GP: 61 Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)01:20 No. 278956 ID: 20a22f
File 129681125996.png - (100.61KB , 700x700 , 371.png )

---------------------------------------
Hmm.... There's quite a few missions that require going out of the city...

Oh, good morning Gurdians.

YOU DID THE DIRTY WOOOO YEEAAHH!

>>278956
How did it go? Where is Mimi now? How do you feel about what happened?

Definitely take a mission involving leaving the city.

Have you changed rooms yet? What has become of Mimi? She didn't just poof when her contract ended, right? Had a chance to work on a new one? Is the chest still there?

>>278956
Oh, is that Saisai in the background?

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)02:13 No. 278967 ID: 20a22f
File 129681441051.png - (101.24KB , 700x700 , 372.png )

>>278958>>278964>>278960

Ah yes... Everything went well...
We had lots of sex and stuff..
And she's unlocked and we made a new contract and moved her to a new room..
Yep.

>>278967
...Artemis we are going to find out what happened. Tell us now or deal with us being annoyed.

>>278967
You're a horrible liar. Go check on Mimi right now.

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)02:32 No. 278971 ID: 20a22f
File 129681556760.png - (84.74KB , 700x700 , 373.png )

>>278968
I tried, I really really did... I just -couldn't- do it.
Like, literally. Nothing we tried worked and I got so stressed out I even transformed..
I just ended up falling asleep..
I haven't spoken to her since last night.

>>278971
What the hell man, you even had a fucking love potion available you pathetic dicktwat. You are sure your damn thing works right?

How long do we have?

>>278971
Ok. Go to Morgan's place and buy a potent aphrodisiac, then go back to your room and do it right. We don't have much time left, and I swear that if you lose Mimi I'm going to do my best to keep you from ever seeing your own penis again.

>>278975
But that is what the love potion is. It would have worked!

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)02:45 No. 278977 ID: 20a22f
File 129681634610.png - (16.00KB , 700x700 , 374.png )

>>278975
I'm -not- going to see Morgan about this!
I'll.. Just go and talk to Mimi again.

Artemis goes back to his room.

"Hey, Mimi... Uhm... I'm sorry about last night. I really did try my best there... Maybe we can use a potion?"

Mimi doesn't say anything.

>>278977
Reach into your bag and put your hand on her shoulder. Or tickle her foot. She... she is still there, right?

>>278977
Reach into her bag and take her hand. Then tell her you want her to stay by your side forever, but your body doesn't work right.
Then pull the potion out of her bag.

Welp. Looks like she got stolen or something. The chest looks different.

>>278979
"Mimi, you're a gorgeous woman, and I'd love to see more of you both figurative and literally. I just can't handle stress, and there's just so much pressure here that my body refuses to work.
I mean, I'm a virgin; it's my first time and it's a big deal to me.
Then the stakes; I couldn't bear to lose you, and life or death situations like this are just so much stress...
Mimi, please, show me your shining face, and let me have that love potion."

Maybe you should just uh, apologize with a lot of books.

I occurs to me that the ocntract is incredibly vague. Seriously, it's five words long. There's no way we can't just loophole it with some help from someone who speaks the langauge.

>>279016
I mean really, unless that particular word used for 'mate' can ONLY mean sex, then, it could be done by hugging or being friendly. There's no way that it can't be loopholed if it's that short.

>>279016
>>279020

You assume that the demon's language is similar to ours. It could be that each of those words represents entire standard clauses in demon contracts. The contract you're looking at could be the equivalent of saying "Contract is Clauses 34.a. through 79.c. inclusive, Clauses 91.a., 91.c., with severance condition 102.x."

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)17:07 No. 279081 ID: 20a22f
File 129686806575.png - (95.38KB , 700x700 , 375.png )

>>279016
If you can think of a loophole I'm all ears.

"Mimi?"

Artemis opens the chest.

"!!! It.. It's empty..."

>>279081
THE BAG

YOU STILL HAVE THE BAG RIGHT

SEND HER NOTE

>>279082
DO THIS RIGHT NOW!

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)17:24 No. 279085 ID: 20a22f
File 129686908079.png - (123.88KB , 700x700 , 376.png )

Oh! Right, her bag!

Someone enters the room

"Uhm.... What're you doing in my room...?"

"!!! Oh! Uhm, sorry!"

Artemis leaves.

...CHECK THE CHEST IN YOUR NEW ROOM

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)17:27 No. 279089 ID: 20a22f
File 129686923898.png - (41.89KB , 700x700 , 377.png )

He rushes to his room and sees Mimi's chest.

"Hi Master....."

Close the door! And lock it if this room has a lock. Then settle down to talk.

>>279089
"Mimi! Thank God, I thought that I was no longer your master."

>>279091

>>279089
Wait, did you go into the COMPLETELY WRONG ROOM?
Ugh...

Lock the door, and try again. This time use the potion you have that's supposed to solve this exact problem.

Also, right now she thinks you think she's ugly because of your performance last night. She needs reassurance.

>>279089
YOU GIVE HER A HUG RIGHT THIS INSTANT

Damn man, walking into the wrong room. We were about to kick your ass. Somehow.

Now then, as we said, from the top. Explain that you are a nervous virgin who can't get either head straight when under that kind of stress. But you're going to help her, there is no more time, and if you need a love potion crutch then that is what you're going to do.

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)17:53 No. 279097 ID: 20a22f
File 129687082726.png - (86.70KB , 700x700 , 378.png )

Artemis opens the chest and hugs Mimi.

"Mimi I'm really really sorry. You're a beautiful girl but I get so nervous and I thought I lost you!"

"?? Are you okay Master?"

"Yes. Mimi, give me the love potion."

"Okay."

Mimi gets the potion and presses it into his mouth.

Hmm.. Taste like cherry...

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)17:54 No. 279098 ID: 20a22f
File 129687084053.png - (85.13KB , 700x700 , 379.png )

I don't know I'm not r

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)17:54 No. 279099 ID: 20a22f
File 129687086024.png - (88.86KB , 700x700 , 380.png )

Woah.....
She... Looks a lot prettier..

>>279099
is your door locked

you will want it locked for what's coming next

>>279099
LOCK THE DOOR

 

>>279099
Lock the door!
Here, have some music to help.

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)18:34 No. 279109 ID: 20a22f
File 129687326718.png - (155.92KB , 700x700 , 381.png )

Right, my door.

Artemis goes to lock his door when suddenly it's opened. Saisai steps into the room.

"Hey Artemis...... Can we talk..?"

>>279109
Reply "Later", then close the door, lock it, and resume what you were doing.

GODDAMN YOU REALITY

... how long these potions last?
... are you gonna pounce her?

"Sorry Saisai Cant talk under the effects of a love potion gonna sex up my chest right now."

>>279109

"Right after I have sex with my chest."

lock door

>>279109
"Ah! Sorry, but I accidentally drank that love potion a little while ago. I'm not going to turn you away, but for the next hour or two it would be a bit awkward and I wouldn't want my intentions confused with the potion's."

>>279109
"Look Saisai, it's ok just... give me a while to gather my things and my head. Then after I get to my new room we'll sit down and talk, ok? It'll be a new start of things."

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)19:04 No. 279124 ID: 20a22f
File 129687505288.png - (76.18KB , 700x700 , 382.png )

"Sorry I... right after make l.. look I have to pack and change rooms so just give me a minute and let me get my stuff out and when I move into the new room we can talk."

"No, I need to say this now. It took me a lot to even knock on your door and if I don't get this off my chest now I don't think I'll be able to again."

Oh god...
I really can't stand here like this

>>279124
Ok, let her talk. Might as well.

We're gonna need another love potion...

>>279124
"Ok then, get it off your chest."

...Sorry man, but we can't risk certain physical tells right now. [Change Gender]

>Haha
What are you?

If we genderswapped him right now, would that make him less likely to go crazy, or just make the crazy less discriminating?

Eh, probably not worth trying.


Just hold on, Artemis. Apply your iron will and self-control here, and let Saisai talk about her emotions while you sit there with a raging hard-on wanting nothing more for her to either go away and let you fuck a bag or to strip off her clothes and jump your bones.

Iron. Will.

Take a seat and let her talk.

>>279131
>...Sorry man, but we can't risk certain physical tells right now. [Change Gender]
That logic does NOT hold together. If he's a guy, he tents his pants. If he's a girl, he's just as obvious because he has yet to discover the wonders of a bra. All we'd be doing is changing out his tells for a different set.

Leave him as he is.

Well, his female self IS more articulated...
But then she has less of a filter, under the effects of the lovepot, she'd do something... silly.

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)19:42 No. 279143 ID: 20a22f
File 129687735287.png - (78.52KB , 700x700 , 383.png )

>while you sit there with a raging hard-on wanting nothing more for her to either go away and let you fuck a bag or to strip off her clothes and jump your bones.

"NOT NOW SAISAI!"

SLAM lock

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)19:43 No. 279144 ID: 20a22f
File 129687740574.png - (77.87KB , 700x700 , 384.png )

"Uhm... Master you really didn't need t-"

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)19:43 No. 279145 ID: 20a22f
File 129687741261.png - (46.10KB , 700x700 , 385.png )

"Eek!"

>>279145
...okay apparently I'm the voice of reason right now so let me just say one thing.

