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Fair Climber
afe7de
> FREE TIME - OH GOD HOOK?!?!
Your break has started and its the appointed time. You head up to the tower and land on the royal quarters. You’re led through a hallway and eventually to a side room. There’s tons of papers EVERYWHERE, the room is completely messy, but messy in the sense of you’re sure whoever lives here actually knows what they’re doing. In front of you is an older looking Hook. Her breasts are growing in, which you didn’t realize was a thing on bats. She smirks at you and invites you over. The two of you chat for a bit, she’s a lot more vulgar than you remember, but for some reason actually has a good opinion now. You assume it’s because of your MAGITECH prowess.
Hook: So, what brings you, I’m supposed to help you learn CODEBREAKING at least the basics.
You: Well I found this book in the Library but it’s in a rune cypher
Hook: Ah, I’ve been too busy to learn rune-scripting, I don’t plan on going on dungeon runs, more administrating
Hook: So I never really bothered.
Hook: I can’t help you directly translate it, but I can tell you some common cyphers and how to solve them
You: That works.
What follows is a blur, hook’s bad at teaching, like really bad, but you’re good at taking individual pieces,[UNDERSTANDING], using [LOGIC], and [TEACHING] to put it all together into a coherent skill set. You give her the figurine you had custom made to her at some point throughout this process and she’s in shock. She’s genuinely enamored with the gift at such a level she actually tries harder for you and begins to treat you better. You’re barely able to get the basics down before your time is up, which you’re relieved about. Turns out CYPHERS are kind of hard, but are used with diplomatic communications quite frequently. She doesn’t show you any advanced ones as they’re royal secrets, but does give you the basics on how to untangle ones you might find in the future. One night you have a conversation, having a few fried WINGIES as your dinner.
Hook: So like, do you care about the throne at all?
Hook: Like not in the sense of do you care about the queen cause like that shit’s obveous
You: You mean like as in do I want to be Queen?
Hook: Yeah that shit.
Hook: Cause like, gonna be honest. Seems like you never really were.
You: Yeah, I mean. It’s just a lot of effort I think
You: You have to manage everyone, find trusted aides, think about the wellbeing of an entire plate
Hook: Manage diplomatic tensions
Hook: Figure out what to give and what to take
You: Create incentives and prevent revolts
You: It’s just. It’s just a lot.
You: I can see myself become a royal scientist, maybe a private inventor
You: Heck even an archaeologist
Hook: You’d probably do fine in Archaeology if it weren’t for human embargos and the blocking of access
You: So it’s true? We just can’t get in anymore?
Hook: Select few can, at least to the human owned ones.
Hook: At least not without paying exorbidant fees and losing whatever you find.
Hook: The ones in the wild, cluck, those are hard enough to get to unless you have good hunters
Hook: The risks outweigh the benefits when we’re barely 1/5 the size of the human kingdom.
You: Why offer it as a class then even?
Hook: It’s really for those who take the hunter/archaologist route really.
Hook: It’s a subtly implied pairing
Hook: Wouldn’t be that way if we had, I dunno, EXPORTS of any kind? That wasnt HUNTERS.
You: What about your SHINY medicine?
Hook: Yeah we foolishly gave them the recipie for it on our first diplomatic foray,
Hook: they gave us a ball of light that died out after 24 hours.
You: So now they can just… take our shinies and make it?
Hook: Pretty much, if it weren’t for the fact we’re up in the air and it’s too much effort
Hook: I don’t doubt they’d have invaded.
You: I refuse to believe it’s that bad
Hook: Yeah, well, we’re trying.
You got to spend a lot of close time with hook. She gives you similar feelings to Willamina, a mean streak, but really just looking out for her benefits. So it’s not… Malicious, per se, it’s more combatative. You guess a woman in her position would be. You’re still not sure if she would make a good Queen, but know there’s at least another queen candidate out there.
You: So what’s this all about the queen stuff, is she getting replaced soon?
Hook: Well, it’s nearing that time. She’s getting to be 70 soon even though she doesen’t look it.
Hook: She’ll probably be an advisor for a few years and then just retire. You know she likes to fish?
Hook: She might just move to DOPUS and live a life on a small island somewhere.
You: Isn’t there gonna be an exam or something like that?
Hook: Yeah, though no one knows exactly what’s going to be on it. So you need a little of everything
Hook: Then we have to pick a king within 5 years and its just bluugh.
Hook: I mean, I’ll do it, I want the prosperity of our people more than the next kin.
Hook: Just…
You: it’s a lot.
Hook: Yeah. Wouldn’t be surprised if it happened when we were 20
You spend the night a few times in her room, there were a few awkward moments you almost saw her changing but were too embarrassed to look. Then there was that time when your hands touched and lingered for a moment, she didnt notice but your feathers were ruffled and you blushed a bit before she finished moving her hand around, she was just reaching for a pen. and like that your time with Hook is up, you ask if you’ll be seeing her around but she just shrugs.
