>>3845477

In the district of Divitis, right beside Aevum in the breaking dawnlight, there sits an amphitheatre rising out of its island surrounded by canals. It’s one of the many tall cylindrical structures fighting for attention around here, each separated by only a few neighborhoods and each displaying some strange personality. This one in particular has chalk-white walls carved with tableaus of incomprehensible scenes. On occasion, the stone figures change poses, but they’re always framed by the pillars and flourishes. It’s the Jester Ring-ground, and despite it being so early in the morning, it is partially filled while featuring a duel between two Jesters. An exhibition match, arguably. While it very well could’ve been had on the water right outside or somewhere much more seclusive, you have chosen the fight to be here. It was fitting after all.

Inside, two figures clash, vague shapes moving at dizzying speeds on top of a circular stone platform encircled with water. They’re occupying one of the three dueling arenas, the one dead center. One of the duelists is a man dressed in a doublet with red, yellow, and green stripes while wearing dark red pantaloons. There’s a glint as his signet ring catches the growing sunlight. His hair is short and his face is sharp, his years starting to show around his eyes, and on his feet are ridiculous, soft pointy shoes, just like his opponent. It’s not a very complementing outfit.

The exchanges are not even, and on the receiving end is another man. He wears a mauve tunic with matching leggings, a red and yellow checkered waistcoat the only splash of vivid color on him. You’d describe his face, but you don’t know what it looks like. He’s you, after all.

Half of the audience are fellow Ring members and half of them were passersby who were caught by the allure of free entertainment. They all look the same to you and your opponent in the Wake: flat shadows welded to the background, swimming into the air as it draws upward to an invisible sun. And though you might call it an exhibition match, all that’s being shown is your humiliation.

He moves faster than you. Your sword raises to control his but fails to make it in time. All you can do is leap backward and block with the forte of your sabre. You know all of his tricks, all of his moves, all of his attacks, and yet none of yours will ever reach him because he outpaces you in every way imaginable. While you feel your body languidly move after thought passes through it, he simply acts. You couldn’t even tell he was about to attack until the blow Rattled you through your entirety. Legs wobbling, you take a step back. Your sword is raised in a weak effort to stop the impending strike, but it does little. His sabre simply slips past and pierces your chest with ease.

>>3845479

You drop to your knees as blood trickles down. Cheers erupt from the stands though none of it betray any kind of surprise. By Sword Law, the city has witnessed and judged you to be guilty. The Wake fades, and on the face of Valentino Vota, the man who so thoroughly floored you, there is only self-satisfaction. And as for your wound, there’s only a tiny scar replacing it as the shadows become people again.

The victor, looming over you, sheathes his sabre into his ornate red scabbard. He doesn’t even offer you a hand. “Go on, get up and leave.”

He challenged you and you chose to defend yourself, of course. As a professional duelist, having someone else be your representative is nothing short of surrendering your reputation. But in the end, you’ve surrendered it anyway. You are no longer a Jester. Thrown out from the smallest and least reputable duelist Ring.

But why?

>You stole something.

>You were ruining the reputation of the Ring. What little it has, anyways.

>You refused to take on the assignments they gave you.

Hello! If you find this alarmingly familiar, that’s because this takes place in the setting of Court of Swords. I’m not Ouro, obviously. With his blessing, I’m running this short quest whose story is separate from his own. You don’t need to read CoS as I’ll explain things as we go along but I think you should anyways. In any case, I’ll be “redoing” exposition very quickly to help out and to refresh memories.

Court of Swords Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=court+of+swords

You might also recognize a duelist or two from one place or another. Try not to make assumptions since I made some changes.

>>3845481
>You stole something.
Ouro? Nvm You got my hopes up

>>3845497
>You stole something.

Least is a comparative term, and there is a gulf between those who are in a Ring and those who aren’t. There is a reason why the poor can’t generally join. There’s a standard to uphold and having a thief that steals from their own isn’t something to be tolerated. They couldn’t prove it, of course. If they did, you would’ve been long behind bars.

When the day Ringmaster’s sabre disappeared and you just happened to be in the area, suspicions fell on you. Not naturally, of course. You don’t think anyone really likes you. Or remembers you, for that matter. You only ever make shallow conversation and every time someone looked at you they’d seem to be struggling to know who your face actually belonged to. Whether or not you actually stole the damn thing is irrelevant. You’re suffering the consequences for it and everyone will forever on know you did. You’re just lucky the terms of your loss wasn’t any harsher.

For that reason, you feel bold enough to stand up, pat yourself off, and shout, “Yeah, well, fuck you! I didn’t want to be here anyway. I quit!”

Valentino is baffled. “You’re already out. What do you mean you quit?”

“I meant what I meant.”

This would be the moment you rip the Ring insignia off of you and toss it onto the ground except you never used it. You could never figure out how to shape the Wake anyway. Turning on your heel, you storm out. Yeah, that’ll fucking teach them.

At the edge of your vision, you spot some wincing Jesters who just about remember your name. Your storming picks up the pace if only by a little. When you finally made your way out of the Ring-grounds and onto the canals, you almost want to plunge your face into the water. It’d probably hurt considering you'd just be smacking the surface, but maybe it’ll feel cathartic in a way. Maybe. After all, no one even comes out to console you.

But instead of actually doing anything you just stare at half-clear waters that are horrifically scented with every kind of perfume imaginable. All the canals in Divitis are like this, and everyone unfortunate enough to live near the district suffer for it. As if to make up for it, almost all of the buildings here are immaculate and white, occasionally marbled, and never painted. Statues and fountains outnumber any kind of garden in this district, making any kind of saturated color breaking up the landscape ever more punctuating.

You wonder what you look like right now, because all you can actually see is your floating scabbard casting its awkward, lone shadow. Like shit? Because you feel like it and you probably look the part too.

You need something to shake off this awful feeling.

>>3845549

>Apply for membership in another Ring.

>You just want to swing your sabre at someone. Anyone. Challenge someone passing by!

>You just want to swing your sabre at someone. Find someone looking for a gutter duelist.

>Indulge yourself in this district’s pleasures. There’s always plenty of that.

>You have a part time job, likely full-time job now. Maybe that can take your mind off things.

>Other (Specify)

>>3845552

>You just want to swing your sabre at someone. Find someone looking for a gutter duelist.

>>3845552
>>You have a part time job, likely full-time job now. Maybe that can take your mind off things.

Sorry, I was almost done writing.

>You just want to swing your sabre at someone. Find someone looking for a gutter duelist.

Someone somewhere out there must be having their honor threatened! Or is being accused something they didn’t do. Or is the one accusing someone of something they didn’t do. All that matters is that they’re poor and they’re being bent over by something that isn’t High Law or Street Law but is a Law nonetheless. But you’ll never sink low enough to become a public defender. Where’s the joy in fighting for people who can’t even pay you themselves?

Of all the spectacles in the City, Sword Law is the one most glamorous. In the City, crimes against honor and personal redress can be settled through combat to first blood, and by the city it will be judged. And for those who are unfit to fight, there is a clause that allows anyone to choose a champion, someone to fight in their stead. It may have been a mistake. After all, why fight when you can hire someone who has trained their entire life for it? Only a fool would, of course, especially when nobles, merchant leagues, and even upholders of Street Law have retainers on hand. And for those who can’t pay, there are the public defenders. They serve the city, presumably lose horribly, then get paid by the city on a wage. But it isn’t as if many people have a choice. Some things can only be settled with a sharp edge.

But you? To have countless spectators cheer for you when you win, to have your pockets lined with coin by the powerful, to become someone and somebody, that is why you chose to swing your sabre. A noble reason, truly.

Too bad you’re apparently a fucking joke.

There’s stress to be worked out and the only way to do it is to swing your sabre at someone. And win, hopefully. You could simply challenge someone off the street, but even that’s a bit much for you. With renewed purpose, you walk down the canals, merging with the growing, bustling crowd of people have since the duel woken up. You slip away from the Jester Ring-grounds, scabbard in hand. No one gets in your way, always politely moving to the side in fear of your pointy stick.

1/2

>>3845621
The district of Somn is a bit of a walk away. It is also noticeably less rich but still well enough off that no one exactly considers it a place to avoid. Murals lay on brick and stone walls and the scenery always breathes life into the small little stores that dot the streets. There’s quite the heart of commerce in the district but that isn’t where you’re going! Rather, in an alleyway that moves once a week, there is a fountain. It is a special one! Mostly because of how many people use it despite hating it. You could go through bureaucracy and people and all that shit but you don’t want to do that. You want to beat someone up, not talk to them!

The Maia Accoppia is a two-tiered fountain that is as wide as it is tall, and it’s about twice as tall as any man and then some. It’s part of a nondescript building and along the wall climbs up, a pair of stone birds sits on the marble spout near the top where water comes out of. There are about a dozen or so people already there, mumbling some kind of nonsense as they write things down on soaked parchment. Two of them even have scabbards at their sides. No one notices you or maybe it’s more accurate to say no one cares. Not until you toss a coin in and state your profession.

Then the two birds turn to stare down on you, judging you. Of course, it’s just stone and hardly even knows you’re there, but the architect who built it was likely a psychopath and wanted to make sure everyone knew the city was judging you of your worth. And that it was always wanting. And answering your call, a single, soggy piece of paper rises from the depths of the fountain. To your surprise, it’s not empty! That’s curious. Perhaps the fountain was saving it just for you! Well, no, that’s what the fountain is supposed to do. You pick it and read its name and location.

The first person who ever tossed a coin into the Maia Accoppia had wished for true love. Unfortunately, it’s difficult for an architect jerking around with fountains to truly discern the complexities and differences between one legally recognized human from another. The Font, despite casting the shadows that make for every human, sword, and fountain, is impossible to perceive. And for the first brave, wealthy soul to cast a coin into it, she was repaid with an unseemly dullard who was perpetually high off humours. It was taken as an insult and the architect’s body was found mysteriously floating in the canals a week later.

But more relevantly, it was decided that no one should expect anything but trash and that applies to every profession and every request in there. Trash goes in. Trash comes out. Simple! And the trash you have fished out points you to a place you’ve been to. In fact, it’s in this very district! You almost even recognize the name, but just almost. Looking at the time, you find you have a couple of hours.

You can’t wait to stick your sword into someone! You’ll cut them real fucking good and pretend they’re Valentino and be happy.

2/3

>>3845623
>Head there right now. You might as well get there early.

>Go for a walk. You could cool your head.

>Throw another coin into the fountain. Why not try to find your true love?

>Accost one of the gutter duelists at the fountain. Why? More like why not.

>Other (Specify)

>>3845624

>Accost one of the gutter duelists at the fountain. Why? More like why not.
I suppose we're in a bad mood... so...

>Accost one of the gutter duelists at the fountain. Why? More like why not.

You squint at the sky. The sun’s high, far too close, and in the middle of transitioning the city from ice cold to melting hot. You should do something. You can even meet up with your client before the request expires! But they’re probably not expecting you so soon or anyone at all so they can just wait.

You haven’t sharpened your sword. You haven’t done your morning routine. You haven’t done anything. Then again, you don’t need to. You sharpen your edge through duels, you maintain your body by remaining in a perpetual state of tenseness, and you can do practice whatever you want whenever you want! None of that is true... to some extent. It’s weird, and you don’t get it and find it impossible to explain. For example, you certainly remembered the dumb little trick you kept fending off in the duel earlier.

You’ve decided. You will do none of these things. Instead, you walk up to one of the crouching duelists and strike up a pointless conversation only one of you wants to be a part of.

“Hey, do I know you?” You don’t.

He turns around. He’s got a boyish sort of face with long black hair tied into a low ponytail. His duelist outfit consisting of a waistcoat, short trousers, and rolled up sleeves is rather messy, his scabbard wooden and plain, and yet he was writing with the sort of frenzy someone would have before they had the life sucked out of them after losing match after match. It’s a little... admirable, almost.

“Do I?” He meets you unflinchingly after glancing at your shoes.

“Yeah, we had that match that one time! You know, I was defending that old man?”

Sheepishly, he scratches the back of his head. “Sorry, I can’t seem to remember.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I forgot your name too.” You crouch down, trying to take a good look at what he’s scribbling down. “What do you got there? A love letter?”

“What? This? No!” He scrambles to hide the paper. “This is... I was... looking for someone.”

“So you’re saying I’m not wrong.”

“N-no! Honest!”

“Even so, you do know what this fountain is, right?” Nothing good’s going to come out of it.

“It’s like a matchmaking service, isn’t it? One that you can use it for anything.” You see him strain to read your expression. You’d like to believe you’re giving away nothing at all but you can never be too sure. “It served me well so far!”

>Rip the paper right out of his hands!

>”Looking for who?”

>”You’re not wrong. In fact, you’re right!”

>Lie to him. ”Want a secret? If you throw in more coins, the fountain would think better of you.”

>Other (Specify)

>>3845793
>”Looking for who?”

>>3845793
>”Looking for who?”

Oh, how curious! You’re looking for someone too! Though you doubt his problems are as difficult to solve as yours. It certainly wouldn’t draw as many stares. In fact, there are a nonzero number of people who think you are either a fascina or unhinged. Maybe both.

“Say, looking for who? Maybe I know them.”

“I really doubt it. It’s just a friend who enjoys preserving things...” With another quick scribble, he balls up the sheet and throws it into the fountain. You vaguely know the profession he’s bringing up and you don’t like it. It gives you the creeps.

“You never know that. I’m good with faces. That’s how I remember yours and not your name.”

“Signore, I don’t think I showed anyone in a duel my face before.” His eyes narrow.

The fuck?

“Maybe it’s your voice? Your scabbard? It’s been a while.” You have no idea what you’re saying but you’re trying to distract him from staring at you in this odd, unsettling way. Like he’s trying to figure out what’s wrong with you but he can’t tell. His eyes fall down to where you should be casting a shadow and tries even harder, completely ignoring you. It’s about that time he shifts his body and on his belt you spot a little insignia of a circle that breaks at the top and extends into two short parallel lines. Oh. Taking that as your sign to go, you nod at him and say, “In any case, I need to get going. Maybe you’ll tell me your name next time!”

You came here to fuck with something, not be fucked with. Turning on a heel, you spin around and start walking out of the alleyway. The hairs on the back of your neck rise. You doubt he’ll even recognize you if he ever sees you again but you’re not about to leave an actual lasting impression.

There’s still some time but you’d rather move on, making your way to the Mercato located in the middle of Somn. It’s one of the largest marketplaces in the city and one that you rarely visit because the customers of your part time job aren’t here. The ones who give you coin are richer, more desperate, and able to make recurring payments. That sounds like you’re taking advantage of them and that’s only half-right! And as soon as you even approach the collection of canals you already spot a guide leading a handful of foreigners around. Many are wearing paper masks and lenses, trying to not expose themselves to the city. Around their legs, sculptures dart and weave around, running errands like the paintings and signs that accompany some stands. Into the bustling crowd you carefully maneuver.

1/3

>>3846147
When you emerge, you are in the front of a humble little stone building with a wooden sign on top. It’s a dirty kind of grey and you’re sure it’s that color so the owner could save on cleaning fees. You push open the front door and step in without warning, entering a small little space separated by a counter in the center that is connected to one wall. The counter itself is a glass display case and, much like the shelves lining the back wall, it displays a variety of terrariums. All of them are contained in round, spherical looking-glasses roughly the size of your head. It’s a special kind of looking glass, one that changes perspective depending on your viewing.

You’ve only heard about in passing how some extraordinarily dedicated people passed on the knowledge of growing these things. They’re immensely time-consuming and if you mess up shaping it, you wouldn’t even know until years down the line. It’s truly a thankless venture. A few of the looking-glasses feature some kind of barbaric civilization that wouldn’t look out of place in the Lesser Realms, while most of them only show some kind of scenery. One you spot is actually a little miniature version of a City district! It’s intentionally vague and is only a representation but it’s more real than the other little baubles. There’s people moving about and it seems more filled with life than you are. You bet it’s the most expensive thing in this entire shop.

