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>>1173334
"Oh yes, quite spectacularly," She notes as she softly guides a brush through my hair. Part of me wants to object to this uninvited grooming, but.. It feels really good when she does it for some reason!

"Though the fault is not really yours. Some minds adapt easily to the notion of effectively being in several places at once, while others.. React as you did. Unfortunately for you, that means long hours of practice until you get used to it. Not today, of course, we hardly have the time for that, but it is something you certainly can't skip learning."

I can't help myself from trembling a little at the thought of having to try that again, over and over. Sure, it's fun now but...

"Yes, I know how that sounds, but this particular art is just too useful for you to miss out on. Aside from the obvious uses of watching an area you're not physically present at, the Eyes are also one of the few ways to counteract illusions and invisible foes, AND it is one of the few creations we know how to make but the wizards do not. You'd hardly be half a witch without it."

"But enough of that, for now you just need to relax and recover as quickly as possible. Today is going to be quite busy, after all. Besides, you and I haven't had much time to just talk, have we?"

That is true, actually! And I have a lot I want to talk to her about! So much, I can't even seem to choose! Maybe I should start by..

>I will do just one dialogue option at a time. If you pick more than one anyway, I will only count your first choice!
>Though obviously write-ins may be excepted from that rule, dependent on my subjective judgement.

>"Ah! When do I get my own witchy-hat?!" [Inquire about headwear]
>"Uhhm, about that girl from the fairy-book I read.. The one who disappeared.." [Ask her about "Hope"]
>"So uhm, there's something I should tell you about Camille.." [Tell her about Camille's attempt to make Amalia spy on me! Camille is her daughter so she give her a stern talking-to!]
>"How come you're not more concerned about the uhm... the THAT thing?" [Attempt to talk about the Hex of Silence that was cast on me]
>"That elder witch, Redwing, visited while you were away. She was.. kinda intense. Was she really your teacher? [Talk about Redwing and the stories she told me]
>Something else? [Write-in!]

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>SEMI-NEW THINGS: WAQ now has both a summary and a timeline of previous events. Check them out below!

>Nadja's Seniors:
>Mistress' current opinion: 45/100
>Lily's current opinion: 25/100
>Camille's current opinion: 10/100

>Seal: 70/100

>Nadja's Witchy Skills:
>Herbalism : Initiated (Potions and such!)
>Pencraft: Fledgling* (Hexes and wards!)
>Infusion: Uninitiated (Making things be magic/enchanting!)
>*Nadja has proven to be naturally talented at this set of skills. She learns more quickly and has a chance to intuitively understand this type of magic simply by looking at it.

>Communication:
>Twitter: https://twitter.com/FriendQM

>Archives:
>4plebs archive (thread 1-24): http://archive.4plebs.org/tg/search/subject/Witch%20Apprentice%20Quest/order/asc/
>moe archive (threads 25+): http://archived.moe/qst/search/subject/Witch%20Apprentice%20Quest/type/op/order/asc/
>Suptg archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=witch+apprentice+quest (Now updated to link to the /qst/ archive for obvious reasons)

>Resources:

>Summaries. Brief descriptions of the most important events in the quest, enough to give you a rough idea of what's going on. So far there is only one:
>Chapter 1 (Threads 1-31) Summary: http://pastebin.com/g3i9AMgP

>Timeline. A much more detailed day-by-day account of previous events. Not mandatory reading by any means, it is intended as a useful tool for players old and new to keep track of the past. Fair warning, it's quite lengthy and has not been edited. Reading all of it in one go is to be done only at your own risk.
http://pastebin.com/xMiP9nYf

>Nadja's Notebook is intended to serve as your reference material for witchy things and other stuff related to the quest. REMEMBER: YOU CAN ALWAYS REQUEST TO HAVE SOMETHING ADDED TO THE NOTEBOOK. It's divided into the following categories:
>1. General Witchcraft: Intro to Nadja's Notebook as well as any witch-related topics outside of the three major arts will go here when Nadja learns about them:
http://pastebin.com/FvemAzKN
>2. Herbalism: Everything about herbs and how to use them to make potions:
http://pastebin.com/vMWeFhd0
>3. Pencraft: Hexes and wards that Nadja knows of and how to make them:
http://pastebin.com/BTUR8F94
>4. Infusion: The art of bestowing magical properties to items that otherwise had none. For example, the creation of wands or flying brooms. Pastebin will be added once Nadja actually learns about any of this.
>5. Nadja's Notes: Where Nadja writes her notes about various things, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE PLAYERS REQUEST THAT SOMETHING BE ADDED TO THE NOTEBOOK.
http://pastebin.com/76btWGte
>6. Characters: Nadja doesn't actually keep a written list of people she knows, but you may find it useful to have:
http://pastebin.com/GbRsNuw3

>TO-DO LIST:
>Nothing, to the best of my knowledge.

>>1173338
>>>"So uhm, there's something I should tell you about Camille.." [Tell her about Camille's attempt to make Amalia spy on me! Camille is her daughter so she give her a stern talking-to!]
>>"How come you're not more concerned about the uhm... the THAT thing?" [Attempt to talk about the Hex of Silence that was cast on me]
I cannot decide on one, so I’ll just vote for both!

>>1173338
>>"So uhm, there's something I should tell you about Camille.." [Tell her about Camille's attempt to make Amalia spy on me! Camille is her daughter so she give her a stern talking-to!]

>>1173338
>"Uhhm, about that girl from the fairy-book I read.. The one who disappeared.." [Ask her about "Hope"]

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Very many very polite apologies for my lateness tonight! This has been one very long week of writing boring assignments from dawn 'til dusk and it's really quite tiring. But that's all the more reason for me to try to relax by writing something entirely else tonight, right? God knows I don't get to write any assignments about cute witches...

Anyway, I feel like there's a tendency for the first posts to always get much fewer votes than the later ones, which makes me slightly tempted to push back my start time. Of course, seeing as that wouldn't magically make me able to stay awake longer, that's probably a horrible idea.

For now, we've waited long enough so I guess three votes will do? And two of those three consider the most urgent issue to be Camille's snooping, so that's what we'll be talking about!

>>1173395
Pushing back the start time would not give more votes in the beginning. Contrariwise, I would suggest uploading the opening post *earlier*, before you are otherwise even ready to start the quest, and leaving it alone for a little while, so that posters have time to arrive.

Awww, I'm late. Oh well.

>>1173420
And I don't know about other anons but I'm always late because I lose track of time, so pushing it back just means I arrive 50 minutes past whatever new hour you pick anyway!

>>1173338
>>"Ah! When do I get my own witchy-hat?!" [Inquire about headwear]
>"That elder witch, Redwing, visited while you were away. She was.. kinda intense. Was she really your teacher? [Talk about Redwing and the stories she told me]

>>1173338
"So uhm, there's something I should tell you about Camille.."

"Hm? Has Camille been making more trouble for herself again?"

She lifts me up momentarily to have me sit on her lap with my back against her, and the world once more begins to spin, though not for quite as long this time. It doesn't really bother me much, whatever magic she is working with her brush just feels too good to care.

"Well uhm, not really trouble but.. Well, I sort of caught her having a secret meeting with Amalia, trying to talk her into spying on me for her-"

"Not a very well kept secret, it seems."

"Huh? Well uh, I guess but that's not the point! She was trying to-"

"-To gather information. As a witch, it is your job to know what others don't. The Craft can only take you so far, but knowing is the real power you must learn to wield. I can imagine what your little friend would have said to such a proposal, so it seems a rather desperate maneuver from Camille's side, but the intent is completely as she has been taught."

That's.. an unnervingly calm reaction. "Are.. are you saying it's completely okay? That witches should spy on their friends?"

"Ah, of course not. If they're truly your friends, you will not have any good reason to spy on them. They'll already tell you everything you need to know, and have no intentions to harm you besides. But quite honestly, she would be a fool to simply trust you so soon. It is not even more than a week since you were initiated. I'm sure you'll both learn to trust each other in time."

"But she-"

"Hold still, tangle." She warns just moments before I feel the pain of the brush trying to work its way through a nasty tangle. And yet, somehow she manages to make even that feel less bad than when I do it myself! Is this some kind of witch trick too, or is she just that good?

-+-+-+-
>1/2
-+-+-+-

>>1173577
"She... She said I might be dangerous! And maybe not even human! And that's super-mean!"

"Interesting."

"Int-? It's not interesting, it's mean!"

"A rash deduction, certainly. She always has had a tendency to act faster than she thinks. Even so, her concern was not entirely misplaced, was it?"

