Serah 2023/05/30(Tue)22:36 No. 1064863 ID: 18001e
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It’s difficult to find something the Church of Censorship doesn’t want to be found.

Petra’s community has been shuffled from noble estate to noble estate, Church parish to Church parish, all the while unrecorded in any of the annual tithes or taxes I’ve seen so far. There are some marriage records with familiar names, the occasional scrap of news that matches with documents Landi has borrowed from the Greater Library, and reports of traveling settlers over the last few decades that have given me just enough to track their path from Dotti’s grave on the other side of the great forest outside Minga.

With Kayk’s business starting to turn a profit (if only barely), she’s found time to fly me, Landi and Dotti out to Church parishes and universities to follow leads on Petra. I’m not one of the faithful, but the clergy do take time to meet with me and discuss matters of import, plus their alchemists like to talk shop. That’s quite fun when it happens.

Raelynn has also been joining me on some of the trips. Landi told me Rae’s been having a rough time due to a death in the family. I haven’t seen much of Rae at the Guild. When I have, she’s been obsessively training with the most skilled warriors in Minga; she’s also accompanied me on my missions with Dotti and seeking out the strongest challengers in the Parishes we visit. I’ve tried to find out more about this sudden need to push her limits, but she’s brushed me aside every time. I guess everyone has their own way of coping with loss.

The Church of Censorship has always been the keeper of registries of births, deaths, and marriages; that’s where it gets its name. It’s the largest landowner except for royalty (even surpassing some lesser Kings and Queens) and is the only institution that provides hospitals and education in some duchies. It’s grown more concerned with public morality since its founding, and I have to make sure my outfit doesn’t show any cleavage when I visit them. I doubt they’d try and discipline a noble for perceived immodesty, but I’d really rather not test some of those nuns...

“Archibeard,” I call out, “When is the closest red circle on my personal calendar? Kayk should be free then to fly us out.”

“Again, Lady Kensington?” My floating skull attendant tut-tuts, but does as he’s bidden and checks the marks on my bedroom calendar. “Two days from now. Surely you don’t intend to disappear into the countryside again, chasing ghosts of fox fancy. You could be attending court instead of frittering away your precious time at universities and church archives! There are several eligible bachelors who I’m sure would share your love of alchemy and adventuring, much more desirable than the buffoons you’ve seen at your door of late.”

“How I spend my time is not your decision to make,” I remind him forcefully. “And for your information, this next parish is referenced more than once in these records I’m holding. It has enough arable farmland owned wholly by the Church of Censorship to take in Petra’s community without trouble. This time, I’m sure we’ll find the woman Dotti came back to life for.”

“Even if you are correct,” Archibeard asks, “What will you do if the Church resists your inquiry forcefully? All signs point to the Church wishing to keep this group of settlers out of public knowledge for some reason. Are you sure you wish to turn this rock over, not knowing what secrets may scuttle out, and how poisonous their claws may be?”

“I’m fully prepared,” I say. “I made a gravity bomb last month. I can handle anything.”

“A gravity bomb that was confiscated by Marquess Mallory,” Archibeard reminds me. “It’s not coming back, and your alchemical adventures are hardly relevant to political intrigue.”

I grimace. Landi’s little episode set me back quite a bit in the weapons department. I still need to remake my most complex bombs, but at least the potions and elixirs made it back safely thanks to Kayk. I also need to have the talk with Landi about that incident and or relationship going forward, though. She’s been making restitution under Dotti’s watch, but I’m not sure she’s learning the right lessons… and if we’re the best fit for each other.

What should I do?
1. Hop into the lab and work on some bombs, potions and/or mutagens. Plus I have a SECRET PROJECT that will be ready soon. The fun option!
2. Have THE TALK with Landi. The most delicate option, and one I’ve been putting off.
3. Talk with Archibeard about what Daddy’s been up to and if there are any political factors I should consider when visiting this specific parish. The good-girl option.
4. Visit Kayk’s bakery, I’ve earned a sweet treat! Clearly the best option.
5. Work out for the first time in a while. This is the worst option.

2, Get the annoying responsible option out of the way first, so that it isn't hanging over your head while you're doing the fun options later. Plus, it'd be good to check in on Landi early, just in case Dotti is driving her mad. Might stave off some future trouble if you can nip that in the bud.

1. Pull the lever, Archibeard!

Nevermind, just realized Serah made a gravity bomb.
2 then. Lets give Landi the talk. bring her in a quiet empty room so she doesn't get distracted

>>1064866
She made one last month.

>>1064863
1. Gotta restock.

2) Talk to your employee. We don't know what's wrong with her, but it's only going to result in negative investments if you keep putting it off.

You need to work out more, put those strength elixirs to good use!

Idea: to show how serious you are with Landi and if she doesn't get the point, call her by her real name, Moonshine.

Please, pay attention to your servoskull, he can be pushy but he genuinely has good advice.

And yes, as fun as making more bombs now would be, we have to talk to Absinthe, I mean Moonshine.

1/2 Serah 2023/06/03(Sat)10:40 No. 1065084 ID: c3a039
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“Speaking of politics,” I sigh, “I should probably check in on the status of my fairy companion’s restitution. I won’t have Marquess Mallory holding that over me, not after we spent so much time dancing around her last trap she laid for House Kensington.”

“A prudent decision,” Archibeard says. “Would you prefer I attend your meeting, or shall I continue reviewing your latest batch of letters from home?”

“Keep reading, and let me know if there’s any news I should be concerned about,” I reply. “It hasn’t even been a year yet, but I’m worried everyone’s forgotten about me.”

“My Lady,” Archibeard laughs, “You have no need to concern yourself with that. The tales of your visit to the Terrorscale lair are growing with each telling at your father’s court, and he is quite happy to allow the embellishments and embroidery to continue. I shall summarize the newest ‘details’ of your exploits, so you may not be taken by surprise on your return.”

Well. That’s one less thing I need to worry about. I can’t stay away from home forever, but there is a certain mystique to the traveling Lady adventurer. Archibeard and I split up and I head to the comfiest couch in the Guild common room. Autumn is upon us, and the chill of the season is beginning to set in, but the fires won’t be lit during the day for another month. Not like home, where I can cozy up at my convenience.

Ah, I really am getting homesick, aren’t I? Best not to dwell on it.

It’s late morning, meaning I’m most likely to bump into Landi as she flutters downstairs for breakfast-that-should-be-brunch-by-civilized-standards. I grab a plate of fruit before it disappears as an excuse to have THE TALK. Sure enough, I don’t have to wait more than quarter-past eleven to see that familiar glowing blue ball coming down the stairwell.

“Landi?” I call out. “Have you had breakfast?”

“Gimme a minute,” she grumbles. “Ah, fuck. All the fruit’s gone.”

“I have a plate of raspberries here,” I say. “Would you like some?”

“Don’t mind if I do!” She seizes a handful of the berries and digs in, and I’m grateful her glow spares me from having to see the bloody berry massacre.

We make idle small talk. She asks if I’ve gotten a new boy toy since I stopped seeing Franklin, the guy from poker night, and I tell her I’m not really looking for anyone right now. I ask her how her paramour Sunshine is doing, and apparently he’s doing great and treating Landi well, but he has eyes that wander all over the bar, not that Landi would mind an extra pair of hands to help carry her home, wink wink.

I do not wink back. “Has he been helping with your restitution?”

“Uh.” Landi gulps. “Yeah. He’s got lots of ideas. But you gotta spend money to make money, you know? Oh! There’s people who will pay LOTS of money for embarrassing photos of the nobility and celebrities to put in newspapers, you know? Sunshine had this idea for me to make money by being small and fast and being a total paparazzi girl with a nice crystal image-taker. But I gotta buy the high-quality kind, and since you aren’t letting me use your gold these last few weeks, I can’t do it, so I GOTTA ask if you can make an exception to this and I’ll pay you back I swear, it’s foolproof!”

Ah. The latest in Landi’s get-rich-quick-schemes. This one has more effort and skill involved, as she’d actually have to go out and get good newspaper-quality photos… but I don’t trust her with expensive crystalline photo-taking equipment that’s small enough and lens-flare-proof enough for a fairy to use it. And, of course, I would much rather not be associated with paparazzi. I get the feeling that if Landi learns how hard it is to get photos of people who very much like their privacy, she might try to find an easier subject and have me as the subject of “newsworthy” photos.

“You know the rules, Landi,” I say sternly. “I’m not to use my money in helping you pay the restitution. It has to be your sweat and work.”

“It would be!” Landi protests. “I just need a little money to even get off the ground!”

“It’s been a month,” I say. “You’ve had opportunities, surely.”

“Yeah, well,” Landi says, “Dotti’s making life REAL HARD for me. She makes me get up before dawn EVERY MORNING she has work and makes me fluff her tails and comb her hair and make her all pretty and put perfume on her, and before she goes out and does fancy fox stuff too.”

“She’s only supposed to be supervising.”

“That’s when she supervises! She wakes me up and demands I go out and get a job in the morning and makes me tell her my plans for the day. And then she does the same thing in the evenings. Do you have any idea how hard it is for a girl my size to fluff AN ENTIRE FOX SPIRIT?”

2/2 Serah 2023/06/03(Sat)10:43 No. 1065085 ID: c3a039
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So that’s why Dotti’s been so fluffy lately…

“Wait,” I say. “You’ve been getting up before I do? With Dotti?”

“Yeah. And then I’m so tired I go back to bed.”

“I mean… have you considered staying up that early?”

“Sunshine says foxes are crap-pooscular, this isn’t fair.”

“You mean crepuscular.”

“Whatever. I’m a night owl! Dotti’s being completely unreasonable. And I have to keep her happy or else she threatens to tell the Marquess I’m slacking!”

“Are you slacking?”

“NO! Whose side are you on, anyway? We’re a team, Serah! Gal pals in adventuring, never go it alone. You gotta help me out here, without money I’m totally done for and Dotti is NOT helping!”

“It has been a while since we’ve gone adventuring,” I sigh. “Were you counting on some booty to kick-start your restitution?”

“Yeah,” Landi says. “I thought we’d be going out and collecting stuff for your alchemy, like when we first got together, or maybe we might even go with Rae to get wolf pelts, or stuff. But Rae’s training, and you’re just in the lab or writing letters all the time or flying around and talking to boring Church dudes and Dotti is working, no one’s actually adventuring!”

Hmm. I’m really not doing much adventuring, not since I went to the Terrorscale lair… and I’m okay with that. So is Dotti. Rae is the only one who actually relies on adventuring to make her money.

“Maybe it’s time we reconsidered our adventuring contract,” I say. “If it’s getting in the way of you making money, then perhaps we should re-evaluate it? I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Ah! No! Nonono!” Landi flutters wildly. “Uh, I didn’t mean it that way! I just wanted to go out and do stuff, you know? Can we?”

On one hand, Landi raises a valid point that I’m letting my combat and adventuring skills go cold by spending all this time in the lab and playing politics and not working out. But on the other hand, I’m not particularly eager to risk my life just for money, when I have plenty of it already. Still… there are potentially situations where I might actually have to defend myself.

I have my SECRET PROJECT that'll create the ultimate defense for me, but am I relying too much on my lab skills and money to do the hard work for me?

Am I an adventurer, or am I just playing? Is Landi right that I need to get out and take more risks to stay in practice?

hmmm, well, it's been awhile so i might be remembering wrong, but wasn't the reason why Serah was adventuring in the first place was because she was being rebellious against her father and escape her responsibilities? It seems however that after experiencing her first huge adventure, and running Minga afterwards, she seems to have accepted her responsibilities and is working more in politics like her father, and is actually content with it. The only real times she goes out adventuring seems to be when it is political related or helping someone like Dotti over stuff like returning Jek to Mai, and that future adventure we'll be having to search for Petra (though that's probably not really an adventure, just flying to the censors to ask about Petra) though now, if she needs to go out, she can just hire a bodyguard adventurer like Rachael to protect her. The thing is, goals and ambitions change. Sometimes you might want to achieve a career in life, try it out, and find out it just isn't suitable for you, and then switch course to another line of work that makes you happier. People change like that.

I think maybe Serah should use this next (and possibly last) adventure to find the Censors and Petra to really determine how she feels about adventuring in comparison to playing politics, and which path in life she wants to go down. we can be brutally honest with Landi and tell her that your passion in adventuring is sort of fading, and you're finding yourself being more content with what you are doing now. But let her know that after you get the church stuff settled on this next adventure, you will see how you truly feel about adventuring.

But let her know you WILL help her find a new adventurer to hire her if your adventuring contract isn't helping Landi being productive to make up for the damage she caused, and if your goals and ambitions changed from adventuring to the responsibilities of politics. Landi is still Serah's friend after all.

Yes, you should be out adventuring more. Your true accomplishments could be even more fantastic than the ones your father makes up to tell his house guests.
Why sit here getting a headache thinking about politics when you could be out in the world doing practical work? You don't need to adventure for the money - that means you can afford to adventure for its own sake, or the sake of others! They're called noble causes for a reason.
You've surrounded yourself with powerful magical allies who will protect you when there is risk to your life, powerful elixirs that can increase your strength and do all sorts of others. There is a risk, but you've stacked the odds pretty high in your favor. One day when you're old and tired, you can pass these advantages on to others who will do the heavy lifting, but get out there while you can to do it for yourself!

>>1065085
You can keep your combat skills sharp by sparring and/or training with professionals. If you just want to be able to defend yourself, you don't have to go adventuring. That said, what about your friends? If they decided to become adventurers, would you want to join them?

>>1065085
I think you might need to accept that you're not REALLY one for the adventuring life if the wanderlust bug hasn't bit you again. What you needed (and got) was a break from the persistent stress of your life. And now you're much more refreshed with a new view on things, and now you're mostly content. But that also means that the things that you got while you were out there just...aren't as vital or important. It's fine. It happens. But it'll also affect people if they're operating on outdated information of you.

You technically CAN do the adventuring thing, sure. But if you don't really care to, and you're more content in ballrooms and offices than dirt roads and fights, then your question kinda answers itself, doesn't it? Be honest with yourself- then be honest with Landi. Reckless fairy she might be, she seems to be sincere about this effort (even if it might be in a manner you don't particularly like) and at least deserves you being square with her.

I think Serah is someone who finds happiness in doing what she wants and doing it well. At first her goal was adventuring, because she needed to get away from the world of politics. But then she put a greater focus on her alchemy and lab skills, which she took too well. There was a brief return to politics thanks to the Marquess, but I think Serah would agree that it wasn't a fun time for her. She was stressed and tired for much of the time she spent dealing with it.

As a political figure, Serah can't quite get away from her roots, unfortunately. As she uses her title as a Kensington, she naturally cannot fully divorce herself from that world in the political space. Committing to that would mean doing what dad wants, which means political marriage. Serah obviously wouldn't be happy with that, and that's why it isn't an option for her.

But that doesn't discount her liking of lab work. She has a good head on her shoulders, and unlike her body, keeping that in shape isn't too exhausting. It's something Serah can handle comfortably.

With all of this in mind: Serah should ABSOLUTELY be adventuring more, and especially training her body.

Serah may like lab work, but adventuring is what has lead her to meeting all of the people who are currently in her life. Landi, Dotti, Rae, Kayk, all connections that were made during adventures. With each new companion, Serah's independence from her father grows ever stronger.

The thing about these connections is: All of them are REALLY strong in their own ways. Serah has surrounded herself with a powerful group people, and she needs to be able to keep up. Powerful people can make powerful enemies after all. Serah may not know about Rae's brother yet, but that's a perfect example of the kind of conflicts Serah might get involved with due to her friends.

Adventuring also helps Serah expand her own sphere of influence. Local jobs help build her reputation, and traveling lets her form new connections. All of this gives her power as Serah, instead of simply "Lady Kensington". Also worth noting that she's met so many of her friends through it. Connections can be beneficial for both professional and simply personal reasons.

Serah is good in the lab, and she should never give up her talents. They're worth honing too, but she doesn't need money. Selling her bombs, potions, and mutagens isn't necessary, because she can make gold. Learning to make new tools is rewarding of course, but otherwise Serah is basically just... playing around. Adventuring gives purpose to her creations.

She's an adventurer. Not because she loves fighting, but because she loves the adventure itself.

You may be playing but adventure as a hobby is important to expanding your horizons and meeting new people!

Serah 2023/06/04(Sun)18:20 No. 1065181 ID: ea3d98
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“Landi, we’ve been through a lot together, haven’t we?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’ve met some very exceptional people, and you were the first among them.”

“Uh-huh.”

“But most of my work these days is behind the desk, which you’ve kindly pointed out.”

“Uh-huh…”

“Would you have a better chance of paying off your restitution with an active adventurer? I’m sure your friends from Fairy College would have plenty of potential candidates. And you wouldn’t have to deal with Dotti, I’d make sure of it.”

“No more Dotti?” Landi pauses. “Uh. I’d like to stay with you, and keep doing what we were doing, you know? Maybe if we go out and get some herbs that only grow in shipwrecks, we’ll find some big ancient treasure chest or something. We just gotta go out and look! You’re a great adventurer, Serah, and I wanna help you get out there and be that awesome warhammer-swinging Lady of War you were a few months ago.”

Thinking back on everything I’ve done since I left home, I don’t feel like an adventurer. My first few expeditions were all glorified shopping trips to get alchemical ingredients to make gold, and it was more of an unhappy accident that I ran into a fox spirit, defeated an incredibly dangerous Spirit of Bloodshed, and stared down a dragon. There’s no thrill in risk or in battle for me, and I don’t have a sense of wanderlust. Quite the opposite; I’m feeling a bit homesick.

On the other hand, that doesn’t make me any less capable of going out and adventuring. It definitely puts me head and shoulders above my noble peerage. Not counting the petty nobility, I can count on one hand the number of adventurers with titles. In theory, we’re supposed to be leaders on and off the battlefield, but ever since humanity’s war with the elves ended, we’ve been content to coast on our success. It wasn’t hard to feel upset about our collective shirking and take it as an easy excuse to uphold tradition while also thumbing my nose at Daddy.

I’ve had success adventuring, and my reputation is growing on my own merits, independent of my father’s influence. With my allies behind me, I could accomplish even more daring feats, no doubt to be exaggerated in the telling, but still impressive. I have finances, resources, and provisions aplenty. I even have martial counsel from Raelynn. I have a fox spirit for raw magical might and devilish tricks. I have a dragon for grand entrances. I also have a fairy for dubious counsel, inventory magic, access to an unstable Djinn patron and a few spells.

Putting all that together, perhaps the real reason I don’t feel like an adventurer is because I’m in a far, far better position to succeed than most. The risks of doing typical adventurer tasks, such as bringing bandits to justice, defending villages against magical beasts, and hunting rogue wizards and spirits, are much lower for me than most. The odds are in my favor, as long as I or my allies don’t do anything foolish.

“Hey, Serah?” Landi asks. “Uh, you’re real quiet all of a sudden.”

Hmm.

I really don’t want to say this to Landi, but I can’t help but feel that she may- just may- do something foolish to put us at risk. Such as, for example, disobeying orders and putting my reputation at risk at Marquess Mallory’s social event. And when I compare Landi to a few other fairies I’ve met, she’s a high-risk fae indeed. Rocio the fitness instructor is a pile of energy and motivation. Ellie the librarian is a skilled wordsmith. Autumn is a doting and mindful caretaker for her own adventurer Apricot. And Vivi, who I haven’t met, is a cunning fencing fairy and a dangerous combatant in her own right.

How do I tell Landi that she makes me nervous? Should I look for a different fairy companion?

I wouldn't go as far as look for a new fairy companion just yet, but is IS important to talk about your feelings about her high risk and heavy partying lifestyle interfering with our and others personal life to the point of not not following orders.

While she is your fairy companion and has done things that got you in trouble like the Marquess Mallory incident, and the vanishing dress incident, she did help Dotti tell the truth about how she mind whammied Jek and save her from Mai, played a part in trying to get Rae to feel better, and more importantly, helped you come out of your shell a bit, and got you to live life a little and take breaks when you were overworking yourself. In that respect, she is a friend of yours

She's helped a lot of your companions become better people in her own ways, I think now, she needs us to help her better herself. Talking to her about how we feel about her is an important first step.

(I just gotta think about how to tell her about how we feel about her though)

Okay, I have to make one correction there: You're giving Rocio waaaaay too much credit there, she's fine at best. Probably not much of a step up from Landi.

That said, you're just gonna have to be honest. Not harsh, but not downplaying your feelings. Landi is a good friend, and somebody who you value your relationship with; however, as a member of your party, she's volatile. Sometimes it's good, but oftentimes she ends up putting the rest of you at risk, because she won't follow orders or keep her mouth shut.

You explained why she couldn't go to the Marquess' party, and were told to stay outside with Kayk. Not only did she completely ignore the command, she went on to steal from the Marquess, someone who you were in the middle of trying to appease. That didn't make you look good when you had to claim responsibility for her behavior. All of the stress you went through leading up to that event could have been for nothing, if the Marquess was feeling a bit less reasonable that night.

This isn't a new problem for her, this has been a constant throughout your relationship. You can't really trust her, because even if fairies don't like to lie, Landi will ignore you when she wants to. That isn't okay, and she needs to come to terms with that VERY quickly if this partnership is going to continue.

We don't want another fairy, but if Landi isn't willing to play ball, we can find one. If she doesn't want that, then she needs to make it clear right away. Consider renegotiating your contract to formalize some of Landi's responsibilities if you think it'll help her.

Ellie seems helpful behind a desk, less so in a fight. She's useful to you in her current position.
Rocio's a good partner but she's a little... unobservant. Autumn is busy, and Vivi, well, are you sure you want to deal with a fey who is renowned for cunning amongst her own kind? Better the little shoulder devil you know.
Tell Landi that her on the spot plans have a pattern of disastrous consequences, which have been to your detriment. What happened at the ball just now was the direct result of Landi's decisions and the actions she took, and that nobody else was responsible for it - in fact, everyone warned her against it. And when Landi compares this to the dragon's lair, which had positive effects, you can remind her how she drew a dragon's ire. She faced dire consequences both times, and someone had to pull her out of them. Do you think they enjoyed having to reach in and pull Landi out of trouble, any more than she liked being in it?
You might have to threaten to add to her contract a line that will curtail 'silly' behavior.

>>1065181
Tell her you'll agree to go back into adventuring with her, on a probationary basis. She has to learn how to behave herself, at in regards to whatever shenanigans she gets into could reflect badly on you.

In fact, you need to bring up her attempted heist. Why did she do it? What was her motivation? Is she that addicted to alcohol? Was it for the thrills? What self-destructive mindset was the cause? You need to get to the root of the problem.

I had a thought, since Landi doesnt like lying to a point of finding doing it disgusting and beneath her, but is willing to disobey important orders, what if going forward, if we want or dont want Landi to do something, we could Have her repeat the order we tell her to do so that if she disobeyes, she'll be lying, which she doesn't want to. for example when we order her to not go to a party, we'll also have her say "I, Landi, will not go to that party.". This system can stay in effect until we trust her enough to have her stop doing that, and gives us a better idea of what she is willing to do and not do. and we can ask why she wont repeat our orders if she refuses to repeat and see how we can settle an agreement.

Of course, if she lies after repeating your order, thats pretty much it with Serah's contract with Landi.

1/2 Serah 2023/06/13(Tue)18:39 No. 1065785 ID: 58c6b8
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“Ser-bear? You okay?”

“I’m thinking,” I respond.

“Uh-oh,” Landi says. “Nobody ever says that when they’re happy.”

“I’m not,” I say. “I’m a little worried, actually. About adventuring. It’s been a while, and I’m not exactly in shape. There’s a lot that could go wrong.”