“Can I help you?” The withered old thing behind the counter finally speaks to you, forcing you to pull your face from the display. He’s wearing a pair of suspenders on top of a wrinkled shirt, and on top of that is a white, bushy beard.

“I’m looking for an Ezio Antinori?” You wave the little parchment in your hand and slap it down before him.

“That’s me,” he says. The texture of his voice starts to approach gravel. “Are you—“

“Your duelist? Yes, I am. My name is,” Fuck. What did you say it was? Oh, right. “Rossi.”

“Rossi?” He motions his hand as if he was asking you to say more.

“Just Rossi.” You stare hard at him, hoping he changes the subject.

2/3

>>3846153

And he does! While wincing too. “I don’t think I can afford someone like you.”

Only now do you take a good look at what you’re wearing. You’ve never changed! “I’m not a Jester. If I say I am, please disregard it lest I get taken to High Court. In any case, I’ll work for the pittance you already wrote down.”

To that, he lets out a sigh of relief. “I thought I was going to get a public duelist since no one was coming. Not like there’s much difference.”

“I’m insulted but I’m going to let that slide. You’ve got a nice little place, Signore. What do you need someone like me for?”

The old man bites his lower lip. “I think someone stole one of my pieces from me and broke it. It’s about three decades old and was lying in pieces outside. Well, I swept it up so now it’s lying in pieces in the back room,” he explains, “Someone else expressed interest in buying it before this all happened. That’s a hit to my income. A huge hit. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

He reminded you of the last duel for a brief moment and you are very uncomfortable.

“Three decades, that’s quite the investment. I think I can safely secure you a good amount of coin in your terms.”

“That’s not the point. Even if you won he won’t be able to pay it back.”

>”Say no more! Point me in the direction of this thug and I’ll set things straight.”

>”Can we start from the beginning? I’d like to know why he did it.”

>”He’ll have to lose a hand then. If you want, I can make it two.”

>”What are you worried about? You still have more of these things.”

>”What DO you want then? Don’t waste my time with coming up with something after putting out that notice.”

>”Wait, am I defending you or...?”

>Other (Specify)

>>3846158
>”Can we start from the beginning? I’d like to know why he did it.”
>”What DO you want then? Don’t waste my time with coming up with something after putting out that notice.”

>>3846180
>Hmm. Can he replace the contents? Would 3 decades of people memories work for a looking glass?

>”Can we start from the beginning? I’d like to know why he did it.”
>”What DO you want then? Don’t waste my time with coming up with something after putting out that notice.”
>Hmm. Can he replace the contents? Would 3 decades of people memories work for a looking glass?

“Can we start from the beginning? I’d like to know why he did it.”

Signore Antinori taps on the counter. Then, somewhere in his head, he works something out. Raising a hand, he signals you to follow him. You do so, circling around the counter and entering the back room after him. There’s a single window streaming light in and bringing day to all the terrariums that fill the shelves. There’s a wooden table by the window and there’s a half-finished project beside a completely unrelated massive pile of dirt, rock, and glass. It’s all a bit reddish as if someone got sanguine humours all over it.

He pulls out the only chair in the room and sits down slowly, fearful of his back giving way. Slowly he points at the mess strewn about. “That was supposed to be Apocalypsis. Or resembled it, at least.”

“Oh, you’re being challenged by a fascina. Presumably for misusing his image. Wow, and he wanted to do this after smashing the thing!”

“Yes, how did you know? It wasn’t supposed to look like him. I guess he saw too much of himself in it and was frustrated.”

“I really can’t think of anyone thing else. And let me guess, another fascina wanted to buy it.”

“Yes!” His energy quickly dies back down. “Ah, she won’t be able to now. I’m sure she’ll be disappointed the next time she comes by.”

Something seems off. You can’t place what, but this whole thing just feels off-kilter. “Did you see him smash it?”

“No, but, I don’t know who else it would be.”

“Hmm. Can he replace the contents? Would three decades’ worth of memories work for a terrarium?” That’s definitely something that involves lawyers but you’re not the one worrying about it!

“That sounds a little dangerous,” he muses, “I’m not supposed to make things one-to-one.”

“It’s only a bit of inspiration. If he had what it took to break something that expensive then clearly he has what it takes to suffer the consequences. He should have known his image was on the line.” It might be a problem if someone starts thinking the simulacrum is as real as he is and decides to break the thing but that’s his problem.

“I just don’t know—“

You have little care for the fact he’s paying you. You don’t need coin. So you interrupt. “What do you want then? Don’t waste my time with coming up with something after putting out that notice.”

Much quieter, he replies, “Maybe you’re right. I can model a new terrarium around him.”

“Good.” You fold your arms across your chest. Actually, depending on what his duelist sets as the terms, it might not even be equal. And in that case, the challenger has the advantage since they can simply raise theirs to match.

Hrm.

1/2

>>3846347
You spent about an hour receiving a free showing of his works. It’s all nifty stuff, all small people or animals doing small people or animal things in their small little worlds. They don’t even know you’re looking at them! The old man handles each and every single terrarium with extreme care, knowing even the slightest movement could shape the miniature worlds easily. You bet it’s more stressful than dueling, you’ll admit that. He occasionally stops to handle a customer coming in.

After an eternity, two people enter the store. You immediately stand up to see a tired, nervous man in a red coat with a scabbard hanging by his belt. It’s a cheap tin thing. His hair is short and is a complete mess. Beside him is a noticeably more energized man, a head taller than both of you, and his clothes are somewhat threadbare and is otherwise completely forgettable. His eyes immediately fall on Signore Antinori and then to the sheathed sabre in your hands.

He says, “I see your duelist is already here! Let’s settle things once and for all. My name is Silvio Maita, and this is...“

His duelist continues unwillingly, “Vittore Passarello.”

“Vittore,” you repeat. “Ah, victory. Does that ring true often?”

Your counterpart just looks at you. Oh, it looks like he’s heard of that one before. You notice that he notices you failing to apologize or even continue the conversation. He lets out a deep breath. “Let’s start negotiations.” He says, “If I win, Ezio Antinori has to destroy the terrarium featuring my client’s likeness.”

You turn to look at Signore Antinori. He stares dead into your eyes. Most important, he doesn’t speak.

>”Wait, hold on, it’s already destroyed. Didn’t your client destroy it?”

>”...And if I win, Maita-what’s-his-face has to surrender three decades’ worth of memories to model a new terrarium with!”

>”...And if I win, your client has to repay all damages in full!”

>Other (Specify)

Last update for today. I'll continue tomorrow.

>>3846359
>”...And if I win, your client has to purchase the terrarium. They will be free to destroy it at their leisure, but insufficient coin will require providing the materials to model a new terrarium with!”

>”...And if I win, your client has to purchase the terrarium. They will be free to destroy it at their leisure, but insufficient coin will require providing the materials to model a new terrarium with!”

If the old man isn’t saying anything then neither will you.

“...And if I win, your client has to purchase the terrarium. They will be free to destroy it at their leisure, but insufficient coin will require providing the materials to model a new terrarium with!”

One way or another, his client is going to be paying for it. Regardless of whether or not he’s guilty!

Silvio doesn’t look too happy about this but Vittore just tells you, “That’s fine. By the way, I don’t think I caught your name.” Vittore eyes you up and down, clearly finding your incredible outfit intimidating. Or at least interesting. Or unpleasant. It’s all the same, really.

“What did you say?” you reply, “I didn’t catch that.”

“Your name.”

Wow, he’s really insistent. “Rossi.”

Vittore just looks tired with you. He’s not getting paid enough to deal with this. “Are you a...”

“No.”

You didn’t even know what he was about to say but you didn’t need to.

He doesn’t look like he believes you but he moves on anyways. “Specify the time and location.”

“For location...”

>Right here! You’re likely to end up leaving the shop in the middle of the fight.

>In the nearest near-empty canal. That should be fine.

>Right in the market square. It’s not like you could be interrupted while in the Wake.

“And for the time...”

>Right now!

>A few hours. You might give some time for Silvio to figure it out but maybe his duelist has some tricks up his sleeve.

>Tomorrow. That should give you enough time to study Vittore completely! Or do absolutely nothing.

>>3847618
>>Right here! You’re likely to end up leaving the shop in the middle of the fight.
>Right now!
where is everyone?

>>Right here! You’re likely to end up leaving the shop in the middle of the fight.
>Right now!

With no time to waste, you cut to the chase.

“Right here and right now!”

You don’t need to study up on a gutter duelist! You’ll just trash him before he even knows what he’s doing.

“Fine by me,” Vittore says. “But isn’t it a little cramped here?”

“We’ll just have to start the duel a little close to each other. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

“If you say so.”

He pulls his sabre out, the forte vivid red with a floral pattern of white. As soon as it reaches the debole, it fades into the color of steel and becomes sharp as it too. You pull yours out too, tossing your scabbard for your client to catch. Yours is a shade of fountain blue that becomes lighter as it moves down the length, silver inlays forming completely incoherent shapes as if it was liquid spilled. And possibly the worst part about it is the tinge of red that got on there after the last duel, a hideous hatching of red that first appear to be scratches but on closer inspection would reveal to be a pathetic attempt at stripes.

It’s not pretty, but it is yours.

To Signore Antinori, you point out, “You don’t seem worried.”

“Why would I be?”

You smirk. Your sword meets Vittore’s to touch before scraping down and parting. For a moment, you see into him and he does the same to you. For a moment, you thought he saw through you too.

>Rossi’s Composure: 2d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d12

>Vittore’s Composure: 4d4, ??

Oh. This looks like it’s going to be way too easy. Is that all he’s got?

Both of you turn around and begin to pace toward opposing walls, and while you would normally make large strides, you barely even manage a few small steps before meeting stone. Behind you, Vittore turns.

“Representing the challengers, I claim right to offense. Should I triumph, the challenged must destroy the terrarium that contains my client’s likeness. Should the challenged neglect this, I claim the right to punishment under High Law.” He says it in an indoor voice but you’re not sure if it’s out of politeness or not.

You spin around to face him. “Representing the challenged, I claim the right to redress! Should I triumph, I demand that the challenger to purchase the terrarium! And if there is insufficient coin, he must provide the materials to model a new terrarium with! Should the challenger neglect this, I claim the right to punishment under High Law!”

Your sword is raised and so is his. One eye behind the blade, all you can see is the back wall reflected upon the garbage design ruined by red. The next four words are said in unison.

“See and be unseen!”

1/4

>>3848131
You See.

The world blooms and spreads outward, colors shifting endlessly before stopping on something nonsensical. The little terrariums that used to be surrounding you rotate and meld, spreading around as the looking glasses start to bleed. The walls fade in and out when you look at them, and you’re able to see the crowd of shadows moving outside. They’re flat and unreal and yet they’re moving, drifting inward, closer to where the sun would be, into a sky of fuschia and green.

You are Unseen.

You join the shadows, ripped upward as your mind isn’t quite part of either two anymore. Two men are standing below you. One of them are dyed in the colors of a setting sun, dripping with ink. The other is almost clear, melded with the scenery with green, grey, and brown, his hands as blue as his blade. You wonder which one is you. You almost don’t even recognize the second person; it’s almost as if he wasn’t even there. That doesn’t matter, it’s not like you want to be either. You can continue onward, swept by the current into the abstract warmth that—

*!

You realize yourself for the second time today. You are... You are...!

Who the fuck cares what your name is? Ego death can go bend itself over. You’ve entered the Wake countless times and even when the City crushes your existence you will know who you are. You are real as the real and you gaze as the amber-saturated Vittore who stands in position.

Immediately, both of you move forward!

2/4

>>3848133
The duel rules, courtesy of Ouro:
>Each duellist has three special pools that they can keep various kinds of dice within. Their Composure Pool, their Technique Pool and their Strike Pool. The Composure Pool is the only pool that starts with dice present, the rest rely on Techniques to gain dice.
>If a duellist’s Composure is depleted of all dice, they lose their composure and can no longer stop the other effectively. A Strike made against a Composureless Duellist ends the duel.
>The main way to lose Composure dice is from taking damage. Whenever you take damage, all dice with a total number of sides equal to or less than the damage dealt are destroyed.
>Each duellist also possesses six Techniques, moves that they can select and use during the duel.
>Techniques come in four types: Strikes, Flourishes, Tricks and Stances.
>Flourishes all generate dice to various pools, usually to the Technique Pool.
>Strikes shift dice from other Pools into the Strike Pool, at which point all the dice in the Strike Pool are rolled and consumed to determine the total damage.
>Tricks move dice around from one pool or another or otherwise change dice for you or your opponent.
>Stances are Techniques that once activated, will grant a persistent passive bonus for as long as they remain active. Stances can be broken by reducing Composure past a certain threshold.
>Duellists both select their move at the same time and enact them in the same turn. Tricks outspeed Strikes and Flourishes, which are equal to each other in priority and everything outspeeds Stance activations. Techniques that move at the same priority act at the same time, progressing through one sentence of the description at a time.
>If a duellist loses at least one Composure dice through damage, they are Rattled. Rattled duellists cannot use techniques of the same type as the one they selected on the turn they were Rattled. But if the damage destroys dice of multiple different sizes at once, the duellist forces themselves to defend and will not be Rattled.

Rule Pastebin: https://pastebin.com/6eTp737y


>>3848062
I'll keep running if there's at least one person voting. Mostly because otherwise it wouldn't be a quest anymore.

>>3848134
Vittore Passarello
Composure Pool: 4d4, ??
Technique Pool: Empty
Strike Pool: Empty

ABILITIES: Unknown

TECHNIQUES: Unknown


Rossi
Composure Pool: 2d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d12
Technique Pool: Empty
Strike Pool: Empty

Abilities:

>Muddled Reflection: [ABILITY]When your opponent uses a move with the same text as your move in a round, generate a d4 into your Technique Pool.

>Allusive Aspirations: Takes place out of the duel.

TECHNIQUES (Choose One)


>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Showing Off: [FLOURISH]Generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Lead The Blade: [TRICK]Declare a size of dice. Your opponent cannot generate, siphon or roll dice of that size this round. If they attempt to, the single lowest dice in your Technique Pool is increased in size by 2 sides.

>Mirror Image: [TRICK]Perform the text of your opponent’s chosen Technique. For this duel, replace this Technique with a copy of the Technique your opponent performed this round and prefix it with Mirrored. All of your Mirrored Techniques transform back into Mirror Image when any of your Composure dice is destroyed by an opponent’s Strike.

>Brute Strike: [STRIKE]Siphon the lowest value dice from your Composure Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Invincible Rookie: [STANCE]Every time you generate a dice that has 2 sides or more into any pool, generate a d1 into the same pool. Can only be active while you have d4s in your Composure Pool.

Invincible Rookie
Showing Off
Showing Off

>>3848187
This is the first queue so you're just picking 1 for now. I'll count this as a vote for IR though.

>>3848189
Okay!

>Invincible Rookie: [STANCE]Every time you generate a dice that has 2 sides or more into any pool, generate a d1 into the same pool. Can only be active while you have d4s in your Composure Pool.

You’d like to say you manage to get a good swing but you don’t. Neither of you get enough momentum as he swings at you and you knock it off its original path. The shape that you figure to be Silvio jerks away despite him never being in any real danger. You immediately step back, neither leg crossing the other as you try to firm your footing, passing through a wall in the process, and Vittore chases.