ARTEMIS.

IF MIMI IS IN YOUR NEW ROOM YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE SEX WITH HER!

>>279143
AAAAAAHHHH!
HOW ARE YOU SCREWING THINGS UP SO BADLY?

Wait! That thing that's not us and keeps saying things! What are you?! What have you done to our connection with Art?!?

Art: You are going to visit Saisai later, and you are going to tell her how horribly sorry you are.

>>279147
Too late for that. He drank his love potion. He'll have to worry about logic and patching things up with Saisai later. For now, there's only one thing to do.

> ♪ I didn't know if it was day or night ♬
> ♫ I started kissin' everything in sight ♪
> ♩ Love Potion Number Nine ♫

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS

THIS WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA

Uh ok, we have some damage control to do later. For now... have fun!

>>279147
Nope you missed that, it's his old room he just walked into the next door earlier.

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)21:36 No. 279179 ID: 20a22f
File 12968841931.png - (76.81KB , 700x700 , 387.png )

----------------------------
"you never told me you could leave your chest."

"I couldn't until just now~"

"I thought you needed power though."

"I got plenty of energy... From another source. This is only temporary though. I'll need to go back in soon. This form of energy is quickly broken down."

"So you have a new contract?"

"Yep :3 Until you say otherwise I am a class 1 Mimic. I have all the same functions but this is only temporary as well. Later we need to make a real contract."

"Okay. Uhm.... So... How was it?"

"Perfect~"

>>279179
"Mimi, was that emotional energy from Saisai when she walked in? What was her aura like?"

Artemis, how much time has passed? How was it, and how do you feel about it?
You need to go find Saisai right away, so move Mimi to your new room and then immediately go do that.

>>279179
"I'm glad. This... was not how I expected things to go with you, Mimi, but as things stand now I hope you'll be with me for a long time. How long do we have to make the real contract?"

After you get your answers, get dressed, check that you look okay and normal, and then move your stuff to your new room. Once that's done, you'll need to hunt down Saisai and set things right with her.

Ok Artemis, enough fucking around. You need to move your stuff out of this room, but first you need to realize that you just really fucked things u with Saisai.

You need to apologize and explain, and you may not even be able to get close to her. Here's what you do, right now you write a letter explaining that you are very sorry, but had just accidentally "mixed up and drank that potion I showed you earlier" and that she "HAD to leave the room immediately" to avoid even worse problems. And of course tell her that you want to hear what she has to say. You may have to hand it to her, or have it delivered. If you can just talk to her and say all this that is best but don't count on it.

>>279185
Pff, a letter is an unnecessary plan. I know that what he just did to Saisai was callous and rude, but she had better not be so fickle as to cut him off without even letting him explain, after all that he's done for her. Artemis is not a saint, he's not perfect, and part of friendship is accepting that sometimes the other party isn't going to make all the right steps.

If she's not willing to talk to him, give her some time to cool down and go hang with someone else for a while. He's jumped through enough hoops on her behalf for the next month or so, at least.

>>279185
A letter is the coward's way out.
When you do it, do it right.

First: Take a shower and put on some clean clothes.
Walk up to her door, tell her you feel absolutely terrible about what you did, and then explain you drank that love potion by mistake. We can give you more words to say when you get there.

Artemis 2011/02/04(Fri)22:39 No. 279192 ID: 20a22f
File 129688799428.png - (156.05KB , 700x700 , 387.png )

"I'm glad. This... was not how I expected things to go with you, Mimi, but.. I don't regret anything. So... How long do we have to make the real contract?"

"We have about a month"

Artemis nods and the two of them get dressed. Artemis packs up everything and moves it to his new, more spacious room then takes a shower.
Once he feels clean enough he goes to see Saisai.
He knocks on her door.

click

"...... What is it?"

>>279192
"I wasn't myself earlier. What did you want to talk about?"

>>279192
"I accidentally drank that potion I showed you earlier, mixed it up with my mana potion. You HAD to leave the room. I'm so sorry..."

>>279192
"I need to apologize for earlier. I wasn't expecting any visitors and had taken a potion with... significant mental effects. I'm very sorry about being rude, but if you'd come in I would probably have been utterly dismissive of everything you were trying to say, and possibly tried to sleep with you no matter how inappropriate it would have been. I didn't want that to happen and was having trouble with just talking.

"Anyway, if you want to talk now that I'm capable of thinking straight, I'd be glad to listen. If you're not feeling it... well, you've got my apology, and perhaps some other time."

>>279192
"Saisai, I feel absolutely terrible about what happened, and I came here to apologize.
I, err, accidentally downed that love potion instead of a mana potion, and, well, I knew I wouldn't be able to resist you.I would hate for my doings to be confused with those of the potion.
It was rude, and you don't deserve to be treated like that.
Please, Saisai, could you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

Artemis 2011/02/05(Sat)01:37 No. 279218 ID: 20a22f
File 129689863197.png - (98.39KB , 700x700 , 388.png )

"Saisai, I feel absolutely terrible about what happened, and I came here to apologize. I, err, accidentally downed that love potion instead of a mana potion, and, well I would probably have been utterly dismissive of everything you were trying to say, and possibly tried to sleep with you no matter how inappropriate it would have been. I didn't want that to happen and was having trouble with just talking. You HAD to leave the room. So... Do you forgive me?"

"... You talk to much. I figured 'something' was wrong. It's okay. Come in."

Artemis goes into Saisai's room. He's pretty shocked by the decorations. Her chest has a rainbow on it while her walls are filled with various pleasant paintings.

"I heard you're going to be a sort of Psuedo-Captain."

>>279218
"Yea. I'm so nervous; I haven't earned it, they're doing it because they fired a bunch of captains the other day, including ours, and they're just assuming I'll be my father...
But, no, that's not important."
Face Saisai, take her hands in yours.
"This is. You had something you wanted to say to me, and now that I've got a clear head I would love to hear it."

"Pretty much. I have the responsibilities, the title and the nicer room. That's it."

Don't say anything about her room. I swear you're going to turn female from just being in here. I wonder if it was her choice or if she was given all this by her coddling parents.

>>279218
"Cute Chest"

Artemis 2011/02/05(Sat)23:14 No. 279478 ID: 20a22f
File 129697649482.png - (106.98KB , 700x700 , 389.png )

"Before you ask this was a gift from my mother. She thinks I should act more like a girl."

"Ah. Well, yeah, about the captain thing.. I have the responsibilities, the title and the nicer room. That's it. Nothing else that comes with it. But anyway what did you want to tell me?"

She breathes in deeply.

"I'm going to tell my parents that I'm breaking up with Chevre. No oe outside the knights know of our fight."

>>279478
"If you need any help at all for it, you can ask me anytime."

>>279478
"I thought you were- nevermind, nevermind."
Hug her
"Good luck. Do you want me to go with you? Maybe tell them you found somebody better?"

>>279478
Nod. "Reasonable. It's got to come out eventually, and you might as well make it be on your terms. Do you want backup? How do you expect them to react?"

Artemis 2011/02/05(Sat)23:34 No. 279483 ID: 20a22f
File 129697766715.png - (42.36KB , 700x700 , 390.png )

"Do you want me to go with you? Maybe tell them you found somebody better?"

"That's a problem, I -haven't- found anyone better. If I found someone who was well known enough it would probably be less... Bad. My father... He is a scary man. I've never been able to talk to him without stumbling over my words.."

>>279483
"Well... you're a knight now, so theoretically you should be fine even if they completely disown you. Unless you think they'd take extremely drastic action to try and force you into line, you should be able to stand up for your own decisions.

"And I don't know much about your family's attitudes... but I would hope that if you tell them what he did it would make them willing to take your side in this. Even the arena alone showed that he was a total bastard."

>>279483
Betcha Dad's the one with the cat genes.

More than her, at any rate, and thus likely REALLY FUCKING STRONG.

"So you are going to need someone to back you up when you talk with him, and he can break me like a twig. Good thing I lack a healthy sense of danger. Of course we know it's best that you leave him but without someone else to take his place we're going to need to convince your parents that you are better off without him regardless. Can you tell them any about what happened? Or maybe just about the impotency, that much is true." Smile a little at that.

"And about Chevre, what's to keep him from making things worse for you out of spite? My big worry all along has been that he would out if you left him. And you will have done that and far more."

>>279483
Hold her hands and look her in the eyes "So tell them you found me. I'm going to be a sort of knight captain less than a week after I joined, my father is a legend, and I'm already keeping your secret."

>>279503
We are not propositioning Saisai. Or getting her to imply that we have to her family, which would put us in a hugely awkward position possibly for years to come.

How about you come along in your girl-form? Then you can vouch for the fact that Chevre was a manipulative criminal who made their daughter cry. I'm assuming here that Saisai's father will chase Chevre down and cripple him even more if he found out the whole story.

Also rather than breaking the news to both her parents at the same time maybe she could break the news to her mother first and then see the father with her mother's support at her back? If Saisai dresses up in a more feminine manner then her mother might be pleased enough that she won't mind the engagement being broken.

>>279540

If you go in girl-form you better go in a real dress, with ribbons and heels and stuff. And dye your hair properly to hide the half-tone thing.

Well, looks like the really fucked up situation rape went to it's messed up conclusion since I last checked. Welp, last advice to you Arty before I pack up and go is that you only do what you think you can live with, not much else matters in the long run. Well, one more piece of advice.