"That.. It's still.."

"You have every right to be insulted," She explains as she strokes a moist washcloth across my face -wait a minute, why did she have all these things prepared?- with one hand and continuing the brushing with the other. "But try to understand her position as well. I would probably still want to confront her about it, were I you, but that's for you to decide."

"You.. you're not even going to talk to her?!"

"No, this is an issue between the two of you. You should be perfectly capable of resolving it yourselves. You are witches, are you not?"

Hrm, so it's like that, huh? Another "lesson" again! Everything is a lesson! She's probably just defending Camille because she's her daughter!

>Just as before, one option at a time. We'll do this until Nadja is ready to go again.

>"WAIT A MINUTE! Do YOU spy on me too, then?!" [Accusation!]
>"Ah! When do I get my own witchy-hat?!" [Inquire about headwear]
>"Uhhm, about that girl from the fairy-book I read.. The one who disappeared.." [Ask her about "Hope"]
>"How come you're not more concerned about the uhm... the THAT thing?" [Attempt to talk about the Hex of Silence that was cast on me]
>"That elder witch, Redwing, visited while you were away. She was.. kinda intense. Was she really your teacher? [Talk about Redwing and the stories she told me]
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>1173582
>>"WAIT A MINUTE! Do YOU spy on me too, then?!" [Accusation!]

>>1173582
>"Uhhm, about that girl from the fairy-book I read.. The one who disappeared.." [Ask her about "Hope"]

>>1173582
>>"Uhhm, about that girl from the fairy-book I read.. The one who disappeared.." [Ask her about "Hope"]

>>1173582
>"Ah! When do I get my own witchy-hat?!" [Inquire about headwear]
>"That elder witch, Redwing, visited while you were away. She was.. kinda intense. Was she really your teacher? [Talk about Redwing and the stories she told me]
Evening Friend!

>"WAIT A MINUTE! Do YOU spy on me too, then?!" [Accusation!]
>"Ah! When do I get my own witchy-hat?!" [Inquire about headwear]
hehe love the quest hope for more

>>1173582
>"WAIT A MINUTE! Do YOU spy on me too, then?!" [Accusation!]
>"Uhhm, about that girl from the fairy-book I read.. The one who disappeared.." [Ask her about "Hope"]
Fairy stuff is pretty important both for us and for Amalia

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Looks like a slight majority for trust issues, closely followed by Hope. Depending on how the conversation works out, I might do both, or I might only do the first. We'll see!

>>1173417
I could try that, on a day where I'm not running late, but quite honestly I don't really love the thought of letting the thread sit idle for even longer. That sort of thing has a tendency to start a vicious cycle where players become less active due to the longer wait, causing the QM to become less active due to having to wait for votes, causing the players to... You see where that ends up. Maybe I'm a little paranoid, but I think you guys already wait more than could reasonably be expected of you, so I don't like the idea of that wait potentially becoming even longer.

Actually, I'd like to hear what all of you think about that idea. Would you like me to start earlier but also have a longer vote time on the first post as a consequence? All thoughts are welcome!

>>1173426
Some people are like that! I've finally started to carry a watch again, so I am almost always painfully aware of the exact time.

>>1173595
>Evening Friend!
Good evening!

>>1173596
>hehe love the quest hope for more
As long as you're as patient as the rest of the players here, bless their amazing fortitude, there will always be more. Eventually.

Well I mean until the quest ends anyway, but that's still quite a ways off, assuming we don't hit a premature (bad?) end.

Also, your ID is very lewd.

>>1173599
>Fairy stuff is pretty important both for us and for Amalia
Oh yeah, good point, that could've been a line of questioning of its own. Oh well, we'll see if we have time for that too.

>>1173582
>>"How come you're not more concerned about the uhm... the THAT thing?" [Attempt to talk about the Hex of Silence that was cast on me]
>"Ah! When do I get my own witchy-hat?!" [Inquire about headwear]

>>1173638
>Maybe I'm a little paranoid, but I think you guys already wait more than could reasonably be expected of you,
To put my suggestion into perspective, I usually take between 10 and 60 minutes enter the new thread. As such, I have much less (or often none) voting time for the first vote than for any of the following. Extending the first voting period would therefore make it more equal to the other voting periods.

Of course, being here for the first vote should not come at the cost of an over-all shorter thread. Accordingly, I suggest you only do that if you can start earlier, but are not quite ready to run the actual session yet.

>>1173638
Oh, having the time available doesn't really help me. I was on my PC the entire town, and not in a game that obscured my clock either. I even saw your hour warning. But I tend to get really absorbed in things and forget about the rest of the world.

>>1173638
Oh, and I wouldn't really mind you starting earlier. Later would be inconvenient.

>>1173638
Early start would work out great for me, don't sweat it if it would inconvenience you though.

>>1173638
The start time is just dandy for me, but starting the thread little bit earlier might not be a problem as long as the first vote is correspondingly longer, although I don't know whether doing so would be better overall.

>>1173582
"WAIT A MINUTE! Do YOU spy on me too, then?!"

She seems completely unmoved by the accusation. Shouldn't she be more bothered by that? If someone thought I was spying I would..

"I observe your performance and your progress as necessary. Nothing more."

"Isn't that just another way of saying-"

Suddenly, she completely stops brushing, immediately making me regret this question, if nothing else then because I already miss the relaxing feeling.

"Quite honestly, and I had no intention of telling you this until you asked, I made a grievous mistake by accepting your apprenticeship on such short notice, without proper testing and inspection. It was downright irresponsible of me and could, for all I knew at the time, have caused severe harm to myself, my sisters, or to you. To accept a child I knew next to nothing about was simply unforgivable."

I.. never thought about that. Did I cause trouble for Mis..tress by finding her so few days before the Joining? I never meant to..

"But the choice has been made, and since then I feel that you have, quite thoroughly, proven your nature to me. I suspect no deceit from you now, but I do not find it unreasonable for any of the others to have trouble trusting you quite yet, both with regard to intent and competence. To them, you are still unproven. As the newcomer, it's your job to simply keep on your best behavior and to keep doing your best until they come to trust you. Do you understand?"

"That.. I'm still not happy about what Camille did, but.. I never really thought about it like that. That trusting someone too quickly could be dangerous for others too. Maybe.. Maybe it's me who's too trusting?"

-+-+-+-
>1/2
-+-+-+-

>>1173890
Almost as if meant to reward me, the brushing continues once more.

"Trust is a precious thing to be shared, and shared it must be. Trusting nobody would be paranoia of the like to fit a wizard, not a witch."

"So.. Trust some? But uhh, I'm not sure I get it. How do I decide who to trust?"

She laughs loudly, though not at me I feel.

"A question for the ages, Nadja. Even our eldest could not give a certain answer. All you can really do is use your intuition."

That's not very helpful. Am I supposed to trust Camille despite what she did? Should I trust Amalia even though she kept secrets from me? Should I trust Mis.. urgh, every time I think it makes it sound weirder to call her that. It's just not right. I'm not sure I can keep calling her that.

But if not Mistress, what should I call her?

>She (usually) uses my first name, so I should also call her by her first name, "Miss Julie."
>She's my witch teacher, so it makes sense to call her by her witch name, "Miss Raven."
>Call her by her last name, so "Miss de Vite". Anything else just seems disrespectful!
>Attempt to keep calling her Mistress. [Roll 1d100, best of three]
>Call her something completely else? [Write-in!]

AND

>Last round, choose wisely!

>"Ah! When do I get my own witchy-hat?!" [Inquire about headwear]
>"Uhhm, about that girl from the fairy-book I read.. The one who disappeared.." [Ask her about "Hope"]
>"How come you're not more concerned about the uhm... the THAT thing?" [Attempt to talk about the Hex of Silence that was cast on me]
>"That elder witch, Redwing, visited while you were away. She was.. kinda intense. Was she really your teacher? [Talk about Redwing and the stories she told me]
>Something else? [Write-in!]

Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>1173895
>Attempt to keep calling her Mistress. [Roll 1d100, best of three]
GOGOGO

>"Uhhm, about that girl from the fairy-book I read.. The one who disappeared.." [Ask her about "Hope"]

Rolled 18 (1d100)

>>1173895
>>Attempt to keep calling her Mistress. [Roll 1d100, best of three]
>"Uhhm, about that girl from the fairy-book I read.. The one who disappeared.." [Ask her about "Hope"]

Rolled 95 (1d100)

>Attempt to keep calling her Mistress. [Roll 1d100, best of three]

>"Ah! When do I get my own witchy-hat?!" [Inquire about headwear]

>>1173910
Thank god for you anon.