>INVINCIBLE ROOKIE

On your back foot, you spring forward, interrupting his attack with a quick fleche. Despite feeling it connect, you run past him to find him awkwardly tensing up. The incredibly busy market square starts focusing their attention on the two of you, the two morons having a duel where they really shouldn’t. It’s distracting and when they come out of the wake it could be a complete mess. That isn’t why he’s bothered, though.

But suddenly he rips off his coat and throws it in your face! You swat it to the side with your free hand before he can even close in. He tries anyway and only achieves making you stepping back a few. You just stare at him as he awkwardly jumps to the side to pick up what he just threw. Is he just going to keep on trying that?

>Vittore uses a Flourish called Stylish Attempt!

>Stylish Attempt: [FLOURISH]Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d6 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

By now, both of you have fully left the store and you are just right in the middle of someone else’s place. But unwilling as you are to be separated by wall or door, you step out. The two of you then awkwardly circle around as neither person makes a move.

Vittore hums, “You’re slower than I expected.”

“Again, I’m not a Jester. I can’t stress this enough.”

1/2

>>3848276
Vittore Passarello
Composure Pool: 4d4, ??
Technique Pool: 1d4
Strike Pool: Empty

ABILITIES: Unknown

TECHNIQUES

>Stylish Attempt: [FLOURISH]Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d6 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.


Rossi
Composure Pool: 2d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d12
Technique Pool: Empty
Strike Pool: Empty

Abilities:

>Muddled Reflection: [ABILITY]When your opponent uses a move with the same text as your move in a round, generate a d4 into your Technique Pool.

>Allusive Aspirations: Takes place out of the duel.

TECHNIQUES (Choose THREE)


>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Showing Off: [FLOURISH]Generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Lead The Blade: [TRICK]Declare a size of dice. Your opponent cannot generate, siphon or roll dice of that size this round. If they attempt to, the single lowest dice in your Technique Pool is increased in size by 2 sides.

>Mirror Image: [TRICK]Perform the text of your opponent’s chosen Technique. For this duel, replace this Technique with a copy of the Technique your opponent performed this round and prefix it with Mirrored. All of your Mirrored Techniques transform back into Mirror Image when any of your Composure dice is destroyed by an opponent’s Strike.

>Brute Strike: [STRIKE]Siphon the lowest value dice from your Composure Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Invincible Rookie: [STANCE]Every time you generate a dice that has 2 sides or more into any pool, generate a d1 into the same pool. Can only be active while you have d4s in your Composure Pool.

Well I don't see a use for Muddled Reflection just yet. I say we go with:

Lead the Blade, naming d6's. This should hopefully catch his Stylish Attempt.
Showing Off
Showing Off

This should get 2d6 and 2d1 into our Composure pool while depriving him of dice hopefully.

>Lead the Blade: d6
>Showing Off
>Showing Off

Why did you come here dressed like this? You guess if you end up losing this, it’ll be fitting since you’ll be making a complete fool of yourself. Thankfully such a thing will never happen because you have a plan!

And you know just what he’s about to do as you watch him wrap his coat around his forearm. You propel yourself forward, pushing through a shadow that used to be a person and feel your sabre strike... nothing? He retreated, leaping backward and maintaining his momentum with a few steps, forcing you to close in.

>LEAD THE BLADE

And despite it, he just keeps on retreating. Surely he’s wasting more energy than you are but he’s carrying himself back while you lose speed with each attack as you try to test him. You’ve seen this before, but only because you were doing it once. It’s the kind of thing someone does when they don’t know what the other person’s about to do!

>Vittore uses a Stance called Unassailable Rookie!

>Unassailable Rookie: [STANCE]Once this Stance is active, all dice that your opponent rolls out of their Strike Pool take a -1 penalty to their final result. Can only be active while you have a d4 in your Composure Pool.

But just because he’s doing something dumb doesn’t mean you can’t look good. Your knees bend for a brief moment before you explode toward him. The distance between him and a sharp edge shrinks awfully fast, and only by pure reflex does he manage to repel it. Your form is perfect, an inch off of poking a hole into his face.

>SHOWING OFF

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 1d1, 1d6

And in this position, you easily fend off his riposte. His sabre pushes back and arcs right where your free arm was. It could never hit you but it does force you to rethink if only for a second, buying him precious time.

>Vittore uses a Strike called Deadly Bluff!

>Deadly Bluff: [STRIKE]Siphon no dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. If this results in 0 power, generate a d4 directly into your Strike Pool.

>Vittore’s Strike Pool: 1d4

At then, you realize you left yourself wide open to his coat! Except it’s still around his arm, still unused even when he abruptly halts himself, aiming to have you impale yourself.

>Vittore uses a Flourish called Graceful Fall!

>Graceful Fall: [FLOURISH]Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. If any of your Composure dice are destroyed this round, generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Vittore’s Technique Pool: 2d4

But it does nothing since he was relying on you to do it. That’s just silly. You push it to the side enough to slip past and collide with him, your shoulder bumping into his as you catch yourself from falling. He fumbles as he tries to grab you with his offhand but you’re already on his wrist. You swivel around and kick him away before he can try anything else.

>SHOWING OFF

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 2d2, 2d6

1/2

>>3848431
You’ve gotten close to the edge of the Mercato. Behind you are people vaguely interested in the duel and people pushing to get a better angle. There are also people who are very unhappy you chose to have this go on right here. You don’t really notice since you’re eyeing the coat he’s still not tossing at you. He just grins. Why doesn’t he put it back on? What’s wrong with him?


Vittore Passarello
Composure Pool: 4d4, ??
Technique Pool: 2d4
Strike Pool: 1d4

ABILITIES: Unknown

TECHNIQUES

>Stylish Attempt: [FLOURISH]Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d6 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

>Graceful Fall: [FLOURISH]Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. If any of your Composure dice are destroyed this round, generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Deadly Bluff: [STRIKE]Siphon no dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. If this results in 0 power, generate a d4 directly into your Strike Pool.

>Unassailable Rookie: [STANCE]Once this Stance is active, all dice that your opponent rolls out of their Strike Pool take a -1 penalty to their final result. Can only be active while you have a d4 in your Composure Pool.


Rossi
Composure Pool: 2d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d12
Technique Pool: 2d2, 2d6
Strike Pool: Empty

Abilities:

>Muddled Reflection: [ABILITY]When your opponent uses a move with the same text as your move in a round, generate a d4 into your Technique Pool.

>Allusive Aspirations: Takes place out of the duel.

TECHNIQUES (Choose THREE)


>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Showing Off: [FLOURISH]Generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Lead The Blade: [TRICK]Declare a size of dice. Your opponent cannot generate, siphon or roll dice of that size this round. If they attempt to, the single lowest dice in your Technique Pool is increased in size by 2 sides.

>Mirror Image: [TRICK]Perform the text of your opponent’s chosen Technique. For this duel, replace this Technique with a copy of the Technique your opponent performed this round and prefix it with Mirrored. All of your Mirrored Techniques transform back into Mirror Image when any of your Composure dice is destroyed by an opponent’s Strike.

>Brute Strike: [STRIKE]Siphon the lowest value dice from your Composure Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Invincible Rookie: [STANCE]Every time you generate a dice that has 2 sides or more into any pool, generate a d1 into the same pool. Can only be active while you have d4s in your Composure Pool.

Something's up so let's try to finish things quick.

Showing Off
Showing Off
Focussed Blow

On average this should deal 14 damage

>>3848438
Shouldnt it be 2d1?

>>3848476
Whoops, my mistake. Your Technique Pool should be 2d1, 2d6.

>>3848438
It looks like hes charging up 4s, rather than getting big chunks.

Mirror Image
Lead the Blade 4
Mirror Image

We lose out on the trickspeed strike, but we should gen a lot more dice. Im not in big brain modo though.

I don't think this tie's going to get broken anytime soon so I'll do something tomorrow. Maybe roll a dice if I have to.

>>3848438
>Lead the blade d6
He's going to attempt again to that d6 and the finish us with his 1d6 +3d4 hit
>Focused Blow
Hit at the same time, but he's liable to lose with his lesser dice and 2d4+2d6 even with stance will fuck him up
>Brute strike
finish it.

Rolled 1 (1d3)

Not sure how else I can resolve this.

dice+20

>Showing Off
>Showing Off
>Focussed Blow

Is he trying to pull a fast one on you? What is he doing? You don’t understand. This is stupid. You really doubt a gutter duelist has anything too crazy but maybe he does. You can’t decide if your opponent is secretly a genius or someone desperately cobbling together a plan. There might not even be a difference. You can’t do anything now so you’d rather just deal with it when time comes. You’re busy thinking about that when he suddenly loosens his coats and whips it at your face! It surprises you and stings a little but it does little besides that. You simply run through it effortlessly. You try to emphasize the last part. Definitely not annoying at all.

>SHOWING OFF

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 3d1, 3d6

>Vittore uses Stylish Attempt!

>Vittore’s Technique Pool: 2d4, 1d6

It’s on you and you have to take it off but you manage it all in a single motion as you move to carve into his face. You just barely catch the swing he tries to wrangle you to the side. It works but only because you let it! Taking the chance, you take the coat he loosely holds onto and rip it free!

What now, huh?

>SHOWING OFF

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 4d1, 4d6

Answering you, he unhooks his scabbard free and jabs it right into your chest. You let go of the coat as you flinch in surprise. He just drops it down as he closes in your open form.

>Vittore uses Stylish Attempt!

>Vittore’s Technique Pool: 3d4, 1d6

You’ve had enough of this! You’re about to gut him but he drops down before you can do so. Bending his knees, he sweeps into a rising arc aiming at your sword arm. The strange angle and sudden motion may just score a hit on someone barely paying attention. You weren’t expecting this. Mostly because it’s so fucking weird.

It’s a Fisherman technique, and he does it haphazardly.

>FOCUSSED BLOW

>Vittore uses a Strike called High Tide!

>High Tide: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll the highest dice and all of equal size in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. The dice in your Strike Pool cannot be destroyed or moved for the remainder of the queue.

>Roll 4d6 for your damage. The 4d1 automatically roll 0 because of Unassailable Rookie.

Rolled 4 (1d6)

Rolling for Vittore.

Rolled 2, 5, 1, 1 = 9 (4d6)

>>3849739

His attack slides pass you, nearly clipping. In fact, it comes so close you scare yourself a little thinking that you nearly could’ve lost to him. There was zero chance it would’ve happened but rationality has little place in the fervor of the exchange.

>4 damage has destroyed 2d4 from Rossi’s Composure Pool!

>Rossi’s Composure: 2d6, 1d8, 1d12

>Invincible Rookie is broken!

>Rossi is Rattled! No Strikes can be used until after the first move of the next queue.

And oh, do you make an exchange. You let him slide down on the length of your sabre and when it strikes the hilt, you trap it on your outside and, with unparalleled grace, smash your goofy shoe into his face.

>2, 5, 1, 1 reduced to 1, 4, 0, 0 because of Unassailable Rookie!

>5 damage has destroyed 4d4 Vittore’s Composure Pool!

>Unassailable Rookie is broken!

>Vittore’s Composure: 1d6, 1d8

You shout, “Oh, come on!”

He winds back, wiping his face with a sleeve. He looks astonished that you’d do something like that and you look astonished that he didn’t just collapse right there and then. That had got to be embarrassing but you reason he’s used to it.

>Vittore’s Strike Pool: 3d4

>>3849900
Vittore Passarello
Composure Pool: 1d6, 1d8
Technique Pool: Empty
Strike Pool: 4d4

ABILITIES: Unknown

TECHNIQUES

>High Tide: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll the highest dice and all of equal size in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. The dice in your Strike Pool cannot be destroyed or moved for the remainder of the queue.

>Stylish Attempt: [FLOURISH]Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, upgrade it by 2 sides. This caps at d6 and if done again afterwards, resets back to d4.

>Graceful Fall: [FLOURISH]Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. If any of your Composure dice are destroyed this round, generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Deadly Bluff: [STRIKE]Siphon no dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. If this results in 0 power, generate a d4 directly into your Strike Pool.

>Unassailable Rookie: [STANCE]Once this Stance is active, all dice that your opponent rolls out of their Strike Pool take a -1 penalty to their final result. Can only be active while you have a d4 in your Composure Pool.


Rossi
Composure Pool: 2d6, 1d8, 1d12
Technique Pool: Empty
Strike Pool: Empty

Abilities:

>Muddled Reflection: [ABILITY]When your opponent uses a move with the same text as your move in a round, generate a d4 into your Technique Pool.

>Allusive Aspirations: Takes place out of the duel.

TECHNIQUES (Choose THREE)


>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Showing Off: [FLOURISH]Generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Lead The Blade: [TRICK]Declare a size of dice. Your opponent cannot generate, siphon or roll dice of that size this round. If they attempt to, the single lowest dice in your Technique Pool is increased in size by 2 sides.

>Mirror Image: [TRICK]Perform the text of your opponent’s chosen Technique. For this duel, replace this Technique with a copy of the Technique your opponent performed this round and prefix it with Mirrored. All of your Mirrored Techniques transform back into Mirror Image when any of your Composure dice is destroyed by an opponent’s Strike.

>Brute Strike: [STRIKE]Siphon the lowest value dice from your Composure Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Invincible Rookie: [STANCE]Every time you generate a dice that has 2 sides or more into any pool, generate a d1 into the same pool. Can only be active while you have d4s in your Composure Pool.

Correction: Vittore has 4d4 in his Strike Pool.

>>3850055
wow dude, in a bit of a rush?

>>3849923
He's rattled, so he can't use strikes. Right now I want some dice gen, so:
>Mirror
>Lead 4
>Mirror

>>3850064
He can
Rattled ends at end of queu. Strike, strike we lose unless we spam lead the blade.

>>3850074
Rattles at the end of a queue carry over to the first move. You can see how MC is rattled, right? same thing.

>>3849923
>>Showing Off: [FLOURISH]Generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.
>lead the blade 4
lead the blade 4

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>3850064
>>3850094
I don't really like rolling for this but I don't think I have a choice. Also, I'm perfectly fine with writing concede as long as you're actually behind.

>Mirror Image
>Lead The Blade: d4
>Mirror Image


He’s got the upper hand now. You begin to wonder about what he’s going to do but stop. You don’t have to. You can just look at him. The ebbing shadows as he steps through them, the floor that swapped color with the canal besides, the knowing expression of confidence he has, tinged with surprise that he might actually win. Maybe there’s something to learn here.

You move identical to him, faster than him, outpacing him in a moment of unthought, stepping into him as he falls back.

>MIRROR IMAGE

>Vittore uses Graceful Fall!

>Vittore’s Technique Pool: d4

>Muddled Reflection Bonus: d4

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 2d4

He tries to force you back but you simply carry his blade away. What else can you do to stop the inevitable? You control it far, far away from you, but that only allows him to wind back.

>LEAD THE BLADE: D4

>Vittore uses Graceful Fall!

>Vittore generates no dice.

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 1d4, 1d6

And then he attacks just as you force yourself to a complete stop. His attack comes, but you wonder, can you stop it?

>MIRRORED GRACEFUL FALL

>Vittore uses High Tide!

>Vittore’s Strike Pool: 5d4

Rolled 1, 2, 4, 3, 2 = 12 (5d4)

Rolling for Vittore to speed things up.

>>3850188
rip, guess we're praying for 8 on 1d4+2d6.

>>3850202
we've lost. we're broken , he will win next turn automatically.

we cannot stop a strike.

>>3850231
yes, you can.

>>3850188

>12 damage has destroyed 2d6, 1d8, and 1d12 in Rossi’s Composure Pool!

>Rossi’s Composure: Broken!

>Mirrored Graceful Fall bonus: 1d6

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 2d4, 2d6

>Mirrored Graceful Fall reverts to Mirror Image.

