It's not being smug, its Fox Wisdom. Of course she is serious

-Bluffing and fluffing.
-Dotti is wearing the fanciest set of fashionable adventurer athletic wear: a puffy sleeved blouse, a corset and strapped with twin swords, knee high boots paired with tight shorts both laced to the dickens.
-Serah is wearing dungarees and a plain brown tee shirt that says IGNORE ME.

>>1105502
Daw.
Shes so dang floofy...

If sera has a chance the smart thing to wear would be
Tight clothing.
Tunic, cloth, and doe skin hose.
Less flowy stuff and moving pieces, more simple.

But dotti is very confident and eager to back that up...
Sera may not get a chance to stop her doing something...
Truly scamdalous.
Or glamdarous.
Or both.

Dotti is definitely serious. I think Serah might need to give her access to a mirror? Dotti might need to rearrange her floof if her plan of *spicy undies distraction* is meant to work. I think Dotti is really confident in her power! She would definitely illusion something cute, frilly and intricate for herself at least. I dunno if she would force her style on Serah, but it’d be funny if she did.

Dotti is illusioning a polka-dotted kimono with bells on her ears, to prove a point.

Serah gets a dancers outfit, Dotti saw some traveling dancing performers the other day, and was impressed enough to have Serah wear one! It’s a little scandalous tho, but people might just see Serah as a performer

Dotti is serious

1. Dotti is definitely not bluffing

2. Nothing too complicated, but definitely cuter than whatever she makes for Serah. Maybe a few frills.

3. Something totally plain and boring for Serah. Drab and uncool.

Dotti is fully confident
Which is why she'll give Serah the shiniest, flowiest dress.
And a nice cloak for herself, with little fox-head cloak pins

1: Dotti feels reasonably confident in her plan. She has unwavering faith in her natural fox floofiness!

2: >>1105510 Polt's suggestion is perfect, no notes.

3: Dotti's illusion for Serah is basically just a scaled-up version of Landi's simple napkin dress. It's plain and unassuming, which will hopefully help Serah blend into the background.

>>1105510
I like this answer for 2, my suggestion for 2 is now this answer.

Some Tall Dancing Girl 2025/03/29(Sat)11:47 No. 1105554 ID: 802951
File 174327402896.png - (149.63KB , 610x889 , LD_6.png )

I’ve never seen Dotti this confident in a bluff, if it is a bluff. She looks serious.

Oh, she’s serious.

“Just show me the illusion,” I sigh, and Dotti gets right to work. She summons up a kimono and a pair of bells to go with it, but I nix those right away. I don’t want her focusing on making sure those bells jingle, and she obligingly vanishes them away.

When she conjures my clothes, I get… something barely better than the bikini and cobbled-together sarong I’m wearing now.

“I gave you a pretty veil!” Dotti declares. “Now no one will recognize you.”

“No one will recognize the six-foot-seven blonde girl?” I say skeptically.

“You’re a performer now, not a noble! No one would look twice!”

I’m tired of arguing. I just grab a big pile of fetid laundry, stuff it into a few sacks, and hand one to Dotti. I really wish we had Landi’s inventory magic right now, but it’s not so bad considering it’ll make Dotti appreciate Landi more, too. She’ll need to carry laundry too, even if her strength is far below mine. She needs to pitch in for what she’s done.

“Where can we get to this magical laundromat?”

“There’s a good place a street or two for me to sneak us into CRUST CITY! Momo taught me, don’t worry, it’s easy! I think. I just gotta remember exactly where it is…”

I really don’t want to go out like this during market day, but it it’s only a street or two… we’ll make it quick.

Does Serah run into anyone (or anybird) she recognizes in Minga, or does she successfully make it to Dotti’s portal-summoning location without incident?

Why look, it's Anita! I hope her underwear isn't in your laundry pile.

>>1105555
This! so hard!

Also, Dotti, are you gonna let Serah doubt your skills like that? every now and then when Serah isn't looking, get those bells back on. Be sure to unillusion them whenever serah is looking like the sneaky fox you are

>>1105554

Yeah let's run into Anita. That should be fun. :)

>>1105558
I concur!