In this particular situation though, don't use goddamn sex again to fix the situation. Hell, Sasai said she has gotten all that she wanted right? Maybe have her look into going full blown independent of her parents so she doesn't have to deal with this sort of shit. Hopefully she'll still be able to keep in contact with her family, but she might not be able to.

"Sai, I just want to say I'm honestly a bit surprised. I mean you came into the knights against what I suspect were both his wishes, and even the laws themselves. I know you can do it, your easily the bravest person ive seen. Though to be fair, parents are probably worse than dragons on many levels... still, I know he cares about you, he will listen if you say what you feel."

Artemis 2011/02/06(Sun)13:23 No. 279630 ID: ab117e
File 129702741986.png - (47.86KB , 700x700 , 391.png )

>>279553
Wh-what!? Don't leave me guardian! I did what I needed to do! No one told me any other way to solve this! I...

"-sigh- Well... you're a knight now, so theoretically you should be fine even if they completely disown you. Unless you think they'd take extremely drastic action to try and force you into line, you should be able to stand up for your own decisions. And I don't know much about your family's attitudes... but I would hope that if you tell them what he did it would make them willing to take your side in this. Even the arena alone showed that he was a total bastard."

"I'm not saying you're wrong.. It's just difficult for me to say all that. I can never articulate my words when I'm talking to them..."

"How about I come along with you in girl-form? Then I can vouch for the fact that Chevre was a manipulative criminal who made you cry. I'm assuming here that your father will chase Chevre down and cripple him even more if he found out the whole story."

[i]"If you could come with me that would help me out a lot."

"Also I think you should try to dress up girly so that way your mom would be pleased. We can speak to her first."

>>279551
I've tried dying my hair many times before. It never works.

She turns around.

"... Okay. Do you want to meet up later in front of the castle?"

>>279630
To whoever is sending us these messages: Nope.

Alright. Ask her how she would like you to dress.
Put an arm on her shoulder, and tell her it'll work out.

Oh, Art, remember that the marriage would be the end of the family line since he's physically incapable of fathering any heirs. :3c

>>279656
Party dresses... urgh. Please wear something that would let you fight if it comes down to it, even if you make it something feminine. You're a knight, you should be combat-ready whenever possible even when trying to look good.

>>279630
"Would the dress I wore to the party be good enough? Otherwise I'm going to need to go borrow something or... shop for something. I think I have more confidence talking to dragons than in purchasing womens clothing."

>>279630
If you can't dye it, shave it and get a wig. It's important that you look like a normal girl.

you can please some of us all of the time, all of us some of the time but not all of us all of the time, the one that left just hit critical displeasure and quit. the rest of us will still be here for you, besides, with him gone we have more room. :P

I can see it already...

"Mom, dad... my fiancée drugged me with tigerfolk wine then took my virginity."
"Yes, we know. It was our idea. Now you can leave all that knight business behind."
"Thats how I hooked up with your dad, honey. So, when are the grandchildren coming?"

>>279630
This scenario is definitely one you need to consider Arty:
>>279701
I bit cold, but what aristocracy isn't?
And please make sure to ask Sai about this possibility:
>>279489
We can't help if we don't have an real data.

Keep this in mind, now that you're in a position with greater responsibility beyond your own well being: you are reponsible for common sense and tactics, we are responsible for handling the Intelligence and Strategy, with Research and Development on the side.
We rely on you more than you do us, and we are not infallible. Resist the temptation to hoist all difficult or managerial positions on us, because we will end up overthinking the whole lot of it, which will snowball into a horrible disaster.
For our sake, think of your duty first, and us second. we are advisors, your Guardians, not your brain.

Artemis 2011/02/06(Sun)22:20 No. 279769 ID: 6c068e
File 129705963972.png - (64.80KB , 700x700 , 392.png )

"Uhm... Is your dad the one with the catfolk genes...?"

"No. We don't know where it came from honestly. No one will say. Besides I'm only a quater tigerfolk."

"Okay. Well I'm sure everything will work out Saisai. I'll see you in the front of the castle."

She thanks him and escorts him out of the girls dorms.
He goes back into his room

Okay... Clothing. I don't wanna cut my hair, it took years to grow.
you guys have any ideas?

>>279769
Mysterious voice: Oh, you finally decide to notice! I've been asking who you are for awhile now. I've got a few guesses, but an answer would be nice.

Art: Just wear your mage robes.

Suggestion 2011/02/06(Sun)22:52 No. 279773 ID: d3dfb8
File 129706154310.png - (41.48KB , 700x700 , 129705963972.png )

the catpeople, they'll love it

>>279770

What are you talking about? I feel like I only get half of the conversation, because I do!

>>279778
Email field.
>>279770
It's the black hair.

>>279769
Yeah, just go like this

>>279769
I knew it. I was the first to detect your existence, dreadful shadow. Know that we will allow no harm upon the child of Sable, our former student.

Suggestion 2011/02/07(Mon)19:21 No. 280010 ID: 58db22
File 129713530026.jpg - (27.64KB , 700x700 , SteveshirtArtemis.jpg )

THIS IS THE BEST IDEA

Here's my fashion advice Artemis: don't listen to our fashion advice.

I mean just go down to a damn clothing store and choose something for yourself. Either you can go as fem you in the dress, or as your guy self and explain you are getting something for your sister. Take whatever they've got appropriate for "seeing family". Or you can beg Morgan for something. Again.

NaiveOne 2011/02/07(Mon)19:49 No. 280021 ID: ba0561
File 129713694032.jpg - (6.98KB , 260x260 , ArtDress.jpg )

How about this? its a style I find popular more with the female magic slingers instead of blade wielders, but it has charm.

>>280013

This one speaks soundly. For one thing, it's not like we're exactly up on the latest fashion trends, or anything. My advice, seek different advice. Surely someone with better sociocultural knowledge than us you know will help.

GP: 81-10=71 Artemis 2011/02/07(Mon)22:08 No. 280050 ID: 04b3ea
File 129714529591.png - (52.43KB , 700x700 , 393.png )

>>280021
Wow... Uhm... I like this one best...

Artemis gets a outfit.

I don't want to cut my hair but I tucked it into my hat. That should be unnoticeable.

>>280050
Ok, give Mimi 50gp then go meet Saisai.

That works! ...Except that the hat looks ridiculous with that dress. Acquire something that matches the dress, a black anything.

NaiveOne 2011/02/07(Mon)22:24 No. 280060 ID: ba0561
File 129714627322.jpg - (140.85KB , 644x1024 , Art Hair.jpg )

>>280054
Exactly! I say ditch the hate, and use this hairstyle as a guide. Have the black be the ponytail, and it looks like a stylistic choice.

>>280060
The problem here is Art is possibly the only person anywhere with hair at all like this, even dyed. It makes being incognito very difficult, especially with any level of notoriety.

GP: 71-25= 46 Artemis 2011/02/07(Mon)23:43 No. 280082 ID: 04b3ea
File 129715102999.png - (96.18KB , 700x700 , 394.png )

>>280053
I don't wanna give her that much... How about 35?

Artemis pours 35 GP into Mimi and heads out. She meets Saisai in front of the castle.

"Hmph. Are you padding your bust?"

"Huh? No it's just been growing..."

"... Anyway let's go."

She leads Artemis to her house.
They enter the enormous building.

"Woah.. This place is huge... Is this where you live?"

"Huh? No, this is just our house. We live on the other side of the kingdom."

Artemis 2011/02/07(Mon)23:44 No. 280083 ID: 04b3ea
File 129715104113.png - (35.88KB , 700x700 , 395.png )

They walk a bit further in and stop in front of a black ball on a pedestal

"This is it.. My family isn't here at the moment so we'll use this to communicate to them."

"That seems a little impersonal though.."

"It's that or wait 2 weeks to see them again and tell them. Now be quiet, I'm turning it on."

She places her hand on the top of the sphere.

"Father."

A moment of silence....
Then a voice comes through Speaking as clears as if he were standing beside the two Saisai's Father addresses them.

>"Daughter. What is it."

"I... W-well... I..."

>"Yes?"

"W-well..."

>"Who's that beside you? A friend?"

"Y-yes Father. This is Emmy a-and she's my f-friend."

>"Hello Emmy."

"Hi."

>"So what is it you wanted to tell me Daughter?"

"W-well... It's.... Me and...."

>>280063

Not to mention that it's not only his pony-tail that turned black.

>>280084
To slow...
>>280083
Looks like you have to take over or at least reassure her.

>>280083
Put an arm around the back of her shoulders and tell her "It's ok. You can do this."

>>280083
Give her just a moment and see if she can say anything, then give her some support. You don't want to spill the beans for her but if it pushes her and slightly concerns her father enough to ask what's wrong it might be enough. Speaking for her should only be done as a last resort, preferably with her ok.

If and when she falters further say "Hey, it's alright. Remember how you felt before."

Put your hand on her arm, look over and smile reassuringly.

Artemis 2011/02/08(Tue)00:45 No. 280092 ID: 20a22f
File 129715470166.png - (98.41KB , 700x700 , 396.png )

Artemis puts his hand on her arm.

"It's okay, you can do this."

Artemis breathes in deeply.

