Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/05/28(Thu)14:19 No. 643735 ID: 26e769
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> Ham the cute up for all it's worth.

“…”

Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/05/28(Thu)14:19 No. 643736 ID: 26e769
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>Lead him away, smiling and waving. Drop facade when clear.

Victory!

We’re a good distance away when the boy starts ‘talking’ to me again.

Thanks for the help. Also: Wow. That was terrifying. Is that why you dress like a girl?

>>643736
Tell him your mom makes you dress this way. You don't like it.

>>643737
Yeah. It's not by choice. *sobering up*

Technically not lying (wait, can you even lie in mind-speak? Would it be obvious?), and you kind of don't want to ruin the one person who doesn't think you're a girl.

>>643703
Last few things from here still apply.

Also, try to find out what kind of things you can do. Maybe he knows more you never thought to try.

Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/05/28(Thu)16:01 No. 643749 ID: 26e769
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>Tell him your mom makes you dress this way. You don't like it.
>Yeah. It's not by choice. *sobering up*

{I don’t dress this way ‘cause I want to. My mom makes me wear clothes like this. I hate it.}

Oh? How strange.

>What's he doing where he can't talk to people, anyways?

{So why are you so far from Portuguesia?}

You mean Portugal? I didn’t leave by choice. The Spanish took over and enslaved a whole bunch of people, including me. They sold me off at the border between the colonies. They do it over here because they can get more money in the Plutocracy, I think. I got bought by a plantation outside of town. I don’t know where the rest of my family is, but I hope they’re all doing okay.

{Oh. I’m sorry.} Huh. I’ve never been friends with a slave before.

Yeah, it isn’t the greatest situation. I don’t think I’m an especially good slave, either, as you can probably tell. The language barrier is a little frustrating at times, too. Being a Pendelion helps, but it’s still difficult to communicate.

>So I guess you can't talk to normal people that way, huh.

{Can’t you talk to people like this?}

I could, but I’m too afraid to risk it. My uncle used to do it publicly, and he was executed by the inquisition for ‘witchcraft’. My father always told us we had to keep it hidden. I don’t know if you have witch trials in the Plutocracy, but I’d rather not find out the hard way.

>Maybe we can make a deal where we translate for him, or deal with normals, or just teach some English.

{Maybe I could help you learn English. Or just translate for you.}

Would you? That would really help. It shouldn’t be too hard, either. You can tell me the words, then I can read the meaning from your mind.

Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/05/28(Thu)16:06 No. 643753 ID: 26e769
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>try to find out what kind of things you can do. Maybe he knows more you never thought to try.
>he offered to teach you things, and you want to know how to do cool things.

{That’s so cool! What else can we do? Can we make people's heads blow up?}

Well, I don’t know about that, but there are a few fun things. Actually… Hold on. We’re almost out of town. I’ll show you then.

We walk for a little while. I feel really excited, because all of this is so awesome.

Finally, the boy stops, glancing around to make sure nobody’s watching. Okay, here we go. I haven’t practiced in a while, but I’ll give it a shot. He breathes in and out, then strikes an odd pose.

{What are you doing?}

He grins. Just watch.

I watch.

>>643753
Whooooaaaa is that MAGIC!?

>witch trials
Note to self: don't get burned at the stake as a witch.

>>643753
Woaaaah! What is that! You can do magic? I can do magic?!


Hmm. He's gonna have to buy his freedom before they find out he can do magic. No one would ever sell a slave that can do magic.

Why aren't your clothes on fire?

Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/05/28(Thu)18:26 No. 643777 ID: 26e769
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>Whooooaaaa is that MAGIC!?
>Woaaaah! What is that! You can do magic? I can do magic?!

{Whoooooaaaaa is that MAGIC?! You can do magic? I can do magic?}

Magic? Oh, I guess it would seem like magic, huh. No, no, I don’t think it’s magic. It’s just an illusion.

>Why aren't your clothes on fire?

