??? 2012/04/22(Sun)17:35 No. 403486 ID: 97486c
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A young girl in armor picks up the Guardian from the wooden chest her mom had given her. The amulet seems plain and rather boring.

Father.. Mother said this would help me when I was going to take my exam but.. This is not what I was expecting. Why is your final gift to me a trinket and not something I can take into battle like a spear.
Or even spear polish. That would help me more then some bauble.

Pshaw. Have you no idea how great the consensus knowledge of a crowd of people is? We're a genuis when you take us in total, baby. Were the best.

Take off your top!

>Guardian Quest 2
>Alternate Timeline

...Oh. Oh wow. Uh.

...Ah! Hello, there. Um. Uh. Yeah, not just a trinket, to say the least.

>>403491
Shhhhh.

>>403486
My dear Saisai, you have no idea.

I think access to a collection of advisory spirits, especially ones that have already been a ways into the future from your perspective would be more useful than a spear. oh a word of Waring, while we are usually helpful to our wielder this is our second time though this timeline from our point of view so some of use might decide to just mess with you and see what happens.

Yes, you're probably right... Sorry for not being a pointy stick, dear.

you can polish my spear anytime you want, babe.

>>403486
Why is your final gift to us, you?

Greetings, Saisai.

Well, we have the gift of farsight, and we can protect you in battle by seeing traps and enemies that you otherwise couldn't. Also, our knowledge of certain fields of science is unmatched, including explosives and such.

Also, is it normal for there to be a Highly Obvious Ninja behind you? He has a knife, by the way. Might want to act fast and find out why someone would send an assassin to an apparently random adventurer.

>>403539
I don't see anything.

GP: 11 Saisai 2012/04/23(Mon)08:50 No. 403689 ID: 25d645
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O-oh! You can talk!? This is amazing!

My top... How would that...? Why?

>>403498
>>403534

Oh, you know my name too? Uhm.. This is his last gift because he's dead. He's been dead since I was born, even before then. He had killed the evil shadow dragon Ombra to help save the human race but he died in the process.. I should mention he's only the one who helped to 'create' me so to speak. I do have an actual male caretaker. It seems my mother had a fling with the man behind my father's back. Honestly I don't blame her, the man is... Bothersome.

>>403539
There's no one behind me... I'm very good at sensing these things.

>>403501
An alternate timeline? Do such things even exist? What else can you do? Can you really help me pass the Knight Exam?

well if it's anything like the other thing the guy you fight should be a pushover.

Well, if there's one thing I remember how to do, it would have to be... [change gender]

>>403689

think bigger. well, in the long run. right now, I guess we can take you through the exam... just tell us the steps.

>>403689

>My top... How would that...? Why?

I assume it was meant as a distraction and to make you lighter.

If we're to help you, we muct know what we work with. Please list abilities, morality, and other inhibitions.

Wait, is that guy's name Sable?
If it's Sable then we know something terrible about fate in this universe already. If you meet another young knight or knight-candidate named Artemis you must become his lover, although it shouldn't be anything exclusive. Buttsex is fine but terrible things happen if he is ever allowed to become horny due to certain... demons... involved. That means you also would have to make sure he has backup girlfriends for whenever you aren't close enough to take care of this duty.

>>403703
shhhh

>>403689
That is a very pretty hat, by the way. :3

Although I do believe you would be much prettier without it. Do not feel you need to keep secrets from us. We know many things, and just as we know many things, we can only share them with you, or others in your family. And we would generally respect your confidence in us.

Anyway, yes, we'll gladly help you in your knight exam. We are pretty worldly, pulling knowledge and experience from many places. We may also be able to help enhance your strengths as well, but that will probably have to wait. For now, just think of us as that wise elder in your head giving you as good advice as we can. Forgive some of the more... perverted voices. It is inevitable due to the nature of our existence.

Yes. Make use of our experience. The first time we saw roughly this scenario it was from the perspective of a knight candidate named Artemis, he ended up facing... someone who seems to be you actually... in the trials and won. Would you like to know how he did it?

GP: -10 + 7 = 8 Saisai 2012/04/23(Mon)10:10 No. 403767 ID: 25d645
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>>403703
W-what...? No I couldn't. I'm already betrothed..

>>403694
.... I think my chest plate feels a bit tighter..

>>403732
I would like to know this yes.. If this has already happened once before though then you could just tell me everything that's gonna happen right? Or would me knowing that change things? You know what, don't tell me anything. Give me advice but don't directly tell me things like that.

>>403717
You are very perceptive... I suppose it would not be best to keep secrets from the magical device that's meant to help me.

She takes off her helmet revealed two large ears coated with soft orange and black fur

As you can see I'm not fully human. This is both blessing and a curse.. While I'm a great fighter and tracker because of my super-human abilities I also would not legally allowed to be in the knights because of this. Only pure humans are supposed to join them and... Well I'm just not one. It's a recessive gene I'm told and my brothers and sisters do not posses these traits. It's also truly my only gift as it has allowed me to surpass all of them in the arena. After countless years of pleading my parents consented to having me take the Exam and with you by my side we are sure to pass.

>>403767
Ah, I see. If anything feels tight/restrictive, feel free to remove it (Barring loss of actual modesty), as spearfighters rely on agility more than protection for avoiding damage. If you're in a private place, you might want to check what change we just wrought on your body and become acclimated so your combat doesn't suffer.

...wait, why did that make your chestplate tighter? Shouldn't it have shrank your boobs, not made them bigger?

We just tried to change your gender, fyi. Well, one of us did. So um, as we can speak to you in total privacy and we will be your personal assistant for quite some time... are you normally female, or male?

check your pants.

also, again, future powers talking here. do not drink any bottles your fiancee brings you. ever.

>>403767
What is the name of your betrothed? I hope I don't know the answer.

>>403776
We did change her sex, her male torso is simply larger than her female torso.

>I'm already betrothed.
Oh, great, we forgot about Chevre. I realize it's arranged and all but find an excuse to dump him at the earliest opportunity. You deserve a lot better than that asshole. He's so bad your counterpart in the other timeline outright neutered the guy in a duel.

Now if you really want to join the knights the light dragon can give you human ears and remove the scar from where your tail was. I'm not sure how you could talk her into doing it for you, though.

Hey, Ombra, are you here?

>>403783
If she doesn't do that then she doesn't learn how much of a jerk he is the hard way. I seem to remember that this was a lesson she was only willing to learn the hard way; you've just told her how to avoid the one lesson so harsh that she had to accept that her fiancé is a jerk.

Saisai, the incident in question involves him drugging you with an aphrodesiac. I am very certain you won't believe us about this because you want to pretend your fiancé is a better man than he is, and therefore we will be getting to say I told you so about it later. Don't worry about it, it's not important right now anyway.

If this ends up like our timeline, your fiance ends up giving you catfolk aphrodisiac he's immune to and having rough sex with you.

Also, anyone know why Guardian Quest 1 thread 14 was abandoned? Did things get too badly fucked up or something?

Saisai 2012/04/23(Mon)15:13 No. 403884 ID: 97486c
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W-what!? This is ridiculous! Chevre would never do such a thing and I'm pretty damn good at telling when drinks are spiked! Besides I don't even drink!
Seriously if you guys freak me out with any more future crap I'm tossing you back in the box!

she's serious about that

>>403770
She goes over to a nearby mirror and strips off her chest armor and upper clothing.

Mmm.. Yeah it's bigger for sure.. And my hair's black? What did you guys do..? Change me back, this is going to be annoying as hell to fight as. Most of my moves require perfect balance.

-Change Gender is now Change Form-

well it was a test, not sure why it manifested like that.
[change form]

>>403884
We will as soon as we can. If we can't in time, you should practice as you can - we use a special energy that builds over time to do this. My apologies, we may have flubbed.

However, I must say, you look fantastic.

>>403884
Oh, interesting, it's a different ability now. Unfortunately, we cannot change you back at the moment, we don't have enough power. Almost, but not quite. Very soon though!

Apologizes for the future-shit. I suspect that quite a lot of it won't apply at all.

So tell us more about your family!

Saisai here has very real concerns about how to succeed in combat trials here. She does not need compliments on her appearance, she wants a transformation we don't currently have the power to perform, and at a minimum needs the ability to get past this challenge.
We need you to define your moral limits here, and explain your supplementary resources. Whether you have the ability to succeed in these trials or not on your own merits I am certain there must be some manner of cheating or bribery that could improve your chances. We are just short of the power to transform you like that again, and I am not confident that a second transformation would be entirely to your liking anyway so we may need backup plans like this for if you don't happen to be physically superior to all of your opposition.
If your opposition is male or a lesbian you could attempt to tease or seduce them as either a distraction or a method of ensuring their willingness to help you succeed, and if you have an attractive man you can call on for help he might be able to do the same for any female or gay adversaries.
There are also possibilities for the usage of other supplementary distraction and field-control methods. Knowledge of the rules and limits of your challenges can help us suggest supplemental tactical aids that may be of use. Aids of this kind I have used myself include drugs, smokebombs, explosives, incendiaries, noise effects, chemical cloud weapons, animals and allies.
If these possibilities are inadequate I can try to suggest further options.

>>403884
It takes a little while to charge. Don't worry, it'll be undone long before your first bout.

We need to wait until he actually drugs her before we can do anything about him. It'd be best to say nothing more about this until she's actually started feeling the effects of the wine, and then have her flee to Artemis for help.

Aw, I was hoping she actually turned into a guy. Female-to-Male transformations are too uncommon compared to the reverse.

>>403884
*Sigh* Alright. Some lessons need to be learned through experience, I suppose.

On the subject of things you don't want to hear, the black hair's not our fault. On the bright side, it looks nice on you!

Now then, do you know what would be a really good thing to learn? Soul magic. You should find a dark elf willing to teach you it.

You're awake! Once we have 100 GP and some free time we should be able to temporarily summon you in an adorable fierce imp-like form so you can move around for a bit.

>>403911
Soul magic would help, since it's perfect for a warrior. The ability to manifest impossibly sharp blades at will alone makes it worth learning.
Sadly, the current political climate makes learning it difficult due to travel restrictions.

GP: 19-10 = 9 Overlord 2012/04/23(Mon)16:44 No. 403914 ID: 97486c
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>>403885
She changes back to normal.

That's better. I think? It's easier to just not have to get used to a new form.