“It’ll be fine,” Landi says. “Listen, it’ll be easy. We just gotta go follow some leads Vivi gave me for bandit stashes, knock down a few false walls with your big strong hammer, and bam! All in a day’s work. We might even find some artwork that’s been lost for, like, years. Your fancy-schmancy pals would give you all the credit for finding a lost masterpiece. Maybe you keep it for your bedroom if it’s spicy? Huh? Huh? Doesn’t that sound nice?”

“And what if that ‘lead’ Vivi got is actually a trap?” I ask. “What if those bandits are actually using that rumor to trap adventurers and steal their gear, and ransom silly noble girls back to their families for even more money?”

“Well, then we fight ‘em and kick their butts. C’mon, it’ll be a breeze even if it’s a trap. We’ll get to bring some bad guys to justice!”

“Landi,” I press, “Any time we get into a fight, it’s a huge risk.”

“We can bring Rae, it’ll be fine. Did you forget we have a dragon, too? We’ve got this!”

“Did you forget about the time you almost died fighting that Spirit of Bloodshed? All it takes is one lucky shot we’re not ready for.”

“That was one time,” Landi says. “What’re you worried about? You’re a big badass babe!”

“You, Moonshine,” I say softly. “I’m worried about you.”

“N-not so loud,” Landi stammers at hearing her true name, suddenly off-balance. “Uh… Hey, I’ve got the contract, remember? I can top off my dust easy peasy and other stuff. You don’t need to worry at all.”

“That’s not why I’m worried,” I say. “Landi, if we’re going to be fighting alongside each other, we need to trust each other with our lives. How can I trust you that deeply if I can’t even trust that you’ll stay away from the Marquess’s party?”

“I said I was sorry about that!” Landi huffs. “Dotti’s already giving me crap for that, are you gonna get on that bandwagon too? If you don’t trust me, then trust that I NEVER want to deal with Dotti the Prison Warden EVER AGAIN.”

“It’s more than that, Landi. I’ve been angry at you before, when you messed up my mutagen advice and didn’t tell me your godmother spell would wear off. Those are ‘me’ things. I’m worried about when you do things like spout off to a dragon, or steal from a Marquess. We’ve had to save you both times.”

“It wasn’t stealing!” Landi objects. “Those wines were free!”

“For guests.”

“And I was a guest!” Landi insists. “Anything you get invited to, I get invited to too. That’s how being a fairy companion works! It’s, like, in the contract!”

“Are you sure?” I ask. “Have you read it?”

“Of course I have! I went to Fairy College, you know!”

“Have you read all of it? This specific one?”

“Uh…”

Aha.

“Landi,” I say, holding out my hand, “Let’s have a look at it.”

“T-there’s no need for that,” Landi says, knowing she’s in trouble. It’s in Fae, so you can’t read it. So there’s no point. Just take my word for it, okay?”

2/2 Serah 2023/06/13(Tue)18:40 No. 1065786 ID: 58c6b8
File 168670682567.png - (17.54KB , 333x418 , LF7 6.png )

Take a fairy’s word for it? I’m not feeling like it at the moment. As for the language barrier…

“Archibeard!” I call out. “I need a translator!”

“Uh!” Landi jolts midair as she’s joined by a spiffy floating skull zipping through the door.

“At once, my Lady,” Archibeard says. “What shall I assist with today?”

“Landi will provide.”

“Um, um, um…” Landi stammers. “There’s gonna be some really technical stuff in there, and it’s a contract of adhesion, so, like, don’t be upset at me if some of it sounds weird, I didn’t write it, okay? So you’re not allowed to get mad at me! Promise!”

“I will make no such promises,” I say.

Landi gulps but does as she’s asked. She summons the same glowing scroll I signed in the forest when we first met. I’ve been putting this conversation off too long, I know, but reading a fae contract is probably literally designed to give humans headaches.

Sure enough, the wording is in Fae, and Archibeard begins to read.

Always On Unless Disabled:
- The Fate Clause, which makes my future immune to meddling from Gods and Goddesses. The most important clause of all Fae contracts, and the reason adventurers started bringing fairies along in the first place.
- I gain resistance (but not immunity) to most of Landi’s spells, including most Djinn summon spells.
- Landi has authority to sign legal documents on my behalf except for ones involving my immortal soul and any and all birthrights. Landi has been using this to draw on my lines of credit.
- Landi is entitled to 50% of all loot I gain from adventuring, but she’s really bad at math.
- My personal effects are, legally, also Landi’s unless she doesn’t want them. This gives her the right to, among other things, eat off my dinner plate.
- Landi can draw on my core mana to replenish her Dust, as demonstrated at the Terrorscale Lair.
- All harmful spells targeting Landi are defaulted to targeting me instead, unless Landi decides to take the hit. This does not activate if Landi is too far away from me.
- Landi is entitled to attend any and all functions I am and has the right to go where I go. This is worded to grant her complete immunity to anti-fairy defenses, and spells or non-trained guards will see Landi as an extension of me if she stays on my person.
- I waive any and all rights to personal space regarding Landi.


Must be consciously activated:
- If we focus, we can determine what direction the other is and how far they are.
- Low-level empathic communication; e.g. if one of us in distress or very happy, the other will know.
- Landi can act as an anchor point for my own spells and projectiles without being harmed by them (even bomb blasts). Will use Landi’s Dust in proportion to the amount of harm she is saved from.
- ...

“Archibeard,” I say, “How much more is in this contract?”

“A fair amount, including some choice benefits and odd… ah… boons for your companion. There is also a great deal of boilerplate,” he says.

Landi is twiddling her wings innocently.

What else is in the contract? Can be benefits, boons, responsibilities, anything.

Enhanced knockers when Landi is on your person, so she has somewhere comfy to rest.
Serah is entitled to a complete inventory of Landi's pocket space, so she can be aware if her items are sharing a dimensional pocket with anything hazardous.
Serah is required to speak of Landi with the highest of praise when she is showing her off to her fairy friends.
Every other Tuesday is Taco Tuesday. This is a subsection of the clause where Serah is required to buy Landi dinner at an interval to be worked out at a more convenient time before full spellcasting services commence.
Landi cannot be legally coerced into putting on underwear.
Landi may choose how Serah carries her. (Onward, noble steed!)
Landi accepts the task of locating alchemy reagents for Serah and assisting in their acquisition.

>>1065788
At the very very bottom:

>Serah will not abandon Landi for any reason. At least, without telling her in person first.

* Landi has permission to use Serah as a surrogate mother
* Serah can order Landi to grow to the size of a dwarf
* Landi may collect up to one gallon of fluid from Serah each year (non-cumulative)
* Serah may collect up to one gallon of fluid from Landi each month (cumulative)
* I heart boobies
* Serah is permitted to alter Landi's personality when playing Grand Theft Auto

There's a tiny lip stain on the contract, like Landi kissed it at one point

- Serah will magically feel compelled to help Landi's sorority sisters when Landi doesn't feel like helping them (Now that you think about it, Landi COULD have easily helped Rocio with her inventory magic to move the items, but had YOU do it instead??? You could have avoided that moving day incident!)

Huh. Well. Okay.

Point one. If she's perma-invited to all parties alongside you, that would've been useful to know and it would've been nice to have been told. A bit of trust would be nice from your mischievous little friend.

You would've... prepared better, probably. Perhaps told her to try being on her best behavior, or do her best avoiding the attention of certain nobles. Or, yeah, offered her a decent distraction doing something else, or planned something to make up for it. Because at SOME parties like these there are things someone like Landi can get probably get away with, and things she can get away with with your help (at cost), and things she absolteuly can't get away with at all. You worry if she recognizes the difference between all of these.

There are other problems with bringing her along besides the trouble she puts herself in.

To give some context. Nobles are rich and powerful. To remain so they scheme, do stuff and get together. Politics, blah blah, yeah? Being known as the noble who brings a mischievous party-upsetting faerie along isn't going to endear you to (most) hosts, who want parties generally to be predictable events taking place for their prestige and gain. They'd HATE losing prestige due to a Fae prompting scandals and such. So Landi's very presence may get you un-invited to really important get-togethers from here on. Which may undermine your ability to make contacts and friends in the pursuit of maintaining your status, the status that enables you to do many things you want and need to since, yeah, you're more than just an adventuress.

And that status does include letting Landi get away with things she otherwise wouldn't. You spent a bit of grace and influence lowering her punishment by the Marquess Mallory already, you're pretty sure. You... appreciate Landi for what she is, and you're really not aiming for 'oppressively boring companion' here. But you would like a little more understanding from Landi as to what sort of person she's gotten herself wrapped up with.

Explain this patiently, then raise eyebrows at what's coming up next on the reading list.

Must be consciously activated:

- Serah must allow Landi to fully explain herself before making judgement calls on her actions (Oh hey, I'd forgotten about this one. Filibuster, whoo!)
- Serah shall work earnestly to free Landi from any kind of truly unjust imprisonment (Take that, JAIL!)
- Serah shall assist with doing Landi's Fae taxes at end of the fiscal year (Oooooooh. Right. I've... definitely been keeping up with those.)
- Serah shall, in the event of Landi's passing, inform her closest living relatives and/or friends. The focus sense granting direction and distance towards Landi will shift to them. (Bleh, no reason to ever activate this one, I'd never die!)
- Serah, if unmarried, must consider seriously any marriage proposal from Landi (It's a boon companions always get first dibs thing, ehee.)
- Landi may invite her friends over to any of Serah's domiciles or establishments (Yuuup. Your house is my house 'n all that.)
- Serah may join war on behalf of the Fae should circumstances allow, with associated benefits (Veeeeerrry specific circumstances. Don't worry about it!)

- Landi may recharge Serah's core mana at the cost of Dust (Urgh, that's a thing yeah. Don't pester me too much for it!)
- Landi may spend Dust to give Serah temporary powers of levitation or flight depending on the amount (The Tinker B special!)
- Serah may make use of Fae banking services. Includes free mentorship on standard Fae banking lessons, such as 'How to avoid my companion bankrupting me 101' (Look... LOOK, maybe just skip those, huh? It's fine. It's fiiiine.)
- Serah may ask each of Landi's fae friends and superiors for a max of 1 (one) favor as if they were Landi. Favor must be repaid. Once repaid the opportunity resets (Friend-o my friend-o clause.)
- Serah may visit Landi's Fae home address for a max of 1 week each year. Up to 3 trusted friends cleared by Landi may be invited along to the Fae lands. (Aw, my house your house thing strikes back.)
- Serah has license to shop at Fae markets when visiting Fae lands (Whaddye think I'm siphoning funds from you for? It's not juuuust frivolous expenses! Some of these places are wyld! Was hoping I could find some cool alchemy ingredients so you could make more cooler stuff for me, er, yourself. As a gift!)

Lots of good stuff here already, so I'll just toss in a few more.

Always On Unless Disabled:
- Landi is always correct, even when she isn't.
- Serah understands that faries are awesome and way better than non-fairies.

Must be consciously activated:

- Landi may request Serah to disrobe for merchants during times of financial crisis (As defined by: Any time during which Landi doesn't have enough to purchase a full bottle of booze on her person or in her inventory.) The request may be denied on the grounds of particularly embarrassing undergarments.
- Landi may dye Serah's hair and skin via magic to match Landi's colors.
- Serah must refer to herself as Landi, and create a cover story for her supposed "growth spurt" if requested.
- Serah must show up to any non-fae court dates in Landi's name if requested. Any judgments given to "Landi" will be carried out by Serah.
- Landi gets to name any pets Serah adopts. (I'm sure Dorothea doesn't mind of course)

Serah 2023/06/15(Thu)21:26 No. 1065957 ID: eb0d9e
File 168688958111.png - (17.96KB , 500x485 , LF7 7.png )

>Landi accepts the task of locating alchemy reagents for Serah and assisting in their acquisition.
>Serah is entitled to a complete inventory of Landi's pocket space, so she can be aware if her items are sharing a dimensional pocket with anything hazardous.
>Serah has license to shop at Fae markets when visiting Fae lands
>Landi may recharge Serah's core mana at the cost of Dust
>Landi may spend Dust to give Serah temporary powers of levitation or flight depending on the amount
>Serah may make use of Fae banking services. Includes free mentorship on standard Fae banking lessons, such as 'How to avoid my companion bankrupting me 101'
>Serah may visit Landi's Fae home address for a max of 1 week each year. Up to 3 trusted friends cleared by Landi may be invited along to the Fae lands.
Oh! These are actually very useful. I’m quite happy with these. Perhaps I can relax.

>Enhanced knockers when Landi is on your person, so she has somewhere comfy to rest.
>I heart boobies
So that’s why my tops don’t fit sometimes! I’m not crazy after all.

>- Serah may join war on behalf of the Fae should circumstances allow, with associated benefits
“Archibeard, does this affect House Kensington’s political alliances at all?”

“No, my Lady. In fact, it’s not an uncommon clause, similar to a conscription your noble peers use. It is highly unlikely you will to be summoned to war on behalf of the Fae.”

Oh. Well. Hm.

>Landi is always correct, even when she isn't.
>Serah understands that fairies are awesome and way better than non-fairies.
“Archibeard, are these enforceable?”

“No. Not even by Fae standards.”

“AWWWWWWWWWWW YOU SUCK.”

>Serah is required to speak of Landi with the highest of praise when she is showing her off to her fairy friends.
>Landi cannot be legally coerced into putting on underwear.
>Landi may choose how Serah carries her.
>Serah must allow Landi to fully explain herself before making judgement calls on her actions.
>Serah shall work earnestly to free Landi from any kind of truly unjust imprisonment.
>Every other Tuesday is Taco Tuesday. This is a subsection of the clause where Serah is required to buy Landi dinner at an interval to be worked out at a more convenient time before full spellcasting services commence.
Can’t say I’m surprised by these, and it explains why she’s been so confident demanding Taco Tuesdays…

>Serah shall assist with doing Landi's Fae taxes at end of the fiscal year.
>Serah must show up to any non-fae court dates in Landi's name if requested. Any judgments given to "Landi" will be carried out by Serah.
“Landi, have you committed massive tax fraud?”

“I have no idea.”

>Serah shall, in the event of Landi's passing, inform her closest living relatives and/or friends. The focus sense granting direction and distance towards Landi will shift to them.
>Serah will not abandon Landi for any reason. At least, without telling her in person first.

These are… actually kind of sweet. And tiny bit sad. Maybe I’m being too hasty in judging Landi’s contract?

>Serah will magically feel compelled to help Landi's sorority sisters when Landi doesn't feel like helping them
What?

>Serah, if unmarried, must consider seriously any marriage proposal from Landi
What.

>Landi may request Serah to disrobe for merchants during times of financial crisis (As defined by: Any time during which Landi doesn't have enough to purchase a full bottle of booze on her person or in her inventory.) The request may be denied on the grounds of particularly embarrassing undergarments.
WHAT

“Landi!” I shout. “A-Archibeard! She can’t actually make me do any of this, can she?”

“She can draw on the powers of the Greater Library,” Archibeard says. “It is essentially a massive magical construct built from the energies of all Fae contracts, and can be used in many subtle ways to enforce the terms. Some of the terms simply seem like good ideas at the time, and its victims may be unaware of the compulsion. Other times… well. The compulsion is quite strong.”

“LANDIIIIIIII!”

“Hey!” Landi darts behind a vase. “Don’t get mad, okay? It was for emergencies only, and I didn’t know you were rich when I picked it from the drop-in clauses, so it doesn’t even matter!”

“AMEND IT! AMEND IT RIGHT NOW!”

“I can’t!” Landi winces. “I need a notary and… and someone who knows what they’re doing, okay? Adventurer contracts are hard to change for lots of really good reasons I can’t think of right now!”

“Summon Ellie! Do it! She can fix this!”

“Ellie’s at work, she can’t leave!”

This is unacceptable.
1. Demand Landi summon Ellie RIGHT NOW OR ELSE
2. Send Landi to Box Jail
3. Choose Violence
4. Other

Choose violence. Potion violence.

>>1065957
2

4, a little change to 1:

you're going to FLY to the library where Ellie works by grabbing Landi by the wings and spanking the dust out of her onto you, just like Miss Venmiphi the gnelf said could happen.

You deserve to have some fun doing this out of Landi's expense, and we've been waiting so long for this to happen when Venmiphi spoke of this.

>>1065963
This but use Landi as a powder ball and bat her everywhere on your body.

4, Calm down. Landi isn't being unreasonable right now, and you can talk to Ellie when she's off work. The compulsion is... problematic, but so long as it isn't taken advantage of, it isn't of immediate concern.

Remember if Violence is not the solution to your problem you have simply not used ENOUGH violence!

Serah 2023/06/16(Fri)20:37 No. 1066044 ID: c9abf8
File 168697307078.png - (122.16KB , 378x501 , LF7 8.png )

“I can’t believe you put that in our contract!” I seethe. “You are such an immature, self-centered, rude, lewd, crass little devil!”

“Yeep!” Landi flees at top speed.

I don’t bother to follow her out in a rush. Instead, I take the opportunity to try out that Landi-sensing feature of the contract, and to my surprise, the instinctive sense of direction toward her lights right up as I focus on a mental image of a compass with Landi as true north. I should have read that contract far earlier.

I find Landi hiding in a sack of potatoes in the kitchen and pluck the squealing, shocked fairy out with deft fingers that are pinching perhaps too tightly than I need to.

“YIEE! Ser-bear, it’s not a big deal, we can talk about this! You gotta let me fully explain myself, it’s in the contract!”

“True,” I say. “But you can explain yourself from inside THE POUCH!”

“Not the pouch!” Landi cries out. “Archibeard was stuck in there forever! You can’t do this to me!”

“I can and I will,” stashing her inside my ultra-sturdy pouch with just enough of a gap to let her speak (and breathe). “Now you can explain all you want while we wait for Ellie to finish her work, hmm?”

What should I do while we wait for Ellie to get off work?
1. Hop into the lab and work on some bombs, potions and/or mutagens.
2. Talk with Archibeard about daddy’s political goals at the moment. Should I be a good girl?
3. Visit Kayk’s bakery, I’ve earned a sweet treat! Maybe I should stay away from merchants, though…
4. Work out. Maybe now that I’m more willing to go out adventuring again, it’s a better decision… but it’ll still feel horrible.
5. Other

One. Make You deserve some fun after all that.

One. Potion time!

>>1066044
1. Stock up. Also put some thought into what transformation you can force Landi to drink to make her most useful during adventuring.

4, Anger is better channeled through physical labor than technically challenging tasks such as alchemy. And you really should work out, it's good for your health.

>>1066058
a solid point. Work that anger out. Kick a training dummy.

4 Work out your frustration, it's good for you.

4, then maybe 1. you should probably get in better shape before you look like Kayk

>>1066044
While we may want to go adventuring, sorting things out with Landi one way or the other would be wise before we seriously commit to it. Landi, as much as she's a chaos factor, is also a source of useful magic. We'd need to plan accordingly if this contract issue doesn't work itself out.

On that same train of thought, perhaps it would be good to plan accordingly regardless. Landi is in a tough spot right now, demonstrating to her that you don't need to beg her to contribute to the success of an adventuring party would really deal a needed blow to her ego. It would be a good way to apply pressure on her to do more and be better if she's going to justify sticking around with you. Maybe that line of thinking is a little cruel, but it's good politicking. That's that thing Archibeard is always harping on you to practice more of, right?

That said, how imminently are we going to want to step out into the world of adventuring again? If we have time, working out (4) is probably the best path forward. If we're going to appease Landi's pleading to seek treasure and booty very soon, we can't go anywhere without all of our bombs and potions resupplied (1). Especially not with how many of the best bombs we're still missing. Working on a few extra utility potions and elixirs to do the above stated putting-in-place would be a good idea too.

Serah 2023/06/25(Sun)10:51 No. 1066563 ID: e9229a
File 168771546379.png - (14.61KB , 528x550 , LF7 9.png )

I’m upset. What makes me feel better when I’m upset? Staring at soothing, bubbling flasks, that’s what.

But do I trust Landi enough to not distract me when I’m measuring components for bombs?

Hmm.

No, I do not. So as much as I hate to do it, there’s only one other way to blow off steam, and that’s by visiting Kayk’s bakery and having some delicious sweets. It’s for my peace of mind!

But do I trust Landi’s contract magic not to mess with my head when I’m passing by a shop and convince me to something horrible?

Hmmmmmmmmm.

No, I do not.

That means I should probably I catch up on the latest news from Kensington and the latest love letters from my hopeless suitors which is… something… I could do when I’m upset and dealing with the fact that I don’t have a boyfriend to gush over anymore.

No, that would just make me more upset. So that leaves…

Ugh.

“Archibeard, is my workout wear still in the back of my boudoir?”

“You mean your dresser at the back of your tiny guild-rented room?” Archibeard asks. “You haven’t had a boudoir since you left home, my Lady.”

“Don’t ruin my fantasies, Archibeard.”

“Of course not, my Lady. Ah. Your workout wear is still safely stored underneath a pile of hosiery, from whence it shall never escape.”

“We’re going to grant it clemency,” I sigh. “I’m going to borrow the guild’s weights for a while and swing the training hammers.”

“That means you’re letting me out of this pouch, right?” Landi asks. “I can be your cheerleader!”

“You are staying right there until evening, when Ellie can help us,” I hiss. “You may, however, motivate me for my workout by explaining, in detail, why you thought making a ‘Serah-must-striptease’ clause was a good idea.”

“Well… I mean… you’re hot!” Landi says. “And if I don’t have any money, then there’s LOTS of merchants who’d give us free stuff in exchange for a peek or two, right? Right! It’s totally logical! You like logic, right?”

I can’t even begin to answer that in words, so it’s time to satisfy my deep desire to swing a hammer at something.

-------------

I’m exhausted, and it’s only partially because Landi wouldn’t stop trying to explain herself during my workout.

At last, it’s done. I’ve lost more strength than I’d care to admit, and I’m down to just the benefits of my improved mutagen. I should have kept up with my workouts if I had intended to go adventuring again. Still, I don’t plan to head out to risk my life any time soon, at least not until after we take Dotti to the latest Church of Censorship parish, and Kayk has time to fly us out in two days. I have a good feeling about this latest lead.

In the meantime, it’s the afternoon, I’m a sweaty mess and my limbs are all shaky. I don’t trust myself to handle delicate measuring for lab work until tomorrow. Shower time!

“Archibeard, keep an eye on Landi while I clean up,” I say.

“Certainly,” Archibeard says, and I can detect a little satisfaction in that he’s the one outside the pouch.

“LAME.”

I take my time in the shower, enjoying every minute of the hot, running water. It’s my own personal sanctuary from the chaos around me. Halfway through, I realize I’m out of the special enchanted soap I got from a gift exchange. I’m left with just regular soap now. Maybe I should go and buy some…

Oh. Landi’s little merchant clause makes that a risky endeavor if she’s accompanying me. I don’t want her subtle fae magic influencing my decisions. Perhaps it would be not-so-subtle, if she sees something she really wants. I could leave Landi behind, but I don’t want her contacting Ellie without my knowing and trying to “fix” things without my knowing.

Should I:

1. Go shopping for something that will make an immediate, noticeable improvement in something I really enjoy (shower supplies)
2. Visit Kayk and Dotti and reward myself for the workout
3. Take no chances and stay at the Adventurers’ Guild, and maybe run into Raelynn
4. Both 1 and 2 (Highest risk of Landi somehow embarrassing me)

3. Talk with rae about your trust issues and feelings about Landi, and try and get her to talk about how she is feeling. You both might have advice for each other.

3, You haven't really gotten to interact with Rae much during her recent troubles. Might be worth checking in.

Well, people may be curious how those two are doing, so 4.

Serah 2023/06/25(Sun)15:06 No. 1066579 ID: 4e1a2a
File 168773079740.png - (14.91KB , 500x500 , LF7 10.png )

I’m not giving Landi any opportunities to use that striptease clause on me. Absolutely not!

I get dressed and rejoin Archibeard and Imprisoned-in-the-Pouch Landi in the Guild common room.