"Father... I'm leaving Chevre. He has abused me and I.. I don't want to be with him. I wanted your permission t-"

>"No. Saisai this isn't about you, this is about the family. You need to do this for the sake of the rest of us. Do you understand?"

".... Yes Father. Sorry."

>>280092
Slap her upside the head.
If she doesn't take the hint: "Doctors say he'll never be able to sire an heir, and he cared so little about Saisai that he- Well, no, I've no right to say..."

>>280092
"This man raped and nearly killed your daughter. He is incapable of producing an heir. Tell me what he can do for your family aside from abuse your daughter every waking hour and elevate the two of you to a slightly higher social standing! My father died fighting dragons and he was a better parent that either of you!"

Okay don't say that last bit but seriously.

>>280092
Oh that fucker. Not even concerned, and she said he abused her. Time to play hardball.

"Sit may I speak for a moment? I don't wish to contradict you or speak for your daughter, but hear me out. Her would be husband is a wretch of a man who has shamed himself before his fellow knights by abusing Saisai violently right before them. Furthermore suspicions of foul connections are about him and if they are true... the engagement could never lead to marriage and nothing but shame would be brought to your family. Besides all this it is a fact that he hasn't the ability to father children."

"As a knight Saisai will come across many people and make important connections. Surely some of them can be turned towards profit and fame for your family. And I myself have come across a opportunity that may be a very profitable venture for your business in time. I would have to pull strings and perhaps take great risks, but that is something I would do for a family who puts their daughters happiness first."

whisper to saisai to mention that he is also crotchless so he can't make any heirs. that is a big deal with these noble types.

Just tell 'im he's ... incapable of fathering a heir. If necessary, tell why.

Actually, that would get her disowned.

>>280143
With parents like these, would that be so terrible?

Artemis 2011/02/08(Tue)20:23 No. 280399 ID: 20a22f
File 129722542983.png - (35.67KB , 700x700 , 397.png )

"Doctors say he'll never be able to sire an heir"

>"hmm?"

"O-oh... Uhm.. Well we got into a fight, a royal battle. It got pretty ugly, I'm still missing a few back teeth, and... Well I stabbed him in the uh... The groin and... Well he..."

>"...."

"Sorry father..."

>"I will speak to you about this when I return. Until then please cease all contact with him. You are useless as a wife if he can not give you children."

"okay"

>>280399
"Why is it her uselessness if he has NO BALLS?!"

>>280399
Resist the urge to make him eat his face for calling Saisai useless, and hug Saisai.
Whisper: "It's ok."

>>280401
Convincing her father that her friend is someone she should disassociate from would probably not be constructive here.

We have to keep Saisai the one doing most of the talking; it's her family, and she ultimately has to be the one to stand up to them. We can't do so on her behalf.

At the moment, I would just advise giving Saisai's arm a comforting squeeze, and possibly offer a reassuring smile. If nothing else, she's bought herself some time and managed to tell her father what she wanted. If she's not doing a full-spined stand up to him, well, that's a hard thing to do and this situation isn't critical yet even if her dad's a total jackass.

>>280399
Well now that just exchanges one problem for another. I'd like to think this one is a bit better, but it won't do to have her whored out to someone else. We need to have a plan.

Wait until you leave before saying anything else. "I know you're scared. But you can't run from this and you won't be better off if you just wait for him. We'll figure something out before then."

It's hard to say how mad he is at who, but clearly he's upset. Here's hoping he puts the onus on the would be husband but we need to be ready for the alternative.


>>280401
It doesn't strictly blame her for it but it does imply that babymaking is all she is good for. Not good but no need to take it worse than it already is.

okay, she is gonna need some practice so she can stand up to him more when he gets here, but for now the marriage is annuled, so that is somewhat of a win in my book.

Chevre's shameful treatment of Saisai reflects poorly upon his opinion of Saisai's family if he's willing to pull the shit he did. Nobles do not treat Equals that way.

If Daddy-Saisai is still on the orb he should be reminded of this.

Artemis 2011/02/09(Wed)21:49 No. 280637 ID: 251a14
File 129731695024.png - (112.58KB , 1000x1000 , 398.png )

The orb shuts off.

".... I know you're scared but we'll figure something out before they get back.."

"Hmph."

Saisai gets her helmet back and walks off.

I think that hurt her...

Artemis touches her arm.

"Saisai, I...."

"Bleh"

She sticks her tongue out at Artemis.

"Did you think that hurt my feelings or something? Idiot. I'm tougher then that."

She walks ahead of him

>>280637
I wonder if she just acts scared so her father doesn't feel terrible for being unable to handle such a terribly strong girl.

I mean

Imagine adopting a baby and then finding out it can kick your ass at five

Not terribly reaffirming of one's masculinity.

laugh, and then say she must be good at acting cause she had you convinced.

>>280637
Walk up next to her, and stretch so your arms are joined over your head.
"So, we've got a week or two to prepare you for standing up to your father.
It might take a few long nights together, but we can do it."

>>280641
:|



no.

>>280637
"Well I'm happy to be wrong! And to have you back Saisai. And you're happy to be rid of Sir Busted Nuts of course. We should celebrate, if you're up to it. Just as long as I get to change out of this outfit before I lose my tomboyish charms."

two weeks better spent training. Artemis isn't worth much in a fight, work on that.

GP:55 Artemis 2011/02/09(Wed)22:20 No. 280650 ID: aca5e6
File 129731885423.png - (249.26KB , 1000x1000 , 399.png )

"Well I'm happy I'm wrong! And to have you back Saisai. And you're happy to be rid of what'shisname of course. We should celebrate, if you're up to it. Just as long as I get to change out of this outfit before I lose my tomboyish charms."

"Heh. No I'm tired. I'm going to my room, see ya."

She leaves.

>>280639

She 'is' good. I guess she didn't really need me to be here.
Well, I still got the whole day to myself.

>>280650
Saisai is two things; strong, and used to playing strong. There's a good chance she's going off to her room to cry and vent frustration because she doesn't want you to think she's weak - not saying it's the case, just that it's possible.
Oh, and you DID help her there. Quite a bit, I'd say.
Anyway, lets go get you changed back into your normal clothes and head back to the mission board so we can see what kind of missions we can start tomorrow.

Oh, and what are you planning on doing with
Mimi? The two of you obviously enjoyed it, so are you going stay physically involved with her?

>>280650
Change back into yourself and then we really need to go check in with Kacey. If you're going to be leader of the group and all.

Also just so you know... we can see Saisai shaking as she walks away. Don't run after her just be aware of it. She is tired and today she needs to rest. And cry.

i agree, she is probably gonna have a GOOD cry and get it out of her system, sometimes you just need to cry alone.

Gender Change 58-10=48 Artemis 2011/02/09(Wed)23:35 No. 280660 ID: aca5e6
File 129732331914.png - (96.45KB , 1000x1000 , 400.png )

No, I think I should leave her.. If she's going to cry she probably wants to be alone...

Artemis changes back into male and heads to his new room. He puts away the dress and changes back into his normal attire

>>280651
Mimi? What, no I was basically drunk. I don't even really remember what we did. I don't think

Mimi pops out of her chest

"Hi Master~~~"

Artemis quickly leaves his new room

>>280654
Kacey... Y-yeah.. Let me go see him...

Artemis 2011/02/09(Wed)23:35 No. 280661 ID: aca5e6
File 129732333719.png - (189.65KB , 1000x1000 , 401.png )

Artemis runs to the Church.
He sees High Priest Larks strolling around and greets him.

"Oh, good evening Artemis. What brings you to His home?"

"Ah, well... I uhm... Became a sort of captain and..."

"You wish to hire one of my members? That's no problem. Congratulations on your achievement. Here at the Church we have people specializing in many fields from fighting to powering up their teammates. If you need someone you can tell me what you're looking for and I'll arrange to have some people meet you."

Dammit Artemis, I can understand you wanting to get out of that but you should have said something to her. Now she's going to wonder if something is wrong, and you don't ever let a lady think that unless you're ready to talk about it! Also doesn't she seem... older? I think powering up is how demons physically mature. That's going to make things more and less difficult for you, I just know it.

Anyways, please explain to this guy that you have worked with Kacey as part of your old group and wanted to talk with him before deciding on using him for future missions. Or her. Just.. avoid using gender pronouns if you can.

>>280660
Send a note to Mimi asking her to please keep her clothes on when there's no pressing reason to keep them off.
So what if there was a potion involved? You did it because it needed to be done, and it has been done. Mimi is quite clearly eager to make it a regular thing, and I think you could stand to enjoy it yourself.
Take the time to very carefully decide what you want and what is best, and keep in mind that they are not the same things.

>>280661
Don't ask to meet anybody, just ask for dossiers on random people from each catagory so you can get an idea about what skill sets there are and how well they compliment each other.

>>280661
Discussing the availability of people you know is probably a good thing, yeah.

Beyond that, someone with healing for combat injuries and/or buff spells for their teammates would be excellent. You're not much of a support caster, but you can do a decent debuff with gravity and pull the whole fighter thing on your own if you have to.

Once that's dealt with, you really need to spend some time thinking about clothes, Artemis. You need something durable and well-fitting that will remain intact and concealing even if you switch gender back and forth, because history has amply demonstrated that when push comes to shove we'll switch you all over the place based primarily on your immediate needs rather than long-term security thoughts. That means you need to take steps to account for it.