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>1173895
>Attempt to keep calling her Mistress. [Roll 1d100, best of three]
>"Uhhm, about that girl from the fairy-book I read.. The one who disappeared.." [Ask her about "Hope"]

>>1173895
>>"Ah! When do I get my own witchy-hat?!" [Inquire about headwear]

>>1173895
we can allways ask what she like too be calld

>>1173895
>She's my witch teacher, so it makes sense to call her by her witch name, "Miss Raven."
>"Ah! When do I get my own witchy-hat?!" [Inquire about headwear]
>"Uhhm, about that girl from the fairy-book I read.. The one who disappeared.." [Ask her about "Hope"]

>>1173941
True, but I think she'd prefer Nadja to show initiative.

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Annnnd, a tie. Well, it might make this next one a bit of a mouthful, but I guess I'll try to do both, probably a bit shorter than they would have otherwise been.

>>1173910
>Rolled 95 (1d100)
Well, 95 beats a seal value of 70, so you earned yourself another (in-quest) day. We'll see if you pass the test again tomorrow!

I kind of forgot to point out that I wanted you to pick a name regardless of whether the roll succeeded or not, though. That is my bad. I'll try to remember that next time.

For the sake of transparency, this is how it's going to work: There will be a test every in-quest day, if you want to keep (mis)using the title, and the DC is always equal to the Seal Value. Neither passing or failing the test is permanent, only the same day is affected, meaning even if you fail one day you can try again the next.

Disclaimer: This mechanic is being introduced for plot reasons, intended to represent the consequences of ongoing events, not just because I'm a meanieface!

>>1173660
>>1173669
>>1173704
>>1173755
>>1173788

Okay, I'll give it a go. Next time, as a trial, I'll aim to start one hour earlier but also extend the voting time, to see how it works out. That is of course assuming my schedule will allow it.

>>1174031
>Disclaimer: This mechanic is being introduced for plot reasons, intended to represent the consequences of ongoing events, not just because I'm a meanieface!
Are you suuuure?

Well, rolls are fun so it's alright.

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>>1173895

>Rolled 95 (1d100)

Eugh, what is this nagging feeling? I want it to go away! You're not the boss of me! Go AWAY! If you don't I'll.. I'll just keep thinking it until you do!

Mistress, mistress, mistress, MISTRESS!

"Mis..TRESS." I have to bite down to push out the word, but the nagging is gone! Haha, stupid subconscious, I'm the one in charge here!

"Are.. you well? Nadja?"

Oh! I guess I scared her! "Heehee, just fine, Mistress! All good!"

"That's.. good?"

She still seems a little spooked. Oops, heehee! Maybe if we talk about something different she'll feel better? Like..

"Ah! When do I get my own witchy-hat?!"

She resumes the brushing, a little more roughly than was necessary at first, then gently once more.

"If you call it a 'witchy-hat' again, never. Otherwise, you will receive it when it is done. Though if you keep letting your hair fall into such disrepair as this, I wouldn't be surprised if it sprouted legs and ran away rather than having to suffer this crow's nest."

"Kuh-kuh-crow's nest?! I only skipped this morning because I had to sleep in Lily's.. uh, den I guess, and I wanted to get back to work as quickly as possible!"

She does not give an inch, even though it's a totally valid excuse, and bluntly states: "If you cannot both visit friends and keep yourself presentable, you will simply have to tell Lily 'no' next time she asks to play."

"But she-! Gugh, never mind, I won't do it again!"

I may be smart enough to recognize a lot fight, but I still feel this deserves an angry pout. She's being totally unfair!

"See to it. I will not have my witches running around getting accused of being unkempt mud-children! You will have dignity, or at least the appearance of it, or you'll be sleeping in the mud!"

"Yes, Mistress.."

Sheesh, Mistress is really strict about this! It was just one day, is it really necessary to get so harsh just for that?

Deeming the "crow's nest" sorted, she finally puts away the brush and moves on to braiding, but.. That's not how I usually do it! But trying to argue the point now is probably pointless, so I remain silent.

"As for the hat, Camille tends to complete her tasks quite promptly but you'll probably have to afford her at least a few more days to finish the work."

"Eh?! Camille is making it? Why her?!"

-+-+-+-
>1/2
-+-+-+-

>>1174470
"Because that is our custom. The youngest student is tasked with watching the new witch, cleverly represented by bestowing her first hat. And my youngest student is Camille, so the duty is hers."

"But.. She has to watch me? I don't want that!"

"Once you become a full witch in your own right, yes, she will be in charge of regularly checking up on you and, if necessary, report your fate to the Elders should anything happen to you. Mind you, that duty only involves watching whether or not anything has happened to you, NOT saving you from any trouble you get yourself into if she considers it too risky. It's really just about making sure that nobody tries to pretend to be you in order to infiltrate the coven, and of course alerting the rest of us should you betray us. It is very rarely an issue, but it does happen that young witches are forced to report the fates of their juniors."

"So.. I should probably try to make up with Camille?"

"An ally is certainly preferable to an enemy."

Wait, the youngest student. Wouldn't that mean that..

"Was it your duty to watch over Hope, then?"

I can't help noticing as her entire body tenses up, and shortly after noticing that the movement didn't make me dizzy at all!

"Yes, it was."

Three words. Just three words, and her voice is audibly shaken. I.. I am not sure I should ask her any more about-

"I was the first student of Redwing, and she was the second, so the duty was mine. Redleaf, more than just a few decades later, would be the third, and probably last. In a sense, I believe I failed my duty, for I never did discover her fate. But the Elders decided I had done everything that was required of me, and eventually I was given the duty of watching Redleaf instead."

Or maybe she actually wants to tell somebody? It's difficult to tell. But the silence is almost unbearable, nothing to heard except the weak sound of her finishing up on the braid. I can almost feel her eyes drilling holes into the back of my head, waiting for something..

>"Did you find any clues at all?" [Push for more information.]
>"Do you remember how to make the cookies from the book?" [Change topic to something less gloomy, quick!]
>Remain silent. [Let her decide what happens next.]
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>1174474
>"Did you find any clues at all?" [Push for more information.]
Mistress would want us to pry!

>>1174474
>>"Did you find any clues at all?" [Push for more information.]

>>1174474
>>"Did you find any clues at all?" [Push for more information.]

>>1174474
>"Did you find any clues at all?" [Push for more information.]
Aww

>>1174474
>"Did you find any clues at all?" [Push for more information.]
It would be good to figure out what happened.

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>>1174503
>Mistress would want us to pry!

Let us hope so, because everybody seems to be on board with it.

At least you did not choose inaction. You really seem to be learning her lessons.

>>1174592
Prying is good for you, is why.

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"Did you find any clues at all?"

She does not speak at all, instead finishing the braid in silently, thought not in complete silence as at least the birds outside are no longer afraid to sing. Finally, she finishes this new braid, tying it together at the back instead of my usual style.

"There! Take a look!"

It's.. different, but also kind of cute in its own way. It's a bit like having my very own little crown, made of my own hair! I'm not sure I like it better than my old style, but I can definitely keep it like this for today!

"A bit childishly innocent, of course, but I'd say it's charming enough, and it leaves you with no excuse for getting your hair dirty again."

"It wasn't dir- Ugh, nevermind. Thank you, Mistress, it's very pretty!"

She pulls me close once more, enveloping me in warmth and softness as she hugs me from behind.

"You're very welcome. As for your other question.."

The hug quickly changes from soft and comforting into painful and scary.

"That is certainly none of your business, apprentice. That said, you have grown quite a bit bolder since we first met, and that does warrant a reward. I will humor you for now."

It may only have been a few seconds in that iron grip, but I still breathe a long sigh of relief as she lets go and instinctively find myself jumping out of her reach, perfectly content to stand for now if it means staying safe from that..

"Obviously, I found her logbook, less than an hour's walk from here in fact. You must understand, this was more than a century ago and the Wald had not been settled at all yet. Discovered, yes, but not explored, so she was essentially treading into uncharted lands. Finding the logbook at all took more than just a stroke of luck. It was in fact handed to me by one of the fairies dwelling here at the time."

"Unfortunately, while their kind was welcoming enough, they could not provide me with much useful information except that she simply vanished, along with one of their kind that she had apparently taken a liking to. Mind you, specifically vanished. Not left, not ran away. Vanished. Before their very eyes, they claimed. Which does explain how they had such an easy time finding her logbook."

"Is there a spell that can do that?! Just make someone vanish?"

"None that I know of."

