>>35531015
>>"Talk about what? The sky? The sun? The blush across your face?"

We are smooth.

>>35531015
>>"Talk about what? The sky? The sun? The blush across your face?"

>>35531015
>>"Talk about what? The sky? The sun? The blush across your face?"

Stop acting weird, Atsuko.

She's kind of freaking me out here. Do we have a terminal illness or something? Liver failure? I really hope it's not liver failure.

>>35531015
>>"Talk about what? The sky? The sun? The blush across your face?"
Hee.

>"Talk about what? The sky? The sun? The blush across your face?"

Writing!

I've returned, writing continues.

>>35531015

Hai Announcer!

Yes I had another delay, next post almost up

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"What do you want to talk about, Lass? It's a beautiful day, the birds are singing, the sun is shining." You say, looking away from her.

"..but not as bright as the blush across your face, Lass."

That gets her attention. She looks away toward the ground as her hands furiously rub at her cheeks.
Really, this whole thing would be hilarious for you if it weren't for the context involved.

"It's not about that, Jack!" She says, trying to save her composure. "It's about something else that was really bothering me."

Oh here it comes, the part you really didn't want to talk about. That's fine though, you can handle listening to a weeping woman blubbering about her feelings. That's basically what most of the men in the bars did when they got a little too tipsy, so this can't be any worse, right?

"-and... I'm sorry."

That wasn't quite what you were expecting to hear from her.

"Sorry, Lass?"
"Yes, I'm sorry."

That's really not what you were expecting her to say.

"What're you sorry for, Lass?"
Atsuko eyes cast downward, and her tail sags toward the ground and lightly brushes the finely maintained dust.

"What's wrong, can you tell me? Was it because of the nap we took earlier?"
"nngh." She shakes her head.
Now she's stove up and isn't saying anything. That's just great, because that's exactly what you want when you're about to go on a journey with her.

"-Never mind."

Oh DAMN it.

>Cont.

>>35532289
No no no no NO! Do not accept that bullshit jack. Implement aggressive ear rub tactics.

>>35532289
>"-Never mind."
She did not just fucking do that! This shit aitn't gonna fly.

Atsuko is infuriating. I didn't think it was possible for her to be less fun to be around.

>>35532289
Atsuko, you are infuriating.

Damn it, Atsuko.

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>>35532289

Nope, nope, you're not taking this. You reach a hand up and lightly grip her ear, rubbing it gently. This gets her attention as she finally looks up from the ground.
"Atsuko," That may be the first time you've referred to her by name, "We're going somewhere that may be hostile. So tell me, what's wrong?"

She sighs,
"It's partially the nap, but I talked to Fritelli, and she told me some things that have been on my mind. And- I've never been very good at apologizing to someone."
"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, it's just, I'm just sorry, Jack."
"For what, Lass? Start making sense."

"I misjudged you, Jack. That's why."
"-Okay?"

She looks up, past the treetops, toward the sky.
"I misjudged everything about you. When you were first summoned here, I thought you were some kind of monster. An uncaring, selfish, manipulative-"

"Gee, thanks Lass"

"-I'm not finished yet, Rude, angry, smelly, and most of all, deceiving and mean. I thought you were a deceiving, cheating monster when I first met you. That's why I was so upset when I thought that I had bound you to Keiko."

"Well looks aren't everything. Is that the lesson you've learned?"

"..No, It's not. Fritelli helped me realize something that's been bothering me. There were a thousand different kinds of person that I could have summoned instead, and each one of them would have done something completely different to me or Keiko when we were at the shrine earlier."

She looks down, fidgeting with her hands.
"-And, god I hate myself for saying this, it sounds so corny. -And I'm glad you're the hero I'm stuck with. Thank you, Jack."

>"Lass, if the worst thing you've ever done to me is question my intentions, then you would have treated me better than most people I've ever known."
>"That's it? That's what's been bothering you? Next time don't even bother and just assume that I don't care."
>Ridicule her for thinking that way.
>Say nothing.
>Other?

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>>35532289
Why is she such a worst fox?

