can tell us something about that snake so we can make a countermeasure

>>169719
>"Where did you get the idea from anyway?"
>You need to tell Hiss.

>>169719
>Wait, how are you going to get back to the fleet?
Get Aqua. We should also find a way to summon the three constrictor guys we nobbled, they may know something about oster, or some useful intel about the fleet or the invasion force in general. Maybe Aash could come as well? This concerns her and she might know something about the priestess. Plus she has some useful art for infiltration.

>>169765
Did we ever successfully nobble them? I don't think we did.

>"Where did you get the idea from anyway?"
>You need to tell Hiss.

You've probably got enough potions for now. What are you thinking? You need to tell Hiss right away!
You start heading towards her room and Zigzag, for lack of anything else to do, follows you.

"So where did you get the idea from anyway? I had no idea you cared about Oster."

"I don't, not really. He's just a human and humans die a lot. I just thought you might want to know."

"Still, I didn't take you for the type to look through records."
You don't want to say it to her face but Zigzag is...simple. You don't think she's all that smart.

"Oh, it was Orange who thought all that up. He was going to tell you but then you beat him up."
Zigzag purses her lips.
"I'm not too happy about that. Don't touch him again."

>"Little prick got what he deserved."

>"Tell him I'm sorry."

>"He got kind of lucky to be honest."

>"Tell him I'm thankful."

>Don't respond. Just keep walking.

>Other

>>169719
>>"Where did you get the idea from anyway?"
also while this is a nice turn, it the possibility of oster being mind screwed by constrictors is not exactly present either.

>>169826
>"Tell him I'm sorry."
>"Tell him I'm thankful."
I'll apologize to him myself later too

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>>169774
Just checked the thread, it appears we were interrupted by the chosen one before we completed the nobbling

>>169826
>>"Tell him I'm thankful."
he might not care but we must be courteous, and of course ziggy's protectiveness of him is in no way a bad thing.

>>169826
>"Tell him I'm thankful."
We'll apologize to him in person later

>>169826
>"Tell him I'm sorry."
>"Tell him I'm thankful."
Sometimes I have more in common than Hiss than I thought

>>169826
>"Tell him I'm sorry."
>"Tell him I'm thankful."

>>169826
>"Tell him I'm sorry."
>"Tell him I'm thankful."
>I was in a really bad mood, and Orange's approach seemed less than sincere.

>>169898
I'd rather not try to make any excuses for it

>>169915
It's not we fucked up, we're just saying how and why.

>"Tell him I'm sorry."
>"Tell him I'm thankful."

"Well thank him for me. And tell him that I'm sorry. I was in a really bad mood and well, sometimes I guess I have more in common with Hiss than I thought."

"Just give him a Heal-all later. You knocked one of his fangs out."

"Gotcha. What's his deal anyway if you don't mind me asking? Why is he so weak?"

"He's four years old."

"Oh."
Well that makes you feel a little worse.

You let yourself in to Hiss' room to find her still awake, sitting atop the broken bed. That thing's an embarrassing memento for the both of you and for different reasons.
"Hiss!"

She looks up.
"Cennen! ...and the other one."
Right. She's not very fond of Zigzag.

"Hiss! Oster's alive! He's just a prisoner!"

"Maybe," Zigzag chimes in.

You tell Hiss what Zigzag told you. Hiss doesn't look particularly excited.
"That's possible," she says. "But that just means he's getting his soul eaten by constrictors. Don't get your hopes up."

"But we have to try and save him anyway?"

"How?", asks Hiss, stopping you short. "Do you know which ship he's on?"

"Not specifically but-"

"Do you know where in the ship he would be kept?"

"Uh."

"Exactly. Maybe Oster is alive. It doesn't matter. I'm not going to allow you to do something so foolish."

>"Good thing I don't need your permission."

>Promise to return alive.

>"Can't you come too?"

>Nobble.

>"Fine." You'll find a way to leave before Hiss figures out you're lying.

