>>823603
She briefly looks at me with terrifyingly intense eyes, before closing them shut and looking as if she's trying to swallow something that does not want to stay down. This goes on for almost a minute before her breathing finally slows and she looks at me again, looking like the Amalia I know.

"..Sorry." she says in a weak whisper. "Old.. habits."

"Habits?" I inquire, despite the feeling I never actually wanted to know the answer to that question.

"The Weeping Lily is.. was, my assignment."

"Your.."

"I want to ask her why. I want to know what she knows about him. Where is she?"

"She just left," I explain, pointing to the hidden pathway Lily had showed me. "But the sun is setting. If we don't leave now, we'll have to walk home in the dark."

"I need to talk to her." She repeats.

>"Lily is.. not reliable. Let's just go home and forget it."
>"It'll be dangerous to be here after dark. We can visit her tomorrow."
>"Okay okay, we'll go back inside if it's that important."
>Something else? [Write-in!]

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>>823610
>Nadja's Seniors:
>Mistress' current opinion: 40/100
>Lily's current opinion: 25/100
>Camille's current opinion: 10/100

>Seal: 75/100

>Nadja's Witchy Skills:
>Herbalism : Initiated (Potions and such!)
>Pencraft: Fledgling* (Hexes and wards!)
>Infusion: Uninitiated (Making things be magic / enchanting!)
>*Nadja has proven to be naturally talented at this set of skills. She learns more quickly and has a chance to intuitively understand this type of magic simply by looking at it.

>Communication:
>Twitter: https://twitter.com/FriendQM

>Archives:
>4plebs archive (thread 1-24): http://archive.4plebs.org/tg/search/subject/Witch%20Apprentice%20Quest/order/asc/
>moe archive (threads 25+): http://archived.moe/qst/search/subject/Witch%20Apprentice%20Quest/type/op/order/asc/
>Suptg archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=witch+apprentice+quest (Now updated to link to the /qst/ archive for obvious reasons)

>Resources:
>Nadja's Notebook is intended to serve as your reference material for witchy things and other stuff related to the quest. It's divided into the following categories:

>1. General Witchcraft: Intro to Nadja's Notebook as well as any witch-related topics outside of the three major arts will go here when Nadja learns about them: http://pastebin.com/FvemAzKN
>2. Herbalism: Everything about herbs and how to use them to make potions. Also contains Nadja's notes about potions she has encountered but don't know how to make herself: http://pastebin.com/vMWeFhd0
>3. Pencraft (Yes I renamed it because I think it sounds cooler): Hexes and wards that Nadja knows of and how to make them: http://pastebin.com/BTUR8F94
>4. Infusion: The art of bestowing magical properties to items that otherwise had none. For example, the creation of wands or flying brooms. Pastebin will be added once Nadja actually learns about any of this.
>5. Nadja's Notes: Where Nadja writes her notes about various things, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE PLAYERS REQUEST THAT SOMETHING BE ADDED TO THE NOTEBOOK. You can even request to have old events added, so don't be afraid to ask: http://pastebin.com/76btWGte
>6. Characters: Nadja doesn't actually keep a written list of people she knows, but it seemed a list would be useful since a character could easily be absent from the quest for a month or more of real time, and it seemed more fun to write it in Nadja's voice even though she has no reason to ever write it. Anyway, you can find that here: http://pastebin.com/GbRsNuw3

>TO-DO LIST:
>>712465
>Amalia's real name and title should get added to Nadja's notebook.

>>823610
>>"Lily is.. not reliable. Let's just go home and forget it."

>>823610
>"Okay okay, we'll go back inside if it's that important."
Lily said she was more sane than usual today, so we might not get a better chance to ask these kind of questions.

>>823610
>"Okay okay, we'll go back inside if it's that important."

>>823610
>"Lily is.. not reliable." Explain about her condition.
>"Are you sure you want to do this?"

>>823610
>"It'll be dangerous to be here after dark. We can visit her tomorrow."
Surely it can wait. She's not going anywhere, hopefully.

>>823657
We probably can't wait, next time we see her she'll likely be in no condition to be answering questions truthfully.

>>823610
Aw shit, I forgot to check for time!
>"Okay okay, we'll go back inside if it's that important."

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Looks like a slight majority in favor of going back into Lily's lair. I bet she'll be ecstatic!

>>823610
>"Okay okay, we'll go back inside if it's that important."

>>823667
Maybe she will, maybe she won't. We'll probably manage eventually.

>>823690
She better not go all scary again though!

>>823610
>>"Okay okay, we'll go back inside if it's that important."

