>>716508
Lets go see big sis!

Let's go see older sister. See what she's up to and if she's in the mood for a reading.

>>716510
Agreed.

Also, weird; deja vu around the second to last sentence, like this quest has happened before.

...DUN DUN DUN!!! :P

Karma 2016/04/15(Fri)16:12 No. 716776 ID: 6c626a
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> why are animals afraid of you?
It’s just a side effect of being so entangled with dark magic, though traditionally dark aligned animals will generally get along with you. This includes ravens, wolves, snakes, spiders, and the like.

> who are the girls in jonesy's room?
As Jonesy’s hall neighbor, you’re well aware of how often he likes to sneak girls he met at clubs back home to fool around. In fact, you’ve made a sport of it to wait until he leaves his room, then go in and steal his date from him. It’s his own fault, really. He should stop choosing girls who are into alternative fashion. Tonight though, you aren’t in the mood for it, especially since he brought in two at once, cute though they may be. Maybe you’ll bother them later, or rat him out to someone so he doesn’t try to bring them to dinner.

Karma 2016/04/15(Fri)16:12 No. 716777 ID: 6c626a
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You make your way up to the attic and open the door, scanning the room for a moment to see if Lori is among the dusty memorabilia left behind from your father’s days.

Karma 2016/04/15(Fri)16:12 No. 716778 ID: 6c626a
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Ah, there she is. Her usual place. She has fashioned herself a reading table out of a chest with a plank of wood placed on top, and uses a beanbag for comfort when she decides to come up here to try and do some divining. She has told you before when you asked her why she would want to spend so much time up in a dusty place like this that she gets better “reception” for her predictions when around your father’s belongings. Perhaps some of his own magical energy is still infused within the items, or perhaps your family heirlooms channel the spirits of those descendants long gone. You’re not sure. Your powers have nothing to do with spirituality, and you avoid the attic when you can. It’s musty and the cobwebs get caught in your hair. Only Lori and your sibling who enjoys restoring your father’s paintings spend much time up here anyway.

You approach the makeshift desk and frown in concern as you finally realize that your older sister is face down on her reading table. She isn’t... ?

Karma 2016/04/15(Fri)16:13 No. 716779 ID: 6c626a
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She snores.

Oh good. You give a sigh of relief, realizing it was a little bit silly to assume she just dropped dead in the attic for no reason with no visible sign of what killed her. But with your family, you can’t help but be a little paranoid.

Best to think of a gentle way to wake her up so she’ll be in a good enough mood to do a reading for you.

shake lori gently awake and ask politely if she feels up to a reading! also...is that painting crying blood?

GENTLY awaken your sister. shake her gently and speak softly. also is that a painting your sibling fixed or one of your dads because it seems to be Crying Blood

whisper 'lori! hey, lori!' quietly?
also, daaaaaaaaaamn hattie you got game, NICE

Scorpion kisses! Go grab Fatso from downstairs. It'll be fine, he just ate!

>>716779
cropdust her awake

We can use dream magic right? See what she is dreaming about.
If we can't do that just wake her up.

>>716831
Oh, that's actually a really good point. You could show up in her dream and say "Hey, mind waking up?" yeah?

Otherwise...can you sing or play acoustic guitar? That's an extravagant but probably effective way of gently awakening someome.

Failing that, speak softly, then gently shake shoulder.

>>716776
>Stealing your brother's dates
Pfff. That'll show him.

>>716779
Sit down in front of her, and then use dream magic. You can seamlessly bring her to a point where she would wake up.

Karma 2016/04/16(Sat)16:17 No. 717056 ID: 6c626a
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>The painting

You hardly even acknowledge the bloody eyed painting of the late Talon Bodie. You weren’t old enough to know your father well before he died, but Lori and Arty inform you that he had many self portraits. Ever since his death, they’ve leaked blood like that. His blood, according to Lori. Your younger sibling Cyri has a talent for painting and has tried many times to restore his old paintings, but discovered that any image of him accurate to a certain degree begins to cry blood like that. Because they’ve done that as long as you can remember, this doesn’t seem strange to you.

