If you declined from taking this rite, you would be forfeiting your chance at adulthood and secession from your aunt and uncle's ability to engage you. If you chose to call them out on this farcical set up, then you admit to having made a decision of this magnitude out of ignorance in front of the assembled audience. Thoroughly trapped between a number of rocks and a hard place, you have been forced to take drastic measures.

Let it never be said that Irue Valen shied from a challenge.

You certainly weren't going to be getting out of this gracefully, your dear aunt and uncle had made sure of that, but you could still potentially come out on top. The slavemaster was charging a small fortune for each of these candidates; The kind of price where 'if you need to ask, you can't afford' was the type of thing to come to mind. While you are positively flattered that your dear aunt and uncle would go to this length to ensure you fail, you're willing to wager that they had entirely expected you to become intimidated by their entourage of guests and try to slip past with the least amount of uproar. That you'd hesitate over the plight and pick just one, try to quietly move past the rumors and reactions.

No. If they were going to try and back you into a corner, then you were going to make that corner your mana-damned throne. "Very well," you begin after a moment of gathering your thoughts, "I will return after making the necessary declarations". You twist sharply on your heel and begin to walk back towards your mansion, where your aunt and uncle were undoubtedly waiting with their entourage for your return. You nod to Asche as you return, your stoic companion falling in step slightly behind and to the left of you in an easy, practised motion. The slavemaster hesitates for a moment, barely receiving a passing glance as you breeze past him, but the additional set of footsteps crunching against gravel tells you that he's fallen in line as well.

Oh hey, this is back.

You reach the grand doors to your house and take a breath, knowing that this moment would set your future in motion.

>Dramatic entrance! Throw open the doors, announce yourself grandly!
>Casual entrance. Open the door, walk inside nonchalantly.
>Formal entrance. Have Asche enter first and get their attention.
>Subtle entrance. Send Asche to privately request your aunt and uncle.

>>40184674
>>Dramatic entrance! Throw open the doors, announce yourself grandly!

Previous Thread: https://archive.moe/tg/thread/40062822/
Where things are said: https://twitter.com/Riz_QM

Misc notes: I hope anon is ready for what they chose, because this is not going to be an easy ride.

>>40184674
>Dramatic entrance! Throw open the doors, announce yourself grandly!
No way around it, really.
>>40184696
Sounds like a challenge to me.

>>40184674
>>Formal entrance. Have Asche enter first and get their attention.

>>40184696
Sounds like a challenge!

>>40184674
>Casual entrance. Open the door, walk inside nonchalantly.

>>40184691
>>40184765
Dramatic entrance! This is my house!

>>40184858
Formal entrance, protocols and etiquette are just as good as raw charisma.

>>40184876
Casual entrance. Why make a fuss when it's your house? just walk inside.

writing!

>>40184944
I'm sad I'll have to sleep in a short hour and miss the rest, anons better do a good job with our new minions!

I'm still not 100% on what our plan is here. Try to associate the slave-stuff with our aunt and uncle since we can't escape the blot on our family name anyway?

With a crash that reverberates grandly through the mainhall, you throw the doors to your estate wide open and stride in with a confidence that demanded the attention of those in attendance. Conversation within quieted down considerably, your own footsteps echoing in the ensuing silence as you pause before the threshold and adjust your pace to casually move into your home.

Their attention is focused on you, as it should be, but you're in no rush. Measured and comfortable steps lock in your pace easily, bringing you to the forefront of the crowd where your eyes sweep across the crowd with a pleasant smile. A brief gesture later and Asche splits away from you, near instantly zeroing in on where your dear aunt and uncle were currently engaging in some manner of conversation with a noble you vaguely recognize. Or at least they had been, until you walked into the room. "Dear guests," you start audibly, the acoustics of this hall carrying your voice with clarity across the assembled entourage, "I thank for taking the time to join my dear aunt and uncle on this important occasion."

You look between the faces, vaguely matching a few of them to memories and stations. "Though I must apologize; As this rite is something of a private matter, I am afraid that the decisions I make in regards to it are a things I would feel much more comfortable making in confidence of my dearest aunt and uncle alone." In the corner of your eyes, you can already see Asche beginning to lead aforementioned family members out of the hall. "My apologies for not preparing entertainment ahead of time, I will certainly see to it that refreshments and appetizers are brought about shortly, and if it pleases the assembled, then I shall personally see to having a more involved socialization after my immediate obligations are fulfilled."

You curtsy once to the assembled, bowing your head slightly and inwardly cheering at several obvious looks of amusement or acceptance among the party. That happiness is offset slightly by the less favorable glances directed at you, but as you've little time to address the source of those problems now, you mark it off for a later date. For now, however, you've more pressing matters to attend to - Specifically, your dear aunt and uncle.

Wasting no further time with the entourage of your primary antagonists this evening, you make after the sideroom which Asche had shuffled your dear aunt and uncle. You hear your uncle's good natured attempts to make casual conversation with Asche long before you actually see them, and just for the moment, you allow yourself a small amused smile at the thought of the large man desperately attempting to pry some manner of communication from your stoic.... From Asche. That moment passes quickly however, your own approaching footsteps tapping clearly through the halls of this empty mansions and signalling the end to your dear uncle's socialiting. Only a few seconds later bring you through the cracked door and into one of countless unused rooms, your hand sliding over the smooth oaken grain as the door clicked shut behind you.

Raising your eyes to meet the attendants, your red eyes narrow in consternation at the presence of the first royal cousin. You look to Asche quietly, seeking an explanation, but meet only her impassive expression in response. A small sigh is all the break you are given before your aunt steps in, a knowing grin stretched across her face.

"Whether it is a private matter or not, Irue, I am sure you understand the necessity for all judges of the rite to be present for its proceedings, yes?"

....The smile you return could have melted steel out of pure acidity. Of course the first cousin was one of the people judging the success of this damned thing.

>"I've made my decision." - Cut to the chase!
>"Was the entourage necessary?" - Point out your disapproval of their company.
>"I hope Asche has been a pleasant host in my absence." - Start politely.
>"I would like to review the details of this rite, if you don't mind." - Try to mask ignorance with nervousness, learn what you can.

>>40185653
>"I've made my decision." - Cut to the chase!
Gotta be strong, firm!

>>40185653
>"I would like to review the details of this rite, if you don't mind." - Try to mask ignorance with nervousness, learn what you can.

>>40185653
>"I hope Asche has been a pleasant host in my absence." - Start politely.
>"I would like to review the details of this rite, if you don't mind." - Try to mask ignorance with nervousness, learn what you can.

>>40185653
>"I hope Asche has been a pleasant host in my absence." - Start politely.
>"I would like to review the details of this rite, if you don't mind." - Try to mask ignorance with nervousness, learn what you can.

>>40185653
>"Was the entourage necessary?" - Point out your disapproval of their company.
>"I've made my decision." - Cut to the chase!

>>40185653
>>"I hope Asche has been a pleasant host in my absence." - Start politely.


Are we female? I can't tell by the name.

>>40184650
>Traditional" rite of passage and pick between a selection of slaves and try to turn them into your Testament.

What are we suppose to do? Fuck them? Kill them with our bare hands?

>>40185761
Yeah, we are.

>>40185672
>>40185733
I already knew what I'm here for, let's get it over with.

>>40185683
>>40185710
>>40185721
I need more information on this rite. I'm still walking blind.

>>40185710
>>40185721
>>40185761
Take great pleasure in needling your uncle's inability to coax conversation from Asche.

>>40185733
Was the group of lessers really necessary?

Writing!

>>40185796
cool thanks.

>>40185777
Doubt it'll be anything so base. But we'll see!

>>40186011

We can't be sure, trials by fuck could be the tradition on this setting if the nobles are decadent enough.

>>40186059
Given in the first thread the QM said that lewds were going to fade to black and that they weren't going to write it, I doubt trials by fuck is going to be the actual test.

"I sincerely hope Asche has been a pleasant host in my absence." You begin, idly noting her taking up her customary position to your left. Your uncle seems put out by the reminder, though it merely elicits a small smile from your aunt. Likely she found his failure to befriend the small attendant to be a quite amuseming. "However, forgive my nerves, but I would like to review the details of this rite before we continue?" You lower your head slightly in the current company.

"Of course." The first cousin takes the lead in this conversation, adjusting his fanciful lapels as he steps up to the center of attention and perhaps unknowingly beating either your aunt or uncle to the pitch. "I was able to acquire the details of this rite from House Valen's archives, nasty bit of bureaucracy nearly had you going into this whole thing based on hearsay." the first cousin explained, pride and disdain equally present in his voice - One for the pointless problems, and the other for his own ability to resolve said pointless problems. You've little time to dwell on that before the royal cousin continues, however.

"The traditional rite of House Valen's mainhouse evidently dates back to the founding of our country," he begins, quickly becoming more excited as he speaks, "House Valen has historically used the training and ownership of slaves as a measuring stick for their main house's descendants. The philosophy passed down in the texts declaring that the leader of House Valen be required to able to demonstrate their ability to bend and influence the people around them."

