Slinkoboy 2010/08/30(Mon)19:18 No. 223825 ID: 6547ec
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He throws the necklace at Shela's feet and begins to ride off.

This is such an insult. Shela doesn't want to let him get away with this, but the only person who can catch up to him is the bird. Relying on him leaves a bad taste in her mouth.

"I know what I am now! I'm a majickal pretty ninja princess~! What should I do with all these guns, mommy?"

Rearming them probably isn't a good idea. If shela doesn't run after Deylin, she'll have to think of the best way to explain to the guards what just happened.

>>223825
You don't want to rely on the person who could actually do this because... why?

Slinkoboy 2010/08/30(Mon)19:44 No. 223846 ID: 6547ec
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>>223826
It... It's complicated.

He's just... too nice. Too likable. If this were somebody's story, they'd be accused of making him their self-insert.

"I see him! With one hit of my firepunch I can have him down in seconds. Just give the word. Or, um, ask Jiniki to give the word. Since you can't."

Shela decides that if it's the best thing to do, she'll let him handle it.

just stop him, you'll take care of the rest once you catch up.

>>223846
Just let him do it, and for the guns, it would be nice if Dilia had a weapon right now, you too if you can use one.

No.

You know why? Because this is a learning experience. You won't always have the bird there. You won't want to rely on your daughter and aside from that, you are supposed to be the example.

Have the bird stop him, speak your piece, then let it be.

>>223846
Dont hurt the guy, but get the lizard back. See how well he does back on foot again.

>>223846
We stop him, yell at him, then leave. Also, he needs to tell us the story straight this time. No way are we just gonna let him go without knowing what's up.

>>223846
Whatever else you do, get the lizard back. :v

However, let's not be stupid - if he somehow threatens us go ahead and knock him out.

...I think him keeping the lizard might work out for the best, honestly. He might actually need it to get away.

Slinkoboy 2010/08/31(Tue)19:52 No. 224282 ID: 6547ec
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>>223847
>>223853
>>223900
With confirmation, Sekani catches up to him.

"What the-- what the hell are you!?" Deylin asks out of surprise.

"Hey there. I think you should stop trying to run away."

"Get away from me! Shoo, bird! Shoo!"

Slinkoboy 2010/08/31(Tue)19:53 No. 224283 ID: 6547ec
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"No, really. You better stop or else I might explode right next to you~"

"What the fuck!? All right! Fine! Don't explode! I'm stopping!"

Slinkoboy 2010/08/31(Tue)19:54 No. 224284 ID: 6547ec
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"I stopped him for you~" the bird says happily.

"I should have known he was working for you."

"Don't you try anything!" Shela shouts, holding up one of the Diuban Rifles. "I have a gun and I'm almost fairly certain I could figure out how to use it if you gave me a minute!"

"Okay, you've got me. I probably should have known you'd have some kind of mutated on-fire Tezakian on your side."

"Yes, you really should have seen that coming. Now tell us the truth. Why do you need that mine so badly? Why is the government after you?"

"All right, fine."

Slinkoboy 2010/08/31(Tue)19:56 No. 224286 ID: 6547ec
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"My family aren't farmers, we're members of the church. It took some doing, but we eventually got enough money to obtain a mine. With it, we hoped to make the money required to begin a major campaign to get the right people elected. People who care about the land.

However, the government stopped our plans by citing an ancient law. Members of the Church aren't allowed to own land for the sake of profit. They demanded the deed and we didn't have the power to fight them, so I took the deed and ran.

We need that mine if we're even to begin getting the money together. I know I haven't been totally honest with you, but you have to believe me. I just want to preserve our sacred land!"

Shela motions for Deylin to get off the lizard as he talks. Euch-- it licked her!

"It's sooooo cuuuute~" Jiniki sings.

"Frankly, at this point I don't really care," Shela says. "You can pretty much go do whatever you want."

"I appreciate that. Um, if I can ask one more small favor, would you mind distracting the guards so I can get away? I can't outrun them without the Lizard. I swear I'll repay you one day."

