>>35795049
>"No! You should know I won't by now!"

>>35795049
>"No! You should know I won't by now!"

>>35795049

>"If I leave, you're coming with me."

>>35795049
>"No! You should know I won't by now!"

>>35795049
>"No! You should know I won't by now!"
She's family now. Cant leave her.

>>35795049
>"If I leave, you're coming with me."
It's true!

>No! You should know I won't by now!
>And If I'm leaving, you're coming with me!

Writing

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She must really not get it at this point.
"You should know that I won't leave by now." I say, crossing my arms.

I lay down next to her and hug her tightly, "Besides, you know that if I'm leaving, you're coming with me."

She groans and shrugs me off, further trying to scoot away from me.
"You just don't get it, Masami. I don't want to leave."
"Why? Why do you want to stay here of all places? You were living at the school up until yesterday.."

"..I'm not supposed to tell you." She says, sitting upright.
"Why not? You've told me everything else!"

She sighs, "How about this, if you can open that window. We'll both jump out and go wherever you like."
"W-.. Really!?"
"Go ahead, Please."

I know she said the window was nailed shut earlier, but I got ways to open it.
Switching over to Julie's card, I can feel the blue outfit slip over me. Unsheathing my sword, I take aim for the windowframe and stab at it with all my might.

Clang!

..That must have been a fluke! Withdrawing the sword, I take another stab!

Clang.

Taking off Julie, I swap over to Belle's outfit. This one has the much larger, more dangerous weapon. With another stab, the tip of the sword feels like it's going to crash straight through the window-

Clang!

"What is going on?" I ask, surely a tiny window should have broken by now with all the force I'm putting into it.

Kaori sighs, "I thought you were in charge of drafting these cards. Which is why you should know that this building has a presence here and in the magical world. It's pretty much unbreakable."

She lays back onto the bed, "Which is why Dad wants me here, it's like living in a castle where he can keep a close eye on me."

>"We could leave out the roof."
>"What would I need to do in order to convince you to not be here?"
>"Can you tell me more about this? How can it have a presence in two places at once?"
>"Why is this place so important?"
>"Wait, 'Magic world'? I don't think I've heard it called that name before."
>Other?

>>35796032
>"We could leave out the roof."

>>35796032
>Other?
Go in to draft a card mode and tear down the wall.

>>35796032
>>"Can you tell me more about this? How can it have a presence in two places at once?"
They really don't explain things over at fortune.

>>35796032
>"You're okay living in a prison like this? I won't believe that!"

>>35796032
>>35796101
Seconded

>>35796032
>"Why is this place so important?"
>Try going in to the "Magic world".

>>35796032

>"What would I need to do in order to convince you to not be here?"
>"Can you tell me more about this? How can it have a presence in two places at once?"

File: crackers.jpg (15 KB, 250x250)

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>"Can you tell me more about this? How can it have a presence in two places at once? Why is this place so important?"
>"You're okay living in a prison like this? I won't believe that!"

>Tear down this wall

I'm taking a short break and then writing,

By the way, why not roll a 1d100 roll, best of three?

>>35796411

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>35796411
Coming right up!

Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>35796411
two places at once...
we may have a card for that...

Rolled 85 (1d100)

>>35796411

>>35796442
good idea..

>>35796463
well then!

Writing!

>>35796489
Well, not writing quite yet, having an RL interruption, will resume in 20 minutes.

I'm back, writing continues.

File: melissa_outfit.846905.jpg (1.98 MB, 2197x3200)

1.98 MB JPG

"Kaori, I don't understand, how can someplace be two places at once?"
She sighs, "Did anyone tell you anything?"
"No! They really didn't! The most I know about all of this is what Mom told me, and even she didn't tell me everything."

She adjusts her voice, leaning back onto the bed, "The reason the monsters and your cards are so strong is because they have a presence both here and in the other world. I'm amazed you didn't realize this sooner."
"How was I supposed to know something that no one has ever told me?!" I say back, with increased fervor. "Why is this place of all places so important to begin with?"

She shrugs, "I think Dad comes from a long line of pretty powerful sorcerers. That's all I ever found out from him, at least."
".. And you're okay living in a place like this? It's like you're in a prison!"

"I am-!" She stops herself, "I can leave whenever I want! I just don't want to!"

I catch another glimpse of the window, and that's when a devilish idea strikes me.
"Hey, you said if I could get this window open, you would leave with me, right?"

"Does it matter?" She says with resignation in her voice, "I need to think of what I'm going to tell Dad when he sees you. Maybe I can make him keep you in here and then-"

That's when I reach into my pocket, and take Melissa, the shadowy double card, out.
"You might want to cover your ears" I say to her, with a smile.