{A what? Hey, why aren’t your clothes on fire?}

A not-real thing. Something that isn’t actually there. Just like I’m sending ideas from my mind to yours, I can send images the same way. The fire was never really there in the first place. Here, it’s easier to create ones that don’t move.

{Whoa!}

I’m not very good. I mostly just used it for entertaining my little sister. That little fire-trick I did is the best I can really do, honestly. My mother is amazing at it, though. She can make you think that one person is another person, or that someone is there when they aren’t, or vice versa.

>Hmm. He's gonna have to buy his freedom before they find out he can do magic. No one would ever sell a slave that can do magic.

{That’s so cool! But, hey, you’re going to have to buy your freedom before they find out you can do magic. No one would ever sell a slave that can do magic!}

I already told you, it’s not magic. Also, what do you mean, buy my own freedom? It doesn’t really work like that, does it? I think I’d need somebody else to buy it for me.

>Also, what do you mean, buy my own freedom? It doesn’t really work like that, does it? I think I’d need somebody else to buy it for me.
I, uh... I'm not sure, actually. I've never had to know exactly how slave laws worked. There are stories about slaves who get freedom, but... hmm.

Sorry. I'll have to check how it works.

I mean, you can probably help. Or the two of you can trick someone into helping? It'll take some planning.

>can he buy his own freedom?

I think in most systems, a slave can buy their freedom provided they have the money.
Problem is, slaves usually can't get money - not legally, anyway.
And, of course, there are exceptions. (Not to mention your master would need to be willing to 'sell'...)

(Maybe offer to buy his freedom? Only if you're sure though, that'll be a lot of money to raise.)

And of course the most important thing: TEACH MEEEE!

We should try that, try to make snake. Also what is a pendelion and what does it mean to be one?

New quest! Get enough money to buy this guy from the apple guy!
But yeah anyway give him the fastest and biggest burst of english you can mentally muster and hurry back to town to steal money.

Side quest: buy books with money and learn better english to teach to this guy.
Long term goal: usurp mother with psychic powers!

Hurry back to town anyway, I have a paranoid vision where the mother comes back and sees us with a slave, before barring us from seeing him again.

Hold up, this Portugese Pendelion seemed to be surprised that we are dressed like a girl. Do we not have a little girl's anatomy inside our clothes? This is an important question for trying to judge the sanity of 'mother.'

...if you get good enough at this you could make everyone believe you look like a boy.

>>643865
He can't see through our clothes, but he can see our mind. Naturally, he believes his mind reading when it pings Pendel / Madeline as male.

...but yes, Mom's sane. (Well, presumably. We've yet to see evidence otherwise). This is us lying by omission / not correcting him to mess up a good thing / not telling the whole story.

Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/05/29(Fri)16:43 No. 643987 ID: 26e769
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>...if you get good enough at this you could make everyone believe you look like a boy.

What? I could look like a… boy?!

>TEACH MEEEE!

{Teach me how to do that! Please teach me!}

Whoa, uh, I guess I could… Just a little bit, though, okay? We still have to get the water and get back to town, remember. Um… Try this. Imagine the world around yourself as a picture, like a painting or something.

I look around a bit, then I close my eyes and focus really hard.

You got it? Okay, now, change something small. Draw something into the image in your mind, and try to hold it there.

>We should try that, try to make snake.

I scrunch up my brain harder than I’ve ever scrunched it up before!

Hey, that’s great!

Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/05/29(Fri)16:43 No. 643988 ID: 26e769
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{Really?!} I open my eyes and look up. I see a smeared mess in the air, vaguely in the shape of a snake. {Oh…}

Don’t feel bad. It’s really good for a first attempt, and you can’t expect to be an expert after just one try. Keep practicing. Make sure that nobody can see it when you do, though. Like I said, you don’t want people to think you’re a witch.

>what is a pendelion and what does it mean to be one?

{Okay, I guess. Hey, are we witches? What is a Pendelion? What does it mean to be one?}

I don’t think anybody really knows. My father used to say it was what lets us be smarter than the birds and monkeys and dogs, all the other animals. He says that everybody used to be able to do it, but they forgot that they could. Kids can still learn, if they’re little, but they have to be taught how to do it by somebody else.