GP:51 Artemis 2011/02/10(Thu)01:50 No. 280672 ID: 899d92
File 129733142216.png - (150.09KB , 1000x1000 , 402.png )

>>280664
Yes, clothing! I really need something for these... things.
Something stretchy that I can use in both genders. I have no idea what that kind of thing would be though. A brassiere..?

>>280663
Look I.... I'm just not attracted to Mimi. I don't want to do that with her and not feel anything for her. I only did -it- because she was going to die if I didn't. I just... Need a way to explain I'm not interested.

"Well Sir I used to work with Kacey a lot back when I was uhm.. Yeah in my old team. And I just wanted to talk to... Kacey."

"Ah, well Kacey's a bit busy at the moment. Do you want me to leave a message?"

"Uhm... No I'll see mumble mumble later. Can I have a list of all your uhm... Available members?"

"Sure."

He hands Artemis a dossier.

"That has the people who would be willing to help someone of your standing. If you manage to complete more missions I'm certain others would be willing to lend you a hand."

>>280672
Can we get their full names instead of just their first names?
Considering how political everything here is it's vital to know what families people are from, for reasons not the least of which is keeping members of hostile families out of the same party.

More generally, you still want to send a note telling Mimi to keep her clothes on.
You need to realize that sex is a bonding experience, and Mimi has firmly bonded to you. She was already in love with you before, and sex has served to cement that in her mind.
You are going to need to sit down with her and have an honest heart to heart talk about the feelings, wants, and needs that the both of you have. There will be crying, you're going to feel terrible, things will be very awkward between you two, and then they will never go back to the way they were. However, the outcome depends entirely on what you want and how you say it.
You think you have at least an idea of what you want, but right now you don't have a damned clue.
This brings us to step one 1:
Don't say something if it isn't absolutely true. Don't speak unless you can say something.
Get your head on straight, figure out what you want, then talk. I can give you one absolutely true thing to tell Mimi, though: You don't know what you want, you don't know how you feel, the situation behind the sex just makes you all the more confused, and you want Mimi to be a friend while you muddle through things.

>>280672
Okay, I can't figure out what the second and fourth columns are supposed to be. Anybody help?

I think the columns are Health, Ailment, Melee, Hand to Hand, Buff and Rebuff.

I say get Cecil or Cheryl.

>>280672
All the official squads have to have someone capable of curing serious injuries, right? This kinda cuts back on your options unless you want to hire on more than one.

How about that Dan fellow? It looks like they can do a bit of everything.

>>280688
I considered him, but he's a V- on everything and remember he can only do one thing at a time. He might not even be any better at healing than Artemis. Artemis has also kind of got the debuff ability sorted with his gravity magic.

Cecil.

>>280672
Cecil is the best overall by a landslide. How many people do we actually need, anyway?

>>280729
I believe a squad always consists of a captain and 3 members, 1 'Fighter', 1 'Mage', and 1 'healer'. We are currently picking up our healer.

>>280747
In that case, we should also pick up Mip (third from bottom) and Rynha (next one up). Unless you feel up to recruiting Saisai.

GP: 60 Artemis 2011/02/10(Thu)14:13 No. 280766 ID: aca5e6
File 129737600914.png - (148.74KB , 1000x1000 , 403.png )

Woah woah, these are all great ideas but the Academy and the Procuration Coalition still have people for hire..
Let's check out the Academy.

Artemis thanks High Priest Larks and heads off to the Academy. He notices a notice on the front gate that reads 'Work for Knights, Get Stuff' with a list of student names in different categories from Attacking, Defense, and Other.
The note also states that the list can change from time to time and that the students may be reached at any time within the Academy.

We should consider a quick meeting/interview with Sonata, Gene, and Morgen to figure out what the Other (?) for them means. Attackers and Defenders are sorta 'generic' in the sense we will know what they can do no matter who we pick. Sonata seems far too promising to not have something weird going on though, or being too 'varied' for their own good.

Eh, up to you Art. Interview now, or head to the Coalition now.

>>280772
The question mark means they are specialists of some sort. We know Morgan is a potion expert and probably other items as well. And Sarah is on there so that's another familiar face.

Well now just go get the list of the thiev- I mean, the Coalition. After that we can actually look at the missions and figure something out.

>>280766
Here's an idea: Get enrolled at the school so you can expand your magical powers.
Also, talk to Sonata to get an idea of what they can do and how well they can do it, but if their ego is as big as their script then you're going to laugh in their face and leave.

Artemis 2011/02/12(Sat)19:57 No. 281184 ID: 9ff258
File 129756947877.png - (159.21KB , 630x1000 , 404.png )

Well I can't really -join- the Academy. It's a full time position. I'm free to study here everyday though.

Anyway I think I'll at least see Sonata. I remember Gene from my fight against him in the tournament and... Well we know who Morgan is.

Artemis enters the academy and asks the man at the service desk where Sonata is.
He replies that she's always in the library studying stuff. Tallish girl with raven hair, can't miss her.
Artemis thanks him for the information and goes into the library to look for her, it doesn't take long.

"Sonata?"

The girl turns around.

"Yes?"

>>281184
Explain that you were recently placed in charge of a team of knights and noticed her name on the list of available Academy personnel. You were interested in talking to some of the candidates, including her, and getting a more detailed idea of their capabilities before issuing invitations, so if she has a few minutes...?

>>281184
"I saw you were looking to work for knights, and noticed you claimed to do everything.
I'd like to know more about yours skills, and what you would bring to a team."

"Why hello there beautiful, I came here because there is no way I can resist a girl who claims to be able to do everything, and I'm certainly not disappointed by what I see yet.. I have some talents myself that are a bit outside of normal categories, ill have to show you sometime. Anyways, I'm a sort of captain, and wanted to figure out what it really is you can do"

... oh wait, darn it, your male right now aren't you? well... darn.

>>281215
no

>>281329
Yes.

Hey try to watch your words, it's good to sound a bit more intelligent in front of the these sorts yeah? We don't want to look incompetent in front of them if we're asking for them to go and risk their lives by our command. That's good general advice too, by the way.

"Hi I'm a royal knight who has found himself in the position of having to form for groups for missions. The list out front says you're good at everything but that doesn't help me decide when I would ask for your help or for someone more specialized. So basically I just wanted to take a moment to get an idea where your skills and interests lie, if you don't mind?"

GP:68 Artemis 2011/02/14(Mon)21:45 No. 281655 ID: 110bd8
File 129774870654.png - (142.77KB , 800x800 , 405.png )

"Hi I'm a royal knight who has found himself in the position of having to form for groups for missions. The list out front says you're good at everything but that doesn't help me decide when I would ask for your help or for someone more specialized. So basically I just wanted to take a moment to get an idea where your skills and interests lie, if you don't mind?"

"W-well... I can use f-fire and ice m-magic as offense. I k-know a lot of s-spells for it. For d-defense I can u-use all kinds of m-magic shields. I c-can also use some healing. A-also I know elemental s-summons."

Woah, she's worse off then me.

>>281655
Smile and put a friendly hand on her shoulder "It's ok, relax. Have you ever worked with the knights before?"

I think tomorrow you should do a shakedown run. Something that's not too risky so you can see how your team works together and smooth over any problems.

Saisai is on the team in the fighter slot.
Sonata is the strongest contender for the mage slot.
Kacey is my pick for the healer slot.

>>281655
Relate to her, talk about your own experiences with that. Blame knowing what to say on us if you have to. I think it would do her a lot of good to talk to someone who understands. You too.

Im agreeing with trying to relate, tell her about the hours you speant learning gravity, maybe a favorite study book, I suspect she can relate.

Also, you should visit Gene and say hi, despite my forgetfulness, I believe he did say he would be willing to show you something related to his shadow/coffin thing if ya met him at the academy.

>>281655
She probably devoted herself to studying so much that she never learned much of social interactions. You should be familiar with that, trying to relate is the best option.

Also, why so silent, black hair?

Can she swim? How is she with fighting while in a wagon on a bumpy road? Does she get motionsick? Ask her what is the worst injury she's treated has been? Ask her if she's ever had to disguise herself as someone else?

Artemis 2011/02/16(Wed)14:36 No. 281964 ID: ab117e
File 129789579614.png - (108.35KB , 500x500 , 406.png )

"can you swim?"

"N-no..."

"Can you fight while on a moving wagon?"

"M-maybe..."

"what's the worst injury you've ever treated?"

"Uhm..."

She stammers a bit and before she can answer someone touches her shoulder, making her jump.
She looks up at the person.

"B-brother."

Gene N. nods.

>"Sonata we should be heading b- oh. It's you. Sonata this is the one who bested me at the tournament."

"R-really? This is A-artemis?"

>"In the flesh. I thought you had forgotten about me Artemis. How is everything?"

"Umm... busy. I made the mistake of having a good first impression. They've got me as a kind of quasi captain right now, with most of the responsibilities and few of the benefits. Been checking out the potential group members and their strengths. That's why I was talking to your sister here. She's very impressive, far more studied than myself. And how have you been? Think you'd be up to a mission under me sometime?"