>Dream Magic

Oh, of course! Most people don’t appreciate you peeking into their dreams, but you have a feeling that more has to do with the fact you had to come into their room and watch them sleep to do it. A girl’s gotta practice some time though! As for this situation, you doubt your sister will mind very much if you let yourself in and help end her dream naturally so you sit on your knees across from her at the table. With a little fanfare, you open up the channel between your mind and Lori’s, projecting your consciousness into her unconscious mind.

Karma 2016/04/16(Sat)16:18 No. 717057 ID: 6c626a
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You appear within a dreary landscape of grey sand and equally grey storm clouds. You’re grateful that it is only a dream, as there is rain pouring down and you feel it glint off your skin but never quite soak in or wet your clothes and hair. Sometimes when you enter the minds of others, you have to seek them out and figure out who within the dream is the actual dreamer. However, in this particular instance it is very simple. For there is only you, this desolate place, and Lori. Lori happens to be standing right in the middle of this large clearing, staring up into the stormy sky. You try to steady your foot on the soft, wet sand so that you can look up with her and see what has her so enraptured that she didn’t even notice you let yourself in.

Karma 2016/04/16(Sat)16:19 No. 717058 ID: 6c626a
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Oh… You don’t have to be a seer to know that’s not a good omen. Were it in any other dream, it would make you a little uneasy. But Lori’s mind is a conduit for messages from the future, from spirits, from things who know more of what is to come than any one person could ever understand. So this isn’t simply a nightmare of hers. It’s a prediction. You wonder what it could mean and if even she will be able to interpret her own dream for you.

Karma 2016/04/16(Sat)16:20 No. 717060 ID: 6c626a
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The lightning strike abruptly awakens Lori from her dream, thrusting you back into the waking world as well. She gasps as she wakes up with a start and you flinch at the motion, hoping your interference in her dream isn’t what caused that last part to happen. What even happens if you try to interfere with a vision dream? You’re both a little shaken up from the experience and for the moment feel at a loss for what to say.

>You’re both a little shaken up from the experience and for the moment feel at a loss for what to say.
Um, hi sis! Spooky moon.

Apologize first! It's very rude to intrude on another person's dream, especially when the dream is important!

Collect her spilled bird bones.

>>717086
ask her if shes doing okay :(

Apologize for intruding on the dream and ask for details about its potential meaning. Also gather bones.

Karma 2016/04/18(Mon)17:02 No. 717677 ID: 3e9df4
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You carefully scoop the collection of bird bones back into their cup while Lori recovers from the initial shock of the dream.

“Uh. Hi, Lori… I’m sorry about peeking into your dream. I was just going to wake you up but then the thing with the moon and… Sorry.” She doesn’t look especially mad at you. In fact, she seems to be looking right through you. You try to speak to her again but she beats you to it.

“I’m sorry you had to see that. You should know better though. Stay out of my head.” The sharp edge to her words worries you and you set her bones back down.

“Okay… So what was that dream anyway?”

“A warning. I don’t know exactly what event it alludes to. But it’s a sign of bad things to come.” She spends a moment dwelling on this before speaking again. “I think it was directed at us, Hattie. You were there. There are no coincidences in premonitions.”

Toooo be fair, when you've got a family curse that kills next to everybody in their current generation, bad things are possible at any point in time.

Karma 2016/04/18(Mon)19:52 No. 717724 ID: 3e9df4
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“Don’t you get visions like that all the time? I mean, with the curse and all…” You give a vaguely hopeful smile despite Lori glaring daggers at you for questioning her interpretation. “I just mean it might not be a big deal!”

“Hattie. That vision was about you and me. Something bad is going to happen dealing with us specifically. Why do I have to spell this out for you?” Her tone worries you.

“Well, maybe you should consult the bones? I mean, if you got this big of a warning maybe the ah. Spirits will want to be more specific with you.”

Karma 2016/04/18(Mon)19:52 No. 717728 ID: 3e9df4
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Lori’s premonitions generally come from two places. The spirits, whom she contacts using her bird bones, or visions about a particular person obtained through tasting their blood. This is the logical explanation for why she has suddenly grabbed your hand off the table, dragged it over to her, and sunk her teeth into one of your fingers. Had you offered perhaps you could have just given the blood voluntarily but it seems Lori is feeling particularly impatient with you and wants to know this instant what your future holds.

