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>>2226857
What do you do?

>“I’m going home if only one of you fine ladies help me go there.” Well, your real job here is done, you don’t need to witness everything that happens here first hand. And why not have some company with you while you're at it? :^)
>“No, it’s okay, I would like to visit Constance too…” Imagine the wacky things you have already missed! You can’t let this opportunity go to waste! Especially knowing the
>“Why are you two trying to kick me out of here? So… I’m staying anyway.” Make a joke about it. Try to chat with Philonune to keep yourself awake and totally not tired!
>Write In.

------

Information:

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Votes:

Votes are counted until 20 minutes have passed. This rule doesn't apply to the last reply of the day.
Votes that require a dice roll are counted until 10 minutes have passed.

Dice Mechanic:

I use the average (the mean) of the 3 best rolls and success will be determined by the difficulty I specify for the action or prompt. If there are less than 3 rolls I’ll do the math with the ones I have.
Above 45 is a success on a normal roll. Above 55 is a success on a hard roll. The hardest rolls I won’t specify because I find it more fun if I don’t.
We will roll after the voting is done.

>>2226859
>“No, it’s okay, I would like to visit Constance too…” Imagine the wacky things you have already missed! You can’t let this opportunity go to waste! Especially knowing the

>>2226859
>“No, it’s okay, I would like to visit Constance too…” Imagine the wacky things you have already missed! You can’t let this opportunity go to waste!

>>2226859
>>“No, it’s okay, I would like to visit Constance too…” Imagine the wacky things you have already missed! You can’t let this opportunity go to waste!

>>2226859
>“No, it’s okay, I would like to visit Constance too…” Imagine the wacky things you have already missed! You can’t let this opportunity go to waste!

When do we get to touch ucceli boobs?

>>2226983
>Her/Ando's birthday
>Valentine's Day
>Chrismas
These are your best bets

>>2226859
>“No, it’s okay, I would like to visit Constance too…” Imagine the wacky things you have already missed! You can’t let this opportunity go to waste! Especially knowing the

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“No, it’s okay, I would like to visit Constance too…” She barely has had any screen time at all, cooped up in the clinic all the time. Besides, drama is fun to watch, and you need some fun after all the fighting you did today!
“Don’t push yourself too much, okay?” Uccelli seems concerned. That's your girl!
“We’re in a god damn clinic, I’ll be fine.” You shush her concerns. She glares back as an answer. “Your kinky glare is not going to work this time.”
“W-what?!” Uccelli seems embarrassed that you're actually saying that aloud. Level 3 courage!
“You're a weird guy, you know that?” Lise replies stoically as she walks inside the medical facility. The two of you soon follow, Uccelli still a little struck by what you said.

In the reception you find the gang! Amelia, Bradford and Osgood, sitting on the usual waiting room chairs looking really bored!

“Johnny!” Amelia seems glad to see you. But you feel a strange air of negativity and apprehension in the room.
“You guys made it, good.” Bradford says. Why is he acting like he’s part of the group or something? Maybe this attitude is the reason Lise seems to not stand this guy…
“About time.” Osgood says, it appears he was patched up by Calamity. “Dr. Calamity is checking on your parents, Lise. He’s in that room, we already ‘cleansed them from the evils of demonic possession’ so to speak.” He says this in a bored deadpan.
“T-thanks… If you'll excuse me, I’ll go check on them.” Lise says as she quickly scatters to the room Osgood pointed at.
“Take your time.” Uccelli calls out to the troubled girl.

As soon as Lise leaves the room, the conversation spikes between your group.

“Are they really okay?” Uccelli asks immediately, eyes narrowed. Looks like she caught on.
“No… Not really. We kind of fucked up.” Osgood replies bluntly.
“…” Amelia stares at the ground. “B-but it’s really not our fault.”
“How come?" You ask. This isn't what were expecting when you came here.
“Lemme just say that we didn’t have absolutely no clue something like this would happen.” Osgood is trying to protect his ass with double negatives.
“…I did tell you to wait for the rest.” Amelia seems kind of mad.
“You’re getting me worried here.” You can’t help but say so.
“A-anyway, I’ll explain.” Bradford wants to be relevant to the conversation. “We had to make a hard decision, but… The judge told us that if we get rid of their partners, they won’t wake up until the ‘games’ are over. So we couldn’t risk the chance for one of them to wake up and retaliate, so we asked her to take them away immediately.”
“…The fuck?” She never mentioned something like that! In fact, you've done this multiple times now with multiple people, and nothing's ever gone wrong!
“The judge. The little girl’s demon. She said that.”