Just to be a contrarian, I say that these two don't run into ANYONE they're familiar with, and just have a nice stealthy walk over.

I say they are met by the ever effervescent apricot who was flying by and saw the absolutely stunningly dressed dotti.
Its a strange get up theyre wearing, they must be going somewhere interesting and shes a curious bird gal who wouldnt want this mystery to go unanswered.

Some Oddly Familiar Dancing Girl 2025/04/05(Sat)21:54 No. 1105916 ID: 802951
File 174391528773.png - (27.21KB , 688x808 , LD_7.png )

“Are we there yet?” I ask, hauling my laundry bag over my shoulder, hunching as low as I can. Why didn’t I ask Dotti to change my hair color? Or make me look shorter? Ugh! I don’t want to distract her, not now.

“Almost,” Dotti says. “It’s just down that alleyway, there’s lots of trash bins her that are full of stuff people should NEVER be throwing away! Like the one behind this one shop that sometimes-“

“Dotti, please stay focused.”

“I’m fine! I swear I’ll never get distracted or- Oh! It’s Anita. Hi, Anita!”

Ahh! Why is Dotti talking to people?! Why?!

“Dotti? Oh! It is you,” a redheaded girl says. “Um, hello. That’s a very nice outfit you have on. Are you… performing?”

Anita tugs on her blouse. It’s terribly undersized, and her skirt is too short for her height, plus it doesn’t coordinate with her hat. Is she having a bad laundry day, too? Is she coming to this laundromat with us? I really hope not- I can’t be recognized, not by an adventurer. I don’t see her carrying any sacks...

“I sure am!” Dotti says. “This is my dancing partner.”

“Dancing partner?” Anita cocks her head to one side. “She seems awfully familiar, like this other tall blonde girl I know…”

I need to derail her train of thought, FAST!

What do I do?

Well you know wizards, she probably keeps it all in a bag where it shrinks down to fit or something.
"Oh well, I'm probably taller! I don't know anyone as tall as me, and that's before I put on heels, haha!"
Nudge Dotti to make you taller.

>>1105916
Oh shit.
Panic.
What wouldnt you do if you were disguised as a dancing girl?
Thats it!
Dance!
Do the dance of the seven veils with various small items of laundry.
Thats the one where you waft them about between you and the audience obscuring your features.

Hang on...
You -could- do something sneaky instead.
Do avpassible impression of someone you can do and say.
"Hey, its really me", and pass yourself off as whover it is youre impersonating.
Tell them your doing laundry and dotti is helping by illusioning you a disguise.
Truth and lie mixed together.
Victimless crime until your impressionee finds out.

Serah: "... you're not hiding more than one meat mountain in other people's closets... are you?

Divert her attention by pointing out that you can see her bra through her shirt.

Quick ask why she's not wearing a bra

>>1105921
I support both ideas here, impersonating someone and dancing. Serah would never dance provocatively, not dancing would make her more suspicious. Dotti can dance too to help sell the performance.

>>1105926
Good idea, but maybe we can do that as a last resort if she figures out Serah's identity. Like, we won't tell she's wearing something risky if she doesn't spread rumors about us. save our ammo

Quickly compliment her hat.

Nikki the Barmaid 2025/04/12(Sat)15:48 No. 1106163 ID: 802951
File 174449813816.png - (18.06KB , 560x428 , LD_8.png )

I gotta come up with a cover identity, fast! Who's a tall blonde girl I know? Gah, I don't know any... but Landi does!

"It's me, Nikki!" I lie through my teeth. "Don't you remember? The serving girl from that... bar... that a blue fairy likes! I'm working on my dancing. See?"

I start dancing. I don't know if it's good. But I really, really hope that Dotti's illusion can keep up. And...

Dotti is dancing too. Her illusion isn't disappearing. She's... actually having fun? Is she enjoying seeing me debase myself like this?!

UGH.

"Oh! Nikki! I'm sorry I didn't recognize you when I'm standing up, and you're not, um, in your barmaid outfit." Anita clears her throat and glances at my laundry bad. "Well. It looks like we're both on our way to do some errands. Would you like some company on the walk? There's some shady characters hanging around the alleys these days..."