Despite knowing all this, it hardly crosses your mind since you’re currently screaming. There are teeth in your finger after all, and Lori is in the throes of a vision and doesn’t appear ready to let go just yet. You would very much like your hand back.

>>717728
Grit your teeth, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. Think of it like a trip to the doctors, or a visit to the dentists. It hurts but so long as you distract yourself and stay calm, it'll stop. You trust her enough to know she'll let go, right?

If your powers work on yourself, I suggest shaping a hallucination to distract yourself with.

Panicking and trying to rip your finger out will probably only do more harm, especially since she has the mechanical advantage.

Afterwards cradle your hand. "I would have pricked myself, if you asked."

Anyone in the family good at treating injuries? (Is Jonsey's Blood magic good for that?). Might be where you go next.

Try to calm down and let your sister have her vision. Taking your hand back might just cost you a finger, so it's better to try and sit still.

>>717786
!
Has she done this before?

Karma 2016/04/23(Sat)13:20 No. 718649 ID: 40a091
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"Ahh- I would have given blood if you asked," you hiss through your teeth, uncertain if she can hear you while she's like this. "I'll leave you to it."

You slip off into your own mind where you can disregard the pain. It’s very difficult to manipulate your own subconscious since it confuses your brain to use your powers while being affected by those same powers. So, your subconscious reverts to a very common dream of freefalling, albeit in a dark void. It reminds you of the scene from Alice in Wonderland, so it’s actually a peaceful reprieve for you. You wait for what to you feels like a couple of minutes before waking again.

You’re face down on the table when you wake up and when you lift your head Lori is not there. However, your finger is bandaged and you see a note sitting on the table waiting for you. You must have been out for a little longer than you thought you were. You feel dizzy and decide to forgo standing up for now, just taking the note to read it.

“Hattie,
Please stay away from me tonight. If I see you trying to get close to me, I will take measures to keep you away. Don’t test me on this. However, as a benefit to you, I will advise you to avoid leaving the house tonight and recommend you not let Ester or Scottie find out about Jonesy’s visitors. If possible, make them leave before dinner. This is all I can give you.
-Lorelei.”

This is discouraging but you are a little grateful she at least gave you advice too. Once in a while when she has her visions, she just keeps the information for herself and won’t share what she has seen. Something about fear of changing the future in unpredictable ways, according to her. Your sister is strange like that sometimes. Your finger feels a little more chewed on than expected under the bandages, but you don’t dare lift them to check.

You’re still not certain of how long you’ve been up here, and you can smell porkchops, so you may want to decide to get whatever business you have to go before dinner done soon.

This is reverse psychology, no doubt! We're going to scare those visitors out of the house, screaming for their lives.

Well at least she was nice enough to bandage your finger for you.

>Please stay away from me tonight. If I see you trying to get close to me, I will take measures to keep you away. Don’t test me on this.
Her vision must have shown something bad happens if the two of you are close, tonight. One or both of you gets hurt, or worse. But if you don't stand near her, the metaphorical lightning won't strike?

Too bad. I got the impression she was one of the ones you liked, bloodletting aside.

Hopefully that doesn't mean one or both of you has to skip dinner? That would just cause strife with Scottie. Hopefully opposite ends of the dining table is good enough.

>so you may want to decide to get whatever business you have to go before dinner done soon
>recommend you not let Ester or Scottie find out about Jonesy’s visitors. If possible, make them leave before dinner.
I think you've got a quest. You'll have to steal Jonesy's girls and sneak them out of the house before dinner. If dinner's getting close, you probably won't have time for anything else.

steal jonesys girls, escort them out of the house, make plans for later ladykiller
tho hey maybe theyre napping or something, check to see if you can dreamscare them

It might be best to stay away from Lori for now. Try to get the girls out as quietly as possible, maybe even mention to Jonesy that Lori had a vision? It might encourage him to take it seriously and ask the girls to leave themselves without Scottie or Ester discovering them.

As for dinner, maybe Lori might keep away from everyone else and might not attend dinner? Still best to peek in before going when dinner is ready to see if she's there. Scottie being upset is better than something worse happening.