>>403892
The Exam itself is nothing more then a tournament between possible recruits. While winning is not the only way to actually be chosen it certainly helps. I don't have any flashy moves so I will have to rely on my wits and my weapon.
My spear is very special and over the years I've added a few modifications to it. It can extend outward and even fire off like a grappling hook. The hook can even be retracted back into the shaft.

However, asking me to... Flirt.. With my opponent is.. Well, stupid. That isn't fighting, that's flirting. Any real warrior, especially an aspiring knight, would just use that moment to cut me down. I wouldn't even know how the hell to attempt it. Now.. During the battle itself I am only allowed to bring armor and my main weapon, the spear. I can't use any sort of bombs in it. Not that I would even want to.. I have a better chance of hurting myself then my opponent. I appreciate the advice but let's try to win this fairly. The consequences of getting caught far outweigh the slight increase to my chances of winning.

>>403889
Your previous ability was to change genders? How.. Odd. It would be interesting but I'm grateful you don't have such a power now.

As for my family.. What can I say about them? We never really talked. We each had out own ways of communicating though. Mother would wander around the house, 'father' would talk at everyone but me, my siblings would just sit and nod as father complimented them. It didn't bother me too much. Their ignorance of my actions allowed me to practice my fighting abilities in relative peace. I would spend most of my evenings watching my siblings get lessons from an actual teacher and spend my nights mimicking the moves they had been taught.
My family is also rather wealthy. We're one of the richer families in Central Kingdom. However through a serious of unfortunate events we have lost a bit of our standing with the others. That is the reason for my marriage. Though father seems to dislike me he knows I am more attractive then the others and decided since I was not in fighting class like the others then I would become a housewife.

Well, let's hope that doesn't happen.

All right, armor is back on. Shall we head off?

>>403914
Sure. Lets go.

>>403914
Sure, we should go. Hey, do you have many friends?

In my experience it is actually a well known dubious tactic for supporters or members of one side in a competition to distract members of the other side by means of showing off... things that are usually covered. That tactic is generally used only by those who have practiced it or non-participants in the contest itself who therefore wouldn't risk giving their opponent an opportunity by attempting such things. You are right that if you have no friends who can help you by doing this for you or insufficient practice doing it yourself it would be a foolish thing to try.
Bombs are out... how about other distractions like smoke pellets, light flashes and noises, not worth the effort?

I find this intensely odd that none of my usual tricks are useful to you. If you can suggest resources you have access to I can consider other ideas, but it seems that's not exactly what you want help with anyway. What would you like help with? Our ability to plan and arrange basically goes down to zero the moment you are involved in this competition so any help you'd like should be worked out advance.

Be sure your hat's on securely!

cut off your ears, otherwise they'll be revealed sooner or later.

Suggestion 2012/04/24(Tue)01:19 No. 403990 ID: b3fcbb
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>>403884
>A suitable host.

OH GOD! SHE'S BACK! PANIC! PANIC!

I don't mean to alarm you Saisai, but you have a minor case of draconic possession. Ombras soul is currently dormant in your body. the soul is going to slowly gain power until it can escape, and that is not a survivable process. however this is an alternative, if you learn shadow magic you'll be able to expel ombras soul safely, and don't worry about racial restrictions on magic, you have the shadow dragons soul in you so you can learn shadow magic.

Saisai 2012/04/24(Tue)07:15 No. 404120 ID: 97486c
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>>404022
Oh god future stuff I'm not listening lalalalala.
Wait.. Draconic possession? A minor case? Is that like a minor case of a cold? That doesn't even..

>>403964
I already cut off my tail.. I think I'll leave the ears for now. As it stands they help more then hinder me,

>>403963
It's on.

>>403922
Eh.. It's not that it -wouldn't- help I'm just worried I'm not skilled enough to pull off a distraction tactic. I'm a fighter so I prefer to just run into combat and kill things. The smoke and mirrors thing is best left to the mages.
And using my body to distract them is right out. Seriously, unless someone for some reason trained in that and had magical abilities to back it up I do -not- see how that is useful in battle.

>>403917
She heads off to the castle and after a quick inspection is allowed inside. In the main room there are other potential knights all waiting to take the same exam.

Friends? No. I never had time for them. Being home almost every day influenced that I'm sure. It is a fair trade though. Without such distractions I've been able to become a great warrior. And I have Chevre. He's willing to talk to me at least.

She signs in and is soon given a spot on the tournament. She examines the posting.

Seems I'm going first... First match is against... Shark Man? What kind of idiotic name is that?

a callsign.

>>404120

>Seems I'm going first... First match is against... Shark Man? What kind of idiotic name is that?

Not one to underestimate. It's likely not his real name, just a codename or a callsign. Be wary of summoning, or close combat abilities.

read the full chart, I wanna see who's participating!

>>404141
Read the full chart, try and match some names to faces. And remember, some of your opponents may already have real combat experience. Your training makes you worthy of this competition, but you may be at a disadvantage against someone that has learned from the line between life and death. Be ready to adapt. We'll help where we can, of course.

>>404155
This voice has the right of it except for one small detail:
At all costs do not be distracted by the thought of future fights while you are busy trying to win/not lose in the moment.

Also, it would really help if you could avoid telegraphing exactly what your skills and competency is by looking like you are a spear fighter and nothing else. By looking like a spear fighter you show off an awful lot of information about what risks your opponents must deal with in facing you and such, letting the ones with sufficient tactical knowledge try to plan how to defeat you. Hiding this information will improve your ability to do better against such opponents. Chances are you don't have a concealing cloak or anything like that at hand, so oh well.... Hopefully at least this is a lesson in subtlety for future encounters.

Saisai 2012/04/24(Tue)11:12 No. 404286 ID: 97486c
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>>404173
No you're right, I should find some way to hide this 5 foot long spear from my opponent throughout the battle. I'm sure that revealing it when the battle starts is more effective then keeping it hidden.
Anyway my tricks are within the spear itself. It has a few features that I'm sure aren't standard in spears. I can even fight long range with this.

>>404155
Saisai reads the paper but only has time to read her own opponent and her potential next opponents, Gene N. and Artemis L. before a bell sounds

The Royal Army Entrance Exam will begin now. Saisai F and... Sharmman..? Please enter the Arena.

This is it..

Saisai steps into the Arena and sees her opponent.

Hmm... This shark person doesn't seem to have a weapon..

First one to fall and stay fallen for ten seconds loses the battle! Begin!

There are so many people watching this.. I bet even the King is here..

Her opponent starts circling around her as Saisai gets her spear ready.

I have no idea what they're capable of... Should I strike first or just wait..? I... I think I'm nervous.

Maybe.. I should just leave and come back for the next one.. Train some more.

sharks circle then go for a hard strike. wait for the strike and dodge and counter.

>>404287
Hmm, good thinking. Treat the 'shark' as a shark, and we can predict it. By the way, those mitts are most likely weapons.

Don't lose your nerve, Saisai. You can win this.

>>404286
>Maybe.. I should just leave and come back for the next one.. Train some more.

Pfft! You've lost already with that kind of attitude!

Don't falter now! Believe in yourself! I'd say to feint, see if they bite the feint, and give her a blow that will give her second thoughts of circling around you.

I was discussing strategy, not tactics; it would be silly to hide a spear you're using to control your opponent with feints. Never mind, I'll have to explain it later I guess. My apologies for being insufficiently clear.

At the moment you are in a fight and now is not the time for self-doubt or argument. You know he's got gauntlets and probably other short range attacks. There are no obvious other weapons, this suggests the possibility of magical attacks and thrown projectiles. The key here is to engage at the medium-short range which your short spear is good at because failing to threaten him leaves him free to attempt these possible unknown ranged attacks and those gauntlets would tear you apart in the short range. Feinting against your opponent until they leave you an opening to get a good strike is what I suggest because leaving your opponent the opportunity to choose where they want to strike from and when they do it is a bad idea generally. My advice is limited by not knowing what tricks you and your spear have, and what the abilities and limitations of this opponent are. More information would help us help you.

Also, how vulnerable is your spear? A common tactic I know for use against short-spears like yours is to attack the spear itself, breaking it.

Saisai 2012/04/24(Tue)13:10 No. 404317 ID: 97486c
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>>404304
Sorry, you're right. We need to know everything about one another to work effectively. My spear is difficult to break thanks to my modifications. Other then it's toughness it's main ability is being able to shoot out the spear head so that it can grab things and retract itself. I can also use the spear to Jump and slam down on my opponent. It's very fast but can be predictable.

Saisai watches her opponent circle once more. She makes a quick jab when Sharkman runs past her, it's glove brushes against her face.

Saisai turns to face Sharkman when the side of her face explodes in pain. A thousand fine cuts appear and pour out blood.

W-what..? That guy barely grazed me... He's so fast..

Sharkman starts circling again

>>404317
Yep, gloves are weapons.

Don't wait this time. Attack. Try a few thrusts, and see if you can catch him dodging backwards. When he does this, extend the spear to catch him mid-dodge.

spin counter to his circle and extend your spear. would make a trip line.

>>404317
Opponent is fast as fuck. Use it against them. She needs to move close to attack you. Therefore, clothesline them with your weapon. If this proves impossible, remain moving yourself, maybe their speed is only good in straight lines. Utilize your better range and the fact that their speed can be used against them to your advantage.

Aggressively poke at them with the spear to keep them off balance, to create vulnerabilities to strike in. Do not let them prepare for another attack against you.

If you note them starting to attack anyway use the other end of your spear like a staff to sideswipe them.

new guy 2012/04/24(Tue)14:15 No. 404340 ID: f70e5e

the gloves seem to be super abrasive, I doubt a weapon like that would be much use in anything but a very fast attack. her strategy is probably to keep doing run by attacks until you are worn down. i recommend trying to either clothesline her or trip her with your spear. keep in mind she can probably see an attack like that coming, so try and lead with a feint.

Saisai 2012/04/24(Tue)14:47 No. 404348 ID: 97486c
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Saisai jabs a few times at Sharman but he doesn't seem to react. After a minute Sharkman charges forward. Saisai reacts and quickly places her spear in front of her. Sharkman nearly impales himself but stops. Saisai twists the shaft of her spear causing it to shoot out and through Sharkman.

!!!!

The spear head retracts back into the handle and throws Sharkman's body in front of Saisai's feet.

I... Uh, the winner is.. Saisai Falladay!

The crowd gives a nervous cheer as medics drag out Sharkman. He doesn't seem to be moving. Another medic comes by and heals Saisai's cuts.