"Gene, so this is your sister? I see the family resemblance, plus talented and cute to boot, your parents must be very pleased with you both. I was actually going to pop over and say hello in just a moment, but you have spared me the travel. Long story short, It appears I am in charge of a team as a sort of informal captain, and Sonata has made quite the impression. I don't know exactly if your both interested, or you might be busy, nor do I know exactly where either of you fit on the traditional team build... but from what shes said and I remember, I'm sure we have a mage and fighter here, and I have a good idea of who I want for a healer. I am quite curious still about your magics, now for the two of you combined, but work before mage-ing out eh?"

>>281964
"Very busy. I've made the rank of almost-captain. Speaking of which...
Sonata, I'll keep you in mind when building a team. I'm planning on starting slow, so you'd have a chance to get used to the others. Sound good?"

>>281969
You don't tell someone his sister is attractive unless you want to piss him off.

GP: 77 Artemis 2011/02/20(Sun)09:48 No. 282826 ID: b1790a
File 129822408796.png - (77.39KB , 500x500 , 407.png )

"Very busy. I've made the rank of almost-captain. Speaking of which...
Sonata, I'll keep you in mind when building a team. I'm planning on starting slow, so you'd have a chance to get used to the others. Sound good?"

Sonata nods

"Th-that sounds great. I l-look foreword to working with you Artemis.."

"Okay. We'll probably be working together tomorrow. I'll see you then."

Artemis shakes her hand and walks off. Before he leaves Gene grabs his shoulder and whispers in his ear.

>"Artemis, please take good care of my sister. She doesn't seem to do very well in teams."

>>282826
Whisper back "I know. I've been there."

Ok, so, send Mimi a note asking her to keep her clothes on when she comes out of her chest. After that you need to talk with her before she builds up last night to mean more than you can handle.

>>282826
"Understood. I can tell her time studying has effected her ability to be social, and that's something I've had to and still am dealing with myself. Time spent with others and a little help will go a long way. Is there anything else I should know?"

Artemis 2011/02/20(Sun)10:32 No. 282833 ID: b1790a
File 129822675365.png - (88.34KB , 500x500 , 408.png )

"Understood. I can tell her time studying has effected her ability to be social, and that's something I've had to and still am dealing with myself. Time spent with others and a little help will go a long way. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Well she's a smart girl. She knows more spells then even myself. She has a serious problem articulating words though and that sometimes hinders her spellcasting. No group has ever had her on their team for more then one mission. If it doesn't work out I fully understand but please try your best with her. Of course you will be compensated if you do help her. I do not have money but I will offer my services when needed."

"There's really no need."

"If you can make a team where she's able to fit in and be happy then that is a team I would want to join. I'll see you later Artemis."

He leaves.

>>282828
Note is sent but I have no idea what to say to her

>>282833
Oh, that's easy. I already told you what to say. >>280673

You don't know what you want, you don't know how you feel, the situation behind the sex just makes you all the more confused, and you want Mimi to be a friend while you muddle through things.

>>282833
So the shyness is one thing, but it gets to the point of being a speech impediment and that's a big deal when casting is verbal. Barring some kind of silent casting shenanigans, I think she's going to need actual speech tutoring.

If we do take her tomorrow, I would suggest bringing along Kacey and Saisai. We know the former isn't imposing and Saisai... can keep quiet at least. We'll see how it goes.

Now then, off to the Procurers.

Artemis 2011/02/20(Sun)11:18 No. 282841 ID: b1790a
File 129822953741.png - (53.28KB , 500x500 , 409.png )

>>282835
That's not true guardian. I -do- know what I want and I -do- know how I feel. I want to be the best knight I can be and I feel like this is becoming too much. I understand she may have taken what happened the wrong way and I simply need to correct that.

>>282840
That sounds like a solid enough team. Hopefully Sonata has mastered some form of non verbal spells...

Anyway off to the uh... Less fortunate side of the kingdom.

Artemis heads down to the Procuration Coalition Headquarters.
A dark skinned man with long ears is there to greet him.

"......."

>>282841
What? No, I wasn't talking about things overall, I was talking about your relationship with Mimi.
She's madly in love with you, and thinks you love her back. If you reject her outright she'll be devastated, which is why you need to tell you you're unsure of what you feel for her.

Equally important is that you really don't know how you feel towards her. You may think otherwise, but years of experience tells me you're doing what's easy instead of what's right. You haven't done the kind of introspection you need, and you won't be able to until you realize you're confused.

There's the easy and painful route and the hard and painful route. The easy route may be tempting but it leads to regret, and that's a lesson you don't want to learn first hand.

Now on to things of more immediate concern.
You're looking at a dark elf. They're a fairly easygoing lot, but racial conflicts are going to make this one more cautious.
Their domain of magic is soul magic, which is very powerful and doesn't draw on mana. Most notable is that it can heal damaged souls, but its offensive potential is significant.

Treat this one with the respect due to any intelligent creature; the same as you would treat a human.

>>282841
I wonder what the proper etiquette is here. Nothing to do but be polite, I guess. Introduce yourself, make sure you're in the right place and ask about prospective help for missions.

And Artemis about Mimi... talking to her all this is a good idea but first you should give her a note asking what kind if clothes she'd like to get. She needs something bigger and more mature, since she seems to grow with the power we feed her.

Artemis 2011/02/21(Mon)10:09 No. 283105 ID: fed777
File 129831179361.png - (145.06KB , 800x800 , 410.png )

I actually asked her about clothes already, she said she'll take care of that when she needs to..
Anyway my feelings for her are not romantic at all, I simply can't see me being with her forever. Ultimatly I want to be able to send her back to the demon world.
Besides.. I kinda like Morgan.

He walks up to the dark elf and clears his throught.

"Good evening, I would like to see you facilitator."

Is what he would've liked to say. Unfortunatly Artemis could not articulate his words well enough. Before he had a chance to speak the Dark Elf cut him off.

"What do you want?"

"Ah! Well uhm... I like to... Uhm see the, you know, leader of this group and.."

"For what?"

"I n-need to hire someone."

"....."

The dark elf opens the door and let's Artemis inside.
he walks down a dark hallway with only a single door at the end of it. He knocks on it and waits for a reply.

>"Come in."

With that he enters an equally dark room. The room is bare save for one man sitting down at a desk.

>"Welcome stranger. What services do you seek?"

"Ah yes I'm..... I'm a captain and I was wondering if you had people I could like hire and stuff.."

"Certainly. Do you need an individual taken care of? An item that needs retrieving? Tell me what you need and I will find someone suitable for you."

>>283105
"No that's not what I mean okay I'm just going to leave now"

>>283105
"I'm here not to hire just yet, but to know what options there are and under what conditions so I can be prepared when I take on a mission. But you know, as long as I'm here... there's someone I need dirt on. He isn't likely to be a direct problem anymore but he can still complicate things. A knight by the name of Chevre."

>>283109
Actually yeah, we should go with this.

>>283105
"I'm not looking for anything specific, just getting a handle on what skills are on the table for when I'm picking and planning missions."

Wait, what did Mimi do to piss you off? Why would you even think of doing something so-
Oh... You don't know, do you.
*Sigh*
Ok, here's how the world works.
You know that demons sign contracts so they can stay on this world, right?
Think about how horrible the reputations of demons are.
Now think of what kind of people are going to be contracting with demons.
Now consider why those kinds of people would want to contract a demon.

Just so we're on the same page, horrible people contract demons for horrible reasons.
Now, what would it take for you to sign over total control of your mind, body, soul, and life to the most vile wretches alive?

Can't think of anything? Yea, that's because the demon world is so horrible beyond your wildest nightmares that demons will agree to absolutely anything to leave.

Mimi doesn't want to go 'home'. Ever. She's absurdly lucky to wind up as the property of a good person.
Putting everything else aside, you're both better off if you share your lives.

Artemis 2011/02/21(Mon)11:51 No. 283121 ID: fed777
File 129831787089.png - (70.01KB , 800x800 , 411.png )

"I'm here not to hire just yet, but to know what options there are and under what conditions so I can be prepared when I take on a mission. But you know, as long as I'm here... there's someone I need dirt on. He isn't likely to be a direct problem anymore but he can still complicate things. A knight by the name of Chevre."


"Hm. He's used are services before. I can get information on him but it will cost money. At least G300."

"Okay. Well thank you. I will uhm... Contact you later. Well not you personally but I'll probably come by. you know... To hire someone.. Bye."

He leaves

Yeah we're not using anyone from there...

>>283112
But she's a demon! Having her with me puts us -both- in danger. Doubly so since I'm a knight! I'd... I'd rather just give her to someone not in service that I can trust.

Anyway I've checked out all three places, where to now?

>>283121
Art, you've seen the horrible things that knights have been getting away with. Mimi's at risk because she's alive, and she's safer in a Captain's room than any other domicile.
Keeping Mimi yourself doesn't put you in danger either. As long as she stays in her chest and you don't start blabbing to people who shouldn't know nobody will find out, and even if they do you can just move her someplace else and tell 'em to piss off.

Moving right along, once Mimi has some more power under her belt you can have her mimic a house instead of a chest then live there instead of the castle.

Oh, and speaking of people you can trust... Who?

Don't act so damn timid with these guys, these are the ones you want to be able to count on as allies, if not friends. That will be easier than you'd expect, I think.

