>>653201
>>I could ask him
>>Wait, what's a striker?

>>653201
>I could ask him

>>653201
>Ask about other things they've heard

>writing

File: bunnypile.jpg (821 KB, 850x1202)

821 KB JPG

>>653201
>>Ask about other things they've heard
btw, was looking for this picture since a few threads ago.

Have a bunny pile.

"I could always ask him" You say. "Derrick and I are good friends"
"You are?" Paula asks.
"Him and I escaped Mortifas together, with Emi, Ilica, and Fran" You say.
"Wow" Georg says. "I'd ask how you did it, but that's pretty clear at this point"

You smile, and charge a hand with soul. "The Chaos engine made me stronger" You say. "Strong enough to punch a solid metal door off its hinges"
"Dang" Paula says. "If only mana generators could do that for the rest of us..."
"No way. Do you have any idea how difficult that would make things?" Georg asks. "It's hard enough keeping normal criminals under control, superpowered criminals would be a nightmare"

"Yeah, but you'd be superpowered too" Paula says.
"So we'd level a city block everytime we had to make an arrest" Georg says.
Paula grimaces. "Nevermind" She says.

"So what's a striker?" You ask.
"You don't know about the skirmish league?" Georg asks
"Nope" You reply
"Striker's one of the positions on the five man team" Georg says. "There's Striker, Beater, Wall, Ranger and Caster. Skirmish league's a 5 on 5, using the standard squad composition the army uses"
"What do they do?" You ask.
"Well, the beater is someone like me: Big guy, big weapon. Good for pressuring the Wall, which would be Paula, whose job is to keep people off the backline. The backline being the Ranger and Caster. Ranger uses their weapon, while the Caster is the only one allowed to use spells during a skirmish"

"What does the striker do?" You ask.
"Striker's job is to be quick, and hit hard" Georg says. "It basically amounts to: gank the mage, and try not to get taken out in the process"

>Gank?

>Sounds like fun

>Do you have a team?

>Other

>>653470

>Sounds like fun

>>653470
>Sounds like fun
Id find it amusing if 'Gank' was one of the things Yuu actually remembers

>>653349
>>Sounds like fun
>Gank?

>writing

>>653555
ah, whoops.
>>653470

>>653349
Also, cute. A friend of mine had a rabbit as big as the ones in that picture. I never knew there were rabbits that large until I saw it. Still cute and very fluffy, but man was it big.

"When do these things usually happen?" You ask.
"The Commander wants us to hold a small one before the march east starts" Georg says. "Still nothing on when that'll be, but I assume it'll be soon considering how things have been"

"Sounds like fun" You say.
"It usually is" Paula says. "Unless you end up against the knights..."
You tilt your head.

"They always form their own team, and get some lucky/poor soul to be their wall. Then they stomp through the competition" Georg says.
"Last time wasn't a stomp. We almost had them" Paula says.
"No we didn't" Georg says. "Our striker was no match for Lulu, and Flit is still terrified of Rhea after what happened"
"What happened?" You ask.

"Lulu took down our striker, then instead of going after our mage like they usually would, she took me out" Paula says. "Then Rhea Smashed through our Caster and Ranger..."
"And that was all she wrote" Georg says. "Our striker quit after that, and so did our mage. Flit's still willing to compete as our ranger, but those 2 positions still need filling"

>Offer to be their Striker? [Y/N]

>Any ideas on who their caster can be? (Specify)

>Other

>>653695
>Offer to be their Striker? [Y/N]
Y
>Any ideas on who their caster can be? (Specify)
Only person I can think of off the top of my head is Emi, but I doubt she'd want to take part in something like this.

>>653695
>>Offer to be their Striker? [Y]
>Any ideas on who their caster can be? I would suggest Emi but she seems more like a support caster to me....though i guess she does know snake-fu CQC which could surprise an enemy striker.

>writing

"Well, if you guys need a striker... I could join" You say.
"I was hoping you'd say that" Georg says. "Normally I'd want to see what you can do, but I think you've already demonstrated that"
"Now we just need a caster..." Paula says.

"I know someone... but I don't think she'd want to join on this kind of thing" You say.
"Who?" Paula asks.
"My friend Emi" You say. "She's pretty good with water and healing magic, and she knows ei-... oe-... snake-fu. But she doesn't seem like she'd want to take part in a skirmish"

"Snake-fu?" Georg asks. "You mean Ei-do?"
"That's the one" You say.
"How good is she?" Paula asks.
"At magic or snake-fu?" You ask.
"Both" Paula says.
"Well, she managed to make a block of ice big enough to stop the giant piece of tower that crashed into our room in Sherton in the amount of time it took the rest of us to do pretty much nothing" You say. "And... you should probably keep this one to yourselves, she managed to take down Marybell in about that same amount of time"

"Wow" Paula says. "For someone who doesn't enjoy combat, she sure seems skilled"
You shrug. "I'm sure we can find someone else" You say.

"I'll start lookin'" Georg says. "In the meantime, we should introduce you to the our Ranger... where is she anyway?"
"Yeah, lots of archers eating lunch, but I don't see her?" Paula asks.

>Maybe she stayed behind to keep practicing?

>What does she look like?

>Other

>>653958
>>What does she look like?

>>653958
>>What does she look like?

>>653958
>>What does she look like?

>writing

"What does she look like?" You ask.
"Short, blond, blue eyes, pointy ears, cute in that 'little girl' sort of way" Georg says.

You look around for someone who matches that description, and see someone peering at you from behind one of the pillars that hold the dining tent up.

For a second, you think they might not be looking at you. Until they notice that you're looking and dart back behind the pillar. They seem to think they're hiding, but you can still see one of her ears...