I... I didn't mean to do that.. I just reacted..

>>404348
And you reacted well. Good job. This might be an exam, but it's still a battle with live weapons- you cannot afford to pull punches.

so long as the heart is ruptured it should be fixable.

>>404348
Whoa, crap. Well, that's a problem with tournaments that use live weapons. People can die.

If you're worried you can ask the medics to tell you if he survives. Perhaps apologize to him in person if he does.

This is what being a knight will include: Making split second decisions that kill people even if you don't want to. It is important that you never start to like it, but you have to be prepared to do it again... and again after that.
When you get better at this you may be able to choose to only disable or disarm opponents that you're enough better than so you have that choice. This is one of the things you need more practice and experience to achieve. Do you have what it takes?

GP:57 Saisai 2012/04/24(Tue)15:10 No. 404359 ID: 97486c
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>>404353
I will.

>>404352
Saisai shakes her head and tries to clear away her negative thoughts.

You're right. I did sign up for this.. Hopefully he survived but if not... Well he knew what could happen.

She takes a deep breath and leaves the arena and into the lobby. She sees Sharkman being carted upstairs.
A young wizard goes up to her and extends his hand.

Wizard: "Hey, you uh... You won right? Congratulations."

I just (probably) killed a man! Don't act happy for me!

He keeps holding out his hand with that smile until she shakes it.

Wizard: "How uhm.. The battle... How was it..?"

"... Easy."

He smiles again.

I want to punch him. Just rip the happy right out of his soul. It just rubs me the wrong way.

"I'm pretty nervous.. I won my first fight but... Well I just hope the next one goes well. I'm a pretty good wizard but everyone here looks so much stronger."

"..."

"Hey, maybe we'll fight each other in the finals huh? Oh no.. That'd be bad wouldn't it? Not that I don't want you to make it to the finals! And I won't try to not be there either but.. Blah, sorry I don't really say what I mean to when I'm nervous."

"...."

"So you use a spear huh? I never got a hang of weapons personally. My brothers taught me how to use magic. My father's a great wizard too. Actually he's even in the Knights. That's part of why I want to be in it. Do you have family in the knights?"

"....."

"You probably do, most people who join know someone in the knights. Like my friend Apollo's mother is-"

WHY IS HE STILL TALKING
I'M NOT EVEN REPLYING TO HIM
SHUT UP ALREADY

"......"

it's called 'being friendly'. try it.

Nice to see Artemis is sociable as a male in this timeline

>>404359
Having friends keeps your mind and emotions healthy. Mental strength is important too, Saisai. Don't be afraid to talk to people.

Though to be honest if this guy's demeanor irritates you from the start, maybe you won't be very good friends. I dunno, at least talk to him a little. Tell him you're upset because you probably killed that guy.

Jeeze, just talk to him. He's clearly nervous as hell about his test.

If you want a graceful exit from this social situation here's what I suggest you say:
"I'm sorry, I didn't think I might be a killer today. I'd like to be alone now to gather my wits after that, please."

Alternatively you might want to try making friends with someone else that just won their first round and therefore is likely also going to be one of your future coworkers:
"Uh hello, I'm sorry but I'm not a graceful social butterfly able to joke and entertain after she kills someone unintentionally. How about if we both make it we go out later for a celebratory beer with the other winners?"

Or, if you want to be really emphatic about it without physically assaulting him and getting yourself disqualified:
"Do you really want to know how it was? Fear, uncertainty, pain, desperate fighting, one unexpectedly effective defense, a glimpsed opportunity, spilled blood and everybody horrified at me and what happened because the other guy might be dead.
"Really, I'm not ready to talk with anyone after that. Maybe later, maybe never, but please, not now."

just... leave. he's obviously not worth your time and patience.

>>404359
I always say, if something bugs you. Deal with it. Don't just tolerate it. Tolerating it just means you have accepted it as being 'ok'. I suggest just telling him to shut up, or if you don't want to be that mean, 'you're annoying'. Or just walk away.

Suggestion 2012/04/24(Tue)22:04 No. 404410 ID: f18f75
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>>404359
Haha~! Social retard! I knew it~! Oh-hohohohohoho~!

"I doubt we'll fight each other in the finals. We're fighting next round."

>>404364
this is a good suggestion. I know he's coming off as really annoying right now but hes just trying to be friendly. he also might end up as a future co worker so getting him to stop talking without coming across as an ass would be a good idea.

>>404420
Agreed.

Saisai 2012/04/25(Wed)05:20 No. 404528 ID: 25d645
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"I'm sorry, I didn't think I might be a killer today. I'd like to be alone now to gather my wits after that, please."

His eyes go wide and he takes a step back.

"Oh, yeah, no I totally understand."

"Thank you."

Saisai sits down on a nearby bench. After taking in a deep breath she hears someone sit besides her, it's the mage

ASFKJGFKLADGHKLANKRWWQRIJFOKA!!!!?!?!

"So you really killed the man? In your fight?"

"I don't know, I think I did." She says through clenched teeth.

"How do you feel about that?"

"Can we please not talk about this?"

"Sure sure. So, my name's Artemis. What's yours?"

"Saisai.."

>>404418
!?

Saisai: "So... You're a wizard huh? What can you do?"

The mage smiles at her, pleased that she's making some small talk back

"Well not much right now but I can make a few fireballs, change gravity, and even protect myself from certain attacks."

"Really? Impressive. Surely such power must come at some cost."

"Eh, sorta. It uses Mana to conjure these powers so I really can't do it for too long. After like 5 fireballs I need to rest for a bit to regain mana."

"That seems like a horrible disadvantage. Surely there must be some way to mitigate this?"

"Well I could take a mana potion but I don't have any at the moment. I just have to hope my opponent doesn't press me too hard."

"I see.."

So many weaknesses.

They hear the announcer's loud voice penetrate the lobby from the arena.

That concludes round one! Round 2 is starting up with Sasai F. vs Artemis L.!

Artemis stares first at the door in shock then at Saisai who can't help but give a small smile. He looks confused for a moment, then hurt.

I don't have to worry about him being my co-worker if I beat him in this battle..

Without a word Saisai gets up and walks into the arena. A moment later Artemis follows behind her

You both know the rules, let the battle begin!

Artemis stands there looking completely nerve-wracked.

He's worried. He should be. Pretty much told me all his secrets in combat. I think if I just shatter his staff he'll be helpless.

he said he has a protection spell. that spell could mitigate sear attacks.

>>404528

hint: if you shatter his staff, he won't be helpless. also? don't underestimate him, because if you're careless, he'll end you.

and yeah, staffs are focuses, not the source of power.

>>404528
To be honest knowing he's a mage you'd want to press him regardless. Watch out for that gravity change, that's a tricky spell. Be especially careful to keep on your hat.

You know... he looks pretty squishy. Why not just trip him, sit on him and hold on to his hands so he can't cast anything? I'd try it, the worst that can happen is he zaps you with a spell that probably won't be a game ender for your troubles and you'll have established to the people running this contest that you're not just a bloodthirsty killer.

>>404528
well, even one fireball could be nasty. Especially if it causes any clothing(hat) damage. Basically, make sure he can't concentrate long enough to cast spells. Pressure him right away. If you're feeling sympathetic you could knock him on his butt and pin him for the ten-count. He looks way too scrawny to be able to get away, if you know how to hold him, that is. Heck, if you threaten him with the spearhead he might be too cowed to try and stand up.. otherwise, a jab in/through the shoulder maybe?

>>404548
Sympathy? She has unreasonable, violent hatred towards this guy just for daring to talk to her. She only mastered that hatred for long enough to trick him into telling her his strengths and weaknesses, which was a pretty good plan by the way, good thinking Saisai. A fight is no time for sympathy with your opponent anyway.
The reasons to keep him alive now do not include sympathy, they do include that you don't want to look like a bloodthirsty killer and that you shouldn't try to kill anybody you don't have to because it always has unintended consequences. If you win every fight by fatality I'm pretty sure they'd have grave reservations about accepting you into the knights.

So how about that JUMP attack?

>>404528
He told you his weaknesses. You dodge five fireballs or pin his noodly body down and you win.

Don't use your spear's special functions. In fact, try to take him down without serious injury. You don't need to, and you need some friends.

not sure pinning is the best plan with that gravity thing he mentioned. dodge a few fireballs first and then he'll be too tired to use it. agreed that you should try to beat him nonlethally.

GP:70 Saisai 2012/04/26(Thu)21:57 No. 405111 ID: 97486c
File 133550263120.png - (230.48KB , 800x600 , 13.png )

>>404551
Hate? Hate is a strong word. I simply don't enjoy being around someone so cheerful AFTER I POSSIBLE KILLED A MAN. I don't know him well enough to truly hate him. No, my hate is reserved for those who have truly wronged me. Those who have tread upon my personal beliefs. Those who steal the last pastry from the plate after I claimed it already. Those are the ones I hate.

Anyway I don't plan on killing him. I'm just going to wound him a little..

Saisai rushes to Artemis and jabs with her spear. Artemis dodges the attack and with a gesture a small semi-see through wall appears in front of him. Saisai gives it an experimental jab and sees it won't give easily.

I could Jump over it.. But that tires me out a lot.

Artemis: "Gravity!"

"Nnng!"

Saisai falls a bit forward as her spear gains weight.

D-dammit... I can barely lift this thing now..

Artemis's hand glows red.

then ditch it.
he's cast three spells, he has 2 more. can the blade launch embed in the wall? if so then make it launch and the drop it.

>>405111
drop spear and prepare to dodge.

>>405111
>70 GP

[Boost strength]

If this doesn't work, then launch the blade again!

>>405112
no wait, if it can embed then have it pull you out the way.

My colleagues are thinking as I do: Your spear for the moment is a burden. We should pick it up later but right now it is keeping you where his next attack is going.

And I'll make a note not to steal your pastry.

>>405111
Because would have had admitted to it a few days from now.
I dunno if your brother is responsible, but he's a jerk and I wouldn't put it past him.

Drop the spear and jump over his shield. Mages can't take a hit.

>>405139
And if he impales us on the staff? It probably wouldn't penetrate, but it'd still hurt like hell. Or he could move the shield.

[boost strength], then. also, jump when he shoots so you dodge the fireball.