>>823610
I'm honestly not entirely sure what to make of Lily any longer. I'm still fairly certain that she's crazy, but I don't know if she's more or less crazy than I had first thought. And I'm also not entirely certain whether she'll even answer Amalia's questions, or whether she'll answer them truthfully. Today, she seemed genuine, even caring, but do I know it was not just an act? Camille seemed to be my friend too, until she thought I couldn't hear her..

She said something, though, that some days it was difficult to 'remember to be herself', and that today is a 'good day'. I'm not completely certain what that means, but from the sound of it if we want to ask her any questions we should do that today, not tomorrow. Still, is asking her at all a good idea?

"Lily is not.. entirely reliable. And she might try something funny again. Are you sure you-"

"Yes."

Her voice, even if it's back to its usual pitch, is firm and completely free of doubt. This is what she wants.

"Alright, but I don't like it.."

Amalia shares none of my hesitance as I reluctantly lead us back into the darkness of the underground tunnel, and back into the room covered in magic circles. Even as barely lit as it is, all of the meticulous writings and scratchings stand out as clear as day. I still remember which specific two circles are the ones she used to switch bodies with Amalia, but the others, those could be anything.

"Don't touch anything." My warning is acknowledged with nothing more than a weak grunt.

The one thing I don't see in the room is Lily. But that does not mean she's not here, I know that now. One trick of hers is disguising herself as - or perhaps transforming into? - a shadow, and if she has done that again she'll have plenty of places to hide in here.

But then, how are we going to find-

"I see you, witch," Amalia loudly announces to the room. "Your trick is old now."

Does.. she? I don't see anything, anywhere in the room, but she keeps staring at the same spot. She really is seeing something I don't?

>1/2

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>>823892
I am honestly quite surprised to not hear the sound of Lily's mocking laughter as, from exactly where Amalia is looking, Lily's now much more tangible, and grown up, form emerges from the shadows.

"Sharp eyes." She says with a smile like that of a teacher praising a student. "But I knew that first hand, didn't I?"

"You really are her." Amalia grumbles just loudly enough to be audible. "You know I'm supposed to kill you, right?"

Lily shrugs casually as she approaches us, easily weaving around each of the circles on the ground without even looking. "When was the last time you did what you are supposed to?"

Amalia doesn't answer.

"You want answers, don't you? So do I! So how about a simple little game? You answer one question, then I answer one of yours. Seems fair, right?"

"Fine, I'll-"

"And Nadja stays."

Instantly Amalia falls silent.

"That is the deal. Truth for truth, take it or leave it."

Another game..? Or does she have some hidden plan behind this all? I knew it wasn't going to be simple, not with Lily. Not even today. And it's not fair, hasn't Amalia gone through enough today? Why can't Lily just be nice to her right now..

>"I'm not letting you embarrass my friend like that, Lily! We're leaving, and we're not coming back again!" [Silently pray she'll give the answers for free if I threaten to leave her]
>"Don't mind me Amalia, go ahead if it's what you want." [Play Lily's game]
>"Let me play in her place!" [Take Amalia's place in Lily's game]
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>823899
>>"Let me play in her place!" [Take Amalia's place in Lily's game]

>>823899
Taking her place sounds nice and all, but do we know what to ask? Somehow I don't think she'd accept Amalia whispering them into our ear.

>>823899
>"Don't mind me Amalia, go ahead if it's what you want." [Play Lily's game]
Nadja wants the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!

>>823899
>"Let me play in her place!" [Take Amalia's place in Lily's game]

>>823899
>"If I'm going to hear her secrets, she might as well hear mine. May I play?"

>>823923
By this, I mean play as well. We might also be able to ask Lily some things.

>>823914
Amalia seemed to want to know what Lily knows about Amalia's father.

>>823899
>"Let me play in her place!" [Take Amalia's place in Lily's game]

>>823933
True. But Lily could easily make it difficult for us by answering vaguely and we wouldn't have the knowledge to specify further.

>>823943
It may take a while to ask the right questions, but we can probably manage, unless she asks something really mean.

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>>823923
This is a fun idea, but it doesn't seem to have any support, so I guess we're going with a straight forward substitution. Time to play!

>>824000
I'll support that write in.

>>824000
Well, three-player games are fun too. Hope you've been well since last time by the way!

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>>824006
>>824029
Alright, I'll take that a last minute switch then. But only because I think it might be more fun!

>>824036
Fun is what's most important!

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>>823899
This isn't fair. I have to say something. "If I'm going to hear her answers, she should hear mine. Let me play too!"

"Great!" Lily is quick to accept before Amalia has a chance to voice the protest on her lips. "Change of rules, then. You both ask a question, I answer, then ask mine, and then we do it again with the next of you! Fair, right? I'll even let you start!"