>>224286
whatever, I guess. We'll probably have to deal with them before we go anywhere anyway.

By the way, what makes Deylin so sure he can make it to the prime minister? Wouldn't he be somewhere towards the center of the capitol of a nation that he's now a wanted criminal in?

>>224284

Jiniki, ask Sekani why he isn't wearing his awesome pants.

Shela, go ahead and let him go, not because you want his help in the future, but because he's seen a lot of majicka use by now, and you really need people in the world who are tolerant of the stuff. I'd say try to win over the guards, but using majicka against them, and then taking their guns... not to mention what might happen if they ever learn about the one we sent to Tayza. So yeah, unless we plan on clean slating this and taking them all out, we need at least one friendly out of this mess.

Wait, go ahead and ask for that favor now. Get him to preach about peace and junk. Maybe this could indirectly influence the anti-war efforts you're going about.

Oh, and don't feel bad about not being Sekani. He pees himself when he gets scared, and gets stuck in windows due to his huge butt. You only do one of those.

>>224286
Actually you might want to let him keep the Lizard in case there's more guards he has to get away from later.

Whisper SECRET INSTRUCTIONS to Mister Lizard, then allow Deylin to take him.

Nah, keep the lizard. Dilia has to get back somehow.

Suggestion 2010/09/01(Wed)22:39 No. 224855 ID: 6547ec
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>>224335
"Okay, mister lizard. When the time is right, execute Order 66."

It doesn't seem to understand. Or perhaps it knows all too well the importance of keeping this plan secret.

Suggestion 2010/09/01(Wed)22:39 No. 224856 ID: 6547ec
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>>224303
"What makes you sure you can even get to the prime minister?" Shela asks.

"Don't worry about me. It's still early enough that most of the police don't know I have a warrent. Besides, I have a lot of friends on my side. They'll ensure I make it safely to him."

>>224325
>>224306
"All right. I guess you need this guy more than we do. Go ahead and take him."

"What, really? After what I did to you?"

"Yes, but Listen to me. This bird, and my daughter, are ki-jaara."

"We're also called majibeasts!" Sekani interrupts.

Shela explains to Deylin about majibeasts, majicka, and the goals of Zalika.

"I see," he says after a moment. "I don't fully understand, but you have my word. I will do everything I can to help you guys out."

He nods at them, then quickly remounts the lizard and rides off.

Suggestion 2010/09/01(Wed)22:39 No. 224857 ID: 6547ec
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>>224529
Shela discovers a slight problem with what she just did.

>Jiniki, ask Sekani why he isn't wearing his awesome pants.
"Where are your pants, mister birdie? You seemed super happy to get them!"

"They're being washed. A clean bird is a happy bird~"

>Oh, and don't feel bad about not being Sekani. He pees himself when he gets scared, and gets stuck in windows due to his huge butt. You only do one of those.
Ha, ha. Shela's heard enough about her well-endowed abdomen for one day.

"So, bird." Shela says.

"Sekani." He corrects.

"Sekani. Would you mind accompanying Dilia back home? She's going to need some extra supplies anyway and you'll be in a position to call for some."

"I dunno," Dilia says. "That might be...awkward."

"Why?" Shela asks.

"Well, we were... I mean, I..."

"Don't worry, it'll be fun~" Sekani says cheerfully.

"Um... All right," Dilia replies shyly.

Suggestion 2010/09/01(Wed)22:40 No. 224858 ID: 6547ec
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Shela heads back to deal with the guards.

"Just what were you trying to do!?" the skinnier male asks. "Don't think we'll let you get away with this just because we're unarmed!"

"I dunno," the larger male says. "That weird insect took our guns with its mind, and that bird caught fire. I don't think we're paid enough for this."

"Don't be such a wimp! We can take them!"

"I'm pretty sure we can't."

It would be incredibly easy to overpower the guards, but Shela would prefer a more...diplomatic resolution to this.

