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>>1671049

For any new players:

Welcome to Gorgon Child Quest! Where-in you take up the role of a magical talking artifact being wielded by a young gorgon girl named Cici. Living out of the remains of a once great dungeon, the game will focus on exploration, character interaction, and learning as the voices of the players within the amulet help guide her along.

For news about quest updates, my twitter can be found here:
https://twitter.com/bananon_QM

And the archive can presently be found here:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=gorgon+child

>>1671049
>Try shapechanging again.

>>1671049
>Try shapechanging again.

How about a fairy like pixie?

>>1671049
>Go outside and socialize. Ask about what?
News of the world, of the kingdom and of the baronies and cities that they passed through while coming here, any potential problems we should try to head off.

>>1671309
We know about that stuff, kidnappers comming for Cici and a possible war, remember?

>>1671323
I mean other things like upsets to the local market and economy, how the harvests are likely to go, potential for increased taxes being levied, whether there are more groups of bandits we should hunt down, and potential wildlife threats.

>>1671362
Cici's mom is asleep and the people who arrived recently aren't locals.

Plus everything urgent was already talked about.

>>1671493
>and the people who arrived recently aren't locals.
That's why I'm asking them about the places they encountered on their way here, news that a local wouldn't have.

And it's precisely because Cass is asleep I want to talk about it with them; if she was awake she'd just worry more than if we prepared solutions for her in advance.

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>>1671295
>>1671304
>>1671049
>>1671309
>>1671493

Give me 1d100, if you would. Also, to be clear, are you trying to shape yourselves or a projected mass of mana?

Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>1671512

A projection, is not like we should mess with the bracelet shape.

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Rolled 88 (1d100)

>>1671049
Pic
>>1671512
Rollin. Supporting projection.

Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>1671512
Projection please

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>>1672105
>>1671716
>>1671631
>>1671512

> 88
The voices temporarily contemplate whether to speak to the people outside about current affairs in the world beyond their borders, but judging by the volume of empty bottles around their feet and the volume of their voices, maybe asking now wouldn’t yield a precisely accurate account. Instead, they take a moment away from the books and try once more to will a shaped mass of mana into existence.

The form is more complicated than anything they’ve attempted previously, the image of a small fey creature burning a clear image in their mental space before they begin trying to gather the mana that will fill it out in the waking world. However, it ends up being the latter rather than the former when they find their progress noticeably slowing, eventually dying down into a standstill.

Unlike before, their own image hovers there, solid and sure as a roiling ball of chaos can be, but as they mentally call out for additional mana, trying to access the channels they’d felt through Cici when she was helping them, they find only absence. Like trying to fly a kite with no sail, the wind simply isn’t there, nor can they summon it through any contest of willpower. Even reaching out to the surroundings for the natural mana that swirled around them yields nothing.

However, the introspection and effort does bare significant fruit in one essential way, and that’s in allowing them to feel the echoes running through their own collective of consciousness, like ripples through a still pond. They recall that for Cici when she channeled, it was like opening herself into the rivers of the world and allowing them to carry the magic for her in their currents.

Yet, when the voices try to open those channels for themselves, they become aware of it: a strange resistance holding the channel closed against them. Perplexed by this, they continue pressing against this limitation, harder and harder, until the runes that compose their conduit begin to glow with the resistance.

The runes: they realize, as instinctually as one would recognize an ailment in their own body, were the culprits. Perhaps this was one of the fail safes Cici’s grandfather had spoken of.

> Annoying, but maybe not insurmountable.
> Keep pushing, roll 1d100
> Or move on to something else, Write-in

Rolled 96 (1d100)

>>1672163
>> Keep pushing, roll 1d100

Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>1672163
>Keep pushing, roll 1d100

>>1672225
Yay!

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>>1672296
>>1672268
>>1672225
>>1672163

> 96

There were some things the voices just hadn’t spent much time considering since their awakening some months past: the exact composition of a quality meatloaf, whether Cici would continue to age at her current pace, and surprisingly, on the exact composition of the anchor which held them to this world.

After all, Brad had only ever really been concerned as to whether or not they were dangerous, and less on the specifics of what they could actually do, and at the time, that had been enough. Still, with dangers gathering all around, it might behoove them at this time to take stock of where the limits lay.

That process proves more natural than the voices might expect, the simple query and intent of focus on the bracelet itself causing their manifested form to collapse and the intricacies of the amulet to slowly unfold before their eyes. At least, it seems slow at first.

Like a flower slowly opening its petals, the beginning is small and sensible, intuitions of an anchor and an amulet being easy concepts to process, but as the voices search for more particulars in the segments that are serving to stem their efforts, the flow of information quickly becomes more complicated and abstract. Bits of data become mountains the deeper they dig, simple glyphs giving way to tapestries of runic spells all branching out from the same source and referencing other bits of data in complex ways, forming loops and circles and chains.

Their natural skill with linguistics ensures that they can read each individual piece as though it had been written in common speech, but the actual navigation is more like trying to solve a maze or puzzle, winding avenues meticulously spelling out complex wards of protection and creating avenues of utility in covert ways.

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>>1672660

For instance, it seems that the voices’ projection had been the result of subconsciously manipulating what appears to be an indicator protocol, something explicitly defined to allow resident spirits to guide the user in a visual way or produce small quantities of light as constrained by the magic explicitly allowed for their use.

In the end, that supply isn’t what one would call ‘generous’, and following that thread back to the source of those limits quickly reveals why.

Like a library unto itself, the glyphs limiting the use of little more than the magic needed to light a dry piece of paper on fire are telling, contracts of protection for the user: of their heart, body, and soul against the intentions of the presiding spirits, tell a story of every conceivable expected betrayal and the extreme labors undertaken by rune smiths to prevent them.