That does sound fair, I think. Even Amalia seems to have dropped the idea of objecting to my joining the game. That's good, because then I don't have to remind her of the promise we made. We do this together, or not at all!

"You first, Kitty!" Lily's enthusiasm seems a little strange when coming from her more mature form, but at least she's not cackling or anything.

"Why does my father want you dead?"

That question is surprisingly blunt, even for Amalia. I'd expect even her to at least wrap that question up a little..

"Killed three of his students for being wizards, in the year 330, 331, and 334 respectively. Tried to kill him in 339, same charge. He escaped. Oh, and stole his horse that time too, gave it to a farmer over in Wengen. It might still be there. It was a pretty good horse. Satisfied?"

She nods, showing no sign of surprise or shock at all.

"My turn, then! And I want to know this: Do you think Nadja will make a great witch? Remember, honest answers only! I'll know if you try to lie!"

Hah! What a stupid question! Amalia is my bestest friend, of course she believes in me and thinks I'm going to-

"No."

WHAT?!

"Nadja is way too nice for that. Great people are all evil bastards. All of them. And that's not her."

Wha-wha-wha? She really thinks that..?

"What a great start! Next up, you get to ask your question, Nadja. Or.. would you rather back out before it's too late?"

>If she's going to ask questions like that, I don't want to play at all! [Quit]

>Keep playing and ask her...
>"Do you know what Amalia's father is trying to do?"
>"How old is Mistress?"
>"Tell me everything you know about me.
>Ask her something else? [Write-in!]

>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>824250
>>"Tell me everything you know about me.

>>824250
>"How old is Mistress?"

>>824250
>"Tell me everything you know about me."

>>824250
>Pout
>"Who do you think is the scariest witch around?"
Because I'm curious.

>>824250
>"Tell me everything you know about me."

>>824250
>Keep playing and ask her...
>"Do you know what Amalia's father is trying to do?"

>>824250
We can show Amalia that you can be a great witch AND nice!

>>824250
>>Something else? [Write-in!]
"Why does mistress like my dad so much?"

>>824250
>"Why did you become a witch?"

>>824250
I’m going to propose something slightly crafty. If you don’t think that’s something Nadja would do, don’t vote for it!

>Ask Lily to question you first. If you don’t want to answer, you can end the game without owing her. That way you know what you have to pay before ordering!

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Asking the most dangerous question of them all, then? Fun fun fun!

I wonder if it was a mistake to allow write-ins in a situation where the rules say you can only ask one question. Oh well, I guess they'll be around for the next round!

>>824273
>>824281
>>824293
That is not a question, is it?

>>824365
"What do you know about me?"

It could be reworded easily.

>>824354
I'm sure anons want to ask about lots of stuff so it can't be helped.

>>824250
I have so many questions I want to ask, though I'm not entirely certain which ones she can actually answer. It's not completely clear what she actually knows and doesn't know. She clearly does know something about Amalia and her father, who is apparently a wizard and had wizard students, and probably knows something about Amalia too. But I myself don't know enough to really know what to actually ask her about that, so it wouldn't make a lot of sense to try.

I'm a little tempted to ask her about Mistress, or about her, but the one thing I really, really want to know, even though I can't be certain she knows anything at all, is..

"Tell me everything you know about me."

"Ohh?" She seems oddly pleased about that. "It's technically not a question, but I know what you mean. Exactly what you mean.."

"So you know something about me? Something I don't?"

"Hm-hmm, maybe? Honestly, Kitty is the one I was interested in, but she was interested in you, so obviously I had Seel keep an eye on you for a while, see what you're all about."

"Her name is Amalia, not Kitty!"

"She didn't need a lot of time. She told me you are definitely not human, but also absolutely harmless and definitely not a threat to Amalia, directly or otherwise. And that was enough for me. Sorry. You probably expected something a little more than that."

"I.. I am.. not human?"

>Seal damage: 5
>Seal value is now 70/100

That... sounds right, somehow? Familiar? As if I knew this already, but had forgotten. It doesn't really answer any questions, though. Amalia, strangely, does not seem to react to this new information at all. Is she trying to act unimpressed, or is it just that she doesn't believe what Lily is saying? I should be shocked too, but I'm really not. I really should be.

"That's what she said. Meant to look human, yet not. But this seems a little unfair, you wanted a much better answer. If you want.. I can help you get one. The witches' way."

"I already know how to cast the Truthing Hex."

"Mhm, sure, that's one. But it doesn't always work because you can just choose not to talk, and it's not so subtle because you still have to ask directly! Instead, you could try something like Dreamwalking or asking a Daemon, or maybe try Necromancy. Those are much more reliable! I'd be happy to show you sometime, but I think now it's my turn!"