>Try to reason with her (Specify)

>"Doesn't Oster mean anything to you?"

>Other

>>169962
>>Other
Try to come up with a proper rescue mission.

>>169962
>>Try to reason with her (Specify)
i agree but what if we did something not foolish

its worth considering the knowledge that oster has, probably lots of constrictors specific powers and other espionage stuff. If he is still alive we do need to find out about it.

>>169962
>Promise to return alive.
I'll bring zigzag if she's willing. And Oster might be our best shot at killing that priestess since he doesn't need art. I owe Oster a lot and I absolutely will save him no matter what

>>169962
>I was letting you know so we could come up with a plan. Did you really think I would go off half cocked?

>>169962
>Try to reason with her (Specify)
I need to do this. Even ignoring how important he is to both of us, the constrictors could use his memories to plan against us. I can find him easily, I can recognize his soul with soulsight. We just need to form a plan.

>>169962
>There's still one siege ship left, I was about to head back anyway. And unless you're willing to break my legs and hide every calduron in the city you can't stop me from going.
For what it's worth
>Promise to return alive.

>>170074
There's two left, one had that priestess on it and the other is still firing upon the city

>Say stuff

"Come on Hiss, I was letting you know so we could come up with a plan. Did you really think I would go off without one?"

"To be honest...do you really want me to answer that question?"

"Fair point. But I need to do this. Even ignoring how important he is to the both of us, the constrictors could use his memories against us. I can recognize his soul with soulsight so I can find him just fine. We just need to come up with a plan!"

Hiss looks a little swayed.
"Fine. But how do you know what ship he'll be on?"

"There's only one siege ship left. He's probably-"

"Stop right there," Hiss says. "You're right. You need me to help you plan."

"What do you mean?"

"He's not going to be on the siege-ship, Cennen. Do you think any of their leaders would be on it?"

"It's the biggest..."

"And also the biggest target. Look for one of the more regular ships, maybe one more built up than the others."

"Right. That makes sense."

"We just need a way to get some quick scouting done..."

...

Several minutes later, you find yourself out in the garden again. There's a rocky little pond here, probably meant for the cultivation of some nobleman's pretty little fish. Those fish are now all dead or in the process of being eaten by its new inhabitant.

"Hey Senna, what's going on?"
Aqua's still in her human form thankfully. Probably by necessity, the pond is too small for her otherwise. She's naked again but after last night that has ceased to bother you in any way, shape or form.
"If you've come for anothe-"

"No."

>"I need you to do some scouting for me."

>"I need you to take us out to the boats later."

>"I need you to scout AND to take us out to the boats later."

>Nobble.

>Other

>>170111
>"I need you to do some scouting for me."

>>170111
>>"I need you to do some scouting for me."

>>170111
>"I need you to do some scouting for me."
Should probably call for Aash.

>>170111
>"I need you to take us out to the boats later."

>>170111
>"I need you to scout AND to take us out to the boats later."
Lol yeah thinking he would be on a siege ship is hella dumb

>"I need you to do some scouting for me."

"I need you to do some scouting for me."
You might need her to escort you all onto the boats later too but you'll mention that later. You don't know how ready she is to go back into danger. She didn't react so well last time.

"Sure. I still owe you for saving my life and all."

"Is that why you're doing this?"

Aqua shrugs.
"Kind of. I'm trapped here either way, I might as well be on the side that doesn't flog me."
She slides unsteadily out of the water and you look away. It's somewhat unpleasant to look at the thin old scars that criss-cross her skin. She grabs her clothes with some distaste.
"Are you going to be accompanying me through the city? I've never walked it before."

> "Sure, I have someone to talk to down there anyway."

>"You'll be fine on your own."

>"Actually, can you take on a lighter skin colour if you're going outside?"

>Offer to turn her into a bird again.

>Wait. Something's not right here.

>Other

Whoops. There should be a (Specify) next to the 'Something's wrong' option. It's only selectable if you can guess what it is.