You can, but only barely, and the blow that comes rocks you to your core. You weren’t expecting this kind of strength from him but it’s sudden and explosive, having built over the duration of the duel. His dumb strike wasn’t used properly at all but he didn’t need to! Instead, you’re just left in surprise as you’re left tripping on your own legs. The thing you just learned from him vanishes into nothingness, your body forgetting the little trick right after just using it.

“Ah, shit.”

He sweeps in and draws blood with a single cut down your chest. What was supposed to be a bluff from before now is something used to actually end the duel. You have no way of stopping it so you had just let it happen. Unceremoniously, the Wake begins to fade.

Vittore has a dumb smile on his face. “I won? I won! Wow, I wasn’t expecting that at all. I guess today’s my lucky day.” He sheathes his sabre and throws his coat back on while you pat yourself off.

At least his client is still getting fucked.

The people become, well, people again, and many of them are in applause for the turnaround. They would’ve applauded regardless of what happened. And there’s quite the crowd given the location and that’s a bit embarrassing.

But you don’t really feel it because unlike the last one, this didn't feel venemous. And more importantly, maybe, just maybe, there’s something he can do better than you.

>Rossi has an ability called Allusive Aspirations. If there was one thing to learn from the long history of losses, it would be that there is always something good in everyone. Upon finishing a duel, win or lose, Rossi may copy something from his opponent, overwriting old aspects if necessary. Combined, Rossi may carry a total of 10 techniques and abilities even if he can only bring six to a duel.

He soaks in the applause, but, what do you really see?

>When you first Rattled him, you felt something hefty give way for better or worse. (Composure dice: 2d4 into 4d4)

>The way he kept his momentum. Always steadfast. He even surprised you. (A Technique. Specify).

>Nothing. There is nothing to be gained here.

>>3850231
No, unless we have a move that negate a strike, they do not need to siphon any dice to break us. They will hit first, and thus win.

Mirror does not steal the technique, nor stop it, the strike will hit us no matter what we do. We lose.

>>3850236
You can't stop him from using Deadly Bluff next turn. Even if you use Mirror Image to perform a trick-speed rattle strike, you don't siphon any dice.

Rolled 1 (1d4)

>>3850259
so? Strike is prevented for the whole queue.

That gives us....2 free rounds. Okay, only enough to stall one more queue and possibly break him when he beats us.

>>3850272
No, I mean, it wouldn't have done anything. It wouldn't have rattled. You would've siphoned no dice, rolled nothing, and have made a d4 into your Strike Pool.

>>3850272
he's saying we'd mirror
deadly bluff
which would do nothing cause no siphon.
then we get hit anyways.

>>3850275
>>3850277
ah, gotcha

>>3850247
>>When you first Rattled him, you felt something hefty give way for better or worse. (Composure dice: 2d4 into 4d4)
none of his techs that we saw are really good, we just were bad at using our better ones.

>>3850247

>When you first Rattled him, you felt something hefty give way for better or worse. (Composure dice: 2d4 into 4d4)
composure regen would round out Rossi's kit. Not much to work with here.

>When you first Rattled him, you felt something hefty give way for better or worse. (Composure dice: 2d4 into 4d4)

It was his composure. It wasn’t impressive or anything, but it was interesting. Maybe he also had a talent of some sort but he never showed it. And was there a trick up his sleeve? There are just some things you’ll never find out.

>Rossi’s Composure Pool: 4d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d12

You lift up your sword for a moment to see if anything changed. No, thankfully not. It didn’t need to be any uglier than before. A strand of hair falls down to your eyes and you push it away, combing it back with your fingers while wiping away sweat.

You didn’t win, but you feel alright. You did manage to kick him in the face. You’ll fondly imagine it over and over again in the future because that felt great. It also helped that you weren’t utterly blown out either.

There have been worse duels.

“Hey,” you call out, going up him, “Congratulations.”

“Thank you. Rossi, was it?”

>”You got lucky. I just wanted to let you know that.”

>”I just want to let you know you dueled for nothing. I hope your client is happy.”

>”You surprised me! Well done.”

>Just nod and head to your client.

>Leave. It’s not like your client cares or even that you need the coin.

>Other (Specify)

>>3850315
>>”You surprised me! Well done.”
>Unfortunately someone already destroyed the piece in question, which means this duel was ultimately superfluous, but well done!

>Good job, also it was a waste of time.

“You surprised me! Well done.” You then thoughtfully add, “Unfortunately, someone already destroyed the piece in question, which means this duel was ultimately superfluous but well done!”

“Really?” He replies to you with suspicion. “Then why didn’t you say anything?”

“Why would I?”

There’s a lull in the conversation before he says, “Good point. It looks like everyone gets to walk away content.”

“My client could be happier.” Also you.

“Mine too. He probably doesn’t want to pay me now.”

You scoff as you start walking. “You’ve got a sword. What is he going to do?”

You don’t even get far before you’re intercepted by Signore Antinori pushing away an already moving crowd. Your duel may have held some attention for a while but it was short and they came here to do things. You’re fully expecting some kind of angry or snide remark from the old man but he just hands you your scabbard back. While you take it back, he tells you, “I get what I paid for, I guess.” And he drops some coins into your open hand.

You put it into your waistcoat and pat yourself a job well done. “That indeed. It could’ve been worse.”

“I lost more coin than I would’ve with a public defender.”

Erm. Yeah. That. You’re not all too excited to stick around now. “In any case, good luck. I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

“Sure I’ll do.” He says it like he didn’t mean it and you don’t care because you’ll never walk into his shop ever again. Past him you see Vittore deal with his client, and it’s a conversation that gets heated.

You walk away and out, heading home.

It’s been two duels in a day and you’ve barely gotten any sleep. You’re exhausted!

1/2

>>3850449

****

You live in a townhouse in a neighborhood near the edge of Imago, and it’s one of the smaller ones. The birds of the murals are particularly lively today and the fading light from the sun pours through your open window. You washed yourself off and took a nap, and now you’re spending your time tidying up. Actually, the whole thing is just a singular room, a big pinkish rectangle underneath presumably other pinkish rectangles, but your pinkish rectangle is noticeably empty.

All that you possess are a bed, a wardrobe, a table, a single chair, and two sheathed sabres leaning against a wall. Oh, and a pot and wheel for sculpting. The water inside is perfectly still and kind of dirty. There are bird droppings in it. You immediately empty it out when you notice and shut the window.

You could live in a much better place and you did for a while. It was depressing seeing how empty it was, and now in a smaller space, your few possessions do a better job of the filling area up.

But mostly what you’re doing right now is changing clothes to something less offensive. You put on a ruffled shirt and breeches and make sure your shoes are noticeably less ridiculous. To check yourself out, all you can do is glance down.

It’s time for you to make some coin. You smooth out your surprisingly messy hair and stand over the two sabres.

You wonder if you should take one with you. This isn’t related to dueling at all but it does make people think twice. Also, the owner of the place you’re going to for tonight is a fan of dueling. He’s admitted to watching them often in the comfort of his own home.

>Take the sabre you normally use.

>Take the nicer looking one. It looks more impressive but that’s a low bar to clear.

>Carry both.

>What? No! Go without it.

>>3850452
>>Take the sabre you normally use.

>>3850452
>>Take the sabre you normally use.

>>3850452
>Carry both.
Unless this is the actual stolen sabre, it might be fun lending it to someone who is entirely not suited for dueling.

>Take the sabre you normally use

You take the sabre you normally use. Maybe he’ll toss some more coin your way this time.

You grab a patterned cloth belt and secure it around your waist so you don’t have to carry the dumb thing everywhere. It’d be baffling if you did.

By the time you get back to Divitis, the stars already have begun to appear. The sun is starting to set a second time, disappearing even from the Lesser Realms. A soft glow emanates from perfumed canals here, making everything look almost dreamlike. The keyword is “almost” because the smell always reminds you of how real your nose is. Past a gathering of canals and a massive island filled with late-night visitors and rowdy noisemaking, past line of crowded and tall rising buildings eager to empty your purse, and past constables on their off-time entertained by people far too beautiful to not be tailoring their body every week, there are some relatively quiet estates.

They are the probably the most sensible estates in the district in the sense that the overrun from their haphazard activities don’t flow into the waters. They may be new money but they aren’t obnoxious about it. The place you stop at is fenced like everything else, a quiet garden in front with mundane stone sculptures wandering the yard. The private guards stop you and you simply tell them your name. They look at you like they always do, as if something was off about you, and let you enter.

This mansion in particular belongs to Stefano d’Veccini and you’re sure he bought the “d”. That didn’t come out quite the way you intended but luckily it was only your thoughts. His house is a little less ostentatious than his neighbors’; it doesn’t look like a bunch of smaller houses smashed together with a hideous roofline, turrets lining the side to give it shape, or windows abruptly cut off because another room extends forward and into it. Instead, the man loves arches. Fuck, you’re passing under three of them right now. There’s one in front of every doorway and, when there’s isn’t space, it is the doorway.

But you like him. He doesn’t make you use the servant’s entrance.

By the time you get to the front door, one of his maids has already called him down to meet you.

“Rossi!” he says, opening his arms wide for a hug. You oblige but only because it’ll be rude not to. “How are you? It feels like it’s been ages.”

“Same old, same old. You know how it is. How about you?”

“Guess what? I’m single again! Feels great to be free.”

“...Congratulations?”

1/2

>>3850563
His eyes move down to the thing you brought along for fun. “Got a duel planned?”

“Just practice,” you simply answer, “Did a lot of that today, actually.”

“It’s a fun hobby but you better be careful. Don’t want anything to happen to those hands of yours!”

“No worries, even if it gets chopped off in the Wake I’ll still be fine. I couldn’t stand to leave the piece you commissioned in other people’s hands, now can I?”

He chuckles, “Wouldn’t that be terrible. Oh, that reminds me. I need to ask something of you when you’re done.”

“Sure?”

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing crazy.” He brings an arm around your shoulders and leads you into the foyer. “Say, when’s your next gallery? Haven’t seen anything new from you in a while.”

When you glance down, you notice Stefano’s reflection looking around in utter confusion at your disappearance. It’s a lovely marble and it’s a shame that it gets dirtied every time you enter. It’s too damn reflective for its own good.

“If you want, I can replace the one right there. Getting sick of it already?” You point at the massive water sculpture sitting in the center of his foyer between a twin staircase leading up to a circular balcony.

“No, no. Or at least, not yet. But, do you mind tinkering a little with it? You know the deal.” He makes a motion outlining his hypothetical bosom.

“Not a problem.” You take a good look at the humongous woman-shaped pile of water leaning on a foot. Her head doesn’t touch the ceiling but that doesn’t mean it isn’t anything but extremely dangerous when moving. It does a little wave. He has plenty of guests over for parties all the time and you think they enjoy having it greet them. “Stefano, her nose is caved in. That’s going to be a pain.”

“Ah yes, a particularly drunk guest hurled something at it. If I didn’t know any better I’d say she was jealous. But, I’ll leave it to you then!” He slaps you on the back and takes a few steps toward the stairs. “Call my maids if you need anything, I’ll be upstairs.”

You have a feeling he likes your art more than he likes you, but you digress. You walk up to the giant thing and give it a closer inspection. It was like it had a skin, a skin that was slowly moving downward, losing form and all the good points the thing has. Her hair has become a vague slurry and worse of all, you can see wine floating about inside! Fuck! No wonder it’s flowing so soon!

>Call a maid to tell Stefano he’s a fucking dumbass and he should take care of it better.

>Just fix the sculpture. Be normal.

>Get a maid to fetch you a drink. And then work on it.

>Admire the sculpture. It’s definitely worthy of admiration, no?

>Wander the halls. What is he going to do, kick you out?

>Other (Specify)

Last update for tonight. I'll update once a day during the rest of the weekdays. Maybe twice if I have time but I doubt it.

>>3850567
>Fix the sculpture. But give it a weapon. Or a shield, if it'll keep the wine out.

>>3850567
Fix the sculpture, but give it the ability to spit out non water liquids at guests. Give it tge ability to self regulate and fuck with those who fuck with it. Also give it the ability to smile or show happiness at those who add water instead, with the excess expanding her bust and hips but not going so far as to be stupidly out of proportion.

A maid places a pail of still water near you and tells you she can get more if needed. You should fix the sculpture, so the first thing you do is take out her legs. You lightly touch the surface so you can get a firm grasp and then break the laminar surface, causing her to fall forward and off her little platform container. She doesn’t have legs or anything that even resembles human anatomy. She’s simply water in the vague shape of a human being. Her dress is her body and holds onto her chest the same way as it were while she was standing.

With her like this, you’re able to circle around to her face and you are vexed at the work you have to do. She’s worried, confused, and most importantly, blind to you. Sculptures aren’t as real as you are. It’s impossible for them to perceive you and anyone who might toss anything into it either. It’s like how you can’t converse with a painting but you can write something in there. Any hypothetical wine prevention system would need to be outside of the sculpture, a thing wholly separate from it, a system composed of the equally real and not anything less.

You ask a maid, “What does Stefano think about shields?”

She awkwardly suggests that adding one may not be his preference.

You’ll just do something else to discourage invasive liquids then.

You begin with her face, smoothening out and shaping some proper features back. There’s only one real reason why you’ve been able to load yourself with coin by art and it’s not because there’s plenty of eccentric people around. There’s that but it’s only secondary to the fact that sex sells. Stefano sure ogled at the thing when he first saw it. The way her “clothes” drapes down to shape her curves pronounces her form, “clinging” down and hinting at things. That is also why you have no problem complying with Stefano’s request of making her more pronounced.

Even if he wants some weird shit, you’ll give it to him.

1/2

>>3852391
You’re almost finished with the bottom part of her dress and tips of her hair when Stefano approaches the balcony upstairs.

He looks like he just got out of bed after doing one thing or another. He loudly calls you. “How are you doing?”

“Great timing. I’m about done. By the way, don’t toss anything in it.”

“Why?”

You step back so you can see him properly. “Do you want to find out?”

He waves a hand. “No, I think I’ll leave that to someone else. It’ll be more fun that way.”

You snort. “Sure will.”

Slowly, he begins to walk down, step by step. “It looks good! Like new, even.” You warp the last bit of thigh and raise her, letting her stand up fully and proper. He motions at the sculpture’s bosom. “You know, I like the changes.”

“Just like you asked. By the way, if you pour some proper water into it...”

“Oh no, no, it’s fine.” He pauses. “Hm, I’ll think about it.” Stefano finally stops by your side, admiring the finished product with a hand on his chin. He then pulls out a weighty purse full of coin and places it into your hands. “I’m thinking of actually changing it next time. Spicing things up. But let’s save that for next time. There’s something I wanted to tell you—“

“Did you find him?”

“No, not that,” he replies sheepishly. “Maybe if you participated in another gallery,” he trails off. You only did it that one time to get yourself out there and you don’t have any intention of doing it again. “You could bait him out.”

You frown. “I’ll consider it. So what was it that you wanted to say?”

“Right! A friend of mine is having a little trouble. Lovers’ quarrel. Said he thought about getting a duelist and I thought, ‘Hey, I know someone!’” Stefano presents an open hand to you, telling you that it’s none other than yourself. “You’re in a Ring, right? Shouldn’t be any problem. I don’t know the details but it’s something I can’t be bothered to actually remember.”

>”Thank you, but I can’t.”

>”I’m not anymore, actually. Is it a problem?

>”Since you went out of your way to tell me, gladly.”

>”Sure. Wait, no, is he paying or am I doing this for free?”

>Other (Specify)

Do you really want to see if you can get into a gallery just to find someone?

>Of course you do!

>No, you don’t.

File: unrelated.jpg (104 KB, 960x956)

104 KB JPG

Unfortunately I just remembered I have a debilitating condition that causes me to instantly die if I only update once a day. I'll be back on Saturday.