GP:77 Saisai 2012/04/28(Sat)00:45 No. 405366 ID: 97486c
File 133559911846.png - (197.27KB , 800x600 , 14.png )

=Boost Strength is not a command. Commands are
Change Form GP:10
Shadow Ball GP:10
Last Stand GP:50
Darkness GP:00 =

Saisai stabs her spear into the ground and uses it to Jump over an incoming fireball.

The thing is useless.. I should be able to take him in hand to HHG!!

Before she can finish her thought Artemis pushes the Protect shield out fast enough to slam into Saisai and knock her into the ground.
She hears something hit the floor beside her.

That... That was a dirty move...

She can sense she sprained something when she fell.

>>405366
GET A FUCKING CHIN STRAP FOR THAT SHIT.

[Change form] Warning, bodily changes incoming. Close the gap as fast as you can! Finish the fight! We can help out more, be we need a clear shot!

>>405370
I agree with the geting a chin starp idea, however lets hold off on the body changing for now.

hold on, we are about to turn of the lights. [Darkness]

change form didn't change ears.[no change form, instead darkness hat or if it can't be controlled, darkness in general.]

point your palm towards him
[shadow ball]

>>405366
Don't be like that~ We know you're pretty awesome, and how to get you back to normal.

[Shadow Orb to hide Saisai's head]
[Last Stand]

jump again, he won't be expecting that. or [shadow ball] if that dispelled his shield.

>>405376
Shadow orb is an offensive projectile. It can't 'hide' anything.

>>405371
...And Saisai probably can't fight in total darkness, either.

>>405447
neither of them can fight in complete darkness, but it will hide Saisais ears long enough for her to grab her hat.

[darkness]

Two lessons learned:
First, you need a hat with a chinstrap if you aren't going to lose the ears, since the ears disqualify you from being a knight, remember? Weapons get dropped and hats get knocked off during fights and fights are in your top five list of things that will happen as a knight, if they haven't noticed the ears and disqualified you already.
Second, jump is a really weak move against an opponent who knows you're there and can respond to it. Never use it against someone with ranged abilities paying you full attention like this again.

Now grab that danged hat in the darkness, if you don't even know where it fell you're on your own for disappointing me like that. You were very silly for taking the wrong danged advice. Jumping in a perfect, predictable parabolic arc when a spellcaster is watching you indeed, of all the stupidity....

GP:80 Saisai 2012/04/29(Sun)23:19 No. 405866 ID: 97486c
File 133576674141.png - (185.62KB , 800x600 , 15.png )

This is like my second actual fight okay!? I'm used to training against a dummy most of the time.

The Guardian uses Darkness. The world goes dark but Saisai seems to be able to see fine. She quickly grabs her hat and places it back on her head. Artemis is looking around everywhere and the audience is murmuring to themselves.

He can't see me... You should've used this earlier!

I can probably take him down with a few punches to the head.. Unless you guys have a different idea?

uhh, you notice that someone is somehow still in color? mark that location and look back there when the dark runs out. anyway, he's a squishy wizard. just pin him to the ground.

>>405866
Punching people in the head tends to risk a lot of serious damage to them. If you're concerned about killing, a gut-punch or two could disable with much less risk of serious damage that would last beyond the fight.

Saisai 2012/04/30(Mon)00:15 No. 405895 ID: 97486c
File 133577013963.png - (176.16KB , 800x600 , 16.png )

A few quick punches to the gut and Artemis is out for the count. The darkness vanishes and the crowd sees Artemis lying on the ground with Saisai standing above him.

Wow... The winner is Saisai!!

There are no cheers from the crowd. Someone taps on Saisai's shoulder and she spins around.
She sees the King.

King: "Saisai, right? Hey. Can you come to my office now? I need to talk to you. It's on the top floor."

"I uh I well uh.. S-sure.."

"Great, I'll see you there."

He walks out of the stadium as medics take Artemis away.

Oh god oh god oh god he saw my ears and now he's gonna exile me from the kingdom oh god I need to just run away dammit why the hell did I not get a chin strap.

stay calm. the king is a powerful man. running will make things even worse.

Saisai 2012/04/30(Mon)01:15 No. 405916 ID: 97486c
File 133577370860.png - (127.86KB , 800x600 , 17.png )

She just goes.
Finding the room is easy enough and after a quick inspection the guards let her in. She sees the King standing up by his desk.

"Saisai, don't sit, this will be over in a moment. I just wanted to say you were an excellent fighter on the field. Sure a few mistakes were made but you managed to pull through rather well. And that darkness.. Even -I- couldn't see through it! And I like to think I'm a pretty capable spell caster. Anyway let me get to the point. I'd like you to join the Royal Knights."

"Y-your Majesty? You want me to join? I haven't even finished the.."

He shakes his head.

"I feel you've proved yourself well enough. You don't have to just win the fights to become a knight, just prove yourself in battle. And out of it.. I must say it takes a lot of courage to show up here and try out. Especially for someone like you. Anyway, I expect you to report for duty tomorrow at 9 in the morning." He hands her a map and a list of rules "Study these and be prepared. Also, please get a strap for that helmet. It would not be good if it fell off in the field."

"Y-yeah. Will do."

With a shaking hand Saisai grabs the items, gives a quick bow, and leaves. Outside she lets out a huge grin

I DID IT! I'm in the knights!!! No stupid boring housewife stuff for me! I'm going to have action and adventure! I don't have to live at home anymore!!

And it's thanks to you guys.. You truly are far more valuable then any spear I could have received.

thank you, but a word of warning, nine times out of ten we show up either during or right before something major happens. so there is almost a 100% that some serous shit is about to go down. we will do everything we can to see you through it, but we are headed for some interesting times.

yeah, he knows, but he is telling you to not let anyone else know or he will be forced to take action if they report it. now, don't be a poor sport and see those peeps you beat up. say sorry to sharkman if they are alive.

Well congratulations, that was mostly your achievement so you have a right to be proud of it. We are advisors, not the one who demonstrated the resilience to continue on despite injury and setbacks, nor the one who displayed initative in turning an unwelcome social situation into an opportunity to learn about her opponent. You could have done better, but it's rare when that's not true for anybody. I'm sure you already agree about the need for further study, practice, and now team-building with your new colleagues.
Cautions about what we did less than optimally: I don't like relying on magic abilities we don't fully grasp to get out of problems because those have a tendency to cause worse ones in my experience. Despite this, your king has just recruited you because of this uncertain magical gift. Therefore we will have to get a firm grasp on these powers. About your one significant mistake: Sometimes our advice will be less than perfect, or even bad as the suggestion to move in a way that's easily targeted when a hostile spellcaster with ranged ability is watching you. Collectively and individually we will always know many things you don't, but you will see and know things we don't either and you should act on that, especially when our advice doesn't make any sense like in that case. I'm sure you will get better at this with experience and you're actually not doing that badly with it right now either so it's not your first priority for right this minute. If we find the time and my colleagues agree with me about the need I'm willing to give lessons and exercises on how to practice assessment and problem solving later. Right now you have a chinstrap to get and other instructions from your new chief commander.
It also would have been nice for you to know who corresponded to that coloured blob in the darkness but I suppose the opportunity is lost and I don't fault you focusing on winning. I am wary of using this power more without undeniable need because we don't know its full costs and drawbacks yet.
I suspect the king did notice the ears and just gave you the regal version of a nod and a wink about it when he told you to get a chinstrap. Either way it's good advice and also an order.
So... do you have your to-do list planned out? I'm guessing that the chin-strap goes first since shops tend to close at or before sunset.

hopefully he's not a dickbag this time. ask him if you'll continue to participate in the tournament.

If I were in the king's shoes I'd heal up the mage and put him in for the last round. We just used a WTF-level power here so he took us out of the tournament path for a job offer, which is a reasonable decision. A follow-up shrewd decision would be to put the mage we just jacked up in there for the final round to prove himself if he has doubt or give him an offer too--most likely the former. Remember, it's not about winning a tournament prize, it's about eliminating people he doesn't want to recruit. The prize is the job offer and bragging rights.
Honestly, he pulled some hot shit with that air juggle against us. Most wizards aren't very good at being simultaneously reactive and setting up things like that. I'd be trying to give a kid with that talent the chance to try again if I weren't sure about recruiting him yet, and the tournament structure works better if someone advances in our bracket.

More immediately, you should check your spear for signs of damage. It has complex parts in it, and was subject to that nasty gravity spell.

Saisai 2012/04/30(Mon)21:24 No. 406344 ID: 97486c
File 133584627040.png - (45.62KB , 399x433 , 18.png )

>>406025
Well I don't have to go back so I don't really care about how the rest of this tournament turns out. Maybe someone will get a by?

>>406112
Hmm... It's still good. This thing is tough.

>>405923
That sounds like a plan.

She goes to the infirmary and finds Sharkman sitting up on a bed. Saisai lets out a deep sigh of relief. The man looks up at her and grins.

"Hey, you're the girl who nearly killed me."

"... I apologize for that."

"It's cool. Woulda done the same in your shoes." he scratches his head, "So I'm guessing I didn't make it in?"

"Not sure. Sorry if you didn't though."

He shrugs.

"There'll be another one in three months. Just gotta practice til then." he smiles at her, "Thanks for dropping in though."

Saisai nods and excuses herself. After a quick trip to the store she buys herself a chinstrap for her helmet and a few other necessities for when she moves into the castle.

That's about it.. Unless there's anything else I should buy or do before I go home.
Anything.
Anything at all.

[pass 25 GP to the evil, disembodied, lizard monster]

Apologies for the evocative nature of my language, but prepare for a shitstorm from your parents and possibly other people in your family too. Until you actually got into the knights they probably figured this interest of yours was a passing fancy that would not disrupt their plans of using you as marriage-bait. You have just shown them that if they actually wish to make those plans come to pass they have to pay more attention to you and probably *try harder* to make sure you become the dutiful wife like they plan.
Most husbands do not like their wives rooming in military barracks and risking their lives on a daily basis; it's a double standard that starts from the fact that wives getting pregnant is the start of the social and economic purpose of marriage and this conflicts directly with military readiness. Your home has therefore just become a battleground in psychological warfare, or even more so if it was before. The opinions of Chevre and his family would matter for this but do not expect them to be happy with you becoming a knight, even if he previously said he would be: Lying about that kind of thing to make you like him is sadly normal for social-romantic behaviour.
That means you need to work on your friendships and other family relationships in order to not be kicked in the gut by it or caught unprepared if your parents suddenly disown you or scheme to kidnap you and force the marriage or something. It also means setting up details like a separate place where you get your mail, store your stuff, and things like that so you don't have to go back when they're being really difficult.
A small thing to do while you psych yourself up for this task is to make sure your previous injury has no longer term effects.