{Nobody taught me.}

Oh, yeah. That is a little odd. My aunt said that mom had a knack for it even when she was small… Maybe you’re just really good at it?

{Ooh! I knew it! I always knew I was special!}

The boy smiles.

Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/05/29(Fri)16:44 No. 643989 ID: 26e769
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>Hold up, this Portugese Pendelion seemed to be surprised that we are dressed like a girl. Do we not have a little girl's anatomy inside our clothes?
>He can't see through our clothes, but he can see our mind. Naturally, he believes his mind reading when it pings Pendel / Madeline as male.

I have girl parts. {So, hey, how did you know I was… a boy?}

Different people think in different ways. Same with boys and girls. The more you do it, the easier it gets for you to see the difference. You think like a boy, no matter what you look like on the outside.

>This is us lying by omission / not correcting him to mess up a good thing / not telling the whole story.

Oh… should I tell him the truth? I don’t really want to.

>New quest! Get enough money to buy this guy from the apple guy!
>(Maybe offer to buy his freedom? Only if you're sure though, that'll be a lot of money to raise.)
>I mean, you can probably help. Or the two of you can trick someone into helping? It'll take some planning.

{If we get more money, we can probably buy your freedom. I’ll help!}

What? Are you serious? I mean, thank you, that’s a really big gesture, but… You don’t even know my name. Come to think of it, I haven’t actually spoken a single word to you. I don’t think getting that much money will be easy, either… Are you sure about this?

>We still have to get the water and get back to town, remember.
Yeah, we should get him back before he gets in trouble. Then you might not be able to hand out with him. We'll have to figure out when you can do that.

>Oh… should I tell him the truth? I don’t really want to.
Nope. Don't mess up a good thing. You don't want to mess up the one person who sees you the way you want to.

>I don’t think getting that much money will be easy, either… Are you sure about this?
How hard could it be? We can make people see things. We know what they're thinking! No one is prepared for that! Just wait till I get good at some of these new tricks, and we can come up with a plan to make money.

I mean, c'mon, you want to be a slave forever? Apple guy is a jerk.

You need to learn your tricks, and he needs to learn the lingo, first, though. Limits his options a lot if he can't talk.

>>643989
Ask his name and get money!

Ok, what does the town look like?
Any big markets or banks? Gambling dens would be perfect if we were older.

"It might take a while, as in days, or even months or years. But I can't exactly tell all the other 'Pendelions' that my first teacher is a slave and I let them be one, now can I?"

>>643989
>Haven't spoken a single word to you
Pff. Who cares about audio? It's communication that matters and there's plenty of that going on.

...but yeah getting his name would be good.
It's Wormwood isn't it.

Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/05/31(Sun)22:22 No. 644409 ID: 26e769
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>Pff. Who cares about audio? It's communication that matters and there's plenty of that going on.

{But we have been talking!}

In a way. But you know what I mean.

>Ask his name
>...but yeah getting his name would be good.

{So what is your name?}

He grins very slightly. “Silvio.”

>Nope. Don't mess up a good thing. You don't want to mess up the one person who sees you the way you want to.

Huh. I guess I do kind of want to be a boy. But I can’t actually be a boy, can I?

…can I?

Do you plan to remain a mystery, or shall we finish our introductions?

Uh oh. What name should I give him?

>Uh oh. What name should I give him?
See, this is the problem with asking.

Hmm. I don't know a masculine form of Madeline. (Well, Pepito, but not really). Most the possible nicknames are obviously feminine, too. Except 'Madd' or 'Mad', I guess. And you can't go by 'Pendel' yet, since it's obviously derivative of 'Pendelion'.

Not sure we can really lie here, since I'm not sure you can prevent him from overhearing (or over-mind reading) someone using 'Madeline' around him. Also still not sure if we can lie when we're communicating with mind reading.