"But! But doesn't that mean she could still be alive?"

"She isn't."

"You can't know that!"

She stands, slowly and wordlessly, brings out a small brass key from.. from between her.. Uhm, she brings out a key, and walks slowly to her huge closet, reaching for something stowed away on top of it. Of course, given she's the hugest woman I've ever seen, she has no trouble reaching the small, dusty chest at the back.

She carefully sets the box down on the table by her bed, inserts the key, turns the key and..

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Phew, that ended up taking a while. Sorry about that, my computer freaked out in a very weird and very new way, losing me quite a bit of time. So anyway, that'll be it for tonight!

I hope to continue tomorrow, but I am not currently entirely certain if I will have time for that, or if my computer will decide to rebel against me before then. For now, assume we ARE continuing tomorrow, and if not I will alert you on twitter.

As always, thank you very much for staying with me, apologies for my lateness and the slowness. I hope you've enjoyed spending some quiet time with Raven tonight, and I hope you'll enjoy what comes next!

As is also customary, I will try to answer any questions you may have, either tonight if I haven't passed out yet, otherwise tomorrow. You're also very welcome to use this space to talk about anything vaguely related to the quest, though let's try to be a little more positive than last time!

Good night, and hopefully see you tomorrow!

>>1175217
Awww, that's a cliffhanger!
Thanks for running, hope we can continue tomorrow.

>>1175217
Thanks for running Friend.

>>1175217
Calling it now Hope is the mad queen.

Thanks for writing

I think we haven't seen the last of Hope yet...

>>1175217
Good night.

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>>1175282
Your call has been noted.

I sort of wish I could tell you if you were right or wrong, but it's only fun for you guys if I keep it to myself and just tease you.

>>1175282
That seems the easy conclusion to reach, what with the fairy connection and such. But wouldn't someone have noticed by now? And we have no idea if she was anything like the mad queen either, do we?

>>1175365

We are a transmigration experiment... aka her daughter.

>>1175217
Thanks, friend. Hope to see you tomorrow.

>>1175217
Thanks for running

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>>1175217
>>1175204

So unfortunately it looks like my villainous plans have been thwarted yet again. There will not be a session tonight. Which means, it's time to introduce Emergency-backup-panic Plan - Codename Nadezhda!

>What is the emergency-backup-panic plan?

Glad you asked! What we're going to do, essentially, is instead of having one live session over the span of one evening, we're going to have a very long, and also very slow, session over the span of the next week! Obviously, this is not particularly new, Akun has been doing stuff like that for ages now, but it's new to me and quite honestly something I never particularly wanted to try, as a consequence of my belief that a quest can only be properly enjoyed live. But given that my schedule probably isn't going to get much better, this seems like the best way to make sure I can continue to have something resembling a half-decent pace on this quest.

>So! What will we do?

For now, my intention is to keep this thread at One (1) daily update, probably somewhere in what is my usual runtimes. Preferably, this should continue until either the thread dies from autosage or the next PROPER session begins. This one update will obviously also have a much longer vote time, which means everyone should have a more than fair chance to catch it and leave their vote.

Depending on how that works out and how you guys feel about this change, I may make this a general thing for the future. That is, whenever we've had a PROPER session, which will probably still be on either of the Weekend days, it will be followed by such a slow-burn. So that would look something like this:

>Saturday: Full session
>Sunday: Either a short session, or a daily update.
>Monday: Daily update.
>Tuesday: Daily update.
>Wednesday: Daily update.

And so on, until the thread falls off or the next full session starts. Whichever comes first. In the case of this week, Sunday would be a single daily update, rather than a short session.

I'd love to know how you feel about this change. I mean, I don't exactly love it, but it's what I can come up with right now, so please, feel very free to share your thoughts!

>Wait up, where's my update then?

I aim to post one tonight, once I've had the time to actually finish writing it. I can't give an ETA, but I will post on twitter when I've finished it.

Until then, I suppose you can enjoy my apologies for this disappointment? And as mentioned above, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. All input welcome, critical or otherwise!

>>1179083
Sounds like a fair system to me, more quest is more quest. No reason not to see how it pans out at least.

>>1179083
I suppose I’ll just keep this tab open for the week then. The new format will be… different, at least. Whether good or bad, I’ll try not to judge for now.

As always, you do not have to apologize for real-life issues. I’ll enjoy however little or much you write.

>>1179083
As long as we still get sessions!

>>1179083
I'm not particularly fond of that plan myself. Keeping track of the thread and what is going on over such an extended period of time might be troublesome, and I'm not sure how that will effect everything, but I suppose you can try it, if you want to.

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>>1175204
.. Walks away, to instead gaze through the window out unto the lake outside. Am I supposed to..?

"See for yourself."

I do not say anything as I, slightly afraid of accidentally breaking something, carefully turn the key and lift the lid of the box. Inside, resting on a small piece of cloth, smoother than any I've ever felt before, lies a small, purple crystal, no wider than my pinky finger and rough to the touch, somehow both looking like it has been cut but at the same time is full of flaws. In some ways similar to the ones that Sis always seems to find on her adventures, but in other ways completely different. And inside, a faint light seems to be pulsing rhythmically, almost like a.. No, it couldn't be. Could it?

"It's called a 'heartstone.' Not.. the most original name, I know, but it's quite a useful tool with regard to keeping track of our fellow sisters. As you can no doubt imagine, it reflects the heartbeat of the person it is tied to. And as you can also see, this one was extinguished long ago."

"Uh?"

"It wasn't so when I left to find her. In fact, it was not until several moons after I began searching that I noticed. When exactly she.. When it happened, I'm not sure. But the evidence was there, undeniable, so it was my duty to return and report to the Elders."

"But Mistress-"

"So as you can see, there is no reason for you to continue sticking your nose into matters that do not concern you. Instead, you should-"

"Will you stop interrupt-"

She stops mid-sentence as she finally turns around and looks at the stone in my hands that I've been trying to show her.

"Uhm, Mistress, are you okay?"

She does not look nearly as happy as I thought she would be. Instead she turns, in just a few seconds, even paler than Klem after spending an entire winter in the church library as he likes to do. Her eyes glaze over and for a moment she looks as if she's about to pass out. It's a good thing she doesn't, because I'm not sure I'd survive if I tried to catch her!

A few moments like that later, she seems to snap out of it and her eyes instead turn against mine. A flash of cold passes down my spine as I see the intensity in her eyes.

"YOU!"

-+-+-+-
>1/3
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>>1179783
With her giant steps she crosses the room before I've even noticed, and with eyes full of.. I can't even tell. Fear? Rage? Hope? All three?

"Mi-mistress..?"

Another instant later I feel her left hand gripping around my face, hard. The sting of her nails digging into my skin, and probably quite a bit of shock too, soon has tears welling up in my eyes. She's shaking. So am I.

"WHAT DID YOU DO? WHO SET YOU UP TO THIS?"

She's so close now, I can feel her breath on my face, hot and heavy. I try to answer, but my voice is gone. I try to look away, I try to close my eyes, but for some reason all I can do is stare back into hers. They're terrifying. Stormy. Too many emotions, too strong. They can't possibly all fit in there. I have to..

"TELL ME! TELL ME NOW OR I SWEAR I WILL-"

I feel my hand touching hers. I don't know how it got there, but it is there. She's burning, but her hand listens. It understands, even if she does not. She lets go of my face. Her eyes turn, staring at her own hand.

Burn the veil.

My relief quickly turns back into fear as her hand closes into a fist. I close my eyes, finally free from the steel grip of her own. I try to prepare myself, but I don't know how. I've never been hit by an adult before, not for real..

A loud CRASH rings through my ears, but I feel nothing. Confused, I slowly open my eyes. On the floor lies the scattered remains of the small locker that a few moments ago kept safe the stone now resting in my hand.

Her fist is still closed, but she looks a little calmer than she was before. I'm just glad she decided to take it out on that instead of me. Though, why did she..?

"I.. apologize." She whispers, still staring at her hand, now bloodied and covered in splinters. "I almost.. Sorry."

I don't understand. I don't understand any of this at all. Why was she so mad at me? And why is she suddenly not? And why is she crying now? I'm so confused, all I can do is stare. Even as she draws closer and forcefully pulls me into her embrace, I don't understand what I'm supposed to do.

Have I been good? Have I been bad?

I don't understand.

-+-+-+-
>2/3
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>>1179786
She apologizes again and again, even though I'm not sure what for.

She cries, even though she is the adult.

She asks if I am hurt, even though she is obviously the one who is hurt.