“Has Landi behaved herself while I was gone?” I ask.

“By her standards, yes,” Archibeard replies.

Landi huffs. “This is overkill. We’ve been partners for months and I haven’t used that clause once. You can trust me, Ser-bear! Just let me out. Please?”

“I am taking absolutely no chances,” I say. “There’s not a single merchant here in the Adventurers’ Guild, and we are going to stay here all day if that’s what it takes to avoid invoking that horrid clause.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a fluttering blue figure. I recognize that cloak, but not the hairstyle. Oh! Rae must have dyed her hair again. Her old colors were fairly loud for a ranger, even if she could camouflage it with some magic.

“Raelynn?” I call out. “I like what you’ve done with your hair.”

“Serah,” Rae says with a nod. “Thank you. It took some time to find someone who knew a spell to remove the dye.”

I pause for a moment. Then… this is her natural hair color?

Sweet savior she’s so cute and I want to tell her but she might not like that

“Rae-bae’s all-natural now?” Landi shouts from inside the bag. “Lemme out! I wanna see!”

“You’re staying inside until Ellie is off work!” I remind her. Rae raises her eyebrow. “It’s so I can trust her to behave.”

“Good,” Rae says. “Trust should only be given when enforced.”

“That’s… one way of putting it,” I say.

“It’s the only way,” Rae says. “Regardless. I’m taking you up on your offer to improve my Feline Grace mutagen. I’m confident in my muscle memory and my training now, so it’s time to push it to the next level.”

I immediately brighten up. “Did you decide on whether you’d like those cat ears?”

“CAT EARS! DO IT!” Landi squeals.

“No cat ears,” Rae says, but I can detect the slightest hint of hesitation in her voice. “No tail, either. I don’t want to look like I’m an outsider when I…” Rae clears her throat. “I mean, I don’t want to look like even more of an outsider in Minga. Between my ears and my scar, I’m already too easy to pick out in a crowd.”

“If you insist,” I say. “But you’d still look fantastic, Rae.”

Rae shrugs. I don’t think she cares.

“I can improve on your mutagen tomorrow in the lab,” I say. “I’d just like you to spend some time in the lab so I can make sure I’m getting things right. Does 9 o’clock in the morning work for you?”

Rae nods.

“What about me?” Landi asks. “Do I get an upgrade?”

Oh. That. Yes, Landi could use an upgrade to her, um, interesting mutagen. “Yes,” I sigh. “We’ll figure something out tomorrow, okay? Just be aware it might mess with the pattern on your wings.”

“Not the dots!” Landi wails. “I like those a lot!”

“Fine,” I sigh. “I’ll try and keep the dots as they are. Just give me some extra time.”

“Yay!”

Rae rolls her eyes. “I’ll see all three of you tomorrow, then. Good afternoon, Lady Kensington. And you, Malazar,” she says, looking up at Archibeard beside me.

“You don’t want to stay and chat?” I ask. “We haven’t had much time to catch up these last few weeks. I was going to offer to bring you along on a visit to a Church of Censorship parish two days from now. There might be some skilled fighters there, who knows?”

“I’d be getting used to my mutagen by then,” Rae says. “I might not be ready for a real fight. I won’t charge you for protection, Serah. Are you sure you want me along?”

“Of course,” I say wholeheartedly.

“And Taranis, too?”

“Why?” I ask. “Is there something the matter with him? Does he have a schedule conflict?”

“No,” Rae says. “It’s nothing. He’ll be on his best behavior, I’m sure. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to check my traps and equipment.”

Rae turns to leave again. Surely she has time tomorrow to do that.

This might be the only time for a while that I have a good excuse to talk with the antisocial Rae.

1. Let Rae check her equipment when she’s not hung over with the mutagen (maybe a good idea?)
2. Invite Rae to spend time with me until Ellie is off work
2a. Tell Rae she’s cute
2b. Ask more about Taranis
2c. Suggest other conversation topics
3. Other

2b. Just like Serah having issues with Landi, Rae seems to be having issues with Taranis. Ask for advice how she handles him and how she is able to maintain trust with Taranis if he does stuff that are bad.

2, 2A, 2B, and 2C! As an additional topic, why not ask about what other colors she's dyed her hair in the past?

2a, and what if: a partial shapeshift aspect to the mutagen. No more hair dye, toggle ears and whiskers on and off.

>>1066579
2a! She is absolutely very cute. Also she's acting very suspiciously and doing that whole "super-loner" thing again. Make sure your friend is okay!

Serah 2023/06/25(Sun)22:14 No. 1066614 ID: a2cc8d
File 168775644528.png - (28.26KB , 500x500 , LF7 11.png )

Rae is trying to avoid talking to me. I thought we knew each other well enough that she’d be comfortable just spending time with me, but I guess she still needs a little encouragement.

“Actually, do you have a minute?” I ask Rae, patting the comfy seat next to me. “If it’s urgent, I won’t stop you, of course. I’d just like to ask for some advice.”

Rae is halfway to the stairwell by the time I finish my sentence, but she slows her pace and her shoulders slump in resignation. Try as I might to make it easy, even a simple conversation is draining on her. There has to be something weighing on her mind to make her so flightly.

“I’m not sure what I can help with, aside from safekeeping and survival,” Rae sighs, but she takes the comfy chair. “Sure. What do you need?”

I’m working on a hunch here, but I suspect that Rae is having some kind of issues with Taranis. She’s defensive about him, and I suspect it has something to do with the four witches that were asking after him and staking out Rae’s door last month.

“I have a companion,” I say with a gesture toward my alchemical pouch. “A companion with certain proclivities.”

“Oh! That’s me!” Landi pipes up.

“Yes,” I nod. “And Landi, that’s not something to be proud of. You worry me, and you act out in ways that cause me problems. Rae, I wanted to know if you’ve ever had any… similar issues, and how you’ve dealt with them.”

Rae clenches her teeth. “I’m not in the habit of airing my companion’s dirty laundry.”

“You don’t have to,” I say. “I’m just looking for some advice.”

“Laundry…” Landi mutters from inside the pouch. “Oh! Is this like when he stole Kayk’s fishnets back at the Terrorscale lair and was super proud of it, and you called Taranis a total perv bird?”

“Something like that,” Rae mutters. “Look, I’m only going to say this to help you. If you’re missing any underwear, I think I know where it might be.”

“I KNEW IT!” Landi giggles.

“Regardless,” I say, “How are you feeling about you companion’s certain unsavory activities?”

“I don’t like it, obviously,” Rae sighs. “He’s causing problems for me and drawing attention, and it’s hurting my ability to work some things out with a priestess. I’ve made it clear that if he doesn’t pay his penance and stay out of trouble, he’s going to have trouble being around me in Minga. He could just go do his own thing, but for some reason he’s insistent on staying by me, so he’s behaving. For now.”

“It sounds like he values your company enough to change his behavior,” I say, directing my voice toward the pouch. “Is he showing progress?”

“I suppose,” Rae says. “I don’t think his magpie girlfriend is a good influence on him, but he’s not being chased by angry witches anymore, so there’s that.”

“I myself was known for piracy most foul,” Archibeard says. “Malazar the Mad, I was. I do think I’ve channeled my energies toward something more productive than piracy, wouldn’t you say, my Lady?”

“Please don’t hold yourself up as an example of levelheadedness, Archibeard. I haven’t forgotten your advice about killing Dotti.”

“It was the prudent course of action at the time,” Archibeard says, floating down toward Rae. “I maintain my assessment that Lady Kensington sees Dotti more as a cute and cuddly fox than a selfish, malicious fox spirit.”

“She can be both!” Landi says. “Being cute doesn’t stop her from being evil.”

“People can be cute and dangerous at the same time,” I admit. “Like you, Rae. I didn’t mention it earlier, but your natural hair color is quite pretty.”

Rae looks down at the floor. “You’re just saying that.”

“I’m not,” I say. “You looked quite good with your hair dyed, but this color compliments your skin and eyes. I’m curious, what other colors have you tried?”

“Well,” Rae squirms, “I tried being a blonde the first time I dyed it, right after… when I first showed up in Minga.”

“Eeeee!” Landi squeals. “I bet you were so pretty!”

“I looked sad and pathetic. Like a lost little girl. I changed it as soon as I had the money to.”

“When did you try purple?” I ask, forcing a change of subject. I can tell she’d rather not talk about that time in her life.

“About a year in,” Rae says. “I like lilacs, and I heard girls talking about how you should choose color coordination based on your favorite flowers.”

“My favorites are roses, but tulips are nice too,” I say.

“Hydrangeas, hell yeah!” Landi cheers.

I make more small talk for a few minutes, and Rae is just barely comfortable enough to stay. Again, I notice she’s got something heavy on her mind, but she probably isn’t going to be comfortable talking about it in front of Landi and Archibeard.

What should I do?

1. Keep the conversation light, and try to cheer Rae up somehow. Suggest something to lift her spirits!
2. Send Archibeard away with Landi’s pouch, and ask what’s on Rae’s mind. Might not go well.
3. Let Rae go be by herself and tune up her traps and equipment for the upcoming trip to the Church parish. The safest option. She’ll be tired and strung out over the next few days with the mutagen working its way through her system, but maybe after she sleeps it off at the Parish I’ll have time to talk to her about it.

3, Give her some space. There will be time later to talk with her about it, but right now she has work to do.

Let her tune up her stuff, there's a lot of it.

3. let introverts be introverts. she'll apreciate it. But let her know if she ever has anything she wants to talk to you about, or any concerns whether it is something personal, or an issue with somebody, you'll always be there to listen and help the best you can as a good friend and ally.

Oh yeah, more importantly, thank her for taking the time to listen to your own concerns and for the advice.

Serah 2023/06/26(Mon)17:48 No. 1066666 ID: 4b4fac
File 168782690187.png - (38.54KB , 333x418 , LF7 12.png )

If Rae doesn’t want to share with me, that’s okay. I just have to be supportive of her when she needs me, and make it clear that I’m there for her.

“Rae, thank you for all your help,” I say softly. “I value your advice, and all your help these last few months.”

Rae gets up from her seat. “Don’t mention it.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow in the lab?”

Rae nods. “Do I need to fast before taking the mutagen?”

“Only if you were nauseous after you took the last one,” I say. “You did fine last time, so you should be fine, just a little tired and perhaps achy, with a bit of a fever.”

“Cat scratch fever?” Landi asks. I don’t dignify it with a response.

Rae takes that as her cue to leave, and she actually gives a bit of a wave as she heads upstairs. Progress!

I spend a bit more time in the common room with Landi and Archibeard discussing the “finer” points of my contract and what might be worth keeping, as well as a few ideas for actual improvements. Landi can’t remember half of the standard drop-in clauses, which are like picking terms from a menu and adding them in a giant potpourri of fae wording. If she was better at wordsmithing, we might be able to think of something even more powerful that could link the two of us together or potentially alter her portal and/or inventory magic to use me as an anchor in some way, or to let Landi’s Djinni summons benefit me as well, but neither of us is certain how to draft language that wouldn’t backfire on me via a one certain white-skinned Djinn in a pink bikini. We check the time and it’s late enough in the afternoon that Ellie can receive Landi’s summons without irking her bosses.

I carefully let Landi out of the pouch with a dour glare and let her cast the summon.

“Ellie, Ellie! Drafting’s tough! I gotta notarize this stuff!” It takes a minute, but a dull pink ball materializes in the center of the common room. “You made it! Yay!”

“Are you amending Dotti’s contract again?” Ellie asks nervously. “I don’t want to have my name on two of those, my boss might notice.”

“Nah,” Landi says. “This one’s with Serah and me. Don’t worry, I just used drop-in language!”

“That’s a relief,” Ellie says. “Then why was this summon marked ‘urgent’?”

“Because of this!” I say, pointing at the striptease clause. “Please, please help us fix it.”

“Oh,” Ellie sighs. “I see. Um, I need to cast a few spells to get my notarial seal ready and check the latest versions of these clauses, they’re always updating. I can make the language a bit better if you want. It’ll take some effort.”

“I love you,” Landi says, giving her sorority sister a hug. “Hey, you want a mana potion? You look kind of low-energy right now.”

“Those always make my head spin,” Ellie says. “I’ll have plenty of Dust as long as I don’t use my contract-searching spell too much I’ve never had to connect to the central archives this far from the library…”

“You can do it!” Landi cheers. “Hey, Serah, Ellie says she can search for good ideas for your contract, and she’s super smart so you know it’ll work out great!”

Ellie is willing to amend Landi’s and my contract! Suggest clauses I should add or adjust. More complicated clauses will drain Ellie’s Dust as she searches for the right language.

Let's maintain our original categories for suggestions:

Always On Unless Disabled:

- Landi may assume permission to USE Serah's affects, unless expressly forbidden. She does not share legal ownership over any of them unless specifically given.
- Landi must show basic courtesy and respect to Serah, as well as other members of their party. (Stealing this bit from Dotti's contract, and applying it to the whole party to at least try and prevent future incident.)
- Landi may request that Serah take adventuring jobs. As party leader, Serah ultimately gets to decide what jobs she takes on, but for each period of one month in which Serah does not take on adventuring work, Landi will be allotted a small income for the opportunity cost.
- Landi will avoid taking actions that could easily get Serah or her fellow party members in legal trouble.
- In the event that Landi fucks up again, she will listen to any explanation Serah offers on what she did wrong and explain herself, and then both parties will try to reach an agreement to prevent future incident.
- Salt is terrifying, and Serah and Landi will cooperate to appease her if there is ever concern that she is dissatisfied.
- Future contract negotiation will be mediated by Ellie, as she is lovely. Put exactly that in the contract. No, I don't care if it's proper legalese, write exactly what I said. No, you shouldn't include the explanation that followed.

Must be consciously activated:

- Serah may enforce her orders as the party leader. If Landi consents to the order, she will be compelled to follow it barring what either of them perceive to be an emergency, or the order's verbal or written annulment.
- Serah may request that Landi learn specific spells. Both parties will discuss fair terms for the request, and the agreement will be contractually enforced if a deal is reached.
- If Serah and fellow party members set up an intervention, Landi must concede that she has a drinking problem and seek help.

Maybe add some way of empowering Sarah that Landi forgot but Ellie remembers?

Always On Unless Disabled:
Whenever Landi consciously decides to perform an action which she believes runs against her personal moral code, or the legal and spiritual laws of a place she chooses to live in (when she is in said place), she will develop a compulsion to inform Serah and receive permission from Serah and/or the party before she performs the action.
Serah may request simulated sexual stimulation from Landi.
Serah will share some of her physical vitality with Landi, while Landi will share some of her magical vitality with Serah. If either cannot perform this function beyond two standard deviations' worth of above-average efficiency, this rule is disabled.
Landi will become the godmother of Serah's firstborn non-male-gendered child. The child must first choose to identify as a non-male gender of their own free will. (This one's because the first son will hog all the inheritance.)

Must Be Consciously Activated:
Landi must show basic courtesy, an indoor voice, and deference to Serah, as well as other members of their party. This rule may only be activated during a social-priority mission and will be deactivated otherwise.
Serah may send a telepathic signal to Landi's chest.
Landi may send a telepathic signal to Serah's chest.

>>1066666

>>1066676 plus:

Always On Unless Disabled:

-Should it be determined that an action of Landi's was made in genuine good faith to benefit Serah or the party but resulted in negative consequences through no major fault of her own, Serah will hold Landi harmless of any personal punishment that results thereof and seek best possible recourse to relieve Landi of all punishments sought by outside parties.

-In addition to prior allowance given, Landi is permitted one (1) 'Girls' Night Out' out per fourteen (14) calendar days. This 'Girls' Night Out' will be attended with Serah for a minimum of two (2) hours after sunset, shall not involve any actions involving pre-assigned work or duty unless critical to an individual's continued existence and wellbeing, and permits Landi temporary relief of all other 'Always On' Clauses until midnight of the day the 'Girls' Night goes into effect. All punishments and consequences, be they from outside sources or not, that would be inflicted onto Landi otherwise still go into effect once this relief expires.

Must be consciously activated:

-Landi is permitted one 'Piss Off' excuse per day while engaged in non-punishment duties or actions involving the party. If Landi exercises her right to tell someone to 'Piss Off', she is permitted to disregard that individual entirely for the next six [6] hours, and is excused from the normal damages and punishments such behaviors may normally cause unless they are a physical or economic danger to herself, or the party. In exchange, she cannot tell someone to 'Piss Off' more than twice in a twenty-four (24) hour period. However, this clause, if invoked on Serah when both are in a sound state of mind, indicates the request of the annulation of the contract entirely.

-Landi is permitted twelve (12) Perverted Actions per seven (7) day week upon Serah's body. These must be reversible within a 24 hour timespan and cannot detract from her formal diplomatic duties or adventuring capability.

-Should Serah gain the attention of a potential suitor, Landi retains the right to engage in personal inspection of said suitor to the best of her abilities to determine suitability, provided the inspection does not involve breaking and entering or other illegal actions. This does not preclude any punishment she may acquire from the attempt by the targeted party, but Serah will hold harmless the attempt on her part.

Every other Friday is Pizza day, the best day of the week. (not a serious contract suggestion, but hey, I won't complain if you add it in)

Danger sense clause: Whenever Landi thinks the words 'I have a great idea', the hair on Serah's neck stands up.

Serah 2023/06/26(Mon)23:52 No. 1066684 ID: 7cf2dc
File 168784876323.png - (26.75KB , 913x889 , LF7 13.png )

Landi and I start slowly at first, but soon the floodgates open wide and Ellie is scrambling to keep up with us. She’s trying as best she can to pull actual, good language from the Greater Library’s records, but my very well-thought-out, well-reasoned revisions collide with Landi’s counter-offers and additions. Poor Ellie is overwhelmed, but she’s such a hard worker that she powers through it, searching at lightning speed and revising as needed, and then…

Poof. The connection disappears as Ellie’s Dust runs out.

“Oh, no!” Ellie gasps. “Oh, no, no, no! Ahh! This is horrible! I can’t notarize your contract without my link to the Library! I’m so sorry, I’m just so tired, and work today was so stressful, and I’m letting you down so much right now and I feel so heavy…”

“Easy, Ells,” Landi says. “Shhh. I gotcha. Take it easy, let’s get you some herbal tea, yeah? Just like college. You did good! Take a breather. And get you outta the common room before somebody sees ya like this.”

Landi motions to me to pick Ellie up. Her wings are far too heavy and unwieldly for her to fly without Dust. I give her a hand and we move to our bedroom to give Ellie some privacy while she calms down.

I quickly glance over the contract language and see what’s made it in so far.

>>1066676
- The “avoid” legal trouble is weak, but it’s the best I can get Landi to agree to.
- Landi and I both agree that Salt is scary and Ellie is a great mediator.
- The rest is included with revisions to language that Ellie made before she ran out of dust. I have to wonder what “basic courtesy” means to a fae like Landi…

>>1066679
>>1066681
- The indemnification clause is an obligation to do something I would be bound by honor to do anyway (defend Landi if she genuinely acted in a way that she thought was in the right), so this is good.

- The “Piss Off” clause needs a bit of work since she would inevitably use it on Dotti every day, and I’d like them to at least try to get along. But this section is an excellent idea to allow Landi to mouth off without consequence.

- I’ve rejected the Perverted Actions clause and Suitor Clause because I think Landi was just messing with Ellie at that point and seeing what other fairies have actually gotten people to agree to.

-Girls’ Night Out, Taco Tuesday and Pizza Friday are in the contract now, mainly to bribe Landi. Also pizza is pretty tasty.

>>1066682
I never knew I needed something so badly. Yes.

>>1066677
- Ellie was unable to find a way for Landi to empower me before she ran out of Dust, unfortunately.

We haven’t finished amending the contract yet, so I can still propose ideas on what would make a better contract. Ellie will still have to finish the language and notarize the final version it to make it official. However, she can’t do it right now. She’s drained.

Ellie is overwhelmed and out of Dust, and mana potions make her head spin. Choose one or more.
1. Prepare a guest fairy bed and let Ellie go to sleep right now. She might appreciate it.
2. Send Ellie back via Landi’s summon spell and let Ellie go home and sleep in her own bed, and she has the option to wake up tomorrow for work as usual.
3. Encourage Ellie to take a day off work tomorrow.
4. Give Ellie some time to catch her breath, then spend the rest of the evening with her and the party.
5. Other

What do we do with the rest of the evening? Kayk’s bakery is closed, unfortunately.
A. Nothing. Stay right here and don’t go near any merchants!
B. Leave the guild to either run errands or get fancy food and/or wine. Today’s guild food was terrible.
C. If Ellie isn’t sleeping, take her out on the town once she gets a bit of glow back.
D. Other

1B.

1b

1, 5 (give her some moneys for a meal. recommend she eat at Kayks place tomorrow. that way of we decide to see eat at kayk's tomorrow, we might just bump into Ellie! And will help kayk make money too.

B

4C

She should take tomorrow off. Let’s go buy stuff! Like some tiny fuzzy handcuffs for Landi.

Serah 2023/06/29(Thu)22:19 No. 1066849 ID: d6dd91
File 168810238881.png - (28.24KB , 621x843 , LF7 15.png )

“You look like you’ve had a difficult day,” I say to Ellie. “You can spend the night here if you like. I’m sure we can make room.”

“I’m sorry,” Ellie says. “If you give me a mana potion, maybe I can power through the dizziness. It’ll be fine. I have to get this done tonight if I’m going to stay on schedule. My boss is counting on me.”

“Hey, Ells?” Landi says. “I love you, but you’re crazy. C’mon. At least take a quick nap, huh?”

“I guess,” Ellie groans. “Just a quick nap…”

It’s a heavy lift, but Landi carries her friend upstairs and comes back down a few minutes later.

“She fell asleep the second she hit the pillow,” Landi says. “I had to give her yours since my bed is too small for her, uh, wingspan.”

“I’ll find another,” I say. “In the meantime, we’re stuck here until that contract gets amended.”

“What?!” Landi jolts. “You’re not gonna put me back in that pouch again, are you? I’m a real person with real needs, like a real dinner that isn’t burnt toast dipped in gravy prepared by some idiot barbarian! And air! Air is important! I’m not some floating skull you can just ignore for months at a time! No offense, skullsy.”

“None taken,” Archibeard says.

“Well, you are not coming along with me to get better food,” I say. “No merchants for you. That clause is still in effect, don’t think I’ve forgotten.”

“Then let me come along. I’ve behaved so far, right? C’mon!”

I very much do not want to bring Landi along when that clause is in effect, but I can tell Landi isn’t going to back down. This might be difficult… but then, just as I’m about to say something diplomatic yet firm, Dotti comes through the door, all smiles.

“Serah!” she says, all smiles, giving a curtsy and smiling deeply. “And the wine thief, too!”

“Your slip is showing,” Landi says.

Dotti hastily drops her skirts and gives a nasty gekker.

“Can we not fight tonight?” I sigh. “Dotti, Ellie is visiting. She’s asleep in our room, so if you’re going to bed, please be quiet.”

“Ellie!” Dotti’s mood brightens. “She’s great. I like her.”

“Everyone likes Ellie,” Landi says, and she actually gets a nod from Dotti. At least that’s one thing they agree on.

“I’ll be quiet if I go to bed early,” Dotti says. “Kayk and I are going to get up in the morning and try to sell all our unsold stuff tomorrow so we can go find Petra two days from now. This time for sure! And you know what that means, right, Landi?”

“Oh, no,” Landi groans. “Do we have to do this every time?”

“Oh, yes,” Dotti insists. “This could be the time we find Petra, and I have to make sure I’m ready!”

“Do you really need my help for all this?”

“You’re the one with the inventory magic and the tail floofer,” Dotti says. “And I’ll put in a good word for you with Marquess Mallory ONLY if you help me out again.”