Can you tell if your finger is still bleeding? Or if the blood has dried? That miiight help you guess elapsed time.

"make them leave before dinner" - them Ester and Scottie, or them visitors? Getting Scottie to leave is...unfeasible, so I guess let's assume the visitors.

Do people here take Lori's visions pretty seriously? If so,
>>718683
perhaps Jonesy could be convinced. Though, if he isn't, you'll have shown your hand; perhaps we should try something else, first.

>>718715
>>718683
Jonesy won't give a flying fuck. He breaks rules and conventions just because he can (see: inviting over grills and ordering pizza).

Also:
>just acting out to upset [Scottie].

Being Mr Steal Yo Girl and grabbing the guests out of his room without explaining the vision to Jonesy would be the simplest route. Trying to talk to him is asking for trouble.

Yeah, I wouldn't go directly to Jonesy. There's no way to predict what he'll do, and we might just end up making matters worse. Stealing his dates in stealth mode is probably the best way to get them out without kicking up a fuss.

Nah, leave Jonesy out of it. Just go smooch on those ladies and promptly get them out of the house.

We've got a mission! Let's be stealthy too, no letting Ester or Scottie know they were ever here.

Karma 2016/04/28(Thu)13:19 No. 719667 ID: 40a091
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> Check finger

There’s a thick splotch of red on the side of your finger bandage that lets you know it was bleeding for a while. The smell of the meat leads you to guess it’s been possibly a half hour. What a refreshing nap it would have been if you hadn’t been slumped on a table.

> Don’t tell Jonesy.

You decide your big brother probably doesn’t need to be let in on this at the moment. He’s a mischief maker and, while you feel like Lori is a no-nonsense person that should not be trifled with, you’re not sure whether he would be equally serious with her when there are two girls around he wants to look cool in front of. You’ll fill him in later, when you’re sure the girls are out of there.

>Be stealthy

You head downstairs and out of the attic before taking your heels off to carry them in hand and walk through the halls barefoot. When you do this and walk on the runners rather than the hardwood on the upper floors, you’re practically entirely silent. Socks would make the hardwood fine as well, but Jonesy’s room is right near yours so it would be pointless to go back to your room, put some on, and then go back to what you were doing.

You glance into an open bedroom as you make your way down the hall. Cyril is busy with another one of their angel paintings. This one looks like a doozy. You hope they clean up a little before coming to dinner since Ester hates it when they get paint on everything. You hate it too at times and get a brief flashback to a time when you were a preteen, rubbing a paint splattered dress on your little siblings face. They’d gotten a glob of it on the wall and you had leaned right on it. You feel a little bad about it now, but they know not to ruin your outfits now!

Karma 2016/04/28(Thu)13:19 No. 719668 ID: 40a091
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You get back on track and reach Jonesy’s room without alerting anyone. But you notice the door is already slightly ajar. You get in close to peek inside and see Jonesy has returned to his room, explaining something about an accident with a pizza to two disappointed looking girls. You’re not sure what you missed, but you’ll have to think of what to do since it would be harder to just walk in and talk to the girls with Jonesy there as well.

Why not ask the painter sibling for opinion?
OR, swagger in like "oh jonesy, always a terrible host, well dont worry ladies ive got you covered" and then smuggle them out of the door? All pretending to go somewhere then just closing it?
Thats mean as shit tho....Maybe say that and then make plans to meet for brunch?

Why don't we ask Cyril to distract Jonesy while we get the girls out of the house? If they're up for being dragged away from their painting for a moment, of course.

i agree! grab your painter sibling and enlist their help

>>719668
Could you apply a hallucination to distract him? Say... make him hear a doorbell when there isn't one? Make him think the pizza dude came back?

(Not sure if that would buy you enough time to apply your charm and sneak them out, though. We might need a better distraction, or one that takes longer to disprove, at least).

I think a distraction is a good idea. Use your power to make him leave the room and then approach the girls. If your powers can't be used on him, then maybe use them on the girls to scare them out of the house?

How long do hallucinations last? Have them smell something really terrible, which lasts until they leave the house.

Heck, have the smell originate from Jonesy.

>>719740
I CHANGE MY VOTE TO THIS, FUCK