Yes, you signed up for this, it is entirely predictable. It could be worse, I've known parents to put their children to death for daring to defy their desires. Your family is very unlikely to do that at least.

Check on Artemis

>>406361

Umbra? she's more like pocket-sized adorable with wings.

buy some motherfucking rope.

>>406362
Agreed. He's friendly, and you need friends.

If you don't want to go home you don't have too, knights have their own barracks that you can stay in, if they haven't assigned you a room yet you could always stay in a inn for a night or two.

>>406361
>>406492
On account of these things, the fact that the King himself chose you, mid-test, to become a knight should be revealed to your family VERY early in the conversation you have.

His majesty may have been the green form among the sea of grey shapes during the darkness spell.. a sign of exceptional supernatural power? I sincerely doubt any member of your family will doubt your fitness as a Knight with his approval.

YOU MUST ACQUIRE SHARKMAN AS A FRIEND.

>>406622
yeah, anyone tries to convince you to stop being a knight is basically saying the king made a bad call. i really doubt anyone wants to have that on their record.

GP: 100-25=75 Saisai 2012/05/02(Wed)02:38 No. 406909 ID: 97486c
File 133595149039.png - (155.32KB , 800x600 , 19.png )

Rope! Yes! That's a thing I can buy!

>>406750
He's... Kinda creepy..

Saisai goes to buy some rope for no real reason then decides to check on Artemis. She finds him wandering around the castle.

"Hey, Artemis."

"... Hi.." He seems a bit nervous around her.

"So... I got accepted."

"Good. I did too."

"That's good. I was worried."

"Oh, were you now?"

She just nods.

"I.. I gotta go."

He turns and leaves

I think he knows that I tricked him.. It doesn't matter, it's not like I need to be his damn friend or anything.

After wandering around a bit longer she finds herself back at home.

...

I haven't been given a room yet. This will probably be my last night here.

Saisai 2012/05/02(Wed)02:44 No. 406910 ID: 97486c
File 133595188380.png - (112.44KB , 800x600 , 20.png )

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

Saisai is sitting down eating dinner with her parents, younger sister, and her older brother.
The table is completely silent save for the clink of metal as their utensils hit their plates.
Saisai breaks the silence.

".... I passed the Exam. The King himself chose me as a knight."

Her sister looks up and smiles at her but other then that no one replies.

She glances up to see if anyone is looking at her then resumes eating her food.

Almost ten minutes pass before her father speaks up.

"Chevre will be coming by today. I trust you'll spend some time with him. You've been avoiding him lately."

"Yes father."

"Good."

"... I... When I become a Knight I'll move into the castle." 'I won't be able to see him anymore' is what she wants to add.

"Hmm."

real nice family life you got here.

Huh... anticlimactic.
You were avoiding Chevre to train I take it?

so how is your relationship with Chevre? is it a you love him but are nervous about marriage thing, or a you like him but are not sure if you love him enough to marry sort of ting?

>>406909
You DO need Artemis as a friend. On the list of things you have to trust us on, this is way at the top.

Next time you see Artemis tell him you weren't expecting him to fight you so soon, and that you decided not to use your spear's tricks to level things out. Also, that the darkness thing was us, and you didn't even know we could do it until we did it.
Tell him you hope you'll work together in the future.

>>406910
Interesting family. Very supportive.

>>406955

I disagree. Artemis can fuck off and die and nobody would care.

Saisai 2012/05/02(Wed)11:18 No. 407025 ID: 97486c
File 133598272170.png - (105.06KB , 800x600 , 21.png )

>>406955
That's some future stuff again isn't it? If you guys came from another timeline where I do know him well then you can tell me how things went.

>>406917
Isn't it?

>>406923
He's.... He's a nice enough man. I can't say I love him though. Again, he's nice but he's just not my kind of guy. He's so.... Dull. He comes from a very rich family so he's never had to work a day in his life. He's pretty much set forever and because of that he doesn't want to really 'do' anything. Except me. Ha.
Okay that was a horrible joke. God I hate this silence.

Saisai's father clears his throat.

"I think you should not join the Knights."

"What? But.. I passed the test. You said-"

"I said I would let you take the test. I promised nothing after that."

"The King himself has asked me to become a Knight though."

"We'll see."

No one even glances from their plate.

Never mind, sometimes silence is better.

>>407025
Hold the fuck up.

Your father is against a ROYAL MOTHERFUCKING MANDATE?!

things with Artemis got complicated, you and him did end up as friends though. he did have us advising him at the time so he will probably act differently this time around.

you owe a lot to your father. your freedom is not among those things.

that almost sounded like a threat.

Saisia 2012/05/02(Wed)12:47 No. 407079 ID: 97486c
File 133598807178.png - (100.91KB , 800x600 , 22.png )

>>407032
If he can find a reason to trust me again.

>>407037
It might be? Who knows. It's always a bunch of passive aggressive bullshit with him.
Well not always. He did have my tail cut off.

Fuck, I can't sit here any more. I'd like to see him try and stop me from being a Knight. I got the King backing me up.

Saisai gets up and excuses herself from the table. She hears her mother sigh but no one else says anything in response to it.
As she crosses the living room she hears someone call out her name. She turns to see Chevre walking up to her.

Dammit.. I'm already in a bad mood. This is the last thing I needed.

"Hey, Saisai! I was just gonna see if you wanted to spend some time together."

No

"I'm pretty tired. I was just going to take a shower and then go to bed."

"Ah that's a shame. Maybe I can join you?"

"My bed isn't big enough for two people."

"Haha. Well I wasn't really talking about the bed."

"Well I'm capable of bathing myself, thank you."

"You wouldn't have to be just bathing~"

"You don't have any extra clothes. It'd be weird to dress back in the ones you were just in."

"Perhaps I just won't dress then."

Nnnnn.... I do NOT need this right now.

Lying to Artemis is probably a bad idea, but he is going to be your colleague so it won't do for him to either be mopey about you tricking and beating him or holding a passive-aggressive grudge against you.
A more even and honest approach would be to walk up to him and say, "Look, we both owe each other an apology. I owe you one for tricking you like that, that was hostile to manipulate you trying to be friendly like that.
"But you also owe me one: For being an annoying jerk who harassed me when I asked you to leave me alone so I could get my head together. You probably didn't mean to psych me out before a fight like that but you did it. That was a crappy thing to do too."

be thugish. hold up your arm and put your armpit in his face. after the battles it should be kinda smelly and it would repulse him. if that is TOO weird then say you are on your period.

>>407079
You could try baiting him by saying something to the effect of, "I just don't feel like it right now. Maybe, I'll make it up to you another day."

He seems like he is going to be persistent, so you need to either be forceful, which probably wouldn't go well. Or try tempting him with future favors, which you can always conveniently "forget" later.

try being blunt, if nothing else it might shock him into leaving you alone. saying something like
"let me be clear, I not in the mood for sex."
should shut him up.

>>407079
"That would make for a very awkward trip home. I'm not in the mood for this, Chevre. Just leave."

Ah. Now I understand.
I have an idea for how to get him to go away right now, but I don't know if you'll like it. If you're willing, try saying this:

"Look, Chevre, I did something today. I participated in the entry tournament for joining the knights, and the King accepted. It was brutal fighting though so I'm really not up for anything tonight.
"Take me out for a celebration dinner tomorrow night and I might wear something you like though."

>>407089
Hey, yeah. Making it clear things are a two-way road should help a lot! You know, having a rich, boring husband isn't that bad - it gives you the freedom to indulge in any hobby you like. Heck, any career. Being well-funded in the knights would help a lot, and make you much more reliable! Learn to leverage the things you dislike into things you can tolerate and use. :3

Let me see if I analyze this correctly: This man has been promised you as a wife, he seems to be acting like you owe him your body. Would you say that is a fair assessment?

If that is so then you can never trust anything that he gives or does. The reason for that is that he believes he is justified in doing whatever he likes with his property.
What that means is that if you do follow my suggestion to propose going out with him for dinner tomorrow you can't trust anything not to be drugged. You would need backup to catch him being a lecher and stop him since even if you act suspicious about it he probably can use the resources available to the ridiculously rich to come up with an undetectable way to drug you.

>>407090
My colleague proposes an alternative with different costs and benefits to attempting to work your way out of this plan to make you a housewife: Exploitation.
The idea is to possibly give Chevre enough of what he wants that he'll let you be a knight, or even help you be a knight. The trick there is we don't know if he specifically wants you to become mother to his children or just have sex with you. If he wants to knock you up this wouldn't work.
If you want to try this you need to research and prepare for how to have sex in ways that can't get you pregnant, and be ready to do them well enough he doesn't want more.

tell him you're joining the knights and are thus leaving him.

then run away from the house since bad things will clearly happen if you sleep here.

>>407110
That is a bad idea at this point. That will cause all kinds of backlash from Saisai's family and Chevre's as well. We can't deal with that at the moment.

Saisai 2012/05/05(Sat)22:50 No. 408645 ID: 97486c
File 133628340742.png - (146.78KB , 800x600 , 23.png )

>>407082
First of all I do not smell! Second, EW.

>>407081
Or I could just, you know, ignore him. The chances of us being on the same team are very slim.

"Chevre I... I'm very very tired right now and I just want to rest. I'll make it up to you later, okay?"

He thinks about this for a moment then nods.

"Very well. I'll tell your parents we spent time together. You go rest up. I'll see you tomorrow."

He turns and leaves.

He won't forget about that promise.
-------------------------------------------

Saisai relaxes in a bath with the Guardian beside her.

>>407090
Hmm.. Manipulation is fine and dandy. I'm just not gonna have sex with him. He's already given me gifts though and... It just feels like he's pressuring me. I don't like being pressured into doing anything.

>>407110
Hahahaha no.
That sounds like something that would get me killed. If it were that simple I would've done that a long long time ago. Right now my best bet is to simply join the Royal Army. With that I don't have to follow any orders but the King's.

>>407095
Nope. I can't even stand to kiss the man let alone actually let him fondle me. He can take care of his own needs.

You guys are pretty smart and have helped me quite a bit so far but there are just some things I'm not gonna go with.