..Dreamwalking? Necromancy? I've never even heard about any of that yet. Witches do a lot more than I thought!

"This one should be easy: Out of all the witches you know, who is your favorite? Remember, only the truth!"

>Mistress, obviously!
>Camille, Mistress' daughter.
>Lily. Somehow..?
>Redleaf, Cinnamon's mistress.
>Cinnamon, the other apprentice in the area.
>Redwing, Mistress' teacher.

>>824627
>Mistress, obviously!

>>824627
>Mistress, obviously!

>>824627
>Lily. Somehow..?

>>824627
>Mistress, obviously!

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And that's going to be it for now, but we'll continue again tomorrow, hopefully at the actually scheduled time (sorry again for being late! And for the session being extra short as a result..) where we'll have another round of Q&A with Lily. Voting will be open basically until then.

Questions and such are also welcome in the meantime, though I may not have time to answer them until tomorrow evening.

Thanks for tonight, and I hope to see as many of you as possible again tomorrow!

>>824029
Been terribly busy and running all over the place, really, but at least I haven't been bored. Thanks for asking!

>>824627
Oooh, that's rough. But since we're mad with Camille and don't know most of the rest very well, it's really just Lily or Mistress huh. I suppose Mistress is best...?
>Mistress, obviously!

>>824665
Thanks for running Friend! Looking forward to more Truth or Truth tomorrow.

>>824665
Night night.

>>824627
>Cinnamon, the other apprentice in the area.
Mistress is too cruel and acts weird towards our dad, Camille is not to be trusted, Lily kidnapped Amalia, Redleaf turned Cinnamon into a frog. We've had next to no contact with Redwing, so that leaves Cinnamon the only viable answer. I just can't find a way to justify any of the others.

>>824627
>Mistress, obviously!

>>825222
>Mistress, obviously!

"I mean Carmine and you have just been plain mean! At least Misstress has been fair, NOT BROKEN THE RULES AND STOLEN MY CLOTHES, and so far she has not TRIED TO KILL ME. Oops did I said those things out loud?" You feel the need to give a creepy scary smile but supress it, maybe you are hurt about your best friend saying you won't make a good Witch.

She says you are too nice?

Rven the nicest person can be mean if you hurt her friends!

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>>824627
"That's kind of a mean question, Lily.."

"Ah-ha, don't worry about that." Her reply is delivered with a cheesy smirk. "I already know it's not me, and I certainly don't spread gossip. Plenty of chatty witches out there who've got that covered already."

A quick exchange of looks between all the three of us promptly makes clear who that line refers to.

"Suppose she's already off the list, huh?"

"Camille seemed nice at first.. But she said really mean things when she thought I wasn't there. I thought she wanted to be my friend, but then she lied and kept secrets and-"

"You don't think she can be both?"

"Huh? How?"

She doesn't reply with words, but with her eyes, giving me that condescending grown-up look that says "You just don't understand." I hate that. One moment adults tell you to start acting like a grown-up, the next they continue treating you like you're just a dumb child. I wish I could just be one of those, instead of having to be both.

It makes me want to say my favorite is Cinnamon. She isn't like that. She doesn't keep telling me to be something else, like telling me to be less nice or something. She just likes me exactly like I am. I'd like to say that was the truth. But the real truth is I know they're not wrong when they say those things. Even Amalia said it, though I didn't expect her to. I know I have to change. At least a little.

But I don't think she's right that I can't. I can. I can be scary and mean if I have to. I just.. need to practice. That's all!

That's why, even though she has been a bit mean and bossy lately, I still have to say it's Mistress. I know, behind it all, she's just trying to help me. Help me become the Nadja I need to be. The way she's been behaving about Papa is a bit.. not what you'd expect from a good mistress, but that just means she's not perfect. Nobody is, right?

"Mistress. Definitely."

"Mh. Raven, huh?" She nods, seemingly unsurprised by my answer. "Your turn, Amalia."

For an uncomfortably long time she says nothing, lost in thoughts unseen and unheard. Finally, after long enough to startle me a little, she speaks again.

"..No more questions."

Lily nods plainly in acknowledgement, no signs of disappointment or protest. "Your turn again then, Nadja."

>"No more questions." [Quit]

OR

>Keep playing, and...
>"Do you know what Amalia's father is trying to do?"
>"How old is Mistress?"
>"Who do you think is the scariest witch around?"
>"Why does mistress like my dad so much?"
>"Why did you become a witch?"
>Something else? [Write-in]

>>828144
>>"Why does mistress like my dad so much?"

