3/3 saffron 2016/11/04(Fri)20:38 No. 756993 ID: 0543a8
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“BYE KIDDO! SEE YOU SOON!”

you’re finally free and you’re ready to be as far from here as possible.

go quit work (say uve got like a family emergency or something and u need to be gone forever) and also text lili saying 'ur friend is a douche and the child has Tasks for me'

you should probably head home and take a shower or something. then go tell your ex boss you about not working there anymore. what is your gf up to right now?

Actually, don't quit your day job. Better yet, use your new criminal connections to stage a robbery; you play the part of the classic helpless cashier who can't even hit the alarm button because her boss was too cheap to install an alarm system. After they rob the place blind, you get fired, and then get a cut of the goods. You get to screw your boss over and get paid twice your monthly paycheck for it and all you need to do is work the day shift for a few more weeks.

>you realize that both of them will almost certainly always be fucking with you
Hey. It still beats working retail hell.

(And after enough exposure, maybe you'll come out of your shell and have the confidence to fuck with them right back).

>what do
Head home. You need a shower and change of clothes before anything else.

hey is minseo doing magic in the second panel? is that normal?

Admit to yourself that the only reason you're doing any of this is because you're a complete and utter doormat, and potentially attain sexual gratification from getting abused.

1/1 saffron 2016/11/05(Sat)23:17 No. 757168 ID: 0543a8
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at the very least you want to go home and put on some clean damn clothes. there’s nothing on your agenda for the day so far; you’re not scheduled to work — your boss has been cutting your hours like mad since you’re so overstaffed. you wonder if you should just stop by and quit on the spot. not like they’d have any difficulty covering your shifts. maybe that’s too hasty.

the west-bound redline train takes you back into the city. the nearest station is about a 15 minute walk from your apartment, which is just far enough to be a pain in the ass.

your phone rattles from your pocket — someone’s texting you. you get several more messages before you even have a chance to check who it is. it’s an unknown number, but upon reading, you have a feeling you know who it is.

saturday nov 5, 11:42 am
DON’T WORRY, HE DOESN’T BITE. KIND OF A BIG PUSHOVER ACTUALLY

saturday nov 5, 11:42 am
DON’T TELL HIM I SAID THAT. YOU’LL HURT HIS FEELINGS. HE’S SENSITIVE

saturday nov 5, 11:42 am
I’M SERIOUS

saturday nov 5, 11:43 am
ANYWAY LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE SOME TIME OFF. I NEED TO BORROW YOU FOR LIKE, THREE DAYS

somehow, she is just as loud through text as she is in person.

>respond
>ignore her

"fin"

dont respond till u get ur shit together. treat urself to some ice cream or something

>>757168
Don't be a dick. She's been messing with you a little, maybe, but she hasn't been mean about it. No reason to ignore her.

Tell her you'll let her know.

Text back.
"If this turns out to be some sort of prank or if I get one whiff of something I don't like, I'm O U T."

>>757168
Time to fuck back with her a little.

"If it turns out I've signed up for some kind of magic escort service I'm quitting."

The serious answer is we'll get back to her soon. You have a few loose threads before disappearing for three days. (In addition to showering, you might want to charge your phone, grab a change of clothes, and probably talk to your girlfriend, at least).

What/who is she talking about? Respond when you get home, message your gf first.

1/3 saffron 2016/11/08(Tue)00:10 No. 757442 ID: 0543a8
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you respond to her immediately. no use pretending you’re busy.

saturday nov 5, 11:45 am
jsyk if it turns out i’ve signed up for some sort of magical escort service i'm quitting. im a shy boy :)c

saturday nov 5, 11:45 am
but yea i’ll let u know when i figure out my schedule :0!!

while you’re at it you send off another text. might as well ride out this wave of human contact. this time, though, it's to your old boss.

saturday nov 5, 11:50 am
hey, any way i can not come in next week and also maybe never again?

it’s not like it would be hard for them to cover your shifts. and if the whole thing with minseo turns sour, well, you needed a new job anyway — you weren’t really making enough to pay your bills with the hours they were giving you. as you head home, you continue rationalizing this to yourself for the next few minutes as to ward off the awful feeling trying to settle in your stomach. unfortunately, you don’t make it very far before you feel the cold splash of rain on your face.