>>3852392
>”I’m not anymore, actually. Is it a problem?
>”Since you went out of your way to tell me, gladly.”
>No, you don’t.

>>3852392
>>”I’m not anymore, actually. Is it a problem?
>Although he might actually prefer that, if he isn't a fan of colorful tights.

>Of course you do!
A win is a win, a loss is a loss, and Rossi could gain something just from participating.

but for real, being able to buff composure is insane.

>>3852392
>”I’m not anymore, actually. Is it a problem?
>”Sure. Wait, no, is he paying or am I doing this for free?”

Rossi continues the good tradition established by CoS of being a total fuckup. At least Sofia won her first duel.

>>3852392
>"Since you went out of your way to tell me, gladly!"

>of course you do!

>>3854905
To be fair, her first opponent wasn't even a duelist

>>3855727
This was like a cornelio-tier loss

>”I’m not anymore, actually. Is it a problem?
>"Since you went out of your way to tell me, gladly!"
>Of course you do!

“Since you went out of your way to tell me, gladly!” You say, “But I’m not in a Ring anymore, actually. Is that a problem?”

“Oh? What happened? Unless you lose instantly I think it’ll be fine.”

You wave your hand, motioning him to drop it. “It’s a long story. But yes, I won’t lose instantly.”

“Then great! It’s nothing too serious.” It doesn’t even sound serious in the first place. What kind of a low standard is that? He goes on to tell you, “I’ll let them know tomorrow.”

“...Them?”

Stefano rubs the back of his neck. “It’s complicated. I think. They’re going through some stuff, him and his wife.”

“You know what? I’ll figure it out when I get there. So when and where is this all scheduled?”

He has a maid fetch him something to write with and some paper, and while that’s going on, you take the time to decide to consider Stefano’s idea with the gallery. It’s tempting, so much so that you actually decide to go with it. Of course, he quickly left when the two of you made eye contact but that doesn’t mean you can’t trap him the second time around!

You tell him, “I think I might go with your idea.” When Stefano replies with confusion you clarify, “An exhibition. I’ll tell you the details but it’ll likely be after this duel.”

He gives you a wide grin. “Great!” And also gives you the piece of paper he just wrote on. “I’m looking forward to it. Not the duel, I’m afraid I won’t be there. It’s a private affair. But as for the gallery, take all the time you need.”

“Of course. I’m not about to put some half-assed pieces up.” But you definitely are because you can get away with it. Pushing that to the side for now, you take a look at what he wrote. “Let’s see...”

The duel takes place...

>In a few days. That’s pretty soon, all things considered.

>In a week. You have some time to burn.

As you’re about to turn around and leave, Stefano stops you. He says, “Hey, if you want to stick around, I don’t mind. I just opened up some strange vintage wine and, well, there isn’t exactly anyone I can try it with right now.”

“Weren’t entertaining someone just a while ago?” That was a strange way to phrase it but it’s too late to give a shit.

“Hm? No, not at all.”

>”Sure, I’ll try it with you.”

>”Sorry, Stefano. I’ve got to go.”

>”Only for a little while.”

>Other (Specify)

>>3858969
>>In a week. You have some time to burn.

>”Only for a little while.”

>>3858969
>In a few days. That’s pretty soon, all things considered.
>”Only for a little while.”

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>3859058
>>3859096

>In a week. You have some time to burn.
>”Only for a little while.”

It’s in a week! You have some time to burn. Like tonight, for instance.

“Only for a little while,” you say.

You follow him for a little bit before stopping to admire one of his paintings. He continues to presumably his wine cellar but you stand there in the empty hall, alone. You hear someone doing some housekeeping in a short distance away. You pay little attention to it, instead observing portrait in front of you.

On it is someone doing some body tailoring on themselves in front of a mirror. Their reflection hardly matches and in the scope of the painting, they might as well be two people. Two very, very lucid people. They are both skinless things, red humours forming a sizeable puddle on the floor, scrubbing out an ugly scar. They’re also both crying over how it’s not going away. It’s depressing and strange. Truly thought-provoking.

Stefano taps you on the shoulder with one of the two wine glasses he’s carrying. “Quite the painting, isn’t it?” In his other hand is an open bottle of red wine.

“Entrancing.” He pours into your glass and you thank him.

“I got it a while ago. I think it really brings out how empty this hall is.”

The fruity smell of whatever it is you’re about to drink betrays a hint of oak, and raising your glass with him you—

—are on the table in his dining hall. Standing and staggering, you throw the wine bottle back before throwing it back to Stefano.

He catches it just barely but kicks some shit off the table. It makes a loud noise with the floor, very cool. A few maids look worried and terrified at the two of you.

“Niiiice!” you shout, “That was a good fucking catch.”

You suddenly remember you’re holding a wooden sword just like he is. He finishes the rest of the bottle and chucks it back. One of a maids standing by catches it before it shatters into pieces, preventing an even bigger mess.

To you, he says, “I’m... I’m going to wreck you!” He raises his weapon. Backwards.

There must’ve been humours in whatever you drank and he looks as incapacitated as you are. He doesn’t stand a chance!

He leaps at you, wildly swinging around. You watch as he loses balance and miraculously pick himself up in an awkward stumble. In his recovery, he jabs, nearly hitting you. “You know that clown shit? I’m feeling it right now.”

“That’s not the clown shit, this is the clown shit,” you say, quickly imitating him by stepping on the tablecloth, slipping, and nearly cracking your head open as you fall off. “Fuck.”

1/2

>>3859131
You should go. That is the plan. That is what you decided on so you’re going to do it.

Yes.

You sort of meander back out the hall as he chases after you. “Where are you,” he hiccups, “Where are you going?”

“I gotta go, it’s late. I said I’ll only be for a little while.” You topple over the little barrier that holds the water sculpture you worked on earlier.

“Whaaat?” He makes a disgusted sound from his throat. “Fine. What was that thing again? The thing you did to it. This is a good time as any, let’s find out!”

He raises his wooden sword as to throw it.

>Catch it.

>Watch in awe.

>Stumble away.

>Throw your sword at it too.

>Other (Specify)

>>3859134
>>Catch it.
>Nah mate, it's for embarrassing rude guests, not the masters of the house!

>Catch it.

From inside the circular barrier you can easily see what kind of a bad decision he’s about to make.

You say, “It’s for—“ and immediately topple right back out. “Guests!” you sputter, “Not for embarrassing—“

Surely he got the gist of it but he throws the fucking thing anyways. Jumping into the air, you catch it with your free hand and fall right back into the water. You’re soaked now. Hot fucking shit good job you, congratulations.

You grumble as you climb back out and Stefano’s just looking at you in a daze. “It’s not that late, really.”

“Maybe another time.”

A maid whispers into his hear, and he says, “Are you going to get home okay? Sure you don’t want to stay?”

“This is getting uncomfortable,” you reply, dropping the two swords with your real third one still at your waist. “If someone tries to fuck with me, I’ll fuck ‘em right back.” You breathe slightly harder out of your nose when you notice what you said. “Good night.”

Stefano starts to say something else but you just walk out the front door and down the garden. A bird lands down somewhere beside you and immediately a sculpture descends on it, crushing and snapping its neck. You slowly tag behind as the sculpture drags it into the nearest canal.

Afterwards, you eventually make it out past the fence and past the heart of Divitis and into some much quieter streets. That’s about when you vomit without prompting and a bunch of weird shit slushes out. You cough and wipe your mouth with a hand, and when you stand back straight, you feel slightly better.

“Valentino, is that you?”

Someone behind you calls out. You turn to look at who they’re talking to but you realize it’s you! A woman wearing a long, intricate white dress and a wide brim hat stares dead at you. Long, tidy black hair provides a bit of contrast and stops her from blending in with the building she’s standing beside.

She tells you, “You look awful. Where have you been? Why are you all wet?”

???

Wha?

>”Yes, it is I, Valentino!”

>”Who are you?”

>”You got the wrong person.”

>”If this is a mugging I must tell you I’m a duelist!”

>”...I was at d’Veccini’s?”

>Other (Specify)

>>3859239
>>”...I was at d’Veccini’s?”

>”...I was at d’Veccini’s?”

Something is going on. “...I was at d’Veccini’s?”

She approaches you, letting both of you take a good look at one another. Her face is a little round shows all the signs of her being pissed off. And confused.

“Really? I didn’t know you were friends with him.”

“It was mostly for work.”

“Was it now?” she says, starting to squint, “You sound dreadful.” She pulls out a handkerchief and throws it at your chest. When you take it, you vaguely assume she wants you to wipe your lips and you do so.

“Thanks. If you’re just going to do this, I’m going to leave.”

“No you don’t! Not until you explain where you’ve been!”

“I just said,” you start to say but she cuts you off.

“I don’t believe you. You’ve been avoiding me, haven’t you?”

You run your fingers through your hair, pushing them back.

“I wasn’t lying.”

“Obviously since you came from that direction but for weeks? Please. I doubt he has the patience for that. Unless...”

>”Yes, whatever you’re thinking of is correct.”

>”Alright, I was avoiding you. So?”

>”I don’t even know who you are.”

>”I have bad news. I’m not Valentino.”

>Walk away.

>Other (Specify)

>>3859388
>He asked me to try and wine with him.
>And I may be drunk, but I would like to think I am not so drunk as to forget a pretty woman, soooooo who are you?

>>3859388
>My lady, I am not Valentino. While I am flattered that you mistook me for someone you cherish very much, I would most certainly not forget a beautiful woman such as yourself, drunk as I am.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>3859494

>>3859524
This is awful. Thank you. Rolling to lie by omission or not.

>Other

“He asked me to try some wine with him—“

“For weeks?”

You slowly blink while your legs wobble. You teeter over to the side but catch yourself at the last second.

And then you place a hand on your chest. “I may be drunk, but I would like to think I am not so drunk as to forget a beautiful woman, soooooo who are you?”

“Un-believable!” She straight up walks to you and grabs you by the collar. “It’s Marinetta! Valentino, you...”

“I’m not Valentino.”

“No, you’re not?” The woman lets go of you and takes a few steps back. She then awkwardly clears her throat. “My apologies. Keep that, then,” she says, talking about the handkerchief.

“I’m flattered that you mistook me for someone you cherish—“ You punctuate your feelings by expelling the rest of your stomach’s contents into the canal. There is an awkward pause as she waits for you to finish, unsure if you’re okay or not. “—very much.” You try to wipe the last bit of phlegm out but the handkerchief just falls into the water and sinks. You maintain eye contact for a brief moment before saying, “Why don’t I introduce myself?”

You can’t read her expression but it’s not a good one. “I’m going to leave...”

Before you can actually do the thing you said you were going to do, she hurries away and leaves you in the starlit streets alone. You blankly watch before stumbling around, away from her, and breathe in some more canal fumes.

****

A few days later, that night becomes only a mild memory.

It is early in the morning and you sprinting across the canals. You’ve found yourself with a bit of free time and you are taking the opportunity to train. Soon, people will come pouring out their homes and gondolas will start making their way all around. But until then, you’ll take advantage of the space. You come to a complete stop as quickly as you can, and bending your knees, you leap forward, testing how far you can go.

By the time you are done with your routine, you worked up quite the sweat. You’ve arrived at another district and you only sort of wandered while your sword remains secured to your belt. You’ve been keeping it there since it just makes you feel comfortable.

Your jogging slows down to a stroll and you come across a dingy fountain that you don’t recognize. Without even caring for what it does, you toss a coin in and walk on. It didn’t have many coins in it and you just felt sorry for the thing. Strange, but no one’s going to know. Or care.

What are you doing today?

>Applying for membership in a Ring.

>Looking for inspiration for a sculpture.

>Fountain hunting.

>Visiting that terrarium shop.

>Other (Specify)

This is going to be the last time I toss out that Ring option. I’ll just take it as you don’t want to join one ever.

>>3859585
>>Applying for membership in a Ring.

>Applying for membership in a Ring.

You circle around into another direction, feeling as if you should do something productive in the short time you have before your upcoming duel. Say, making sure you actually get into an exhibition or maybe finding a fountain that does the one thing you really want.

Or you can make sure you don’t have to lose that hard anymore and that reason compels you to the Court of Swords. Toss a coin in and you can pick through any duel ever fought in the Wake. You can watch right on the water’s surface or even you drink from it, be plunged into the duel itself. You’ve heard of people mixing the water just right to create questionable effects, but you’ve never seen it for yourself.

And at the end of each year, the coins collected by the fountain are melted and forged into the finest sabres for the finest duelists. Coincidentally, you have one of them lying on your wall, looking much more different than you first saw it. That may or may not have been your fault. You’re sure you wouldn’t hold up too much scrutiny if you were to actually use it but it’s already over! The whole thing has been settled, and you are not carrying it around.

It’s as wide as it ever is, almost equal to a city block. It has multiple tiers and rises above the surrounding buildings, water overflowing from one basin to the next. But the one before the lowest one approaches its width, making the majority of fountain inaccessible, instead revealing to passersby a laminar waterfall so impenetrable that one can see their reflection in. There are plenty of people already here but few are here for the reason you are because they’re simply elsewhere. No, you walk up to the what would be a mirror and say...

Wait, which Ring are you going to apply for?

Every Ring maintains an applications office here and you don’t even know what you’re applying to. You haven’t even done any real research on any of them! All that you do know has been gossip and the few times you’ve run into a Ring member when you had to duel. Of course, you know enough that there are some you want absolutely nothing to do with. You might not even turn out to mesh with them enough to get in. Or be good enough.

Eh... what was there again?

>Rose Blossom. Something about being delicate and feminine?

>Fisherman’s. They kind of look all dead inside. They also love their dumb tricks.

>Birdwatch. They’re weird and they fight weird. They’re friendly, you guess.

>Starry. It’s like they’re perpetually angry. They’re compensating, definitely.

>Fuck it, you won’t pick any of them. You’ll still be a professional though.

That took a while. I should probably leave this vote up overnight so I'll do that. Also, shorter session tomorrow

>>3859809
>>Birdwatch. They’re weird and they fight weird. They’re friendly, you guess.

>>3859809
Fisherman is up Rossi's alley, at least with his current Ability and Showing Off.

But I think whoever these starry guys are will have the grit to get back composure.
>Starry. It’s like they’re perpetually angry. They’re compensating, definitely.

>>3859809
>Birdwatch. They’re weird and they fight weird. They’re friendly, you guess.
I wanted to vote Rose for a laugh, but with our player numbers it might actually have won.

>>3859809
>Fuck it, you won’t pick any of them. You’ll still be a professional though.
We don't need a ring! We'll just walk the path of the lone star.

>Birdwatch. They’re weird and they fight weird. They’re friendly, you guess.

This feels strange. You’re staring at someone behind you through the perfect, reflective surface and they can only see your back. You’ve obviously done this before but it doesn't get any better.

“Rossi, professional duelist. I’m looking for the Birdwatching Ring admissions office.”

You stand there for a hot minute, just waiting.

A disembodied voice tells you, “Uh, give me a sec.”

And you just fucking stand there for reasons beyond anyone’s understanding until you are dropped down into a room with marble flooring. None of the water comes with you and you land completely dry. The walls and floor are a warm, very light beige and partitioned by a large counter where someone is furiously jotting down something. Behind them is a closed wooden door and the other is a glass one, heading to some hallway. On the counter itself a caged white-faced owl, black feathers circling its head. It’s caged because it just locked itself in.

A red carpet only covers part of the room, the same part where three rows of chairs form three sides of a rectangle, all sharing a single glass table that has some reading materials. There are three other people here, none of them particularly interesting. More importantly, there is a giant array of boxes beside you that hold stacks of all sorts of forms. You peer through them, take the one you’re looking for, take a seat next to a particularly disgruntled man, and start filling it.