Shela: Offer to return their weapons.
Jiniki: Crush the more fragile bits of this gun. Throw the remains back.
Shela: Ask if they're sure there's no peaceful way around this.

Laugh maniacally and DESTROY THEM!

Oh wait, no, that's a terrible idea. You really don't have a good excuse. Take the darts out of the guns and then return them. Explain that you understand you broke their law but that you did what you felt was necessary under the circumstances. They did just fire at your bird for basically no raisin.

>>224858
How about, uh...

"Okay we're gonna give you your guns back, and then we're gonna, um, go, and none of us will ever mention this again."

Or something.

>>224951
Yes, they attacked us first. Why did they even do that? It's like they knew we were coming and then decided to open fire without trying to talk to us.

>>224951

This. Also, make a slight show of reassuring Jiniki. Let the Big Tough Guy know that he's threatening a mother and daughter.

And if that fails, have Jiniki pants them or something. Diubans get all weird about nudity, and they probably won't want to fight. Plus, by that point, the truth of what happened may be sufficiently embarrassing for them to keep the story to themselves... or at least embellish to the point where it would be easy to disprove.

Slinkoboy 2010/09/03(Fri)18:16 No. 225491 ID: 6547ec
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>>224960
"Excuse me, but you attacked us first." Shela says.

"What? That weird mutant Tezakian flew at us at insane speed! We weren't sure he wasn't hostile!"

"You still shot at him," Shela replies.

"Come on, be fair. We were using tranq darts. They would have just made him fall asleep."

"And we simply removed your weapons so you'd stop shooting at us. You'll notice you're all unharmed. You'll also notice we're not moving to attack you."

Slinkoboy 2010/09/03(Fri)18:16 No. 225493 ID: 6547ec
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>>225027
"I'm just a mother who's traveling with her daughter. I didn't want to get caught up in all of this."

The female objects. "But you let Minister Seneiri get past us! You were clearly helping him."

"I had no choice. He stole something precious and I had to get it back. He...took off immediately after, and we lost track of him before we could stop him."

>>224952
Shela continues, "We'll return your guns. We just want to continue our journey and we'll leave you be."

The thinner male speaks up. "We can't just let you go!"

"I think we should," the larger male responds. "This isn't worth losing our lives over."

They argue for a few minutes, but eventually decide that they'll let Shela and her gang go with a warning.

"Um, do I give these back now, mommy?"

"Yes..."

>>224951
"...But take the darts out first just in case."

"Okay~"

Slinkoboy 2010/09/03(Fri)18:21 No. 225496 ID: 6547ec
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"Well, I guess this is where we part ways," Shela says.

"You know..." Sekani smiles a bit. "You can come back with us if you want."

"I couldn't. All I've done is cause you guys pain and sadness. The only way to make things better is to disappear and help people under a new identity."

"I think you're wrong," Sekani says. "You helped an entire camp of Tezakians avoid marching to their doom. You sent them to us, doubling our numbers. You've already helped us a lot."

"They gave me a second chance," Dilia adds. "I think they'd be willing to give you a second chance, too. You want to start a new life, and that's kind of what we're doing, too."

When everyone decided to turn that place into their base of operations, shela assumed her presence would only create animosity. Was she wrong? Is Zalika really the best place for her to be? What about her daughter?

"J-Jini, what do you think?" She finally asks.

"Um, I really want to be with my new friends cause they make me happy, but we walked a super long time to get over here and our home might be dusty um but um this is kind of hard so I'll just go where you go."

Shela wanted to start a new life with Jiniki, to have her be around her own people, to make friends and be happy. She also wanted to be away from that facility. There are so many painful memories there.

She couldn't possibly go back...could she?

Sure you can go back. After you return to your homeland. Not only to find your people and let Jiniki meet others of her own kind, but my gut feeling is that something going on up there that you want to know about. Tell him this is something you must do, but ask him if you'll still be welcome should the opportunity come in the future for you to return to Zalika?