She does that for a while, until finally, she takes the tiny crystal from my hand.

"You cannot tell anyone about this, understand?"

"No." I tell her. "I don't understand. Why aren't you happy? Isn't this good?"

She waits a long time before answering. Does she not know either?

"It is complicated, and I need to figure out what to make of this. Until then, keep this a secret."

"But-"

"DO NOT ASK AGAIN." She snaps angrily, then immediately after slaps her own hand. I still don't understand why. But I won't ask again.

"For now, we have more than enough to worry about as it is, both of us. Your friend returned while you were passed out and, with quite a bit of reluctance, told me of your plans for the mission. It is quite solid. So I sent her out to acquire a test subject. I imagine it shouldn't take her terribly long, so it would be a good idea to be prepared before then. That too, should not take you very long, as you've had the common sense to prepare all of the ingredients before beginning your brew. You'd be surprised how long it takes some apprentices to learn that."

She thinks the plan is good?! Yay! I had been really worried because she didn't really told me much and I had to think of something on my own, but she says my plan is good!

"Ah, but before I leave you to that, tell me one thing. What do you intend to do about your little issue with Camille? She too, will be present tonight, in case you had forgotten. You will have to confront her eventually."

About Camille.. And about her trying to use Amalia to spy on me. After this morning, and after the other odd things recently, I have to admit she may have been right to worry, even if the way she said it was really mean. But.. trying to use my best friend against me, that's still going really far! Even if I can understand why she did it.. Can I just forgive her?

>"What she did was super-mean! So I don't want to talk to her at all. Not yet."
>"I don't think what she did was okay at all! She has to apologize! And she owes me too!"
>"I kind of understand why she did it, so.. I'll just tell her never to do it again."
>"I think.. maybe she was a little right. Maybe instead of spying, we could help each other figure out why things are weird?"
>Something else? [Write-in!]

ALSO

>Please roll some d20s for the upcoming poison-brewing and testing!

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>1179790
This is domestic abuse! Someone call CPS!
>"I think.. maybe she was a little right. Maybe instead of spying, we could help each other figure out why things are weird?"
It was still mean though.

>>1179790
>"I still think what she did was mean, but she might have had good reasons for doing it. I'll have to speak with her and see if we can find a way to help each other."

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>1179790
>"I think.. maybe she was a little right. Maybe instead of spying, we could help each other figure out why things are weird?"

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>1179790
>"I don't think what she did was okay at all! She has to apologize! "
We can still cooperate on it after.

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>1179840
Might as well roll

>>1179857
Well, let's hope it's best of four!

>>1179790
>"I think.. maybe she was a little right. Maybe instead of spying, we could help each other figure out why things are weird?"

>>1179840
This sounds okay, but she better apologize too.

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>1179790
>"I think.. maybe she was a little right. Maybe instead of spying, we could help each other figure out why things are weird?"

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As I mentioned earlier, the plan is to have the next update tomorrow evening. I'll post here when I close the vote and start writing, so you won't be completely in the dark.

Until then, you can ask questions if you like and I'll answer them when able (that does take a lot less time than writing an entire update, especially when they're as long as this one), discuss things, or just enjoy life as we all ought to do.

This once-per-day thing is completely new to me, and for now I'm interested in finding out how it works out both for me and you, so please don't be afraid to voice your opinion, even if it's negative. I can take it!
Though obviously I prefer criticism that also comes with a suggestion as to what you would like to be done differently, but all thoughts are welcome!

>>1179123
>Whether good or bad, I’ll try not to judge for now.
Judge as much as you like, and let me know what you think! Otherwise, I won't know how to make things better!

>>1179136
>As long as we still get sessions!
Absolutely. As I explained, for me a quest is meant to be played live. This is more of a sort of compromise to make things progress at a somewhat glacial pace. Maybe we can even exceed one in-quest day per real-time month?

>>1179181
I will post on twitter every time I finish an update to help you out. You can also use the thread watcher to easily check for new posts. If there's anything else I could do to make things work more smoothly, suggestions are extremely welcome!

>>1179804
>This is domestic abuse! Someone call CPS!
But she apologized a lot! Isn't that good enough?

>>1179888
It only counts as an apology if you get candy.

>>1179888
Oh, also, are heartstones common? Does Mistress have one? Will we have one?

As for the heartbeat disappearing then reappearing...I guess there are three main options. First she actually did 'die' in some way and came back, which sounds unlikely. Second is magic was used to interfere with it, which is plausible but doesn't explain why it isn't still doing that. Third...maybe it doesn't work if she goes to another plane of existence or similar? Maybe we're dealing with METAWITCHES!

>>1179888
is mistress a Summer witch too?

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>>1179916
>Oh, also, are heartstones common? Does Mistress have one? Will we have one?

I'll make a note to have Nadja ask this next time. No real reason she should not, after all.

>>1179937
>is mistress a Summer witch too?
Which mistress do you mean? Though, either way witches aren't categorized in any particular way in the current age, and certainly not by season.

They WERE heavily categorized in the Age of Magic though, so all of the Elders would actually have been divided into classes originally. For example, Redwing was a Flamewitch, a particular subclass of Battlewitches. Such categorization was useful since, being effectively magical slaves, they were basically taught to do just one thing in life and to do it well.

Of course, nowadays the Elders aren't restricted as they used to be, and neither are their students. It's common for witches to eventually develop their own style and to specialize in certain areas, but having a wide arsenal is generally considered a big plus.

"Learn something about everything, and everything about something."

In fact, the three main seniors in the quest all have very different styles they use to approach problems, and I fully expect that you will, as more options open up for Nadja, develop an entirely fourth style for her.

>>1180018
>I fully expect that you will, as more options open up for Nadja, develop an entirely fourth style for her.
How many types of conflict CAN be solved with hugs?

>>1180018
I meant between the two subtypes we had a vote on previously.

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>>1180038
>How many types of conflict CAN be solved with hugs?

That's effectively just a child's version of seduction, so quite a lot more than you might think! I could definitely imagine a witch who specializes in gaining the trust of powerful people, befriending them, and convincing them to do what she wants them to do. That's basically just a loli-daughteru version of Rasputin, now that I think about it.

You can probably guess that seduction IS actually one of Raven's favored skills, but none of her students have actually followed her in that regard yet, and she hasn't pushed for them to do so either. If one DID wish to learn however, she would surely oblige..

>>1180055
Yeah, witches don't come in winter or summer varieties. Nadja does, but witches don't.

Of course, you could argue that a witch who is oriented towards the kind of magic associated with red sparkles (Vala) could be considered a "summer witch" while a witch is oriented towards blue sparkles (Mara) is a "winter witch." But it's not common terminology so nobody would know what you're talking about if you said that. And if you explained it, they'd tell you to stop restricting yourself to just one type of magic!

>>1180119
I don't think papa would approve of Nadja the seductress. Or Amalia for that matter. We'll just have to find something else!

>>1179790
Seconding: >>1179854
Demand apology, then cooperate after.

>>1179888
I have no problem with the once a day thing, especially since it means I'll miss less votes from sleeping in. I follow plenty of akun quests that do the same thing.

>>1180119
Is nadja a fae? They have a summer and winter court.

>>1180228
>They have a summer and winter court.
prove it

The fae have said they have a summer and a winter court.

>>1180453
citation?

>>1180119

You know, is quite unrealistic to have a novice face someone like Carmine who has years of power and experience over her.

Even more Nadja is just an apprentice.

"Whatever I think about Carmine, I can't oppose her. It would be like a fish fighting a shark. Don't you think is a tad unrealistic to ask me? I am just an apprentice without even a year of experience and she is a witch who holds every posible advantage over me! Who cares what I think about her when right now I am powerless to do anything about it?"

>>1181793

This.

Don't give your apprendice impossible tasks while she doesn't even know the basics.

Give her challengues appropriate for her unless you want failture or to create a monster.

I mean if Nadja was a tad less naive she would have already have a breakdown.

Even her master went and almost killed her and did not even explain why!

Take a look at the idiot who calls herself Nadja rival, she doesn't have three witches always testing her or almost killing her!

"Who are you three, wizards? Do you gain pleasure by tormenting a small child? Don't you think you are going a tad overboard when she had not even mastered the basics? You almost got her killed at least four times since she became an apprentice! Take a look at her, does she look like she could have taken a hit from an enchanted armor or survive strangulation? Why are you three in such a hurry? Why don't you givr her tasks more appropriate for her age? What's next? Dragon hunting? There is a VERY LARGUE DIFFERENCE between someone who just started and an apprentice who has at least a year of experience. Are you playing to be fae that you give her such difficult tasks?"