Yes, you knew this much already. Resisting the urge to hurry him along, you do your best to appear interested as you nod, signalling him to continue.

"Traditionally speaking, one's parents and elders are the ones responsible for overseeing the beginning and end of the rite - That is, the choosing of the Testament and the evaluation of the Initiate's efforts at the end. It is not terribly unusual for an outside party to be involved, however." He coughs, "Rather, it is not without precedent. Members of the royal family, such as myself, have been invited to sit in on these rites in the past."

Something scratched at the edge of your thoughts. A nagging feeling that you've misjudged a particularly vital component of the situation... You set it aside for now, choosing to inquire in more detail about the rite itself.

"Ah, yes. The rite itself requires you to choose a Testament - Some unaffiliated party with him can be considered sentient, specifically - and bring them to your heel." You raised a brow at the phrasing, "Nothing so crass, I assure you!" He hastily amends, a genuine laugh escaping him at your expression, "House Valen demands much of its leaders, you see. Among those things are the qualities of someone who can both lead their people to their potential, as well as leaders who endear those whom follow them. It is a test to determine your capacity as a leader, first and foremost."

"Slaves were the most commonly used for this test." you detected a grimace as he finally touched on that issue, "Generally untrained, with little loyalty to their owners. They were considered a convenient pool of resources for House Valen to pull from, one that House Valen cultivated subtly through the years..." The first cousin trailed off in vague disapproval, letting the words hang in the air heavily before he shook his head, as if to break free of the weight, and continued.

"To be succinct, Irue Valen, the rite will require you to demonstrate your capacity for leadership by using those slaves to provide proof of your methods and effectiveness. You take them as they are, and we-" he motioned between your aunt, uncle, and himself, "-the judges, decide at the end how far they have come and whether they find you worth following."

This... This wasn't so bad. No, of course this wasn't bad! House Valen would undoubtedly have a test like this, it made perfect sense. Now you just needed to confirm a few things.

"So the branch house rite, taming beasts, was derived from this?" You looked in askance, "Do the same conditions apply here as well? Difficulty in taming, prestige?"

"Yes, of course." The first cousin smiled, seemingly pleased you were following him so far. "Initiates in the past have gone so far as choosing Testaments that were deliberately opposed to them, sometimes remnants of conquered or fallen houses with grudges against them. The ability to turn a staunch foe into your ally is highly valued, no matter what nobility you belong to - It is something to be respected."

Your aunt and uncle did not seem as if they had anything to add.

>"Thank you, I've made my decision."
>"The history is fascinating, could you perhaps lend me those texts?"
>I feel I'm forgetting something. (write-in)

>>40186474
>"The history is fascinating, could you perhaps lend me those texts?"

>>40186474

>"The history is fascinating, could you perhaps lend me those texts?"

>>40186474
>>"The history is fascinating, could you perhaps lend me those texts?"

>>40186474
>"The history is fascinating, could you perhaps lend me those texts?"
We've got several options for dealing with our new friends, so.

>>40186474
>"The history is fascinating, could you perhaps lend me those texts?"

>>40186474
>"The history is fascinating, could you perhaps lend me those texts?"
No reason not to familiarize ourself with them 100%
And with that I must sleep, thanks for writing!

>>40186474
"Just to clarify, unlike the branch rites my Testament can only be chosen from those presented to me by the judges? And as shown by the branch rites can I take more then one subject as my Testament?'

>>40186494
>>40186497
>>40186506
>>40186517
>>40186521
>>40186557
History is cool.

>>40186589
Explain Further.

Writing!

You nod, the glimpse into House Valen's past piqueing your interest. You'd like to learn more about it, about your heritage - The things your position in the branch house may have barred from your grasp. You would have plenty of time to look into it yourself once you passed this rite, but for now... "Would it be possible for you to lend me those texts?" you ask curiously, "I appreciate the time you've taken to help relieve my nerves, but I would be much at ease if I had the source itself to go over during the process."

The royal cousin laughed, rather quickly taking your hand - Why does he keep taking your hand - and knelt briefly. "Of course! They are your family's archives, it is merely pointless red tape and rhetoric that keeps them sealed. I will have a copy delivered to you in short order, Ser Valen."

You nod appreciatively, subtly attempting to extricate your hand from his grip. "Yes... I have found an unusual amount of that in my life, recently." You grumble humorously, idly letting your eyes slip from the royal cousin to your dear aunt and uncle. "My studies have unfortunately kept me busy, and thus I am embarrassingly unversed in my own family's impressive history beyond what little the public branch archives could provide me." It doesn't take any further implication between the assembled party to explain just how useless that was to you.

The kind of information available to the public was decidedly not the type, or breadth, of information which the heir would find interesting regarding their family.

"Yes, the circumstances around your life are... fascinating." The royal cousin hedges politely, "With your permission, Ser Valen, I would not be averse to looking further into those archives and seeing what I can pull out for you from beyond the veil of conviluted permission?" The offer was an unexpected one, and one you seriously considered.

"While you are not legally of the branch house, my position in the royal family can be... leveraged, alongside the word of one who is rightfully heir to the main family. People are often more willing to think for themselves than refer to regulation when the request comes from on high, yes?" The two of you share a smile, and you find yourself revising your opinion of the first cousin's presence; The slightly strained smile on your dear aunt and uncle's faces as the two of you casually conspire to grasp information you've no doubt they purposely kept out of your reach is almost worth having to deal with this entire farce.

>"I would be more than willing to lend my name to such a cause."
>"An offer I will gladly consider, but may the answer wait? I feel more pressing matters must be attended to."
>"I will have access to those shortly, and no doubt there are family things which I would be want to allow outside our halls - Even to an esteemed individual of the royal family."
>Something is still nagging you. (write-in?)

>>40187129
>>"I would be more than willing to lend my name to such a cause."

>>40187129
>"An offer I will gladly consider, but may the answer wait? I feel more pressing matters must be attended to."

>>40187129
>>"An offer I will gladly consider, but may the answer wait? I feel more pressing matters must be attended to."
How does he profit from this deal? I think it would be either in increased influence with us, the knowledge he is offering itself, or something else

>>40187165
Information now is the best thing.

>>40187217
>>40187233
All I know is that my gut says maybe. However, I have declarations to make!

Writing.

>>40187129
>"An offer I will gladly consider, but may the answer wait? I feel more pressing matters must be attended to."

>>40187233
He could possibly desire some information inside the archives which he currently doesn't have access to.

"An offer I would gladly consider," you respond after a moment of thought. The proposal would be extremely helpful to you, and you get the feeling that just by agreeing you could take another step towards spiting dear aunt and uncle's efforts to keep you contained. On the other hand, you're not entirely certain what is actually in those archives. As pleasant as the royal cousin is, you he is still a member of the royal family - a political presence which rivals House Valen in influence, even if they are nominally under friendly relations currently.

You would need to think on it, and get back to him later. If nothing else, this would be a nice excuse to gain an interesting contact of your own. There was certainly something pleasantly terrible feeling about the idea of re-purposing a tool of your uncle's to your own goals. You suppress the shiver that slides down your spine, turning your attention back to the matter at hand. "With this information in mind, I've made my decision regarding choice of Testament."

Your uncle smiles, "Wonderful! I hope the selection was to your liking?" A grimace is your response, "The individual choices were all quite interesting, but lacked the type of flair I found acceptable. Each of them held aspects that I thought to be valuable, but individually they were not quite to my standards." You nod apologetically to your uncle, noting idly that your aunt seemed to have already seen where this was going. None the less, your uncle continues with feigned disappointment. "I see, so you have decided to-"

"Choose all of them, yes." You interrupt him clearly, taking a firmer stance as you stare down the occupants of the room with confidence. You raise your voice slightly to reiterate, seizing ahold of the flabbergasted silence of your uncle and the shock of the royal cousin before you, "My dear aunt and uncle have gone out of their way to arrange such an interesting selection to me, so even though not one of them individually is acceptable, the three of them together are undoubtedly to my standards. Besides that," You nod towards the royal cousin, "after hearing more of House Valen's history, and the purpose of this rite, I would be remiss if I did not prove myself to be appropriately worthy of the position I aim to inherit."

Silence descended on the room in the wake of your declaration, the assembled judges either unwilling or unable to share their thoughts on the matter. After several breaths of such a gap, your aunt finally voices her concern. "Are you quite certain, Irue?" Matron of Steel she is, aunt Clara almost seems to exhibit legitimate motherly worry. "I would not contradict your reasoning, for it is right and befitting, but should you not as well know your limits?"

"Unfortunately, dear aunt, I have little idea of my limits." You confess honestly, "I have lived most of my life in this out of the way estate, this rite seems a grand opportunity for me to test the reach of my ability to stand as heir proper to House Valen."

She does not seem convinced, nor pleased in the least. However, she bows her head in acceptance of your choice, granting you her blessing in the endeavor. That blessing was enough to jumpstart your uncle and the royal cousin, both of whom followed suit in granting their approval.