“This is gonna take all evening,” Landi sighs. “Serah, can you get me some take-out?”

I nod. This saves me from Landi tagging along, thankfully.

What is Dotti doing tonight and tomorrow to prepare for the trip to the Church of Censorship in case we finally find Petra?

Using Landi for firebolt target practice.

(edited)
Tonight, she is practicing her shapeshifting. Ever since she found out the real possibility of finding Petra, she felt inspired to try to shapeshift into a human again, so she's practicing hard to do that so that she can be a human like Petra, and be human friends instead of just a fox and human friend (though she won't complain if she can't get it right by the time they meet Petra, just being with Petra is enough for Dotti. The human transformation is a bonus, even if she's trying hard)
Dotti has also been having Landi help out with shapeshifting with her own magic, and giving pointers, even if she isn't as enthused.


Tomorrow, she is going to try to find the perfect gift for Petra! Something expensive and meaningful to her. Either that, or she is going to draw the perfect picture for Petra by drawing a picture of her! Maybe both? (how much has Dotti's drawing skills improved since we last saw her?) Landi is gonna help Dotti carry whatever she buys, and/or model for Dotti for the drawings she'll make

>>1066856

Perhaps she's managed a kitsunemimi transformation by this point, but a full human eludes her?

Dotti will come up with a whole speech about how she's missed Petra and gone through so many years of waiting and practicing.
And maybe consider fluffing her chest for extra hugs.

But seriously she'll practice spirit arts to fight off the soul-eating abominations, in case Rae's crazy brother manages to summon one.

she'll practice her fire magic so she can show off for Petra

>>1066849
Prepare to administer hugs... and train fire practice (BUT NOT ON LANDI! She's a total sleaze but not that bad!)

Serah 2023/07/02(Sun)22:13 No. 1066994 ID: 1d6d7c
File 168836120317.png - (4.18KB , 300x300 , LF7 16.png )

“First,” Dotti says to Landi, “You’re going to help me practice fire magic. I’m gonna try it on you, and-”

“Serah!” Landi shrieks. “Help! This is EXACTLY what I was afraid of when we redid Dotti’s contract!”

“Hey! I wasn’t finished!” Dotti objects. “This isn’t hurty fire magic, it’s good fire magic. The kind I used when Serah, Jek, Rae and I were camping out on the way up to the Terrorscale lair. It makes you warm and happy inside, and I need to know if I can do it for Petra, too.”

“And if you accidentally set me on fire?”

“That won’t happen,” Dotti says. “Not unless I accidentally get angry at you. I think. I’m getting better at controlling my magic, and I haven’t had any accidents with Kayk, so you have nothing to be afraid of. And then, we’re gonna do some regular old warm-up campfire magic, so I can make Petra a nice campfire like she used to do for me when she shared her food. I want her to remember the good times we had.”

“I guess,” Landi says. “Dotti, you promise not to hurt me by accident?”

“I promise,” Dotti says emphatically. “You’re good at sensing magic, Landi. You always have been. I want your help on this.”

Landi’s caught off-guard at the unexpected praise, and she goes quiet for a moment before responding in a soft voice. “You really care that much about Petra, huh?”

“I do.”

I, meanwhile, am gathering up my things from the common room and am about to leave. Dotti waves at me before I head out to grab some take-out. “Oh! Serah?”

“Yes, Dotti?”

“Could you help me after Landi’s done?” Dotti asks. She rushes up to me and pulls out some sketches of human faces. “I… I’d like you to help me try and transform into these. You don’t have to do anything other than tell me how it looks. You’re a human, you know if I’m doing it right.”

“Of course,” I say. “I’d like to answer some letters first, if that’s all right.”

“How long will it take?”

“An hour or two so once I’m back. They need to go out tomorrow in order to make the post before we fly to the Church parish.”

“Oh,” Dotti says, crestfallen. “That’s okay. Um. I can wait until tomorrow.”

“Uh,” Landi flutters closer to Dotti and clears her throat. “I can help with that. It’s no big deal.”

“H-hey!” Dotti shrinks back and holds the sketches to her chest. “You’d just make fun of me for failing at shapeshifting. No thank you!”

“It means a lot to you, and Serah’s busy,” Landi says. “Look. You promised not to hurt me, so… what if for tonight, I promise I won’t make fun of you for messing up shapeshifting?”

Dotti looks at Landi, eyes full of suspicion, but she nods in agreement. “I might ask for help with hands and feet too. Those are hard.”

“Anything shapeshifting-related tonight, I won’t try to make you feel bad about it,” Landi says.

“Really?”

“Really.”

Do I detect a hint of, dare I say it, respect?

Perhaps.

I head to grab the take-out and a small indulgence of shower soaps and lathers. Because I’m worth it.

---------------------------------------

The evening comes to a close. Everyone is tired: me from my workout and letter-writing, Dotti from magic practice, Landi from using her innate magic sense to try and help Dotti troubleshoot magical issues, and Ellie is already out cold; her nap has turned into a deep sleep.

Dotti’s proud of her progress in her “warmth” magic, but shapeshifting still eludes her. Landi seems a bit shaken from having to see a furless fox face shifting back and forth into… things, but she’s taking it in her stride (and a glass or two of wine).

We all crash into our beds, except for Landi, who’s given hers up to Ellie. I go to offer her mine, but before I can, Dotti’s patting her tails and nodding to Landi. She’s earned the right to a fluffy fox pillow, if only for tonight.

I’m proud of them.

---------------------------------------

I wake up the next day after Dotti, but before Landi and Ellie. Dotti’s left for her job with Kayk, and it looks like she’s placed Landi on her own pillow and pulled up the sheets just enough to keep her warm, though she probably didn’t need to do that, if I understand fairy force fields correctly. The gesture is still kind.

I quietly grab my shower supplies and hit the ladies’ washroom to indulge in what makes life worth living: fresh, piping-hot water that never runs out no matter how long I use it. I miss it so, so much when I’m out adventuring, and I’ll never take it for granted.

One long, slow, relaxing shower later, I’m freshened up and ready to start the day. I wrap myself up in a tower and open the stall door- and nearly run into the next person waiting for a turn.

Who is next in line for the shower?
1. Raelynn
2. Landi
3. Ellie
4. Apricot
5. Autumn

Autumn.

4. Apricot

A for-once-a-blue-moon-rested and reviewing-her-life-decisions Ellie.

Apricot

>>1066994
1.

>>1066994
Ellie or Autumn

Ellie

Serah 2023/07/03(Mon)17:52 No. 1067028 ID: c793d5
File 168843197772.png - (94.73KB , 857x1136 , LF7 17.png )

I hear voices on the other side of the stall door. Ellie, Autumn and Apricot are chatting outside my shower stall. Oh, dear. Did I take too long? Is there a line? Are the other stalls broken? I should apologize for taking so long.

Easy, Serah. They’re just talking about Fairy College and adventuring. You’re fine. Chin up. Nothing’s wrong, they’re just being social.

“You’re a sorority girl?” Autumn asks. “I never thought I’d have a chance to get in, but you were probably a slam dunk with your huge… uh… brain.” Autumn clears her throat. “Anyway, I bet you had way more fun in college than I did.”

“I didn’t party very much, at least not compared to Landi,” Ellie says. “College was a lot of hard work and stress, but my sorority sisters made it easier to handle. I wouldn’t have made it through my Pre-Law and Library Sciences double major without their help.”

“Wow! You’re so smart!” Apricot exclaims. “You get to use your big brain all day at the Greater Library. Not many parties over there! Are you here at the Guild to ask us to deliver a super-secret letter? Don’t worry, Autumn and I are on the job!”

“No, but thank you for the kind offer,” Ellie giggles. “I’m taking a vacation day today to help Landi for a bit. Just cleaning up a few issues in her contract, that’s all.”

“That doesn’t sound like a vacation.”

“It’s nothing,” Ellie says. “Waking up this morning, I just couldn’t bring myself to go in to work. I didn’t realize how awful I had been feeling until I got a good night’s sleep.”

I finish toweling myself off and wrap one tight around my body, and one around my hair. I open the stall door carefully; I feel twice as tall as Apricot and don’t want to bowl her over.

“Excuse me,” I say. “Pardon me.”

“Oh! Lady Kensington!” Apricot chirps, making zero effort to scoot out of my way. “I’d recognize you no matter how many tiny towels you wrap yourself in.”

“Apricot,” Autumn says, giving her a gentle nudge.

“Ah. Whoops.” Apricot complies and hops a little out of the way. “I just keep assuming humans can fly over me, you know? Hehe.”

“It’s no trouble. I’ll get out of you three’s way.” I grab the handle on the hallway door, but before I can open it, Autumn is fluttering toward me for some reason, flapping her tiny wings nervously.

“Um, actually, before you go…” the orange-tinted fairy says, “I just wanted you to know that, um, Taranis recommended that Apricot and I, um, volunteer to help. You know. If you ever need high-flying assistance.”

“Yeah” Apricot says. “I’m ready for whatever Lady Serah says I’m ready for. I’m practicing my aerials, just like Raelynn said I should. I’ll follow all your and Taranis’s orders!”

I blink. I’ve been proposed to in awkward situations by suitors, but never by adventuring party job-seekers, and especially not in the showers. This is all a little disorienting. My political instincts are telling me that Autumn and Apricot both want something from me, and that’s why they ambushed me like this, even if it’s fairly innocent.

Now that I think about it, by most accounts I’m an experienced adventurer, and I could protect and organize a fairly competent party, especially if Rae and Taranis are in it, if Dotti can pull off her more complex illusions and doesn’t run out of mana, and if Landi behaves herself. And of course there’s Kayk. But adding Autumn and Apricot is an unknown quantity, and I don’t have time to vet their credentials before I head to the Church parish. I need to spend the day with Rae and my bombs/potions in the alchemy lab, and also amend my contract with Landi with Ellie’s help.

What do I tell Autumn and Apricot? Do I bring them along on the search for Petra tomorrow?

They come recommended by Rae, and this shouldn’t be too dangerous, so let them know you’ll talk to your party first but you could use another set of wings.

Regarding the Petra mission, don't ask her to come with you for that. It's kind of a personal journey, and as much as I like Autumn and Apricot they aren't really part of the team yet. They can be someday, but they aren't there yet.

Plus, Taranis still has his atonement to deal with, and forcing him to do so with his posse around might make things rougher on him. Don't forget that they're victims of his too. Not that they're aware.

As for what to tell them, say something nice that makes it clear you're open to them adventuring with you in the future. If they ask specifically about the current mission, just explain why you'd rather not bring them there. They'll probably understand.

Autumn and Apricot wants to go on an adventure, but I think with this particular journey, it might be a bit too personal for them to come along. so no on bringing them along. Too much of an unknown risk.

BUT, remember what Landi wanted to do yesterday? she wanted to go out adventuring to collect materials for our alchemy. How about today before our trip, and after we got the contract stuff done with Ellie, we send Apricot and Autumn on a little simple adventure to collect some alchemy materials, or wolf pelts with Landi (if she's not busy). Nothing too fantastic, just something for the rookies to do, and we'll pay them for whatever they bring back (including Landi since she wants money). sending Landi with them will also get Landi out there and doing stuff that isn't just lazing around. Might even get to know Autumn more. Though if she doesn't want to go, it just means Apricot and Autumn will get Landi's share of the money.

not sure if we'll have time to do alchemy stuff with the materials when they get back, but hey, we can do it later after the petra trip, and it gives them something to do at least. Just let them know you'll want whatever materials the come back with by the evening, or night.

>>1067054
Of course, if Landi doesn't want to go, we can send Apricot and Autumn on their adventure before we work on the contract with Ellie and Landi instead of after since Landi won't be needed for their adventure. might be able to get the materials earlier that way.

Serah 2023/07/03(Mon)23:48 No. 1067059 ID: eb97c2
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I appreciate help, especially when it’s recommended by a trusted source.

Autumn and Apricot were recommended by Taranis.

I am circumspect in this matter.

“I thank you for your offer of aid,” I say. “I believe Ellie already brought up my previous engagement. But when I am not so busy, please bring it to my attention then. Perhaps a few days from now? I have a few ideas we could discuss, if you’re open to them.”

“Oh,” Apricot says, slightly crestfallen. “You don’t want me to come along on the trip tomorrow. Okay. Is it because Rae thinks I’m not good enough?”

“Taranis told us,” Autumn sighs. “Apricot, don’t be upset. Lady Kensington is being very kind.”

I don’t know Rae’s reservations about these two, but it’s hard to imagine anyone measuring up to her standards. I don’t even think I do, to be honest, especially with the way I’ve been slacking off on working out. But Apricot and Autumn don’t need to know that. What I can do, however, is measure their abilities against my own metrics, as well as solve a few ingredient shortages since Landi got all of my most powerful bombs confiscated.

“If you’re interested in proving yourself to Raelynn,” I say, “Then I do have a mission that would put your talents to good use. I need some specific reagents for my alchemical work today. It’s further into the woods than I can make on a day trip, but for you it’ll be much faster. Are you interested in demonstrating to Rae that you have a keen eye for specific minerals, plants and fungi on a tight schedule?”

“Yes!” Apricot says. “Which ones?”

“The list is on a sheet of red paper at the very top of the alchemical lab’s bulletin board, titled ‘Biocatalysts and heterogeneous catalysts of Minga’s forests.’ Please hunt for at least the quantities specified next to the circled items. I’ll pay a premium over market rate for the items correlated with the expediency of your delivery.”

“You got it!” Apricot says. “Autumn won’t forget!” Sure enough, Autumn has already pulled a sheet of note paper out of her inventory and written down the instructions. “Anything else?”

I pause. Months ago, a Spirit of Bloodshed nearly killed Landi while we were on a similar mission. The Guild has been paid to patrol for similar threats, and we’re fairly confident that there’s nothing so dangerous in the area I’m sending Autumn and Apricot to, but still… I’d feel slightly better if I had some kind of supervisor, or security policy, to watch over these two and report back how well they did, and save them from danger in case something goes wrong.

Do I take steps to supervise Apricot and Autumn and/or keep them safe somehow? I can’t send Rae, as she’s going to be in the lab with me, and Dotti has work to do with Kayk, then preparations for the trip once she’s done with that.

1. No, it’s a reasonable risk to send them by themselves.
2. Send Taranis. Keen eyes and distract enemies and use lightning in case of danger. Downside: he seems busy at the moment. What might I be keeping him from? I’m not sure.
3. Send Landi. Will teach her a little bit of responsibility, and she can call on her most powerful Djinn summon (“Nancy Clarice”) if things are truly dire. Downside: I’ll have to wait for her to come back in order to amend the contract.
4. Other: Suggest an alternative idea.

Send Taranis. Business before pleasure, if he recommended them then he should be willing to back up that endorsement.

3.

A couple other upsides to this: it has the benefits to have serah practice some patience. The contract fixing can wait, serah had this contract as it was for a long time anyways, whats a few hours more? It also give Ellie a bit of time to relax and enjoy her day off until Landi comes back later.

>>1067059
3. The contract isn't time sensitive, since you only really have to worry about it when Landi comes with you on a shopping trip.
Landi almost died from the last spirit; is she confident she can avoid getting caught again and/or detect one before it's too late? Or if she gets caught, can she call a djinn while being grabbed?

send Taranis, he's probably getting into trouble anyway

Send Landi. You may not be able to get the contract sorted until later, but the worst parts of it aren't an issue if Landi isn't with you. Let Taranis keep his privacy about his atonement for now, and give Landi a chance to go on a small little quest. Possibly one that she could be compensated for, so that she can start sending cash to the Marquess?

>>1067059
Taranis, we need landi for our own purposes and we can trust the bird more to do his job. It also gives us a reason to return to that discussion with Rae about partner problems and keeping them under control.

This mission is for the birds. Taranis!

Serah 2023/07/04(Tue)15:37 No. 1067094 ID: 4ec27b
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I have difficulty picking my preferred supervisor (and security policy) for Apricot and Autumn. Taranis is the one who recommended they ask me for help, so he should be expecting to vouch for them. Plus, Raelynn seems worried about what he’s been up to. Idle wings are the devil’s workshop, and keeping him occupied with this could ease Rae’s mind. On the other hand, I already know he can get along with the Wing-kin Apricot and fairy Autumn, so as far as a trial run for new party members goes, it wouldn’t do much good there.

The alternative is to send Landi. She’s small enough to ride along with Autumn however Apricot carries her, so that’s a bonus. She would also get a much better sense of what kind of people those two are, and would be a good way to figure out how serious they are at adventuring and if they can get along with her. If their plant-and-reagent mission is delayed or slowed down thanks to Landi talking all the time, then maybe they wouldn’t be a good fit for the more serious Raelynn. Party dynamics are important. I’d also be willing to pay Landi for the trouble, since she’s not working within the Party on this mission. However, the deciding factor is going to have to be whether Ellie is willing to wait around for Landi to come back later today. I don’t want to keep Ellie waiting.

“Ellie,” I ask, “Landi has been meaning to go out adventuring. I think this is a good opportunity for Autumn, Apricot and her. However, we have someone else who can help in her stead if you need to be somewhere today.”

“It’s no trouble,” Ellie says. “I can relax. Do you know where there is any good rooibos tea?”

“I do,” I say, “There’s a cat café that Raelynn enjoys with a nice selection.”

“Cat… café?” Ellie asks.

“You drink stuff and pet cats for as long as you want!” Apricot chirps.

“They play nice with fairies too. They’re very calm,” Autumn adds. “I can say from personal experience.”

Ellie is sold. With that, I tell Apricot and Autumn to meet up with Landi once they’re prepared to head out, and finally head back to get dressed. Landi is stirring, and once she wakes, I fill her in on the mission. She’s all over it, especially when she hears I’ll pay toward her restitution. Overall, a good start to the morning.

After breakfast with Archibeard reading the morning’s news and letters, I join Raelynn in the Alchemist’s Lab. I tell Archibeard to leave the lab to just the two of us, since Rae will need to be relaxed and I don’t want her strung out over the floating skull. Plus, I can tell she appreciates the privacy. We’ll need to draw some blood and take a few baseline measurements to get the mutagen dosage right, so I can tell she appreciates the privacy. I get everything set up while Rae tries her best to relax.

“Have you worked on any mutagens lately?” Rae asks.

“Yes, actually,” I say. “With Kayk’s help, I developed a Concoction… uh, a mixture of mutagens with my Jotund’s Might and a modification of Dragon Armor. I keep the strength, frost resistance and endurance of my Jotund mutagen, but my blood now has a degree of rapid healing and self-cauterization of wounds. If Landi were to try drawing on my core mana, she could do so at a modest speed theoretically indefinitely.”
“Infinite mana for Landi and quick healing for you? Useful,” Rae says. “But wouldn’t you want some dragonscale armor from the mutagen?”

“I could,” I say, “I have another project to help with that. And, um, just like you don’t want cat ears, I like my silky smooth skin the way it is.”

“And being tall,” Rae says, and I think I can detect the barest a hint of a playful note in her voice.

“And being tall,” I giggle. “I’ve gotten used to it. It’s fun to see the looks on my suitors’ faces; they never know how to handle tall girls.”

“Harder to hide like that. I’ll stick with this Greater Feline Grace you promised me.” Rae rolls up her sleeve and presents her arm. “When do we start?”

“Not for a bit,” I say. “You can have a seat over there, by the armoire.”

“Armoire?” Rae pauses. “Why is there…”

“Have a look!”

Rae opens the doors and sees my SECRET PROJECT. I clap my hands in delight. “Isn’t it wonderful? It’s a set of full plate armor forged using Kayk’s dragonfire!”

“Really?” Rae takes a moment to admire the sheen. “This is high-quality metal. Have you tested it?”

“Not yet,” I say. “Um, I actually wanted to get your opinion on something. I have the option to keep the armor as it is, or I can improve it even further. Right now, it’s strong enough to deflect all mortal-forged steel, is resistant to magic, and even some divine-blessed weapons. However…”

Rae raises her eyebrow.

“If we were to do another round of tempering, use Kayk’s fire one more time, and then quench it in a special liquid, it would be quite possibly the best defense in centuries. It would even let me stand up to dragonfire.”

“There’s only one thing I know of that resists dragonfire, and that’s other dragons,” Rae says. “Serah, are you thinking of quenching your armor in dragon blood?”

“I haven’t brought up the idea to her,” I say, slightly ashamed. “We’d need quite a lot of it. She’d need to transform into her full size, and the process wouldn’t be pleasant for her. But the results…”

“I see,” Rae says. “Serah, this is your life we’re talking about. Don’t make any compromises.”

I’m not sure I agree with her. The armor is very, very good as it is, and I don’t want to make this request of Kayk. Odds are it’s going to be painful.

Is Rae right? Should I ask Kayk to be my blood donor, or is this going too far?

hold up, I don't think there is a need to do that. There hasn't been much dragon attacks for a long while, and I don't think Mai would appreciate us making armor against dragons, plus you're going a bit overboard overworking yourself with minor details, it's no wonder why you've been so stressed. You already have really good armor right here, and you got a lot of other stuff to do. It's good enough the way it is now.
It's not like Rae's bro is going to form a pact with a dragon or anything.

Plus we already asked a lot from Kayk, and she is stressed out with other things like her bakery. Let's just leave her alone for now. we can work on it another time when she is more financially stable, and we got other priorities done.

I thought Taranis won the vote

>>1067094
Almost too far. You’d have to owe Kayk a massive favor - or many many smaller ones. Backrubs. Gold. Something. This is beyond calling on just the aid of a friend. A nearly priceless service, no? As her friend you -should- hesitate to ask. But you can mention it, and prepare some initial offers.

Not to mention to get Kayk on board you’d want an explanation for why you’d be worthy of such a favor, given such a potent defense could always later fall into the wrong hands and be used against her or her kind. Saving your life is good, but it may be arrogant to presume that’s good enough a reason for a person who may last long beyond your ability to wear this armor and may one day come to have to face it themselves. Hopefully not, but it seems like something to think of.

Hah, maybe say beyond the added safety you might get drafted into a (fae) war someday and you wanna be extra prepared. Iot if you really want the added protection, even st a cost, you could offer that she’ll own it - you’re just renting it for the rest of your career.

You know, I think that’s a bit overkill on defense. However, out of curiosity, what’s the value of her loan from you versus the estimated value of the blood you’d need?

>>1067094
Going too far, I think. The armor would become a threat to her family, if it fell into the wrong hands.

Little point in paying for second-rate defense because dying would render the money saved useless. Still, this is the sort of stuff people would kill you while you sleep just to steal. Perhaps investing in safeguards for the armor *might* be enough to get Kayk's approval.

It would be perfectly appropriate to ask, so long as you would be fine compensating her appropriately, and make it totally clear that she can deny your request, and that it's fine if she does.

The Terrorscales aren't the only dragons out there. Having a set of armor that can resist dragonflame is not an outright insult to their species, just as having armor that can resist a punch isn't an insult to any race with hands.

Rae has the ultimate point here though: This is your life. You have the capability to craft armor that can protect you from yet more threats, and all it would take is the cooperation of someone you are close with. Would you seriously leave yourself more vulnerable than necessary just to avoid seeming impolite? If Kayk rejects your request, then fine. That's different, that is a matter of respecting her wishes, and you have no moral ground to reject those against such a hypothetical threat as some dragon someday in the future you might fight.

You have the ability to make it, you have the means to compensate Kayk for her contribution, and it wouldn't even really be that hard or take up so much of your time as to be unworth it. You should ask Kayk, end of story. If she finds it unreasonable to even ask, then apologize and promise not to bring it up again.

>>1067094
Asking a dragon to donate a pool of their own blood is a big ask. In a sense, it’s an extremely intimate ask of Kayk.

How much loyalty do dragons have to one another? Is there a racial bond in the way that elves are culturally very tight knit? Would asking Kayk to contribute to this land her branded as a sort of race traitor?