>>1180463
When we read Hope's journal it said that there are two courts. The fae say that the courts exist and they know which fae are in which court, but have issues quantifying what makes a fae fall into a partcular court.

>>1181793
>>1181903
I don’t think either of those quotations are something Nadja would say.

>>1183521
I don't think so either, and the sentiments don't seem to make much sense in general.

>>1181793
>>1181903
>>1183521
>>1183820

The sentiment that I'm reading is one of being frustrated with what is being expected of her compared to what she's given to work with. She HAS been thinking that just yesterday (in-quest) so it's hardly out of the blue and I can agree with her feeling a need to complain about it.

I think it would be strange for her to explode in such a manner this very moment, but at some point she may just decide that enough is enough.

Assuming the votes don't change significantly before tonight, I think I will at least include the notion of being frustrated with the situation, but without actually going into shouting at anyone. That's not quite where we are right now.

Votes are still open, I just felt I should weigh in on this discussion.

>>1183932
>include the notion of being frustrated with the situation, but without actually going into shouting at anyone.
I’m happy with this. The style and vehemence seemed out of character, but Nadja *is* put off by all the secrecy and demands.

>>1182453
You're correct that fairies are either Summer fairies or Winter fairies. That is of course blatantly tied to the two moons, the two goddesses, and the two types of sparkles.

I definitely hope that I didn't use the word 'court' though. Court implies politics and the fairies have no such thing. They're not even close to being able to organize on such a level!

They CAN tell the difference, though they can't express what it is, and are likely to squabble and fight due to there being a difference, but they're just as quick to forget. Making up and being friends again is usually more fun, and they lack the capacity to fight for any reason other than fun, so it's natural to stop as soon they get bored. Pride, resources, and territory are far too advanced concepts for fairies.

>>1183932
It's just that nobody else has had things easy either, and despite everything Nadja really hasn't been in much danger, so complaining about that in particular seems quite bizarre.

>>1181793
I don't know who this post is about (Carmine?)

Assuming you mean Camille, I also don't get why you assume this would be some super-dangerous confrontation nor why you'd think Camille would have any real power over us when she's not Nadja's mistress. 'Checking up on' doesn't imply anything much other than making sure we're alive and well, and it's not like it'd be easily sabotaged. And until we finish our apprenticeship, Mistress IS still responsible for us so it's not like she could do anything seriously bad anyway.

Beyond that, we have no reason to believe she'd be hostile towards Nadja at all just because she's been doing some spying work to figure out who Nadja is. She's been perfectly cordial in our interactions with her, and worst case as I see it, she doesn't apologize because 'something something way of the witch' and then just stonewalls Nadja if she tries to bring the matter up again.

I just don't get what kinda fighting you're envisioning here.

>>1183932

Well, the various "figuring things herseft" tests she has been given so far are a tad hard considering she has yet to master the basics and her age.

Specially the fact they sent her to make a deal eith fairies without explaining the rules first!

They have at least a witch who disappeared while trying to find stuff about fairies.

It seems they are kind of rushing things and that doesn't make sence considering witches live centuries.

Do they want Nadja to fail so bad or there is any reason why they are hurrying things so much?

And Nadja should be way more scared of the fact her Mistress almost killed her for a reason she doesn't understand.

I mean she is aware that the Mad Queen Witch did "something" to Nadja and her first reaction when something goes wrong is to try to kill her?

Heck, if she suspected that it was not Nadja she should have imcapacited and ot interrogated her, not gone right to almost kill Nadja!

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Alright, so!

>Mainly I want to find a way to cooperate with Camille aka "the Sparrow."
>She should definitely also apologize because she was mean, but if she's going to be stupid about it I won't care that much. Cooperating is more important!
>I'm also really annoyed about the way I'm being treated and think you're being unfair.
>Also what was up with that Heartstone thingy? Do you have one, will I have one, how are they made, can you wear them 'cause they're really pretty and-
>Rolled 7, 17, 4, 7, 11.

Voting is CLOSED. ETA on next update: Sometime in the next couple of hours, probably, if things go well.

>>1183988
They haven't, but Nadja is physically a 12-year-old. It would be a severe error in her programming if she didn't frequently conclude that the entire world is being unfair to her and it's someone else's fault, definitely not hers. But hey, at least she has the chance to grow out of it! Not many people ever do!

>>1184027
I've seen Camille get called Carmine a lot. I imagine it's an auto-correct thing when people try to post from a phone.

>>1184167
I must have exaggerated the situation a little too much if it was possible for anyone to get the impression she tried to KILL Nadja. Raven almost PUNCHED her, but killing? No way! That's just... No, nope, not even close.

That's still an absolutely unforgivable act as far as Raven is concerned, but killing a child, with her own hands? She'd probably just break completely if she ever did such a thing, regardless of the circumstances that caused it. She simply could not do that and continue to actually exist. It's just not who she is.

>>1184359
Hope you're having a good Monday, Friend

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>>1184370
I'd love to be able to say I was, but it isn't the case. I've actually been unwell all day, possibly as a result of the fact it took me ages to fall asleep last night.

That's showing, and unfortunately I have to admit by now that I'm not going to be able to finish today's update. It will quite simply have to wait until tomorrow. Sorry to disappoint, but I have to prioritize getting some sleep in this case.

Pic related: The kind of day I've been having, except without any cute witches.

>>1184735
Awww, that's okay. Take care Friend! I'm sure the update will still be good tomorrow.

>>1184735
Damn hope you get better

>>1184735
Hope you feel better soon, friend

To keep the thread alive, and also because I was thinking of OP while looking at the album art:

youtube.com/watch?v=73bnKw3l53g&list=PLQtSFjlfPibs6P1cQGxj7YeJeEy5Hi0gG

>>1192080
Let's all send Friend our energy so the illness will go away!

>>1192080
Did you mean to link the whole playlist or just that one song?

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>>1192080
>>1192084

That's sweet, and the notion is appreciated. Genuinely.

First, let me apologize for going silent for a while there. I am getting better again, and have actually made some progress tonight. Sadly, there was a lot of catching up on the work I haven't been getting done the last few days and that simply had to take priority, for obvious reasons.

If all goes well though, I expect to be able to actually continue at the originally planned pace tomorrow.

Until then, thanks a ton for your continued patience, and remember to never lose Hope.

>>1193049
>spoiler
Is this advanced mistress-bullying?

>>1192087
The playlist. I didn’t actually listen to it online, that’s just a playlist I found on youtube to share.

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>>1179790
"She was mean and hurtful, and even if she thinks she had a good reason she should at least apologize to me. But I think it's a lot more important to convince her to cooperate with me and share what she knows, instead of being a sneaky-neeky about it. Then it would be much easier to actually learn something than if we're trying to get in each other's way."

Mistress slowly nods along to my explanation, seemingly weighing my words carefully before probing further.

"Then.. You'd simply forget the slight against you for the sake of mutual benefit? Forget the anger?"

"Uhm, no, I guess not? It'd be more like.. Saving it for later, you know?"

For some reason, saying that makes her let out a gleeful squeak.

"There's a good little witch!"

She even goes and ruffles my hair that she just fixed for me a few minutes ago! Mistress does so many strange grown-up things sometimes.

"Uhm.. Thank you? I don't really get it though, she's way older than me and knows a lot more than me. If she wanted to she could just-"

"Put you in your place? Putting aside the assumptions about my daughter's character, picking on an apprentice for so little would be a spectacular way to lose the respect of her fellow witches, myself included. A bit of friendly teasing, that's perfectly fine and to be expected, but also the end of it. Witches do not infight."

"What happens if someone does?"

"Whatever the nearest Elder thinks it takes to set the both of them straight. In this case, that would of course be Red-"

"EEK!" I remember her! I don't want that!

"..Exactly."

I'll definitely have to remember never to do that! Just from hearing her name I can feel her eyes staring through me, judging me.. Brr! I wonder, though..

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>1/4
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>>1197066
"Hey Mistress, are you afraid of her to-"

"Absolutely."

I really wish she would have at least had to think for a moment before answering.

"Obviously I love the woman. She was as a mother to me after all, and taught me nearly everything I know. But she's also-"

"Does she have one of those heartstones on you too, like you do with Hope?"

"She.. does, yes?"

"Do I get one?"

"That is entirely your decision. Nobody can force you to have one made, and many would consider it quite an invasion of their pr-"

"Can I wear it? It's really pretty!"

"..The point is to give it to someone else. You don't exactly need a device to tell you if your own heart is still beating, do you?"