OH NO. If Anita follows us to the spot where Dotti takes us to CRUST CITY, then I really have to worry about her mana running out and Anita seeing the embarrassing ensemble I put together under the illusion. But if there really are shady characters in the alleys, that could be dangerous too.

Should I accept Anita's escort to the spot in the ALLEY where Dotti can take me and her to CRUST CITY? Anita will (probably) not be coming with us to cross the dimensions.

Decline the offer! You'll be sure to dance the pants off any shady characters.

I think Anita already knows who you are, just take her help.

What are the odds she'd be going to the same city you are? Plus with you dressed the way you are, it'd certainly attract shady people in the alley. It'd probably be worse if shady people found out you were Serah than Anita does.

Not that you're not strong enough to defeat any bad people who approaches you, but being in a fight would distract Dotti's illusion

Safety in numbers. And surely the laundry she's headed for won't be on the exact same route that Dotti is taking you, thus making you unable to politely part ways and instead bringing her along.

>>1106163
Would nikki accept this offer?
Thats the real question...
A barmaid must be able to handle shady customers but would also be savvy enough to spot a bad idea and avoid it.

Id say if nikki is that confident barmaid type say no.
If she isnt, nervously and gratefully accept.
With luck dotti can handle the extra magical burden

Accept the offer. She may have good reasons to be concerned, and you aren't exactly prepared to deal with creeps along the way. You aren't exactly packing your weaponry, and Dotti's magic is currently being channeled to keep your illusory clothes on. It's worth bringing her.

Nikki the Barmaid 2025/04/14(Mon)22:30 No. 1106283 ID: 802951
File 174469503909.png - (16.44KB , 542x600 , LD_9.png )

Think, Serah, think! What would a beautiful barmaid do when she's wandering through an alley?

"O-of course I'll accept an escort from a powerful witch like you!"

Was that flirty? It sounded flirty. Gah! Wait, I'm a barmaid, isn't that in character? Yeah.

Wait, is that a...

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" I scream!

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Anita screams!

"DINNER!" Dotti screams!

"Hand over your valuables to the noble Robin Hoodie," the bird rasps, "And nobody has to get scratched. Take from the rich, give to the poor, is what the noble adventurer does! Yesss..."

Oh no, no, no! Dotti's gonna lose focus on the illusion, and these birds are hardened criminals! Anita is preparing a wind spell, but her skirt is far too short, and her blouse far too tight, for her to really cut loose with her wind magic in the narrow alleyway. We're doomed!

What would Nikki do?

Nikki would grab Dotti and hold her back from pouncing at the birbs, since she'd obviously be worried about letting her get hurt while with her. Have you SEEN Dotti's companions? What's worse, getting burned by a dragon, having your life systematically ruined by a ticked-off Kensington, or gaining the ire of an elf?

Let Anita wind blast them. Sure, it'll be less effective here, and the contained wind maaaaay blow Anita's own clothes off, but she's a seasoned adventurer who should be able to factor such things in when making decisions. Consider it a learning opportunity for her if it doesn't work. It's not like this TOTAL STRANGER seems like that big of a threat, you can totally step in if you gotta.

Plus, y'know... Illusory clothes aren't gonna get blown away if Anita fucks up, so it's not like YOU have anything to worry about.

Shut up! It's been a bad day, and you deserve to be a little selfish!

Your outfit isn’t real and thus cannot be scratched. Launch yourself fearlessly at the hooded cultist!

>>1106283
"Save us, Anita!"
Try to keep Dotti out of it, because I kinda doubt she can use fire magic and also maintain both of your illusions.

Ask: “Apricot, Autumn, what are you doing?”

>>1106283
Shed say "buddy, i work in a bar. I have no damn valuables. Even if i did, wheredya think im carrying them?"
With a hand on her hip and an accusatory finger pointed.
Dress down the hoodie. Serve up a tankard of defiance Extra sass, hold the restraint.

Lady, what valuables? It is laundry day, do YOU see any pockets in these clothes?

Nikki the Barmaid 2025/04/22(Tue)20:50 No. 1106742 ID: 802951
File 174538023933.png - (9.89KB , 443x333 , LD_10.png )

I quickly grab Dotti around the shoulders and put on my best barmaid sass to try and defuse the situation.