Next important thing is to check the mission list and make plans. After that you'll need to talk to Mimi... we were going to buy her some things right? We should do that now then go over missions.

>>283121
>someone i can trust.
Well, they say the people you can trust the most are those whom you have shed blood with. Now it's not quite the same thing, but that girl from the potions shop certainly had you both die and be revived in her presence. If nothing else that is a HUGE debt you can call on, and you could be fairly certain Mimi would not only be safe, but also useful.
Who else...
Ah! Saisai's family no doubt has a ton of storage places, or even just empty rooms in the house here in town, and that might also allow Mimi to keep at least some company.
Final idea: The merpeople. Unless there is some demonic aura that would make the dragon and/or merpeople automatically dislike her, Mimi could be hidden there, or kept in the dragons cave for safety. No doubt she and the merpeople would get along quite nicely!

All my ideas for now.

GP: 89 Artemis 2011/02/22(Tue)16:43 No. 283497 ID: 6c068e
File 129842178934.png - (253.04KB , 800x800 , 412.png )

>>283191
Actually asking the merfolk sounds like a great idea. I'm sure they'd be more then willing, it's not like Mimi is evil or anything.

>>283141
Buy thing, then check the missions. Gotcha.

Artemis heads off to the shopping district. As he enters a alleyway he hears someone talk to him.

"Excuse me sir, can you spare some change?"

Artemis turns around to see a man with two long swords coming out of each of his wrists, attached there by some sort of bandage.

"Uhm... Sure I guess."

"Hahaha you're the first one to say yes, I'm at a loss here."

He walks over to Artemis.

"You see most people just brush by and so 'No' and then I usually reply 'Well how about I take your organs instead, those can fetch a high price'. But you didn't say no, you actually agreed to give me change. So now I -can't- use my usual 'I'm gonna kill you line'. I'm really at a loss here."

He flexes a bit letting the blades shine in the dim light of the alley. Artemis notices they're rusted and covered in dried blood.

"Thank you for the charity but... I think I'm going to kill you anyway. Nothing personal."

>>283497
Say "Ah, sure, just let me leave a note here and I'll be right with you."

Then give Mimi a note saying she can eat this guy's soul.
Yea, don't argue on this. He's an unrepentant murderer that deserves worse.

Your goal is going to be getting your bag over his head. Start with gravity and icing his hands, but assume magic isn't going to work on him so he can't catch you off guard if it fails.

"er... care to spare a non murder pass? I'm apparently in need of more charity than I expected today"

>>283501
Yep. I agree.

>>283497
[Minor Psionics] onto his sword edge into his gut. It probably won't stop him but should buy you enough time to pull out your staff and light him up with Fire.

We'll change gender next if your magic isn't effective enough, either for fight or flight.

>>283497
Well, you're a knight. He's boldly claimed to be a serial murderer. You have a distinctly obvious duty here- to take him down, hard, by whatever means are available.

Official protocol may dictate that you inform him that he's summarily sentenced to death for assaulting a knight prior to using lethal force, but I'm a little fuzzy on the details- you probably know better how to make this legal.

Use psionics to drive a coin into his third eye.
He thrived from a lack of charity, it is only fitting that it shall be his undoing.

GP 95-23= 72+ Agreement= 80 Artemis 2011/02/22(Tue)17:59 No. 283533 ID: 6c068e
File 129842635858.png - (224.36KB , 800x800 , 413.png )

>>283501
No! I'm not feeding anyone's soul to Mimi EVER. That's a fate worse then death and I have no right to sentence anyone to such a thing!

>>283520
I'll try to arrest him but if push comes to shove I must take him down..

I probably can't move his blades since he's holding them so....

Artemis uses Minor Psionics on a coin and flings it at the man third eye. He flinches and in that moment Artemis pulls out his staff and casts Fire on him.
The man dodges and the spell grazes his shoulder.
He rushes at Artemis and swings his blade. Artemis barely has enough time to react but manages to block the blade with his staff.

Damn, he's fast!

>>283533
Hit him now with everything you've got. At this range there's no way he can dodge.

>mailto:Don't die now, I need you.
Okay we are definitely getting that checked out

>>283533
The application of some Gravity might slow him down enough to handle. Watch yourself. Gradually move the fight into a more open, public area if you can; as the one legally in the right here, anyone else who comes to investigate will default to your side.

>>283533
Your magic isn't for close quarters like this, time to swap. No sword handy but we can settle for beating him with a stick.

[Change Gender]

If he's fast, then slow him down with Gravity.

>>283533
Mysterious voice: We don't give a damn what you need or think you need. If you have so much riding on Art then invest some effort in helping him.

Of course he's fast. There are very few slow twin-blade styles.
Cast gravity on him to increase his weight. That will slow him down.

Fire on his hands, if you can manage it.

'Fate worse than death', you say? Do you know what happens when people die? Everything you were, are, and ever could be is erased from existence. It's a fate exactly equal to death because they both have the exact same consequences as far as that person is concerned.
Souls are like cafeteria plate; they are used and scoured clean so that the use leaves no signs, and if you break a plate the cafeteria just gets a new one.

Sorry to dispel your illusions, but you live in a crapsack world.

>>283540
I don't think doing something so disorienting in such a pressing situation is a good idea. Maybe if we had an opening.

GP: Unkown bonus= 100 Artemis 2011/02/22(Tue)18:44 No. 283559 ID: 6c068e
File 129842909635.png - (182.04KB , 800x800 , 414.png )

Artemis struggles to pull back his staff. The man pulls back his other blade and strikes again.
Right before the blade connects with Artemis's neck a sudden blast forces the man back. Black tendrils erupt around Artemis and circle him, creating a protective field.

"What the...?"

After a moment the field vanishes.
New Guardian Ability, Shadow Shield- Creates a damaging shadow element shield. GP Cost:0

Woah... Did you do that Guardians?
In any case he's backed away now, I have a opening.

>>283559
CRUSH HIM WITH GRAVITY, CALL FOR THE KNIGHTS.

>>283559
UNLEASH THE GRAVATIC CRUSHER BEAM

Nope, we had nothing to do with it. But worry about that later. Now it's time for your [Limit Break]!

>Only because I can't afford letting him die.
...Fair enough. We appreciate the help but you and us are going to have words, after this.

>>283559
Artemis: You're being helped by some outside force that really wants you alive (he's that mystery voice you hear us talking to sometimes). He's reset our points and has given us a free ability.

Let's go kick some ass.

>>283591
>outside force
I think it's more like an inside force.
Think about it. Messages Artemis can't see or hear, mysterious black hair spreading like an infection.

...Black hair.
Remind me again, what color dragon did your dad wind up killing, Artemis?

>>283559
Gravity, then [Change Gender].

Artemis 2011/02/23(Wed)09:29 No. 283737 ID: aca5e6
File 129848219424.png - (117.57KB , 712x777 , 415.png )

>>283623
Uhm... It was the Shadow Dragon so... Black I guess?
Anyway!

"Gravity!"

The man's blades weight increases and he falls to the ground.

"Not bad kid.. I figured you to be the sheltered kind of kid. Guess I was wrong."

"Very wrong. I am a Knight and you are under arrest."

Man I sound cool!

>>283737
Ok, now keep the gravity up while you make him drag himself to the castle. Walk far enough behind him that he can't surprise you, and if he tries to fight or escape then burn his hands off and have Mimi devour his soul.

To voice: So, you're the remnant of the dragon his father killed? What's your goal?

>>283737
Well as long as you're feeling confident you might as well use it, force him to walk the guards to turn himself in and threaten to use lethal force if he resists or tries to run. Normally you'd want to disarm and shackle them but... yeah.

I think he's implying that the shadow dragon is living in your hair or something. Dunno about that but there is something here that isn't you or us and has shadow element powers. But don't worry about any of that right now because as tough as you think you are he's still liable to gut you. Do not drop your guard!

And to our friend: I see this power doesn't use any of our energy to use. But it isn't really free, is it?

It looks like he's seeping into the ground.

I don't think gravity is actually stopping him.

>>283737
>>283745
Use gravity to throw him into the air.

MP: Medium Artemis 2011/02/23(Wed)10:50 No. 283755 ID: aca5e6
File 129848704766.png - (80.45KB , 600x600 , 416.png )

Artemis holds him in place but notices he's sinking slowly into the ground.

"!?"

"Good. I'd rather be caught by you then by the knights..."

Artemis turns to see the leader of the Procuration Coalition.

>"Hmm. Knight, I'll take care of this man. Thank you for holding him in place for me. I'll consider giving you a discount at some point in the future."

The would be killer vanishes into the floor.

>"I think you should go home before this happens again."

Artemis thanks him and runs out of the district.

Artemis 2011/02/23(Wed)10:59 No. 283757 ID: aca5e6
File 129848759988.png - (37.38KB , 600x600 , 417.png )

Artemis buys a few books for Mimi then makes his way back to the castle.
He checks the Mission Board.

Hmm... there are quite a few available now that I can assemble my own team. It seems that each of the 4 groups have their own missions.

The Church of Cheront does mostly Rescue/Healing missions. They travel the world and lend their services to others. Taking on their missions means I'll usually get a adept healer automatically placed on my team but the pay is really low for these missions.
The Knights have their own official missions. I need to assemble my own team for these. The missions can range from local orders to keeping the peace in other areas. the pay is average and includes expenses.