[1/2]

>>2227199

“That doesn’t add up. That never happened before and we did that three times now or more. Even to the same guy, TWICE!” You reply while sounding extremely annoyed, being riled up while you're this tired. God dang it, Barry – You keep fucking up!

“Y-you think she lied to us…?” Amelia raises her gaze to look at you with a pinch of hope.
“Something fishy is going on here.”
“Maybe we should talk to her. Her entity.” Uccelli suggests. Her expression is hard for you to read.

What do you do?

>Go talk to Athelone directly and ask for a better explanation! There's something going on here that you aren't being told about.
>Maybe you’re reading too much into this and Athelone has nothing to do with this! Trust your friend and let her be!
>“Tell me exactly what she said.” Ask the group for a better explanation before going in. Maybe they left out a detail by accident?
>Write In.

>>2227206
>Go talk to Athelone directly and ask for a better explanation! There's something going on here that you aren't being told about.
This bitch is hiding shit from us, no doubt.

>>2227206
>“Tell me exactly what she said.” Ask the group for a better explanation before going in. Maybe they left out a detail by accident?

>>2227206
>Go talk to Athelone directly and ask for a better explanation! There's something going on here that you aren't being told about.

>>2227206
>Go talk to Athelone directly and ask for a better explanation! There's something going on here that you aren't being told about.
No need to be rude about it, just hear it first hand.

>>2227206
>Go talk to Athelone directly and ask for a better explanation! There's something going on here that you aren't being told about.

>>2227206
>>Go talk to Athelone directly and ask for a better explanation! There's something going on here that you aren't being told about.
Then afterwards, lets talk to Constance. Cause we have been neglecting her and our job.

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“Yes, we should.” You can also take the chance to say hi to little Constance too, so it’s a win-win in a sense.
“We'll see you guys in a second. But in the meantime, you can discuss which of you is going to tell Lise about what happened to her parents.” You say that last part while glaring at them.
The three of them stare at each other sweating, you've give them a burden you have no idea they can handle… Anyway, let’s get things cleared up! You go inside Constance’s room with Uccelli by your side. The petite girl is staring at nothing, but when she sees you her eye opens wide and she says:

“Johnny! I thought you weren’t going to come! Miss Uccelli is here too!” She exudes so much happiness it kind of hurts. She had issues with her parents too, but different from you. You were just like her, once. You quickly dispel that line of thinking and put on a smile.
“Hey, how have you been?”
“I-I’m fine!”
“We’re glad to hear that.” Uccelli quickly sits on the bed.
“I f-finished your book.” She shows you the book you bought, though you have no idea what’s about.
“That’s great. Did you enjoy it?” You’re genuinely happy for some odd reason. The tension you felt before almost vanishes, but…
“Yes!” She nods slowly.
“Good.” You nod back, still smiling. It's genuine this time, though.
“You came to talk to Athelone, right?” Constance read you like the book you gave her!
“Yeah I did. You're one sharp little girl, you know that?”
“Hee hee… Thanks.” She seems a bit embarrassed, blushing. Constance takes off the bandages calling for Athelone, and the judge appears!

“Greetings, Johnny and Nina.” Athelone appears and talks almost sarcastically, eyes narrowed in a mixture of subtle superiority and grudging acceptance of your presence - nothing out of the ordinary, really! “So I’m going to assume you've heard the bad news…”
“Athelone, treat them better, they're my friends.” Constance looks a bit mad.
“Fine then, master…” Athelone sighs almost dismissively. “My mistake.”
“Yeah, what’s up with that? Why will they in a coma?”
“It's a precautionary measure I had to take with those who want to interfere in our game. Earlier in the day you received a message from us, I assume. I mean as judges.”
“Yeah, the new ability the app has, correct?” Uccelli says, pulling out her phone and looking at it.