"Is that her?" You ask, pointing over to the pillar.
Georg turns. "I don't see anyone" He says.
"Behind the pillar" You say.

Paula sighs. "She's... not great with new people" She says. "I should go talk to her"

>I'll wait here

>I'll go say hello

>Other

>>654164
>I'll wait here

>>654164
>>Other
Coral, go say hi.

>>654164
>>I'll wait here

>>654164
>>I'll wait here

>>654198
this

>writing

"I'll wait here" You say. "But Coral can go with you"

You put a hand up to your hat, and Coral floats out onto it.

"Go with Paula, say hello to Flit" You say.
Coral salutes, and flies over to Paula.

Paula seems confused as to why you'd send a sprite, but she doesn't ask. "Alright, I'll be back, hopefuly with Flit" She says.

Paula heads off to the pillar, leaving you with Georg.

"Sorry about her. Elves tend to be pretty wary around strangers" He says.
"Is that what she is?" You ask. "I was going to ask about that"
Georg chuckles. "So don't take it personally" He says.

"I won't" You say.

Looking over to the pillar, you see Flit moving in circles, keeping the pillar between her and Paula... this could take a while...

>Ask him about the rebellion

>Talk gossip

>Other

>>654436
>>Ask him about the rebellion

>>654436
>Ask him about the rebellion
A little late, but hi Smiley.

>>654436
>Ask him about the rebellion

>>654436
>>Ask him about the rebellion
Elves, eh?
Probably the only girls in this setting that aren't hybrids.

>>654436
>>Talk gossip

>writing

You turn back to Georg. "So what are your thoughts on this whole thing?" You ask. "The rebellion, I mean"
"Necessary" He says. "Things were bad enough before the King let the Inquisition off its leash, but now..."

"What happened to him, anyway?" You ask.
"Lost his wife, and his oldest daughter in Antolia" Georg says. "They were there trying to work out a peace treaty, when the Legion busted out from the seams. The actual Legion may have gotten its start up in the mountains on the northwest coast, but in Antolia they attacked from within"

"Altea did mention that they had demons in the army there" You say.
"They did" Georg says. "Best way to keep a blood demon under control is to leash 'em, and send 'em at the enemy... until Mahron cut the leashes"

"But losing two people isn't really the end of the world, is it?" You ask.
"Not the way they did it" Georg says. "Looks like you're done eating, so I can tell ya... they didn't actually kill em right away. They kept them as hostages, which was a smart move"
"What happened?" You ask.
"The King sent a rather stern letter demanding their return... whcih was not a smart move" Georg says. "At the time, we all believed that the Legion just got lucky in Antolia..."

"What did they do?" You ask.
"They complied" You say.
"They... sent them back?" You ask.
"Bit. By. Bit" Georg says.

You swallow, suddenly realizing why he made sure you were finished eating.

"Never underestimate the power of helplessness when it comes to driving a man mad" Georg says. "If they'd just killed them, I'm sure the king would have been able to keep his wits"

"But they didn't..." You say.
"And knowing his daughter and his wife were out there, alive, and in pain... broke him" Georg says.

>Does he have anyone left?

>He didn't try to get them back?

>That doesn't excuse what he's done.

>Other

>>654760
>>Does he have anyone left?

>>654760
>>He didn't try to get them back?

>writing

"He never tried to get them back?" You ask.
"Of course he did" Georg says. "That was when we all learned that the Legion meant business. We put all of our troops together once the first "piece" came back... and they were crushed. We lost nearly a quarter of our military strength that day, and made almost no advances"

"Does he have any family left?" You ask.
"He still has an heir, but... I fear for our country if she ever takes over" Georg says.
"Why?" You ask.
"Her name's Daria. Well, Princess Daria. She'd be about your age, and from what I hear she's incredibly naive" Georg says. "After losing the rest of his family, the King has kept her sheltered. But a Dragon's gotta spread her wings... to be honest, I feel sorry for her... for both of them"

"I disagree" You say. "About feeling sorry for the king, not for the princess. That sounds rough"
"Oh?" He asks.
"I get that it must have been hard for him... but he's been doing to exact same thing to everyone else" You say.

Georg smiles. "Well said" He says. "Which is why we're all here. Next stop is Bell's Run, Sherton, Contique, and finally Leon"

>Ask what Leon is like

>I look forward to expanding my hat collection

>I doubt it'll be that easy

>Other

>>655020
>>Ask what Leon is like

>>655020
>>Ask what Leon is like

>>655020
>>I look forward to expanding my hat collection

>>655020
>I look forward to expanding my hat collection

>writing

"What is Leon like?" You ask.
"It's a nice place" Georg says. "Probably gonna be a little worse for wear once we're through with it, but most of the good spots should be intact"
"Good spots?" You ask.

"Despite their involvement in all this, the churches of the order in Leon are all spectacular" He says. "Then there's the 7 fountains, the Dragon's gate, and the palace itself..."

"Sounds nice" You say.
"It is. And I'm sure you'll have time to explore once we take the place back from the loyalists and the Inquisition"
You smile. "I look forward to expanding my hat collection" You say.
"Hat... collection?" He asks.
"I have an Inquisitor's hat that I took from one of them in Bell's Run" You say. "I want more of them"

Georg chuckles. "Well, there'll be plenty of opportunities" He says. "I hear the Grand Inquisitor's got a nice one, too"
"Awesome" You say.

>1/2

You turn to see Paula and Coral coming back to the table, but you don't see Flit...

Wait, nevermind. You do see Flit. She's hiding behind Paula...

You try to peer around Paula to see if you can get a look at her, but she moves whenever you do...