(1/2)

>>35797749
Hopefully this works!

File: Bellevedere.1473007.jpg (563 KB, 800x1224)

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>>35797749
Kaori gasps at the sudden appearance of my shadow, diligently standing behind me.
"Masami, what are you-"

I grin again, taking out Bellevedere, I suddenly feel very confident about this plan.
"I've never tried this before, but there's a first time for everything! It'll be a fun experiment!"

Gently, I feel myself slowly starting to slip the card on over the one I'm already wearing. Several times, I can feel Melissa trying to shed itself off of me, but I'm able to catch it just in time before it completely folds off.

Soon, I can feel the entirety of Belle's heavy armor over my body. Looking back toward my shadow, I can see the double is also wearing the armor as well.
Science is fun!
Or magic! I think.

"H-How did you.. Could you always do that?" Kaori says, hands over her mouth in shock.
"I guess so! Oh and-"

I look back at her one more time, "I'll be right back!"

As I concentrate on the card in my hand again, I can feel myself slip away into the other world.

--

The mirror horizon still dominates the skyline of this place. Everything seems the same as before with my perspective on the gigantic Fortune tower in the distance changed.

Only one difference, I'm standing on a large, two-story, translucent box. Outside the box, various creatures pace about on their patrols around the two-story boxed-in enclosure.
One of them looks up at me, confused for a moment, before continuing his pacing around the structure.

Now is my chance!

Feeling the weight of the greatsword in hand, I wind-up my sword arm as if it's a baseball bat. With a mighty swing, the almost glass texture of the translucent box gives away.
A rumble echoes throughout the landscape. In the distance, sort of muffled, I can hear a surprised shriek.

The window, the wall, pretty much everything on this side of the room falls away.
And the monsters patrolling around the building, they turn toward me as I quickly slip back into the real world.

(2/3)

>>35798488
Masami is pretty much the best, of course.

File: princess_carry.png (528 KB, 850x850)

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>>35798488
Letting the cards return to their place, I'm greeted with a gigantic hole where there was once a window. There is a very loud banging coming from the other side of Kaori's door. And Kaori only clasps her hands over her face repeating something unintelligible over and over again.
"Come on!" I yell, "Time to go!"
"MASAMI, W- W- W- WHAT"
"I said, 'Let's go!'"
"WAIT, MASAMI! W- I DIDN'T THINK YOU WOULD ACTUALLY, I WAS JUST KIDDING, NO WAIT"

I don't listen to her, I take Julia out and let it wrap around my body. With a sweep, I grab her into my arms and jump out of the hole.
I land into a running dash across the front yard. The whole time Kaori is shrieking with "Oh god! Oh god!" while covering her face.

Geez, I don't see what the big deal is. She said she would come with me if I opened the window!

Wait, maybe I didn't think this through too well, where am I even going with her at this time of the day?
It's hard to see past the extremely thick canopy of the forest, but it's clearly the afternoon. I don't know how long I was asleep, but it's clear that the sun is going down for the day and the forest is getting darker by the minute.

>Take her to the school
>Take her home!
>Call everyone, try to find a meeting place (Where?)
>Call someone, try to get help (Who?)
>Other?

>>35798654
>Take her home!

>>35798654
>Take her home!
As if there's another choice.

>>35798654
>Take her home!

>>35798654
>Take her home!

>>35798654
>Take her home!

>>35798654

>Take her home!

You gon' get taken home.

>>35798654
>Take her to the school
They won't find us as easily there.

>>35798654
>Take her home!

>>35798654
>Take her home!
That phrasing secures the win. Not that it wouldn't win anyway. Welcome home, sis!

>>35798654
>>35798807
Yes. Seconding the welcome home sister part.

>Welcome home sister!

Taking a short break and writing!

by the way, roll another 1d100, best of three.

Rolled 42 (1d100)

>>35798923

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>35798923

Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>35798923
Gonna go to sleep, night!

Rolled 12 (1d100)

>>35798923
tracking, i bet

Rolled 6 (1d100)

>>35798923

Rolled 75 (1d100)

>>35798923
Can we use the Invisibility card on the way home? it seems like the safe option.

>>35798957
Pretty good, also good night!

>>35799170
Is 56 REALLY pretty good?

Rolled 74 (1d100)

>>35798995
One second, quick check and I'll let you do that.

>>35799178
It's okay, I guess.

Writing!

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"MASAMI! WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! I DIDN'T EVEN! WAIT!"
"S-stop shifting your weight around! It's hard to run with you like this!"