>"Now, since that is out of the way... I believe we have a party to attend?"
>"Asche will lead you back to the mainhall, I need a moment to compose myself."
>Send them back to the hall on their own, take a moment with Asche.
>Relax, let yourself go through the motions of social etiquette. (skips to the end of the party)

>>40188028
>"Asche will lead you back to the mainhall, I need a moment to compose myself."

>>40188028
>"Now, since that is out of the way... I believe we have a party to attend?"

>>40188028

>Send them back to the hall on their own, take a moment with Asche.

Is there anything I've missed?

>>40188028
>>"Asche will lead you back to the mainhall, I need a moment to compose myself."
Figure out how we're going to house/feed the slaves and plan to research more of the current situation and history of the southern kingdom.

>>40187830
If that's the reason, then it's likely that the info he wants is going to relate to us/our family which, depending on why needs that info and what he plans on doing with it, could be very bad for us.
I would suggest that our best plan is to get to know this prince and potentially turn him into an ally or at least someone who will counter-act the influence our aunt and uncle have

>>40188033
>>40188132
Asche, show them back to the hall.

>>40188123
Send them back on their own, you need a moment.

>>40188085
We are an unstoppable social monster.

Writing!

With the declaration out of the way, you have Asche lead your dear aunt and uncle, as well the royal prince's first cousin back to the main hall. You hear your uncle excusing himself from the group to make arrangements with the slavemaster as they leave, and finally allow yourself to slump back against the cool, hard oaken door as their footsteps and quiet conversation fades into the distance. A heavy sigh escapes as you let your head rock back and bump into the door in fatigue.

"Heh..."

You find your fingers idly tracing the ornately crossed loops composing your late-sister's bracelet, some part of you drawing a familiar comfort from the accessory as your actions catch up to you.

"Haha..."

The engagement, your stumble, aunt and uncle's gambit to try and cow you, the endeavor you just signed yourself onto... Your shoulders tremble gently against the firm wooden door, a hiccup slipping loose from your choked up throat. It was the gates to a flood, as you took full advantage of the privacy this remote and empty room provided. Mirth bubbled up unbidden, overflowing in a fit of laughter that tore itself out of you in forceful gales; There was so little to laugh at, but the excitement demanded an outlet all the same.

The excitement. This... This was so exciting!

For a decade, this quiet house was your home, with books and Asche as your only true companions here. In a single afternoon, you had stepped into the life you had considered all but a dream! You had a glimpse of the kind of intrigue you knew intellectually existed, but had never truly experienced! Your body shook, arms wrapping around your sides to try and contain the ache in your midrift from the frantic and unexpected fit of laughter. You had gone toe-to-toe with your aunt in front of a crowd, outwitted your uncle, made contacts, taken your first step into the rite of passage, met and possibly secured a favorable relation with the royal cousin of the first prince - All in a single day!

You don't know how much time passed before you finally managed to contain yourself again, recomposing your exterior with a slightly more genuine smile on your face. In the future, you wished you could manage to contain such outbursts until well after the situation had resolved itself. Clicking the door to the room shut behind you, and wiping free a single remaining trail of dampness from the corner of your wine red eyes, you consider that the reality of having to actually return to the party was somewhat more tiring to you now than it was before you let yourself loose.

You pause at the entry to the hall, the energetic din of conversation coming from beyond serving as the final detail necessary to fully pull you back into the game - Though no less exhausted at the prospect.

>engage in social auto-pilot. None of the people here are important enough to bother with, and you're tired. (skips the party)
>Seek out the cousin of yours which you recognized earlier. It's been a while since you met with aunt and uncle's child.
>Find Asche, you want her at your side.
>Return to your newly chosen Testaments, explain what has happened. (skips the party)

>>40188673
>Find Asche, you want her at your side.

>>40188673
>>Find Asche, you want her at your side.
Allies.

>>40188673
>Find Asche, you want her at your side.

>>40188673
>>Find Asche, you want her at your side.

Orange is the color of loyalty.

>>40188673
>>Find Asche, you want her at your side.

>>40188707
>>40188717
>>40188752
>>40188756
>>40188766
The regularity of unanimous answers in this quest begin to become concerning.

Writing!

>>40188815
HIVEMIND!

>>40188815
We are a hivemind. Prepare to be a assimilated

>>40188840
>We are a hivemind. Prepare the ass

>>40188911
So I take it that the hivemind holds the position that tits are only fake asses?

>>40189008
Tits are chest asses that hold no shit.
Apples, oranges.

Your first order of business is finding Asche.

The fatigue you're feeling goes deeper than physical exertion, you're feeling it in settling on your mind even as you scan the crowd quietly your stoic maid. secretary.

Note to sel- Ah, there she is.

She is quite busy, you realize, trying to attend to each of the guests on her own. Had you a larger staff, then a small gathering of this size wouldn't even be worth mentioning... But as it was, Asche had single handedly been keeping the entourage of nobles supplied with refreshments while simultaneously attending to your requests and seeing to the escort of more related members of the assembly. The realization bounces back and forth in your head tiredly as you make your way across the hall towards her, deciding that whoever she was attending to was as good a place as any to start with this event.

Unbelievably, Asche's expression betrayed nothing of her own energy levels. She glanced in your direction as you approached, politely excusing herself from the noble who she had just given a drink to - You can't imagine what drink it was, likely something she had decided on her own, given how busy you had been since their arrival. - and turning completely to you with a passive expression, head tilted back slightly in askance of your presence.

A single tired smile is all the answer she needs, deliberately blinking once at you before offering you the last glass of refreshment on a nearby platter. It is an offering you gladly accept, draining the slender glass of most of its contents as you look over the hall of assembled mingling nobles. You suppose the friends of your uncle were a decent resource to begin your own networking, but you were finding it difficult to care about the majority of the people here. You already knew their purpose here was to spread rumors of your choice of rite amongst the grapevine, and diving in half-heartedly would just give them more materials to shuck around.

Your uncle was notably absent from the hall, likely out arranging the purchase of the Testaments from the slavemaster. Your fatigue alleviates slightly at the thought of his coffers draining, but not enough to warrant anything more than the wry smirk you secret away with a second, smaller sip from your glass. "How has the party been proceeding?" You question silently, not bothering to cease your observation of the group around you.

"Docile." Asche's dispassionate, one word answer summed up everything she thought of the event. The two of you stand in comfortable relative silence for several minutes, letting you eavesdrop on a number of ultimately uninteresting conversation. "You are tired." You took another sip from your glass, draining its content as Asche made an unrequested, auxiliary observation. Well, it was an observation on the surface, a noting of your condition which you know she will not be dissuaded from the truth of - It was also an offer to deal with the problem, should you give the word.

>Pick one of the following
>>Then pick it's option.

>You'll be fine.
>>Hunt down your cousin, it's been a while.
>>Talk to Aunt, she seemed unhappy with your decision.
>>Track down the royal cousin of the first prince, you don't see him.

>Something subtle would be best. (Gradually bring party to an end)
>>Something spiteful
>>Something politel

>You're too tired to wait, make it abrupt. (End party)
>>You're tired!
>>The public aspect of your rite has ended, you must make preparations.
>>something urgent has come up, and you must attend to it! (write-in)

Christ those typos.[/spoiler

>>40189444
>You'll be fine.
>>Hunt down your cousin, it's been a while.

>>40189444
>>You'll be fine.
>>>Hunt down your cousin, it's been a while.

>>40189444

>You'll be fine.
>>Hunt down your cousin, it's been a while.

>>40189454
>>40189510
>>40189522
Asche worries too much, we already had our breakdown! On to business.

Writing!

"I'll be fine." You assure Asche, handing the glass back to her as you take a breath. Despite her lack of response, you're fairly certain she is unconvinced of that declaration, but has accepted your choice all the same. "Do you remember my cousin?" You ask absently, trying to find him in the crowd once more, "I saw him in attendance earlier, but..."

No answer forthcoming, you turn to see Asche's flat expression as she stares up at you. A moment later, you realize that she probably doesn't know much of your family outside of... Well, you and your aunt and uncle. Even if she did, you get the feeling that you had several 'cousins' attending this event. "A little taller than I am, dressed overly formal? Carries a rapier he probably can't use?" You clarify, earning a light of understanding in Asche's eyes before she unerringly points him out for you. Amongst the throng of people, it was difficult to locate him yourself - Hell, it was difficult to locate him in general.

You don't bother to question how Asche had done it so easily, instead choosing to make your way towards him as she fell in tow in her customary position. It was... certainly something to see your cousin again, after probably three years of broken contact. You weren't on bad terms, per say, but circumstances arranged the two of you in awkward positions.

You living in some out of the way estate did not do favors for casual visits.
Neither did his particular habit of being rather intimidated by you, but that's not important right now.

"Greetings, dear cousin Caylen." You purr, eliciting a hastily obscured flinch as he twists himself quickly from the gaggle of colorfully dressed lesser noble maidens he had been conversing with. "H-Ha! I, uh... I-Irue!" he stammered, one hand quickly coming to rest on the hilt of his oft-worn rapier as he brushed his feathery hair from his eyes quickly. "I didn't know you were here!"