The voices spend a good amount of time analyzing these laws, probing and postulating over wordage, looking for a loophole. However, the more they investigate, the more they realize that it would be impossible to lift these restrictions on their own. No, they would require outside intervention and a mind for magic to change these things, but at least after their analysis, they are confident they know ‘how’ to change things, if not necessarily having the ability themselves.

> To investigate something else or to move on?
> Write-in

>>1672666
>Just use a loophole to create a darn Pixie already and pull magic from the air or something.

>>1672680
This.

>>1672666
Examine the protocols for shaping and assisting in the channeling of mana for the benefit of the user, and if the bracelet will allow for the storage of mana to be used by the wearer.

>>1672726
Or loophole this into helping with making a pixie that actually looks like a small winged female instead of a ball of light with wings.

After all Cici would like it, we cannot hard Cici aith it and so on.

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>>1672740
>>1672726
>>1672689
>>1672680

Give me another 1d100 while I write.

Also, sorry if I wasn't being clear. I assumed you were trying to create a shape other than your main projection. That was my mistake. Essentially, to be more explicit, the amulet lets you have a tiny bit of mana to make shapes and cast something like the world's worst mage hand. And it seems to be doing its best to make sure you don't have the ability to summon more without help.

Rolled 18 (1d100)

>>1672770

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>1672770

Rolled 35 (1d100)

>>1672770

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>1672770

Is vey annoying we got a 96 and we are still stuck pretending Cici is Link.

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>>1672809

No bully, please.

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>>1672891

The investigation continues as the voices look for more tools at their disposal, focusing on the rune for caster and following it down countless avenues of exploration. After all, helping was meant to be their essential function, and someone who had taken this much care to contain them must have had grand expectations for what they could do.

And sure enough, when the will of the caster becomes involved, the avenues of support become much more open, allowing them to help channel the user’s own magic, sharpen their focus, and manage channels from outside sources for so long as their host remains aware. There are also other tools of which the voices have become aware overtime, including the ability to form bridges between minds, transfer understanding, and seamlessly translate most forms of written or spoken language.

With proper unity, the voices might be able to transform an acolyte into an archmagi. At least that seemed to be the intention, if not simply enabling the user to chronicle knowledge and understanding from all corners of the earth. In any case, with no more specific target in mind for exploration at the moment, the voices decide to depart from their recesses and restore their awareness of the real world.

They do so in the glow of the morning sun, one barely seen from the darkened room where Cici is enjoying her last few hours of unconscious with Iris and Vivi. Cassandra can already be seen in the hall slithering toward the door past a couple of snoring lumps, giving them looks that promised a talking-to after breakfast.

The voices, for their part, decide to take a moment in catching up and focus on their current state of being. Spherical and simple, it requires only a minimum of concentration to maintain. At the same time, it isn’t precisely expressive, either, and that might create problems later on.

So, the voices pool their motivation, a great effort slowly sending a tendril shooting outside of one edge of the orb, a limp protrusion that slowly folds and stretches like putty until the form of an arm, hand, and fingers comes into existence. From one arm, there quickly comes another, one leg and then two shortly behind. Flattening the torso and head proves the harder part, divesting their view point from their center of mass a nauseating experiencing, but one they overcome as a neck and head sprout outward and a vaguely feminine form takes shape.

Gender was not precisely the most pressing matter at the moment, of course. That honor went to trying to hold this new and subtly unstable form in place. Like a rubber band, the voices can feel it, a tightness and all-encompassing pressure willing them to collapse back into a singularity, the very fringes of their existence eternally dissolving into raw mana and collapsing back into their form to give them a hazy, indistinct appearance. Still, perhaps in time, they would get used to it.

> Limbs!
> Now, to wait for Cici to wake up or go after her mother?
> Write-in

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>>1672895
>>1672891
>>1672809
>>1672805
>>1672798
>>1672777
>>1672770

Anyway, I should sleep. Tomorrow, I have DND, but if I can sneak in some early updates, I will. Otherwise, we'll be back on Monday.

Also, always have faith I'll give your ideas a fair shake and favor you above and beyond the dice. Pixie was already in the cards for the last update, so no need to get annoyed.

>>1672921
Is okay, is just annoys me that something merely cosmetic (we cannot touch, hold anything, eat, the form is basically sound snd a visual illusion) is so hard.

>>1672935
we just have to ask someone to slightly change the runes so we can actually make a body

>>1673583
also let's go bother snek mom!

>>1672895
Let's go find Casandra. She might have input into our new form.

>>1672921
Time to bother Cassandra!

>>1672895
> Limbs!
>>1672935
Humanoid bodies are pretty complicated.

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>>1672895
>>1673619
>>1673705
>>1673720

Children need their rest, and adults need people to talk to when children aren’t around. That rationale guides their actions as the voices attempt to flutter after Cassandra. In doing so, they have to take a moment to adjust against the lopsided pressure that tugs against their body, feeling almost dizzy for a moment before trailing after the early riser, who by the time they arrive is already frying eggs, her tail gripping the spatula almost absently as her hands press fresh juice.

“Hmm?”

In the end, the voices have to announce their presence to get Cassandra’s full attention, sending something like a mental cough her way before proudly fluttering toward her face.

“Well, that’s certainly different…” she comments, either too tired to act surprised or far too used to the abnormal. Either would be natural given her everyday life. “I presume you don’t have any new visions to discuss from Cici, or… Well, I hope not.”

She shakes her head, grabbing a fistful of herbs and tossing them down on the grill, slapping a generous portion of ground meat on top before letting her tail get to work mincing and mashing the mixture for her. With her hands thus freed, the famished chef takes a few quick bites of the breakfast she was making for everyone else, and waits for the voices to respond.

> Anything to report or ask about?
> Write-in

>>1674204
No, nothing to report.