2/3 saffron 2016/11/08(Tue)00:10 No. 757444 ID: 0543a8
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it’s pouring.
of course it is.

you run around frantically for about a block or so looking for a place to stay dry. there’s not much around but the shrine at the park — there’s a huge magical barrier cast around it to protect it from the elements. it’ll have to do.

there’s a hot, pleasant sensation that tingles your skin when you pass through the barrier. it’s oddly silent inside; the rain slides off the outside like it would an umbrella but there’s no sound to it. your footprints echo as you walk.

there’s nobody else here. just you,

3/3 saffron 2016/11/08(Tue)00:10 No. 757445 ID: 0543a8
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and Her.

And now you draw a smiley face over her crotch, take a selfie, and send it to Minseo.

see if somebody left an umbrella as offering and "borrow" it. the goddess doesnt need it shes got a huge barrier shit. also maybe pray ur ass doesnt get murderized by whatever the dwarf wants from u

>>757445
"Um, hey. Thanks for the shelter, magic shrine elf angel." Might as well be polite.

>>757447
The shrine has enough magic to ward off the elements. Let's not steal an offering and test if it has the power to curse or smite us for that insult.

>>757445
Pay your respects. Who is she, anyway?

>>757442
Shouldn't you be giving two weeks notice instead of one week?

EAT THE OFFERINGS

>>757448
>>757449

listen to this people. try making conversation with the statue. it might as well be sentient

>two weeks notice
Well you don't legally have to do it. I figure the one week is enough, and besides, with how the mc deals with the boss mc is prob not enjoyable to work with.

1/1 saffron 2016/12/06(Tue)18:50 No. 764096 ID: 0543a8
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you bow your head in respect to the HOLY DAUGHTER. she’s always done so much for you, and with her blessing you made it out okay in the end — and hey, you didn’t think you’d make it this far to begin with. it’s been a while, but… you used to pray pretty often, if only because a small shrine of hers was built near the house you grew up in. your parents thought that fear of the gods was an honorable quality, so you were allowed to visit often. eventually, things got better, and you don’t really visit her shrines anymore.

that’s the way it should be, you think.

the holy daughter is one of the two demigods in service of the HOLY MOTHER, the creator of varias. the mother is blind to the evil done by her own creations, so the holy daughter patrols the mortal realm & wields the threat of divine retribution in her place.

to be honest, you’ve always found the mother to be a bit unsettling. for all her unconditional love, the mother’s reputation terrifies you. supposedly, every soul that passes from the mortal realm awaits her unconditional acceptance — you’re not sure how much you trust a being like that, all-powerful or not. and that’s besides the awful complex you have about parental figures.

in terms of religious figures who don’t scare you, the holy daughter has always struck you as more… approachable. sympathetic to your plights. you’d like to believe that actions have consequences.

after some time of your brooding the rain lets up. well, it's still sprinkling, but nothing you won’t walk home in.

as you head out, a pang of guilt tugs at your heartstrings and you wonder if you should come back later with a proper offering.

>>764096
Of course. She gave you shelter from the storm, so you should repay that kindness.

Who's the other demigod?

send minseo a selfie of u n the statue and text "hey look at this big rock". place a ramen flavour packet at the statues feet as offering

>>764096
Thank her for sheltering you, and for... sheltering you before. You're sorry you haven't been to see her in a while.