>>828144
Heya Friend!
>"Who do you think is the scariest witch around?"

>>828144
>"Why did you become a witch?"

>>828144
>>"Why does mistress like my dad so much?"

>>828144
>"Do you know what Amalia's father is trying to do?"
It would be good to know.

>>828190
True. The main reason I didn't ask was Amalia stopped asking so maybe she doesn't want it asked.

Also anons, surely to Nadja the better question would be why anyone WOULDN'T like papa!

>>828190
But horrible to ask her rather than Amalia. That's sort of her private business.

>>828190
That'd be rude to ask about.

>>828210
She may well know more than Amalia does though.

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Interesting arguments you guys have got there. But the winning vote is (slightly) clear, so we'll proceed.

>>828163
Hello anon!

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>>828144
Amalia is quitting already..? She was so insistent on going to see Lily and she only asks her one question. Just like that? Maybe she just doesn't want to have to answer any more herself? It was kind of a tough question, so I suppose I can understand that. I wonder if Lily will ask me anything as tough as that this time. I'm not really sure what she even could ask..

But I do have questions, so let's keep this up.

"Why does Mistress like Papa so much?"

"..Does she? I did not know that. Understandably, Raven does not tell me much of anything, not since the incident.. Ask another, I couldn't answer it."

Odd. What incident? And why does she insist on letting me ask another question when she could just say that she technically answered it truthfully. I'd ask her, but doing that right now would be tempting fate in the stupidest way possible, wouldn't it?

"Who do you think is the scariest witch around?"

"Ah-hah, that's an easy question. Have you met Redwing yet? Raven's old teacher?"

"Uhm, once I guess but she didn't seem-"

"She tries not to show it. Tries very hard. But she can't hide it, not forever. Has she told you any of her war stories?"

"No..?"

The smile she offers makes my stomach turn upside down. It's that kind of look that could make a great beast turn on the spot and run away, yet somehow also drawing you closer, a kind of morbid curiosity.

"She'll look out for you. You're family now. Maybe not what you usually think a family is, but it's one. And if anyone ever comes for you, if you ever find yourself completely outmatched and in over your head, she will be there. And what you once feared will seem like nothing more than a childhood scare. You will see true, undiluted terror, and be glad that you're on the right side of that horror."

"Wha..? What are you-"

"Or maybe you'll be lucky enough never to see that. But trust me, even on her good side, there are few beings in this world that you should fear as much as her. In a way, that is comforting. Either way, that is my answer. Now it's my turn! And this time my question is.."

"Do you truly believe everything Amalia tells you to be true?"

>"Of course she tells the truth! She wouldn't lie to me! Again.." [Truth?]
>"No. Not really. But I believe she'll tell me everything when she's ready." [Or maybe this is the truth?]
>"I.. I refuse to answer that question! It's a mean question just to try to get between Amalia and me! [Break the rules!]
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>828510
>Some of it, she's clear she's not ready to tell me everything and because of her father she lots of secrets, and hurts.

>>828510
>>"Of course she tells the truth! She wouldn't lie to me! Again.." [Truth?]

>>828510
>"Um, I know she's told me things that aren't true before. But now I think she tries really hard to tell me the truth! Even when she doesn't want to! So if she doesn't it must be for a reeeeeeally important reason!"

>>828510
Voting for >>828529

>>828510
>"Of course she tells the truth! She wouldn't lie to me! Again.." [Truth?]
She may be a bit secretive, but I don't think she's a liar.

>>828510
>"No. Not really. But I believe she'll tell me everything when she's ready." [Or maybe this is the truth?]
With what I've learned recently I trust that she will tell my whatever she hides from me when she is ready.

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4 out of 6 headvoices say Amalia is still not entirely truthful. But they also say that's okay.

>>828573
Hopefully she doesn't take offense! I'd hope she has thicker skin than that though since she just recently admitted to doing it.

>"No. Not really. But I believe she'll tell me everything when she's

>>828510
>Ask Amalia if she has been telling us the truth. Just relay whatever she answers!

>>828510
These questions.. First the one for Amalia, now this one. Why are they all about me and Amalia's friendship. Is it going to be like this every time? Maybe that's why Amalia wanted to stop? I definitely don't like it.. And I definitely see why chose to let me ask first. Now I have to answer, regardless of whether I want to or not. Maybe next time I should insist that she asks first.

It's a really mean question too. Amalia promised to try her best, and I know she definitely is doing that. But does that mean she's completely truthful now, even though just today she had admitted she had lied in the past. A lot. Can she really have turned around, just like that? In a single moment?

She's not really comfortable with it, that's obvious. Especially as she turns in response to hearing the question asked, only to be immediately told off by Lily.