Hook: I spend most of my time with teachers in individual learning, it’s faster, costs more, but is faster
Hook: I rarely leave the tower because there’s just too much to do and learn if I want to be prepared
You: Ignis leaves, he integrates with the kin
Hook: Yeah but he’s going to be taking a more social role anyway even if he isnt King.
Hook: Plus, I wouldn’t want him anyway, William’s the arguably better candidate.
Hook: He’s the most martially skilled, is pretty Charismatic, just ugh, that stupid rule about bloodlines
Hook: Can’t even get with either of them because of “INCEST” and we’re “RELATED”
Hook: Fucking horseshit, I don’t even get the good ones.
You: If I remember correctly. William and Ignis are both the King and Queen’s kids
You: And you’re of the King and one of his concubine’s line
You: But are the first born?
Hook: Basically, I mean, we’re the only 3 real candidates the others uh
You: The others what?
Hook: You dont know? Well uh Blitz De Feral Rondalphus was 7th to the throne, but he up and vanished
You: wait BLITZ, as in, THE BLITZ we went to school with?!?!?
Hook: Yeah, He rejected the throne though, wanted to be a merchant like his dad
Hook: Was kind of a secret, but it’s an open secret and he’s been missing so It doesent feel that bad to share
You: You do realize he was kidnapped right?
Hook: Hmmm, no, that doesent check, I’d have heard about that.
You explain what you know to Hook and about Drift and she looks shocked
Hook: Alright I’ll have to look into that then. Goddess dammit why can’t shit be simple.
Hook: Then there’s the others uhhh, Franco De Feral Rondalphus died at the age of 2
Hook: Then Toni De Mare Olgaphus fell into a coma and died in his sleep at age 13
Hook: Then there’s the Randolphus triplets taking up the 5th-7th slots
Hook: They’re just really dumb, like incredibly stupid. Two girls one guy
Hook: No braincells in them, just total meat heads.
Hook: If you ever take the STRATEGY class you’ll meet them, they’re only good for warfare and strategy
Hook: Try any logic or fancy talk and they just get that glassy look over their eyes
[GUILE] Ooh I have a neat trick try asking who their actual competiton was as if she mentioned it
You: but you said there was one kin who was like actual competition
Hook: Did I? Uhhh, actually yea I probably did
Hook: Well one of the trips isn’t THAT dumb, enough she might be a contender.
Hook: Then there’s kin like you and a few others at the academy that shine through. You met Ignolia?
You: Who?
Hook: She’s in the Theory, aerobatics, law, leadership, guard training, dance, and etiquitte classes mostly
Hook: Basically imagine someone like me right
Hook: Only without the attitude
Hook: Big glasses.
Hook: So I have to work extra hard
Hook: But I heard she’s secretly a s-l-u-t So you know, grain of salt and all that
You: Uh huh.
[CURIOSITY] How old is Hook? This timeline feels weird, she must be older than you
You: How old are you?
Hook: 16?
You: Why’d you go to the exam site and apply for the academy so late then?
Hook: Extenuating circumstances.
Hook: That’s about it though, I don’t really see any new players joining the race at this point
Hook: Don’t get any funny ideas though, I will crush you if you try to join the race
Hook: You don’t even know the first thing about diplomacy or law or Etiquette,
Hook: or theology, anthropology, or agriculture, not to mention you need to be WAY more CHARISMATIC or CHARMING
You: Speak for yourself, I mean on the charming bit, I think I’m at least more charming then you
Hook: Pfff, as If, ever kissed a guy? Huh?
You: I uh, what does that have to do with anything!??!
Hook: Oh you like holding hands is that it? I’ve heard how you look at William and Ignis and that new Fish girl
Hook: Is that what it is? You into fish, some kinda weirdo?
You: HEY! You’re like half beast kin, can you even talk
Hook: Details details.
The two of you burst into laughter. This is a strange dynamic but it almost feels familliar. You think on your bonds for a moment. You’re mostly friends with guys, Noodle’s a girl, but she’s quiet but direct, more tomboyish then anything. Then there’s Nubs whose just like relentlessly flirty. Then there’s Hook, who reminds you so much of old Willamina it’s astonishing. You feel a bit of nostalgia for it even.
You: Oh right, about Nubs, the Aqua-Kin
Hook: Oh, is that her name? Yeah what about her?
You: She’s got these pearls but they can make antidotes and they use em as currency, kinda cool huh?
Hook: Can I see one?
You hand one over to her, she looks it over, asks for a few more, you give her 5 total and she says she’ll look into it. You thank her and ask if she could figure out a currency exchange for her, she needs SHINIES to buy stuff but none of the kin know how to trade it. She mentions Nubs got a stipend from the school, but you mention she probably spent it all on food, she really likes to eat. After that the two of you split, Hook says you’re welcome to visit whenever she’s not busy, which isn’t often, she suggests Wednesdays.
You formed a BOND with HOOK somehow
- You can now visit them, but she’s not able or willing to visit you at this time
You’ve learned the CODEBREAKING 1 SKILL
- You can now break codes by spending some [TIME] given you know the language of the characters used
- Or the final language it is written in
- The more COMPLEX the cypher is, the longer it will take to decipher.
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