Saisai gets out of the bath and heads off to bed. She sets her alarm and goes to sleep with the Guardian tucked under her pillow.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Somewhere in the distance a clock sounds 12 times and plays a short song.

Nnnnnnn....
I hate waking up before the alarm goes off..

that was 12 gongs, it's noon or midnight... i suggest you steady yourself before looking over.

Saisai 2012/05/05(Sat)23:10 No. 408652 ID: 97486c
File 133628465177.png - (123.38KB , 800x600 , 24.png )

>>408647
???

Saisai looks out the window.


It's noon...

and you are wearing a different shirt

and it looks like your alarm is gone. aka, sabotage.

>>408652
Sorry to say but it may be time to invest in a lock for your room. A new one. That only you have the key for. Alternatively, the knight trainee barracks might be a bit more appealing place to stay whie you're learning.

In the meantime, compose yourself as best you can and report for duty. No sense being late AND appearing below your station.

Speaking of appearances, find your helmet. That's pretty much the only other thing that could really sabotage you right now.

>>408654
she may have already thrown on a warmer shirt before going near the window.

the alarm clock being gone is an explainable act of sabotage, but the fact you are wearing a different shit than when you went to bed is all kinds of worrying. we don't have enofh info to worry about that though, so lets focus on who messed with your alarm clock. is it the sort of thing your family would do?

>>408652
You guys are all a little paranoid. It's probably Saisai's parents. Saisai, look, don't panic. Just go now and report in and accept the consequences. They're not going to kick you out for being late once. It might suck, but just deal with it. And we need to be more prepared next time, since it is likely they won't stop trying to get you kicked out.

To the rest of us voices, we need to figure out countermeasures to this sort of harassment before the end of the day. The sort of things she can actually do in the span of one day, of course.

>>408652
You're wearing a different shirt.
Your alarm clock is missing.
I hope you're at least in your own bedroom.

Get dressed and report for duty. After work you can ask your sister who took your alarm clock and changed your shirt.

We fucked up, we should have told her to tell her family NOTHING so that they wouldn't figure a reason to pull this shit until she was moving into the barracks and it was too late to try.
I may be recommending murder before this blows over, just so you know Saisai. I have very little patience with assholes like these. If you could tell me what's standard for investigation and punishment in such murders that would be useful information for helping me know how far down to put it on the list of plans.
Her dad threatened her about her new job, Chevre went to talk to her family after she turned him down again. If they put two and two together chances are they drugged her while she was asleep and she isn't in her own bedroom even. Save checking for if you've still got your virginity until you can afford to be freaked out. We do not have time for panic because we are late!

Meanwhile we need to find a way to conceal ears and some other adequate clothes so she can get to her first reprimand. Not an auspicious start to social combat with her jerk father and creep fiancé I think.

Saisai 2012/05/06(Sun)22:15 No. 409197 ID: 97486c
File 133636771970.png - (145.87KB , 800x600 , 25.png )

I just threw this on!! No one raped me okay!?

Saisai goes through her dresser and her chest.

Oh god... My helmet, my spear, my armor, my alarm... All my things are missing..

Why.. Why would they take my things? Do they really not want me to join that badly..?

they value position more then your happiness. find Chevre and grab him by the balls and start squeezing. don't give him a chance to say anything just walk up grab on and start squeezing. "if you want your grapes un-popped you will tell me where my battle stuff is"

>>409197
Find something to conceal your ears.

You need to get to the king. Tell him that some people are trying to prevent the training of a royally appointed knight, stealing their equipment, and attempting to sabotage their sleeping schedule.

Who is doing it is irrelevant. That it's your parents is irrelevant. If you are old enough to die for your country, you are old enough to arrest your fucking parents for theft and TREASON.

>>409202
Agreed.
If he didn't do it, then go beat the shit out of your dad until he gives your stuff back.
Actually, we don't know how skilled he is in a fight. If he outclasses you then fight until you can't fight any longer, then report him for assaulting a knight as soon as you wake up.

>>409202
I do not think we should attack anyone until we know who did it for sure.

Find out who did it.

>>409203
I seriously doubt, even after this, that Saisai would want her family killed.

That's pretty much the standard punishment for Treason, right? That, or banishment, after seizure of all properties?

Can't leave the house yet, unless you've got more hats, or at least a hood.

But really, if you're ready to Ultimatum your family for doing this, one of the most damaging things you could do is just.. go. Out the door. Into the Castle. Exactly as you are. the King already knows about your ears, and likely did before the helmet came off.

Ask your sister if she heard anything about your stuff being stolen/where it is, she seems to like you enough to tell you the truth.

>>409213
The king discreetly told us to hide them. Policy is that we aren't human enough to join the forces and he's already bending it to let us pretend to be human enough. He was telling us he's willing to have us join but not ready to change the policy. Our exception lasts as long as we obey the conditions of the exception: Hiding our nonhumanity.

Report the theft. At the very least your father deserves to be interrogated/intimidated by a guardsman for this. He needs to understand this is no laughing matter where he has control and can get away with anything he wants. We have the collective knowledge of many psychopaths and murderers among us, if we know enough about how your society operates we can give alarmingly detailed instructions on how to do things. If the authorities won't stop him you can, especially with our help.

Do you know your family enough to know what they would have done with your gear? I have no moral qualms now about kneeing your father in the gut and threatening him, but this doesn't quite rate murder yet unless he's done enough other things too. Expect this to be more complicated than you think unless he's really stupid and predictable though; would one of your sisters or your mother have rescued your stuff from whatever he was planning?
If you can't retrieve your gear you'll just have to get temporary replacements from... the friends you don't have. Shit.
Anybody that can help with this that owes you a favour or is willing to trade for you owing them a favour?

>>409197

I told you bad things would happen if you slept here. serves you right.

how willing are you to cause physical injury to your family over this? cause that's going to affect our planing significantly. if you can't find your stuff you might need to make some improvised gear. you can probably make a temporary spear by attaching something sharp to a pole, and you can use a scarf as a head wrapping. they also might cut you some slack for the whole late thing if you obviously needed to put some improvised gear together.

we don't ahve to paint dad in a 100% negative light. say something like how he is just scared about his little girl joining the army. bam, he needs to be 'convinced' but not locked up. just send a sarge from the knights down and say "mr saisai's dad, give me saisai's stuff" you DON'T tell a royal knight NO.

>we don't ahve to paint dad in a 100% negative light. say something like how he is just scared about his little girl joining the army. bam, he needs to be 'convinced' but not locked up. just send a sarge from the knights down and say "mr saisai's dad, give me saisai's stuff" you DON'T tell a royal knight NO.

Sounds good.

Saisai 2012/05/09(Wed)01:26 No. 409910 ID: 97486c
File 133655200971.png - (179.57KB , 800x600 , 26.png )

No no... I don't want my family to get into too much trouble. My sister doesn't deserve that kind of stress. I'll be fine, just need to get a bit of cloth and... There.

Saisai gets dressed and starts to head out. As she opens the door someone bumps into her and knocks her back a bit.
Saisai looks up, startled, and sees a tall woman with a mask and odd purple tendrils floating around her. The woman examines her through the mask.

>"Saisai?"

"Uh huh..."

>"Awesome! Great! Okay, I am Maggie and I'm your captain and you're late and now you're kicked out of the Knights."

"What!? No no I.."

>"Hold on..." Maggie puts one hand on her forehead and another on Saisai's "You.... Are late because your family or someone you know stole your clock and gear? Huh.. And the reason is....... Nope, too well blocked. Why would someone do something like that? So mean~"

"It's... They're worried about me. And they thought I might get harmed in the Knights."

>"Oh man... Well good thing you got kicked out."

"No no, please! Don't kick me out!"

>"Hahaha I'm kidding. Seriously. Nah don't worry I'll talk to your parents. They should know better then to refuse a Knight. You go into the Castle and into our room. Here."

She hands Saisai a map to the Meeting Room inside the Castle.

>"Go introduce yourself to the others til I return. We mostly just waited for you so you didn't miss much."

Saisai bows a bit.

"Will do, thank you captain."

>"Not a problem. Now go, scram!"

Saisai nods and runs back into the castle. A few times the wind nearly blocks off her cloth hat but she manages to hold onto it til she enters the meeting room.

Oh...
Oh man..
Some god hates me..

She sees Artemis and another person in the room.

>"!!"

>"Beep. Greetings. Beep boop."

Dear god..

Walk up to them, greet them and shake their hands. Get started on the unfinished business with Artemis. My idea for that is this:
"Congratulations I guess, that was foul play to psych me out before a fight like that Artemis but I could use a tricky guy like you on my side."

Play up how much of a jerk move it was for him to harass you when you'd asked to be left alone, putting him on the social defensive until he apologizes for it will help him get over his hostility towards you, as long as you aren't mean about it.

>>409910
I think that the only comfort we have in your new team is it really, really isn't our fault.

On the plus side, you know Artemis has talent.
And the girl with the box on her head somehow ended up a knight, right?

Oh god what if the king allowed in a bunch of participants at random, in order to hide his selecting you specifically?

Oh well. No matter what, TRY and treat them like they belong here and expect the same from them.

Damn...

You got the BEST teammates ever! Say hi, learn about that robot chick's awesome abilities. You're team leader seems pretty awesome too, I bet your teammates thinks so as well. Mention to them how awesome your leader seemed.

>>409910
Wait, the only knight here aside from you and Artemis is the robot girl? That means she probably won the tournament! Unless they straight up cancelled the tournament? Ask her.

>>409910
"Hello, Artemis. I'm glad we'll be working together.
And hello to you... er... Miss?"

>>409910
Well, that went better than I expected. Then again, Maggie is a pretty decent person, but we'll let you decide that on your own in time.

Yea, saying "Hi, nice to work with you" and introduce yourself to both of them. And shake their hands. I think the best thing to do, is to let your actions redeem yourself in Artemis's eyes.

I know it would be a bitch to try to talk it out, (Unless he approaches you about it), so just try to show him over time that you are a reliable and trustworthy teammate.

Give it time.

If he brings it up, just apologize and say something like "We were opponents at the time, just by being in the same tournament."

>>409921
don't go on the offensive, the idea is to get his trust and I doubt coming off as that paranoid will help. a simple sincere apology will probably be more effective. something like
"i am sorry for tricking you, I admit I was somewhat desperate to get into the knights, but that is no excuse."