The first half was all standard information that you mindlessly give. Occasionally you glance at the owl that has moved on top of the cage. Its head spins right around to greet you and you think that it’s not going to vanish in a flash of light anytime soon.

You start getting to the second half and stop because the questions start getting personal.

The first one, for example, asks for which bird you find most delicious.

>Raven.

>Pidgeon.

>Ibis.

>Flamingos

>Goose.

You thought this kind of nonsense was phased out but here it is. Very real. Here to weed out all the undesirables. The second question wonders what would be your ideal date and it’s starting to get under your skin.

>Fishing.

>Visiting the Lesser Realms.

>Washing a bathtub.

>Spent entirely in one’s home.

>I don’t go on dates.

The third and fourth are easy but the fifth asks you about your favorite shade of white. You rub the bridge of your nose and the person next to you leans over and whispers, “Yeah, that one got me too.”

>Ivory.

>Seashell.

>Champagne.

>Vanilla.

>Milk.

>>3860734
man, I dunno what to vote for the bird

>Visiting the Lesser Realms.
>Seashell.

>Visiting the Lesser Realms.
>Seashell.

You have no idea. You answer a random option for the bird, declare you believe the Lesser Realms is romantic, and think seashell white is the best kind of white.

By the time you are done with all this, everyone who was already here before you had already left for one reason or another. When they went through the wooden door, you noticed, they were lead to different places. You pay no heed to it and walk up to the desk, making a short exchange of greetings before handing him the paper.

He briefly goes over your answers at the bottom and he grunts.

You ask, “How did I do?” You hand over the fee and he finally starts really moving.

“Good luck.” That wasn’t even an answer.

From a row of hooks, he retrieves a key and uses it to unlock the wooden door. It swings open to reveal a wide-open space that is a rooftop in Aevum. You can tell from the lotuses that line the edge of the roof and lotus gardens in every other rooftop. It’s connected to a few other buildings by flat wooden boards. The door shuts behind you after you walk through and you’re left in this rather large area with a single woman at the other end standing beside a birdbath. Her short brown hair falls onto a pale violet cloak, underneath a darker blouse and knee-breeches. She’s staring at a yellow Flycatcher with a strange crest washing itself. By her feet is a sheathed sabre, the scabbard wooden and hand-painted.

She does absolutely nothing when you wait to see if she notices you.

You say, “Hello?”

“Oh, hi. Hm.” She just looks at you.

“...Is everything okay?”

Her eyes widen. “Yes. My name is Aria Bettini. I will be the, uh,” she says, “You know.”

“Okay.” You’re starting to regret this whole thing. “I’m Rossi.”

“Rossi what?”

“It’s just Rossi.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Rossi Rossi,” Aria replies, bending down to grab her sword. When she lifts it, you finally noticed that tied to the handle is a bundle of feathers, all from different birds. It covers every color of a rainbow and then some. The plume is a Birdwatcher’s personal crest and it’s a tradition for them to add one feather for every win they have. Hers is sizable. Of course, it means little considering they don’t go out and make a show of all their losses. “Here’s how it’s going to work.”

You wait.

She fails to continue.

“We’re going to enter the Wake?” So it can be recorded by the Court of Swords.

“Exactly what I was going to say.” She says, “Whenever you’re ready.” She draws her sabre, a blade of complete white that shimmers at odd angles, revealing a pattern of sky-blue lines on the forte.

You take yours and walk up to her, meeting at the middle and letting your swords touch. “We’re doing this on the roof?”

“Where else would we do it? Oh, if you fall off, it’s an automatic fail.”

Both of you drag down and part, and for a moment, you see her resolve.

>Rossi’s Composure: 4d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d12

>Aria’s Composure: 3d4, ????

1/2

>>3861314

You weakly walk away from her, and Aria breaks all formality by asking, “So you like seashells, huh?”

It takes you a while before you even realize what she was talking about. “Yes?”

“I don’t.”

You shake your head. “Signorina, is everything okay?”

“Of course. Let’s do this!”

“See and be Unseen!”

You See.

The lotus petals around you become neon green as the canals below drop down. The fall looks harsh. The archways that litter the streets wobble and join in with the shapeless figures of the people walking below. The wooden boards that link the rooftops look as if you could step through them any moment.

You are Unseen.

There’s a ring of teeth circling on of the duelist’s head. Her eyes are closed and she’s shaded like rotten leaves drifting in the canal. Opposing her is a loose collection of paint hardened into a shape that resembles a human. He looks as if he’s about to be toppled over any moment. You don’t want to be either of them. You just want to go away.

*!

The sabre in your hands is as ugly as ever, but if Aria noticed, she says nothing. She doesn’t even do anything. Unwilling to stand there and wait, you advance.


Aria Bettini
Composure Pool: 3d4, ????
Technique Pool: Empty
Strike Pool: Empty

Abilities: Unknown

Techniques: Unknown


Rossi
Composure Pool: 4d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d12
Technique Pool: Empty
Strike Pool: Empty

Abilities:

>Muddled Reflection: [ABILITY]When your opponent uses a move with the same text as your move in a round, generate a d4 into your Technique Pool.


TECHNIQUES (Choose One)


>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Showing Off: [FLOURISH]Generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Lead The Blade: [TRICK]Declare a size of dice. Your opponent cannot generate, siphon or roll dice of that size this round. If they attempt to, the single lowest dice in your Technique Pool is increased in size by 2 sides.

>Mirror Image: [TRICK]Perform the text of your opponent’s chosen Technique. For this duel, replace this Technique with a copy of the Technique your opponent performed this round and prefix it with Mirrored. All of your Mirrored Techniques transform back into Mirror Image when any of your Composure dice is destroyed by an opponent’s Strike.

>Brute Strike: [STRIKE]Siphon the lowest value dice from your Composure Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Invincible Rookie: [STANCE]Every time you generate a dice that has 2 sides or more into any pool, generate a d1 into the same pool. Can only be active while you have d4s in your Composure Pool.

>>3861315
I don't think this is altogether a good timeslot to be dueling, but the purpose of the Ring test is to prove you have what it takes to join a Ring, right? May as well start off with perfectly doing a Birdwatcher Technique.

>Mirror Image

>>3861315
>>Showing Off: [FLOURISH]Generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Mirror Image

You’re a little surprised. You had to wait a few days for the Jester Ring to get back to you but it looks like this Ring has members to spare. Still, the purpose of this whole thing is prove you have what it takes. So you’ll do just that by performing one of their Techniques. You watch her as she sticks her sabre into the air.

>MIRROR IMAGE

And she splits the air into two.

>Aria uses a Flourish called Ring’s Chosen!

>Ring’s Chosen: [FLOURISH]Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. If you bear the insignia of a duelling Ring and there are no Obstacles present, generate an Obstacle that matches your Ring. At the end of the turn, if the Obstacle was created by this Technique, transform Ring’s Chosen into its Ring-specific form.

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 2d4

>Aria’s Technique Pool: 1d4

The Wake becomes a storm, the shadows dragging along you as an incoherent wind nearly knocks you off your feet. Everything is dragged inward and out, spinning around the invisible sun. You stab into the rooftop not to mimic her but to anchor yourself. You’d like to think you did something but you didn’t. Her cloak flaps to the left, right, and wherever the gusts take it.
And very slowly, they settle slightly. They’re strong enough to screw with your balance but not enough to truly deter you or her.

>Obstacles are a special kind of hazard that occur when a dangerous duelling arena is chosen or they are otherwise introduced by one duellist during the course of a duel.
>Obstacles count as a third ‘duellist’ in the sense that they are modelled with Techniques and dicepools but they have no Composure to destroy and often can’t be attacked. Each of an Obstacle’s Techniques only activate when a specific trigger is set off.

TEMPEST TECHNIQUES
>Swept Around: [FLOURISH]Generate a d2 into this Obstacle’s Technique Pool. Activation Clause: When a duelist generates a dice into their Composure Pool.
>Settle: [TRICK]Distribute this obstacle’s Technique dice between other duelists. If it would be uneven, let the single dice remain in this obstacle’s Technique Pool. Activation Clause: When a duelist loses Composure dice of a size neither duelist has lost before.

And every time you try to move, it’s as if the Wake reacts in kind to push you around. This is fucked. No one can hold a proper duel like this.

>At the end of the turn, Ring’s Chosen transforms into Turbulent Winds!

>Turbulent Winds: [TRICK]Transform the single lowest dice and your and your opponent’s Composure, Strike, and Technique Pools into d1’s. If a Pool is empty, generate a d1 into them. Can only be chosen once per queue. This Technique can only be obtained by using Ring's Chosen with a Birdwatcher’s crest.

Aria announces, “Let’s start the interview.”

“Now?!” you shout.

She approaches you. “The best answers are wrung out under duress.”

1/2

>>3861423

Aria Bettini
Composure Pool: 3d4, ????
Technique Pool: 1d4
Strike Pool: Empty

Abilities: Unknown

Techniques:

>Turbulent Winds: [TRICK]Transform the single lowest dice that is not a d1 in your and your opponent’s Composure, Strike, and Technique Pools into d1’s. If a Pool is empty, generate a d1 into them. Can only be chosen once per queue. This Technique can only be obtained by using Ring's Chosen with a Birdwatcher’s crest.


Rossi
Composure Pool: 4d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d12
Technique Pool: 2d4
Strike Pool: Empty

Abilities:

>Muddled Reflection: [ABILITY]When your opponent uses a move with the same text as your move in a round, generate a d4 into your Technique Pool.


TECHNIQUES (Choose One)


>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Showing Off: [FLOURISH]Generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Lead The Blade: [TRICK]Declare a size of dice. Your opponent cannot generate, siphon or roll dice of that size this round. If they attempt to, the single lowest dice in your Technique Pool is increased in size by 2 sides.

>Mirrored Ring’s Chosen: [FLOURISH]Generate a d4 into your Technique Pool. If you bear the insignia of a duelling Ring and there are no Obstacles present, generate an Obstacle that matches your Ring. At the end of the turn, if the Obstacle was created by this Technique, transform Ring’s Chosen into its Ring-specific form. Transform this Technique into Mirror Image when any of your Composure dice is destroyed by an opponent’s Strike.

>Brute Strike: [STRIKE]Siphon the lowest value dice from your Composure Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Invincible Rookie: [STANCE]Every time you generate a dice that has 2 sides or more into any pool, generate a d1 into the same pool. Can only be active while you have d4s in your Composure Pool.

Made an error with Turbulent Winds. I’ll be busy tomorrow but I’ll try to drop an update.

>>3861426
>Invincible Rookie: [STANCE]Every time you generate a dice that has 2 sides or more into any pool, generate a d1 into the same pool. Can only be active while you have d4s in your Composure Pool.
>showing off.
>Showing off.

We need to work on making dice and until we have a feel for her we cannot do shit.

>>3861426
lets dip a little into actual prediction

>>Rattle strat
>Turbulent
>Any strike
most likely will NOT siphon dice, this will let them reliably Rattle the opponent as well as get a d2 from Tempest. Problem is that it's quite flexible and can be placed any way you want in a queue.

Lead the Blade can stop this, but it's a pretty high risk for very little gain.

>Whittle
>Turbulent Spam
>Composure regen
>Strike
technically slower than taunts, but gives a very reliable Rattle at the end to set up for a killshot next round.

An early Brute Strike for either of these would cut this short without wasting tech dice, but clearing away d1s is of negligible use. At least it doesn't waste any composure that wasn't already transformed.

>>3861426
hmm.
5d1+1d4+2d6 has an 86% chance of breaking 12
6d1+2d6 has a 72% chance of breaking 12
Rattle immediately would put us at 3d1+1d2+1d6, which is at least good for breaking 6 if not 8.
and rattle after is more like 4d1+1d2+2d6 which is 87% for breaking 10

Yeah I'll support >>3861448

We're a little fucked if she can break d4 immediately.

“What was all that before?” you ask, “What does seashells have to do with anything?

“Very little! How did does it make you feel?”

Before you could even answer she leaps up and lets herself be carried straight at you. You step to the side, unwilling to even block it but she cuts into the Wake and tosses both of you around regardless.

She says, “I’d do this more but I don’t think the City likes it.”

>Aria uses Turbulent Winds!

>Aria’s Composure Pool: 1d1, 2d4, ????
>Aria’s Technique Pool: 1d1
>Aria’s Strike Pool: 1d1

>Rossi’s Composure Pool: 1d1, 3d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d12
>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 1d1, 1d4
>Rossi’s Strike Pool: 1d1

You firmly plant your sabre down and your feet follow. You lower your center of balance, and the winds stop kicking you around. This feels weird. This isn’t right!

>INVINCIBLE ROOKIE

Aria begins running at you, slowly pushed to the side and forced to change directions slightly. If she was bothered at all, she doesn’t even notice.

She slides in low, farther than you, and without any real force behind it, her sabre crashes into yours, purposefully using her forte to ruin your balance. Between the Wake and her attack, you can’t find any footing at all.

>Aria uses a Strike called Square-Edged Strike!

>Square-Edged Strike: [STRIKE]Siphon the single largest dice from your Technique Pool into your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to deal damage. If your opponent loses Composure dice to this damage, generate an Execution Token. At any point if you have at least three Execution Tokens, you can consume three to use Executioner's Blade without its usual restriction.

You immediately fall backward, pushing off with a hand and immediately landing upright.

>SHOWING OFF

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 2d1, 1d4, 1d6

>2 damage has destroyed 1d1 from Rossi’s Composure Pool!

>Execution: 1

>Rossi is Rattled!

But your hands are trembling from you being perpetually on edge. There is no room to breathe, and Aria chooses this exact moment to ask, “So what do you know about this Ring?”

“I don’t know!”

“It’s okay to be nervous! Just work it out!”

You wouldn’t describe her as being confident. It’s more as if she’s letting things happen. Following the flow.

>Aria’s Ability, Grasping Straws, has been revealed!

>Grasping Straws: [ABILITY]Each time you destroy an opponent’s Composure dice, generate a single dice of the lowest destroyed dice into your Composure Pool and Technique Pool.

>Aria’s Composure Pool: 2d1, 2d4, ????

>Aria’s Technique Pool: 1d1

>TEMPEST: Swept Around

>Tempest Technique Pool: 1d2

And immediately you lose grasp of the weird thing she did to the Wake. It wasn’t as if you could replicate it anyways.

>Mirrored Ring’s Chosen transforms into Mirror Image!

1/3

>>3861588

To follow up, she does a little hurried walk up to you. You scramble to find what it is that she’s planning and Aria, instead doing of anything fancy, whacks at you. Blindly. Effortlessly.

>Aria uses a Flourish called Counting Chickens!

>Counting Chickens: [FLOURISH]Generate a d1 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, generate 2d1 instead. This caps at 3d1 and if done again afterwards, resets back to a d1.

>Aria’s Technique Pool: 2d1

“What are you doing?” you ask.

“Dueling,” she replies, “Yes! It’s good to ask questions in an interview. It helps us know you’re interested.”

“This isn’t the time for this,” you say before parrying another swing.

You already know that Birdwatchers are unorthodox but how does it all fit together? She can’t win like this, can she? There’s a thousand fucking things going on and in this awful confusion she might just sneak in a hit!

>Rossi is no longer Rattled!

2/3

>>3861589

Aria Bettini
Composure Pool: 2d1, 2d4, ????
Technique Pool: 2d1
Strike Pool: Empty

Ability:

>Grasping Straws: [ABILITY]Each time you destroy an opponent’s Composure dice, generate a single dice of the lowest destroyed dice into your Composure Pool and Technique Pool.

Techniques:

>Turbulent Winds: [TRICK]Transform the single lowest dice that is not a d1 in your and your opponent’s Composure, Strike, and Technique Pools into d1’s. If a Pool is empty, generate a d1 into them. Can only be chosen once per queue. This Technique can only be obtained by using Ring's Chosen with a Birdwatcher’s crest.