Best answer I guess is to be honest, but grumpy about it, like the clothes. You don't really like your name.

Ledam. When in doubt, reverse your name.

Mad -> Matt, perhaps?

Be fscking blunt: "Well, what with being born shaped like a girl and all my mom gave me a girl's name: Madeline. I'm open to suggestions."

Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/06/04(Thu)14:21 No. 645422 ID: 26e769
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>Not sure we can really lie here, since I'm not sure you can prevent him from overhearing (or over-mind reading) someone using 'Madeline' around him. Also still not sure if we can lie when we're communicating with mind reading. Best answer I guess is to be honest, but grumpy about it, like the clothes. You don't really like your name.
>Be fucking blunt: "Well, what with being born shaped like a girl and all my mom gave me a girl's name: Madeline. I'm open to suggestions."

{Mom gave me a girl’s name: Madeleine. Because I was born shaped like a girl. I don’t like it. I don’t want to be called Madeleine. I don’t know what I want to be called. Any ideas?}

Uh, whoa, whoa, slow down. ‘Shaped like a girl’?

{My body. I’ve got a girl body.}

But… you are a boy, aren’t you? How did you end up in a girl’s body?

>>645422
You don't know. You don't remember having any other body. Does he think someone put you in this one?

"Your guess is as good as mine, all I know is that I seem to have been born like this and who knows whether it's my mind that's wrong, my body that's wrong, both, or something else entirely. Unless you think it involves an enchantment that's easy to break or something else easy to fix like that it probably doesn't matter as much as trying to figure out how to buy your freedom, probably."

You guys seriously need to start walking towards the well or he's gonna get in trouble again and you're gonna have to sneak around to see him.

>But… you are a boy, aren’t you? How did you end up in a girl’s body?
How does anyone end up in any body? You don't know how it works.

...no one's ever been able to see into your head before. See the difference.

Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/06/05(Fri)02:39 No. 645895 ID: 26e769
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>How does anyone end up in any body? You don't know how it works.
>Does he think someone put you in this one?
>Your guess is as good as mine

{How did you end up in your body? How does anyone end up in any body? I don’t know how it works!} I get a little scared. {Is this not my body? Did someone put me in someone else’s body?!}

Calm down, calm down! I don’t know. I mean, dad used to tell me stories about Pendelions who could possess people, so… maybe? Can you remember being somebody else?

>You don't know. You don't remember having any other body.
>...no one's ever been able to see into your head before. See the difference.

{No. I’ve always been like this.} I feel a little weird. {Nobody has ever noticed that I was supposed to be a boy. I guess I always wondered when they would… You’re the first. Do you know what’s wrong with me?}

Silvio shakes his head. I’m sorry. I don’t.

{Then I’m stuck like this?} I shiver at the thought. {I don’t want to be a girl!}

Silvio frowns sadly. …Look, my dad might know how to, uh, fix you. But I don’t know where my family is, and obviously I can’t search for them right now.

{Then I’ll free you and we can search together!}

Again, thank you, but that could take a lot of-

{I don’t care how much money or how much time it takes!}

You say these things, but I don’t know if you really understand-

>We can make people see things. We know what they're thinking! No one is prepared for that! Just wait till I get good at some of these new tricks, and we can come up with a plan to make money.
>”It might take a while, as in days, or even months or years. But I can't exactly tell all the other 'Pendelions' that my first teacher is a slave and I let them be one, now can I?"

{I understand! I’m clever! I’ll keep trying! It might take a while - days, or months, or years. But I won’t give up! Just wait ’til I get good at some of these new tricks - I'll come up with a plan to make lots of money! I mean…}

Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/06/05(Fri)02:40 No. 645899 ID: 26e769
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>How hard could it be?

Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/06/05(Fri)02:41 No. 645900 ID: 26e769
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“Madeleine, don’t be a child! Get out here this instant!”

“No!”

“You promised me you’d do it.”

“I don’t care! I won’t!”

“I won’t let you leave the house for a year.”

“…”

“Come on, Madeleine.”

“…fine.”

Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/06/05(Fri)02:41 No. 645901 ID: 26e769
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This feels so wrong.

“Oh…” Mama sighs happily. “You look beautiful. I don’t know what you were worrying about. Thomas is going to fall for you the moment he sees you.”

I don’t know why she keeps fighting me on this. Dressing like a boy, ruining her dates… She needs to grow up. She’s got a chance at a better life. I can’t let her waste it.

“Please, Mama. I don’t like Thomas. We played together when we were little, but that’s it! There’s nothing more to it.”

“Watch your tone, young lady. He’s a handsome boy, and his father owns the tannery.” She reminds me of the ‘tannery’ like it’s some big selling point. Ugh. “Trust me. If you give him a chance, you’ll be surprised.”

Fat chance. But I’ve already skipped too many of these ‘dates’. She’s getting harsher with her punishments. Still, maybe I can sneak off to see Silvio, or I can try to gamble at the Hall tonight. I’ve almost got enough. We’re all but ready to go as it is. But then, yesterday, Mama dropped this whole ‘Thomas’ ordeal on me before I had the chance to invent some chicanery to sneak out of it.

Should I skip this date? Gambling night at the Hall doesn’t come often, and I’ve gotten better at disguising myself. I won’t have a repeat of last time. If I’m lucky, I could get enough to buy Silvio outright.

>>645901
Have you considered blackmail? Reading minds lets you gain access to a bunch of secrets, secrets which people would rather remain hidden... It's easy to squeeze people like that, especially if they don't even know who they're giving money to.

Go out with Thomas and read his mind a bunch to see what he doesn't like, and make that part of the "you" he sees. As in, basically offend him without being obvious about it. The date will fail but it will just look like you're not compatible.

Could you get him to skip the date? All you need to do is cause some distraction or crisis at the tannery. That should be easy with your illusion trick.

Cause issues at the tannery? I'd lye if I couldn't think of a way to make that happen.

You're a mind reader, right? One thing to try is reading someone's dirty secrets and starting a couple fights (or doing some blackmail) to get the event called off early. It doesn't even have to go that far, just enough to give you a decent excuse to bail--I'd be really disappointed in you and your town for being dull, unimaginative and dreary if you couldn't do that.
If this tannery is prosperous there's something to be said for the possibility of manipulating your 'date' into financing your ambitions though. Seriously dude, you've got pretty blonde hair and a slim, womanly figure. Even if you're right about being a man instead of a woman you've got a long road ahead of you before you can change your anatomy to match, so make use of what you've got to get there or stay stuck like this.

Also, spare a thought for your mother. She may be a domineering bitch trying to tell you how to run your life but that's... normal. She also didn't sell you off as a slave or a servant or abandon you as an orphan or something: She's doing the best she can to try and help you do better than being a whore, and she's genuinely afraid--for fair reasons--of what happens to you if she fails.

>>645901
...your Mom got old, fast.

Did you ever try to really talk to her about anything? She's only like this because she doesn't understand. She sees your looks as a tool you can use to get an easier life than she had. She doesn't understand what you're going through, or why you wouldn't grab that. As far as she can tell, you're being willfully ignorant of how hard the world can be.

If you're planning to run away or go on a trip once you've got the money to free him, you might want to give her a hug. Who knows when (or if) you'll see her again.

Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/06/05(Fri)21:51 No. 646528 ID: 26e769
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>Could you get him to skip the date? All you need to do is cause some distraction or crisis at the tannery. That should be easy with your illusion trick.

My illusions have been getting better, but I still need to be pretty close to work them. The further away they are, the harder it is to keep them going.

>Have you considered blackmail? Reading minds lets you gain access to a bunch of secrets, secrets which people would rather remain hidden... It's easy to squeeze people like that, especially if they don't even know who they're giving money to.
>You're a mind reader, right? One thing to try is reading someone's dirty secrets and starting a couple fights (or doing some blackmail)

I’ve tried blackmail before, and it got me into some tight spots. Turns out people tend to get emotional over incriminating information, and emotional people tend to get violent. I’ve never been the best in a fight; my stupid body lets me down again.