>>170220
>>Wait. Something's not right here.
well we can speak to her for one thing, unless we downed a potion
also she seemed odd after the last thing

>>170220
> "Sure, I have someone to talk to down there anyway."
It took me a while to figure it out but she's speaking our language. She must've eaten somebody, let's ask her who

>>170220
>Wait. Something's not right here.
One she's speaking our language
Two she got our name wrong again after getting it right
Three She said she owes us after getting pissy when we told what to do when we left Hiss.

>>170220
>Wait. Something's not right here.
She ate somebody.
> "Sure, I have someone to talk to down there anyway."
>"Actually, can you take on a lighter skin colour if you're going outside?"
The skin color is actually really important

>>170232
Add this too.
>"Actually, can you take on a lighter skin colour if you're going outside?"

>>170220
> "Sure, I have someone to talk to down there anyway."

>Wait. Something's not right here.
>"Sure, I have someone to talk to down there anyway."

You think of Aashenpreet, probably still down in the city where you last saw her.
"Sure. I have someone to talk to down there anyway."

"Great. Ah. Can you help me with this?"
She seems to be having a small amount of trouble with her scarf.

"Why'd you choose these clothes if you can't even tie them up right?," you ask as you stand behind her and hold it steady around her shoulders while she fiddles with the woggle.

"I thought they looked good. I didn't know they'd be so fiddly!"

And then it hits you.
"Aqua, how are we talking right now? I didn't take a potion."

"I went out last night and ate a few humans. No big deal."

Your grip on the back of her scarf tightens.
"Which humans?"

"I don't know? A few men. If you're worried about me leaving the house, don't worry. I just lured them over the garden wall."

"You used your Rattle in the middle of town?"

She laughs.
"No Art needed. I think they were drunk. I just needed this body."

"And then what happened?"

"I shifted back and ate them alive? What else would happen? But I can speak your language now Cennen so it's all good."

>"Don't eat any of the humans here."

>"I thought you were better than this."

>Nobble.

>"Isn't that act a little undignified? You make it sound like a whore."

>"...As long as nobody saw you."

>"We'll have to talk about this later."

>Other

>>170305
>"Don't eat any of the humans here."
We've allied with these people

>>170305
>>"Don't eat any of the humans here."
They are allies and fighters, and people who serve and facilitate. The less of them there are the more likely you are to piss off the Queen for fucking up the war. Stick to Quedeshi, or hell ask me for souls, I can make the damn things.

>>170305
>>"Don't eat any of the humans here."
it would be better if you left them alive, do you eat anything besides humans normally?

>>170336
Fish, squid, whales. WE need to introduce her to cooked seafood.

>>170305
>"Don't eat any of the humans here."
Don't want to have to deal with an angry mob right now

We seriously need her to change her skin tone before we go guys

>"Don't eat any of the humans here."

"Don't do that again."

"Why not?'

"The people here are our allies and fighters and people we desperately need to serve and facilitate. The less of them there are the more likely you are to piss off the Queen for fucking up the war."

"I eat what I want to eat, Sennen. I'm not your slave anymore. I'm not the only one who does it either."

"What do you mean?"

"I see snakes, your little puny land snakes, popping in and out every now and then. You really think they're playing nice with all the humans here?"

"Of course I don't. But they should be controlling themselves. Hiss told them to."

"You shouldn't get so worked up about it. Nobody's going to eat you. And if a few others in the school go missing every few nights...that's just nature, taking its course. Some creatures eat, some are eaten."
She finally finishes getting both ends of the scarf through the woggle and tightens it around her neck.
"Let's go!"

>Ask her to change her skin tone first.

>Nobble.

>Sure, that's fine enough for now.

>Other

>>170421
>>Ask her to change her skin tone first.
>>Nobble.

>>170421
>Ask her to change her skin tone first.
Nows not really the time for an argument about it

>>170421
>Ask her to change her skin tone first.
>Sure, that's fine enough for now.
>Just don't go overboard with it or you might get killed