[1/2]

>>2227582

“Indeed. I didn’t think you humans were so cunning as to learn how to get a partner without the usual process. Like human weapons, this is now completely banned. And obviously, everyone who obtains one with this method cannot win our games… But more importantly, I refuse to let cheaters get away with such acts without proper punishment. At the end of the day, I’ll call a judge meeting and the information will be delivered to the remaining participants." Athelone explains all this matter-of-factly, but when she talks about cheating her voice becomes almost disgusted, like if a person stepped in something unsavory.

“I didn’t know Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Danforth were so naughty.” Constance says, eyes wide.
“Indeed, and my mission is to punish those who are naughty, little girl.” Athelone tells to Constance in a sweet tone. “You didn’t think I didn’t do the same thing to the ones who tried to capture my little princess here?” She bends down and rubs one of Constance's cheeks while closing her eyes. Constance starts smiling just like the little kid she is.
“…” Uccelli doesn’t seem to buy it completely.
“Is anything else you want to talk about?” Athelone asks, bending back up and looking at you two. Her voice doesn't seem as hostile or condescending now.

How do you respond?

>“Nah, I’m good. I’m going to pass some time with Constance though.” Sounds plausible enough, at least it’s not getting out of control. Time to cheer Constance up!
>“Could you wake them up this one time? Not Barry though.” Make this an exception. Lise has already been through enough shit, she deserves something good to happen.
>“I feel like you’re hiding something else.” Something still doesn’t add up here, even with that explanation… But you aren’t sure of what! Question her further right here, everyone else being in the building should be enough pressure.
>“Can you call me in my sleep or something? I think we can have a more relaxed talk there. ” Whatever truth she's hiding, she obviously doesn’t want to tell in front of Constance. This is one way to smooth things over. For now.
>Write In.

[2/2]

>>2227587
>>“Nah, I’m good. I’m going to pass some time with Constance though.” Sounds plausible enough, at least it’s not getting out of control. Time to cheer Constance up!

>>2227587
>“Nah, I’m good. I’m going to pass some time with Constance though.” Sounds plausible enough, at least it’s not getting out of control. Time to cheer Constance up!
>“Can you call me in my sleep or something? I think we can have a more relaxed talk there. ” Whatever truth she's hiding, she obviously doesn’t want to tell in front of Constance. This is one way to smooth things over. For now.

>>2227587
>>“Can you call me in my sleep or something? I think we can have a more relaxed talk there. ” Whatever truth she's hiding, she obviously doesn’t want to tell in front of Constance. This is one way to smooth things over. For now.

>>2227587
>“Nah, I’m good. I’m going to pass some time with Constance though.” Sounds plausible enough, at least it’s not getting out of control. Time to cheer Constance up!
>“Can you call me in my sleep or something? I think we can have a more relaxed talk there. ” Whatever truth she's hiding, she obviously doesn’t want to tell in front of Constance. This is one way to smooth things over. For now.

>>2227587
>>“Nah, I’m good. I’m going to pass some time with Constance though.” Sounds plausible enough, at least it’s not getting out of control. Time to cheer Constance up!
IT'S PLAY TIME BITCH.

>>2227587
>>“Nah, I’m good. I’m going to pass some time with Constance though.” Sounds plausible enough, at least it’s not getting out of control. Time to cheer Constance up!

>>2227587
>“Nah, I’m good. I’m going to pass some time with Constance though.” Sounds plausible enough, at least it’s not getting out of control. Time to cheer Constance up!
>“Can you call me in my sleep or something? I think we can have a more relaxed talk there. ” Whatever truth she's hiding, she obviously doesn’t want to tell in front of Constance. This is one way to smooth things over. For now.

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“Nah, I’m good. I’m going to pass some time with Constance though.” You tell the demon judge. Constance is basically all sunshine and rainbows now. “One thing, can you call me in my sleep or something? I still have some questions and I think we can have a more relaxed talk there.”
“Yes, I guess there is no reason to decline. Now farewell, and make my little princess happy. Or else…” She goes back to flame form and Constance puts back on her bandages.