"Nobody leaves until the game is over!"

She planned that. It's painfully obvious. This is just a game to her.

"I think she tries. I think she tries her very best to, because she promised me she would and I'm absolutely certain she meant it. But I don't think everything she says is true, not yet. But I accept that. Because I know that when she's ready, she'll tell me. I just have to trust her. If I didn't.. why should she trust me? I think that's simple."

"See, Amalia?" Lily says, taunting her. "That wasn't so bad at all, was it?"

She doesn't seem to pay any attention to that remark though, instead turning to me. "I'm done. Can we leave now?"

"No no!" Her words almost seem to throw Lily into a panic. "You can't leave now! It would be dangerous to go out on a night like this! I have a room you can stay in for the night. Perfectly safe, no pranks, I promise!"

Spend the night.. here? In this creepy.. this damp and icky dungeon? I'm not sure I prefer that to going out there. I know Cinnamon said it's dangerous this time of year, and now Lily is saying so too, but..?

"If we hurry we can grab the old hag's house," Amalia suggests. "Spend the night there."

That's.. also not the most comfortable option. Almost everything in the house is forbidden to non-witches, and if I let Amalia look at anything she shouldn't it'll be my responsibility. Can I be sure she won't sneak about after I fall asleep..?

But is it any worse than trying to walk all the way back home in the dark, during the supposed "monster season?"

>Accept Lily's offer to stay overnight.
>Rush to Mistress' house and sleep there.
>Brave the dark of night and return home, in spite of the danger.
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>828788
>Rush to Mistress' house and sleep there.

>>828788
>>Rush to Mistress' house and sleep there.

>>828788
>>Accept Lily's offer to stay overnight.
I want a bit of time with Lily while she is not in Prank-mode. Only if she promises that it has been enough pranks and tests for today, of course!

>>828788
Awawawawawawa
>Accept Lily's offer to stay overnight.
See, this way Amalia will stay and play nice because she has to make sure Nadja will be alright, instead of getting into trouble!

>>828788
>I think it'd be safer to stay here for the night, but if you insist we go to Mistress' house I'll go with you Amalia.

>>828788
>>Accept Lily's offer to stay overnight.

>>828788
>Rush to Mistress' house and sleep there.
Amalia knows that she can't look at anything, so it should be fine.

>>828822
Didn't she get kidnapped last time she wasn't supposed to go somewhere in Mistress' house?

>>828849
When? Lily kidnapped her while she was presumably sleeping.

>>828869
True.
Still, she has a history of snooping. Like back with the secret witch lair.

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4 against 3 in favor of staying at Lily's "place." You guys seem fond of close votes today. At least they're not ties, I suppose.

>>828849
>>828869
I'm sure nobody is going to try to kidnap Amalia anymore. More than three times in a lifetime would really just be ridiculous, don't you think?

>>828915
She does have a history of snooping, but she does know that she could get Nadja into serious trouble.

>>828920
I'm surprised, anons usually love ties!

>>828920

Mistress
>>828796
>>828808
>>828822

Lily
>>828812
>>828813
>>828818

Argue for Lily, but let Amalia decide
>>828815

>>828788
>Accept Lily's offer to stay overnight.
Tiebreaker?

>>828788
"I think it'll be safer to stay here, Amalia. Is that okay with you?"

She shrugs casually. "Don't mind. All done hating this witch. Anyone that tries to kill father can't be that bad."

"You don't mind? Then why did you suggest that we-"

"Figured you'd be scared."

"Wha-what? I'm not scared! Much!"

Again, she just shrugs and moves to follow as Lily silently begins leading us back into the fort's underground, though a different route than the one I originally took. Despite having questions, somehow I feel pressed to simply follow in silence. To not break the moment, as if it might disturb the current peace between the two of them.

Still, that's all she had to say? She doesn't hate her anymore? I suppose that is technically a compliment, but it may as well have been an insult. And that's enough to trust her, after the nasty tricks Lily pulled on her? Enough to forgive her, just after this brief exchange? There must be more to it. Something I've missed, some kind of unspoken understanding between the two of them. But how..?

A short while later - it's incredible how much smaller this place seems now, without the fear of the unknown danger that could lurk around the corner - we arrive at the small room Lily had promised. And it is surprisingly unscary. If it weren't underground it might even have been described as cozy.

"Used to be the captain's room." She begins to explain. "Has an actual bed and nightstand, even an actual mirror. I.. haven't cleaned it in a while, but that's a lot better than never having been cleaned at all, isn't it? You probably won't be needing the closet for just one night, but it's there if you do. And if you find his face as disagreeable as I do, feel free to take it down."