The son of your dear aunt and uncle, he had the misfortune of being born a blood descendant of your aunt Clara. While perhaps that could have made for forging him into an impressive man of skill and presence, he had mostly taken after his esteemed father... In a variety of ways. Too young to have developed the guile, and raised under the pressure of his mother, your aunt, he was not the Man of Iron your aunt no doubt had expected. Not much about him was iron, actually, despite the brutal and strict regiment aunt Clara no doubt wrung him through.

You vaguely remember him being terrified of your older sister, but you've more or less inherited that position of terror in his life.

"This is my house, Caylen." you remind him casually, stepping up to quickly intwine his arm with yours. "The event is for my Rite, even." You tease, smiling sweetly and eliciting a tensing of the muscles in his arms, one you're decently certain extended through the entirety of his body, but you've already locked him in place as you look from him to the crowd around him. "Why don't you introduce me to your friends?" Three girls, from two noble houses who served under the branch of House Valen. Two of them seemed similar to each other, you deduce they were likely siblings; The last one was on her own, and older than the other two. Older than you and Caylen, for that matter.

Your eyes narrow slightly at her.

"R-Right, these are..." You politely listen to him introduce the sisters, Lim and Rachael, gently prodding him along with questions about how they had met and knew each other. You're forced to potentially revise your opinion of him when you learn that they had become fans upon seeing him at a fencing tournament several months ago.

That praise died on your lips when they described how inspiring it was to see him keep getting up, no matter how many times the winner of the tournament had struck him down. "My dear Caylen made it to the finals?" you switch tracks brightly, only to find that a dead-end as well.

"Oh no, the champion had disparaged our family in his victory speech." Rachael smiled shyly, looking towards Caylen as she recalled the moment, "Caylen challenged him to a duel for our honor, and continued to rise from the ground until the champion was forced to leave the challenge fields."

That... That was a win by technicality, you're pretty sure.

"It was very heroic!" Lim cheered.

You smile, fighting back the urge to sigh. "Cousin Caylen, what rank did you come in at that tournament?" You whispered quietly, watching him flinch slightly at the question. "Er... Preliminary elimination." You barely make out the answer uttered from the corner of his lips. All the same, your fingertips squeeze into his wirey bicept reassuringly.

>Praise Caylen's valiant, if slightly pitiful efforts
>Ask more about the champion
>Ask about the slightly older girl of the group
>Inquire about Rachael and Lim's family

>>40190407
>>Praise Caylen's valiant, if slightly pitiful efforts
>Ask about the slightly older girl of the group
>Inquire about Rachael and Lim's family

>>40190407
>>Praise Caylen's valiant, if slightly pitiful efforts
Yes. Heroic. Definitely. We'll go with that.

>>Ask more about the champion
and similarly
>Inquire about Rachael and Lim's family
Kind of curious why he'd bother making the time to shit-talk people under our branch family during a victory speech. Might be something worth knowing.

We'll get to the older girl once introductions continue, surely.

>>40190407
>Praise Caylen's valiant, if slightly pitiful efforts, adding in that maybe there's an alternate training style that might improve his skills
>Ask about the slightly older girl of the group

For the record the type of training I'm thinking of is the Emiya Shirou school of training - having the shit beat out of you so many times that your body becomes instinctively aware of when death is coming and your subconscious moves your body for you.

>>40190470
>>40190515
>>40190522
Praise Caylen! He did good, good boy. Yes.

>>40190470
>>40190522
Ask about the older girl. Your Concerned Cousin senses are tingling.

>>40190470
>>40190515
Ask about Rachael and Lim. What is their family, anyway?

>>40190515
Ask about the champion, he sounds like an ass.

Writing!

>Praise Caylen's valiant, if slightly pitiful efforts

Welp, at least he tried.

"My dear cousin Caylen is a credit to the honor of House Valen." You agree amiably, "I am proud of his actions, and only wish I could have been there to see it for myself." Indeed, seeing Caylen get beaten into the ground over and over seems like an event you would have liked to have seen. Your praise is genuine however, just slightly tinged with the obligatory disappointment of watching someone walk a road of good intentions with what amounted to two left feet. "Well, I am Maran-"

"Could you tell me more about your family?" You interrupt the older girl innocently, not bothering to spare her a glance as you continue the conversation with the two sisters. "I find myself curious what provoked the champion of dear Caylen's fencing tournament to spend his moment of fame in derision." You notice Caylen's free hand raising to pacify the older girl at your blatant interruption and ignoring. To your credit, you pointedly gave no sign that you were even aware of her as you opted for an interested and concerned conversation with the sisters instead.

She did not push the issue, but the older girl - Maran - was none too pleased.

"Our family isn't anything grand, or interesting." Rachael explained modestly, "We are beastmasters for House Valen, that is all. My sister and I hope to complete our apprenticeships soon."

Beastmasters were the ones responsible for grooming, feeding, training, and breeding the various beasts under House Valen's control. On occasion, however, Beastmasters were also the ones who went on the expeditions to bring in the more exotic type of creature. In other words, both caretaker and hunter.

In society, they were a solid trade. Amongst nobility, however, they were barely pet keepers - The ones of House Valen were often valued far beyond that, simply due to the branch tradition of bestial Testaments, but that did not raise their standing with nobility outside of the Valen domain.

You nod your understanding solemnly. You consider inquiring as to the reason for the champion's ire, but eventually decide against further prying. Given their standing and relation to House Valen, it's no surprise that they had become taken with Caylen's efforts as easily as they had. For all their technical connection to House Valen, they were ultimately not nobility at all - Simply part of a serf born vassalage.

Clumsy and inept as he had been, Caylen was an actual noble who had stood up for their comparatively worthless reputation.

"So," you continue after a respectful moment of silence, finally turning to the older girl and granting her a chance to speak. "You are Maran, yes? How exactly do you know my valiant cousin?" You could nearly feel him wilt in your grasp at that, clearly disagreeing with your decision to not let his antics at the tournament go.

"Indeed, I am his childhood friend." she announced brightly, "And you must be Irue Valen, I have not yet had the pleasure to meet you." She extended a hand to you, well manicured and dashed in a particularly bright shade of red, just like the rest of her dress.

>"And I've never heard of you. Caylen, do explain."
>"The pleasure is mine, we should trade stories!"
>"Just how long have you been his childhood friend, exactly?"
>"Fascinating. How did you meet?"
>Write-in

>>40191059
>>"The pleasure is mine, we should trade stories!"

>>40191059
>>"And I've never heard of you. Caylen, do explain."
>>"The pleasure is mine, we should trade stories!"

>>40191059
>"Fascinating. How did you meet?"
>"The pleasure is mine, we should trade stories!"
Sorry, Caylen. Ain't no waking up from this nightmare.

>>40191082
>>40191084
>>40191128
The pleasure is ours. Let us work together to make Caylen hate his life.

>>40191084
YOU'RE the childhood friend? Well, I didn't vote for you.

>>40191128
I am 99% certain that title belongs to me. Kindly step off my cousin, lesser bitch.

Writing!

"The pleasure is mine, I'm thrilled to meet a friend of my dear cousin Caylen." you reply, grasping her hand in a brief greeting. "I'm afraid I am slightly out of date on the current happenings in his life, perhaps we should trade stories some time?"

Hm, yes, the aura of misery emanating from your dear cousin right now is nearly enough to energize you. It was the correct choice to mingle, simply because not doing so would have made you miss this. "T-That's not necessary!" He croaked, "I mean, the two of you probably.. have a lot in common!" You discretely rake your nails across his palm at that statement and he flinches in response.

"Yes, I imagine we do." Maran hums to herself, looking pointedly at the arm of your cousin's which you had claimed several minutes ago, "though I feel we wouldn't necessarily agree on our common grounds." You smile at her, shrugging slightly with a careless air.

"Well I'm still quite interested in meeting you, Maran." You go on undeterred, "Until a few moments ago, I had never heard of my dear cousin having a childhood friend." You tilt your head with a smile, "Besides myself, of course. How did you say you met Caylen?"

"An event of his uncle's." She answered, reciprocating your smile, "My parents often took me to many social events as a child, but they were all terribly boring. That one, thanks to Caylen, was not. It must have been... Perhaps twelve years ago?" She looked to your cousin in askance, the foppish boy seeming as if he would like nothing more than to melt into a puddle of ooze and slink away from the entire debacle. "Yes, roughly. I think." he responded reluctantly, "I remember it was shortly before Irue... moved... here."

The conversation came to a simple stop with that, and neither the sisters nor Maran seemed to be keen on following that statement.

"Merely twelve years? Remind me to share stories of his summers with my parents." You break that stalemate easily, choosing a less confrontational avenue of conversation to move past that unwanted atmosphere. "Perhaps another time, though. I'm afraid I may have lingered here for too long."

You make unentwine your arms from Caylen, letting him free from your grasp as you excused yourself politely from the group. "Oh, cousin Caylen?" You stop a few steps away, turning back to him with the type of conspiratory expression at home on an eight year old...

>"Do take responsibility for your actions at the tournament, yes?"
>"We'll speak more soon, I was not fond of being alone for three years."
>"IF you do not mind, tell me more about this champion you lost to?"
>"Kindly do not adopt any further childhood friends without my permission."