>If this tannery is prosperous there's something to be said for the possibility of manipulating your 'date' into financing your ambitions though. Seriously dude, you've got pretty blonde hair and a slim, womanly figure. Even if you're right about being a man instead of a woman you've got a long road ahead of you before you can change your anatomy to match, so make use of what you've got to get there or stay stuck like this.

H-hey! Just because I’ve got a female anatomy, it doesn’t mean I have feminine wiles or whatever. I mean, I can manipulate people like nobody’s business, but I’m a boy! The art of seduction is a little beyond me.

>Also, spare a thought for your mother. She may be a domineering bitch trying to tell you how to run your life but that's... normal. She also didn't sell you off as a slave or a servant or abandon you as an orphan or something: She's doing the best she can to try and help you do better than being a whore, and she's genuinely afraid--for fair reasons--of what happens to you if she fails.
>Did you ever try to really talk to her about anything? She's only like this because she doesn't understand. She sees your looks as a tool you can use to get an easier life than she had. She doesn't understand what you're going through, or why you wouldn't grab that. As far as she can tell, you're being willfully ignorant of how hard the world can be. If you're planning to run away or go on a trip once you've got the money to free him, you might want to give her a hug. Who knows when (or if) you'll see her again.

It’s true. Mama may be a bit domineering sometimes, but she loves me. I love her, too. I’m not planning to get out of town immediately, and I’m not going to leave without her. But I couldn’t explain about myself, could I? How could I get her to understand? I’d probably just scare her. Still… she should know. Should I tell her now, or later?

>>646528
Now doesn't really seem like the time. She might think you're just saying it to get out of the date.

Don't like run away or something though. Maybe you could convince Thomas to go gambling with you? Just pretend it's like a guy's night out rather than a date.

Here's a way to approach the matter without her suspecting anything: Ask if she would still be pushing you into dates if you were a guy.

>My illusions have been getting better, but I still need to be pretty close to work them. The further away they are, the harder it is to keep them going.
Ideally, you wouldn't want to use something that requires continuous upkeep, like an illusionary fire.

Best case would be a short length illusion that causes a panic that then has everyone scurrying around trying to find the problem or what caused it. (Fake an explosion? Or a leak they they have to find and plug? Or burglars or vandals to chase off they can never quite catch up to?)

>emotional people tend to get violent
And desperate people can be unpredictable. Staying in control is the most important part of that kind of con.

>I’d probably just scare her. Still… she should know. Should I tell her now, or later?
How... orthodox is your mother. How has she responded to stories of witches and monsters and stuff in the past?

I mean, when it comes right down to it, would she see you as a freak, or would she finally be proud you could do something, or were trying to make something of yourself. My hope is that she sees your appearance as more a tool to secure your future than anything else. She should be open to your having a better tool.

I think you gotta build up to it. You can't just tell her you're a magic boy, you need to seed the ground.

Mama, what if I could be more than some tanner's wife. What if I could make something of myself, on my own. Not scraping by on someone else's pity because he thought I was pretty.

>Ask if she would still be pushing you into dates if you were a guy.
Yes, good.

Incidental, what were you planning to do for income when you get through with this? If we don't have a good education and good connections mama may actually be pushing us in the safest direction.

Madeleine!5tTWT1eydY 2015/06/18(Thu)01:21 No. 649208 ID: 26e769
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>Incidental, what were you planning to do for income when you get through with this? If we don't have a good education and good connections mama may actually be pushing us in the safest direction.

I don’t care if it’s safe. It’s not me. I will carve out my own place in this world, and I don’t intend to spend any of my ‘feminine assets’ to do it. When I die, I refuse to leave a woman's corpse behind.

>How... orthodox is your mother. How has she responded to stories of witches and monsters and stuff in the past?

Not very. She used to take me to church, but she’s never believed in it. She just thought I’d have a better chance in the Plutocracy if I was raised religious.