>>410023
I was thinking that trust has to come later, after we've taught him to actually listen to what we say instead of going with whatever confused idea he may have about what we want. If we don't make him realize how bad it is to have harassed us when we told him to leave us alone then the lesson he'll take from that is that we don't always mean what we say. However... you're right that it would be going on the offensive and therefore risky at best.
Part of handling this will be for Saisai to learn how not to send mixed messages. A bigger part of it will be to have reasonable goals and expectations for herself and other people. She can't do that while she continues to say in her own head things she doesn't believe, like that Chevre isn't a total creep or that her father doesn't deserve however many punches it takes for him to stop it with trying to rule Saisai's life against her wishes and happiness. I mean really, it's one thing to ask Saisai to marry Chevre because it would help provide for her sisters, but he's many steps past that. He didn't even try to work out a way for Saisai to be a knight and Chevre to still marry her.
The amount of repressed rage this girl must have over father dearest scares me. It will come out, probably in all the wrong ways and at the worst time, unless we get it out in a less harmful way.

Saisai, the decision that we're considering here is whether to risk being seen as an unforgivable, combative and manipulative bitch nobody wants to hang around with versus Artemis, and others, thinking it's okay to ignore what you say because you don't really mean it. Hopefully some of the other voices come up with better ideas of how to handle that issue because neither of those things are good.
I've considered it further. It's probably best to try to keep it professional and be polite, but leave handling Artemis' hurt feelings over your manipulation to later. Hopefully by that point he's learned enough about you to know that he owes you an apology for harassing you after you asked to be left alone. It would be nice if that could be handled quicker because you need more help than you know with Chevre and father before that issue is settled. However, the risk of starting a shouting match or something similarly bad is probably too high: It seems you aren't the only socially weak person here.
If it really needs to be handled quicker you could perhaps give us to him to explain what he needs to know about you and convince him to behave better, but that has risks too.

>>409910
Nice to know you can keep secrets from mind-readers. Or at least casual reading attempts.

>>410064
Thankfully, I believe mind reading and other psychic abilities are not terribly common. Also, I'm pretty sure that if you have mind reading, you develop some degree of respect for peoples privacy, so long as it isn't something serious. So even if she found out about the ears, I don't think she would tell.

GP:100 Saisai 2012/05/09(Wed)22:05 No. 410169 ID: 97486c
File 133662630570.png - (160.22KB , 800x600 , 27.png )

Saisai just stands there, unable to say anything. Unconsciously, she glares at Artemis who immediately averts her stare

>"Uhm... Saisai...?"

"What?"

>"!! I... Well I found out you were gonna be on our team and.. To be honest... I didn't want you on here at first. I talked to Captain Maggie and she reviewed what happened... You know, in my mind, and she said I'd made a mistake.. So, I'm sorry for bugging you. I didn't know you were just as nervous as me."

"Oh. I'm sorry as well. I was a bit of a bitch. We were enemies at that time you know?"

>"Haha yeah.. Well... Yeah, let's just, you know, start over."

He's not as dumb as I thought.

"Sounds good."

Saisai turns to the other girl.

Dear god. That is no robot. That's just some girl who put on a crappy cardboard costume.

"Hi. I'm Saisai."

>"....."

Artemis speaks up.

>"That's 1A. She.. She's our healer."

"Hmm. Did she pass the Test?"

>"Healers don't need to take the same test we do. Usually they come from the Church but 1A here is different. Maggie won't say where she came from but she's part of our group now."

>"Affirmative. Beep."

You guys probably don't know this but the Knights is filled with hundreds of people who are well trained in fighting. We are Knights-in-training right now so instead of being in the main force we're put into a group. The group is always a Captain, Fighter, Mage, Healer.

>"So."

Artemis snaps Saisai out of her thoughts.

>"The captain said we have a bunch of missions we can go over. She said we can pick whichever one we wanted to go on for our first mission tomorrow but I can't decide.. You have any you're particular to?"

*Rat Killer: The Knights are having a rather tricky vermin situation and we need some knights to help. G40
*Goods Transport: Need a group of Knights to help send goods from here to the Dark Elf city of Thystys. G40
*Treasure Hunt: The School needs someone to go with a student to investigate rumors of a treasure located in the Shining Forrest.

>>410169
Given our diverse abilities, let's check out the forest.

giant rats is a very common first mission. let's do the forest instead. odds of something other then regular money. also we got a room yet?

>>410169
Only go to the Dark Elf lands if you want to meet your half-sibling.

[Summon Ombra]

>>410176
[not in the middle of every fucking one jesus]

you healer seems to think she's a robot, watch her. she's delusional but the thing she thinks she is does not exist on your world, in fact the entire methodology and knowledge base required for someone to even conceive of its existence does not exist on your world.

I say you go the the dark elf city. the same thing that did the darkness effect will let you learn there type of magic, so you might want to take the chance to look for possible teachers.

Yeah, the trip to the Dark Elf town seems like a good place to go learn about your scary shadow magic. The only problem is that you'll be away long enough for father and Chevre to have finished cooking up their drugging and/or kidnapping plot.

Saisai 2012/05/11(Fri)21:33 No. 410604 ID: 97486c
File 133679723791.png - (184.64KB , 800x600 , 28.png )

>>410176
LALALA I DON'T HEAR YOU.

I'm picking the Shining Forest one..

"The Forest one sounds interesting."

>Artemis: "I was actually thinking the same thing. Well.. Captain said if you came by just to have you pick the mission. I guess we're done here. I'm gonna tell the King our decision. A1 here is gonna show you your room."

He smiles at them

>Artemis: "See you both tomorrow."

>A1: "Affirmative."

"See ya.."

He leaves. Saisai stares at A1 for a moment before A1 starts walking away.

"Hey! You're supposed to show me where my room is!"

>"A1 is doing that. Beep."

She leads her upstairs and into a long hallway. She stops at one door and quickly goes inside. The room is pitch black but A1 still leaves the door open only by a crack.

>"Your room is the next door down."

"Uh.. Thanks."

>"..."

She closes that door.

That girl is all kinds of weird.. Anyway..

Saisai opens the next door and enters a rather barren room.

A bed and a chest..
I mean, I wasn't expecting something fancy but... Well, whatever.
Hmm?

She picks up a piece of paper by the chest.

What's this?

a copy of a demonic contract. you touched it so it's yours now. congratulations. knock on the chest and say "hello anyone home?"

>>410604
Yep, demonic contract. Mimic, if I'm not mistaken; they're a bit tough to read.
Mimics are very useful. Introduce yourself!

That's pseudo-mystical bullshit scribbling. I'd recognize it anywhere. Probably a welcome note from the crazy girl or something.

You really should find someone to tell you what it says. We can't read demonic all that well.

Saisai 2012/05/11(Fri)22:13 No. 410622 ID: 97486c
File 133679959395.png - (110.73KB , 600x800 , 29.png )

A mimic..? In the castle? I thought demons weren't allowed in this realm...

She pauses for a moment before knocking on the chest. For a bit nothing seems to happen. Then, without warning, the chest swings open and out pops a small demon. The Mimic is covered head to.... Hips? in jewelery and looks as though she's constantly scowling.

>???: "Sup. You my new master?"

"W-what..?"

>"I said are you my new master? Are you deaf or something?"

"Uh... Yes. I am..? I think?"

>"Bitchin', I was wondering when someone else would come by. I've been hella bored in this chest. Been like... a year since the last fool came by. So what's your name?"

"Saisai.."

>"Sup Saisai. I'm Yuyu and I'm your Mimic. I'll be doing all kindsa of stuff to you."

"What?"

>"I said I'll be doing all kindsa stuff for you. I can store all your cash and stuff and I can even send it back to ya. Just reach into this here bag," With that she produces a bag and hands it to Saisai "And think of an item and BAM it's yours. Pretty fly huh? Can't transport anything that's like alive an moving though. Rules are rules and all."

I... I don't understand a word this thing is saying to me..

give her things and then just think of the thing and you can pull it out of the bag. mimics eat gold and souls. they don't need to eat, the magic in the air is enough to live but they need it to get stronger. obviously souls would be more powerful but less ethical.

Give her a item to store. Put hand in bag, think of item and pull the item out of the magic bag

>>410622
If you don't think that demons are allowed in the castle, perhaps you should bring the issue up with your Captain next time you see her. There could be any number of regulations or exceptions that you're not aware of, after all, and it's best to be sure of the rules.

Translation. Anything put in the mimic's chest or in the bag can be retrieved from the bag at anytime just by thinking it. It can't handle living things however.

It should also prevent thieves from stealing your money since its not actually in the pouch.

The reason she is scowling is probably because she thinks you cannot fulfill her contract. If its the same as the last time we went through this it involved sex.

>>410625
Well, we've also given them some of our, the guardian's, power before, in place of gold or souls. We generally build up a surplus of power when our owner isn't on a mission, or doing serious combat, so it's not a huge deal for us.

Yes, bring this up with your captain. If this is not supposed to be here then whoever is responsible for putting it where it belongs should know as soon as possible. If this is supposed to be here you need a user manual for general demonlore and one for handling mimics in specific.

>>410638
Let's ask the mimic what the story is with it being here in the first place. Better to have more info if and when we say anything about it.

But as a mimic it should be useful, so I say do what we can to keep it.

>>410819
Right now it's a weird and scary demon thing we stumbled into because it was left in our barracks room. If we talk to it then it'll become something we didn't tell the authorities about first chance if it turns out not to belong here. I don't know about you, but I don't think Saisai should risk getting kicked out of the knights or even executed outright for hiding a demon. Yell for help, you know, something like, "Freaky demon chest, help!"
The worst that can happen if we do that is it turns out these are standard equipment and someone gets a chuckle at our expense. Considering we weren't expecting a demon that's probably not the case.

We are NOT killing the mimic you buggers. For one? It's a dick move, demon or not. Second, we have seen it for a total of how many minutes and you jump aboard the 'kill' train?

He is offering us a good service and is being relatively respectful about it. Understandable? Not truly, but we could have done a lot worse. Don't be racist and give him a chance.

also, the only way to move a mimic out of where it's bound is to fulfill the contract, or kill it.

>>410629
>>410638
>>410868
No, no, NO.
It came with the room so obviously the last person here didn't get in trouble for it, and they clearly weren't worried about getting in trouble if the next person to use the room reported it.

At best reporting the mimic will just get it killed, and this is obviously one of those things where it's officially not allowed but unofficially it's don't-ask-don't-tell.

oh thats clever. the king knows there is something special about you so he makes sure you get a mimic. that way you'll have something that makes you more useful to him, and if it tuns our your dangerous he has a ready made reason to kick you out.