>Counting Chickens: [FLOURISH]Generate a d1 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, generate 2d1 instead. This caps at 3d1 and if done again afterwards, resets back to a d1.

>Square-Edged Strike: [STRIKE]Siphon the single largest dice from your Technique Pool into your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to deal damage. If your opponent loses Composure dice to this damage, generate an Execution Token. At any point if you have at least three Execution Tokens, you can consume three to use Executioner's Blade without its usual restriction.


Rossi
Composure Pool: 3d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d12
Technique Pool: 2d1, 1d4, 1d6
Strike Pool: Empty

Ability:

>Muddled Reflection: [ABILITY]When your opponent uses a move with the same text as your move in a round, generate a d4 into your Technique Pool.


TECHNIQUES (Choose THREE)


>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Showing Off: [FLOURISH]Generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Lead The Blade: [TRICK]Declare a size of dice. Your opponent cannot generate, siphon or roll dice of that size this round. If they attempt to, the single lowest dice in your Technique Pool is increased in size by 2 sides.

>Mirror Image: [TRICK]Perform the text of your opponent’s chosen Technique. For this duel, replace this Technique with a copy of the Technique your opponent performed this round and prefix it with Mirrored. All of your Mirrored Techniques transform back into Mirror Image when any of your Composure dice is destroyed by an opponent’s Strike.

>Brute Strike: [STRIKE]Siphon the lowest value dice from your Composure Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Invincible Rookie: [STANCE]Every time you generate a dice that has 2 sides or more into any pool, generate a d1 into the same pool. Can only be active while you have d4s in your Composure Pool.

>>3861590
Last post for today and I made a mistake. You have a 1d1 in your Strike Pool.

>>3861590
Well now. Lead the Blade is looking a lot better. Executioner's Blade is definitely one of her abilities, so that leaves 2 unknowns. One of them probably moves tech dice in bulk, most likely a strike but not guaranteed. I think the last one will let her use her d1 composure for something crazy.

>>Rattle
>Turbulent/Counting/Any
>Square/Turbulent
>Counting or Any/Square
she just needs to repeat the same thing over and over, and she'd still rack up both a decent tech pool AND exes to suddenly go for the win.

You would need a Lead both during Turbulent AND Strike to nullify the rattle, but we come out of it strictly better. It would only take so many queues to remove all of Rossi's composure though.

>>Stance Break
>Counting/Turbulent
>Turbulent/Counting
>Focussed Blow or similar

She's got enough d1s to break 4, removing stance. It would remove our one advantage against her in her own game, so it'd be pretty tempting.

Lead would still stop this, but since she already has 2d1 we still need to block both techs.


As for what WE can do, aside from blocking with Lead, the first round is guaranteed to be safe to use Showing Off. 6d1+2d6 has 91% chance to break 10, and her own Turbulent will crumble any d12s she might have.

Mirroring Turbulent will do more harm to us than her, and counting doesn't benefit from stance. I think we can safely leave Mirror out.

>>3861590
Aria's strategy seems clear for now: TW, SES, and either save tokens for EB or generate enough d1s with her ability to kill. I'd say she'll go TW SES CC again, or CC TW SES to throw us off.

I propose we go
>SO
>LtB d1
>FB

This has us safe from rattles and gives about 4d1+2d6 on the strike, which beats d10 with 72% probability (I'm hoping she doesn't have a bigger die).
Playing defensively with 2x LtB is too risky in my opinion. We need to just get enough Tech faster than her and strike.

>>3861688
hmmm.

>>Rattle
If Lead stops Turbulent, Aria strikes with 1d1 and has 3d1 in tech at the end.
If Lead stops Square, Aria doesn't strike but keeps 1d1 in strike pool and 5d1 in tech.
If Lead somehow stops Count, Aria strikes for 2d1 and keeps 2d1 in tech.

>>Stance Break
If Lead stops Turbulent, Aria strikes with 4d1 and ends with nothing. our stance is broken, but we aren't rattled.
If Lead stops Count, the result is the same.

Honestly, it's good chances to win outright anyway, so sounds good to me. Even if it doesn't work, we could do any sort of tech gen then spam Lead.

We could push harder and double SO for 7d1+3d6, but that could lead to us taking 6 damage and having only 2 buffer dice against turbulent.

>>3861590
>SO
>Lead 1
>FB

>Showing Off
>Lead the Blade: d1
>Focussed Blow

You’ve got a solid grasp on what she can do, and it’s not much. She’s going to keep doing the same few things until you’ve lowered your guard enough for her to sneak something in. You’ll never let it happen.

The Wake buffets her and she swerves, coming at you with another series of strange blows aiming to push you back against the edge of the rooftop. And you wait. You wait until the last second to move and you step out of the way, cleanly allowing her to push herself off. But instead of falling, she hops onto the nearest plank of wood that links the roofs and turns back.

>SHOWING OFF

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 3d1, 1d4, 2d6

>Aria uses Counting Chickens!

>Aria’s Technique Pool: 4d1

“Signore, I must ask, why did you pick this Ring?”

You answer her as she closes in. “I thought it’d be a good fit.”

You’re not quite sure exactly what is her next attack but you know what kind of dumb shit it is. She proves you right by using her forte to smash against yours, except this time, you saw it coming a mile away.

>LEAD THE BLADE: d1

>Aria uses Square-Edged Strike!

>No dice is siphoned. 0 damage destroys no Composure dice!

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 2d1, 1d3, 1d4, 2d6

Your sabre strikes hers and you allow it to come close. It slides right along until your handguard hits her hilt and her inside is completely wide open. It’s an opening, and it’s one that you take.

>FOCUSSED BLOW

You whip your sword out, guaranteed that your attack will land before hers. But as her weapon is pushed to the side, she follows it in a spin and throws her cloak into your face. You strike straight through it and land on nothing solid, and a second later when you reorient yourself you find her a good distance away.

“That’s a cheap trick,” you say.

“Yours is so much dirtier. It’s giving me such a headache.”

>Aria uses a Trick called Vanishing Act!

>Vanishing Act: [TRICK]Destroy your single lowest Composure dice. If your opponent makes a Strike this round, transform all of their Strike dice and Technique dice into the same size as the dice destroyed.

>2d1’s have been destroyed!

>Rossi’s Strike Pool: 7d1

>7 damage has destroyed 2d1, 2d4, and 1d6 from Aria’s Composure Pool!

>Aria’s Composure: 1d8, 1d10

You said she didn’t look confident before but she sure does now. She’s got a quiet little smile on her face that you can barely make out through the distortions in the Wake.

>>3862794

Aria Bettini
Composure Pool: 1d8, 1d10
Technique Pool: 4d1
Strike Pool: Empty

Ability:

>Grasping Straws: [ABILITY]Each time you destroy an opponent’s Composure dice, generate a single dice of the lowest destroyed dice into your Composure Pool and Technique Pool.

Techniques:

>Turbulent Winds: [TRICK]Transform the single lowest dice that is not a d1 in your and your opponent’s Composure, Strike, and Technique Pools into d1’s. If a Pool is empty, generate a d1 into them. Can only be chosen once per queue. This Technique can only be obtained by using Ring's Chosen with a Birdwatcher’s crest.

>Counting Chickens: [FLOURISH]Generate a d1 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, generate 2d1 instead. This caps at 3d1 and if done again afterwards, resets back to a d1.

>Square-Edged Strike: [STRIKE]Siphon the single largest dice from your Technique Pool into your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to deal damage. If your opponent loses Composure dice to this damage, generate an Execution Token. At any point if you have at least three Execution Tokens, you can consume three to use Executioner's Blade without its usual restriction.

>Vanishing Act: [TRICK]Destroy your single lowest Composure dice. If your opponent makes a Strike this round, transform all of their Strike dice and Technique dice into the same size as the dice destroyed.


Rossi
Composure Pool: 3d4, 2d6, 1d8, 1d12
Technique Pool: Empty
Strike Pool: Empty

Ability:

>Muddled Reflection: [ABILITY]When your opponent uses a move with the same text as your move in a round, generate a d4 into your Technique Pool.


TECHNIQUES (Choose THREE)


>Focussed Blow: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Showing Off: [FLOURISH]Generate a d6 into your Technique Pool.

>Lead The Blade: [TRICK]Declare a size of dice. Your opponent cannot generate, siphon or roll dice of that size this round. If they attempt to, the single lowest dice in your Technique Pool is increased in size by 2 sides.

>Mirror Image: [TRICK]Perform the text of your opponent’s chosen Technique. For this duel, replace this Technique with a copy of the Technique your opponent performed this round and prefix it with Mirrored. All of your Mirrored Techniques transform back into Mirror Image when any of your Composure dice is destroyed by an opponent’s Strike.

>Brute Strike: [STRIKE]Siphon the lowest value dice from your Composure Pool to your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage.

>Invincible Rookie: [STANCE]Every time you generate a dice that has 2 sides or more into any pool, generate a d1 into the same pool. Can only be active while you have d4s in your Composure Pool.

I'll write another update if there's a quick consensus but otherwise I'll continue tomorrow. I think you all got this.

>>3862795
.....wait. why did she use square after chicken? None of Rossi's composure dice are d1. Even if she did it now it wouldnt do anything.

She almost certainly wont use Turbulent anymore, let alone in the first round.

An immediate focussed would break stance, but thats more for rattle than it is for damage. It would, however, put d4 back in composure and buy her a bit more time.

>Stall
FB or similar
Count
Turbulent
Would be an attempt to bait us into drawing the fight out longer. From there, her only choice is to stack counts though.

>Doomstack
count *3
10 is enough to beat most opponents, and she can start the next queue with Turbulent to mitigate whatever big hit she takes as well as reach 12 damage.

>>3862795
What's the status on the Obstacle?

>>3862846
She was expecting you to Rattle her on the first two turns and played a filler move just in case. Brute strike on the first turn would've won you the duel but you couldn't have possibly known.

>>3862856
There's a single d2 in the Technique Pool. It hasn't gone anywhere since there's only one.

>>3862861
>Brute strike on the first turn would've won you the duel
Wait what?
We would have attacked with a single d4

>>3862867
It would break her d1s and Vanishing Act against FB would've given you a really good chance of breaking the rest.

>>3862795
I expect her last unknown technique to either make use of her d1s in Tech, or of her lowest Comp die size.

In any case though, I don't see how we can do better than just SOx3.

>SOx3

>>3862933

>Stall
Rossi generates 1d1+1d6, then gets rattled the fuck out.

>Doomstack
RIP Aria

I think we should at least keep 1 action different.

>>3863010
Thing is, if we keep one action different it's still "Rossi generates 1d1+1d6". What action could we take instead of SO that would give us something? MI has nothing useful to copy. LtB might increase one die IF we get it right. BS is pointless. So, imho, there's no point to swap SO for anything because we have no action better than even a failed SO.

>>3863012
If we switch out the first action, even if we get rattled there won't be issues with the other SO. It IS riskier though, since a strike in round 2 or 3 will still rattle just fine.

What about
>Mirror
>SO
>SO
?

That would give 1d1+1d4 from Rossi's passive, then everything else plays out the same way. If the strike comes at round 2, we traded 1d4 for 1d6. Otherwise, it's still plenty lethal.

If her round 1 is Turbulent, we don't even need tech dice. If it's Count, that d4 was probably going to turn into a d1 anyway.

>>3863015
This makes sense and you might be right.

>>3862795
Switching >>3862933 to
>MI
>SO
>SO

>>3863016
Fair warning though, in the very strange scenario that Aria does
>Turbulent
>Count
>FB
she can deal 11 damage. I literally can't imagine why she would think to do that, but she DOES know about Mirror.

>>3862795
>Mirror
>SO
>SO

>Mirror Image
>Showing Off
>Showing Off

You can tell she’s planning on ending the duel fast than you can, but you can’t tell when. Is it now?

>MIRROR IMAGE

>Aria uses Counting Chickens!

>Muddled Reflection bonus: d4

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 2d1, 1d4

>Aria’s Technique Pool: 7d1

She doesn’t, and you find out yourself as you copy her effortless motions. You snap out of your little trance when your foot steps through a lotus entangled on the edge of the makeshift dueling arena.

>SHOWING OFF

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 3d1, 1d4, 1d6

Aria notices and her body snaps forward. It’s a change that happens faster you than can register. Her sword arm passes her foot as she steps toward you, a single motion so precise and quick you flinch and almost fall off. Reflexively, you take a page from her book, jumping back onto the nearest board as her sabre flashes past your head. You land on your feet just barely, and you touch your cheek, checking if you were bled. You felt your sword connect with hers but you don’t even know if it was enough.

>Aria uses a Strike called Birdcatcher!

>Birdcatcher: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Swap your single lowest dice in your Strike Pool with the single lowest dice in your Composure Pool. Repeat this for every dice in your Strike Pool until there is no more remaining Composure dice or Strike dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. Rattle yourself.

>Aria’s Composure: 2d1

>Aria’s Strike Pool: 5d1, 1d8, 1d10

On the other hand, she looks exhausted, like that attack took everything out of her.

>Aria is Rattled!

>Roll 1d8 and 1d10 for her damage. 5d1 automatically deals 5 damage.

Rolled 1 (1d8)

Haven't gone out for cigs. Rolling for one of her dice. If it's enough with the 5 to break all of your Composure, I'll skip the second roll.

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>3864861
rolling for her d10
please be low.

>11 damage has destroyed 3d4, 2d6, and 1d8 from Rossi’s Composure Pool!

>Grasping Straws activates!

>Aria’s Composure Pool: 2d1, 1d4

>Aria’s Technique Pool: 1d4

>TEMPEST: Swept Around

>Tempest Technique Pool: 2d2

>Mirrored Counting Chickens reverts to Mirror Image!

Dry. And it wasn’t even close.

Her hands are on her knees, panting as a bead of sweat trickles down her forehead.

She groans. “That usually does the trick.”

“Not this time!” you reply, happily jumping back onto the platform. You may be on edge but your spirits are running high. Pushing past an errant gust you swing into the offensive for the first time in this duel. Your next attack is obvious and it’s caught easily. It does little to stop you because you unhook your scabbard and jab right into her chest.

Aria wheezes as she begins to retreat. She’s about to open her mouth again but you don’t relent. The flow of the duel is in your hands, even when she twists the Wake again. You’re actually lifted off the ground, and for a moment, both of you are as vulnerable as each other, despite how gracefully you land.

>Aria uses Turbulent Winds!

>Aria’s Composure Pool: 3d1
>Aria’s Technique Pool: 1d1
>Aria’s Strike Pool: 1d1

>Rossi’s Composure Pool: 1d1
>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 4d1, 1d6
>Rossi’s Strike Pool: 1d1

>SHOWING OFF

>Rossi’s Technique Pool: 5d1, 2d6

>>3864926
Aria Bettini
Composure Pool: 3d1
Technique Pool: 1d1
Strike Pool: 1d1

Ability:

>Grasping Straws: [ABILITY]Each time you destroy an opponent’s Composure dice, generate a single dice of the lowest destroyed dice into your Composure Pool and Technique Pool.

Techniques:

>Turbulent Winds: [TRICK]Transform the single lowest dice that is not a d1 in your and your opponent’s Composure, Strike, and Technique Pools into d1’s. If a Pool is empty, generate a d1 into them. Can only be chosen once per queue. This Technique can only be obtained by using Ring's Chosen with a Birdwatcher’s crest.

>Counting Chickens: [FLOURISH]Generate a d1 into your Technique Pool. Next time you use this in the same duel, generate 2d1 instead. This caps at 3d1 and if done again afterwards, resets back to a d1.