She's not wrong about the cleaning. Sure, there's plenty of dust to be had, but the stones of this room are barely even recognizable as being the same kind as those outside. The sickly greenish shade has been replaced with a neat shine reflecting the torchlight cast on it. Even the bedsheets, while a dull grey, look invitingly soft and comfortable. Though Amalia does not look pleased..

"Only one bed?" She asks, or rather grumbles.

"It's large enough for the two of you, isn't it? It's basically the only thing around here that doesn't come with all manner of bugs and diseases.."

"I'll take the floor." She declares immediately.

But she can't sleep on the floor! It's stone! It's cold and hard and uncomfortable and after all she's been through today she deserves a good bed!

>Try to convince her to share the bed. It's big enough!
>Insist that she takes the bed, I'll take the floor.
>Let her have her way. It's crazy, but I'm too tired to argue.
>Offer to head back to Mistress' house instead if it's a problem.
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>829128
>Try to convince her to share the bed. It's big enough!

>>829128
>Try to convince her to share the bed. It's big enough!
Silly FriendQM, making votes with only one option. Nadja would never miss an opportunity to unintentionally tease Amalia!

>>829128
>Try to convince her to share the bed. It's big enough!
We're both girls and best friends. If she doesn't sleep in the bed then we won't either.

>>829128
>Try to convince her to share the bed. It's big enough!
Amalia's so silly!
That's my cue to go sleep, thanks for writing Friend. It was fun!

>>829128
>Try to convince her to share the bed. It's big enough!

>>829128
>>Insist that she takes the bed, I'll take the floor.

>>829128
>>Try to convince her to share the bed. It's big enough!
I think we have reached consensus on this matter

>>829128
>Offer to head back to Mistress' house instead if it's a problem.
Stone floor is not suitable for sleeping, If she's going to insist, then it is better to brave the night.

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And... that's going to be another goodnight from me. Inspired by the last thread, I'm going to save the ending for tomorrow evening or possibly the day after tomorrow, depending on how Life(tm) works out. Until then, voting is open, questions are welcome and will probably be answered until the thread dies (I'll keep it in the thread watcher) and I'll let you know on twitter when the ending is ready so you don't have to lurk around here and be disappointed if it's not up yet.

I know this has been quite a short one, but I hope you've enjoyed it nonetheless. As always, thank you very much for playing, and good night!

Oh, and I do not have an ETA on the next thread yet. That will also be on twitter when I actually have one. See earlier excuse for this.

>>829168
Thanks for running Friend!

>>829168
Thanks for running. Night!

>>829168
Thanks for running!
Finally got one live/not-dead-yet

>>829168
Thanks for running.

>>829128
>>Try to convince her to share the bed. It's big enough!

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>>829140
>Silly FriendQM, making votes with only one option. Nadja would never miss an opportunity to unintentionally tease Amalia!

I thought it seemed reasonable to give you the option to not try to push Amalia even further out of her comfort zone than she has already been pushed today. Alas, it seems that is not to be.

It's not easy being Amalia.

>>830955
She pushes us to be stronger and we push her to be varmer. Eventually we'll meet on the middle.

>>831148
>Eventually we'll meet on the middle.
...of the bed, or?
Getting serious again, I don't see the problem pushing Amalia in this case. She's got silly hang-ups!

>>829168
The Witches Friend...I need them...tomorrow it is?

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>>832313
I am hoping to finish the ending tonight. My calendar says nobody is going to bother me, so I should actually have time to sit down and write. Sorry for the lack of update on the progress.

If fate is truly kind I'll even have time to trawl the boorus again for some new cute witches for the folder, Gotta keep that fresh now and then.

>>834496
Great news! May the cute witches come to you.

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Unfortunately going to have to delay by another day because sticking to plans is excruciatingly hard. Sorry to disappoint. But hey, at least we can trust /qst/ to not kill the thread anytime soon. That's a bright side, right? Right?

Anyway, have a blundering witch as compensation!

>>835142
"This soup is being difficult!"

>>835142
Awww, alright. Take care!

>>835142
We'll be here when you're ready to run.

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>>829128
"Amalia! That's just silly! You can't sleep on this floor! It's hard and cold and damp and you'll get sick and-"

"S'fine." She declares with determination. "I don't mind."

"No it's not fine! And I do mind because it's stupid! Ridiculous! There's no way you can sleep on a floor like this! And besides, look at that bed! It's huge! So why can't we just-"

"We're not children 'nymore. We already talked about this."

Ugh! So stubborn!

"No!"