>>40191490
>>"Do take responsibility for your actions at the tournament, yes?"
Oh we are going to make this guy's life hell.

>>40191490
>"Do take responsibility for your actions at the tournament, yes?"
and please
>>"Kindly do not adopt any further childhood friends without my permission."

>>40191490
>"Do take responsibility for your actions at the tournament, yes?"

>>40191532
>>40191580
>>40191619
Take responsibility, dear cousin.

>>40191580
And stop adopting childhood friends!

Writing!

>>40191650
fuck me when the hell is this quest going to end?

"Do take responsibility for your actions at the tournament, yes?" You call back, "It would be rather cruel of you to only act the noble prince." He opens his mouth to respond, pausing for a moment in thought before simply nodding at you. For once, he seems quite serious - it's an expression you can respect on your dear cousin, though not one you see often. "And kindly do not adopt any further childhood friends without my permission." You finish, waving over your shoulder as you turn to leave.

The memory of him blanching will be kept in a safe place for years to come, where you can admire it later for purely scientific reasons.

With that behind you, the party begins to wind down. Conversations are ending as the refreshments finally begin to dry up. You're undoubtedly exhausted from the experience, but there is little time for rest as the slavemaster and your aunt greet you at the door - They are the last to leave of the entourage, the large caravan of nobles you saw approaching having dwindledy piece by piece through the evening.

"Irue Valen." Your aunt intones formally, causing your fatigue ridden mind to snap into clarity purely on force of habit, "When we leave this estate, you will no longer be a child. You will have responsibilities to attend to, and obligations you will not be able to shirk." She looked down at you, forcibly catching your eyes in a stare - A vicious reversal of just what you had done to the slavemaster earlier that day - And you're almost indignant in how small it makes you feel before her. Her frown is set, judging you in the ensuing silence as you struggle tiredly to not buckle under that stare.

Finally, her expression levels out. You're unsure whether she grew bored, or simply found what she was looking for, but she nods to you in a polite, minimal show of respect. "I am proud of how you handled yourself today," the slight narrowing of her eyes, the smallest tick in her cheek that could almost have been mistaken for a smile. "I pray you maintain such standard of behaviour."

You blink back, at a loss for words. That was an actual compliment, wasn't it? You screwed over your aunt and uncle, had to have dealt a heavy blow to their finances, and managed to potentially circumvent what you suspect to be a decade's worth of their machinations to keep you locked out of your inheritance...

And she was proud of you.

With her part said, aunt Clara turned and left without further word. You hadn't the chance to respond, even as she stepped into the yard you didn't quite know what you would have said in the first place.

"Ser Valen," The slavemaster spoke up from your side after a moment, "The arrangements have been made. Thanks to you, I will be quite the wealthy man when all is said and done." His leather gloves creaked as he gripped the black cane, "You've my gratitude, and are welcome to seek out more of my wares should you find a need." He bowed, taking a step out into the yard.

"Your slaves have been wheeled around to the back of your mansion," you snatch a flash of metallic yellow out of the air, hands wrapping around a cool rod of metal that ended in a series of jagged teeth. "This is the key to the wagon, as well as their chains. I suggest starving them for a day or two before trying to do much with them, however." You purse your lips in response, only to be met with a laugh. "Ah... And as a favor between us, the demihuman? She's a collar on her, you're free to take it off... But don't say I didn't warn you about it."

With that, the event was over. Your rite had begun, and you were left tired and standing in the doorway with a key, maybe praise, and some cryptic advice from a slaver.

Also your Testaments were chained up in your backyard.

>Deal with it tomorrow. he said to starve them, and you're tired.
>Have Asche feed the Testaments.
>Bring food to the Testaments yourself.
>Unchain the Testaments and bring them inside, they'll be living here after all.

>>40191861
Did you see the first thread? 20 hours long m8, the QM is either an AI or the demihuman in the cart.

>>40191922
>Bring food to the Testaments yourself.
lets talk to them a bit

>>40191922
>Unchain the Testaments and bring them inside, they'll be living here after all.
Battlemaids ASSEMBLEEEE

>>40191934
fuck me up the asshole.

>>40191922
>Unchain the Testaments and bring them inside, they'll be living here after all.
might not be the best idea but after this i'm hitting the sack, make smart move guys.

>>40191922
>Have Asche feed the Testaments.

>>40191956
Bring them food yourself, they're your responsibility.

>>40191957
>>40191965
Bring them into your house, they live here now.

>>40191971
Have Asche feed them, she feeds everyone anyway.

Writing!

>>40191861
Good night!

You rub your thumb across the polished metal of the key in your hand, letting the sounds of the evening make their way routes through the rapidly darkening forest around your home. It was midsummer, and the deep breath of cool air that ruffled your hair let you know that tonight would undoubtedly be a comfortable night. You could certainly leave them back there, just feed them for the night and let them stay outside for the night.

For a few minutes longer, you just stand at the door with your eyes closed. You could feel your body getting heavy with each moment... But, your fingers closed around the key and you heave a sigh. You've still things to do. For one, at least one of your Testament was a princess who would take great exception to being left out in the woods over night, food or no. You likely wouldn't hear the end of that for an uncomfortably long period of time, and it wouldn't help to start this entire thing off on a note like that.

That's saying nothing of the other two. While you're not entirely certain the demihuman would mind, you are slightly concerned the despondent one wouldn't last the night. No, even before that, the standard of life that one had led thus far was entirely unacceptable - All three of them were going to be judged as your Testament, which meant she needed to begin to live properly sooner rather than later. After all, you only had-

...
"Asche, how long do I have to complete this rite?"
"I was not informed."

She needed to start living properly soon.

"We still have some time before we can rest, Asche." You turn, making your way off to the side to circle around your house. "I'm going to bring them in, I doubt they've had any food." You didn't need to explicitly state her job, Asche merely nodded, taking a step back instead of following you. The sound of your front door clicking shut was enough answer for you as to her compliance.

A few minutes walk led you to the familiar wagon parked in the back of your yard as promised, the veil of cloth left covering it. With a swift motion, you moved it aside and looked in on your Testament; Rinnier seemingly relieved to see you return, even as the other two were evidently dozing or... Well, the demihuman is awake, if the single half-lidded amber gaze is any indication, but the despondent one is sleeping.

She is sleeping, right?

"The others have left." You begin, looking over them through the bars, "As of now, the three of you are my Testament. I'd like to make proper introductions between us, but I have a few things I'd like established before we continue." With the veil drawn, you make a point to let them see their surroundings. "This estate is my home - As you are now my Testament, this means it's also your home as well. We are, however, surrounded by a vast amount of forested woodland." You let that sink in for a moment, looking between the three of them. "It is a very long way to anything resembling civilization, and will take quite some time for anyone to make it out here if you get lost."

"In short-"
"No one will know if you die?"

The demihuman interrupted your speech curiously, her tail starting to wag in interest as she yawned and devoted a bit more attention to investigating the sounds of the forest around her.

"...In short, running is not advisable, for your own safety." You finished wryly, staring at the demihuman flatly. "I had come to bring you all inside," you held the key between your fingertips briefly, "...but second thoughts are now occurring."

Rinnier's verbal backlash was enough to wake the despondent one from her sleep, the timid slave flinching away as far as she could as the former princess' ranting washed over you and the demihuman - The two people she was actually addressing. For her part, the demihuman just shrugged and gave you a lazy smile before becoming more interested in the sounds of the nocturnal creatures beginning to wake.

>Let them all out, bring them in.
>Let only Rinnier and the despondent one out, the wagon can be a doghouse.
>Let them all stay in there. If they're punished as one, they'll try to police themselves, right?

>>40192458
>Let them all out, bring them in.
Introduce ourselves and state that from now on they are under our care and as long as they recognize our authority we will treat them fairly. State that they should be careful not to disappoint as we expect much from them.

>>40192458
>Let only Rinnier and the despondent one out, the wagon can be a doghouse.

If these were all normal slaves then I'd advise for the third option, but in this case it won't work - neither Rinnier or the transcendant one can harm the demihuman, and she'll flat out ignore Rinnier's bitching. The principles behind collective punishment won't work here.

>>40192521
Bring them all in, that was the plan anyway.

>>40192554
Demihuman earned a night in the doghouse.

Writ- These are mutually exclusive options.
Tiebreaker in the next 5m. If no one steps up, I'll just roll a 1d2.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

1. Let them all out
2. Demihuman in the doghouse.

Writing!

We should groom the Demihuman as a bodyguard, despondent one as housekeeper, and princess as spymaster or something?

Not really sure what a princess can do aside from having a verbal tirade that can launch a thousand ships.

You sigh, sliding the key into it's slot and clicking the wagon's door open with little fanfare. The action of stepping into the barred transport wagon is almost disorienting, as you come face to face with your Testament, the people who had been merely slaves not long ago. It was one thing to look at them through the bars, to intellectually know that they were slaves which could be bought or sold at a whim - Which were being bought and sold at your uncle's whim, actually - but this...