>>35532822
>>Say nothing.

At first, but then....

>"Lass, if the worst thing you've ever done to me is question my intentions, then you would have treated me better than most people I've ever known."

>>35532822
>>"Lass, if the worst thing you've ever done to me is question my intentions, then you would have treated me better than most people I've ever known."
> Pet her.

Because she finally spit it out.

>>35532822
>>Other?
Smelly? I bathed just last month!

>>35532822
>>"Lass, if the worst thing you've ever done to me is question my intentions, then you would have treated me better than most people I've ever known."
> Pet her.

>>35532822
>"Lass, if the worst thing you've ever done to me is question my intentions, then you would have treated me better than most people I've ever known."

>>35532822
>"Lass, if the worst thing you've ever done to me is question my intentions, then you would have treated me better than most people I've ever known."
> Pet her.

>>35532844
>>35532822
Oh yeah.

>Pet fluffy tail.

>>35532822
>"Lass, if the worst thing you've ever done to me is question my intentions, then you would have treated me better than most people I've ever known."

>"...Smelly?"

>>35532822
>"Lass, if the worst thing you've ever done to me is question my intentions, then you would have treated me better than most people I've ever known."
Also, give that tail the premium treatment.

I feel she should've called us scruffy.

>>35532822
>"That's it? That's what's been bothering you? Next time don't even bother and just assume that I don't care."

>Pet her, Maybe the fluffy tail, too
>"Lass, if the worst thing you've ever done to me is question my intentions, then you would have treated me better than most people I've ever known."

If that's good, I'm writing!

>>35532994
aw, no indignant "Smelly?"

>>35532822
>"Lass, if the worst thing you've ever done to me is question my intentions, then you would have treated me better than most people I've ever known."
>if
Sounds about the truth. Too bad she decided to bother us just as we got home. I miss Catland, atleast they were all assholes, assholes are easy to ignore.

>>35533028
True dat.

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"Wait, that's it Lass?"
"Yeah.. It is.. I'm sorry if you're-"

That's probably the funniest thing you've heard all day.
Immediately, you grab her into a headlock and start rubbing her ears and her tail. She fidgets and pulls at your hands until she manages to slap them away and pull herself free.
"W-WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"
"'Cause Lass! You're being all serious and tense over nothing, as usual.

She pauses, and looks at you with a look of confusion.
"Wait, so you're not mad at me?"

"Of course not, if the worst thing you've ever done to me is question my intentions, then you would have treated me better than most people I've ever known."
You smile, "Though I don't appreciate 'smelly', I'll have you know that I bathed last month."

Wow, for one of the first times since you've known her, she's actually laughing. That's a welcome change from how she normally acts.
She finally calms down, and manages to speak while still trying to suppress a really large smile.
"I can't believe you're not mad at me, I was dreading talking to you about it for a while."

"I can't believe you thought I would be mad about it. It's only natural to assume the worst from strangers. Especially when you're looking after someone else."

She stops and thinks about that for a minute.
"..That doesn't sound very natural at all. That sounds like the actions of a paranoid crazy person."

"Well, when ye put it that way."

Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Felice walking back with a large bag slung over her shoulder. This is pretty much all the hint you need to know that it's time.

>"Okay, enough fooling around, let's hit the road."
>"Hold it, gotta ask someone something before I go" (Who and what)
>Change weapons? (Current weapons: Revolver, Cutlass)
>Take someone else with you?
>Other?

>>35533555
>>"Okay, enough fooling around, let's hit the road."
Uh oh, Atsuko's developing immunity to the ear and tail rubbing.

>>35533555
>>"Okay, enough fooling around, let's hit the road."

>>35533555
>>"Okay, enough fooling around, let's hit the road."

>>35533555
>"Okay, enough fooling around, let's hit the road."

>>35533555
>>Change weapons? (Current weapons: Revolver, Cutlass)
Let's see if there's a bigger weapon we can wield in one hand and a hand cannon.

The loli berserker showed us the way.

>>35533555

>"Okay, enough fooling around, let's hit the road."