>Here's a way to approach the matter without her suspecting anything: Ask if she would still be pushing you into dates if you were a guy.
>I mean, when it comes right down to it, would she see you as a freak, or would she finally be proud you could do something, or were trying to make something of yourself. My hope is that she sees your appearance as more a tool to secure your future than anything else. She should be open to your having a better tool. I think you gotta build up to it. You can't just tell her you're a magic boy, you need to seed the ground.

Explaining the situation through hypotheticals could work. I’m sure if Mama knew that I was actually a boy, she’d be ecstatic. She’d love having a child who could go to college or be a merchant. Here’s hoping, anyway.

“Mama, would you still be pushing me to go on dates if I was a boy?”

She seems surprised by the question. “Of course I would, dear.” She says it without much thought.

“No, but I mean, really, if I was a boy. Me. Right now.”

“Madeleine, what is this about?” She sits down, looking concerned. “You’re not a boy. You understand that, right? You’re a woman. You’re my beautiful daughter, and I love you just the way you are.”

“Mama, that’s not what I meant.“

“I’ve never in my life wished for a son. Not even once.” She smiles. “I promise you, Madeleine. We might be weaker and softer, but there is nothing wrong with being a woman.”

My throat feels tight, and my stomach feels heavy. Her words hurt. “Mama, what if I could be more than some tanner’s wife? What if I could make something of myself on my own, without any help?”

“I’d love that, dear. But that’s just not how the world works.”

I want to tell her. Damn it, I really want to tell her. Should I?

Not now. If you push her with something out of left field like this while it seems like you're trying to escape her plan to get you to this social event you risk her deciding it's all a trick, for good. If you can't handle this then give up now an commit suicide: Traveling to strange places--without an assured source of income--chasing after magic will demand much worse of you than wearing a dress and pretending to laugh at people's jokes. Later--when you've either sufered this evening or salvaged something out of it--don't lead with the 'not a girl' stuff. Lead with the mind-reading and illusion stuff, and wait a very long time afterwards to raise the topic of your being a man in a woman's body if it gets brought up at all. If you tell all of that at once, or in close succession, she might decide you're a demon living in her daughter's head if you try to convince her you're a magic man living in her daughter's body. The magic part of understanding what she doesn't know about you is far more important for explaining why you shouldn't seek to be a trophy wife in a religious community. Once she knows that you have powers that easily are more important, and definitely conflict with, trying to hunt down a man to marry you can get started on freeing Silvio with her help. It may be painful and uncomfortable to hide that other part of your nature from mother as well, but hopefully a 'right time' to reveal that you're her son instead of her daughter will come later. But if you are not careful, well-timed and gradual with explaining about these things you've kept hidden from her for years you could lose more than just your mom: Remember what they do to witches.

>Damn it, I really want to tell her. Should I?
Tactically, the risk is that if you tell her, and she doesn't take it well, that could interfere with your plan to free Silvio.

...from a risk perspective, telling her about who you are inside is safer than telling her about what you're capable of. If she gets upset and thinks you're delusional, that doesn't stop you from doing magic as planned. If she knows what you're capable of, that could impede your plan if she tries to interfere, or tells others who could.

Fuck it. She's your mother. This might be your last chance to tell her- you might be gone, or things might be too hot later. You might never get the chance to tell her the truth.

>“I’d love that, dear. But that’s just not how the world works.”
The world doesn't always work the way people think it does. There are the things that usually happen, but there are secrets, too. The hidden things, the unusual, the ones in between. That someone clever or lucky can make use of.

>Her words hurt.
She doesn't understand. She's trying to reassure her troubled daughter. Those aren't the words you need to hear.

>when we tell her about the illusion stuff
...best demonstration, I think, would be to put her in front a mirror and make her look young again. The way you remember. It's just an illusion... but it's the way you know she is inside. (It's a gesture to her, and it opens the door to her thinking about someone being different on the outside but than the inside).

I'm sorry I never told you, Mama. But I don't want to hide from you, anymore.