I take a leap right over the fence as several of the guard dogs stop dead in their tracks just inside. Looking back, I can see that those guard dogs are now very humanoid figures with very sharp axes.
This place is weird.

What's more weird, is the house. Through every hole, door, window, and balcony, are those things pouring out and searching around. Several of them take to the air and fly off in completely random directions.

I take note of the forest canopy above me. This place is already like a maze, and as long as I stay below the thick treetops, then they'll never be able to track me from the air.
Just to be sure though, I take out the new card I got not too long ago. Putting it on, I notice that I'm quite visibly slower than when I was wearing Julie.

At the same time, with this card on, I should be invisible and inaudible, even if Kaori isn't. So the trade-off is worth it.

We approach the dirt road, the only entrance that I know of to the forest. I can see the abandoned buildings on the edge of town. We're almost in the clear-
At least we would be, if one of the gargoyles from earlier had not landed right in the middle of the dirt street. I cup my hand over Kaori's mouth and duck behind the underbrush.

He turns around, watching the edge of the forest, and waits. Maybe he was expecting me to run right into him.

>Leave Kaori here, go fight that thing
>Find a way around? (1d100, best of three)
>Put on a faster card, run right past him
>Call someone and stay low
>Other?

Rolled 90 (1d100)

>>35800117

>Find a way around? (1d100, best of three)

Dice, don't fail me now!

Rolled 41 (1d100)

>>35800117
>Find a way around? (1d100, best of three)

Rolled 47 (1d100)

>>35800117
>Find a way around? (1d100, best of three)

Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>35800117
>Find a way around? (1d100, best of three)
Stealth section!

Rolled 87 (1d100)

>>35800117
>Find a way around? (1d100, best of three)
GTFO!

>>35800117
>Find a way around? (1d100, best of three)

>This is a sneaking mission!
>Rolled: 90

Wow

Writing!

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I keep my hand grasped over Kaori's mouth as the monster starts pacing, back and forth.

I look down at her, and she looks up at the sky. Her eyes are watering, and her cheeks are flushed.
That's when I remember, she may not be able to see with this card on right now. It's unclear if she can or not. I'll need to ask her about that, later.

I start slowly making my way around the edge of the clearing. Gently, step by step, I make sure not to crack any branches or twigs.
Somehow, I'm able to miss all of the lower limbs of trees or the thorny wraps of vines. There even seems to be a path in the underbrush that some kind of animal has been using. Deer, perhaps? Now probably isn't the time to think about it.

Ahead, I see the vertical, gray face of a wall that's several meters high. With a spring, I leap over it with Kaori.

--

We both step off the subway and onto the platform. There's no one waiting for us here at the station, so I guess that means no one headed us off at this point. From here we're basically free.

"That was a close one" I say, "Now let's go-"

I look over to her, her eyes are still puffy, her cheeks still reddened, and there's still a few tears sliding down her cheek.
"W-What's wrong? You're safe, shouldn't you be happy."

That makes her really mad,
"Don't you get it?" She whips her head toward me, looking me right in the eyes, "YOU JUST KIDNAPPED ME AND I AM VERY SCARED"

What?

>"I didn't kidnap you! Now let's go home and I'll show you your new room!"
>"What do you mean? How was I supposed to do it?"
>"But.. you promised to come home!"
>"..Did you WANT to stay back there?"
>Other?

>>35801177
>"You made a promise. Just give spending some time with me a chance, okay?"

I just noticed that lats two posts had an hour gap between them, I'll try to pick up the pace.

>>35801177
>"You made a promise. Just give spending some time with me a chance, okay?"

>>35801177
>Other?
"rawr rawr i'm an evil monster"
>"You made a promise. Just give spending some time with me a chance, okay?"
maybe add something like "i'll show you how a real family works"

>>35801177
>"But.. you promised to come home!"

>>35801177
>"You made a promise. Just give spending some time with me a chance, okay?"

I... Want to have a sister...

>"You made a promise. Just give spending some time with me a chance, okay?"

Writing!

I'm still here, Sorry. One last decision post for the night and then a finishing post are ahead.

>>35802379
Thanks for running dude.

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Why does everything have to be so complicated?
"Kaori, what is it you want? Do you want to go back to the big mansion full of angry monsters?"
"No! I- I don't know."

She looks down at her feet. "I just didn't expect it to be like this.. I still had so much to do. I don't think I can ever talk to Dad, now."
"Why do you care so much about what that guy thinks?" I say, grabbing a hold of her shoulder.
"It's not important anymore." She shrugs my hand off her shoulder.

We're on the street near our house right now. I still can't see anything that might be following us or may be waiting for us here. The street is completely deserted, as usual.