>>35533555
>"Okay, enough fooling around, let's hit the road."
Can we pet everyone that walks within petting range? Especially the guards, and remember to bribe them, pets and bribes open lots of doors

>>35533611
>handcannon
Let's just get a full on cannon. Black jack and his cannon of destruction. All cannon balls will of course have skull and crossbones painted on.

>>35533555
>"Okay, enough fooling around, let's hit the road."

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>"Okay! Enough fooling around, let's hit the road!"

You can pack a full-on cannon later when you aren't strapped for weight on the birds.

>Writing!

Bump.

Yeah sorry about the slowdown, RL things again.

Still writing!

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"We're pretty much set. So let's hit the road before it gets any darker."
Which is pretty surprising to you that so much of the day has gone by.
Felice throws her sack over the side of one of the birds and hops on.

Which means that you're sharing a ride with Atsuko. You gracefully leap from the ground all the way to the saddle, and then offer a hand to Atsuko to help her up.
You're getting pretty good at getting onto these stupid things. You just wish they didn't smell worse than horses.

With some reluctance, she accepts your hand as you pull her up onto the saddle in front of you.
Felice, watching this whole thing, sees something she thinks is funny and tries to cover her smile. Which is just as well, you didn't want to deal with any of that silly drama anyway.

Your party sets off down the path as the sun starts to slowly make it's way down through the sky. According to Atsuko, it'll be almost dark by the time you get there.

--

It's not as far from the castle as you really expected. It wouldn't take very long to get to at all from the castle if it weren't for the fact that there really is no path to get there. Trudging through the forest shows down your progress more than a little as you push through vines and dense underbrush.

"STOP!" Atsuko shouts, causing the birds to jump.

You didn't even see it, but glancing past the big stupid beak of the bird, you're face to face with a hole that seems to just drop straight into the Earth. You're not sure you've ever seen anything like it on land.

"We're here."

>Cont.

>>35534511
Hey, what's Jack's opinion on Conquistadors? Love 'em or hate 'em?

>>35534511
Is Felice shipping Atsuko and Jack? I don't know if I should be amused or not.

Guys I'm going to have to wrap it up soon on account of having to wake up early, but I'll get as far as I can before I do that.

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>>35534511
Carefully making your way around the edge, you get a glance of an overgrown path that extends downward into the gigantic cave along the edge of the hole. Trees and bushes cover and constrict the pathway in which the birds are forced to walk.

That's another thing, it's very dark. Almost impossible to see into the depths of the cavern. After a few minutes of walking, it's impossible to see your hand in front of your face. The only reason you know Atsuko is still sitting in front of you is because of the feeling of a worried tail that brushes your nose every so often.

"This is why I hate this place. It's so dark and cold down here, and the path starts to get slippery, and it smells, and-"

Slowly, your eyes start to adjust to the darkness. And to another source of faint lighting that leaps and hops against the walls of this 'Underworld'.

With some focusing, you realize that they're actually a myriad of blue lights floating in the air. Occasionally a few of them come up to your bird and startle it.

"..And that." She says, You can feel her lean backwards into your chest as her tail starts flailing wildly about. "I-it's a graveyard covered in perpetual darkness."
You can hear her squeak lightly as one of the floating blue orbs whizzes past her head.

Which reminds you about something,
"Hey Felice, are you doing okay over there?"
"Aw I'm sleepy." She says in a half-hearted manner. You can't really see her, but that answer is good enough for you.

Ahead, you see a blue flame with what seem to be several figures sitting around it. The damp cold is replaced with an intense warmth on your face. These figures seem to sit completely unaware of your approaching presence. Or maybe they simply don't care.

>"AHOY! WE'RE LOOKING FOR FRIENDS OF OURS!"
>"I've had a long day and I'm not in the mood for chatterin'!"
>Sneak up on them, see what they're saying
>Don't even bother with it- Just shoot 'em. They're probably ghosts anyway.
>Other?

>>35535003
>>Sneak up on them, see what they're saying

>>35535003
>Sneak up on them, see what they're saying

>>35535003
>>Sneak up on them, see what they're saying
Argh, we be stealthy and ready to take 'em by surprise.