"Oh.. Right, that makes sense I guess. I knew that. But wait! What if you got a NEW apprentice? Then I'd get to-"

"Hah!" She rolls her eyes in jest. "One apprentice is more than enough trouble as is, I'd say! Now, if you're done daydreaming about shiny objects, I'd suggest you return to your duties before I stop overlooking that fact."

"Huh? Oh right! Have to make poisons for the baddies! Don't worry, Mistress! I won't let you down!"

She nods lazily in response, seeming quite focused on the little gem once again. I still don't understand how she can be sad when it should obviously be good news. When has it ever not been good news that someone you thought was dead actually wasn't?!

"Then," she says, her voice suddenly sounding very strained. "I will see you tonight."

"Right! In the church! See you Mistress!"

Even as she proceeds down the stairs, she's still staring strangely at the thing. So weird!

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>2/4
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>>1197068
Probably just another grown-up thing. She'll get better again, and if she doesn't I know how to fix that! For now, I really should get to work.

Actually, I did do most of it already. I found the recipe, I found all the ingredients, well except for that weird wine that I was trying to find when Lily stole Amalia and I had to go after them and all that. But Lily did give it to me afterwards, so I've got that too now. But just to be sure, I should go over it all one last time. It'd be troublesome to find out I'm missing something at the last moment!

I've got..
>Five teaspoons of Salt
>Thirty-seven pieces of "Fluffy Cloud"
>Three half cups of "Mountain Blood Rosé"
>Eighteen tenths of a pinch of finely ground "Fairy Dust"
>Two feet of "Black Widow's Silk"
>Ninety-nine Poppy Seeds
>One fang from the Yellow-backed Creeper

Yep, that's all! Though, that sure is a whole lot of solids compared to how little of the Rosé goes in there. Could it be a mistake? Maybe I'm supposed to use water too? There's no mention of water anywhere, but this really does seem odd..

On the other hand, if the recipe really was wrong, wouldn't someone have corrected it a long time ago? I should just follow it and see what happens. What's the worst that could happen?
In closer inspection, this recipe is actually painfully simple. It just says to mix it all up in one go while heating, no having worry about the right order or anything. I do have to make sure to pick out and measure all the ingredients just right, but measuring things and counting are super-easy! I could count in my sleep if I had to!

-

Ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine! There! Exactly ninety-nine poppy seeds! That's the last of them! Now, just mix it all up in the cauldron and.. Keep mixing I guess? Nothing seems to be happening?

Did I need to add water after-WOAH!

>Rolled 17!

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>3/4
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>>1197069
A sudden eruption of greenish vapours from within cauldron sends me stumbling backwards and crashing right unto my behind. And wondering how long it'll be before I can go one day without having something knock me over. And whether those vapours could have been dangerous. If they were though, it'd probably have said so in the recipe, right? It should!

..I'll open a few windows just to be safe.

Meanwhile, the mix is.. Hey! It's all melted! Before it was just a tiny bit of fluid and a whole lot of solids, and now it's all fluids, not even a tiny bump to be found as I give it a good stir with the spoon. Not even any left on the edges or at the bottom! What could possibly have caused it to act like that.. Maybe the 'fairy dust' made it happen? That was definitely the weirdest thing in there, so that's probably it. I'll ask Mistress later if I'm right. I hope I am, she'll probably be really proud if I am!

So, according to the recipe... That should be all? It just says to keep going until all of the ingredients are properly dissolved - which they are - so now I just need to bottle it up and find something to test it on! Didn't Mistress say Amalia was going to find something? But she's not here yet.

>Acquired: Untested Tranquilizing Poison!

I suppose maybe I could read one of these books? But what should it be..?

>That book that Lily wrote about "Fear and Deception" that Mistress suggested the other day. I don't really LIKE that topic, but it's probably a good thing to learn if I want to be a good witch, right? And maybe I'll learn a little more about Lily too?
>I could look for a book with some more advanced Hexes. Those other ones were really easy, so I'm sure I can at the very least practice some harder ones, even without supervision.
>Try searching the books on herbalism for some of the potions that Cinnamon gave me. There are a lot more of these books than any other topic so it might take a while, but it would be good to know EXACTLY what they do and how to make them myself. Plus, if Cinnamon can make them, I should be able to learn how too!
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>Whichever you choose, rolling d20 again is a good idea!

Bonus Question! How do you think Nadja decided to measure out eighteen tenths of a pinch of fairy dust?

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>1197070
Lucky #17 indeed.
Glad to see you had another update in you!
>I could look for a book with some more advanced Hexes. Those other ones were really easy, so I'm sure I can at the very least practice some harder ones, even without supervision.
Clearly she took out two pinches, and then just carefully removed 1/5th of a pinch afterwards.

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>1197070
>That book that Lily wrote about "Fear and Deception"

Not matter how she did it, I'm sure she measured it extremely inefficiently.

>>1197070
>Try searching the books on herbalism for some of the potions that Cinnamon gave me.
She weighed out one pinch, then worked out what a tenth of it was, and then did 18 of them.

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>1197070
>Try searching the books on herbalism for some of the potions that Cinnamon gave me. There are a lot more of these books than any other topic so it might take a while, but it would be good to know EXACTLY what they do and how to make them myself. Plus, if Cinnamon can make them, I should be able to learn how too!
Obviously witches all have 1.8 pinch measuring spoons lying around.

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>>1195813
It was quite helpful, and is now saved.

>>1197079
>Glad to see you had another update in you!

You make it sound as if you're expecting it to be the last one!

>>1197081
>Not matter how she did it, I'm sure she measured it extremely inefficiently.

You should have more faith in Nadja! She's actually a very smart girl, even if she does have trouble with certain subjects.

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>1197083
I should probably roll as well I guess.

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>1197070
>>That book that Lily wrote about "Fear and Deception" that Mistress suggested the other day. I don't really LIKE that topic, but it's probably a good thing to learn if I want to be a good witch, right? And maybe I'll learn a little more about Lily too?

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>1197070
>I could look for a book with some more advanced Hexes. Those other ones were really easy, so I'm sure I can at the very least practice some harder ones, even without supervision.
By measuring out nine tenths of a pinch twice perhaps.

>>1197070
>Bonus Question! How do you think Nadja decided to measure out eighteen tenths of a pinch of fairy dust?
Nine pinches into a pile, and then divide the pile into five equal parts?

>>1197070

>Try searching the books on herbalism for some of the potions that Cinnamon gave me. There are a lot more of these books than any other topic so it might take a while, but it would be good to know EXACTLY what they do and how to make them myself. Plus, if Cinnamon can make them, I should be able to learn how too!

Maybe witches do have 1.8 pinch measuring spoons lying around. I mean just by small trades they would be easy to get.

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>1197070
>Try searching the books on herbalism for some of the potions that Cinnamon gave me. There are a lot more of these books than any other topic so it might take a while, but it would be good to know EXACTLY what they do and how to make them myself. Plus, if Cinnamon can make them, I should be able to learn how too!

>How do you think Nadja decided to measure out eighteen tenths of a pinch of fairy dust?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinch_(cooking)

>>1197215

Are you saying Nadja has very very very big hands?

>>1197237
Maybe she pinched the dust between two big toes.

>>1197070
>Try searching the books on herbalism for some of the potions that Cinnamon gave me. There are a lot more of these books than any other topic so it might take a while, but it would be good to know EXACTLY what they do and how to make them myself. Plus, if Cinnamon can make them, I should be able to learn how too!

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>1197070
>>I could look for a book with some more advanced Hexes. Those other ones were really easy, so I'm sure I can at the very least practice some harder ones, even without supervision.

>>1197108

FriendQM is asleep?

>>1198010
Sorry if I did not make that clear, but I'm still using the 1 update per day plan described earlier. Even if it turned into 1 update per 3 days this time.

That means update sometime tonight during my usual run hours.

>>1197070
>I could look for a book with some more advanced Hexes. Those other ones were really easy, so I'm sure I can at the very least practice some harder ones, even without supervision.

Clearly a pinch in this setting is a very precise measurement, and Nadja simply used a balance and weights of various I have absolutely no idea.

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>>1197242
Close, but not quite on the mark. Also a much more acrobatic tactic than what I came up with myself. And kinda icky. Brewing should only be done in controlled and clean conditions, since including an unintended ingredient could radically change the final product. For example, explosions. And not the good ones but the kind that are right next to your face! Especially when you start involving sparkles, then you've got a very delicate and volatile process that apprentices should never ever attempt unsupervised!