I pull at Kaori's hand,
"You made a promise, Kaori. Just give spending some time with me a chance, okay?"

She gulps, slowly lifting her eyes to meet mine. I can hear her voice whisper an "Okay".
I reach for the door handle.
Something on the other side takes the door handle and flings it open. It's Mom, dressed in an apron.

She looks down at Kaori, while Kaori looks back at her. Without either of them saying a single word, Mom falls to her knees and grabs her into a hug.

Kaori starts to say something, but her sudden outburst of tears interrupts it.

--

We finish dinner quietly. Mom said that Kaori can tell us anything she wants to on her own time, but she didn't feel that there was anything to say right now. Not even a 'thank you' for the meal that she had.

But I can tell that she really wanted it, it makes me wonder how long it's been since she's had good food. It really makes me wonder how she lived before I found her.

No, wait, I shouldn't think about that. It's not important anymore.

She stands up from the dinner table and walks over to the couch. She lays on it and turns over, giving a quick 'Good night' before rolling to face away from us.

>"You're sleeping in my room tonight."
>"I think you're sleeping in Mom's room tonight."
>"Everyone sleeps in Mom's room."
>"Aren't you going to at least shower?"
>Other?

>>35802619
>"Everyone sleeps in Mom's room."

>>35802619
>"Everyone sleeps in Mom's room."
Family Love all round!

>>35802619
>>"Aren't you going to at least shower?"
>>"You're sleeping in my room tonight."

>>35802619
>"Everyone sleeps in Mom's room."
>"Aren't you going to at least shower?"
No escape

>>35802619
>"Everyone sleeps in Mom's room."
>"Aren't you going to at least shower?"
Extra cuteness is always welcome.

>>35802619
>"Everyone sleeps in Mom's room."

>>35802619
>"Aren't you going to at least shower?"
>"Everyone sleeps in Mom's room."

>Aren't you going to at least shower
>We're sleeping Mom's room tonight

Writing last post of the night!

Apologies again for slowness.

>>35802898
All good. Obviously still have participation.

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"Aren't you going to at least shower?" I ask, she only shrugs and feigns sleep in response.
Mom giggles, "I'll go take a shower first and get it warmed up for you. Think about where you're going to sleep tonight."

She walks into the bathroom and shuts the door behind her. I sit on the couch next to Kaori.
"..How was the food?"
"It was yummy. I really like your Mom's cooking."

There's some silence as she slowly sits upward, leaning against me for support.
I nudge her shoulder, pulling her into a hug.
"Don't call her 'My Mom'. She's our Mom now."
"..Family doesn't work that way, Masami."

"Yes it does! It does until I say it doesn't! "

Mom walks out of the bathroom dressed in a robe, "Your turn, Masami."

I stand up and tug at Kaori's shoulder. "Come on, we're both going to bathe."
"W-What?" She slowly stands up.
"You need it more than I do, I don't even know how you bathed at the school." I say, relentless in my tugging until she finally follows me down the hall.

--

"Where are we sleeping?" She says, drying her long blonde hair as best as possible.
"Mom's room" I say, with confidence, "That's where I sleep when the world feels hopeless."

She seems taken aback by that, "We're going to sleep, there?"
"Yes, is that a problem?"

She shakes her hair, spreading water droplets all over the bathroom.
"No, no, I just didn't know."

We take a couple of pillows from my bed and walk into Mom's room, much to her surprise.
"Are you.. Girls okay?" Mom says, sitting on the edge of her bed reading a book.
"I just think we need to sleep here tonight."

Kaori is a little hesitant, but she climbs up into the bed. I lay down and grab her as Mom lays down beside us.

"Masami, I'm not your teddy bear, I'm not going to get to sleep.. with you.." Kaori falls asleep shortly after that.

I'm really glad to have a sister.

>Thread End

Thanks for the thread everyone, apologies for the huge update gaps.

I need to get to bed so there is no Q&A tonight, but the thread is already archived. Thank you everyone! Leave me any questions here and I'll try to get to them next time.

Also let me know what you thought.

>>35803878
Adorable. Hopefully not leading to horrible dream trauma and chaos the next day. Thanks for running dude. Sorry your schedule has been so outta whack.

>>35803923
I really hope it gets better, but we'll have to see.

The problem is: I think today I was going to have an announcement of some kind, but I can't remember what it was.

If I remember it, I'll put it on twitter. Not a big deal!

>>35803878
Thanks for running.

>>35803878
Cute ending. Interesting how we can use more than one card at a time. Thanks for running.

>>35803849
This is beyond adorable. Thanks for running!