There is another question of what alternatives could there be? Is it possible to leave the armor as it is and somehow temporarily imbue it with heightened protection against dragons as may be needed? Why the focus on dragons, anyway? There are myriad monsters out there. How much good would Kayak’s contribution offer as a means of standing up to a troll witch doctor, or a lich’s death magic, or the digestive acid of a massive burrowing worm, or really anything that isn’t a fire breathing dragon? We can’t allow the earlier scare to create a fixation in specializing our defenses!

There is a wisdom in realizing that something is good enough. Over-investment means something is going to be lacking, somewhere. We can plug holes by other means, built-ins and passive defenses can only carry us so far.

How flexible is your armor fit in case of your jotund getting mightier?

Worst-case scenario, you're going to go up against soul-devouring demons and an elven battlelord who is as skilled as he is insane. You need to ask yourself if this overpowered heavy armor is really the right equipment for the mission, but if it is, then go for it.

Perhaps ask Kayk if she thinks the armor is strong enough to against soul-devouring demons and an elven battlelord who is as skilled as he is insane. Then let her decide to use her blood or not. It might also be wise to promise her the armor, after said battlelord is dealt with, so she can arm her own allies with it in the future.

Or foolish. Just a thought.

>>1067094
I mean... as long as you're not FORCING or COERCING her into a blood donation I don't see a problem with asking or paying her for her blood.

>>1067151

See, this is why I will always maintain thst armors like gambeson (the type that's armor in it's own right, not the underarmor kind), and brigandine, are some of the best adventuring armor. You want something that's cloth and bendable and flexible and not overly heavy or pinchy. Then it's just a matter of keeping the stuff clean and cool.

Serah 2023/07/08(Sat)12:08 No. 1067415 ID: 7e54c6
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I have to consider all the effects of what might actually happen if Kayk and I (and the skilled blacksmith I’ve sworn to secrecy). Though if I want to be entirely secure in my secrecy, I would also probably need to pay the blacksmith to accept being mind-wiped by Dotti. Hmm.

Then there’s the matter of what I could realistically expect to compensate Kayk for. The fire-tempered armor she’s already helped me with was out of gratitude for helping her get through her first few months on the job, but blood-quenched armor would be another matter entirely. If it were able to be valued (which it can’t), it would be worth a real, honest ransom. Not a king’s ransom, but a high-ranking noble’s. Something that would really, truly strain the amount of gold they would have on hand. Even that wouldn’t be enough to compensate Kayk for it, since this isn’t honestly something that can be assigned a value. Any amount I would offer her could just be matched by someone with more resources than me. Needless to say, her loan is a pittance compared to this. It would behoove me have to grant Kayk not one boon, but several, if we were to do this.

Practically speaking, if I make blood-quenched armor, it will probably outlive me. Even when I’m alive, it’ll be a massive boost to my reputation if the secret gets out that I have a set. No one has gotten a dragon to agree to make this kind of armor in… I want to say five or six hundred years? I’m not sure exactly how long it’s been, but there’s a very good reason dragons don’t volunteer: it hurts. A lot.

Additionally, the dragon donating the blood has to be the one breathing the flame, otherwise the blood and metal won’t bond properly; the blood would burn into acrid smoke instead of bond with the armor. A dragon’s own fire and blood don’t burn each other.

As the armor is specifically known to aid in killing dragons, it’s a difficult subject to bring up to one. Dragons as a larger society don’t have much loyalty to one another, but the very existence of blood-quenched armor might disturb and/or disgust them, just as armor soaked in human blood might do for us.

The benefits of such armor, though… I don’t even know all the properties that dragon blood-quenched armor has. Granting its wearer incredible resistance against dragonfire is just the most obvious. Would arcane spells rebound against my attackers? Would a bolt of lightning empower me? I don’t know. No one alive knows, except for the most long-lived elves. Perhaps a gods or goddess knows, but they’re not in the habit of giving direct answers, especially not to nosy alchemists like me.

There are some responsibilities worth taking on, and some not. I’m not sure I have the resources to even defend a treasure this valuable; Perhaps at Kensington Keep it might be safe for a time, but this is the kind of treasure that thieves plot in the dark and form crews to steal. I have to be realistic in how long I could keep it in a vault without it disappearing. I’m not optimistic, even if I were to devote significant resources to keeping it guarded. Some thieves are incredibly resourceful.

If I give the armor to Kayk, it would be effectively giving her a real, valuable hoard, not just lacy stockings and sweaters. Only her mom, Mai, would be able to reliably keep the armor safe, and I’m not sure she would want something literally coated in her daughter’s blood. Or maybe Mai would want the armor in her hoard, but not for reasons I’d like. Given her personality and protectiveness, it’s more than likely she’d fly into a rage if she learned about its existence, and come to take it from me herself.

Do I expect to face up against dragons, divine champions and enemies that could only be stopped by armor of this quality? Is the step up from dragon fire-tempered metal to dragon blood-tempered metal worth the attention and risk? More importantly, is it worth the pain it is guaranteed to cause Kayk?

No. I won’t raise the question with Kayk. Not now, at least. The armor is excellent defense as-is, and Kayk’s dragonfire has already tempered it once. I can always ask her to repeat the process with potentially blood-quenching if I need a defense that hasn’t been seen in centuries. There’s no time limit, and the armor is flexible and modular enough that if I get stronger muscles or grow slightly taller I can adjust it. Even if I were to shrink down to my original size, I could remove a few plates and connectors, tighten some straps and still have it work.

I realize I’ve been deep in thought for almost a minute. Rae hasn’t said a word. Sometimes I forget how accommodating she is of contemplation.

“I’ll consider upgrading the armor, but it’s very, very good as-is,” I say, noncommittal.

“If you say so,” Rae shrugs, and her hand brushes over the short sword on her hip absentmindedly. “You might be surprised what some weapons can cut through. Be careful.”

Rae thinks she’s being subtle. It’s kind of cute how cocky she gets sometimes without knowing it.

“I will,” I say. “Now, let’s get you acclimated to the new mutagen. I have a few flasks brewing items you’ll need to imbibe that set your essentia at a certain baseline so we don’t change anything that doesn’t need changing. When this is ready, drink it, then this, then wait thirty minutes or so and tell me how you’re feeling. Did you bring a book?”

Rae holds up the just-released volume of My Prideful Protector.

“Very nice,” I giggle. “Is it getting good yet?”

Rae nods.

While Rae’s mutagen is brewing, I can also work on some bombs. Most of my good ones were confiscated.

Which bombs do I work on today, that I can bring along on my trip tomorrow? I have time to make four.

- Gravity Bomb
- Greater Flashbang Bomb
- Greater Elemental Bomb
- Smoke Bomb (I can make three of these in the time it takes for me to make one of the others)
- AoE Sticky Bomb (Makes things sticky; worked on Gecko)
- AoE Solvent Bomb (Doesn’t require direct hit to work)
- Experimental Bomb (Suggest a bomb to have fun with!)

Gravity Bomb (a must)
AoE Solvent bomb (also a must)

Im fine with anything else as long those are made. But here are a couple more i want

Greater Flashbang Bomb
Experimental Bomb (got two ideas for this:
one idea: a tickle bomb, kinda like a smoke bomb, but when it explodes smoke, the smoke tickes whoever is in radius making them laugh
Second idea: night-night bomb, puts anyone in radius of the bomb into an 8 hour sleep. Makes them well rested when they awaken.)

-Gravity Bomb (Too cool to not have at least one of)
-AoE Sticky Bomb (Very effective, very worth having)
-AoE Solvent Bomb (Effective against well-armored opponents)


And then for an Experimental Bomb idea, I'll go with a simple one: How about a Smoke Bomb that's also a Flashbang? Blind the enemy with the flash, and the smoke'll make it harder for them to recover and find where you went. The ultimate weapon in terms of visual impairment mid-battle.

-Sticky bomb
-gravity bomb
And some experimental bombs. Something with Landi's dust, and one that shrinks enemies too tiny to use their equipment. A mini-nuke, if you will.

>>1067424
Shrink Bomb idea sounds intriguing, actually. Make two.

Might even have practical applications if you ever travel to the Fae realm to visit Landi's place and the duration is good. Something tells me fae housing is going to be appropriately mini-sized. Then again, if you are owed a visit, the shrink spell might be on the house, so to speak.

1/2 Serah 2023/08/05(Sat)15:47 No. 1069801 ID: 7cf2dc
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I decide to spend some time replenishing my bomb stock. At the Terrorscale lair, Landi proved in her fight with Gecko that sticky bombs are fantastically effective against unprepared foes. Dotti also proved that a solvent bomb can be great at de-escalating a fight… also against Gecko. I should thank her for such willingness to volunteer as a test subject.

Upon further consideration, the bombs appear to have their greatest effect are ones that defuse confrontations, pun intended. Those two bombs would be excellent if improved to take multiple combatants out of a fight via are of effect. If I can guarantee their effects will be used on all enemy combatants at once, that single bomb could swing the fight in my favor, sticky or solvent. Maybe I could come up with a third bomb that would also end a fight in a single blast… maybe something to shrink my enemies down so they’d have no chance to fight back. I’d need some specialized ingredients for that. Something that doesn’t entirely follow the laws of alchemy and instead reacts depending on the user’s intent, like Landi’s dust. I’ll have to ask her about that when she gets back from her trip with Autumn and Apricot.

With all that, I’d have an impressive arsenal of bombs. To maximize their effects on as many targets as possible, I’d like to have some way of making sure there are a high concentration of foes in range of the blast. Now, what do I know of that can draw all enemy combatants toward the center of an area?

A gravity bomb. The most difficult of all bombs I know.

Rae is looking at me over the top of her book. Is she judging me? What if I fail? What if I blow myself up in front of her? What if I blow both of us up?

I’ve done it once before, in the weeks after I came back from facing down a full-sized mommy dragon. The most dangerous kind! I can make a simple gravity bomb again. I know it!

A few hours and many careful measurements and combinations later I’ve set everything up. The crucible is set. Readings are stable. The essences are coalescing into something stable enough to carry in a hardened projectile flask. Everything is stable. Where did the time go?

Did I do it? Not yet. But the hard part is over.

I take a step back and give a big sigh of relief. Rae doesn’t say anything. That’s a good thing. Silence is approval from her. It means everything is normal. I look over to her mutagen, and it’s also stabilized in the meantime. I pull out a syringe to administer the dose. Basic mutagens can be drunk, but I’m taking no chances here with Rae’s stomach acids. We’re going to make sure this goes right into her bloodstream to have the desired effects.

“Do you feel ready?” I ask Rae. “If you’re feeling queasy from any of the things I gave you or at the sight of needles, we can wait a bit.”

“I’m ready,” Rae says. “But why is it green? The mutagen started out clear. Cats aren’t green.”

“Would you feel better if I was injecting you with something cat-colored? Like brown with spots?”

“Point taken.”

I draw out the mutagen and have Rae lay out her arm for a quick, tight bandage and bind to make the injection go smoothly. I give it a quick disinfecting swab.

“On three. One, two…”

“Three.”

Rae doesn’t even flinch.

It’s done. I draw out the syringe and put pressure on her arm, and tie off the wrap.

“It tingles,” Rae says. “Is it supposed to do that? My first mutagen didn’t.”

“Yes, it’s fine,” I say. “You’ll feel feverish for about two days as the mutagen helps add a few connections in your nervous system, enhance some balance, build up a few twitch muscles, enhance-“

“Whoa,” Rae says, and her face is already flush. “Okay, I’m feeling it now. This is a little stressful.”

“Go ahead and lie back. I’ll check your vitals and see to it that everything is within the expected range. It won’t be fun, but we both expected that. If you don’t have anything serious happen in the next twenty minutes, you can go upstairs and start to sleep it off.”

Rae nods. She lies down on the padded blankets we prepared and dabs her forehead with a wet cloth.

As if on cue, there’s a knock on the lab door. I crack it open and see Landi, Autumn and Apricot proudly perched on the other side.

“Express delivery!” Apricot chirps. “Right on schedule!”

“I showed them where I almost died,” Landi says proudly.

“We appreciate the tips on, um, not dying,” Autumn says. “I didn’t know healing potions don’t always work on us fairies. Thank you for the tip.”

“I know lots of things that don’t work!” Landi proclaims. “Learn from me, grasshopper, and you’ll go far. Experience is the best teacher, which makes me your professor.”

“It does, I guess,” Autumn says.

I roll my eyes and motion for the fairies to place the fresh reagents on a table inside the lab, asking that they keep their voices down so Rae can relax. Landi nods and agrees to keep quiet for as long as she can.

“Here ya go!” she announces, piling the reagens out of her portal, with Autumn doing the same. She looks at Autumn’s portal to her inventory magic and sticks her head inside. “Ha! Mine’s bigger.”

“Ah!” Autumn gasps. “P-please don’t stick living material inside my portal.”

“Lewd!” Landi giggles, pulling her head out. “I’m fine. It just drains your Dust faster, is all.”

“Speaking of dust,” I ask Landi, “Could I ask for your assistance with a special type of bomb I’m making?”

2/2 Serah 2023/08/05(Sat)15:48 No. 1069802 ID: 7cf2dc
File 169127569179.png - (18.59KB , 500x600 , LF7 22.png )

“What’cha got in mind? My Dust is high-grade, top-of-the-line stuff. I don’t just give it to any project, you know.”

“It’s a shrink bomb, and it-“

“YOU GOT A DEAL!” Landi screams. “Ha! Justice for big people! Welcome to MY world!”

Rae groans from the corner of the room, plugging her ears.

I shush Landi, and she agrees to let me collect as much dust as I can for the Shrink Bomb, and we get to work. I try not to think too hard on how Landi presented herself to let me collect her Dust. It’s not dignified.

Autumn averts her eyes. Apricot does not.

“Shoo!” Landi says. “What are you still doing here? Go on, get out! Give a girl some privacy.”

I hand Autumn and Apricot their payment and they politely leave. Landi gets a cut of the pay, too, and I set that aside for her restitution to Marquess Mallory. Now, we get to work.

Landi has become dustbusted.

I remind Landi that I have a low-grade continuous healing effect because of my enhanced mutagen, and she can replenish her dust at a fair rate if she doesn’t draw too much of my core mana to overcome my healing factor. She agrees to test it out over the next few minutes, and I can already feel the contract sapping a bit of my strength. Despite Landi’s willingness to pitch in, it’s clear she hates running out of Dust.

I tend to Rae for the next twenty minutes and give her the all-clear to sleep it off. I expect the ride on Kayk’s back tomorrow will be miserable for her, but… well… she’s a tough girl.

Once we’re done setting up the reagents for the Shrink Bomb and using Apricot and Autumn’s fungi and reagents to make some basic potions and elixirs so simple I could do it in my sleep. While those are brewing, I even sneak in a distillation of Magic Missile Barrage with my fresh reagents. Before I know it, the afternoon is well underway. Landi is topped off on Dust again, and she’s more comfortable with knowing how much of my core mana she can draw on without overcoming my healing factor. It’s a small rate of replenishment, but infinite for her purposes as long as she takes it slow.

Landi is glowy again. Hooray!

With that, I finally step out of the lab. All I’ve had today is breakfast and some light snacks. I’m hungry, and it’s far past lunch. I’ve forgotten to eat again.

Landi and I decide to grab a quick bite from the Guild cafeteria, and we bump into Ellie and Dotti. Dotti exclaims that she’s been showing Ellie around Minga, and Ellie is positively radiant. She’s had an exceptionally good day. Landi, however, is dour.

“Ellie looks like she’s had a lot of fun,” Landi sighs. “Without me.”

“Well, you and worked hard together,” I remind Landi. “I’m thankful for all your help, Landi.”

“I missed the chance to hang out with one of my sorority sisters. My little sister, practically. We never do that anymore, and now Dotti’s the one who swoops in and gets it. I miss Ellie, Serah. I miss her and she’s right in front of me.”

Despite all the progress we’ve made today, Landi really does prioritize having fun with her friends over the actual, hard work she’s helped me with today. No matter how smug and satisfied she was helping Apricot and Autumn, no matter how hyped she was to help make a shrink bomb, she’s more upset over losing out on time to hang out with her sorority sister.

I feel like I understand her a little more, now.

“We still get to have dinner with Ellie, and maybe she’ll spend the night again,” I say. “She’s a hard worker. Think of how proud she’ll be knowing you’re a hard worker now, too.”

“Meh.”

“Ah… perhaps Ellie will want to come visit you more often now that she knows Dotti’s working hours, and that taking a day off her own job isn’t the end of the world?”

“Meh.”

Landi is dealing with real issues right now, and I’m not sure I can solve them for her. I can, however, make her look better in front of her straight-laced friend, no matter how Landi feels about her use of time today.

Should I stroke Landi’s ego in front of Ellie and Dotti? This will have consequences.
1. Yes. Rate on a scale of one to three how strongly.
2. No, let Landi handle herself.

Yes, rank 2, we need to reward her enough for doing something productive, so she is more motivated in the future

A one should suffice.
Remember to test your concoctions before throwing them willy nilly! If Gecko’s not available, perhaps someone closer.

2

Compliment her, and let's go with 2

Serah 2023/08/06(Sun)11:29 No. 1069826 ID: 23d3b5
File 169134658484.png - (78.70KB , 759x405 , LF7 23.png )

If Landi’s biggest motivator is to have fun with her friends, then I’ll happily reward her for taking time off from that to help me. She’s earned some praise.

“Welcome back! You look like you’ve had a great day off,” I say to Ellie. “I apologize for not being able to join you and Dotti on the tour around Minga. Landi has been helping me with some very difficult work in the lab, and I couldn’t have done it without her.”

Dotti gapes.

“Really?” Ellie asks.

“Really,” I respond. “She went out and helped find most of the reagent I’m using to help keep us safe. It was a high-risk job.”

“No risk, no reward!” Landi beams. “All in a day’s work!”

“Wow,” Ellie breathes. “Are you tired? We can wait on amending your contract if you’re exhausted.”

“I am a fountain of hype and health!” Landi declares. “Let’s do it, Ells!”

Landi’s ego has recovered from its beaten-down, deflated state.

Over a late lunch/dinner (lunner?) Ellie, Landi and I amend the contract as we discussed, and put pen to paper. No more striptease clause! Thank goodness that sword hanging over my head is gone.

Ellie says she’ll hang around for the rest of the evening, but she wants to get back to work in the morning. I have to get back to the lab and finish my bombs, potions and elixirs, and I should check on Rae too, plus I need to pack for the trip tomorrow.

Have we planned the right outfits for our arrival at the Church of Censorship’s parish? I could wear my full armor, but I don’t expect a fight. I don’t want to ride in on a dragon while dressed for war. I also have to consider that the parish isn’t a university; the university Censors are more open-minded than the self-sufficient farming parish we’re about to visit. Maybe I should avoid cleavage?

Suggest any other outfits we should bring, and what to wear on arrival.

*Outfits marked by an asterisk are currently worn.

Serah
- Adventuring Corset & Skirt*
- Warhammer sling*
- Dragon-Tempered Armor (In Landi’s inventory)
- Formal Dress

Kayk
- Is a Dragon*
- Sweater
- Skirt
- Formal Dress
- Stockings

Dotti
- Polka-Dotted Pink Dress*

Landi
- Napkin Dress*
- Sewn Dress (The one I helped improve!)
- Party Dress

Raelynn
- Traveling Cloak & Winter Gear*
- Samhain*
- Bow & Quiver*
- Woodland Leaf Ghillie Armor
- Cake Dress (Kayk has smuggled this back into Landi’s inventory for some reason)

(edited)

Remember this thing I made a few years back for paperdoll? https://questden.org/kusaba/questarch/res/974331.html#981287

lets wear that. It's going to get cold as we fly high in the sky on a dragon. It doesn't show cleavage and most of our body is covered to not show much skin to appease the censors, and we can unhood ourself to not look intimidating.

hmmm... should we ask Rae the idea of having some casual clothes to not intimidate anyone in the censors' territory? she probably doesn't want to wear the cake dress, but she might have to if they get too intimidated and threatened by Rae's armor... Maybe Priscilla has something Rae could wear?

>>1069828
Oh wait, I read it wrong. Rae's traveling cloak should be fine. I thought her traveling cloak was traveling armor, lol. no need to worry about asking her about wearing something else or asking Priscilla for some clothes

She just has to have Landi hold her weapons when we arrive.

Serah: wear the warhammer sling and nothing but while riding Kayk.

Serah in her formal dress, her weapons away.
Kayk: sweater, skirt & stockings. Cover up and keep a low profile.
Landi: Sewn dress, even if you think people can't see you, the clergy might.
Raelynn: Stay armed as is necessary for you to pull your duties, but wear something warm as winter clothes but as formal as a dress. Go goth Raelynn.

Bikinis. Duh.

>>1069865

This works

>>1069865

Mostly this, but Rae can stick to her winter gear and weapons I think.

Serah 2023/08/15(Tue)21:32 No. 1070288 ID: 048f0e
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I could certainly wear my adventuring gear, but my plan tomorrow will be to put my most formal, most noble foot forward. I'll need to be cordial and charming, and I have just the dress for that. With my upgrade Jotund's Might, I'm immune to cold as well, so I don't have to worry about freezing on the ride over. Raelynn, however, will be suffering from a horrid case of Cat Mutagen, and she'll need all the warmth she can get. She'll bring her winter gear and any weapons she needs to feel comfortable and competent.

Landi and Kayk should dress their best as well. I'll ask Kayk to shapeshift out of dragon form and into something that will put the Censors at ease.

I don't feel the need to have my warhammer around my back when we arrive tomorrow. There shouldn't be a fight; the Censors may be hiding something, but they've operated this farming parish for decades without incident. And if there is, we have my own raw strength, Dotti's magic, Landi's summons and inventory (plus my bombs) and Rae's training to fall back on, even if Rae will largely be out of action. Kayk can shapeshift as long as she isn't indoors; getting squeezed could get painful for her if the building is sturdy.

I don't plan on sending word in advance that I'll be visiting the parish, but the Censors already know Kayk's silhouette. Ever since I started visiting their univiersities and other parishes, word's gotten around. I shouldn't cause a panic or incite a military response, so long as I don't ask Kayk to fly over any crowded markets or barracks.

Do I have any changes to make to my outfit and/or arrival plans for our trip tomorrow?

Wear spats in case of wind.
Do a nice long flyover to scout the land beneath you.

For the outfit, wear a corset to please the censors, to compress the breasts.

or even better: maybe Landi has a bra that could portal your breasts to make you look a little flatter... a bra of holding if you will.

Wear shorts and a sturdy bra underneath all that. And get a mask with breathing apparatus.

Barge in and draw a crowd on entry.

>>1070317

I'll add onto these outfit notes that you should pick a bra that won't have visible straps when paired with your dress' transparency.

As for the entrance, you'll be riding in on Kayk of course. Showing up on a dragon mount is already pretty cool, but you can make it even cooler if you stay modest about it. Cool things are cooler when they seem effortless.

Serah 2023/08/17(Thu)22:08 No. 1070362 ID: 1446bc
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A sturdy bra is always a good idea. The Censors aren’t very fond of ladies who are proud of their figures. Maybe I should have Landi help bring me down a size or two with a trick she’s learned with her space-time godmother enchantments? No, the Bra of Holding Landi made for me would show through the transparent section of my dress. I’ll stick with a heavy-duty strapless bra underneath.

As for other undergarments, I don’t like pants. I am a Lady, and I know how to keep my skirts decent. Shorts are unstylish, overheating and unbecoming, plus a pain during bathroom breaks. Still, I am about to fly in on a dragon, to visit rural Censors, who are doubtless going to be paying a lot of attention as I make my grand entrance… perhaps a bit of over-preparedness in that department may pay off. Just in case I need to be a little more flexible in dismounting Kayk than expected. Reluctantly, I add a pair of tight spats under my dress. Well, at least they’ll hopefully prevent Landi from swapping out my panties to make me “luckier.” I did not appreciate her taking the initiative like that at Marquess Mallory’s social.