>Say hello

>Pretend she isn't here

>Other

>>655381
>Say Hello

>>655381
>>Say hello

>>655381
>>Say hello

>>655381
>Say hello

>writing

"Hello" You say.

Flit does nothing.

"He knows you're there" Paula says.

...

You see Coral zip around and grab Flit's hand, trying to pull her out from behind Paula. Paula helps out by quickly stepping to the side and behind the nervous Elf.

Flit looks genuinely shocked at being revealed, clutching her bow, shaking and looking around nervously.

"Hello" You say, trying to look as friendly as possible.
"See? I told you he's friendly" Paula says. "Now, don't be rude"

"H-h-h-h... Hello!" Flit finally squeaks out.
"Nice to meet you" You say. "I'm Yuu"
"F-flit" She says.

She takes one of her hands off of her bow, while the other stills clutches it with white knuckles, and reaches over for a hand shake.

You slowly bring your hand up to hers, afraid that any sudden movements might scare her off, and shake her hand.

You can see what Georg is talking about. It's pretty difficult to gauge Flit's age, since she looks so young... and short. She has to be one of the few people you've met that are shorter than you.

This is still kind of awkward. Maybe you should...

>Compliment her

>Divert attention away from her

>Ask how old she is

>Other

>>655659
>>Divert attention away from her

>>655659
>>Compliment her

>>655659
>Compliment her
Cute elf spaghetti incoming

>>655659
>>Compliment her

>>655659
So your an Elf, what kind of race is that? Can you fly, or maybe you spit acid?

>writing

"I like your ears" You say.

Flit's face turns bright red, and she brings her hands up to her ears. "Th-thanks" She says. "Y-your eyes are pretty too..."
"Thanks" You say. "So you're an archer?"
She nods. "What do you use?" She asks.
"A mageblade" You reply. "I'd show you, but I dropped mine back at the prison..."
"That's too bad" She says. "Is this your sprite?"
You nod, and put out a hand for Coral to land on. "Her name's Coral" You say.

Flit smiles, her face still bright red, but at least she seems more comfortable.

"You can sit down you know" Paula says.

Flit jumps. "R-right!" She says, as she starts frantically looking around for somewhere to sit. She settles on the spot next to Georg, leaving Paula to walk around the table to sit next to you.

>So it sounds like we'll be working together

>What do elves do?

>Ask how good of an archer she is

>Other

>>655893
>>What do elves do?

>>655893
>What do elves do?

>>655893
>>What do elves do?

>>655893
>>Ask how good of an archer she is

>writing

"So what do elves do?" You ask. "I don't think I've ever seen one before"
"You wouldn't. Not around here" Georg says. "Almost every Elf lives down south, in the tree cities of Serende"
"Tree cities? That sounds neat. What are they like?" You ask Flit.
Flit shrinks away from the question. "I've never been there..." She says.

"Flit grew up here in Lubars" Georg says. "If I remember right... your grandparents were brought up here during... Gradia III's reign?"
Flit nods.

"Brought up for what?" You ask.
"Slavery" Georg says. "It used to be legal here, until it was abolished by Queen Therese"
"How long ago was that?" You ask.
"Not too long" Paula says. "Therese was the Commander's mother"
"So you've never been there" You say. "Have you ever wanted to go?"

Flit nods.
"What's stopping you?" You ask.
"Remember when we said that they don't like strangers?" Paula asks. "Well, think of an entire city of people like that. Though none of them are as timid about it as Flit is"
You nod. "I'll keep that in mind... Where is the Serende, anyway?" You ask, as you pull out your map.

"A hunter's map, huh?" Georg asks as you spread the map out. "Well, it's easy enough to point out. See that entire southern continent? The one that's just barely attached to ours?"
"Yeah, where the purple dot is?" You ask.

"It pretty much covers it" Georg says.

You grimace.

"What's that purple dot for anyway?" Paula asks.
"It's one of the ruins" You say. "I was hoping to check it out"
"I'd advise against that" Georg says.

>Can't I just avoid the elves?

>You guys never answered my first question

>What if I brought Flit with me?

>Other

>>656075
>>Can't I just avoid the elves?

>>656075
>>Can't I just avoid the elves?

>>656075
>>You guys never answered my first question
>>What if I brought Flit with me?

>writing

"I can't just avoid the elves?" You ask.
Georg snorts, and points to Flit's ears. "Those aren't just for show. An Elf's hearing is as sharp as their ears, and they have the eyes to see through even the thickest brush. On top of that, their naturomancers are among some of the best. Hell, Flit here doesn't even carry arrows. She just makes her own" He says.

"That does sound pretty dangerous..." You say.
"So I'd advise against going south" He says. "Not unless you can somehow get an in with the tree cities"

"I'll keep that in mind" You say.
"Anyway, lunchtime is over" Georg says as he stands up. "It was nice talkin' to ya, but duty calls"
You nod. "What are you guys doing now?" You ask.

"Georg and I are on city partol this afternoon" Paula says. "Even in times like these, police are still needed"
"And you?" You ask Flit.
"I'm heading back to the targets" She says.

"I guess I'll-"

>Head back to the castle

>Give Archery a shot

>Go see what the knights are up to

>Talk to Altea

>Other

>>656239
>>Talk to Altea

>>656239
>>Give Archery a shot

>>656239
>>Give Archery a shot

>>656239
>>Talk to Altea

>writing
Was kinda hoping for tiebreaker there...

Rolled 58 (1d100)

"-give archery a shot" You say.

Georg chuckles. "Well then, I'll leave you two alone" He says. "Come on Paula, let's go suit up"
"Do we have to? Those uniforms are uncomfortable" Paula says.

Paula and Georg walk away, leaving you with Flit.