A change is perspective that threatened to topple you, as you steel your steps and stride forward with every bit of ingrained confidence inherent to your blood and station. Whatever idle chat you were aiming to make died on your lips as you narrowed your eyes and stepped forward to unlock Rinnier's chains. With her bound arms released, she finally lets her shoulders go slack and takes a moment to rub her wrists tenderly. "Please wait outside," you catch her attention, "I'll be out in a minute." She seems to think over the order, you can see defiance starting to bubble in her eyes almost on instinct, but after a moment she simply straightens her posture and nods.

The despondent slave came next, her frail body slipping to the ground almost the moment the cuffs were released. You're quick enough to catch her as she falls, expecting perhaps to slow the descent... But she's so light that you manage to stop it completely. It takes you a moment to realize she had only been able to stand upright because the cuffs on the ceiling were holding her halfway there in the first place - She can't even stand on her own. Glancing between the demihuman and the weak girl in your arms before realizing she literally was not going to be able to walk out of here if she couldn't stand in the first place.

Scooping her up into a princess carry, you carefully carry her... to the princess. The irony would be worth smirking over, if the situation wasn't what it was. "Take her inside." You look over the featherweight slave currently being carried by Rinnier, "My maid... secretary.." You purse your lips briefly, "Asche is inside. Tell her I sent you in first, try not to stress her out."

"Your maid, or her?" Rinnier asked in confusion, nodding at the slave in her arms.
"Yes." you reply with finality. "Both would be bad."

She gives you a strange look, but thankfully her cooperative streak is holding out for now. Turning away from each other, you make your way back into wagon for the last of your Testament. Now fully awake and aware, the demihuman's tail wags lazily behind her as her bright amber eyes take in the world around her - An observation which ends as you step back into the cart, their slitted gaze coming to land solely on you. You pause at the entrance, watching for any sudden movement out of the demihuman, but are greeted with a steady gaze and little other reaction.

Deciding to take things cautiously, you take measured and deliberate steps across the wagon as you approach her. Stopping just out of what you suspect to be her reach, you engage in a standoff with the engimatic demihuman. Neither side particularly moves in the interim, if one did not count the everwagging tail, but eventually he lips peel back to reveal a mouth of extremely carnivorous teeth.

"Woof."

She has the nerve to say 'woof' at you. By no means was it an actual bark, but her deep voice made turned the onomatopoeia into something approaching a bass percussion. You start to feel slightly silly having stared down a slave, and her ensuing snickers don't particularly help the matter. With a sigh, you cross your arms and decide to try a different approach.

"My name is Irue Valen." You introduced yourself before, "Heir of House Valen. Do you understand?" The demihuman's eyes flashed in amusement, "If I let you out of here, what do you plan to do?"

"Hunt?" She answered honestly, her weight shifting from foot to foot. "'m hungry."

"And if I had food for you, already?" You tilt your head, wondering just where the beast ended and the human began in this thing's head. "You can't hunt now, were you not listening to me earlier?"

"You don't want me to hunt." The demihuman corrected, "Has nothing to do with if I can or not." One hand dropped, scratching at her stomach idly. "Should I not?"

"I would prefer you not." You deadpan, "At least not yet - You've become something particularly important to me, so I can't have you running away on me... Which is why I'm tempted to leave you in here." The demihuman blinked, her tail wagging slowly tailing off as she listened. "Just how smart are you?" You find yourself asking in the darkened wagon, "Do you have any interests?"

For several long minutes, she simply stared at you. Only when it became apparent that she wasn't going to respond any further did you turn to leave-

"Smart enough to make a deal."

And the voice of the demihuman stops you in your tracks. "I won't run, not yet." she continued to your back, "Stick around for a little while, see what you want." You turn back to the demihuman guardedly, "Give you a chance to be interesting. Deal?"

"I'm trying to give you a chance." You reply flatly, "Not get one of my own. Did you just want me to leave you out here for the night?"

The demihuman shrugged with a lazy smile, reaching to the ceiling and grasping at her chains lightly... Before ripping a small section of the ceiling of the wagon straight to the floor, the ring holding chains clattering to the ground along with it.

"Do you want to leave me out here?"

...

>Take the chance she offered.
>Compromise, set boundaries on both ends.
>Reiterate that it's her getting the chance, not you.
>Make a break for the wagon door and shut her inside.

>>40193204
>Reiterate that it's her getting the chance, not you.

>>40193204
>"Do you want to leave me out here?"
"Almost. Do you know how irritating it would be to have someone come all the way out here to repair a ceiling on short notice? There will be none of that inside the mansion, thank you."

>>40193204
Ah, still here when I wake up huh? Alrighty.
>Reiterate that it's her getting the chance, not you.
Gotta be firm!

>>40193275
>>40193311
This is her chance, not yours. Establish dominance early on!

>>40193310
Duely noted.

Writing!

>>40193311
Good morning!

>>40193330
Since I'm bailing before the end of the thread - where this stuff usually goes - I'll get the obligatory "You are great and your quest is great and the rest of you guys are pretty alright also." out of the way here.

Keep up the good work, etc.

"Almost." You answer blandly, studiously not taking a step back even as your heartbeat quickens at the sudden destruction. Later, you'll be quite proud of yourself for keeping a steady voice. "It would be extremely troublesome to have to call someone out this far to repair the house proper." You focus on the gentle 'paft paft' of her tail wagging back and forth as your own heartbeat slowly makes its way back to normal. "However, I don't need a pet to take care of. What I want is to know how much I can trust you."

You straighten up, taking a step forward into her range as you lock your wine red eyes with her slitter amber ones. "This is your chance to get my trust. I am more than willing to have you live here, with us. If it is hunting you're interested in, then I can certainly arrange to go with you, but!" Your interrupt yourself, raising your voice in the darkness of the wagon, "None of that is going to happen if I can't trust you right now."

"You're gonna stop me?" The demihuman asked curiously, her tail wagging intensifying to a near staccato of fluffy 'paft' noises. "I could just tear open the bars and leave now, y'know?"

paftpaftpaftpaftpaft

"You could." you agree, swallowingly lightly as you stand your ground and hold the key in your hands up, its polished metal surface barely glinting in the dark. "But that wouldn't be as interesting, would it?"

Silence lapsed between you, not for the first time tonight, as she appeared to think it over. Having seen her rip the chains from the roof, you've no delusion that this demihuman could likely tear you limb from limb without so much as trying; The sheer difference in physical ability was bordering on fantastical, something you could barely have imagined from someone whose body so closely resembled a human... But this conversation had given you a hint at the leash you needed. That she was willing to give you a chance at all meant she was interested, or at least curious - That curiosity was your link. The leverage you needed. Something different, something unexpected.

"Kara." She spoke up finally, holding her hands out to your with an easy going smile, "m'hungry."

A small smile slips onto your face as you let out a breath you hadn't known you were holding. Step one... Step one had been a success. "Kara?" you asked as you stepped forward, unlocking the manacles binding her hands.

"m'name." She clarified, rotating her wrists after the cuffs dropped away. "I'll be good, for now."

You suppose that's the best you'll get.

"Food is inside, let's go." You sigh, "Don't break things in my house, understand?" Her tail wagged in response, but she had already become distracted listening to the sounds of the forest again. Rolling your eyes, you reach out to grab her hand and simply drag the demihuman - Kara - into the house. There was blessed little resistance, though you did note you needed to pull a little harder several times as she nearly started to wander off between the wagon and the backdoor.

At least you hoped Asche was having a better time with Rinnier and the other one.

"Your library has nothing on current events!" That was a futile hope, you realize that now as Rinnier has done little but berate the sub-standard quality of your estate and library since you arrived. She had eaten already, or you presumed as such because she was not complaining about the sub-standard quality of your food, but evidently this princess wasted no time slipping away from Asche and exploring the demense herself.

This is a fact, you note, that has Asche decidedly displeased. Or you suppose that is displeasure, simply because it might also be concentration from her fervent attempts to create sandwiches to feed Kara faster than the demihuman could consume them.

At least the despondent one wasn't causing any problems.

"You said you're the heir to House Valen, why are there so few books on history? Economics? Politic? Geography?! What exactly do you think nobles do with their life, sit around and be wealthy? No wonder you didn't recognize me, there isn't a single article in this house with news more current than something my grandfather likely witnessed in person!"

Any attempt to get a word in edgewise had resulted in a quick reversal, as even your rather impressive collection of magic-

"With all these tomes, you must have some affinity, right?"
"No, it's more of an academic inter-"
"Then what is the point of collecting all of these when you can't USE them?"
"I enjoy learning?"
"Learn to manage your obligations and estate!"

-Had set off it's own cascade of events, and in ways you did not realize this princess was able to get under your skin.

The despondent slave had managed to huddle herself into a corner of the kitchen, quietly gnawing on a sandwich and flinching whenever things got too loud.

>One thing at a time. Calm down, try to get Rinnier to calm down.
>Point out she's scaring the children.
>Get Asche to put her back out in the wagon, you don't wanna deal with this.
>engage in a battle of wits with the fiery princess.