Except not a single one of the witches in the main cast haven't attempted just that while they were still only apprentices. We try not to talk about that too much.

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Sorry for going silent once again, I have been awfully busy with a paper taking a lot longer than expected while also trying to finish a group assignment. It just completely fell out of my head that I had a thread up at all.

So, aside from a few pieces of nitpicking, that's very nearly all squared away. That means I should be all set to actually keep my promise to you guys tomorrow, which the thread should easily be able to survive for. Unbelievable, I know, but I honestly think it's going to happen! For real!

Also, I counted the votes and am going to officially close the vote. Not that anyone was still going to vote, but you know, I gotta pretend to have that tiny little bit of respectability.

>Fear and Deception: II
>Hexes: IIII
>Potions: IIIII

>Rolled 18 (1d20)

Potions just barely beats hexes. Poor Lily never stood a chance!

Oh, and as for the answer to the bonus question! What she did was..

She knows a pinch is what you can fit between your thumb and your index finger, so the way to do it in Nadja's mind is: Pick one pinch using her thumb and index finger, and then one pinch using her thumb and pinky, figuring that the pinky looked like roughly four fifths of the index finger.

That's not at all HOW it works, but does that matter as long as it works SOMEHOW?

>>1203036
Nadja pls

>>1203036
>Spoiler
That made for a cute mental image.

>>1203036
Shit, I would have voted for hexes if I realized there was a vote.

Oh well, it's no big deal really.

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>>1197070

Phew, every time I look at Mistress' study I just can't help but wonder. From the outside, her house seems so small, enough that you might not even notice it unless you were looking for it, and yet somehow this one room manages to fit such an impossible amount of books inside of it. But they're very real, each and every one of them. I should know, I dusted them all one by one!

.. I really hope I never have to do that again. My throat is feeling dry just from thinking about it!

So, what to do with all these options? There was that book Lily wrote, about "Fear and Deception." Mistress did seem to think I should read it, and apparently Lily wrote it. How often do you get to read a book written by someone you know? I don't really like the title very much, though. I don't like being scared, and isn't deception just another word for lying? Good girls don't lie!

There's still a bunch of books about hexes left too. The ones so far have been super easy, so a bit of self-study shouldn't be a problem, right? The ones I've learned so far seem pretty useful too, like that Sighting Hex. I actually still have a copy of that tucked away in my bag. Worth keeping that one in mind!

But the smart and safe thing to do would probably be to look up some of these potions that Cinnamon gave me with that 'emergency pack' of hers. I've tried out a few of them and have an idea of what they do, but for some I really only have that vague label she slapped unto them. They're probably perfectly clear to her, but certainly not to me! Even worse, I haven't even the slightest clue how any of them are made, and the ones I do know how to make so far honestly don't seem all that useful. Being able to make more of the 'emergency' potions would be a great idea. For emergencies!

Besides, if Cinnamon can make them, I should definitely be able to as well! Sure, she's been an apprentice for an entire year more than me, but she also seems kind of.. Careless.

The real problem is probably going to be finding the specific recipes from among all these books. Even looking at just the books about herbalism, that's still dozens of books to look through. But if I just flip through them quickly, looking for anything that sounds vaguely similar, I should be able to cover a lot of ground!

>Rolled 18 (1d20)

>Nadja copied the following recipes into her notebook. They will be available by the next thread:
>Tullian Fire (A clear liquid that ignites upon contact with air.)
>Enlarging Potion (Causes enlargement on direct contact with a person or an object. For some reason the book specifies that you can't use this to enlarge just a single part of your body.)
>Shrinking Potion (The exact opposite of the Enlarging Potion. Neither recipe seems to mention why the potion doesn't affect the glass you store it in..)

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>>1209359
It's slow going, but not nearly as bad as I was expecting it to be. I've already got three of the best ones copied into my notebook, and they don't seem too difficult to make. I bet I'll get a lot of use out of these ones when I've tried making them for real. They've been really useful so far, at least! Now, the rest shouldn't be too-

..

What is that noise outside? It sounds like some kind of animal.. whimpering? Maybe it's hurt or scared? Poor thing! I'm just about to go take a look when the door swings open and Amalia trots inside.

Wait, shouldn't she be knocking before she enters? I knock before entering and I am at least the apprentice here!

She seems super tense as she quickly scans the room, falling back into a more relaxed pose when she spots me in the study.

"You're up." She says with a smile.

"Heehee, yep! All good again! Sorry if I worried you!"

She's supposed to say something casual now, like "I wasn't worried" or "glad to hear it." She doesn't. She stares at me instead. For a good while, too. It's a little embarrassing.

"New hair?"

"Ohhh, that's what it is? Heehee, I was getting all nervous! Do you like it? Mistress made it! It's a lot more practical this way, but I don't really know if it looks right on me. What do you think?"

"'s nice."

"Really?! Do you think I should keep it like this then?"

"I dunno. Got the thing f' you."

"Ehh? Thing for me..?"

"F' the test."

"Ohhh! Right, we have to test the tranquillizing thingy! Right! How are we going to do that..?"

"On that." She says, pointing through the window at..

No way. That can't be. Is that really..

"IS THAT A BEAR?"

"Yes."

"IS THAT A BEAR WITH ITS LEGS AND MOUTH TIED TOGETHER?"

"Would try t' run away otherwise."

"But that's.. and how did.. IS IT CRYING?"

"Only 'cause it's a wuss. We gonna test it?"

But look at the poor thing! It's scared and in pain and stuff! We can't.. Though it is about the right size, I think, and we need to know if the tranquillizing poison is the right strength, otherwise it might be trouble for the werewolf mission.

>"Can't we test it on something.. less cute? Look at how scared he is! We need to let him go!" [Release the bear and don't test the tranquillizing poison]
>"I guess if we have to.. But only a half dose, I don't want to hurt the teddy!" [Give the bear a half dose]
>"Well, I don't like it, but I suppose it's necessary. We need to know exactly how powerful a dose of this is or we might accidentally kill the werewolf-man." [Give the bear a full dose]
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>1209362
Shouldn't bully poor bears!
>"Well, I don't like it, but I suppose it's necessary. We need to know exactly how powerful a dose of this is or we might accidentally kill the werewolf-man." [Give the bear a full dose]
Didn't expect you to get an update out this late!

>>1209362
>"I guess if we have to.. But only a half dose, I don't want to hurt the teddy!" [Give the bear a half dose]

>>1209362
>"I guess if we have to.. But only a half dose, I don't want to hurt the teddy!" [Give the bear a half dose]

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We're on page 10 now, which means the end of the thread is slowly approaching. I'm not sure there will be enough time for an update tomorrow before the thread expires, but I'm going to wait and see.

In case this does turn out to be the last update of thread, the current status is that I expect to have time for a proper session next weekend, but nothing is certain at the moment. That means, watch my twitter and I'll let you know as soon as I know myself!

For now, I am going to get some sleep. Remember, be wary of playing too rough with your catgirl or you might confuse her hunting instincts!

>>1209464
It'll probably be here tomorrow, but it might get close. Good night Friend!

>>1209362
>"I guess if we have to.. But only a half dose, I don't want to hurt the teddy!" [Give the bear a half dose]
That should be enough to figure out how powerful it is.

>>1209362
>"I guess if we have to.. But only a half dose, I don't want to hurt the teddy!" [Give the bear a half dose]

>>1209362
>"Well, I don't like it, but I suppose it's necessary. We need to know exactly how powerful a dose of this is or we might accidentally kill the werewolf-man." [Give the bear a full dose]

>>1209362
>"Well, I don't like it, but I suppose it's necessary. We need to know exactly how powerful a dose of this is or we might accidentally kill the werewolf-man." [Give the bear a full dose]

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So this thread is currently the next in line to drop off, so it does look like this was the last update of the thread. That's a shame, but it can't be helped.

This week is going to be particularly exciting for me, but possibly not too terribly busy, so I am hoping to run a proper session on Saturday, but as always keep an eye on my twitter for the latest status on that. Unexpected things tend to happen.

Next time, I'm also going to want to know how you felt about this emergency-backup-panic plan, even if it did kind of fail spectacularly. But that's not important right now!

What is important, is thank you for staying with me, hope you enjoyed everything, and see you next time!

>>1211963
Thanks for running Friend!

>>1209362
>"Well, I don't like it, but I suppose it's necessary. We need to know exactly how powerful a dose of this is or we might accidentally kill the werewolf-man." [Give the bear a full dose]
Everything else is pointless cruelty, isn’t it?

>>1211963
Thank you for the thread!