>>1674269
we are just here for moral support...well we also kinda figured out some way to access to more power, but we can't actually so it by ourselves

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>>1674341
>>1674269
>>1674204

“I…” she starts with a mouth full of food, thinks better, and swallows. “I sincerely hope this power your looking to access is less dangerous than what I saw yesterday.”

Oh, right. That.

“Mind you, I won’t tell you not to try, but… Well, maybe find someone other than Cici to practice with until you have the hang of things. Rosie is most likely willing… and durable. Or is strength the issue? I’m afraid that I don’t quite understand.”

> Explanations?
> Write-in

>>1674575
It's more about mental fortitude and adaptability, as well actually being able to cast magic.

>>1674575
"Basically the safeguards on the bracelet prevent us from accessing more than a little magic unless an outside force allows us to act. Probably there because the creator(s) of the bracelet was/were concerned about us being dangerous.

By the way, it appears that the bracelet might have been intended to be some kind of sentient magical power-boost/focus/data storage/translator."

>>1674575
Eh, actually, stability, and someone with a little more technical magic knowledge would help.
We really just want to make a more stable avatar body at this point. the ball of light thing is cute, but its not the best for everything. moving pages by magic is well and good, but, honestly it would be a lot simpler if we could just make hands, you know?

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>>1674662
>>1674661
>>1674602
>>1674575

We'll pick back up tomorrow folks. I have a friend who had a family emergency come up. It's fairly grave.

>>1674987
Good luck, snek.

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>>1674662
>>1674661
>>1674602
>>1674575

“Well, there are spellcasters nearby, like Mina, Ms. Willow, Melody, and Queen Ashana nearby. There’s also the sheep triplets’ father,” Cassandra explains helpfully. “Honestly, if we keep going at this rate, I suspect we’ll be second only to Ashport in mages per capita.”

She doesn’t sound nearly as thrilled by that as you would expect.

“It’s probably safest to wait for Brad, though. He should be here in a couple of days. Hopefully by then, I’ll have this situation with annexation under control…”

She looks off into the distance with the last sentence, apparently tracking something that as yet is little more than a speck. Seconds later, it makes itself known as a form with bat-like wings and a feline body, one apparently struggling to stay afloat, wobbling to-and-fro with a rather large package dangled in its paws before coming to rest near the fire pit.

“Hello Jasmine,” Mama greets, looking slyly over to a small trout she’d already grilled and set aside. “Was that everything they had for me today?”

The cat just looks at her curiously for a moment, tail swishing side-to-side before she hops up on the cool edifice surrounding the fire pit and begins nuzzling at the hand dangling her prize.

“Uh-uh,” Mama corrects. “Sit.”

The cat places its rump on the floor.

“Now, paw.”

With twitching ears, again she complies.

“Good girl. Now…” The cat looks expectant as Cassandra pulls back the hand with the fish in it, launching it into the air. “Go get it!”

Like a lightning bolt, Jasmine is chasing after her reward, snatching it up in her jaws and doing a prompt turn-around before landing on a tower ledge overlooking the entryway.

> Huh. Guess she can learn tricks.

>>1678188
Well, lets wait for Brad then, he's the professional after all.

>>1678188
"Well, Lady Casandra, is there anything this humble subject could assist you with before his/her/its charge awakens?"

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>>1678188
>>1678215
>>1678332

The voices decide to wait for the enchanter as Cassandra bends down to try to figure out what manner of package Jasmine was carrying. With the stove top cleared and breakfast more or less ready, she simply shifts positions and begins tearing the brown paper off of the exterior.

Surprisingly, beneath the battered, not especially assuming paper and a ratty twine is a rather regal looking box: sleek, with a shiny metal lock, and a note taped on top.

“To the new baroness,” Cassandra reads after peeling off the note. “The alchemists’ guild of Ashport is thrilled to be able to provide its first service to you. We look forward to more opportunities in the future to do so again. As such, we’ve taken the liberty of enchanting this box with some useful additions.”

She keeps reading a few more lines in silence before subtly pressing an indentation near the lock: once, twice, and then again on the opposite side. With that series of clicks, the box then shrinks to little more than the size of a jewelry box.

“You’d think they would have done that beforehand,” she sighs.

Another combination, a mirror of the first, grows the box back to its original size, at which point Cassandra pulls a small silver key adhered to the note free and opens the lock.

It’s a curious sight for a moment as the gorgoness leans down and presses her arm within, plunging down to the shoulder and cursing the incompetence of wizards before returning upright with a groan, another package in hand.

“If it’s another box,” she swears, but doesn’t let that stop her from opening the parcel, one apparently containing an assortment of items that she deposits with care.

A soft white clay glistens in the morning light, her thumb leaving an indent before she produces a malformed root which to a careful eye might bear a resemblance to a sleeping toddler, a couple of gemstones, and odd sundries follow until, all inventory being accounted for, she places them back into the bag.

“Seems we finally have the golems’ pay,” she says with an air of satisfaction, moving to deposit the valuable cargo and new box inside.

“Good morning, Mama,” comes a soft call from around the corner.

“Good morning, sweetling,” the voices here. “You and the rest of the girls grab breakfast, and I’ll be along in a minute, okay?”

“Okay,” she murmurs, child and serpent hair alike yawning and stretching in the sunshine as they blink away the sudden bright. “Ah! Voices, you learned a new trick!”

> She seems excited
> Write-in

>>1678410
Show off for Cici.

>>1678410
"We have limbs now! And opposable thumbs! They may not be corporeal, but still!"

>>1678188
Wow, good job training the Manticore. I wasnt aware they were tamable.

>>1678410
We now have thumbs! NOW WE ARE GODS!

>>1678526
"Immaterial thumbs! The best kind!"