You can bring a proper offering the next time you come by. If you're going to work for the crazy immortal you'll be passing by this way again.

im pretty sure She will understand if you dont come back with an offering. you can think about that later, you got things to do

1/2 saffron 2016/12/10(Sat)16:51 No. 765088 ID: 0543a8
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it’s not really traditional to bring an offering to the demigods unless you need something from them. they’re kind of utilitarian, and they’re not there for worship; but you still feel like you owe her something. you wonder if there’s anything in your apartment worth giving to her, anyway. you decide you'll come back if you find something nice.

when you walk through the barrier again, its hot, full sensation upon passing only seems makes the rain hit your face a bit harder. environmental guards like this are really the only type of magic you’ve ever seen with your own eyes. you’ve always wondered how they cast those things.

the neighborhood around your apartment is nice, framed with trees and old rickety houses that you’re sure were beautiful decades ago. there’s still a charm about them. the area hasn’t been remodeled in such a long time that the trees here are some of the tallest in the city.

your place is on the second floor. the whole one flight of stairs you have to endure is absolutely awful and serves no purpose but to taunt you. all things considered, you’re in decent shape; but your binder makes it kind of hard to breath, especially when you’re so damp and everything sticks to your skin. so you’re a little out of touch. and it’s been a rough couple of days, too, so it turns out you don’t notice that someone’s been following you since the moment you walked in the building.

2/2 saffron 2016/12/10(Sat)16:51 No. 765089 ID: 0543a8
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“you’re jae, aren’t you?”

you hit your head on the doorframe.

deny everything

>>765089
Um, yes. I think you have the advantage of me.

And that would be Mineso's equally annoying brother

HEADBUTT HIM

>>765166
I dunno, at least this one doesn't speak in ALL CAPS. Quiet little bugger though, kind of creepy.

Ask where they'd heard the name. And, once you've confirmed, ask their name too.

>>765089
"Who's asking? Why are you following me?"

1/2 saffron 2016/12/14(Wed)22:46 No. 766008 ID: 0543a8
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you take a solid minute to regain your composure. at this point, this kid’s just been staring you down, and it’s really starting to really creep you out. you wonder if he’ll go away if you just deny everything — you doubt it. it’s not like he doesn’t already know where you live. well, it’s worth a shot.

“…no?”

“ah,” he smiles. “she did say you were sort of a jokester.”

he’s not buying it. “i apologize if i scared you. i thought it might be better to wait outside, but then, well, the rain. and i’m not exactly waterproof right now. what an awful time of year to do hardware adjustments.”

“gods,” you groan. you have no idea what this kid’s saying. “of course. she said i’d find out — stupid. that’s stupid. minseo sent you here to mess with me, didn’t she?”

“well, that wasn’t part of the agenda, but i’m sure she wouldn’t object.”

“are you some sort of immortal kid, too?”

“maybe that’s something we should talk about inside.”

that’s definitely a mistake. don’t do that. absolutely don’t invite this shitty time vampire into your home like some sort of fucking moron.

like some sort of fucking moron you invite him into your home.

2/2 saffron 2016/12/14(Wed)22:47 No. 766009 ID: 0543a8
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well, its good to be back. despite the fact that your problems seem to be literally following you, you refuse to let it win in your own space. you throw off your jacket and your shoes and collapse on the couch. the kiddo follows you and sits delicately on the couch's armrest. he doesn’t take off his shoes.

he has sort of an odd face — he looks almost like minseo, but something’s off. like everything’s been skewed a bit in the wrong direction.

“so what’s the deal with you two? you’re related, right?”

“you got me there. guess it’s kind of hard to miss the similarity!” he looks at you with thoughtful expression. "she's my little sister. a real handful, huh?”

“that seems to run in the family.”

“well, i won’t deny that. we’re all a bit awful. though i try to keep the melodrama to a minimum. oh! i'm heejae, by the way. our names are pretty similar, so i’d like to think of us as kindred spirits.”

“gods. well, she did say we had things in common.”

“oh? what else did she say about me?”

>she told me that you were a big pushover
>she wouldn’t say a word

first tell him to take off his shoes or youll cut his damn feet off. then second tell him she said hes a big fucking nerd. ask if he solves mysteries in his free time

wait no the more clever comment would be "she said to take your damn shoes off when you walk into somebodys house, boy detective"

>>766008
> i’m not exactly waterproof right now. what an awful time of year to do hardware adjustments
Offer robokid somewhere to recharge.

>she told me that you were a big pushover

start some drama between the siblings, if he knows her he KNOWS that she would say something like that

Im very on board with twlling heejae what minseo said about him

Cut him off, talk about the first job.