Landi, Dotti and I say goodbye to Ellie, and Landi sends her back home with a hug and reversal of her summoning. We all head to bed early to be well-rested for the trip tomorrow.

-------------------------------

The next morning, I hop out of bed, shower up and put on my dress. It’s a little tighter around the bust and waist than I expected, but otherwise suitable. I really need to get back on track with my workout regimen, but at least I look great and the cleavage cover-up is both tasteful and allowable by rural Censor standards. It’s a nod to their sense of modesty while also reminding them that I’m not afraid to push those Censors out of their comfort zone. Let them stare; I’ll take any advantage I can get when trying to wring information out of them.

I head down for breakfast to find Dotti is already in the common area. Landi is lagging behind, and Rae joins us, looking ghastly. I fetch her some herbal tea, and she holds out a large cylindrical flask-like thing that will keep it warm during the trip. I fill the whole thing.

“Are you sure you want to come along?” I ask.

Rae nods.

I won’t turn her down, but she’s going to be absolutely miserable. Poor girl. I’ll have her ride Kayk with her arms around my waist, and Dotti behind, for maximum protection from wind in front and fox fluff behind. Thin air hasn’t been a problem in our rides before, not even when leaving the Terrorscale lair at high altitude; to be honest, I’m not sure Kayk has the strength to fly high enough where oxygen deprivation would be an issue. Not that I’d tell her that to her face.

Dotti is excited to get going. We’ve made several trips searching for Petra before, but this one has the highest chance of success so far. All the signs point to this Censor-run community. It’s remote, insular, and the refugees’ paths from the depopulation of the forest around where Dotti died has sent multiple waves of settlers in this direction after being passed on like hot potatoes.

However… it has been, at most, forty years since Dotti died. There’s a chance that Petra, if she survived the attack and her wounds (spiritual or physical) didn’t kill her then, Petra could still have passed away and now of old age, sickness, childbirth. If Petra was a teenager when she met Dotti, then she might even be a grandmother.

“Dotti?” I call out, and she scampers over to me. “Are you ready?”

“Yes!” she responds, pumping her arms. “This is it, isn’t it? Today’s the day! We’re going to find Petra, aren’t we?”

What do I say in response?

I sure hope so.

>>1070362
Well, its our best shot to find out about her, hopefully we find her at the same time but I can't promise that.

Don't lie to her and say "yes" since the disappointment will be very bad if it turns out she isn't there, and Dotti might not like us lying. But do tell her that the chances of her being here are the highest out of the previous places we checked, and very hopeful that we will see Petra there.

Let Dotti know that you've been really proud of her behavior, and you trust her that no matter what the Censors say or do that might make her angry, she will stay calm, and put her trust in you as you handle all the talking and possible arguments, like if they don't let you in initially for whatever reason or talk down at us for how we dress for whatever reason, or discriminate against her. You will handle everything as you have experience with negotiating.

What else... oh yeah! ask if she has her sketch book ready to show Petra her drawings!

I'd ask how her shapeshifting is going, but I wouldn't want to sour the mood if she didn't improve much since last time.

"Make sure you decide what bust size you want to greet her with."

Serah 2023/08/19(Sat)11:49 No. 1070417 ID: c49846
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I have to be careful how I respond to Dotti’s question. Today might end up being the best or worst day of Dotti’s afterlife. Or we might find nothing at all, and just keep searching for months more.

“Dotti,” I say, squatting down to look her in the eye. “On this trip, I don’t know who or what we’ll find. We’re going to meet with the Church of Censorship again, and this time they might not be so nice and open as they were at those universities. If we’re lucky, the Censors will know more about where those refugees might have gone after the fire. But no matter what we learn or what they say, we’re a step closer to finding Petra.”

Dotti’s excitement dims a bit. Was I too much of a downer? I’d better change the conversation.

“Are you bringing a sketchbook?” I ask. “You can show off your drawings when we get there.” Dotti smiles and whips out a bound pad filled with stills from her life: food, friends and even a few fairies. One even has Landi’s wing pattern. I’m proud of her. “Looks like you’re all set.”

I stand up and go to Raelynn. Landi flutters down the stairs groggily, bringing our party up to four. We’ll all walk to the park near Kayk’s bakery, where there’s enough space to meet Kayk and have her shapeshift without risk of damaging anyone’s livelihoods.

“Will Taranis be joining us?” I ask Rae.

“Yes. He’s doing penance.” Rae says, voice hoarse. She takes a sip of tea. “Sorry. Throat hurts.”

Rae’s throat hurts? I’m slightly concerned. The mutagen should have targeted her nervous system and musculature. What kind of side effects of a cat mutagen would affect her vocal cords?

Oh no. She’s not going to start purring, is she? How could I let that slip by my design? I’m a horrible alchemist.

No! Don’t think like that. Easy, Serah. It could be nothing. A common immune system reaction. Nothing bad. Nothing that would reflect poorly on me or make Rae hate me. Nothing at all.

“Penance?” I ask. “I didn’t know he was religious. Is he making amends for something he stole from the church you two have been visiting? Eirene’s? You don’t have to talk, just nod for yes, shake for no.”

Rae nods.

“What’s his penance? I haven’t seen him doing anything lately.”

“Spirits,” Rae says, adding honey to her tea. Given how much she hates sugar, she must really be hurting. Poor girl. “Resisting them. Something about parrots.”

“Parrots?”

Taranis’s arrival is announced by the fluttering of wings from an open guild window. He doesn’t look any more colorful than normal. What’s this about parrots?

Taranis is staring at me for some reason. I look down at my chest. Everything’s in place there, just as expected, so… Is it because of the gold in my new outfit?

Taranis’s penance is to resist and antagonize the SPIRITS who encouraged his bad behavior by only taking PARROTGON actions when you are around, which includes protecting the modesty of people nearby. What would you like to say to Taranis?

Nothing would protect Rae's modesty more right now than to nestle under her arm and comforting her as she deals with the hangover from rewriting her genetic code.

Thanks for the help, Taranis. We'll need someone to help protect everyone's modesty when we talk to the censors, who is ALL ABOUT modesty.

You are a horrible person, Taranis. But this isn't a path you took by yourself. You followed your questionable duties and molded yourself after questionable parental figures. You are already a Parrotgon - of faithfully serving assholes.

Your penance is not just about making yourself a better person. It's about learning to let go from bad people you are legally incapable of making better.

And I say these things because this is also Raelynn's penance. She will need you now more than ever. She doesn't believe she can let go of her &!+(# of an 'All-Mother'.

Show her da wae.

>>1070417
Hey Taranis you should inform Serah that her cleavage is too visible for a trip to a church.

Hey Serah would it really be so bad if Rae could purr? She won't be doing it very often that's for sure. Stand up to your fear and bring up the unlikely possibility in private.

Ohh if only they knew how little the SPIRITS encouraged his bad behavior... right well, for now Taranis gets to be a chaste, proper, unsuspected chest inspector.

Taranis,

So. No more Wrengade actions, just Parrotgon ones. I believe that, long term, you can do a lot of the things you enjoyed, even from a Parrotgon context. Let me tell you a story about a great folk hero, one named Shepard, who is sometimes portrayed as male, sometimes as female, sometimes portrayed as a noble Parrotgon, sometimes as an independent Wrengade. They were a hero who traveled with many companions, and had many great adventures. But the exact adventures aren't important right now. What is important is, regardless of whether they were portrayed as a male, female, Parrotgon, or Wrengade, one thing is constant: they absolutely ended up having some VERY steamy romances with one or more of their companions! You can follow the path they blazed! But to do steamy stuff or mischievous stuff as a Parrotgon, you are going to have to learn to do something any intelligent Corvid worth their salt should know how to do, and do well:

You are going to need to learn to talk!

With speech, you can have both romance and deeper friendships with more types of beings! You can obtain that vital informed consent for lewd and sexual or even just mischievous activities! You can brainstorm a way to min-max and turn your skill tree magic thing into a positive sum game for all participants, so that the other participant would WANT to get in a mischief/prank/strip/etc. competition with you, because even if they lose, you both will still win at the end. And yes, even if the penance NOW is maintaining modesty, you can absolutely figure out a way to do this in a Parrotgon way -- to metaphorically BOTH have a collection of shiny edible delicious candies and also to eat a collection of shiny edible delicious candies!

Hey Taranis, no hard feelings with us getting you in trouble... right?

Serah 2023/08/19(Sat)16:21 No. 1070429 ID: c3a039
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>>1070426
>>1070423
>>1070424
Taranis looks at me for a moment, opens his beak as if he’s about to caw something to me. He stops short, though, instead choosing to flap over to Rae and nestle under her arm as a soft, feathered reassurance to the suffering elf.

>>1070427
Did he just give me a… salute?

What a weird bird.

Anyway… if my highly scientific calculations are right, we’ll need to spend two bathroom breaks’ worth of time flying on Kayk’s back. Always measure dragon trips in this unit of distance. It’s worth it. If I wasn’t prepared, it’d be murder on my hairstyle and muss up my dress something fierce. Fortunately, Kayk’s long neck is an excellent wind breaker and I have a fairy to cast a minor godmothering spell to keep my hair pretty and my dress from picking up burrs and from getting caught in Kayk’s dragon scales on my way down. Not that I’d ever slide down a dragon the wrong way. My riding poise and positioning is very Ladylike, and I’ll have no issues whatsoever making my dignified entrance.

I also have spats. Just in case. Even though they’re horrid.

“Everyone’s here,” I announce. “On to adventure!”

“Adventure!” Landi cheers.

“Adventure!” Dotti echoes.

Taranis gives a soft caw.

Rae nods.

------------------------

Two bathroom breaks later…

I give Kayk’s neck scales a good three-fingernail tap, indicating we should fly slow our speed. We’re almost to our destination of Giornico, and I want to get a circling view.

“Are we there yet?” Dotti asks.

“That’s the valley,” I call back. “Between those mountains, it’s nestled in there. We’ll follow it to the narrowest point, where the river runs through.”

Kayk is a comfortable height above the ground, and a blessed benefit of the mountainous terrain is that the clouds form even lower than usual here. We can dance between them and avoid being spotted until we’re comfortable descending, and Kayk’s warm scales thankfully divert and repel the condensation when we do pass through the occasional cloud. Water doesn’t like dragons.

“Wait a minute. The fields,” I say as we get a glimpse of the farmland.

“What?” Landi asks. “Fantasizing about your dreamy Farm Boi?”

“No, I am NOT!” I shout back. “Can you see those square patterns of crops, hay and livestock? They’re using the antiquated open-field system, when they should be using the enclosure system. Enclosure dramatically increases crop yields, reduces fallow periods, and allows for greater control over what crops end up being produced, instead of dedicating so much land to common grazing areas. Unless… ah, I think I understand.”

“I take it back,” Landi says. “You’re fantasizing about and entire community of Farm Bois.”

“Hush, you! There are benefits to the open field system for small farmers, so long as there’s no exceptionally bad harvest years. If the Church subsidizes the parish during bad years and using it as subsistence farming during the good years… the might just be using this land to keep the people busy. This manor isn’t being run to make a profit. They’re doing it for other reasons.”

If the Church doesn’t care about money, then these farms are an excellent place to keep a lot of displaced refugees busy and fed for a long, long time.

But why?

We get a look at the center of the community. It’s a small village, but well-maintained.

“Hmm. Good. Not a cathedral, so there’s no bishop here,” I say. “So far, so good. A community this small will be presided over by a single priest. Maybe a decon to assist. But here… I’m not sure. There may be more to this valley than meets the eye.”

Choose our landing site.

1. Manor House: Lay administration of the parish. It’s a short, squat stone building, two stories high and made of stone. Large multipurpose rooms that function as courthouse, communal festive halls, and has no pretensions of nobility. If I were a Censor, this would be where I’d expect a noble to land their dragon.
2. Church: This is where the money went. A beautiful, multi-building campus of stone, with a recently-built belltower. If we land here, we’ll be doing the Censors a favor and acknowledging that they’re the ones in charge of the village.
3. Market: The mill, blacksmith and granary are centrally located between the fields nearest the river for convenience. I think I can see a freshwater well, too. This seems to function as the de facto town square, where there are no Censors or bureaucrats immediately at hand. There are a few children playing in the dirt, with their families chatting and eating lunch. If we want to make an impression with the locals, we’d land here.
4. Garrison: Far from the Manor House and Church complex, it’s situated at the top of the valley, with a clear view down. Anyone looking to enter or exit the valley must pass through the gatehouse on the only narrow road. If we want to follow proper protocol, we should technically get permission from the captain of the guard if I’m about to fly a dragon into the center of town. It would save them a headache and a spirited ride down the canyon, that’s for sure.

4, let's do things properly, as that might make the locals more willing to help us find the people we're looking for.

4. the Garrison. We are only guests here despite being a noble. It will be important to go through the proper procedures to show that you respect their rules and ways of life and doing things like everyone else.

plus they'll be able to do the proper security check to see if we're dressed appropriately, hold any weapons, and assure we aren't a danger. They might be able to help us get any issues situated if there's any problems. Better to be prepared than show up without understanding what they would want from guests.

3. This is an excellent place to make a splash. The guards are expected to rush down to town, better to meet the people first before the soldiers.

Always remember that at their most shallow, people will stoop to any low and use anyone for the sole purpose of obtaining these two things, in this specific order:
1) What They Love
2) Money

If the crops aren't turning a profit, then perhaps the product is the farmers. Keeping the poor at subsistence level for years tends to... ferment their minds. Perfect for communion conversion.
Or maybe some assdick who controls this branch of the church gets a kick out of watching farmers suffer, go insane, and turn into murderous hillbillies.

4. Show that you have authority and the rest of the populace will calm down at the sight of a giant F-3i with dual flamethrowers.

Serah 2023/08/29(Tue)20:42 No. 1071223 ID: b4cdf8
File 169336696049.png - (44.79KB , 500x453 , LF7 28.png )

I tell Kayk to take us down toward the garrison and approach from the entry point. To make a good first impression, it helps to follow the rules.

Kayk flies low and slow, as gracefully as she can, swooping gently to alight on the hilly road leading up to the garrison. Two soldiers on the rooftop start shouting the moment we crest the hill. One of them dashes inside, hollering at the top of his lungs. The other just stares slack-jawed over the parapet.

“Is this a bad sign?” Kayk asks, worried.

“Let me slide down and do the talking. I’ll handle it.”

I make sure to slide down Kayk’s thigh at the correct angle to avoid getting my dress caught in her scales, and deftly land on my feet just as the garrison door bursts open.

“I don’t care if there’s a bloody dragon out there or not, you give it a wave with the Spirit-o-Meter before you say another word ta me!” roars a deep, angry voice from inside. “Father Forthill, Pastor Pryce and Mother Mabel will each take turns tannin’ your ruddy hide if you don’t use that gnome-tech we all paid through the nose for with all our stinkin’ tithes!”

A quivering soldier, knees knocking, stumbles out from the door holding a box and clearly wishing he hadn’t drawn the short straw.

“H-h-hail,” the soldier stammers. “Ah. I got ‘ta follow Sarge’s orders n’ see if your Ladyship’s ladies are hot or not.”

“Pardon?” I raise an eyebrow.

The guard waves a beeping box at Kayk. The needle twitches for a moment, but doesn’t go past the second marker, and settles down around the first.

“Dragon’s cool,” he says, moving on to Rae and Taranis, who also apparently pass his test.

He moves in front of me, and the beeping slightly picks up in intensity.

“Got a warm one,” he says. “Might be some spirits floatin’ around ya. Can’t let ya in if the meter says y’r too hot.”

“Hm,” I say. The meter will obviously go wild if he points it at Dotti, who is hiding on Kayk’s back, under her wing. “Are you sure this is necessary? I’m here on a diplomatic visit. We’re searching for refugees, and I have urgent business with the local Pastor.”

“M’orders are clear, your Ladyship. If anyone’s too hot, we’d have t’wait for the Pastor to come all the way up here t’get a good look at ya ‘fore he makes the final call on whether he’ll let y’in. Could take all day; he’s a busy man.”

“All day, you say?” It’s obviously a delay tactic.

“Them’s the rules.”

“Surely you can escort someone that’s ‘hot’ to meet Pastor Pryce, so he doesn’t have to come all the way up here.”

“Um… them’s the rules. ‘Specially if’n yer super duper hot.”

Should I smuggle Dotti in? If not, can I hope to convince the guards to allow Dotti in without waiting all day up here?

The longer your suggestion, the hotter it makes Serah.

Ask why any of this is necessary. If he continues to say 'orders', hide Dotti.
There's a distinction between 'because this will harm people and their livelihoods' and 'because it will harm our control over others'. Choose law for the former and chaos for the latter.

Openly declare intent to bring a spirit inside with you, and ask why they it isn't allowed. Don't show them Dotti, that way smuggling is easier if necessary.

>>1071223
smuggle

Smuggle. But why use delay tactics?

Taranis, can you somehow lower Dotti's level?

>>1071223

Smuggle her in!

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Actually, can you ward us away for a bit to keep Serah unhot, Taranis?

>>1071223
Taranis can sneak in on his own, that should drop the hotness a little. Dotti, if she assumes fox form, could possibly skip past the garrison. If that’s implausible, perhaps you could use her as a boa/scarf and insist that you’ve already been scanned so there really isn’t a reason to do it again.

It seems like this guy can’t really be appealed to with emotions. He’s cowed into doing this by his superior officer. However, we got a little hint of their emotional state with the officer’s outburst as they came out to get you. Maybe Kayk, who is evidently completely clean of hotness, can play up being intimidating to make the guards afraid to spend any more time around you all than they need to? Don’t do anything outwardly threatening, but some huffs and rumbles, maybe a little snort of smoke. Flexing of powerful thighs, claws digging into the dirt a bit. Stuff to remind them that Kayk is no pushover. That ought to make them want to dismiss some concerns without digging too deep in order to be out of her way that much faster, eh?

>>1071223
They have increased security about spirits. Dotti is a fox spirit. Dotti might be the REASON they have increased security. You said there was something more to this place? Maybe it has something to do with this.

Smuggle or not, the next person you talk to better be the Pastor.

1/2 Serah 2023/08/30(Wed)21:09 No. 1071343 ID: 86974f
File 169345495922.png - (17.54KB , 511x423 , LF7 29.png )

>>1071226
>>1071225

“I don’t understand,” I ask the soldier as he approaches. “How are visitors supposed to know how ‘hot’ they are before entering the Parish? Why is this necessary for travelers who’ve gone far out of their way to visit?”

“Gotta test for spirits followin’ y’round. Invisible n’stuff,” the soldier says. “Can’t let big’uns latch on’t anyone on their way in, or trick’n us w’th human shapes.”

No spirits allowed? My eyes flick to Dotti’s hiding spot underneath Kayk’s wing. I won’t let them bar her from visiting, regardless of their reasons. There must be a way to get her inside.

>>1071258
>>1071233
>>1071274

“Now if’n it please ya, stand still, y’Ladyship,” the soldier gulps. “Uh… needle’s jumpin’ somethin’ fierce. Hey, Sarge! Wazzit it mean if it goes pas’ half?”

“Let me have take a look!” the deep voice calls out from inside the barracks.

Oh, no. It must be picking up on Dotti’s signal. I shuffle to one side so the box points away from Kayk and focuses on me and me alone.

>>1071227
>>1071231

“Hm.” The burly sergeant stomps outside and stares over his subordinate’s shoulder. “Just under a quarter now.”

“It jump’d f’r a minute.”

“Give ‘em all a wave again. Make sure the dragon gets it too. Did you miss any dragon parts?”

“Th’s a lot of dragon…”

“Then you’d better get to it, and don’t be shy!”

They’re going to find Dotti! I look at Kayk and raise my arms to the side as if I’m stretching. Please, please let this work…

Kayk gives a long, deep rumble as the soldier approaches, scratching the ground in front of him. Her wings rustle and droop to each side like curtains, increasing her profile even more than it already is. The soldier nearly drops the meter and stumbles back to his sergeant.

“Pah!” the sergeant barks. “Your dragon’s gonna have to put up with this if she wants in.”

“Perhaps my scaled companion isn’t fond of the idea of being kept here while you check and re-check us, waiting for a Pastor who could take all day… and this search is hardly dignified for such an esteemed Terrorscale like herself,” I say. “To be frank, Sergeant, I don’t blame her for her disposition.”

The sergeant looks Kayk in the eye. Kayk looks right back and gives a long, deep yawn, stretching her legs, unfurling wings so wide they reach a forest glen nearby.

“Bloody dragon.” The sergeant crosses his arms. “Fine. Give ‘em all one more once-over, and if the readings say you’re clear, I’ll send the signal to prepare for arrival.”

This time, blessedly, we all pass. For some reason I show up as the highest. I’ll have to look into that later. Are those spirits Dotti mentioned still following me around? If so, it’s quite rude of them to pry into a Lady’s affairs. For shame!

“You’re clear to enter,” the sergeant says. “As soon as I blow the horn and get the horses saddled up and blow the horn and let the soldiers in the valley know we’re coming in all peaceful like. This’ll be the first time we’ve escorted a dragon. Can she keep up on foot?”

Kayk snorts.

“Are you asking if a dragoness will gallop alongside your horses like a common mare?” I ask.

“Forget I asked,” the sergeant says. “Just fly slow and let us follow.”

“I’m sure Kayk will try, but she must fly at a certain speed to stay airborne. It’s my turn to ask you if you are up to the task of keeping up.”

“We’ll be fine.” The sergeant spins on his heel and motions to the other guards to saddle some horses.

2/2 Serah 2023/08/30(Wed)21:12 No. 1071345 ID: 86974f
File 169345516527.png - (18.22KB , 686x500 , LF7 30.png )

This has gone well so far, but I need to figure out how to get Dotti in. Where is she? I need an excuse to go into the woods.

“Pardon,” I ask the soldier we’d been dealing with before. “Is there a ladies’ room in your barracks? I need to freshen up for my visit with the Pastor.”

“Ladies’ room?” The soldier looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. “We’ve got a latrine if’n y’need ta sh- uh, freshen.”

“Your accommodations are most horrid,” I say, putting on my best noble air. “I shan’t avail myself of that! No, I will have my companions guard my modesty for a moment. Kayk, Landi, Raelynn, if you would?”

Kayk throws up her wings and shields me from view, and I head into the woods where I saw Dotti head. Raelynn follows me, ostensibly (and actually) for my safety.

“Dotti’s naked!” Landi giggles.

Oh, dear.

Rae takes a knee by the discarded clothes. “Fox prints. Regular ones. Headed to the Parish at a sprint.” Rae rubs her head. “Taranis and I can track her.”

Dotti’s taken it upon herself to get into the valley. I’m sure Rae can find Dotti normally, but she’s sweating so badly that it’s clear she has terrible side effects from her mutagen at the moment, not that she’ll admit it.

Do I ask Raelynn and Taranis to track Dotti down? If I don’t, there’s no guarantee we’ll meet at the same place when we get to town, if at all.

Send Taranis, but let Raelynn rest. Also, much easier for the guards to not notice a missing bird rather than a missing person.

Send Taranis, not Rae, let her rest. Taranis is on spirit duty, and Dotti is one of them. So i think this counts, right Taranis?

We dont want Rae's side effects making her sick when we might need her help later.

Yeah. Believe in Rae. Side effects won't stop her from doing what needs to be done.

Rae isn't in top form, but she should know her limits. Have her track Dotti. If you're really worried, you could ask Landi to accompany them for added support.

Yes, Dotti needs her ASAP.

Not altering my vote, but if we decide to send Rae out, tell Taranis to find you if she passes out
Also tell the guys that Rae went out hunting if they ask where she asked. Hopefully that will work.