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>>1678546
>>1678526
>>1678489
>>1678482
>>1678448
>>1678410

“Thumbs are probably nice,” Cici agrees, looking at her own thumbs as the voices flaunt theirs. “Also, arms mean you can hug now, right?”

Cici makes the tell-tale motions to offer a hug, the voices fluttering in and doing their best to stretch arms around her neck before she gently closes her hands over them. It’s maybe too delicate to be a real hug, too disproportioned. There’s also the whole corporeality issue, but at the very least, the voices can feel Cici’s warmth before fluttering away. Seems by then, the other girls are already doling out breakfast for themselves.

“Ah, so you guys learned another new trick,” Vivi comments, impressed but clearly not as much as the younger girl.

She snorts at the claims of divinity.

“They have become as gods,” Iris agrees, voice strangely robotic and hands raised in an odd gesture before giggling to herself.

At least she gets it.

In any case, moments later, a bounty of eggs, hashbrowns, and meat are gathered on plates, the girls munching away enthusiastically as Cassandra slithers back into view with a groggy looking Mina behind her.

“Good… fuwaaaah… morning everyone…” she mumbles, going for the coffee. “I hope you all slept well.”

“Mhm!” Cici agrees. “I’m all ready to do lots of learning!”

“Well, good for you!” Mina applauds. “I doubt I’ll be teaching myself, today, but maybe I’ll sit in on some of your classes. How does that sound?”

“Neat!”

“Hmm…” Iris thinks to herself. “I suppose I did mean to give that whole school thing a try, didn’t I?”

“School is incredibly important, Iris,” Mama assures her, looking over as the voices take a moment to compliment her manticore taming skills. “Well, I wouldn’t call it taming exactly. I simply had something that she wanted, and she was willing to oblige me.”

Still, the look on her face hints a certain amount of pride as Din-Din, the decidedly still untrained rabbit nibbles on little bits of food Cici passes down to him. He had been basically stuck to her leg in the mornings and evenings since school had started, her absence during the day no doubt stressful for him.

> Well, the family is all assembled, if the voices need to get a word in
> Write-in

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>>1678592

The voices decide just to let everyone eat in peace, the children at any rate. Cassandra is too busy reading through a half dozen letters with the occasional furrow of her brow or gnashing of her teeth. She does sneak in the occasional bite, of course, but her hands are usually filled with paper or a quill rather than bacon as she furiously scribbles correspondences.

“My, a little early for all of that, isn’t it?” questions a pleasant drone from the edge of the clearing, the small lizard man emerging from the tree line without a sound before a bear cub comes crashing in after him.

“Uncle Yesh!” Cici calls excitedly. “We haven’t seen you in forever!”

“Hmm?” the short man questions. “It’s just been a couple of days, dear. Though, I suppose time has been flowing quickly, hasn’t it?”

“Mhm,” Cici agrees. “I’m gonna be all grown up, soon.”

“Tall enough to reach the second shelf, you mean?” Vivi’s tone is teasing as she pats the shorter girl on the head, eliciting some disgruntled flailing.

“You know, if we could teach you how to fly, height wouldn’t be an issue,” Iris points out.

“Then it would just be her falling out of the sky,” Vivi retorts.

Mama seems ready to say something to that, but stops as Yesh’s hand reaches her shoulder.

“She’ll be safe with the queen,” Yesh reminds her quietly, “and by the sound of things that wouldn’t be a bad place for her to be after school, anyway.”

“We could also drop her off with Guyus,” Mama points out, though she doesn’t seem too insistent. “Either way, she’d be near plenty of adults that could contact me if anything happens.”

> Did the voices want to weigh in on this?
> Write-in

>>1678850
"Guyus doesn't know magic. Probably. Does Guyus know magic?"

>>1678850
I think that Guyus would be a wonderful idea.

>>1678850
Learning to with the queen is probably best done now.
Don't worry, we'll make sure she runs and develops her body too. A strong body makes for a strong mind, and the Shaolin of the Dharma School professed, strenuous physical conditioning is the cornerstone of mental fortitude by developing focus.

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>>1679003
>>1678946
>>1678876
>>1678850

“I don’t think Uncle Guyus knows magic,” Cici says in response to the voices’ question, “but he does know lots about baking. An’ he said he needed help.”

Oh no. She’s giving you the puppy dog eyes, all thirty of them as the snakes dangling down her back presumably watch birds.

“Hmm? Did you have something you needed to ask the queen?” Uncle Yesh asks. “Or something you wanted to learn from her?”

“They did mention they had made some new discoveries,” Cassandra elaborates, “and there’s the matter of our guests visiting soon…”

“Ah, I see,” he notes.

[“If you wanted to make the trip alone, I could most likely escort you. Alternately, you could try to sway Cici, herself.”]

> Go with Cici
> Try to convince her to do magic lessons
> Leave Cici to study with the Queen for a day
> Write-in

>>1679051
>Go with Cici

>>1679051
>Leave Cici to study with the Queen for a day

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>>1679098
>>1679078
>>1679051

I might leave this one open for tonight, and let everyone vote to break the stalemate. Fair warning, I'm going in for a medical pre-screening, and I won't be allowed to eat tomorrow. Come evening time, I might be a little loopy or not quite up to running. We'll see.

>>1679051
>> Leave Cici to study with the Queen for a day

>>1679051
> Go with Cici

>>1679304
magic is importantt, we can go to guyus tomorrow

>>1678592
>“They have become as gods,” Iris agrees, voice strangely robotic and hands raised in an odd gesture before giggling to herself.
Is this a Nier:A reference?

>>1679051
>Go with Cici

I don't think a Baker would do much against trwiner warriors. Well there is the she wolf but she could take two Gorgons at most and that with using weapons.

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>>1679185
>>1679894

It is a mystery known only to Iris, anon.