"It makes no sense! We're not children anymore? It's a stupid argument! What's different? I'm not any different! You're not any different, either! We're still friends, the best friends! So give me one good reason, a real reason, not a stupid made-up reason!"

"I uh.. I.."

"Ohhh!" Lily suddenly coos playfully. "I see how it is! Heehee, I'll give you some privacy, then. I do have a smashed golem to piece together, and you seem to have something of your own to piece together, heehee!"

What a strange thing to say. If she knows what's bothering Amalia, why doesn't she just say it? And what is so funny for her to keep laughing so happily she can be heard in the distance even after shutting the door behind her.

Whatever it means though, it has turned Amalia's cheeks as red as Vala on a Summer's night. She won't even look at me, staring awkwardly at the corner of the room, desperately trying to hide her face, even turning away as I try to look at her. But why..?

"It's not.. It's not the same anymore."

"What!? What's not the same anymore!?"

"..Me."

"Oh! I get it now! I understand!"

"You.." She looks at me with strange eyes. Confused, embarrassed, but also hopeful. "You do?"

"Yeah! Of course! I'm not that stupid!"

I don't know why people always think I can't understand things like this! I'm not an idiot!

"It's about puberty, right? I know about that! It's completely normal and nothing to be ashamed of. Kerstin says so!"

"Wha-? That's not-"

"And besides, it's not like you're only one year older than me! We're basically the same, so you especially shouldn't be ashamed around me! In fact.. Look!"

She does look, for a moment only, then immediately turns her back on me as I pull down the top of my dress.

"See, it's starting for me too! It's not much yet, but it counts. So we're still the same and have nothing to hide from each other at all!"

"Do-don't do that!"

"Would you like to feel it?"

"STOP! Please!" She screams while holding her ears. "I'll sleep in the stupid bed, just please stop saying those.. those things!"

"Huh? Oh, uh, okay! Yay!"

Victory for friendship! She sure is unnecessarily shy about all this, though at least I talked her out of sleeping on that icky floor. And I get to sleep next to Amalia again!
She only hesitates a little as I grab her by the hand for a running leap into the big and bouncy bed. It takes a few bounces but eventually she seems to admit neither of us is that grown-up yet.

This is going to be a great night!

[End of Thread 31!]

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-

[Seal Break: 70/100]

-

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Annd there! Finally found the time to put together a proper ending for this one.

Sorry about the repeated delays, but really, you know how things go sometimes. For the moment, the next thread is planned for the weekend after the coming one, but we're hitting a busy period so it may get cancelled. Schedule updates will be on twitter, as always.

If you still want to talk about anything, ask about anything, or whatever else related to WAQ, I'll be watching this thread until it drops off the board.

Thank you for your patience and thank you for playing. See you next time!

>>838290
Thanks for running Friend.

>>838280
That's too cruel Nadja. Too cruel...

>>838282
>[Seal Break: 70/100]
That's also cruel!

Thanks for writing

>>838290
Thanks for the update! Man, poor Amalia.
>>838282
Wasn't it already at 70/100 from this update >>824627 ?

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>>838323
Absolutely right. Seal breaks are what happens when Seal drops low enough to unlock a new story. But it'd be troublesome to start having dreams while wide awake, don't you think? Sounds dangerous to me.

The last Seal Break was at 90 and the next after this one will be at ??. Please look forward to it!

>>838336
Worry.

>>838323
On the bright side, at least Amalia gets to cuddle with Nadja this way so it's bully with a good end!

>>838323
Yes.

>>838280
To be honest I'm vehemently opposed to the yuri route, but I like this spesific development.

>>838290
Thanks for running.

>>838282
>[Seal Break: 70/100]
It's going to be interesting to see what dark secrets are unlocked when we brake the seal.

>>838412
>To be honest I'm vehemently opposed to the yuri route
How unfortunate for you, since that's pretty much the only way it can go at this point.

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>>838412
>>839326
>To be honest I'm vehemently opposed to the yuri route, but I like this spesific development.

I'm glad to hear that, because quite honestly I don't particularly care about the end result. It's really not very interesting from my perspective. No matter how this all ends -- and it is NOT set yet just because there are no physical rivals -- I am a lot more interested in the unvoiced feelings as a mechanism for both Nadja and Amalia to develop as characters (and to engage in blatant yuri teasing and innuendo of course because it's fun) than what exactly they lead to.

And at the end of the day, they are just children on the edge of puberty. It's ALL about confusing feelings and building their future identities for them. That's what's interesting, at least to me, the clumsy and inexperienced exploration of self together AND not together.

>>840699
That's good I guess. I don't really care for the yuri myself.

>>840699
I'm just looking forward to the pretend familar Amalia

>>840699
Lap pillow when?