>>40193703
>One thing at a time. Calm down, try to get Rinnier to calm down.
>Point out she's scaring the children.
We can't fight in front of the kids!

>>40193703
>engage in a battle of wits with the fiery princess.

>>40193703
>Point out she's scaring the children.
This option made me smile, so.
Anyway, we can just tell her the reason why we don't have a lot of books!

>>40193703
>One thing at a time. Calm down, try to get Rinnier to calm down.
>Point out she's scaring the children.

I'm hoping that the fallout and focus of attention upon the transcendent one will result in hilarity. Realistically it will probably just her crying and asking if she did something wrong.

I am a bad person.

>>40193811
Maybe you are anon, but we can't treat her with kids gloves just in case. If we push too far we can back off but we gotta try to get her in working order at least.

>>40193745
>>40193811
>>40193797
Rinnier, you're scaring the kids.

>>40193745
>>40193811
Rinnier calm down.

>>40193764
Bitch, don't make me come over there!

Writing!
Next voting session will be slightly longer than usual, because I need to cook food.

>>40193854
That's okay, you've run for 12 hours already so a break is fine!

>>40193854
Here's hoping our new princess has maternal tendencies. Or at least is taken off-guard allowing us to stop her tirade.

I hope we can find out how long we've got to finish our Rite soon, it's clear we've got some work cut out for us.

After what felt like a solid hour of listening to the red haired tempest spit fire about everything in your library, the rising volume of her voice as she started to segue into your understaffed mansion was the last straw for you.

Partially because you were not going to listen to her talk shit about Asche, even indirectly by implying you needed more help, and partially because her verbal wrath had been causing increasingly more pathetic flinches from the despondent slave who had taken to scooting herself as far into her corner as humanly possible in order to stop existing in the same general room.

"Rinnier Suriah Lamandra!" You raise your voice over her own for a moment, rising from your seat in a flourish of motion that grabbed the attention of the room rather adroitly. Seizing on the opportunity created, you grabbed hold of the conversational reigns and continued in a more subdued tone, "Have some self-awareness." The princess opened her mouth to retort, an action that halted jerkily in its infancy as she finally noticed the frail brown haired girl huddled as far into the corner as she could get. Seeing a glimmer of regret, you pushed forward and completely ripped the wind from her sails. "Now, princess," you stress the word, emphasizing her station she once held - in her mind, still held - "I will be willing to continue this conversation later, in private, and in truth there are aspects I agree with you regarding..."

You take a breath, letting the tension drain from your voice before continuing, "As heir to House Valen, I am always looking to improve on areas I am lacking. If you find fault with me, and consider yourself more adept, then I would defer to your experience in that regard." House Valen did not get where it was by being needlessly antagonistic, and in truth you had no doubt this princess did have more practical experience than you in a variety of areas.

...However.

"That said, princess, we are nominally partners." You stand your ground, "Look to your own failings of etiquette and temper before you seek to lecture me on my own. I am not ignorant and placed in this remote forest because I enjoy the view, so do not presume me lazy and uneducated by choice."

In actuality, you doubted you were terribly uneducated. Your history and theory was very well rounded, you were certain of that. However, there was no case to make in regards to current events - Today has just been one slap in the face after another in reminding you that you had lived a rather isolated life.

You would be rectifying that shortly, one way or another.

Rinnier, having been driven back several steps by your tenacious rebuttal, seemed to wish to continue her own tirade - Even as her cheeks flustered the same color as her hair - but held her tongue with a smouldering stare. After a couple moments, she steadied herself.

"Fine." she answered softly, "We will discuss this later, do not think I will forget."

You nod in response, idly realizing you hadn't resolved the situation so much as rescheduled it for later. "I will go to choose my room." She announced, turning on her heel and swiftly marching out of the kitchen you had made your gathering room. When the door shut behind her, it was almost deafeningly quiet aside from the quiet 'paft paft' of Kara's tail as she...

...Just tore a mouth full of meat off a cooked turkey.

Asche stood by with a stoic expression, meeting your questioning glance with a straight face.

>Follow after Rinnier
>Check up on the despondent one
>Speak with Asche briefly
>Ask if Kara will share her turkey, you haven't eaten yet either

>>40194097
>Speak with Asche briefly
then
>Check up on the despondent one

>>40194097
>>Check up on the despondent one

>>40194097
>Speak with Asche briefly
I'm thinking despondent gal might be our biggest obstacle. The other two seem like we can reason and bargain with to get their cooperation if needed, as it would hardly be ideal for them to have someone else take over the household.

>>40194097
>Check up on the despondent one

>>40194097
>Speak with Asche briefly
then
>Check up on the transcendent one

Need to make sure that she understands that she's not in any trouble about what just happened, those who have been abused sometimes start reflexively assuming that every time someone gets angry its because they did something wrong.

>>40194128
>>40194154
>>40194242
Speak with Asche

>>40194128
>>40194129
>>40194172
>>40194242
Check up on the despondent one.

Writing!

You approach the timid brownhaired girl that had been trying to make herself disappear for the last hour or so, kneeling down in front of her as you fight through the ever mounting fatigue of the day to give her a soft smile. Not that your effort seemed to matter much, as she does little but slowly cease her attempts to gnaw down her sandwich.

Though it was undoubtedly the same sandwich she had been trying to eat since you entered the kitchen, she was barely half way through eating it. You set that fact aside for a moment as you try to catch her stare, a task proving far more difficult than you had expected it to be. "Hey," your voice causes her to jump, very nearly dropping the sandwich as she quickly tucked against her. "Do you remember me from earlier?" Her nod was quick, more like a swift jerk of her head as she continued to steadfastly keep her eyes downcast even as she answered. "My name is Irue Valen," you stated lowly, the 'paft paft' of Kara's tail speeding up near by as something caught her interest out of sight, "Do you have a name? Something I can call you?"

That was important, really. You couldn't just keep referring to her as The Despondent One, no matter how accurate a title it may have been. Unfortunately, if you had expected an answer then it was going to be marked down on your ever growing list of 'things you aren't getting without a fight', as the brown haired girl simply remained quiet. "Can you speak?" you hedge, remembering how even the act of talking had seemingly exhausted her earlier.

You try to fathom that kind of existence, where even a few words could be such a strain, but the idea was almost entirely alien to you.

After several more minutes of silence, something you were quickly growing to expect from your Testaments, you sighed and set your hands on your knees as you pressed yourself up - eliciting a startled motion from the brown haired girl, this one actually succeeding in dropping her sandwich in order for free her dirt encrusted hands to grip at your skirt. You froze, unsure of what to do even as she kept her head bowed with trembling shoulders.

"Mas..." her cracked voice only barely reaching your ears, "...ry!" the brown haired slave clinging to the hem of your skirt could barely rasp out a frantic apology, one you could feel being choked out through her throat. There was more to her speech, partially fragmented words, a voice lost to the airy rasping that constituted what little use her throat had likely gotten in... years.

Slowly reaching down, you run your hand through her thin, oily hair. While you had intended to stroke it, you quickly discover that it the amount of knots and tangles in it would make that a futile, painful endeavour. Adapting your plan of action to a steady rhythm of soft head pats, you manage to calm her enough to extricate your skirt from her grasp. "Shhh," you croon, "It's okay. You're not in trouble."

You gather the girl's sandwich, handing it off to Asche absently - Only to see the look of disappointed heartbreak start to well up in her dull brown eyes. "It's dirty, we'll get you another one." You promise quickly, trying to keep her from relapsing, "I'll stay here until it's ready, okay?" No, that wasn't the right answer. She's starting to panic more now, shit you're bad at this.

Asche please make a sandwich quicker...!

>"Hey, this isn't your fault!"
>"Don't cry, nothing's wrong, I promise!"
>"Asche, I broke it! Help!"
>"I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere. You're not in trouble."

>>40194742
Jesus Christ this is still going?
I missed this yesterday and I was expecting to go into a dead thread(might not stay since I'm on my phone and half asleep)

>>40194755
>>"I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere. You're not in trouble."
You need good clean food to regain your strength, rest easy Masry.

>>40194755
>"Hey, this isn't your fault!"
>"Don't cry, nothing's wrong, I promise!"
Halp, is there a therapist and/or loving mother in the house? We could use one of those!

>>40194755
>"I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere. You're not in trouble."

>>40194755
>Emergency hug.
Shit. This could backfire but we clearly suck at this anyway. Asche better have baths ready though...

>>40194755
>"Hey, this isn't your fault!"
>>"Don't cry, nothing's wrong, I promise!"
Show her some of our magic books to distract her

>>40194817
What if she can't read anon? Or just forgot how to.

>>40194800
>>40194817
Us being loud likely will make it worse
>>40194815
Touching her is liable to freak her out.

>>40194831
We read to her, right now she needs a distraction hell we can sing as long as we don't touch since that would be pretty bad now.

>>40194790
>>40194809
I'm right here, you're okay.

>>40194800
>>40194817
This isn't your fault, please don't cry.

>>40194815
Deploy emergency hug.

Writing!

>>40194774
Good morning!