>>1680324
>>1679429
>>1679374
>>1679304
>>1679098
>>1679078
>>1679051

Anyway, sorry folks. I'm running on empty and I've got a lot to do tomorrow. We'll pick up Wednesday evening provided the day as a whole doesn't melt my brain.

>>1680691
>It is a mystery known only to Iris, anon.
plz dont make the golems suicide in a misguided attemt at godhood

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>>1679051
>>1679078
>>1679098
>>1679304
>>1679374
>>1679429
>>1680324

The voices decide after some deliberation that leaving Cici alone is just asking for trouble, and so, with the day’s agenda settled, breakfast is quickly finished, Vivi offering a quick hug before flying off. The rest of the household departs not long after, the still snoozing oni, tiefling, and blonde knight notwithstanding.

As with most mornings, the sweltering heat of the day hasn’t quite settled in yet, a pleasantly chill breeze blowing through the morning air and giving everything a crisp feel as the light above gathers. Cassandra, for her part, does the best she can to name all of the farmers along the way to the lamia beside her, a surprisingly accurate list kept in her head, right down to the field hands already visible in the distant pastures.

Cici takes that same time to try to explain school to Iris.

“So, one woman talks while we pay attention, and then it’s time for lunch?” she questions, following along. “Then we come back for math lessons before breaking for some sports in the afternoon?”

“Mhm!” Cici agrees. “I might go help Uncle Guyus instead of sports today, though.”

“What about the after-school clubs, though?” Iris asks. “As I’ve been told, those are very important to determining your social status and getting the ‘sempais’ to notice you.”

“What’s a sempai?” Cici follows up.

“I’m not sure, but they sound delicious, don’t they?” Iris wipes a bit of drool from her lips. “I imagine that’s what the lunch money is for.”

“Lunch money?”

“Of course, as I understand it, physical altercations for sustenance are common in your average school setting. You just need to find street toughs willing to challenge you and then relieve them of said money to establish your dominance.”

“Stealing is bad…” Cici murmurs. “An’ you don’t want to get in trouble…”

> You can sense the work of other voices in this…
> Write-in

>>1684164
"Do we need to crush the other voices again?"

>>1684164
"Cici,that's not how school works around here. And yes stealing is bad."

>>1684164
"This isn't an anime, other voices.

'Sempai' is a Japanese word, a sort of title you refer to other people by, like 'Mr.,' 'Ms,' or 'Sir.' Specifically people you are close to. In stories this often means romantic interest.

In any case, this isn't Parasyte. No eating the sempais, even if it technically isn't cannibalism."

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>>1684380
>>1684278
>>1684248
>>1684164


“I’d prefer not to have the inside of my head ringing through the first day of classes,” Iris responds, as the voices offer to sort out the source of her misconceptions. “Besides, I think I get it now, but what to do for lunch…”

“I packed one for you and for Cici,” Mama answers simple, producing two bundles from a pouch at her waist, “and don’t let me hear anything about you bullying other students. Gods only know what sort of trouble that would cause.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Iris agrees, tone slightly deflated. “What if they start it, though?”

“You should tell the teacher,” Cici explains helpfully. “Like that time Davie tried to throw a rock at me an’ Clyde punched him in the face. They both got in real big trouble cuz of that.”

“Oh my.” There’s a faint, almost imperceptible flicker in Iris’ eye for a moment. “Well, that won’t do at all.”

“He said he was sorry, though,” Cici dismisses, “an’ now he sits with us at lunch. He’s really good at stick ball.”

“Not the end all, be all of redeeming qualities,” Iris complains, more to herself than anyone.

> Huh. Seems Cici had a busy day the one time the voices were away.
> It also seems like Iris might need a bit of coaching before she dives into her first day.
> Write-in

>>1684490
Let's coach Iris.

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>>1684517
>>1684505
>>1684490

Hmm. Double IP?

Doesn't really matter, but the main point is with that suggestion, feel free to say things to Iris you think she needs to know.

>>1684490
Let's teach Iris what not to say.

>>1684490
"Iris, do try to follow Cici's lead. She seems to be fitting in quite well, despite being a breed that is not common in the area. Perhaps try and engage the teacher prior to class. She had assessed the other students with a placement test prior to classes."

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>>1684600
>>1684593
>>1684578
>>1684573
>>1684517
>>1684505
>>1684490

The voices try to stick to the basics with Iris. Don’t steal, lie, disrespect the teacher, or assault the other students. They also mention that she may need to speak with the Ms. Willow to figure out her class placement.

“Also, the voices said you’re not supposed to listen to the voices while you’re at school,” Cici adds.

“Wait, I’m supposed to ignore you?” Iris asks, looking to the fluttering fairy. “That would make continuing this discussion rather difficult.”

“Uh-uh, not like that,” Cici corrects, shaking her head. It’s always kind of funny to see the snakes try to shake away their own dizziness after the fact. “You aren’t supposed to listen to your voices so you can learn lots on your own.”

“Well, that’s not precisely the easiest thing to do, now is it?” Iris asks, this time shaking her own head.

“Nope, but it’s important,” Cici insists. “If the voices go away, you have to know how to do it yourself.”

“I’m not precisely concerned with that eventuality, but…” She shrugs. “I suppose it’s worth a shot. Worst case scenario, I give myself an aneurism.”

“An aneur-what?” Cici asks.

“You know, somehow, I think you’ll fit in just fine in the advanced class,” Mina cuts in, looking over her shoulder to the beholder girl. “After all, you’ve got quite the vocabulary.”

Time would tell, but by now they are rounding over the hill to the school yard where students are already piling in. A hug and a goodbye kiss for each child, coupled with a longing look over her shoulder as she slithers away sees Cassandra on her way to the council building, no doubt. Hopefully today would prove easier than she anticipated.