"Th-the targets are over there" She says.
"I saw them earlier" You say.
"O-oh..." She says.

...

"Let's go" You say, as you stand up
"Y-yeah" She says, as she stiffly hops to her feet. "Have you ever used a bow before?"
"No, but I've had a few used on me" You say. "That's like using it, right?"

Flit's shoulders tense up, and she shakes her head. "It really isn't..." She says.

"I was joking" You say.
"Oh..." She says.
"It's just knock, draw, aim, release. Right?" You ask.
"It's not quite that simple..." She says.
"Well then, here's hoping you're a good teacher" You say.

Flit suddenly looks very nervous, so you do your best to calm her down while you walk to the targets.

When you get there, they're mostly empty. The actual archery drills must be done, since you don't see Marybell here either.

Flit points out where you can get a practice bow, so you pick one up with a couple arrows, and get ready...

>Roll 1d100 with focus

Rolled 24 (1d100)

>>656479

Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>656479
here we go

Rolled 71 (1d100)

>>656479

>writing

Okay, 3 arrows, 3 shots. This'll be fine for now, to see just how well you can do.

You set the first one onto the string, and pull it back. The bow pulls easily enough, so you take aim.

...

Is there a better way to aim this thing? Some kind of 'place target here for arrow to hit' kind of deal?
Maybe that wouldn't work, since the arrow arcs.

Ah well. This should be fine.

You let it go, and it... misses completely, soaring past the target and into the netting behind it.

"Dang..." You say. "I was sure I had it there"

"Uh-um... maybe try aiming a bit lower..." Flit says. "Th-the target's nnot that far, s-so you don't have to arc it"
"Alright, I'll try that" You say.

You pull back the other arrow and aim it directly at the target, then you let it go.

And it hits a bullseye!... on the next target over.

You turn to Flit with a blank expression. "That counts right?" You ask.
She gives you an apologetic smile, and shakes her head.

You grumble in disappointment, and pull back your last arrow.

Okay, you were way off to the left there... so you readjust yourself to the right, and then let go.

The arrow sticks into the target. It's no bullseye, but it's the best you've done.

"There" You say. "Not the best, but it beats my last few shots"
"You learn quickly" She says.
"I get that a lot" You reply.

>But I don't think archery is for me

>But I could use some more practice

>Can I see how a pro does it?

>Other

>>656703
>>Can I see how a pro does it?

>>656703
>>Can I see how a pro does it?
>Other, "Why aren't there any sights on this bow? Doesn't that make them hard to use?"

>>656703
>>Can I see how a pro does it?

>>656703
>I don't think archery is for me, but I could use some more practice. Can I see how a pro does it?

>writing

"Can I see how a pro does it?" You ask her.
"S-sure..." She says.

You move back, and let her step up. Three lengths of wood grow between the fingers of her free hand, lengthening until they're long enough and then tapering down to a sharp point. On the backs of them you can see a few leaves, instead of feathers.

She stes her feet, and pulls back her arrow. Then she pauses, her eyes flicking between the target and you.

"D-do you have to stare?" She asks after a few moments.
"How am I supposed to learn if I don't watch?" You ask.

She shuts her eyes and takes a breath, then looks back to the target.

You can see that she's trying to focus, but your presence is distracting her...

>See how she works under pressure

>I can look the other way if you want

>Other

>>656917
>See how she works under pressure

>>656917
>>Other
Make silly faces

>>656917
>Other
Precisely copy her every move, speech and trembling included.

>writing

You watch her for another few seconds, until she glances your way again.

When she looks back to the target, you cross your eyes and stick out your tongue. Then she looks back at you, and without reacting, looks back to the target.

Then you uncross your eyes and put your tongue back in, so when she looks back at you she does a double take.

Then you make a different face, waiting until she looks to let it go so you can do it again next time.

This continues until Flit starts to giggle.

"Stop!" She whines.
"Stop what?" You ask.
"The faces" She says.
"What faces" You say.
"The ones you were making!" She says. "It's distracting"
"So stop looking" You say. "Pretend I'm not here, and just shoot"

Flit puffs out her cheeks, and turns to the target. She quickly fires off all 3 of her arrows, and then turns back to you.

"Happy?" She asks.

You look to where she hit. She didn't aim for the bullseye... instead, she managed to split all of the arrows that you fired, including the one that's caught in the net.

"Yes" You say, as you put a hand on her head and ruffle her hair.

...

She has very soft hair. If you had to rank it, you'd have to put it above Stella's.

"Stop petting me! I'm not a child" She says.

>No

>How old are you anyway?

>Sorry

>Other

>>657171
>>Sorry
Never ask a woman's age.

>>657171
>Other
Okay. Coral, commence hair ruffling.

>>657171
>>Other
"If you say so. I don't know enough about elves to be able to tell."

>>657171
>No
Elves are for bullying

lol, we're all choosing different stuff. Have fun with that Smiley.

>>657171
>Sorry

>>657171
>>657190
I like this

>writing

"Do I have to?" You ask. "Your hair is incredibly soft"

She glares at you, so you take your hand away.

"Fine..." You say.

Flit angrily tries to fix her hair.

"Coral, give her a hand" You say.

Coral zips out of your hat, salutes, and starts setting Flit's hair back in order.

Flit still looks mad, but also adorable. You honestly have a hard time taking her seriously...

"Seriously. It's bad enough when Georg does that, since we're the same age..." She says.
"Sorry..." You say. "Wait... you and Georg are the same age?"
"Of course" She says. "27"
"Wow" You say. "You don't look a day over... 12"

"Not my fault" She says. "Elves just age slowly"
"Neat" You say. "And that's on top of the hearing and the sight?"
"Yes" She says.
"Do elves do anything else?" You ask. "Can you... I dunno. Spit venom?"
"What? No" She says.
"Aww..." You say.