>>40194896
Here goes nothing...

You quickly kneel back down, mind reeling as you try and figure out someway to stem the impending meltdown in front of you. "That wasn't your fault, okay?" you try to reassure her Rinnier's fussing wasn't her responsibility, "Don't cry, she was a little upset but it's not your fault so just-" Her dull brown eyes started to water even as her pupils dilated, cracked lips opening to try and say something, but nothing would come out.

Shit. Plan B!

"No, I'm right here, you're okay right?" You keep patting her head, hoping it would calm her somehow. If anything, your attempts to reassure her were gradually growing more frantic as they failed - A distant part of your mind realized that the more she panicked, the more you panicked, which caused her to panic more.

There was a positive feedback loop of panic occurring, and it was about to reach critical mass if Asche didn't-

A sandwich was handed to the girl. The appearance of the blessed food enough of a shock to temporarily pause the meltdown as she slowly processed that hand holding it, and you watched those watery dull brown eyes travel up to Asche's no doubt reliable and stoic face.

You were saved. You breathed a quiet sigh of relief, starting to stand back up when the meltdown resumed full force.

THE SANDWICH DID NOTHING.

In a single last ditch effort, you hastily wrapped your arms around the frail panicky girl and held on tightly. There was a great deal of shaking as she struggled initially, struggles you could honestly barely feel for what little strength she possessed. "Shh, it's okay. You're okay, don't cry." You kept cycling through reassuring nothings, finding some combination of them to fall into an uneasy and fervent mantra that you focusedly repeated in hushed tones.

You pressed your hand firmly against the shaking girl's back, rubbing in slow circles to try and get her to relax as you held her - Almost literally - at the edge of a breakdown you had no comprehension about.

Maybe fifteen minutes later, the shaking had subsided into the occasional jerking and what you assumed to be choking sobs. You couldn't quite stand due to the waify arms wrapped around your midrift, which unfortunately also made you very aware of just how wet your shirt was becoming.

You hazard a glance at Asche, your secretary...maid... standing to your left and looking on unperturbed, though her gaze was locked rather decidedly on the girl clinging to you. Your eyes jerk between her and the girl, looking for some kind of advice.

Asche merely stared back, then held up the newly made sandwich.

>The sandwich didn't help, but okay. You're kind of hungry, and you're stuck here now, so...
>Please draw a bath. If this is going to persist, then she needs to be clean.
>Go make sure Rinnier isn't getting into trouble somewhere, you didn't think you'd be caught here for so long.
>Ask Kara for help

>>40195234
>Please draw a bath. If this is going to persist, then she needs to be clean.

>>40195234

>>40195234
>The sandwich didn't help, but okay. You're kind of hungry, and you're stuck here now, so...
>Please draw a bath. If this is going to persist, then she needs to be clean.
Eat while we wait!

>>40195262
>>40195347
Please draw a bath, she's filthy and crying on me.

>>40195347
Also give me that sandwich, if she won't eat it then I will.

>>40195328
.... Hello!

Writing!

>>40195234
>Please draw a bath. If this is going to persist, then she needs to be clean.
Rinnier better not be making a mess of things.

>>40195347
Even though the new one arriving ALSO made her lose it, the breakdown in earnest started when we sent the initial sandwich away, probably because it was her assumption that we were taking it away as a punishment. Even if we've got a perfectly reasonable thought process, eating her replacement sandwich probably isn't going to help.

Maybe split it in half? Either it helps calm her down by putting us at parity for a moment in a weird way, or it at least if she's still intent on freaking out, it at least gets her to eat her half instead of nursing it like the first one because she might think if she doesn't get going we'll end up eating the other half as well.

Definitely a bath, though.

>>40195445
Shut anon, we dunno how to handle this! Sandwiches for everyone!
I guess a bath is most important though.

You take the sandwich with one hand, shifting your weight so you could settle down on the floor and still balance keeping a firm hold on the frail panic-prone girl in one hand and a sandwich in the other. Her sandwich, or your sandwich now, since you're hungry and she evidently didn't want it. Finally finding a more comfortable position, you idly take a bite of the sandwich and hold back a sigh - Unwilling to do anything which might startle the girl any more than necessary - as you look around the kitchen tiredly.

The night was still relatively young, but between the hangover you had this morning and the fatigue of going through your aunt and uncle's machinations, you feel like you've been running a non-stop marathon since you hit the ground. The fact you had a sandwich right now was probably the sweetest, most enjoyable moment of your life in the past six hours at the very least.

The other moments being your Cousin's face, and that small breakdown you had after declaring your Testaments. Those were good moments, yes, but this sandwich was definitely ranking pretty high up there.

You looked up at Kara as you chewed on your sandwich, noting with a small amount of surprise that she hadn't just wandered off when no one was paying attention. In actuality, she had seemed to make herself at home on a stool as she thoughtfully ate the turkey from earlier. There was perhaps a moment of curiosity where in you wondered... "where is the rest of the turkey?", because at the moment she held only two drumsticks in her hands. This moment passed quickly as you watched her bite off a chunk of drumstick, bone included, and chew it up before swallowing it distractedly.

Seeing you paying attention to her, the soft 'paft paft' of her tail increased for a moment before she offered a lazy smile. She made no move to start a conversation though, just as well since you weren't keen on trying to talk over the only recently calming girl in your arms, but it was a slight relief to know that there was only one troublesome hellion wandering free somewhere.

When Asche finally returned, the oily brown haired girl's breaths had evened out into shallow, if slightly sniffly, breaths that let you know she had fallen asleep.

It was only with Asche, and to your surprise, Kara's help that you were able to escape the pitiful deathgrip she had on your waist and carry her to the baths without issue - But that's where you stopped. Nodding to Asche quietly, you shifted the frail girl in your arms over to her and stepped back, watching Kara follow the two of them into the baths.

Finally breathing a sigh of relief, you stumbled off through the halls feeling every pound of fatigue weighing you down from the day.

In short order, you found your face introducing itself to your own pillow through sheer force of gravity. Mind reeling from the day, unwilling - perhaps unable - to fully process what you would be going through in the days to come, you can nearly feel consciousness begin to drift away.

The last thing you remember is pouring yourself an evening drink before falling asleep.

Sunlight streamed through the open windows, blindingly searing into your eyes as your stomach rolled. Your first attempt to cover your face fails dramatically, arm trapped in an unusually tight knot of blanketry - This failure extends to your second, third and fourth attempts before you are finally forced to blearily glare at said wad of brown haired blankets.

...

Resisting the urge to groan, something deep within you told you that eliciting something from that far down would be the end of your morning, you opted to sit up instead, only to find your legs weighed down by some massive throw-pillow that you spend the next several minutes blindly attempting to dislodge, receiving only a frustrated 'paft paft' in response as it wagged it's-

...

With a final, deep breath, you tilt your head towards the window, finding Asche standing between the freshly opened curtains, and your bedside stand, where a bottle only a fifth full remained. You take a moment to glare the image of a fairy hanging obnoxiously from some overly fancy script, and commit this feeling of misery to memory.

Faedka. Not even Thrice.

>Asche, please explain.
>Asche, please close the curtain.
>Asche, please tell me I don't have another bottle of this.
>...Where is Rinnier?

>>40195881
Shit, we didn't even get to check if prissy princess was behaving. Oh well, hopefully she didn't redecorate the entire place.
>>40195900
>Asche, please close the curtain.
>...Where is Rinnier?

>>40195900
>Asche, please explain.

>>40195900
>...Where is Rinnier?
Of all the people in our new retinue, she strikes me as the sort who would be least pleased by not having been assigned some space. Despondent would have probably passed out practically anywhere given how her day went, and I wouldn't have been terribly surprised for Kara to end up sleeping basically wherever she felt like (as evidenced by where she is right now.)

>Asche, please tell me I don't have another bottle of this.
At this rate we're going to buy up the distillery just so we have the legal right to burn the thing to the ground while cackling.

>>40195900
>Asche, please explain.
>...Where is Rinnier?

File: ValEnd.gif (1023 KB, 500x281)

1023 KB GIF

>>40195960
>>40196025
Asche, please explain. Where is Rinnier?

Apologies, ending session slightly early due to appointments.

Will try to answer some questions, if they are left, when I return.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Valen+Quest

And we are archived.

Apologies to all anons who participated in Valen Quest but died at their keyboards wondering when QM would finally stop.

To those who did not make it to the end, we will never forget your sacrifice.

>>40196193
>early
Jeez.
Thanks for running!

>>40196193
We have any noble friends? Besides our cousin I guess, but we apparently see him very rarely anyway.

>>40196388
I wonder if this quest will be the one to have the legendary 48 hour session that has so eluded us.

>>40197003
Question is, do we hope for it, or dread it.

https://twitter.com/Riz_QM
Twitter in case anyone's looking for it

>>40196525
We do not. Irue Valen's upbringing since the family's death has been rather secluded.

This was done deliberately, a fact that Irue is quickly discovering.

>>40198348
Of course. Well, I guess we'll have to work on our social connections, even if 'friend' may be a bit charitable for most of them.