> Now then, what role did the voices want to take up today?
> There’s the younger class being taught by Melody and the older class taught by Ms. Willow.
> Write-in

>>1684816
Lets stay with Iris so she doesn't cause trouble.

>>1684816
We go with Iris just in case?

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>>1684884
>>1684866
>>1684816

Figuring that Iris might need some additional supervision on her first day, the voices follow her and Cici into the advanced classroom, the class already mostly filed in as Ms. Willow writes on the board with a satisfied flourish. Iris’ arrival doesn’t seem to even so much as cause her to bat an eye as she flashes the girls a smile and nods to the pile of books on the desk which they’d be reading from this lesson. The rest of the class, however…

Well, there are a couple of sharp intakes of breath, but it doesn’t look like anyone is reaching for something to throw. For the most part they just appear anxious, apprehensive, though it says something as Cici waves at a few familiar faces and takes the older girl by the hand, a fair number of the children seem more at ease.

Children whisper conversations about the new girl as she passes, nothing strange, but speaking of new people to the class, there are a couple of other faces this week the voices do not quite recognize. One, a young boy in immaculate if impractical dress seems to have taken a very strong interest in the book in front of him, wedging his head in the fold of the book as the girls pass as though there is treasure buried inside. The girl next to him, seemingly in her teens is wearing what is unmistakably a maid uniform, one hand placed confidingly on the boy’s arm as he trembles.

Seems the young Richard Potly had finally made his way to school.

> Do the voices want to introduce themselves?
> Write-in

>>1685267
"Hello! We are an amalgam of consciousnesses known as 'the Voices.' Not that we're the only ones, but... Nice to meet you!"

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>>1685267
>>1685359

I think I'm going to call it here for today, folks. After an interview, a short night's sleep, and getting put under at the doctor's, I'm feeling a little run down. Tomorrow we'll be back.

>>1684380
>Specifically people you are close to
This is blatantly wrong, though. It's to refer to someone who has been in a given hierarchy longer than you, with the expectation that the sempai provides guidance while the kohai follows their orders.

>>1685267
"Hello there, Mr. Potly. We are the Voices, a collection of consciousnesses contained within an ancient device. And who would this young girl be?"

>>1685267
Cici go and say hello.

>>1686177
Sorry.

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>>1685359
>>1686180
>>1686275
>>1685267

“M-m-mary!” the boy stammers nervously, refusing to let his eyes leave the book as the voices introduce themselves. “I-It’s talking to me!”

“Now, now,” the girl soothes, a warm smile on her face. “There’s no need to be afraid, Master Richard. As I understand it, this is just one of the baroness’ child’s little pets. I’m certain they don’t mean you any harm.”

The boy’s head quivers slightly as he turns himself from his pages, eyes widening and mouth slightly agape as he notices the luminescent fairy hovering above him.

“U-um, hi…” he murmurs quietly, running a hand through his reddish blonde hair as he realizes the book had mussed it.

“You’ll have to forgive him,” the girl apologizes, smoothing her own hair backward over one ear revealing its pointed tip. “The mistress of the house has kept him at her side so long these open settings prove stressful for him. I assure you, he’ll be no trouble.”

> So a young noble and his elven caretaker, interesting.
> Anything else to say?
> Write-in

>>1687609
"Not a pet. Bound entity/entities from another reality/realities."

>>1687609
Most pets don't help with the caretaking of their charges wellbeing, my dear. Think of us more as a caretaker like yourself, albeit one made up of various spirits.

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>>1687609
>>1687685
>>1687732

“Well, it seems the descriptions I was given were in error,” she explains, her ears twitching slightly. “My apologies. I meant no disrespect.”

With class starting soon, the voices decide to accept her apology at that, hovering toward the front of the room as the teacher straightens up and begins to clear her throat.

“Good morning, class,” she begins. “As many of you may have noticed, we have new students her today. There are young Richard and Mary here in the front row, and Iris in the back. I trust that all of you will make them feel welcomed even if they couldn’t join us for the first week of classes.”

There’s a vague murmur that may or may not equate to ascent, but the teacher doesn’t let that slow her down.

“Now then, we’ll continue reading through Archimedes’ Bonfire, Chapter 7, just like last time. Please open your books to page 55, and we’ll begin.”

The rest of the lesson passes more or less like the ones last weeks, the students getting up in turns to read (with Ms. Willow overlooking the new arrivals) before they move on to writing and grammar. All in all, it’s uneventful, peaceful, and with a lack of uproar coming from across the hall, it seems all is going well.

Granted, some students leave around lunch, some to be back, others not. There are less of those than last week at least. The question is how the voices want to spend their lunch hour. With the teachers just inside and Cassandra perhaps not too far away, there are certainly options.

> Write-in

>>1687886
We could see what Iris thinks of school so far.

>>1687886
Check how the newest students are feeling about school.

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>>1687886
>>1687923
>>1688066

Looking around the crowd, it isn’t hard to spot Iris. Consciously or no, people are still giving her a wide berth, something she doesn’t seem to pay much attention to as she follows Cici to the usual seat where Clyde, Katy, Hannah, and the rest of the gang await her, the rest of the gang now suspiciously including the person that almost pegged Cici with a rock on the first day.

Looking for the remaining pair of new students proves a bit trickier, their eyes scanning once or twice over the throng of students before seeing the duo walking toward the road and a carriage already waiting for them.

> To go after them or not?
> Write-in

>>1688113
Politely ask them if they'd like to join us for lunch with our wards and their friends.

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>>1688170
>>1688113

The voices decide to hover over to make a counterproposal, stopping them just short of the steps.

“Huh?” Richard questions, turning around to face them. “I-I’m very sorry, but Mother wants me home for lunch.”