"I'm gonna keep practicing" She says. "You can join me if you want, but you can't watch"

>Okay

>I think I'll leave you alone for now

>Other

>>657355
>>I think I'll leave you alone for now
time to find Emi and see if she wants to join

>>657355>>657368
second

>writing

"Nah, I'll leave you alone for now" You say. "This was an interesting trip, but I should get back to the castle"
"S-see you around, then" She says. "I'm sure Georg will be in touch if he manages to find a mage"

"And if I find one, I'll let you guys know" You say. "Come on, Coral"

Coral zips in front of Flit, and waves to her, before flying up and into your hat.

"See you!" You say, as you turn and start walking away. You keep going until you're far enough away that you don't think she can hear you.

That's the one disadvantage of all these women having such interesting ears: they can all hear really well.

"Wow. 27" You say to Coral. "I never would have guessed that"
Coral floats out of your hat, shrugging before flying to your shoulder.

You stretch out your arms and cross your fingers behind your head as you walk.

"So... Skirmishing, huh?" You say. "Sounds like fun"
Coral nods.
"I hope we can get a mage" You say.
Coral nods, and you scratch her head with a finger, and give her a nut.
"Let's go home"

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will probably be tomorrow.

As always I'll be sticking around for question/suggestion time

Thanks for running it Smiley

>>657493
Thanks for running! Completely random question, way back in blood moon Saif jammed to a a song in music class and I cant remember it for the life of me but I remember liking it quite a bit, you wouldn't happen to remember it would you?

>>657521
Probably this one:
https://youtu.be/MinoVJfuAAs

>>657544
YES!!! Thank you!

>/qst/ Thread Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Beyond%20the%20Gate
>QM Twitter: twitter.com/SmileytheQM

On the way back to the castle, you stop by a bakery when it catches your nose. You end up buying some kind of chocolate pastry thing, before continuing on your way.

You eat it as you walk, giving a piece to Coral when she gets curious.

"I thought Sprites only ate nuts and berries" You say, as she takes the piece.
Coral shrugs, and takes a bite.
"Good?" You ask
Coral nods, and sits down on your shoulder.

The rest of the walk is uneventful, which is alright. "Events" for you are either 'run into someone you like' or 'something tries to kill you'... and you don't have a weapon at the moment.

When you reach the castle, you...

>Look for Emi

>Look for Derrick

>Hang with Lulu and Pip

>Other

>>666476
>>Look for Emi

>>666476
>Look for Emi

>>666476
>Look for Emi

>writing

You toss the rest of your pastry in your mouth, and wipe the crumbs from your hands off on your pants, and then head up to the castle.

You'll go find Emi. You don't think she'll be interested in skirmishing, but it's worth asking. You figure that she's probably still in the library, but just t be sure...

"Hey Coral" You say.
Coral perks up.
"Can you show me where Emi is?" You ask.

Coral flies up, stopping in front of your face to salute, and the zips up and away...

You watch her as she disappears into a window on the second floor.

"That's not... what I meant" You say. "Well, here's hoping she's in the library..."
"Lost your sprite, Yuusky?" Pip asks.
"Maybe" You say. "I definitely should have been more clear"

Pip laughs.

"Where's Lulu?" You ask.
"Bathroom break" Pip says. "You sure took a while out there. Did you go shopping?"
"Yeah" You say, holding up your bags. "I bought pajamas"
"How'd things go at the camp?" She asks.
"Not bad" You say. "I got to join in on the mock battle, and I even got invited to join a skirmish team"
"Oooo! How'd the fight go?" She asks.
"We won" You say. "I didn't make it to the end, but I did manage to take Rhea down"

Pip smiles. "She must not have been happy about that" She says.
"She didn't seem to pleased" You say.

>Stay here until Coral comes back

>Head up to the library

>Other

>>666587
Can we go the library while generating a little Soul? I'm guessing that it could act as a little beacon to guide Coral back to us.

>>666587
>>Stay here until Coral comes back

>>666596
Actually, screw it.
>Stay here until Coral comes back

>writing

"So who's your team?" Pip asks.
"Georg, Paula and Flit" You say.
"No mage?" She asks.
"N-... how do you know?" You ask.
"I remember those 3" Pip says. "Their last striker was bad. Like, really bad. The rest of them are pretty good, though. Georg's got a mean swing with that axe, Paula can hold a line against some of the hardest hits, and Flit's just... deadly"

"How do you know I'm not going to be the mage?" You ask.
Pip flicks your nose. "You know 2 spells. 2 spells does not, a mage make" She says. "Besides, I've seen you go toe to toe with Lululu. You're much better suited to striking"
"I guess that's right" You say.
"Which means that we might be getting a little more personally acquianted" She says. "I am the striker's prime target, after all"
"I'll try to go easy on you" You say.

Pip's smile widens. "oooo. Them's fightin' words" She says. "But I'll pay you the same courtesy. You did save my tail, after all"

Pip's tail swishes around, and you notice a little red ribbon tied in a bow on it...

>Ask about the bow

>We still haven't found a mage

>Are mageblades allowed?

>Other

>>666667
>>Are mageblades allowed?
>Ask about the bow

>>666667
>Ask about the bow
>We still haven't found a mage

>writing

"What's with the bow?" You ask.

"Oh, this?" She asks, as her tail comes around in front of her. "Your felid friend gave it to me"
"Ilica?" You ask.
"Yeah, I was surprised too" She says. "But I wasn't about to shove off her sympathy then, and now I kinda like it"
"It does look cute" You say.

Pip smiles. "Why thank you" She says.