The more you know about this, the better. You also need to make sure that you aren't the scapegoat, make some calls to friends and family so that your disappearance would be inconvenient for Mineso and friends.

Hmmm, maybe something noncommittal like, "Not a whole lot," and then ask him about himself or maybe segue into the job thing.

1/2 saffron 2016/12/29(Thu)00:34 No. 768788 ID: 0543a8
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“i mean, not a whole lot,” you mutter. at first you don’t think you should tell him, but honestly, you’re kind of curious as to how he’d react. from what you know of minseo, he should be surprised if she didn’t insult him. you pull your hair loose and run you fingers through it. greasy. you need to shower. “she did mention you were kind of a pushover.”

he covers his face almost immediately and lets out a long sigh. “gods, she’s so embarrassing. doesn’t she have better things to do?" when he finally looks back up at you, he’s smiling again, though it’s kind of an arduous one. trying his best to act like it doesn’t bother him? maybe you do have things in common. “that’s alright. she’s always like this.”

“hey, speaking of minseo,” you cut him off before he has the chance to say anything else. "she said she needed to borrow me for several days. she’s got a job for me, right? do you know what it is?”

“oh? you seem determined."

“i’m just... kind of tired of you two saying convoluted shit. i want to know what’s going on."

“i see she’s stressing you out.”

“she’s not the only one!”

“okay, okay. i know what her plan is.”

2/2 saffron 2016/12/29(Thu)00:34 No. 768789 ID: 0543a8
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he grabs something from his back pocket — a phone? you’ve never seen a model like it before. he hops down from the couch and comes to show you. his heels make a pleasant clicking against your shitty laminate floors, but gods, you wish he would take off his shoes like every other normal human being. it’s really irritating you.

“it’s a simple job,” he states, handing you the phone. it’s got a map pulled up, a marker pinned to your destination. “but it’s a bit of a hike to get there, which i imagine is the reason it’ll take so long.”

it looks like… the middle of nowhere. but when you zoom out to get some perspective, though, you immediately recognize the nearest city. you’ve never been there before, but you must’ve seen it a thousand times before. your heart races at the very thought.

“wait… the capital? we’re going underground? ”

“well, you will be. there’s a gate not far from here which connects to the hills near the palace... minseo can take you there, but you’ll have to navigate the rest without her. from the capital, you’ll need to take a train down south, and then it’s a bit of a hike to get to the badlands.”

“what am i doing down there, anyway?”

“we need you to find someone. her name’s yaejin. lives out in the desert by her lonesome.”

“that’s it? just find this woman?"

“oh, and bring her back with you, too. shouldn’t be a problem. she’ll come quietly if you tell her we sent you.”

“that seems… easy enough.” you narrow your eyes. there’s got to be some catch. “out of curiosity, why can’t you get her yourself?”

“oh, well, i think it’s just sort of an easy job minseo wants to task you with. see if you’re a good fit, you know? consider it a test run. oh, and besides that, the capital’s pretty strictly controlled by the imperial guard, and it’s best minseo and i aren’t seen unless we have to be.”

“so that’s it, huh… just passing through the capital… and getting some woman who lives in the badlands?” you mumble, trying to recount everything. honestly, you weren’t sure what you were expecting. part of you was hoping for something more exciting, but then again, you have always wanted to see the capital. that’s its own reward, you suppose. “that doesn’t sound too bad. it’s not even dangerous. i’m almost disappointed.”

“not interesting enough for you?"

Lots of things could go horribly wrong on any underworld mission: The target could backstab you or panic, she might have a high profile or a tracking beacon, you might screw up and attract the attention of an assassin or thief, Mineso might not pay you and Chaya might murder you for kicks, etc.

Still, you weren't asked to smuggle a black box or get into a fight with anyone. Considering the expected learning curve of the University of Brutal Is-That-An-Axe-Augh-My-Spleen, I'd say this is a good starter.

Take the job, negotiate payment later.

>>768789
It's fine for a start, and there's always the chance for complications.

So, ask what kind of immortal he is, exactly.

take the job! visit the city! you should ask him if he could make you a map and give you some cash or something to protect yourself (remember, youre going to the badlands and need to be prepared)