You two are left with Constance.

“Do you want me to call Amelia too? I think us four can have fun for a while.” You tell the little mummy. She's starting to cheer you back up after that 'talk' with Athelone.
“Alright!” She’s too happy to say no.

You go outside the room and find the three of them playing a triple rock-paper-scissors game… They keep tieing and tieing..

“What’s going on…?”
“We’re deciding who is going to tell Lise about what happened to her parents. What does it look like?” Amelia says, deadpan.
“I told them a bunch of times we have to change the game. They're just too into it… and now so am I…” The fatso feels like he’s trapped.
“I know you, you fat cheater. We’re playing a game that’s fair and square. Leave that shit to poker night.” Osgood retorts, while drawing with them yet again.
“My arm's starting to hurt…” Amelia sounds sad with herself and disappointed with the others, both at the same time.
“Hey I broke mine, you know? I'm one over you.” A salty Osgood replies. "Now shut up and keep playing."
“You’re no fun to play with.” Amelia tells Osgood, starting to frown.
“Anyway, we’re kinda busy…” Bradford says while the three of them continue playing, extremely focused. “Don't look at me like that! I don't want to do it because that girl has a huge temper!” Bradford points at Amelia and looks apprehensive, while you just glare at him.
“But I need Amelia.”
“You can take her if she delivers the bad news first.” Osgood says, tieing again.
“You’re making the middle-schooler deliver the bad news? That's a new low, Gaumont.” Bradford wants to stand on the high ground.
“I’m not a middle-schooler.” Amelia replies dryly, but you can feel her anger concentrating.
“Whoops, my bad…” Bradford says, sweatdropping. But you can tell he’s trying to distract her on purpose. What’s the point of distracting someone in a game of rock-paper-scissors?

It’s going nowhere! Maybe you should interfere, but if you tell any of them to do it, the other two will gang up on your choice and he or she will have to deliver the sad news! But who…?

>>2228032
What do you do?

>Make Osgood do it. Because he owes you one for the Scarlet disaster.
>Make Amelia do it. Amelia needs experience in this type of situation, or she might fuck up during another important scenario down the line.
>Make Bradford do it. Nobody likes him anyway, and he needs to prove himself after not doing much.
>“Stop this, I’ll do it. But you three owe me a favor, okay?” You know what they say: When you want something done right…
>Write In.

>>2228044
>“Stop this, I’ll do it. But you three owe me a favor, okay?” You know what they say: When you want something done right…

>>2228044
>>“Stop this, I’ll do it. But you three owe me a favor, okay?” You know what they say: When you want something done right…

>>2228044
>>“Stop this, I’ll do it. But you three owe me a favor, okay?” You know what they say: When you want something done right…
Stock up on those favors, besides it's kidda our fault for letting these chuckle fucks handle that to start with. Not that I would have made a different choice.

>>2228044
>“Stop this, I’ll do it. But you three owe me a favor, okay?” You know what they say: When you want something done right…

>>2228044
>“Stop this, I’ll do it. But you three owe me a favor, okay?” You know what they say: When you want something done right…

>>2228044
>>“Stop this, I’ll do it. But you three owe me a favor, okay?” You know what they say: When you want something done right…

Rolled 6 (1d100)

>>2228072
>>2228102
>>2228115
>>2228116
>>2228164
Full Synchro!

Rolled 76 (1d100)

>>2228311
Ummm

Rolled 82 (1d100)

>>2228311
>>2228340

“Stop this, I’ll do it. But you three owe me a favor, okay?”
“Really?!” Amelia jumps jovially in the air.
“You’re really a bro like Osgood said.” Bradford nods stoically.
“…I wanted to win.” Osgood’s cool is gone. “Anyway, I’m not so sure if I really want you to do it… I already owe you a big one.” Osgood seems reluctant.
“I don’t mind stacking up on those sweet favors.” You shrug, trying not to smirk or smile. “Besides I don’t think any of you are really prepared to handle what’s coming.”
“…”Amelia is looking down, disappointed in herself.
“You don’t need to get depressed like that either. Now go inside and cheer up Constance, she’s really the one we all owe big time.” You tell the group. You’re starting to sound more… leader-like?
“Thanks, Johnny.” Amelia replies as she skips into Constance’s room.