Before you can say anything else, something flies into your hat and lands on your head.

"Oh?" Pip asks.
"Coral?" You ask, putting your hand out up for her like you normally do. But she doesn't come out. "It is Coral in my hat, right?"
"Unless somebody else has a red sprite" She says.

You lift up the hat to see if you can get her to come out, but she still doesn't.

"Nice disappearing trick" Pip says.

You tilt your head in confusion, and feel around on top of your head. There's nothing there, so she must be...

"Hey" You say, as you turn the hat to see that Coral is inside.
She looks... ashamed.

>I'm not mad

>Let her have her privacy

>Other

>>666758
>>I'm not mad
>Other: I do stuff like that constantly.

>>666758
>>I'm not mad

>>666758
>>I'm not mad

>writing

"Relax, Coral. I'm not mad" You say.
Coral looks up.
"Why would I be mad. I forget stuff all the time" You say.

Pip steps over and looks in. "Aww, she's like a little kid" She says.

"Now, let's go find Emi" You say. "Together, this time"
Coral nods, and slowly flies up. You put out a hand for her, and rub her head with one of your fingers, which seems to cheer her up.

"Aww" She says. "I guess I'll see you later, then"
"Alright, see you" You say.

As you walk into the gate, Pip calls out again. "And if you see Lululu, tell her that she takes wayyyy too long in the bathroom"
"Okay" You reply.

>1/2

As you walk through the castle, Coral pulls on your ear every now and then to point you down a new path. It works, though your ear is starting to get sore by the time you reach... your room?

You give the door a quick knock.

"Who is it?" Emi asks from the other side.
"It's me" You say. "Err... Yuu"

The door opens slightly, and you see Emi peering through the crack, near the top of the frame.

"Yuu? I thought you were going to wait at the gate" She says.
"Why would I be waiting?" You ask.
"That was the plan wasn't it?" She asks. "You'd send Coral up, and I'd come down to meet you"

"Oh!" You say. "Right. See Coral? We both forget things"
"She forgot something?" Emi asks.
"Yeah. Me" You say. "I asked her to lead me to you, and she... left"

"Oh... I thought she looked confused" Emi says. "She looked so happy when she first showed up, and then she looked around, freaked out, and left"
"At least she came right back" You say, rubbing the little sprite's head again.
"So... are we still leaving?" Emi asks.

>Sure

>Maybe a little later

>Should we get Derrick first?

>Other

>>666896
>>Sure

>>666896
>>Sure

>writing

"Sure" You say.
"Alright, wait there while I get dressed" Emi says.

You tilt your head. "Didn't you already get dressed?" You ask.
"Those weren't suitable for a party" Emi says. "I'm wearing something different"

You consider asking more questions, but choose to shrug it off instead. "Here, put these inside" You say, as you pass your bags through the crack in the door.
"What's this?" Emi asks.
"Pajamas" You say.

"So you did get some" She says. "I'll put these on the bed and be right out"
"Kay" You reply.

The door shuts, and you wait patiently outside...

You've been doing this a lot lately. Just how often does Emi get changed.

...

For that matter, why does it take her so long? Even back when you had no idea how to put a shirt on, you were quicker than this.

You still have a bit of trouble with that. Occasionally the head will try to go through the arm hole, and it's difficult to correct.

After what feels like a lifetime, the door finally opens again.

"Finally, I thought I was gonna die of old age out he-" The last word gets stuck in your throat when Emi comes out. She looks... really good.
"Sorry! I know I can take a while..." She says.

Emi's hair is tied back in a bun, with a pair of long pins holding it in place. She's dressed nicely, wearing a white shirt that's made of something you haven't seen before, and a skirt that covers a decent portion of her tail. Her face looks somehow... livelier. You can't quite put a finger on it.

>Worth the wait

>You look good

>Am I underdressed?

>What took so long?

>Other

>>666990
>>You look good
>Am I underdressed?

>>666990
>You look good

>writing

>>666990
>You look good

>Am I underdressed?

You turn away when you realize that you're staring. "You look good" You say.
"I know, it's just, I'm not used to doing my ow-... huh?" She asks.

You turn back to her and smile. "I said you look good" You say.
Emi's cheeks redden. "Th-thanks" She says.
"Am I underdressed?" You ask.

She slithers in closer and looks over your clothes. "You shouldn't be" She says. "I just wanted to dress up. If anything, I'm overdressed"
"Well that's good" You say. "Should we get going?"
"Yep" She says. "You remember the way?"
"Probably" You reply.
"You fill me with so much confidence..." Emi says.
"Relax. I won't get us lost" You say.
"I hope not" She says.

The two of you start heading back towards the gate.

"Isn't Derrick coming?" You ask.
"He already left" Emi says. "Celty came back with another message, asking if a few people could come over and lend a hand"
"With what?" You ask.
"It didn't say" She says. "But Derrick and Madelaine should already be there"

>Are we late?

>How would you feel about skirmishing?

>Ask what you should expect when you get there

>Other

>>667096
>>Other, "They must be planning something pretty big."

>How would you feel about skirmishing?

>>667096
>>Ask what you should expect when you get there

>writing

"They must be planning something big then" You say.
"I haven't heard much" Emi says. "I hope it isn't too crowded. Fran's place wasn't all that big..."

"Most of us are pretty small" You say.
"Most of us?" She asks.

You look at how far Emi's tail trails behind her, then back at her face. "I didn't say all" You say.
Emi giggles. "I'm kidding" She says. "I'm sure it'll be fine"

You get a little further, when you finally remember what you were supposed to ask.