Serah 2023/09/02(Sat)15:35 No. 1071468 ID: 86974f
File 169369411892.png - (7.16KB , 577x447 , LF7 31.png )

It’s critical that we keep track of Dotti. If we can’t find her soon, she might run afoul of anti-spirit wards or other defenses we haven’t yet figured out the reason for. I need Rae and Taranis to help find Dotti as soon as possible. Part of me wants to tell Raelynn not to push herself, but more of me appreciates her understanding of her own limits. Still…

“If the side effects worsen, don’t hesitate to send Taranis after me,” I say, putting my hand on Rae’s shoulder. She nods, then turns on her heel and sets off into the woods toward Dotti’s trail, completely silent and instantly blending in with a camouflage spell. It’s a little creepy knowing she can do that, but it’s even more reassuring to have her on our side.

I wait for Landi to finish gathering up Dotti’s clothes into her inventory, then we rejoin Kayk at the garrison. A few more soldiers have come out of the building to gawk at her. The sergeant soon comes around the other side, mounted atop a very nervous horse and leading two behind him.

“You ever seen a dragon before, Sarge?” one of them asks. “Sure the horses won’t spook?”

“ ‘Course I have. Battle of Châlons. Cooked half the other side’s regiment, she did. Funny, that one had close to the same shade of red as this big girl here.”

“I-is she the same dragon?”

“Nah,” says the sergeant. “Not ‘nless she spent all the time between then and now raiding livestock.”

Kayk snorts in irritation. She stands up and flaps her wings, drawing them to her full length, wind whipping around us. The horses let out a panicked whinny and turn tail, sending the mounted sergeant all the back to the stables, heedless of his commands.

Kayk smiles.

I climb back atop Kayk from the opposite side of the soldiers, keeping my skirts decent. I knew I didn’t need spats.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Landi whispers in Kayk’s ear. “You totally could have talked back at ‘em. They deserve it.”

Kayk rolls her eyes.

“Perhaps she wants them to underestimate her intelligence,” I offer. “Did your mother advise that in hostile areas?”

Kayk nods.

“Smart dragon,” Landi says.

“The smartest,” I agree.

The sergeant eventually gets his horses back under control, waving at two other soldiers to mount up and follow. “All right! Let’s go!” he booms. “Ride out! I’m sure our guest wants to introduce herself to our esteemed Mayor. To the Manor House!”

I don’t bother to inform him of our actual intentions. He blows his warhorn to announce incoming guests without confirming if Rae is still with us. It’s an oversight by the soldiers, but they have their hands full with the horses and Kayk is large enough that we’re able to pretend that Rae is still with us. Not to mention that Rae herself never said a word in the few moments she’d actually been visible to the guards in joining me for protection in the woods.

Kayk launches herself into the air, and we head down the valley entryway, outstripping the horses almost immediately. We’re going to arrive before them without even trying.

Where do Kayk, Landi and I decide to land?

1. The Manor House. It’s where the Mayor is, and it’s where nobility would be expected to introduce themselves in comfort and elegance, with perhaps some socializing and good food.
2. The Church. The real power in the parish, and presumably where we’ll find the Pastor responsible for the anti-spirit defenses.
3. The Market. This is the de facto town square. If I want to meet the people instead of the authorities, this is the place to make a splash. The sergeant’s horn has let them know to expect company, so hopefully they’ll make the connection that Kayk is here with permission and isn’t going to burn any of their thatched-roof cottages.

The market. You've already met the authorities, let's meet the rest.

>>1071468
2. Find out why they're warding against spirits.

2) If anyone's going to be the aggressor in this town, it's them. You need to secure tensions with them before Dotti aggros the church militant.

I would have said the Manor House before, but Dotti's situation makes me say Church takes priority. We gotta figure out whether or not she can come in, and why or why not.

2

Serah 2023/09/04(Mon)14:43 No. 1071626 ID: 86974f
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The Church of Censorship has been the common thread in all my work searching for Dotti’s friend Petra. If I’m going to make real progress in answering the big questions of why the settlers-turned-refugees from Dotti’s forest are being hidden, and why this particular valley is concerned enough about spirits to have defenses against them, the Church is going to have the answers.

I guide Kayk to the church, and we circle for a graceful landing on the west end of the building, near the narthex. In some of the churches I’ve visited, I’ve been restricted to that specific area of the church, since I’m not a member of the faithful. This specific congregation has a church larger than most rural parishes, and its walls are thick, dirtied stone meant for function over form. There are no gaudy stained glass windows here; instead there are thick, reinforced shutters in each sill.

The clergy and faithful on the church grounds rush inside when they see Kayk circling, and when we touch down, there’s only one young man remaining, scribbling in a notebook. His skin, eyes and hair are all shades of pale grey, and he seems unperturbed by the fact that a dragon has just set down in front of him. He wears the black robes and holy symbol of the Censors but not the collar of the priesthood, so he’s not Father Forthill or Pastor Pryce. From what I know of the Church structure, he’s likely a member of the clergy that helps in other ways than delivering sacraments and blessings, but still bound by oaths of celibacy and obedience to the Veiled Goddess.

I slide off Kayk’s back, Landi fluttering beside me as I stride toward the Censor. He’s younger than me by a few years; by the looks of things, he’s new to his vows, probably taking them as soon as he was allowed.

“Good afternoon,” I say. “I am Lady Kensington, Heir Countess of Kensington. This is my fairy companion, Landi, and my good friend Kayk Terrorscale.”

The young man glances up at Kayk, then continues scribbling in his notebook, not saying a word. Hm. Whatever I was expecting, it wasn’t this.

“We humbly request an audience with Pastor Pryce,” I continue. “We have traveled far, and the soldiers at your border helpfully informed me that he would have information of great import to me and mine.”

The Censor bites his lip, glances at Kayk again and scratches more things into his notebook. What is he doing? Is he an artist like Dotti?

“Pardon me, but… should I find someone else to speak to?” I ask.

The Censor underlines a few things on his pad, then looks at Kayk with a small smile. “Would two cows per week satisfy Your Magnificence?”

Kayk tilts her head to one side. The Censor flips his book around to show a long string of equations.

“Assuming I’ve estimated your bone density correctly and that you maintain activity levels similar to migratory avians, and adding in a healthy dose of extra calories spent to generate fire,” he says, “And to keep you fully fed, I estimate two cows per week. If you’d like to check, should be sixty-seven percent accurate within one standard deviation of the average consumption by body mass of our population of Giornico. I admit it is not entirely applicable to one of your greatness, and my estimate of your needs is an approximation, but I am confident that I erred on the side of generosity.”

“Yes, that’s… wow. You did all that math while watching me fly in?” Kayk asks, completely forgetting she was trying to hide the fact that she could speak. “Um. I mean… rawr?”

“Brother Pierre!” a voice cracks like a whip from the church. I turn to see it belongs to a scowling nun practically stomping toward us. “Did you not hear the command to seek sanctuary?”

“The horn blew. These are guests,” he says. “It is our sacred duty to provide hospitality to all, is it not, Mother Mabel?”

“Do not lecture me, Pierre,” the nun hisses. “You still have much to learn about our duties. Now go inside and await further instructions. Sister Edith will escort you.”

Hiding behind Mother Mabel is a shy nun a little younger than Pierre, watching him intently.

I have a strong feeling that Brother Pierre will be far more open about what the Church is doing here than Mother Mabel. Should I try to diplomatically ask him to be Kayk’s liaison? I’d have to deal with Sister Edith, who might be his minder. Why would he need that?

1. Yes, try to keep Pierre around. This will make my conversations with the Church complicated, since the #2 or #3 authority in the Church (Mother Mabel) clearly wants him out of my sight.
2. No, allow Mother Mabel to send Pierre away. This would be polite and keep tensions low.

Let them send him away for now, you can seek him out later.

2) "Excuse me?! A proper gentleman does not make detailed assumptions about a lady's diet! Did... did you study advanced calculus and military logistics just to subtly deride women without being overtly sexist?! Wow. Just... wow."

Holy shit, keep Pierre around, he is amazing. Dude sees a dragon and instead of hiding decides to do the math to figure out how much they'll need to feed her. This isn't about practicality, this is solely about not wanting to remove Pierre from the story.

Play it off as taking great humor in Pierre's unconventional response, and feeling appreciative of his hospitality.

1

Uno

Dos

2) but make it clear that you and the Lady Kayk both find Pierre to be endearing, if a little enthusiastic about his duties.

He didn't even wait for Kayk to issue the formal threat to their community's virgins before he started offering cows!

1. Try and be polite about it, maybe invite Pierre to interact later or something? He's amazing!

Was he using (whatever the locals call) Bayes Theorem? What else was he using as his priors? WE MUST KNOW!

Serah 2023/09/05(Tue)21:21 No. 1071790 ID: 86974f
File 169397410630.png - (15.75KB , 500x500 , LF7 33.png )

While it would be very helpful for us to have what appears to be a forthcoming and helpful Censor to ask questions of, I decide not to ask for Brother Pierre’s continued company. Mother Mabel is on edge with him around, and with his apparent lack of consideration for her authority, I don’t blame her. Sister Edith takes him by the arm and tugs him toward the reinforced doors of the church entryway.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Brother Pierre,” I say with a wide smile. “Her Magnificence Kayk appreciates your hospitality and wishes you well.”

Kayk gives an equally wide smile to the young man with exceptional good sense. He bows and takes his leave, allowing himself to be led away.

“Nooooooo,” Landi moans. “I liked him too.”

“Perhaps Brother Pierre will be free to rejoin us later?” I ask Mother Mabel.

“Unfortunately, he is otherwise occupied,” she replies with a firm tone.

“Aww. Oh! We haven’t been introduced,” Landi says. “This is Lady Serah Kensington, I’m Serah’s fairy companion, and she’s The Magnificent Kayk Terrorscale.” I give a curtsy, Landi bobs, and Kayk does absolutely nothing.

“I am Mabel, Mother Superior of the nuns of Giornico,” she says with a quick bow. “Your Ladyship, please forgive our unpreparedness. Our holy sanctuary is not accustomed to hosting such esteemed guests. We have neither food nor drink to suit your tastes; Mayor Dumas would surely welcome your arrival with much grander offerings than could be scavenged from our humble cellars.”

Ah, flattery. The dance begins.

“Your holiness’s presence is all succor worth seeking,” I say. “While I cannot count myself among the faithful, House Kensington has ever had the greatest respect for the Veiled Goddess and her works upon this earth. Her ministry is a beacon upon a hill, beckoning us all to a higher calling, no matter our creed.”

“Yeah!” Landi adds. “What she said. We won’t judge your cellars, Super-Mother.”

“Landi, may I lead?” I beckon her to my shoulder. “I apologize on behalf of my companion. I’m sure you can understand how, for some, formality can be difficult.”

“I do.” The corners of Mother Mabel’s lips turn upward. “We welcome you and yours with open arms as best we can. I would like to invite you to the nunnery, but alas, the nave of our church is consecrated ground. Only the faithful may pass beyond the narthex.”

“Of course. I would not wish to leave Her Magnificence too far behind,” I say, gesturing toward Kayk. I decide not to mention that she is willing to transform into a small form; at least, not without Raelynn at my side. I feel safe at the moment, but I feel safer with someone very big and very noticeable watching my back.

We go into the narthex, Kayk watching through the doors. I nod to her and she curls up outside, one eye watching closely. As Mother Mabel steps inside, she touches her hands to her shoulders and chest in a gesture of faith.

“Ooh, tingly,” Landi whispers in my ear. Her ‘impropriety’ was a perfect excuse for her to seat herself on my shoulder- just where I need her to feed me information surreptitiously. “She cast a divine spell. Testing if you’re a shapeshifter or wearing illusions.”

If there was any doubt in my mind before, it’s gone now. The Church is taking measures to protect against Dotti. It’s hardly a secret that I’ve taken a fox spirit into my entourage; I’ve brought Dotti along to visit Church universities before, so the clergy already know about her and haven’t had a problem before. But then, Church universities do tend to lean on the liberal side of acceptance and study of new things. I shouldn’t assume all clergy will tolerate spirits historically known to cause chaos and harm.

Mother Mabel gestures to a bench, and I take a seat beside her. “What brings you to us today?”

“The soldiers at the garrison told me that Pastor Pryce would want to see me,” I say. “Their device was making noises and saying I had spiritual activity. Should I be worried? Will the Pastor be able to help me?”

“Be at peace,” Mabel says. “There is no cause for alarm, and no need for Pastor Pryce’s attention. Sometimes the spirits take a brief interest in the living, especially one as exceptional as yourself. It is normal. My question, however, was meant for something else. Why have you decided to grace Giornico with your noble personage? We lead simple lives, and our land is governed by the Church, not the nobility. Are you seeking trade? We cannot hope to entice the ports of Kensington with goods to fill your ships; our produce is just enough to feed ourselves.”

“I am searching for a community of refugees who may have passed through or settled here,” I say plainly. There is no sense hiding something I’ve made public and sent letters to the mayor and told other members of the Church. I don’t know how much this particular Censor knows, though. “A dear friend of mine knew a girl by the name of Petra between thirty and forty years ago. Petra could be a grandmother by now.”

“We take in many refugees,” Mother Mabel says softly. “And with them, their burdens. As sympathetic as I am to long-lost friendships, this risks reopening old wounds, through which come… horrors.”

I have a very, very bad feeling about this.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Please,” Mother Mabel says. “Turn back while you still can. For Dorothea’s sake.”

What do I tell Mother Mabel? Do I tell her that Dotti and/or Raelynn are in Giornico?

Dotti? We have never heard of this Dotti. For no particular reason, you should pay particular attention to your surroundings and take mental notes of them. Just so you know what's going on around you.

We hope Pastor Pryce can make an exception this once, we have traveled far for peace of mind and understand he is an... expert on the subject. We cannot turn back now, as the lid has already been opened on this.

"Unfortunately, as I told you only minutes ago, I am not particularly devout. You believe that I will accept such a request without justification, presumably because I have faith in your judgment. Personally, I prefer to make my decisions based on information. Is there something you would like to tell me?"

"If not, then I don't see any reason to change my current course of actions."

"Are you saying Petra... became something?"
Hoist your warhammer.
"Dorothea desires closure, and possibly justice. The only reason she survived was because she couldn't abandon her closest friend to something worse than death. We came along because we found evidence that it may have been intentional. If Petra is gone or turned or even worse, then we'll deal with it and say a prayer. But if we gave up without trying, I worry... I fear that Dorothea might give up on everything."

>>1071790
Tell her that you can't just turn around and act like you came here for nothing. Dotti won't back down now that she knows Petra was here. The only thing you and she can hope to do is control what happens next. You can talk to Petra yourself, at least?

This should be a happy meeting, even if Petra is old. She needs to explain how this could go wrong. Does Petra have PTSD? Something worse? Is she worried they just won't get along? That'd be fine. Dotti has matured greatly.

Like, you don't even have to spill the beans about Dotti being here and possibly unattended. Just telling her that Dotti knows this is where Petra is/was will be enough to gain further information about what the worst case scenario is.

>>1071790
Inform her that no matter what she feels she is protecting Dotti from, it is not her decision to make. Opening up old wounds and creating new ones may be painful, but Petra has been Dotti’s life up until this point. Asking us to deny Dotti an opportunity to see Petra would be in itself torturous.

We have braced Dotti to accept that the end result of this may not be a happy outcome. Perhaps nothing can truly prepare someone for the kind of emotional hurt this will inflict on her, but the pain will lead to closure. Without seeing Petra, Dotti will never be able to move on. She has put Petra on a pedestal and idolized her. She’s made such strident efforts to become something more because of Petra. This is her final hang up. She’ll never learn to be her own woman without having the opportunity to see her heroine face to face and learn what there is to learn about her. Even if it all comes crashing down around her, at least she’ll have gotten what she needed. The debt of gratitude will come to its abrupt conclusion and Dotti will be able to live the life she wants to lead, rather than the one she feels she owes. Don’t you see how empowering that is for her?

Besides, and no offense to her holiness, she’s no soothsayer. She doesn’t know the future. She knows secrets but does she truly know who Dotti is? Can she speak to Dotti’s life experiences between when she and Petra separated and now? Dotti’s ability to handle complex emotional situations has vastly improved. I don’t think anyone can truly say with certainty what lies ahead. We are all working with incomplete information, and that’s why it’s in no one’s justified power to prevent this from going forward.

Tell her that Dotti has been suffering from her own trauma over losing Petra to the point of having nightmares every night. It got so bad that you had to give her a artifact to suppress those nightmares, and while that helped, you feel that her mental anguish is only going to worsen if she doesn't receive some kind of closure, as every day, she worries more and more that she may never see Petra again, and that stress can really effect someone into depression and/or anxiety.

Serah 2023/09/09(Sat)10:36 No. 1072030 ID: fb8a42
File 169428097946.png - (5.32KB , 437x404 , LF7 34.png )

That sinking feeling in my stomach tells me I should be on high alert for what’s happening around me. There are frightened clergy huddling in the nave of the church, staring over the pews at Kayk, who’s watching through the open door. If they close that door, could it stop an emergency rescue? Is this church that well-warded? I don’t want to find out. Still, I have to take this opportunity to find out all I can, even if (and because) there are so many unknowns about what’s happening in Giornico.

“Respectfully… as I said, I am not a member of the faithful. I respect your judgment as Mother Superior, but I must rely on my own,” I say. “I am here on behalf of a good friend, who you already know is Dorothea; I call her Dotti. I cannot turn back for Dotti’s sake, because it is for her sake I am here. Dotti passed through fire and death to repay a debt of gratitude to Petra that transcends lifetimes, Mother. She will never stop seeking Petra until she has closure. To deny her would condemn her to anguish, fear and loss all over again. Would you wish that on anyone, let alone a fox spirit? What might that create?”

“Please,” I conclude. “Let me bring Dotti to Petra. Let it be a happy reunion, a triumph over trauma for them both. The Church has the grace to grant Dotti her peace. If you are hesitant, then please grant me an audience with Pastor Pryce. I will say the same, and let him decide.”

Mother Mabel closes her eyes and sighs.

“You know the Church’s duty is to shepherd souls, but also to track and account many things, including secrets,” she says. “I ask that you respect my judgment not as a matter of faith, but as professional courtesy. I would not ask you to disclose your House’s secrets. Do not ask me to give up the Veiled Goddess’s. Not for a fox.”

“I ask only what is necessary,” I say. “Dotti is no longer merely a fox. Her life experiences and trials, the difficult lessons she’s learned, they have all prepared her for this moment. She can withstand whatever news you can share of Petra’s fate.”

“It is more than emotions,” Mother Mabel says. “If I tell you this, I will need you both to swear to utmost secrecy. Both Landi and yourself.”

I swear. So does Landi.

Mother Mabel accepts both our oaths and grits her teeth.

“The refugees who fled the Dorothea’s forest all those years ago… Petra was not the only victim, but she was the last, and the one bearing the worst scars. You doubtlessly noticed how nobles would refuse to keep the refugees for long. The horrors of that forest that Dorothea destroyed- the survivors are missing pieces of their very souls. They have many afflictions, and can be possessed by spirits far too easily. They cannot defend themselves without a spiritual shield, which we assist. Even after they die, the wounded require special aid to pass on. Without help on the other side, or preparation beforehand… their souls are not safe.

“If a particularly wounded person lets down their guard to let spirits into their soul, they could be easily overcome. We must take precautions against this, and keep the walls of the other side guarded. We of the faithful have the ability to shut out the spiritual realm nearly completely, should it be necessary. Extreme emotions raise the risk of possession.”

“Soldiers coming,” Landi whispers in my ear. “Behind Kayk.”

“What would that do to a fox spirit that has manifested a body here?” I ask.

“Normally, Dorothea’s physical body would be put into a comatose state, disincorporate into mana and dissolve, or, if she is particularly intent on remaining here, potentially it may act as an anchor for her spirit. Her consciousness would then remain here in the physical world, but her connection to the spiritual would be sealed. She would lose access to magic, and if the severance was violent enough, it could be very traumatizing. She could lose a significant amount of her power, and ability to access the spiritual realm. Perhaps the damage could be permanent, if she is half on this side, half on the other. Worse-case, slamming the metaphorical gate down on her as she’s standing in it could cause a bifurcation of her soul.”

“Only if you need to isolate the spiritual realm to prevent possession, if there are extreme emotions from a wounded individual,” I say. “You said Petra had been most affected.”

“Serah,” Landi says, more urgently. “They’re coming in.”

“Is Petra here in Giornico?”

“Yes.”

“Lady Kensignton,” the sergeant from earlier booms. “Mayor Dumas extends his invitation.”

Just as the sergeant calls out to me, a magically conjured image and a few words pop up in my mind. It’s from Taranis, and it’s the Tweet spell he got permission to use to communicate with me. It’s a view of the marketplace, with Rae sitting in a few trees a half-mile away.

Fox tracks to market, the spell says.

Do I accept the soldier’s invitation and go to the Manor House?

No. Go to the market. Excuse yourself and say you need time to ponder what the mother superior has told you.

So they're worried about spirit possession of the refugees. Can Petra be quarantined and brought somewhere it is safe for Dotti to see her? Her loyalty for Petra and her capacity for magic would make her a dutiful guard fox for as long as the suppression need be lifted. Rae may also know a thing or two about spiritual combat.

Hell no. Go to the market and help find Dotti. This cannot wait, you do not have time to play the polite and friendly noble rn.

"Another time. I am here on personal business, and I'm afraid that I cannot spare a visit at this particular moment."

What if we send Landi over to Rae while we see the mayor? She should be able to help Rae out with magic, and she got the same info we just got from the sister about petra and the risks

>>1072030
Okay, so she's saying the clergy here pose a threat to Dotti. That doesn't explain why Petra meeting Dotti would be bad. Like, the clergy could just... not shut the gate while Dotti is there? It just means we need a controlled meeting, doesn't it? One with the clergy's permission? Tripping that protection would destroy us as well, wouldn't it...
Hmm, I wonder if Dotti could be convinced to not meet Petra in person. Long-distance communication like uh, through a magic mirror would be pretty good! And they can write letters.

Anyway, we have to keep Dotti under control so yeah, to the Market. It's rude but Kayk's presence should keep the soldiers from forcing the issue.

You would be delighted to accept the mayor's invitation, and you'll be right over there as soon as you take care of some business like stopping certain foxes from making terrible mistakes.

The hardest part about this is Dotti is going to have to learn that things cannot go back to what they were. Even if they could, the way things were is not what she remembers. Her memories of Petra are a nostalgia clouded fantasy of what Dotti wishes had been. If Dotti can come to terms with that, then they might even be able to have a tearful reunion, and she can finally rest easy knowing that she did her job and saved Petra from the soul reavers. If not, then Dotti's going to get resentful, someone's going to get hurt, and she's going to be stuck with the guilt and stigma that she isn't trustworthy, again.

Serah 2023/09/09(Sat)15:38 No. 1072039 ID: fb8a42
File 169429911714.png - (8.46KB , 330x344 , LF7 35.png )

Something tells me I haven’t learned all of Giornico’s secrets, but I only care about the ones that affect Dotti. I’m just happy I’ve gotten this information without incident.

“It appears I am wanted elsewhere,” I tell Mother Mabel. I get up and give a small curtsy, which she returns with a nod. “Thank you for everything you have done for Giornico.”

“And for Petra,” Landi adds softly.

I breathe a sigh of relief as I walk out of the church doors, much more comfortable now that Kayk is within distance of an easy getaway. Speaking of which…

“The Manor House is this way, Your Ladyship. Follow us,” says the sergeant.

“I shall,” I say, placing my hand on Kayk’s side, “As soon as I attend to a personal matter. Please inform Mayor Dumas that I shall join him later today, and appreciate his polite invitation.”

“You’re wanted now,” the sergeant says, stepping toward me. “Ma’am, I don’t advise keeping him waiting. I can’t let you run around without an honor guard, and my orders are to bring you to him right now.”