“Girl, do I look like I have any valuables? I’m d-damn broke as a joke. This sack is full of gross socks.”

“We’ll take them!” a tiny magpie chimes in from Robin Hoodie’s shoulder.

“Oh, for the love of- let me.”

Anita lets her wind spell fly! It catches both birds right in the center of their torsos. Dotti’s and my illusory outfits are unharmed, but I think my real, improvised one is rustling a bit too much from this… I wish I could see it.

The birds crash to the alley floor, hoodies being pulled back by the wind to reveal a familiar face from the adventuring guild.

“Apricot?” Anita says, her tone scolding. “Why are you doing this?”

“Aífe said adventurers rob from the rich and give to the poor. And it’s true!” Apricot mutters. “I just wanted to have some adventures close to home, is all.”

“It’s still illegal,” I say. “This is inexcusable behavior. Taking advice from a mischievous magpie, you should know better.”

“Let me gnaw on her leg a little! She deserves it!” Dotti says, smacking her chops. “I promise I won’t bite too hard.”

“I’m not a chicken dinner,” Apricot whimpers. “I’m skinny and fit and way too tough for your, um, refined tastes, Miss Dotti.”

“I have a better idea,” Anita says, looking down on Apricot with an imperial glare. “That magpie is friends with Taranis. She ‘negotiated’ the release of a huge pile of certain magical unmentionables.”

“Can’t blame a bird for having a silver tongue,” Aífe says, hopping atop Apricot’s shoulder. “They don’t teach you hostage negotiation at witchy college, do they? And apparently you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel, outfit-wise. Taranis and I really did a number on your wardrobe, huh?”

“You really should choose your company more carefully,” Anita says. “Apricot, if you want out of this, you’re going to need to reimburse me for this attempted mugging. And you know what they say; turnabout is fair play…”

Apricot gives a panicked cheep. “Y-you wouldn’t… not my unmentionables… right?”

“I would.”

“M-Miss barmaid!” Apricot throws herself on her knees in front of me. “These girls are being mean to me. It was just an adventure. Adventurers get into all kinds of mischief at bars. You understand, don’t you? Please, save me!”

Decisions, decisions…


1. Let Dotti have dinner
2. Let Anita have payback
3. Let Apricot have adventures

>>1106742
2

Let apricot have her adventure, while taking your attention away from Dotti long enough for her to bite the leg

3) she can have the adventure of carrying the laundry. Just as far as the portal, and surely nothing contrived will make her come with.

2. Apricot wanting to go on adventures is all find and dandy, but her execution of that desire was immediately "let's rob people in an alleyway". Not exactly behavior we should be encouraging. And we REALLY shouldn't be encouraging her to take advice from Aife, as that magpie is nothing but trouble.

Honestly, Anita's request is pretty reasonable. The only reimbursement she wants for this failed mugging attempt are Apricot's undergarments, the value of which are bound to be far below anything Apricot would have gotten away with had her attempt been successful. Replacing them won't set Apricot back by an unreasonable amount, so the main cost will just be the shame she feels surrendering her lingerie.

And besides that, this is just the standard compensation for losing an encounter with Anita. You get beat by the wind witch, and then she takes your panties. You could base a whole quest around that concept.

Apricots panties shall be ours!

I wonder where Autumn is... probably did not approve of this adventure and stayed back.

Tell Apricot she can either let Anita have her payback, or you and Dotti will tell Lady Kensington about this, and she wouldn't want someone as powerful as Serah with a lot of sway in Minga to know about this, would she? After all, adventurers have to know the consequences for failure, right?

1.

Birds are nothing but trouble and never learn unless you punish them properly. Some light chewing from Dotti will put the fear of ... Dotti in them, which will be effective, I swear.

2.

>>1106742
Nooo.
Not a sad bird.
3. All the 3. Extra 3.
I...
Hang on.
Im being emtionally manipulated arent I?
Dammit.
Rescind that 3. Turn it into a 2.
Heroes also bear responsibility stoicly.
2!
Unmentionables for justice!

2
The law exists for a reason >:3