"How would you feel about skirmishing?" You ask.
"Skirmishing?" Emi asks. "Is that the 5 man team... thing?"
"Yeah" You say.
"I don't know" Emi says. "Why?"
"Because I got invited to join a team with some pretty good people, but we need a mage" You say.
"Oh, you want me to join?" She asks.
"I didn't think you'd be in. But I figured it was worth asking" You say.

Emi thinks for a few seconds, then turns back to you. "When?" She asks.
"No clue" You say. "I was gonna send Coral over to Georg if I found someone, then we could set up a time"
"Tell him..." She says, stopping for a moment to think some more. "Yeah, tell him I'm in"

"Really?" You ask.
"Yeah" She says. "It couldn't hurt to try something new"

>Great!

>It might hurt, actually

>Other

>>667173
>>Great!

>>667173
>>Great!

>>667173

>Great!

>writing

"Great!" You say. "I-I mean. Cool. I'll let Georg know tomorrow morning"
"Not now?" She asks.
"He's on patrol now" You say.

Emi giggles. "Okay. Let me know what he says" She says.
You nod.

When you reach the gate, the two of you wave goodbye to Pip, who whistles at Emi for some reason, and head into town.

"Now which way was it?" Emi asks.

>I know the way

>Get Coral to lead you to Derrick

>Other

>>667227
>>Get Coral to lead you to Derrick

>>667227
>Get Coral to lead you to Derrick
Who needs to remember things when you have an awesome sprite!

>>667227
>>Get Coral to lead you to Derrick

>writing

You look both ways, then turn to Coral.

"Alright Coral. Lead us to Derrick" You say.
Coral salutes from her position on your shoulder, looks around, and points left.

So you head left. Emi follows along, staying close and looking around. You catch her smaller tongue flicking about every now and then out of the corner of your eye.

"Smell something?" You ask.
"I smell lots of things" She says.
"Anything bad?" You ask.
"No, thankfully" She says. "Locke seems to be a pretty clean city"
"It does seem that way" You say. "At least, when you compare it to somewhere like Bell's Run"
"You'd have to actively start making a mess to make it as bad as Bell's Run" Emi says.

"No thanks. I think Altea might personally divebomb anyone that tries to dirty up her city" You say.
Emi giggles. "I could absolutely see her doing that"

The two of you keep walking and slithering along, until you finally see Fran's place.

"There it is" You say, giving a dried berry to Coral. "Good job Coral"

But when you walk up to the main entrance, Coral tugs your ear and points to a different place further up the street.

"Weird" You say. "Is Derrick over there?"
Coral nods.

You turn to Emi. "Should we go up?" You ask.
Emi shrugs.

>Go where Coral pointed

>Go up to Fran's place

>Other

>>667326
>>Go where Coral pointed

>>667326
>>Go where Coral pointed

>>667326
>Go up to Fran's place

>>667326
>>Go up to Fran's place

>writing

"Let's go check it out" You say, as you start heading towards where Coral pointed.

Emi stops you. "You know he's probably just out helping Fran with something" She says.
"I could help too" You say.
"Y-yeah, you could" She says. "But... don't you wanna go up and see the girls?"

You stop and consider. "Alright" You say, walking back past Emi to the front entrance of Fran's building. "But if Derrick asks why I didn't come help, it's on you"

Emi lets out a sigh. She sounds... relieved. "That's fine" She says.
You raise an eyebrow at her reaction to that, before shrugging it off and heading up.

When you reach Fran's front door, you stop and knock.

As the door opens, you suddenly remember what happened last time you came here...

>Roll 1d100

Rolled 49 (1d100)

>>667438

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>667438

Rolled 77 (1d100)

>>667438

>writing

"Yuu!"
"Yuu!"
"Mee-er!"

You brace yourself as a red child tackles you, hitting you right in the chest and putting you off balance.
Then a blue child hits you in the stomach, toppling you.

As you go down, you reach up and catch the flying kitten so she doesn't fly right over you and hurt herself...

"Safe" You say, keeping a tight grip on the back of Vivi's shirt. "Hey guys"
"Hi"
"Hi"
"Mew"

You see Coral floating in the air in about the same place she was when she was on your shoulder, looking shocked. She immediately zips down and pulls on Lily's tail, like she's trying to pull her off of you.

...

Impressively, she's actually making some headway there.

"It's okay, Coral. They're friendly" You say.
Coral stops pulling, and just kind of floats.

You sit up and the devils shift themselves into your lap. "Coral, meet Lily, Daisy, and Vivian" You say.

"Dangit you three" Ilica says, as she steps into the doorway. "I go to the bathroom for 5 seconds and you start roughhou- oh"
"Hello" You say.
"So that's what it was" Ilica says. "What's up?"

>I have a sprite

>Where is everyone else?

>In all fairness, I should have seen this coming

>Other

>>667547
>I have a sprite
>Where is everyone else?

>>667547
>>In all fairness, I should have seen this coming
>Where is everyone else?

>writing

"I have a sprite now" You say.

Ilica steps in and crouches down in front of Coral.

"You make this after I left?" Ilica asks.
"Pretty much. I went to the library to use the mold right after breakfast" You say.

Ilica extends a finger to Coral for her to shake. "She's pretty" She says.
"Yeah!" Lily says.
"What's her name?" Ilica asks.
"Coral" You say.
"Noce to meet you Coral" Ilica says. "I'm Ilica"

While Coral is getting acquianted, you look around. "Where is everyone? I thought this was a party" You say.
"They're all at the hall" Ilica says. "Lily went and invited too many people, so we had to get a bigger ven... ue..."

Ilica stops in her tracks.
"What's wrong?" You ask.
"Oh, it's Emi" Ilica says. "Dayum girl, you look awesome. I almost didn't recognize you"
"Th-thanks" Emi says.