>Square-Edged Strike: [STRIKE]Siphon the single largest dice from your Technique Pool into your Strike Pool. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to deal damage. If your opponent loses Composure dice to this damage, generate an Execution Token. At any point if you have at least three Execution Tokens, you can consume three to use Executioner's Blade without its usual restriction.

>Vanishing Act: [TRICK]Destroy your single lowest Composure dice. If your opponent makes a Strike this round, transform all of their Strike dice and Technique dice into the same size as the dice destroyed.

>Birdcatcher: [STRIKE]Siphon all dice from your Technique Pool to your Strike Pool. Swap your single lowest dice in your Strike Pool with the single lowest dice in your Composure Pool. Repeat this for every dice in your Strike Pool until there is no more remaining Composure dice or Strike dice. Roll all dice in your Strike Pool to inflict damage. Rattle yourself.


Rossi
Composure Pool: 1d1
Technique Pool: 5d1, 2d6
Strike Pool: 1d1

Ability:

>Muddled Reflection: [ABILITY]When your opponent uses a move with the same text as your move in a round, generate a d4 into your Technique Pool.


TECHNIQUES (Choose THREE)

See above.

Since the next round will probably be the last, I'll squeeze in an update tomorrow before really returning on Saturday.

So Lead will stop any of her attacks now. Mirror on a Strike followed by a strike will win us the fight.

The problem is that she can fakeout with Turbulent or even regen composure with it.

Her queue is almost certainly any combination of 2 Squares and a Turbulent. The problem is reading which one she'll do.

Turbulent at the end is safest for her, but that's no guarantee.

>>3864956
yeah.

Which hits first, brute or Sqs?

>>3864959
same speed. I don't think there is an existing strike that hits on first sentence. Which means she comes out of that regenning 1d1

>>3864959
If you both use it on the first round, you'll bleed. On the sentence damage is dealt, you would have no Composure.

>>3864956
Lead d1
Lead d1
Lead d1


Our only other option is trying to predict the sqs with mirror image to rattle her so she can't regen off a mutual hit.

>>3864971
to what end? We have to strike SOME time.

>>3864974
we're essentially stalemated like this and I am not confident enough to try and force a mirror confront.

>>3864934
Need to clarify something. Does Lead the Blade actually stop Turbulent from generating dice?

Turbulent's effects are VERY fast, first sentence.

>>3864934
Also, what happens when Mirror copies a Rattled move?

>>3864980
Lead is retroactive and spans the entire duration of the round.

>>3864981
It performs the text of the chosen move, which means you perform the Technique even if they're Rattled.

>>3864934
>Mirror
>Lead 1
>Focussed Blow

>>3864983
Can Mirror Image copy Turbulent Winds?

>>3865101
Yup.

>>3865104
Will Mirrored SES bleed, since it's technically a Trick?

>>3865111
Yup. If it says it'll deal damage, it can bleed.

>>3864934
>Mirror
>Lead 1
>Focussed Blow

>>3865032
It would be nice if you commented on your thinking, anon. I wasted 30 minutes to come up to the same result.

>>3865124
uh, right

Here's a table of possible queues and which of our actions would be wincons for us

>>TSS
LMF, FM-, FF-, FLM
next queue advantage: -LM

>>STS
MFF, LFM, LFF, MLF
next queue advantage: FLM

>>SST
MF-, LMF, LFF, LLF, MLF
next queue advantage: LML

>>SSS
LMF, FM-, FF-, MLF


MLF is safe for the last 3, but for TSS it's not an automatic loss. We would go into the next queue and effectively run into win/lose/draw sudden death, with Aria having less choices than it might seem given a broken Rossi.

>>3865161
using the reset to our advantage, that's a good point....

But against TSS, the next queue would be....oh. OH. Astounding, anon.

With both of us rattled next queue, Aria can't Strike, but we can't TRICK. We can still strike with tech dice to break Turbulent, then strike again and win while broken.

>>3864934
change >>3865032
to
>Mirror
>Mirror
>Mirror

>>3865164
Dammit, I couldn't delete my post quickly enough
Vs TSS, MIx3 kills us.
First MI turns into TW
In the second round, SES breaks and rattles us. Our action this round is TW - a trick
Third round, TW transforms back into MI - also a trick, which doesn't work since we're rattled, and her SES bleeds us.
Please change back, anon.

>>3865164
>>3865195
damn shame, forgot about the first rattle.

>>3864934
cancel the change here >>3865164
I guess.

>Mirror Image
>Lead The Blade: d1
>Focussed Blow

The Wake’s distorted and you can’t even swing straight. The more you think about this, the more nervous you become. You could be blown off the roof any second. A single misstep and it’ll be over. And what if she has another trick up her sleeve? It’s impossible for you to know. You could be walking into a trap and you have no idea.

But if you were to, then you will do it head on, because as she moves to knock you off balance, you do it faster.

>MIRROR IMAGE

>Aria uses Square-Edged Strike!

>1+ damage has destroyed 3d1 from Aria’s Composure Pool!

>Aria is Rattled!

She stumbles backwards, panic in her eyes.

>Aria’s Composure: BROKEN

>Aria uses Turbulent Winds!

In a desperate attempt to reset the positions of both you and her, she starts to drag her sword into the Wake, only for it to be caught by your very own sabre. With a quick twist, you knock it off its path and away.

>LEAD THE BLADE: d1

And before she can do so much as bring her sword back into position—

>Aria uses Square-Edged Strike!

You sweep down across her chest, drawing blood.

>FOCUSSED BLOW

Your opponent looks down in a brief moment of surprise before letting out a quiet sigh. As you take a step back, you find your sweat-soaked hair finally settle down. The Wake begins to break apart, the world as it should be returning to you hurriedly.

...You did it.

You did it!

Shit, she was a real duelist, too. To think you lost to that guy a few days ago. This just makes it all the more embarrassing.

No one saw it except her, of course. No one in the canals below could see much of the duel.

Aria pats herself off, touching the place where you sliced her. She says, “Dang! You got me good.”

You stand there on the rooftop, replaying that last strike over and over again. That was damn nice and no one ever saw it except her. You’re a little disappointed, you won’t lie. But more importantly, you almost lost.

You watch her carefully, finally able to see just what was it that you saw in here. There’s something interesting here, right?

Something you could aspire to be, something to be inspired by.

>She held her ground despite having little to back it up. (Composure dice: Gain 1d1)

>Her ring insignia. There’s something beautiful about it. (Ring’s Chosen + Birdwatcher’s Crest)

>Even if she was losing, she could find a way to claw back into the fight. (Her Ability)

>How she almost managed to bleed you. (A Technique. Specify)

>Nothing. There is nothing to learn.

>>3866372
>Her ring insignia. There’s something beautiful about it. (Ring’s Chosen + Birdwatcher’s Crest)
I thought if we join the Ring we get the insignia, but apparently not?
In any case, Turbulent Winds can destroy large dice and regen Comp, which makes it potentially very useful.

>>3866389
You'll get it, just not right away.

>>3866390
Won't the Ring take offence if we somehow get it earlier?

>>3866394
Yes. You are violating tradition. The birdwatcher's crest is typically something you earn yourself, hence plucking a feather after every win.

>>3866398
Then I'd like to switch to
>Executioner's Blade
if we can get it, otherwise
>Her Ability

>>3866400
Yeah, I'll allow you to take Executioner's Blade. I think everyone knows it's her sixth Technique by now.

>>3866372
BLADE OF THE
E X E C U T I O N E R

SCARRING NECKS WORLDWIDE

>>3866372
Either the Ability or Birdcatcher.

Ability will sacrifice tech gen for some much needed composure, while Birdcatcher is a goddamn S+ move.

>>3866655
Birdcatcher is good when you can generate a lot of small dice. It isn't good for us.

>>3866669
Using it the normal way is incredibly risky, it's also useful as a defensive tool and for bypassing skin unthorned.

Even without the appropriate build, the sheer value of the tech is enough on its own.

>>3866695
How is it ever useful for defense?
As for Skin Unthorned, Birdcatcher would be even worse since it would swap d6s for d4s

>>3866372
>Even if she was losing, she could find a way to claw back into the fight. (Her Ability)

>>3866817
Birdcatcher can upconvert composure dice given high tech.

As for Skin Unthorned, the most dangerous part about it is that there's very few ways to counter Pinch the Stem. Birdcatcher is one that isn't slow.

>>3867905
Dude, we have a d12 in Comp. It doesn't matter how big are the other dice. The opponent will have to deal 12 damage anyway. Unless we somehow get a d20 in Tech, it won't upconvert anything.

>Even if she was losing, she could find a way to claw back into the fight. (Her Ability)

There’s something off about her. You can’t really tell. Or maybe, there’s something wrong with you.

Is it the way she thinks? How does she think? How could you possible know? There’s a hundred possibilities and each are as invalid as the other, and just when you notice this, you realize how strangely you’ve been looking at the world this entire time. On second thought, it could be that you always look at the world this way and you simply haven’t noticed. It’s hard to tell but there’s still a chance! Even if it’s impossible, you could be understanding something the wrong way and are simply blind to the—

She notices you looking and asks, “Is there something on my face?”

“Oh, sorry. I was...” you begin to explain, trying to find a reason for appearing the way you are but it comes to you all too easily. “...thinking about good you were with your sabre.”

She shyly laughs. “Aw, thanks. You too.”

The conversation comes to an abrupt halt.

It wasn’t that you couldn’t think of anything to say. It was more like you knew what she was going to say and she thought the same about you. Of course, the hypothetical conversation could never be proven but nonetheless it was had in an instant and forgotten just as quickly.

You’re in a strange fugue, and to everyone around you, you must seem like you’re out of your fucking mind, but for the first time ever, you feel like you really get it.

You ask, “So what now?”

“Yes!” Aria replies, her back straightening. “I think you did a pretty good job.”

“You’re okay with someone who finds the Lesser Realm romantic?”

“No, but you might just get a hang of the style.”

Oh! She’s saying you’re a weirdo. Yeah, okay. You’re fine with this development. There’s good things about being strange, after all. Like being a good duelist, obviously. “So I’m in?”

There’s a small smile that precedes Aria lunging at the birdbath. You’ve completely forgotten about it but the single massive secretary bird in it sure hasn’t. It lets out a little shriek before Aria snatches it, pulls it out of the air, and numbly plucks out a feather. You watch in stunned silence as the bird just cries louder.

She lets it go after and it flees the rooftop as quickly as possible.

In her hands, the feather itself starts off white and quickly transitions to black, two stripes of the colors interchanged acting as the border. You just look at it as she tries to hand it to you. You don’t take it because you’re not quite sure where’s she’s getting at, but you figure it out when she stabs it into your shirt after you don’t reply.

You recoil. “Ow! What was that for?” You take the thing and pull it out.

“Your first feather! You’ll get an official notice in a week or so from us. Until then, I’ll vouch for you, Rossi Rossi.”

“It’s just Rossi.”

“Yes?”

1/2

>>3868643

>See if you can stick around for a while.

>Time to celebrate! Indulge in something.

>Head home. You should do something productive.

>Other (Specify)

>>3868643
>>Time to celebrate! Indulge in something.
Go take her out for drinks, maybe have her guide us around areas pruient to the Circle.

>Time to celebrate! Indulge in something.

She heads back to the rooftop door and swings it open, revealing a staircase that leads downstairs. Aria takes a second to realize what she’s done and closes it, taking out a key to use instead. This time, when it opens, it leads to the applications office. She walks in, takes a brief moment to tell the person sitting at the counter something, and exits back out.

You say, “I guess I’m celebrating with a few drinks. Want to come with? It’s on me.” You try to find a place the feather and end up putting it on your belt awkwardly.

“Oh, no,” she says, “I have work.” Right. She has to do the thing where she tests the next duelist who comes through the door. Before you can even say anything else, she adds, “And I don’t drink. Thanks for the offer though. Tell you what, when you get your notice and you’re in, I’ll show you around the compounds. Hmm?”

“Sounds like a plan,” you reply, someone else walks onto the rooftop, a little unsure as to what to do. “I won’t distract you any longer. I’ll see you, then.”

Aria congratulates you as she gives you a goodbye, leaving you to take the stairs down the building yourself. By the time you reach the canal outside, you snap out of your little reverie. There’s a lot to admire, like how the beautiful the trampled petal leaves are or how you didn’t quite just get turned down, but this isn’t the time for it.

Just for a little bit, you want to be yourself.

****

By the time you reach Somn, the sky’s already begun to turn orange. You enter the first bar you find, hoping nothing else but to get absolutely fucked up, and find yourself in a musky little place filled with noise and little rancor. The tables always look like there’s a stain nothing can remove and the stools by the counter look like they’d stop being uncomfortable once you’re tipsy.

And as you enter you see someone familiar. You struggle to find his name at first but remember it’s Vittore. His hair’s even more of a mess and he doesn’t have his coat on. He’s occupying a small table by himself, and he looks like shit.

>Sit down by Vittore.

>Pick a fight with someone.

>Announce that the next round of drinks is on you.

>Hit on the nearest person.

>Other (Specify)

>>3868819
>Sit down by Vittore.
>troubles with a woman?

>>3868819
>>Sit down by Vittore.

>>3868819
>Sit down by Vittore.

>>3868819
>Announce that the next round of drinks is on you.
Then:
>Bring a drink to Vittore; tonight is not a time for sadness, he'll tell you about his problem and drink them away.

>Sit down by Vittore.

You make your way over, grabbing a chair at his table and sitting down. “Hey there. How’s it been, Vittore?”

His forehead wrinkles as he tries to see who’s decided to bother him. “Rossi?”

“Oh shit, you remember me.” It’s only been a few days but you never know. “Mind if I sit here?”

“No, go ahead,” Vittore answers. “Funny to see you.”

“Why?” you ask and that question is left hanging. You tap the table a few times before deciding to leave and come back with a pint of beer in each hand. You slide one of them to Vittore and say, “On me.”

He groggily takes it and takes a small sip. “Thanks.”

You down a mouthful and ask, “Troubles with a woman?”

“No. It’s nothing worth talking about.”

“Maybe you’re right, but I want to hear it anyways. Do I have to get you even drunker?”

He snorts. Running a hand through his hair, the tries to smooth out the mess but ends up making it worse. “Hey, be honest, did I win in our duel because of luck?”

“You said it, not me. It hardly matters because you still won, luck or not.”

There’s a lull as he starts going through his pint. When he finally has enough, he wheezes and tells you, “I— think I should find something else to do. This stuff isn’t for me. I think I let enough people down for a lifetime.”

You hardly know him. You could say some empty platitude to try and help him keep at it or tell him to do what makes him happy. You could ask him why he does what he does and psychoanalyze him like some kind of a shithead. But you came here to celebrate and nothing is aligning right now.

You place your elbows on the table and lean in. In a low tone, you say, “Hey, want to hear a dumb story?”

“Hnng?” Vittore watches you with half-lidded eyes.

“It’s about how I got kicked out of a Ring.”

There’s a bit of a mischievous yet complacent grin that you receive along with his reply. “What?”

“Well, you see, it all started when the Day Ringmaster asked me to fetch him his sabre...”

He came here for a distraction and you came here to talk about yourself. Even if the butt of the joke was you, you regale him with the wonderful tale that you recall only because it’s told in confidence. The sound of your words don’t carry far out the table before being drowned by all the other conversations that surround you. You don’t remember what he said afterwards or even what you said. You just know that you were there, and maybe, you shared a bit of happiness with him.

File: cube.jpg (147 KB, 600x600)

147 KB JPG

Thank you for playing. I'm ending the thread here abruptly since I doubt I'll finish anywhere else neatly before it slides off the board. I believe this quest will be 3 threads long but I'll see.

Forgot to say, the next thread will be at the start of next month or somewhere around it.