>>225496

You've spent so much time worrying about being accepted yourself that you've forgotten one of the most important things: these people both love and accept Jiniki for who she is. What will happen if you walk into kliss-khar territory with Jiniki? So far you've been able to explain things away because you've come across individuals who don't know a lot about your species. Jiniki will instantly be spotted as some kind of mutant when you rejoin with your own people.

One thing to wonder is... do you remember what you told your nation's scientists back when you tried to send them that Majicka data? What will happen if they find out you've brought a live magicka user with you? Do you even know anything about the current government or politics of your nation? The current Queen, if there is even one there? And what would happen if someone figured out who you were? Would the new rulers take kindly to the old queen suddenly returning?

Jiniki should go back with her friends. You know this. She won't fit in with normal bug people.

The truth is, you took Jiniki away because *you* felt like you wouldn't be happy there. You felt uncomfortable and you wanted to be around your own people, because they'd sure make you feel better than hanging around all the people you hurt. Then you projected those desires onto your daughter - assuming that she needs to go back to her people to live a full life. That's what *you* want. That's not what she wants. She wants to go back. She just loves you too much to ask you to do what she wants in this case.

DO THE RIGHT THING.

Besides, even though that Sekani is a goody two-shoes, his almost single-minded and naive drive to "do the right thing" is a good role model for Jiniki. And it's kinda hot.

...

JUST KIDDING. ;D

...

But really, maybe he likes big abdomens...

>>225496
Well, it would be a shame to just turn around now after having come so far out, so at least go see the state of things, but keep in mind that you have allies in Zalika, and that Jiniki's own people is ki-jaara as much as klis-khar now.

Those guys are real good with second chances, too. Dilia tried to kill Amiel more than once, and now they get along very well. Very, very well.

>>225660

Oh yeah, the rest of the Klis-khar are probably still gung-ho about Majicka.

>>225496

Don't go back to your lands until you know what kind of reception you'd get. Seriously, your kind have like zero empathy. Dead babies in jars and the like. Even if they don't do anything to Jiniki, the response of at least some of them would likely be to reclaim the facility, and the research.

Before that happens, you need more people there to defend the place if necessary.

On the other hand, if you're at the facility, you'll be tempted to juice up on fresh, delicious Majicka again. That sweet, sweet power - you could practically do anything, just by thinking it. Honestly, who would mess with you or your daughter when STOP THAT! STOP THINKING ABOUT MAJICKA RIGHT NOW!

Honestly, what's the matter with you? Bad Shela. Bad.

>>225496
You could go back. You know they'll let you return any time. But first, you need to see. You need to know what's happened to your homeland. And you should probably try and find out what happened with that semi-mysterious majicka-research communication that was partially sent. They may have enough to start developing the program again.

Slinkoboy 2010/09/05(Sun)01:21 No. 226306 ID: 6547ec
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>>225505
"I really should see how our home is doing. A-and Jiniki should see her kind. Would I be welcome if we came back later?"

"Of course~" Sekani replies.

>>225866
Sekani-- was that his name? His offer caught her completely off-guard, but she has to find out what's going on with her people. If they've rediscovered majicka, things could be very bad.

Yes, going home is the best option.

Slinkoboy 2010/09/05(Sun)01:22 No. 226307 ID: 6547ec
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>>225671
After so many years, the ki-jaara have become more of a family than her own people ever were. She doesn't even remember her late king's face anymore.

Jiniki deserves to see her own kind, but maybe...

>You've spent so much time worrying about being accepted yourself that you've forgotten one of the most important things: these people both love and accept Jiniki for who she is. What will happen if you walk into kliss-khar territory with Jiniki? So far you've been able to explain things away because you've come across individuals who don't know a lot about your species. Jiniki will instantly be spotted as some kind of mutant when you rejoin with your own people.

N-no. Shela can hide Jiniki. Just... Just like back then. It'll...work out. Somehow.