"Anyway, we had to get a bigger place" Ilica says. "Once prep's done Fran's gonna come back here. She didn't want these 2 trouble makers running amok while they were setting up"
"We're not trouble makers!" Lily says.
"Suuuuure" Ilica says. "So come in. We've got time"

You stand up, and let Lily and Daisy off of you. Then you head inside.

>Ask how her first training session went

>Ask if the bigger place is where Derrick went

>Wonder why your hand hurts

>Other

>>667637
>>Ask how her first training session went
>Wonder why your hand hurts

>>667637
>>Wonder why your hand hurts
>Ask how her first training session went

>>667637
>>Wonder why your hand hurts
>Ask how her first training session went

>writing

"How'd your training go?" You ask.

Ilica frowns.
"That bad?" You ask.
"No, it went well" Ilica says. "Katherine says that I definitely have talent, but that I've got a long way to go..."
"How bad?" You ask.
"Come on. Not everyone can pick things up as quickly as you" She says. "Besides, ranged weapons are much more difficult"

"Really? I picked up a bow earlier and hit a bullseye on my second shot" You say.
Ilica whips around in shock.
"It wasn't on my target, though. Which Flit says doesn't count. But it was still a bullseye" You say.

Ilica bops your head. "Don't you-... what is going on there?" Ilica asks.

You look at where Ilica points, and see Vivian hanging off of your arm, with her teeth and claws digging into your hand.

"I was wondering why my hand hurt" You say.
"Come here Vivi" Ilica says in a cutesy tone, as she pries the kitten off of your hand. "Firs the leg, now the hand. Is Yuu tasty or something?"
"Merrerr..." Vivian says.

You lick the hand that Vivian wasn't clawing. "Not really" You say. "I'm kinda salty, actually"
The devils giggle.

>1/2

"So is your aim really that bad?" You ask Ilica once everyone is sitting.

Well, most of you are sitting. Vivian is stalking Coral, who has managed to dodge every pounce so far.

"Nah. We didn't even do all that much target practice" She says. "A lot of it was getting to know the weapon, and figuring out what kind of magic I can use"
"What kind can you use?" Emi asks.
"Wind" Ilica says.

"You never knew that before?" You ask.
"Nope" She says. "Never had to know, since I've never actually used it"
"Not ever?" You ask.
"Not once" Ilica says.

You turn to Emi. "Is that normal?" You ask.
Emi nods. "Not everyone learns how to use magic" She says. "Most of the people you know are the exception"
"Oh..." You say. "I see"

"Kinda regretting never picking it up now, though" Ilica says. "I can already think of tons of times it would've saved me"
"It certainly does come in handy" Emi says.

>Don't the devils know magic?

>Vivi won't try to eat my sprite, will she?

>What kinds of things can wind magic do?

>Other

>>667729
>>Vivi won't try to eat my sprite, will she?
>What kinds of things can wind magic do?

>>667729
>>Vivi won't try to eat my sprite, will she?
>Don't the devils know magic?

>>667729
>>What kinds of things can wind magic do?

>writing

You look over just in time to see Coral loop out of the way of another of Vivian's clumsy pounces. She glides over to where the kitten landed to make sure she's okay, silently giggling as Vivi immediately turns and tries to swipe.

"She won't eat my sprite, will she?" You ask.
"Probably not" Ilica says. "If she does manage to catch her, chances are she won't know what to do with her"
"Are you sure?" You ask.
"Positive" Ilica says. "But I'll be keeping an eye on them just in case"

You decide that's a good idea, and watch the kitten play as you talk.

"So what kinda of things can wind magic do?" You ask.
"Lots of stuff" Ilica says. "But right now I'm only able to add a bit of a tailwind to my shots"
"That's not bad for a beginner" Emi says.

"I'd like it better if it weren't throwing my aim off" Ilica says.
"I'm sure you'll get used to it" You say.
"That's the goal" Ilica says.

Suddenly, Ilica's ears turn towards the door.

"Is Fran here?" You ask.
"Sounds like it" She says.

The door opens, and Fran steps in.

"Oh, everyone's here" She says. "Oh, my. Looking good Emi"
"Thanks" Emi replies.
"Is everyone ready?" Fran asks.

>1/2

Ilica scoops up Vivi, Coral flies back to your shoulder, Fran takes the devil's hands and you all head out.

"Hang on... is that a sprite?" Fran asks as you head down the stairs.
"Her name's Coral" You say. "I made her this morning"

Coral waves to Fran.

"A soul sprite" Fran says. "Her wings are beautiful... and she seems different"
"She is different" You say. "She friendly, adventurous, she eats anything..."
"She forgets things" Emi says.
"That too" You say.
"She sounds a bit like a tiny version of you" Ilica says.

You look at Coral. "That's not too far off" You say.

The place Fran leads you to isn't very far. Just across and up the street from her house.

"Was this the same place where Derrick was?" You ask Coral
Coral nods.

"See? We could've just come here" You say, as you walk up to the entrance. "It would've made things easier..."

You look back, and catch Ilica and Emi sharing a look. It's a weird look, like 'we know something you don't'...

You turn forward again as you enter the hall, and you're immediately struck by the vibrant colours, and volume of people...

There's a banner hanging from the ceiling. It says Hap-

"Happy Birthday!" Everyone shouts at once.

That's it. Happy Birthday Yuu.

...

Wait, what?

That's all for tonight!

Ran this one a bit later than usual, because I wanted to end it at this point.
Next thread won't be until next week, as I'll be out of town this weekend.

As always I'll be sticking around for question/suggestion time!

Thanks for running!

Well shit, can't say I saw that one coming.
Thanks for the thread!

>>667808
Thanks for Running Smiley