>>35535003
>Sneak up on them, see what they're saying

>>35535003
>"AHOY! WE'RE LOOKING FOR FRIENDS OF OURS!"

>>35535003
>"AHOY! WE'RE LOOKING FOR FRIENDS OF OURS!"

>>35535003
>"AHOY! WE'RE LOOKING FOR FRIENDS OF OURS!"

>>35535003
>Sneak up on them, see what they're saying

>>35535003
Yknow, for a shrine maiden, she seems awfully scared of ghosts.

Oh, ye want to sneak?

How about giving me three dice rolls, all 1d100. Best of three.

And then, if sneaking doesn't work, you can try greeting them. Sound like a compromise?

Rolled 98 (1d100)

>>35535271
Sneaky.

Rolled 23 (1d100)

>>35535271

Rolled 87 (1d100)

>>35535271

Rolled 71 (1d100)

>>35535271

>>35535288
Ha ha! Wow!

>Writing!

Rolled 84, 82 = 166 (2d100)

>>35535288
Dammit forgot the other two. Hopefully it'll count.

>>35535288
All that ninja pirate training paid off I see

>>35535305
Gotta be stealthy to ruffle ears and tails.

>>35535288
Stealthy, good in a fight, handsome, charismatic. Why is jack the best?

>>35535350
Gotta kick some tail to get some tail.

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You nudge Atsuko on the shoulder, and wave Felice over to you.
"You two wait here, I'm going to go ahead and see what that's all about."
"But-"
"By yourself? Okay, but don't get lost."

Felice has a point, if you walk too far away from the birds, getting back to them would be a disaster.
You accept that as a possibility and hop off the giant, ridiculous bird. It sways back and forth as it's relieved of your weight.

The chattering ahead at the fire continues. They seem to be passing something back and forth. Using your best boatlegs to steady yourself, you're able to find an extremely clean section of rock to walk across. Gently, as to not alert any of the figures, you creep up to them until they're in touching range.

Your eyes aren't used to the blue light that floods the entirety of your vision. It's hard to make much of anything out. You can see one of the figures seems to be serving..
A bowl of liquid?
That's weird, you didn't think the dead were much into drinking. But if they are, then maybe being dead isn't as bad as you once thought.

Wait, you can hear them talking. One talks in a very slurred speech.

"And y'know. This whole thing has been a mess. The dumb cat princess never showed up, my hero fucked off to who knows where, so that just leaves you and that dumb bunny."
"Hey! She's not dumb! She's just.."
"Yeah, that's another way of saying dumb, sweetie."

Another, much more manly voice interrupts, his voice seems to explode throughout the cavern as it echoes off the walls and off the very fabric of your eardrums.

"Hoho! Sounds like you two have been having a lot of fun. What do you spend your day doing?"

"Mostly avoiding work, I thought it would be easier with the new Hero around, but he doesn't really help me do much of anything. So I guess you'll have to, if the dumb bunny ever lets you off 'er leash."
"She's not dumb..."

"Really with the way things are goin', I wish I could have summoned you instead, Uncle."

Wait, Uncle?

>Thread End

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Okay, sorry for ending it early! I was hoping to have started earlier, but things didn't work out like I was expecting.

Thanks for the thread everybody. Let me know what you thought of it.

>>35535844
>stop a pandemic
>"he doesn't really help me do much of anything"

Jack gets no respect.

>>35535880
Thank for running. See you next time.

>>35535844
>I thought it would be easier with the new Hero around, but he doesn't really help me do much of anything
This would be the perfect time to interrupt with a comment about how if Jack's so useless why doesn't she send 'im back. Oh wait, one-way kidnapping.

>>35535880
Thanks for running. Was pretty good despite the length. Looking forward to next time.

>>35535963
Apologies again for ending early. I have a doc appointment in the morning.

I'll let you guys know if my head is in danger of falling off.

>>35536003
Eh, no worries. If you've got shit to take care of you've got shit to take care of.