“And so you have,” I say. I place a hand on Kayk’s thigh, preparing to climb aboard. “There is no guard more honorable than Kayk, and I shall be with your Mayor soon. You have carried out your order ‘right now.’ ”

“Yeah! Tell him that it’s good enough for a graduate of fairy college!” Landi says.

Kayk cranes her head down and stares the sergeant right in the eye. I feel like I can see the flames dancing in his eyes as he remembers the Battle of Châlons.

“Bloody hell,” mutters the sergeant. “I can buy you three no more than two hours, you hear? Any longer, and the Mayor will take it personal and send you packing, no matter how far you’ve come.”

“Two hours will do,” I say, climbing aboard Kayk with prim and proper poise. We take off and leave the soldiers with Mother Mabel, who quickly engages them in conversation.

By this point, word has gotten out amongst the laity that a dragon has decided to visit Giornico. The market is starting to fill up with people, so we decide to land a fair distance away, near the treeline of the valley’s edge, as close to where I can guess Taranis’s mental image was. Fortunately, Taranis himself is flying above Rae to guide us in, so I don’t have to do much guesswork to find Rae, who hops aboard Kayk. She’s sweating and shivering, but climbs aboard like nothing is wrong. Still, I gesture her to wrap her arms around my waist as tight as she can for the short flight.

“We’re going to go find Dotti in the market,” I say as Kayk prepares to launch again. “Can Taranis contact Dotti with the spell to let her know we’re coming?”

“He already tried,” Rae croaks, “But we can’t tell if she’s not responding because she doesn’t notice, doesn’t know how, or doesn’t care.”

“I thought anyone who gets a tweet could respond with a mental image,” I say.

“You can’t do that unless you’re a follower of Odin,” Rae says. “You’re limited to five words or less to respond. Unless you make a donation in Odin’s name, then you get more. And can send images.”

“There’s a subscription fee to use a spell?” Landi asks.

“I’m not sure it’s money. I think it’s… a gift of knowledge, or… something secret and valuable.”

The flight over to the market is so short that we don’t even get to finish the conversation. Taranis swoops over the market stalls to start searching for Dotti, and I guide Kayk in a fair distance from the market center so we don’t cause a disturbance, and so I don’t have to dismount in the middle of a crowd. The crowd, thankfully, doesn’t come too far out of the market, but there are a few eager children rushing to meet us. There’s not much I can do but call out a warm welcome and put on my best gladhanding face as Rae slides down Kayk’s tail to conduct her own search.

“Landi,” I say, “Can you be the social butterfly and try to be the center of attention with Kayk? I’d rather have the attention on her, just in case we find Dotti. I’m hardly inconspicuous in this dress.”

“You got it! Easy peasy. But, uh, want me to Godmother you into something less noble?”

“No,” I say firmly. “Just be friendly and make sure people are comfortable around Kayk.”

Landi takes to the task with aplomb. I wave and smile with the crowd, and I get some stares, but by far the most attention is on Kayk, leaving me free to wander the market. It doesn’t take long for Rae to slip beside me and point out a fox nestled between crates of produce.

“She’s looking at the crowd and sniffing the air a lot. I think she’s picking up on Petra’s scent.

“She said she could smell ‘good people,’ ” I say. “I’ve always suspected she associated Petra’s scent with that. Maybe she’s picking up on Petra?”

Rae nods. She opens her mouth and gives something that sounds like a raspy, animalistic yip.

“What was that?”

Rae grimaces. “Sorry. Was supposed to be a gekker. This mutagen is messing with my vocal cords.”

“Couldn’t you just call out Dotti’s name?”

Rae blushes.

“Don’t bother,” a magically conjured voice giggles behind us. “C’mere! C’mere! Petra’s in Giornico, I know it! She’s been here! I can smell it! It’s different, but it’s her!”

Somehow, I in my dress and Rae with her scar manage to surreptitiously sneak behind the crates and join Dotti. It’s much easier when there’s a dragon on the other end of the market and a fairy living her best life.

Dotti knows Petra is in Giornico, but I haven't told her that Petra may need special care and be watched or defended by the Church. What is our plan?

Play the "That's Classified" game. See if you can get Dotti to realize what happened on her own.

Mabel needs to explain the situation to Dotti directly. If she can't, then her position is more tangled than she cares to admit. You also need to investigate why those soul raiders were there in the first place - whether or not Rae's family was involved. I expect her mother to be extra involved.

The plan is to find Petra and move her somewhere where the spirit wards can be lifted safely. Dotti needs to be alerted that there are other spirits hunting the refugees and that the church does not discriminate between good spirits and bad. Approaching the church’s wards could harm her permanently and we are working g on a solution to that.

Express very quickly how glad you are to have found her, informing her that if she'd made it to Petra first, she would have been caught in several spirit wards and had her soul split. Hopefully that will be enough to get her to stop and listen, while you explain the situation. Don't make it sound hopeless, like there's no way she can meet Petra. Just make it clear that there's a problem that you need to overcome to make it happen.

Emphasize one thing above all else though: Petra is alive, and she is here. Dotti did save her.

>>1072043
Pretty much this. but in a slightly different direction. First, lets tell her about how impressed you were that Dotti got this far here, and the spirit wards that could have hurt Dotti like Himitsu said, but let her know that you thought that maybe we can prepare a bit longer so that they can protect us from the spirit wards and so that her friends like you, Rae, Landi, Taranis, and Kayk could meet her together. If she is still deadset in finding Petra NOW, then ask her "wouldn't you want to introduce Petra to Kayk?" Kayk is like, Dotti's second favorite person, and I think she'd be convinced to wait a tiny bit longer for her sake.

I say we should only tell Dotti about Petra's condition when we are in the air riding Kayk so she doesn't get emotional amd escape again after hearing the bad news, that way we can be emotional support for her and keep her emotions under control. But let Dotti know that in the end, she WILL meet Petra while we are here and to not worry. She has to trust her friends that worked hard to help her get her this far. That is why we came here after all, and you'll see to it that she'll reunite with Petra.

Don't forget to praise Dotti for sniffing out that Petra is here. Praise goes a long way with people like her and Landi. Let her know about the wards here, which destroy her body, cut her off from her magic again, or uh, slice her soul in half, depending on how mortal she's feeling today.

When she's upset at that, tell her what you found, that the wounds inflicted by soul raiders can leave people with torn souls, even if they survive. They might never be the same, and the slightest spiritual activity can damage them worse. So the church made those wards because these people are in great danger if not protected from spirits at large.

Once she's figured that out, you'll need Dotti's help because something's not right here. They're hiding their own members from you, and the local mayor is sending soldiers to take you to his lair, or drive you out of town. You haven't seen any of these so-called victims, and the mayor is interrupting your search for Petra, probably unintentionally. You need Dotti to sniff out any funny business going on here while you visit with the mayor. But under no circumstances should she invade that church; it's extremely dangerous with lots and lots of hurting.

>>1072039
Tell Dotti she is in terrible danger. If she tries to meet Petra here BOTH of them could die, for reasons you have been sworn to secrecy about. Yes, she will be able to talk to Petra, and soon, but it might not be in person. You'll get a pair of scrying spheres or something for long distance communication. Also she needs to stay with you, and not use illusions to wander unattended, for her own safety. Actually it would be safest if she waited in the forest. Out of town. It is extremely dangerous for her here. Or, we could ask the clergy (or the Mayor?) for a safe location for her to wait, that wouldn't get her warded to death. Basically, our choices are for her to either leave town or become openly known so she doesn't get accidentally blasted.

...actually, how far can she project an illusion? Taranis can send her images via the Tweet spell so she can know how to control the illusion from a distance. Then she could be "present" when Sarah meets Petra.

WE, the spirits, will definitely not go anywhere near Petra. We could die too.

>>1072071

Oh right don't forget your oath of secrecy, because I completely and totally did.

>>1072072
most definetly this

Serah 2023/09/10(Sun)12:23 No. 1072118 ID: fb8a42
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Kneeling behind the crates and taking care not to dirty my dress, I give Dotti the best direction I can, while keeping my oath of secrecy. I’m not allowed to share what Mother Mabel told me after I swore it, but I’m freely able to share my own deductions prior to that, and encourage Dotti in figuring things out for herself.

“I’m impressed,” I tell Dotti. “It’s incredible how quickly you found Petra’s scent. You must be tired from running all the way here from the garrison.”

“I’ll run as far and as fast as it takes to find Petra,” Dotti beams. “She’s here, somewhere. I’ll find her! I just need to follow the person with the strongest Petra smell.”

“Trust your instincts,” I say, “But be very, very careful. You remember the spirit detector at the garrison? No one sets up just one trap for spirits, not when it’s that expensive. I’m relieved that you haven’t set any off yet.”

“Nothing will stop me from finding Petra,” Dotti says. “She’s alive! Serah, she’s alive! It was all worth it. Everything was worth it. Being with Landi was worth it. You helped me. Kayk helped me. We’re here now, and we’ll be together again, and we’ll both be safe and fed for the rest of our lives.”

Rae looks at me, eye narrowed. I can hardly blame Dotti for being overwhelmed, but I have to try and calm her down so she doesn’t charge straight into a spirit ward that could send her straight back to the other side- or worse.

“You’ve done so much for Petra, Dotti, and it’s all paid off,” I agree, intentionally not saying that I know for a fact that Petra is here thanks to Mother Mabel, but encouraging Dotti nonetheless. “Rae, Taranis, Kayk, me and Landi; we’ll all help you track Petra down. We’re your friends. We’re here for you, and to keep you safe. Not even I know exactly what kind of spiritual defenses Giornico has set up, and I just got done talking with the third highest-ranked Censor who lives here. There could be some extremely nasty traps for spirits like you if you charge in headfirst.”

“Nobody knows I’m here,” Dotti says. “I’ll sneak around the wards. I snuck back through death’s door, I can sneak past some Censors.”

“Censors might keep a better eye on their, um, doorways than death does,” I say. “I’m worried that censors who don’t know you’re with me might decide to take matters into their own hands. What if Petra is living next door to a Censor? You’d run into them eventually, especially if you want to gekker and laugh along with Petra, and introduce her to Kayk outside.”

“Oh.” Dotti’s smile fades slightly. “You can get permission for me to be here, right, Serah? I snuck in, but… you’re smart. And… Landi can sense magic and how people are doing, right? Can Landi help me sneak past wards?”

“We’d have to ask her, but she probably can,” I say. “That particular skill of hers doesn’t seem to need much training, thankfully. It’s like your instincts.”

“Dotti.” Rae puts a hand to her short sword. “If it comes to it, Taranis and I will keep you from being banished. If you stay close to us, no Censor will surprise you.”

“I sincerely hope it doesn’t come to that,” I say. “Dotti, we have a choice to make. We can bring you along and make your presence known, or we can keep you hidden, and Taranis can send short spells to keep you informed about where we are. Once we know if it’s safe, it’s easier to smuggle you in if you’re a fox. And, if you don’t mind, Dotti, may I ask a personal question?”

“Anything.”

“Would you prefer to see Petra again as you are now, or in a different form?”

“Um.” Dotti blinks. “I’ve worried… what if she doesn’t recognize me in my halfway form? Or what if she thinks I’m a freak? She knows me as a friendly fox.”

“People change,” I say. “Foxes change. You’ve become very comfortable at Kayk’s bakery as your three-tailed self. You don’t need to change who you are to try and be who you were so many years ago. You may have to accept that Petra has changed, too.”

“I’m not sure,” Dotti says. “Can… can I decide later?”

“Take all the time you need,” I say. “First, though, let’s decide on if you want to join me meeting the Mayor. I will protect you, and so will Rae and Kayk. Or you can stay safe in the woods and let us gather more information. You could stay in the market, but if a Censor spots you, I don’t know what would happen.”

Does Dotti decide to break stealth and join me in visiting the Mayor?

>>1072118
I think we should show Dotti. There's not much they can do to keep you away from Petra, especially since they can't risk moving Petra in her injured state. Laying our cards on the table will let us discuss a secure means of communication.

Let Dotti continue being stealthy with Taranis. Just like how we get more information, Dotti can sneak around and find information on her own too. I think we can trust Dotti to not run in to meet Petra without us with her stealth, and Taranis can help with the abilities he had gotten while "treasure" hunting to keep Dotti hidden

Plus, if the mayor gives us some bad news about Petra, it might get Dotti emotional, and he might say stuff that he wouldn't want dotti to hear if she isn't with us.

Don’t break stealth, the censors haven’t agreed to anything yet. Easier to ask forgiveness than permission.

>>1072121

I think showing Dotti is the play. While there are benefits to stealth, this meeting with Petra is likely only to happen if we can get the Censors to play along. On her own, Dotti could be discovered, or possibly even get into trouble herself due to being overexcited. Considering the potential consequences for being in the wrong place right now, we shouldn't take that risk.

>>1072118
>Does Dotti decide to break stealth and join me in visiting the Mayor?
Yes. The clergy know that Dotti killed the soul-eating spirits. They are grateful, they *like* her. Coming out of stealth will prevent accidents, and they might approach Dotti directly to tell her the details about their warding which we can't say right now.

>>1072121
This kome post is worryingly cogent, I agree with him

Serah 2023/09/24(Sun)20:39 No. 1073151 ID: fb8a42
File 169561318117.png - (33.46KB , 500x550 , LF7 37.png )

Rae, Dotti and I discuss strategy. The Censors know Dotti’s name. They know she’s extremely motivated to find Petra. Since they’ve told me that Petra is here in Giornico, they likely know Dotti was the one to kill the soul-eating abominations that attacked Petra. They’re also heavily invested in unknown types of anti-spirit defenses that don’t appear to be specifically targeting Dotti, but can potentially catch her by surprise if she barrels right into them… which is exactly what will happen if she zeros in on Petra’s scent.

Revealing that Dotti is here wouldn’t be a surprise to the Censors, but it would let Dotti stay close to me. Keeping Dotti close lets Landi feel around for wards and Censor magic that might harm Dotti, and makes it clear Dotti is under my (and Kayk’s, and Rae’s) protection. I’ve already gotten the biggest benefit of sneaking Dotti in, which is not being kept at the guardpost for hours and hours, and perhaps even being denied entry. It’s time to put all our cards on the table.

“Dotti,” I say, “I’m not sure what kind of defenses this valley has, so until we know, are you okay not using too much of your magic, if you don’t have to? If you want to transform, we might need to make sure nothing bad happens when you draw your power from the other side.”

Dotti nods. “I’ve been talking to you with my illusion magic and it hasn’t made anything nasty happen, but I’ll be careful until you say it’s safe.”

Rae is still sweating, so her fever hasn’t broken yet. “Rae, I trust that you know your limits,” I say. “If the Censors or anyone else move to banish Dotti, I trust that you won’t push yourself too far.”

Rae nods. She’s prideful, but not so prideful to object to a sensible request.

We come out from behind the crates and head back to Kayk and Landi’s sideshow. Dotti scampers along beside me, and for the second time in an hour I’m thankful Kayk is so terrifically good at being a distraction that no one cares about a Lady in a fancy dress escorting an elf and a dolled-up fox. We climb aboard Kayk, and suddenly I’m very grateful for the fact that I wore spats under the dress. In this scenario, better safe than sorry.

Landi says her goodbyes to what I presume are dozens of new friends and acquaintances. The crowd pulls back, disappointed that they have to say goodbye so soon, but Landi assures them she’ll drop by again.

“You’re all beautiful! Mwah! Mwah!” Landi says, giving exaggerated goodbye bows and blowing kisses with her wings. “We love you, Giornico!”

“Landi,” I whisper as the crowd backs up, “This is important. I need you to feel out as far as your senses can go, and see if Kayk is about to plow into any kind of anti-spirit magic or wards. Can you do that?”

“If she flies really, really slow,” Landi says. “Yeah. There’s something weird about this whole valley, like somebody put a blanket over all the background birds chirping and bees buzzing, but… yeah I should be able to do that. I gotcha.”

Kayk takes off in a low, looping flight path that gives us a moment to collect our bearings as we circle around to the Manor House, flying as close to a stall as she can. It drains her stamina to flap her wings just to stay aloft, but she gives Landi as much lead time as possible to try and pick up any nasty defenses. Once Landi is sure there isn’t an aerial defense around the Manor that might hurt Dotti, Kayk charts a course to set down on the dirt path outside the manor’s entrance, where the Mayor and his entourage are waiting. That’s nice; Kayk’s slow, obvious flight path gave the Mayor enough time to set up and make it clear he’s supposed to wait for us is a delightful, if accidental, power move on my part. If anyone asks, it was all part of the plan.

“Are you ready, Dotti?” I ask. “These people are the ones who know where everyone in town is.”

“Petra!” Dotti’s tail wags back and forth faster than I’ve ever seen it go. “They know where she is! I can’t wait! I can’t!”

“Please let me introduce you,” I say. “Once that’s done, if they ask you questions, of course you can answer them.”

“Okay!”

At last, we set down. I spy a Censor wearing the white collar of authority- that must be the number one or number two in ecclesiastic command of Giornico. Mayor Dumas, recognizable with his elected official’s sash, waits for us to dismount and walk around Kayk before approaching. I hold Dotti tight, placing her in the position of honor of being carried. How many people can say they’ve been carried by a Lady while she’s acting in her official capacity as an ambassador?

“Welcome to our humble manor, Lady Kensington, and to your most brilliant fairy companion and elven honor guard. Kayk Terrorscale, your presence here warms us all.” Mayor Dumas says. He is a middle-aged man with impressively combed hair and a wide, warm smile. “However… the sergeant at the gatehouse did not have the pleasure of meeting your fashionably furred companion. I find myself at a loss, my Lady.”

“No dangerous magic here. Not even from priesty dude,” Landi whispers, so soft I can barely hear.

Perfect.

I hold Dotti up proudly, both of us smiling.

I’ve always wanted to introduce a small, furry companion like this!

How do I introduce Dotti to the most important people in Giornico, the ones who hold the key to finding Petra?

Let Dotti introduce herself. She's had enough training from Kayk on cutsomer service to introduce herself properly.

Just make sure Dotti doesn't transform into humanoid, she's naked right now after all.

At most, just say "I'd like to introduce you to Dotti. Say hello, Dotti!"

Go big or go home.

"This is my daughter, Dotti."

Behold Dotti, master of illusions, slayer of wraiths! Isn't she the most precious fox you've ever seen? Then wave her paw hello.

>>1073151
>There’s something weird about this whole valley, like somebody put a blanket over all the background birds chirping and bees buzzing
Hmmm, that's odd. There might be a large-scale ward in place. Maybe that's what was foiling the scrying attempt?

>introduction?
"Presenting Dorothea, slayer of soul-eaters, waitress at a dragon's bakery, and generally well-behaved fox spirit."

>>1073154
Yes.

Serah 2023/09/29(Fri)21:43 No. 1073586 ID: fb8a42
File 169604902389.png - (13.27KB , 500x500 , LF7 38.png )

I have the strongest desire to introduce dotti as my little fuzzy fox daughter, but I shove the intrusive thoughts aside. This is Dotti’s moment. She is cute and fluffy and deserves the highest of honors, nothing less, and I won’t mess it up for anything.

“This is Dorothea, slayer of soul-eaters, master of illusions, waitress of La Pâtisserie de Minga, and the world’s first socialite fox spirit. Say hello, Dotti!”

I can’t help it. I wave her little paw and she is so adorable and oh no I messed it up aahhhhhh

“Hello, Mayor Dumas! I am all of these wonderful things. You may put me down now, Lady Kensington,” Dotti says with her illusion magic, allowing herself to be placed on the ground to escape my paw-waving with her dignity intact. She saunters up to the Mayor, tail held high. “I would like to see Petra, please. You may know her as the sweetest and most generous and best and kindest person in Giornico. Also the world.”

“My goodness! Our Petra must be quite the woman,” the Mayor laughs. “I am honored to meet one of your talents, Dotti. And may I say, your coat is radiant, Miss Dotti. ”

Dotti accepts this praise with supreme grace.

“I know two women named Petra in our humble parish,” says the Mayor, “But you’ve made it clear, Miss Dotti, that only one fits your description. Pastor Pryce, which woman would you say our guest would like to meet?”

The Censor steps forward, joining the mayor. “Lady Kensington,” he says, acknowledging me before joining the mayor and Dotti. “My colleagues at the Church’s universities have let us know you may be visiting, Dorothea, and your companions. On behalf of the Church, please accept my apologies for their inability to aid you more directly than they have. They are sworn to secrecy on these matters, and I am sure you would agree that knowledge of the soul-devouring horrors should remain so.”

A hand brushes my elbow softly. Raelynn is beside me. When did that happen?

“We named them the Horrors,” Pastor Pryce looks to Raelynn. “But your elven companion would know them as the Airceacháin, I think.”

Raelynn narrows her eyes, which is as big a tell as I’ve seen her give anywhere else.

“We owe you a great debt, Dorothea,” Pastor Pryce says. “Your love, light, and life saved many here from a terrible fate. It was your bond with Petra, and your willingness to sacrifice yourself for her, that allowed you to slay the Horrors and for Petra to persevere. I am sure you would like nothing more than to see her again.”

“Yes!” Dotti lets out an excited squeal, and Sweet Savior, Landi does a small one too.

“Unfortunately, it is not so simple,” the Pastor says. “There are complications. Uncomfortable ones.”

“I don’t care,” Dotti says. “Take me to Petra right now! Please!”

The priest steeples his hands and whispers a soft prayer, and Rae immediately tenses up. Landi swoops beside Rae, whispering in her ear quickly, and Rae relaxes slightly, but not entirely. I raise my eyebrow at Landi, and she flutters over to me.

“Anti-mind-control,” she whispers. “He doesn’t trust her.”

“For both your safety and Petra’s,” Pastor Pryce says, “I will need to seal your power for a time before you see her. You will be unable to use spells, shapeshift, or do anything a normal fox would not be able to.”

“Hey!” Landi says. “Kayk can shapeshift too! Are you gonna try and bind a friggin’ dragon too? Or me! I glow! I’m super magical! What’s your angle?”

“It is more complicated than simply bringing Dotti to Petra. By even speaking, Dotti is drawing power from the spiritual realm. It would cause her pain, attract attention from the other side, were Dotti to do so in her presence. We have precautions against this pain, but they would not be kind to spirits like Dotti.”

“No shapeshifting at all?” Landi asks again. “You’d really make her run around as a fox? She’s, like, a multi-formed cutie, you should see her waitress form. Would she be able to change forms now, if she wanted to?”

“I would very much prefer she didn’t,” says the Pastor. “Anything that draws too much energy from the spiritual realm in this place causes ripples we don’t need reverberating outward.”

“I have mana potions,” I offer. “Surely she could use localized energy instead.”

“Only if it is absolutely necessary, and done in an isolating circle,” the Pastor says begrudgingly. “Still, I will insist on binding her use of magic outside of such circles. This holy symbol will ensure it, and only I or Father Forthill may remove it.”

He kneels down to Dotti and offers her the holy symbol. Dotti is suspicious, but she’ll do anything to see Petra.

Should I allow this to happen?

>>1073586
is the fact that only you two will be able to remove a legal requirement or because its cursed and literally cannot be removed by others? Because one of these things is acceptable, the other is an obvious attempt to permanently disable and possibly kidnap a close friend and ally of mine.

Ask if you can test it real quick, and wear it, for Dotti's sake. If he asks why, mention how you had that spirit meter go off on you earlier, and you as someone of science and alchemy, want to see how it works.

My main reason tho: I kinda wanna see what effect it has on us suggestors, who are also spirits and see if it is safe for Dotti. And we can have Taranis verify if anything bad happens to us, and in which case, whether we can have Dotti wear it or not.

Taranis, you can hear us. if something bad happens to us, please immediately warn the others.