“Aye, those’d be my orders,” confirms a squirrely looking man in the driver’s seat, his accent thick as his sideburns. “J’st about defeats the point, though, if’n ye were to ask me.”

“The lady of the house sent him to learn,” Mary reminds him in a serious tone. “I don’t see how that…”

“Aye! Ye don’t see!” he agrees, cutting her off with a snort. “Cuz if ye see’d, ye see, yon school yard tain’t just for teachin’ ye wee lick-spittles how ta learn yer letters. It teaches ye how to deal with people all proper like. So tell me boy-o, how many friends ye made today while shakin’ like a damn leaf?”

“I…”

“You should watch your tone,” Mary says gravely.

“Ha! I ain’t paid ta watch muh tone, I’m paid ta watch the lad. So? Come on an’ speak up lad! Ye meet a sweetheart, a mate or five what’ll look past the frilly girl clothes yer Ma stuck ye in?”

“Um, I…” He shakes his head.

“Well, then, I’ve got a trout and cress sandwich that’ll do fer a lunch if’n yer wanting to fix that.”

“And what about for me?” Mary asks. “Or his mother?”

“Well,” he says, patting the carriage. “Ye can stick around here on an empty stomach with the lad or ye can ride along for a show when I go ta explain that.”

“Will,” she sighs, not moving an inch. “Do you want to get yourself fired?”

“Fired? Nah. A sandwich would be nice, but I’ve got my priorities a rod an’ this arsehole to tow me ta another hole, don’t I?”

“I don’t know about this…” Richard murmurs.

> Feel free to weigh in.
> Write-in

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>>1688458

Or not. Goodnight again folks.

>>1688458
"Mary, could you convey to your mistress the importance of building rapport with one's peers? Were simple education a priority to monied individuals, tutors and private study are by far the superior to generalized schooling. Perhaps propose that on the morrow, your charge be sent along with luncheon provisions. That way he could make acquaintances. Also, less ornate, more rugged clothing might be more appropriate, given the agrarian nature of the the area and its residents."

>>1688609
I can go with this. Especially since there's the chance that he'd come in with his own personal chef who'd make it right at the picnic table.

>>1688458
As abrasive as the man's language, he makes a good point. The boy is currently weak-willed, his ability to cope with social pressures, emotional distress, and mental strain as underdeveloped as his physical attributes.

Since we don't have an Elder or neural simulation equipment to graft on the needed "thick skin", so to speak, we'll have to develop his social skills and emotional coping mechanisms the old fashioned way.

I believe you should let Will bear the brunt of the lady's ire. You have a far more important function of helping young Richard catch up to the average for humans of his age.

>>1688458
Qhile he could be more polite, he is right.

>>1688458
"He has to learn the people stuff eventually, right?"

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>>1689303
>>1689146
>>1688943
>>1688623
>>1688609
>>1688458

“Ugh,” the elf sighs, rubbing her forehead. “Well, since Will is such a glutton for punishment, it honestly comes down to you, young Master. Would you like to spend more time with your classmates, or would you like to go home to your mother?”

“I… I don’t know…” he admits sheepishly.

“Well, guess that’d leave me as the tie breaker then,” the man sighs, scratching his chin. “Yer stayin’ an’ I’ll be back come the afternoon if I’ve a hide left to tan.”

The boy gives him a long, sad look.

“Ha! It’ll take more’n yer Ma to skin this cat. Her mudder didn’t manage it neither, for all her bark. ‘Sides, yer Gran left this un tenure.”

He gives a laugh that turns into a cough, a wheezing, rattling thing he cures with a swig from a flask.

“Now, then, ye make yerself some friends, ay? They’ll serve ye better than a sack o’ cash e’er will.”

With that, the man is on his way, the duo hovering there a long moment to watch him go.

“He’ll be shoveling the stables for a month after this,” Mary prophesizes.

“He’ll probably enjoy it,” Richard adds.

Regardless of what may hang in the future, the two follow the voices to the ever growing throng surrounding Cici’s table, or rather the two tables that Cici’s group has stuck together to accommodate them all. As is, the sheep triplets hang off one edge, munching away at their whole grains, Mary eventually dragging a bench to the other edge to accommodate her and Richard.

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>>1690334

“Hi!” Cici greets immediately to the boy looking down in his lap and the maid surveying the table. “Are you guys enjoying your first day?”

“We’ve been settling in,” Mary answers for them both. “It’s certainly a change of pace from our normal day-to-day.”

“A shy bit different from mansion life, I’d wager,” a scruffy youth notes, something in his tone and the thick tufts of fuzz on the side of his face reminding the voices of the wagon driver. “Well, settle yerselves in and get ready to deal with these ugly mugs an’ we’ll be square.”

“I don’t see any mugs,” Iris says, looking around with comical exaggeration.

“Or me,” Cici adds innocently.

“Or me! Or me! Me neither!” echo the triplets.

“Wha- It’s a figure a’- It’s a figure a’- It’s a sayin’s all, ye daft ninnies!”

“What’s a ninny?” Cici asks.

“Yer a ninny, ye ninny!” Davie quips, getting a smack upside the back of his head from Clyde. That seems to straighten him out. “Eh. Anyhow, what’s all this nonsense ‘bout ye seein’ the future?”

“I don’t know,” Cici admits. “I just have weird dreams sometimes an’ so Grandma is coming to visit.”

“That’s putting it lightly,” Iris murmurs.

“It’s okay, though,” Cici assures her, kicking her legs idly. “They aren’t gonna be here until next week, anyway.”

“An’ how in blue blazes do ye know that?”

“Cuz their wagon is gonna break a wheel,” Cici answers as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “An’ then they’re gonna get real mad an’ have to drag it a long way.”