The Procuration Coalition.... Yeah these seem to be rather... Illegal? 'Take care of this person', 'Uncover info on this guy'. The pay is simply amazing though but it doesn't include expenses and I might be fired/sent to prison for most of them...

The Academy also has a few missions mostly involving Ingredient Retrieval or Protection. They pay is good but doesn't cover expenses. Also the mage who assigned the job will usually insist on joining so that takes away my Mage slot.

>>283755
To voice: That's nice. If you tell us what you want, Dragon, then we can see about helping each other. Assuming our goals are not mutually exclusive, anyway.

Ok, Art, we need to go to Mimi RIGHT NOW to make a deposit.

[Spend GP on increasing our max GP]

>>283757
The first mission needs to be a shakedown run, so go for a fairly simple rescue mission. See if you can get them to provide Kacey so you can have a Saisai/Kacey/Sonata team.

Check on what the Academy is offering, as that sounds the most interesting and profitable angle. Plus a fair chance to see a familiar name as the mission poster. Then check out the knights missions.

And how should we refer to you, little tag along? We are going to be spending a lot of time together after all. You might want to consider opening up about what you are and your intents, we may be willing to help you so long as you do well by us in turn. And besides it will keep us from making wild annoying assumptions endlessly.

>>283757
Since it's your first mission as a team captain, you should stick to the core of your job- that is, an official mission for the knights. You can branch out into other organizations' missions once you're somewhat better established and have a good handle for how to run things.

>>283755
Mysterious voice: Identify yourself. Now.

>>283121
It could be worse. When I was alive, my childhood sweetheart-turned-demon stalked me and tried to kill every single person I knew because I wasn't allowed to be with her. I ended up killing her and shutting down my heart. Be happy that will never happen to you.

Artemis 2011/02/24(Thu)13:59 No. 284058 ID: ea07f0
File 129858476487.png - (34.13KB , 600x600 , 418.png )

>>283883
Eh?

>>284039
Oh my... That.... That's terrible Guardian... I don't think Mimi will do that though..

Anyway lessee.... Okay for the Knights there are a few missions.
One is defending the border against the tigerfolk, it seems they've been creeping in more. The pay is G1000 plus expenses.
Another is.... Protecting a member of the Erdet family. It seems the heir wishes to explore the outside of the kingdom. The pay is.... G1200.
Another is an easy one, patrol. I can probably accomplish this on my own and the pay is a meager G500.
Deliver a message to the Dark Elves. The pay is G1000.
Deliever a message to the Light Elves. The pay is G200,000. Woah, that's.... That's a lot.
Deliver goods to the fairies, pay is G1200.
That seems to be it for now

>>284058
Find out if the "Deliver message to the Light Elves" and "Deliver message to the Dark Elves" ones are related.

I'd say go for Dark Elf messaging and Fairy delivery. Those are both fairly low risk, and we can chain courier missions together pretty easily.

>>284058
I'm not real keen on guard duty or patrol, it gives us either a combat or boredom. Not that we can't deal with either but we should work on leading a group first then getting into coordinated combat. Light elves mission must be high risk indeed for that kind of reward. Now the dark elves that sounds safer and more interesting. We haven't met them yet and it could be rewarding in other ways. I believe they are proficient at soul magics certainly even a small amount of knowledge of that could be valuable. It's a good mission to bring Sonata or Sarah with for their insights, and we implied we would take the former along already. And with her, again, a less combat focused mission is a better idea.

But let's check out the Academy list before deciding on anything.


The voice we mentioned is something we have noticed making comments ever since you took that little break from living. You can't hear it and we wouldn't notice it without paying careful attention. It seems to be some being that has hitching a ride with you since before we came along. It was responsible for the dark shield power earlier. It seems to need you alive for it's own well being. Beyond that we can only conjecture, but it seems reasonable to assume it's been there your whole life and is responsible for your unique hair colors. Having something to do with the shadow dragon is even more of a wild guess.

It seems harmless enough for now and we can't do much about it anyway so try not to worry about it. We should only mind to not rely on the power it granted us, as it's use has some unknown cost that isn't our GP or your mana.

>>284058
Wait a second, is the pay listed for the whole party or for each party member? Because if it's per party then the patrol work is much better paying ($500 rather than $250-300).

Delivery to the fairies looks straightforward and pays decently.

Who's the person behind the prices for the missions? The petitioner, or is there someone who evaluates it as a third party?

Because that is either a REALLY GODDAMN IMPORTANT MESSAGE, or... a trap? Anyway, ask around and see if anyone knows.

Hmm, let me try something here...

>>284206
Yes! A new toy!

Artemis 2011/02/25(Fri)15:33 No. 284258 ID: ab117e
File 129867679762.png - (11.02KB , 600x600 , 419.png )

>>284079
My hair is alive..?

>>284193
Well these missions are from the Knights so the king would need to approve. Others are more of a Help Wanted ad then anything. Knight missions are generally more safe in that they're not a trap.

Anyway I can't take on two missions at once but I'm going to take down the Fairy Delivery flier, this is allowed only if you're certain you want the job. Now I have as much time as I need to get prepared.
It's getting late now, I think I'll head in..

Artemis walks up to his room

Ah, yes. Forgot about her for a bit...

>>284258
Go in, give her, say, 75GP? Then tell her that you love her, but you don't think you're IN love with her. Give her a hug.

>>284258
Hopefully she's not upset from earlier. You're going to need to talk with her about all kinds of stuff, find out what she wants and tell her what you want and are concerned about. Just be open and honest and kind and it'll work out.

>My hair is alive..?
Do you just understand less with the more I say? Look, you are possessed by something of a shadowy nature and the hair color is a side effect. Got it? Good. It seems to be saying the shadow power isn't dangerous to use at least. Still don't want to abuse it, it probably has limits much like your own mana.

Artemis 2011/02/25(Fri)21:42 No. 284365 ID: 9f25ed
File 129869895153.png - (35.34KB , 480x424 , 420.png )

>>284260
>>284262

I'm not going to tell her I love her!
But.. I do need to talk to her.

Artemis enters the room

and sees Regulus talking to Mimi.

>"Oh, good evening Artemis. You never told me you had one of these. She's quite a specimen. Very cute."

WELL THE CAT'S OUT OF THE BAG.

"... You're not... gonna kill me? Or something?"

ENDEAVOR FOR ADORABLE.

defensive stance!

"And a very kind and loyal friend too, worth protecting. It would be wrong to ever put someone like that in danger or make them unhappy. Don't you agree?"

>>284365
Didn't anyone ever teach this guy that it's rude to go into others' rooms without permission? Such a dick.

Anyway, I would recommend acting casual. Something like "It didn't seem worth mentioning. Thanks, I guess. Did you need something?"

>>284365
Nothing is wrong besides finding him in your room. Believe it and act it.
"Yes, she is. Can you believe that every knight who had that room just used and abandoned her? I understand some took very poor care of her, too.
So, can I help you sir?"

>>284365
ROLL WITH IT.
"Yes, indeed. Now may I ask what you're doing in my room?"

>>284418

Go with this one. It aims some of the possible wrath away from you.

>>284440
Yes, it also sets him up to say "You said to use common sense until you got me a list. Common sense says one of the countless knights who had that room would have reported contraband. Oh! And you were trying to talk with her last time so you must have known about her then." if he says something about her being in violation of the rules.
That gets YOUR ass out of the fire. Getting HER ass out of the fire would mean immediately taking her out of the castle. Probably leaving her with Morgan.

However, I expect that Regulus already knew about her. Assuming he's not one of her former masters, he's probably been using his rank to make Mimi dish out dirt on other knights who went through that room.
Don't hold it against him, it's his job.
Don't hold it against Mimi, he would get the contract between proper masters and it would likely be among the unpleasant things people made her do.

Artemis 2011/02/26(Sat)18:42 No. 284579 ID: 6c068e
File 129877455622.png - (89.14KB , 600x600 , 421.png )

"Yes, she is. Can you believe that every knight who had that room just used and abandoned her? I understand some took very poor care of her, too. So, can I help you sir?"

"Yes you can. You can help me destroy and dispose of this demon."

take a defensive stance and ask "why do i need to do it? is this some kind of loyalty test?"

>>284579
Okay, you've got to diplomace your way out of this one. Getting in a fight with this guy would be bad.

Artemis 2011/02/26(Sat)19:01 No. 284587 ID: 6c068e
File 129877570293.png - (90.14KB , 600x600 , 422.png )

"Wh-what? Sir, I.."

"kidding."

Regulus laughs.

"I'm only kidding. I would never ask you to kill her. I can imagine what a great help she'd be on your missions. No need to cripple you like that. She -is- still a demon though. Others won't be as understanding as I am and they may try to dispose of her. So long as she remains in your room I see no harm in keeping her in this world."

laugh nervously and thank him for understanding.

>>284587
I'd say something like "Uh, right" and change the subject. To why he's waiting in your room, for example. (Doesn't your room lock?)

>>284587
Thank him, bemoan how hard it is to do the right thing all the time, and offer to do a favor for him sometime in return. Just as an opening to build some level of mutual trust here, and since you're forced to trust him already and basically have to do anything he says there's no harm in the effort.

>>284603
I am wary of offering favors to rampant assholes.