[25 GP to Ombra, since we're sitting at full]

Yeah, no killing nice people.

Even if she does eat souls.

>>410622
Ask what's in the bag already.

reach in the bag and feel around.

GP: 100-25 = 75 Saisai 2012/05/12(Sat)22:05 No. 411038 ID: 97486c
File 133688552134.png - (109.79KB , 800x600 , 30.png )

>Report it
>Don't report it
>Report it
>Feel the bag
>Killing it!
>DO NOT REPORT
>REPORT

SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!

I do NOT need this right now! I won't report the damn thing but I'm not gonna use it either! I'm just going to pretend I never even saw it!

There's a knock at her door. She hears it open and she slams the chest shut.

>Maggie: "Hey, can I come in?"

"C-captain."

You're supposed to ask that before you come inside.

>"Saisai. Just got through talking to your parents and I got all your stuff back. It'll be sent up to your room in a bit along with your room key. So yeah, don't have to worry about going back home. Your boyfriend was rather concerned though. He said he'd like to speak to you. He's kinda waiting for you downstairs... Want me to send him away?"

..
Should I just ignore him? Maybe... Now that I'm not living home I can finally say that I don't want to be with him.

break up with him to his face if you are gonna. don't just avoid him until he gets the hint. i doubt he ever will.

>>411038
Break up with him in person. Get dressed first, though.

>>411038
>I'm just going to pretend I never even saw it!
A choice which neither grants the power of using it, nor the safety of checking its presence with the authorities. No offense intended, but that's foolish. Pick one or the other.

A mimic's chest is difficult to steal from, if you put you belongings in it they will be safe.
Also, go buy a hat with a chinstrap, you're going to see combat a lot and expecting your hat to not be knocked off is stupid.

>>411053
so long as she has the bag she can decide later.

Something I want to clear up, Artemis had a mimic in HIS room when he first started out, right?
And now so does SaiSai.
Is this the same building?
What gives?

>>411038
There's someone, or an item, in the room with guardian abilities, Saisai. It didn't go off the last time our Captain was here.

Saisai, you didn't really choose him as a fiance', let alone a boyfriend.

Have you ever discussed your choice of being a Knight with him? Without letting him brush it off, or having to change the subject, or having him try and wheedle sex out of you? This could be your chance. Hell, have the Captain along, if he's got any scumbag ideas she'll rake him over the coals for it.

break up with him in person, its the decent thing to do and him getting closure would mean he's less likely to bug you later.

>>411071
(this is an alternate splinter of time. Things and people and places are different, but familiar. Different enough that notions based on what happened in that other splinter should not be relied upon. history is not repeating itself.)

Saisai 2012/05/13(Sun)01:36 No. 411151 ID: 97486c
File 133689821855.png - (103.66KB , 800x600 , 31.png )

I'll speak with him..

"Thank you captain. I'll go see him."

She nods.

>"Okay then. I'll see you tomorrow then."

With that she turns and leaves. As Saisai mentally prepares there's another knock at the door. She welcomes the visitor in only to have a few knights walk in carrying most of her belongings. One of them gives her a box with her gear in it. When they leave she dons her armor and helm then leaves to see Chevre. Once downstairs she turns a corner and sees him
Immediately she jumps back into the hallway.

I can't do it.
He's really not a terrible person..

And it really would help my family.

your options boil down to break up with him, or fuck him. maybe not now but eventually. and your family wont get any help until the marriage. so basically yeah. if you are going to get married then time is not a factor. if you aren't going to marry him then break it off now. otherwise you will have that monkey on your back forever.

also, we can keep changing your form until you agree to do something.

>>411151
Help your family? You mean the people who stole your stuff so you'd get kicked out of the knights and have no choice but to concede to their every whim? The family that's trying to force you into a marriage you don't want because it will get them money? That family?
Yea, I'm gonna go ahead and say fuck what they want.
If you want to help them anyway, then do it by being a knight. Bring prestige and honor to your family, and earn money to help them. And by "them" I mean your sister.
Oh, and remember that they can and probably will do to her what they're doing to you, and if you don't break free from their domination then you won't be able to do anything to help her.

You've already made it clear to us you don't want to marry him. Now Make it clear to him.

>>411157

>>411157

>>411157

>>411157

>>411157

>>411157

>>411157

>>411157

>>411157
This voice speaks truth.
You really can't compromise here. Either you fuck him, or you say "fuck" to thier plans.

>>411157
Also, be prepared for your father to be a jerk about this. He's already performed theft and I'm guessing he's not going to jail for it. Next stop on the trail of behaving like a bunch of spoiled children whose toy poodle pet runs away is kidnapping and drugging. You can't back down or else you won't be a knight. Instead you will be Chevre's pet. And yes he is that bad, he didn't care that you didn't want to hang out with him last night and your father stole your stuff after he told him that.
Have a backbone, whether you are a knight or not you can not accomplish anything without one. Stand up straight, meet the challenge by looking him back in the eye for once, and face this down. If you can't do that then get used to the idea of being Chevre's pet that he dresses in pretty jewelery to show off by day and that has to do what he wants at night. You knew that was the choice without us telling you, make your decision. This is a fight soldier, do you intend to lose this fight?

P.S. Bring backup. You can't trust that they're not trying to club you on the back of the head or drug you every time you deal with these people from now on. If Artemis sees this he is likely to get a better understanding of why you are so easy to piss off from it actually, so I'd definitely bring him along if you have the option.

>>411151
You don't have to make the final decision today.

Any attempts to bully you verbally will only weaken his position.

If he gets grabby we're here to help you.
Hell, if he makes any overt threats he could probably be arrested.

>>411157
This, naturally.

Saisai 2012/05/17(Thu)01:40 No. 413068 ID: 97486c
File 133724400546.png - (116.13KB , 800x600 , 32.png )

Y-you're right..

Saisai starts walking up to him

He doesn't really care about me.
He's a bit insensitive..
And too touchy.
And..

He smells amazing.

Saisai blushes brightly as Chevre smiles at her.

>"Saisai! I'd heard you managed to make your way here despite what your parents did. I'm very happy you're able to overcome such adversity. I'm proud of you."

Saisai just nods dumbly

>"I was hoping that maybe later you would blah blah blah blah blah blah"

Oh man... He's so.. That smell...

I wanna just... Bite him...

Chevre continues talking but Saisai is only half listening as her mind is filled with thoughts of chewing on Chevre and scratching him. Maybe even rolling around with him a bit..

Wait, you're really affected by catnip? Really?
You might want to avoid the guy that smells like catnip. If you can't, use as much of your teeth as possible.

>>413068
Saisai, you're part tigerfolk! There's several things out there that are powerful aphrodisiacs for you that don't have that don't have that affect on pure humans! Although if that's not arousal you're feeling it could be catnip or something, though using it like he is isn't much better than an aphrodisiac.

Tell him that you're breaking up with him, that this stunt he just pulled did nothing to improve you opinion of him, then go get a quick cold shower to calm yourself down.

(Throw a weak [Shadow Ball] at him if Saisai doesn't listen.)

Could we change form saisai so she's not affected by this drug?

Either he has done something to himself or one of your family members has done it.

I actually think he is not aware of what he smells like! He seems to be acting like his normal self- if I had done such a thing (which would require me to be a DOUCHEBAG), I would've at least been more flirtatious.

Wanna bet your dad recommended a particular brand of cologne, saying it's your favorite or something?

Anyway get ahold of yourself- step back and put something over your nose maybe. Then tell him this is the last straw- trying to seduce you with an aphrodisiac is unacceptable and you refuse to see him ever again. If he tries to explain tell him to go take a bath first.

>>413068
Also your ears are poking out under the hat! YOUR EARS. THEY ARE SHOWING.

>>413068
[shadow ball on him]

Saisai, tell him your amulet protects you from mind control. Violently. After he's far enough away for you to think clearly.

I'm thinking Daddy is doing date rape by proxy. Give Asshole a chance not to be an asshole. Tell him that the cologne is reacting weirdly with you, and you don't feel comfortable. If he's not a total asshole, he'll bow out and have a word with your father.

(Honestly, in his position, I would be insulted. It's like a personal attack on my SWAG.)

If not? GTFO. Hell, go see Artemis. Or an alchemist.

Yes, an alchemist! Get a fucking antidote, a general anti-aphrodisiac!

>>413068
That bastard! He's wearing drugged cologne, saisai.
[1GP directly to saisai] Snap out of it!

LOOK A SHINY! OVER THERE! IT RAN INTO YOUR ROOM! CHASE IT!

Just tell him that his colonge's making you feel weird. If he decides to be a jerk, emergency measures can be used.

huh, tigerfolk really are more vulnerable to mind altering drugs aren't ask him about his cologne, say its making you feel a bit sick. if he doesn't leave after that make a break for it.

Don't ask him about his cologne, he'll take it as flirting! Just get out of there. Flee.

Saisai 2012/05/19(Sat)22:07 No. 414215 ID: 97486c
File 133749042320.png - (140.35KB , 800x600 , 33.png )

I GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I DO SOMETHING TO THIS MAN.

Saisai turns heel and runs off. Chevre calls out her name but she's too far gone.
----------------------------------------------

Saisai finds herself in a bath house with only the Guardian on.
She lays her head against the cool tile and slams her fist into the ground.

Stupid stupid stupid..
If it weren't for you guys I... I would have probably cut Chevre to ribbons or something..

Did he do that though? Was it my father?

Why the hell can't people just leave me alone..

Well, thanks anyway. I owe you guys another one.

your partner is here too. the uhh. robot. ask "why are you here? wont you rust?"

>>414215
... No, it could not have been pops.

Pops would have known about the MURDERFACE aspect of the scent. Unless he wanted Chevre dead. Which is unlikely. :V

Thus, it's more likely Chevre did it. Thought some new cologne might make him more attractive. Lots of street peddlers for that shit, you know. Pheremones to make you 'irresistible'. Notify him why you left and tell him the provider of the scent damn near killed him.

And don't worry, Saisai. I think you just need to move out. Then your family will have a lot more trouble exerting control on you. Perhaps someone is renting on the cheap?

I thought she had a dorm room?

>>414222
she's in the bath to clear her head. the moist air is good at clearing scents.

>>414215
I hope you've got a towel covering your head, because the robot girl's here.