The voices see something like a replay in Cici’s mind of the events to come, the gorgon and medusa yelling at a hapless shopkeep, exhausted as they are from the heat. A red face, a slammed door, and then a mile or more of road between them and the next blacksmith.

“Alright, then. Well, how ‘bout ye put that fortune tellin’ to work on present company?” Davie questions, stretching out his palm.

> Huh. Well this could be interesting… or terrible. Advice?
> Write-in

>>1690343
"Oh kids, the future is coming to you soon enough. Don't worry about it for now. Try to enjoy childhood while you can.

>>1690343
Bad idea.

>>1690343
"It probably wouldn't hurt. Pretty sure Cici doesn't do palm reading, though."

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>>1690435
>>1690413
>>1690405
>>1690343

The voices decide it might be prudent to ward Cici away from fortune telling for fun.

“Okay voices, I won’t do it,” she agrees reluctantly.

“Ye know, if I didn’t know better, I’d say ye were tellin’ a fib,” Davey accuses from across the table. “Tain’t a thing ye should be doin’.”

“But I’m not fibbing!” Cici objects. “The voices just said-”

“Ye know-“ Davey gets another swat to the back of his head, this time from Hannah.

“She’s got magic, Davey, and she’s not going to lie to impress someone like you.”

She sticks out her tongue and pulls on one eyelid in a very un-ladylike fashion.

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with me,” he insists, his nose crinkling with irritation.

“Says you,” Katy retorts with a milk mustache.

“Beeeh! He did say that!” one of the triplets chuckles (Juno, if you aren’t mistaken).

Either way, the other two immediately begin bleating their joy at what to them must seem like a funny joke before Barbra sneaks up behind them and finds an excuse to begin straightening their overalls.

“Hey, cut it out!” Juno demands. “I’m not dirty, yet!”

“One of your straps came undone,” the older girl insists, “and you shouldn’t laugh at other people, you little trouble maker.”

“Nnnn!” she continues to protest, but it gets her nowhere. Soon she is as tidy as they come.

> Anything the voices wanted to add to the discussion?
> Write-in

>>1690996
"So what's you guys favorite food?"

>>1690996
What games do you like playing?

>>1690996
Don't listen to adults who tell you to enjoy your childhood. They can only say that because they don't have the regret of having played away their childhoods leaving them unprepared for a working life.

>>1691281
Wrong, have fun as a child. As an adult is not the same.

>>1691324
You'll only regret having wasted your time in childhood later in life, Cici, rather than having applied yourself.

>>1691588
I have to say enjoy it while you have the opportunity. You get more time as an adult than you do as a kid.

>>1691281
>>1691324
>>1691588
>>1691642
"Cici, just do what you think is best and you'll probably be fine. It's been working so far, right?"

>>1691642
And you'll end up regretting not having prepared as a child, Cici.
Ask your mother, your grandfather, any of the adults in your life that have a trade or profession, how much effort they had to put in when they were young to be as good as they are now.

>>1691758
Something happened in your life that sucked omega hard, huh?

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>>1690996
>>1691109
>>1691181
>>1691281
>>1691688

“That’s what my mom says all the time,” Richard laughs nervously, as the voices war amongst themselves over misspent youth. “Come now, Richard, you’ll have the run of the family, someday. No time to rustle hogs or play with the chefs.”

“Well, she’s right,” Mary begins. “You’re going to-“

“Nuh-uh!” Cici objects. “You can learn lots all sorts of places, like with Uncle Guyus or Uncle Yesh an’ still make time for school, even if you don’t get to take lots of naps!”

“I don’t know who either of those people are,” Mary points out, “and does a girl your age still take naps?”

“She’s four,” Danny clarifies, ears twitching as he raises his head from the table.

“An’ a half!” Cici insists.

“Personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with naps at any age,” Iris says.

“And how old are you?” the elf demands.

“Don’t know. Lived most of my life underground.”

“Ha, a right motley bunch, ain’t we?”

The table devolves into bickering, each side of the table arguing their points until a slightly louder voice cuts through the fog.

“Children,” Melody sighs, striking an imperious figure at her minimal height. “What precisely is going on here?”

“See, that’s what happens when you don’t take enough naps,” Juno confirms, a triplet to either side nodding as she points to Melody.

And like that, everyone can find a point to agree on, a brace of giggling leaving the half-elven mage red eared and flushed as she tries to piece together what’s going on.

--

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>>1691795

The rest of the afternoon from there is boiler plate as these things go, Richard, Mary, and Iris joining in with the class this time as they mark their mathematics on paper and board with the rest of them. Then, when heads are nodding and eyes drooping, it’s time for sports.

Unfortunately, Mary isn’t as easily swayed with sports as she was with lunch, the elf giving the voices a hard lip and hands on hips when they suggest the young master could benefit from a dirt bath or twelve. Seems she might take a while coming around, honestly, but the voices rest assured in the fact that time is on their side.

For today, at least, Cici has places to be, walking on her lonesome over the hill and along the familiar avenues into town as Iris slams what must be a home run, the young gorgon savoring the growing smell of sweets until she is once again at the doorstep of Guyus’ sweets shop.

“Well, would you look what the cat dragged in?” the old man chuckles from behind the counter as a ringing fills his shop. “Ye ready to get your hands dirty?”

“Mhm,” Cici confirms with a wide, still slightly snaggle-toothed smile. “I wanna learn lots today!”

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>>1691800

And I think that's where we'll end it for this week folks. I'm about to be in moving hell for a little while, but here's hoping next week, we'll be running again. In the meantime, hope you all enjoyed.

Feel free to leave feedback down below.

>>1691816
Thanks, bananon!

>>1691816
Is the bunny that big or Cici that small?

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>>1692137

Yes. More seriously, Din-Din is a very large rabbit, and Cici is petite. I think this Halloween art best captures the size differential though.

>>1691816
Thanks for writing.