Slinkoboy 2010/09/05(Sun)01:22 No. 226308 ID: 6547ec
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>One thing to wonder is... do you remember what you told your nation's scientists back when you tried to send them that Majicka data? What will happen if they find out you've brought a live magicka user with you? Do you even know anything about the current government or politics of your nation? The current Queen, if there is even one there? And what would happen if someone figured out who you were? Would the new rulers take kindly to the old queen suddenly returning?

Nobody would recognize her. They could just stay in hiding. They wouldn't see Jiniki's majicka. They...she could...

>Jiniki should go back with her friends. You know this. She won't fit in with normal bug people.

Shela just...

Slinkoboy 2010/09/05(Sun)01:22 No. 226309 ID: 6547ec
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>The truth is, you took Jiniki away because *you* felt like you wouldn't be happy there. You felt uncomfortable and you wanted to be around your own people, because they'd sure make you feel better than hanging around all the people you hurt. Then you projected those desires onto your daughter - assuming that she needs to go back to her people to live a full life. That's what *you* want. That's not what she wants. She wants to go back. She just loves you too much to ask you to do what she wants in this case.

...She just wants her family back.

Slinkoboy 2010/09/05(Sun)01:23 No. 226310 ID: 6547ec
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"Jiniki, go ahead and return to Zalika with the others."

"What?

"I need to see what's become of our homeland, but I can't bring you with me. It was selfish of me to think I could."

"What? No! I want to come so it's not selfish at all!"

"You'd only be in danger. If they saw your majicka and captured you, I wouldn't know what I'd do."

"I-I'll be fine! I'm a ninja!"

"I wanted you to be around your own kind, to feel normal and accepted, but you already are. The people at Zalika love you. They are your family as much as I am."

"But-- But I want you, too!"

"Don't worry. I'll come back. I promise. Then we can all live together."

"But I don't want you to go."

Slinkoboy 2010/09/05(Sun)01:23 No. 226311 ID: 6547ec
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Jiniki buries her head in Shela's thorax.

"It's only for a little while, I promise," Shela says, her voice cracking a little. "Once I come back I swear I'll never leave you again."

Jiniki doesn't say anything as they embrace each other. Shela had only just gotten her daughter back, and having to leave her so soon is incredibly painful. But if the Klis-khar have majicka, they could be a threat to the entire world. She has to find out for sure.

Slinkoboy 2010/09/05(Sun)01:23 No. 226312 ID: 6547ec
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Sekani and Dilia let them hug silently until finally Shela manages to let Jiniki go.

"I'll see you soon, Jini. I promise," Shela says. "I love you so very much."

"I love you to. Please come back soon okay and then we can all be a super happy family together."

"Yeah."

Jiniki and the others begin walking off. Shela has taken enough supplies to make it the rest of the way, while they'll call in for additional food and water from Zalika.

The hardest part of the journey is now over.

Slinkoboy 2010/09/05(Sun)01:23 No. 226313 ID: 6547ec
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Jiniki is the only thing Shela has left in the world. Even if it's just for a while, she's completely alone now. This realization is almost too much to bear.

And yet, the hole in her heart actually feels a little smaller now. She dares to hope that the others could forgive her, maybe even accept her as part of their family.

Even the gods who had forsaken her all these years seemed to be pointing her forward, telling her everything will be fine.

Slinkoboy 2010/09/05(Sun)01:24 No. 226314 ID: 6547ec
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Maybe she's not so alone after all.

In the end, Sekani and the gods not only saved her from majicka, they gave her a reason to live.

Slinkoboy 2010/09/05(Sun)01:24 No. 226315 ID: 6547ec
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...Thank you.

You're welcome, Shela.

so sad and heartwarming at the same time!

GOOD LUCK, SHELA! :D

And hey, the gods liked you enough that you even got your name in the quest title in the end. Yay!

Let's just hope DAT ABDOMEN is enough to get you through Klis-Khar territory. ;3

Also, OMG THE FIRST QUEST I'VE BEEN IN THAT'S COMPLETED WOOOOOOOOOO. I feel like my cherry's been popped. Thanks Slinko, you perv. :C