You wave them off as you enter the room where everyone else should be. It’s that one room the evil piano was in and the bunch of boxes that you fell on that one time. It seems Dr. Calamity transformed the place in a regular room for patients, this one with multiple beds, five inside. In each one there is someone you just beat, with two of them empty. Dr. Calamity seems to be talking with Lise, who appears to not be at all comfortable with his presence.

“My boy Johnny, you finally got here!” Calamity cheerfully salutes you.
“Johnny…” Lise looking afflicted is an understatement, you feel like she’s going to collapse in her own sadness any second now.
“What a strange group you brought this time. It’s sad seeing Mr. Villiers like that…” Calamity says with most of his cheerfulness gone.
“You knew him?” You ask, kind of a dumb question if you think about it.

“He was the one who brought Constance here and, well, the only time I had a real talk with one of her family members – he sounded like a good man. I thought he was her father too, but it appears I was mistaken.”
“He’s a good guy… He just had a little transformation lately.” Lise replies somberly. “Can’t say the same about my mother.”
“I won’t really comment on that, HAHahhahHAhah.” Calamity’s signature laugh is still creepy as ever.
“You really are from a horror novel, like those crazy scientists, you know doc?” Lise is being ridiculously blunt, but from what you see she's always like that.
“I’ll take it as a compliment since most of them are geniuses!” Dr. Calamity is not fazed at all! “Now, let’s get serious for a moment. I can’t give you a fair diagnosis about their state since, well, I’m no spiritualist or an individual who deals with demons. But what we have here is an extreme case of exhaustion and some minor injuries, mostly bruises but nothing severe at all. Now I would like to hear this from you, Ando, because I know you came here to tell us what the real problem here is.”
“How did you know?” You ask your creepy boss.

[1/2]

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>>2228676

“I just took a wild guess. Like I said, I’m no spiritualist. AHhahHAahA.” Calamity seems to be in a good mood, but you can tell he’s somewhat worried.
“I-I’m prepared for the worst.” Lise says. She’s not, but she’s trying her best. And you can respect that. Doing your best is what you've been doing since the war started.

You explain to both of them what Athelone said to you about their condition and her reasons for leaving them like that.

“It’s there anything you can do!? It’s not like they need to stay this way! Who the fuck does that monster think she is?! She can’t decide their punishment like that! This is our world, not theirs! They should all fuck off and die already!” Lise is losing it.
“Calm down, dear. I think we can convince her to change her mind later. Besides even if this ‘curse’ is lifted, your parents are in no condition to wake up right now, and I can confirm that as a professional.” Dr. Calamity brings reason to the situation. It seems to reach Lise through her frustration.
“B-but…” Lise wants to keep venting.
“We should start thinking about transferring them elsewhere; even if I would love to have them here, this is still a small clinic and I don’t have the resources or the personnel to treat them properly. I’m going to go make some calls.” Calamity stands up and leaves the room. Lise basically collapses on the chair she was sitting in, her face a look of pure anguish.

What do you say?

>“Maybe you should talk to Constance…” This is clearly a bad idea, but you have no sure way to know what might happen.
>“I’ll try to convince her later.” Don’t make big promises, but still do your best with what you can.
>“Sorry…” What else can you say to a girl that might have just lost both her parents?
>Leave her be. She needs time alone. Just quietly get up and leave the room.
>Write In.

[2/2]

>>2228688
>>“Sorry…” What else can you say to a girl that might have just lost both her parents?
Also tell her if she needs anything, or just someone to talk to we are here

>>2228688
>“I’ll try to convince her later.” Don’t make big promises, but still do your best with what you can.
>"Just remember, Constance isn't privy to knowing what Athelone's job duties entail. So don't have a screaming match with her. It'll just make her anxious, and Athelone will probably keep quiet and not tell you or us anything."

>>2228808
Supporting

>>2228808
Supporting

>>2228808
This.

>>2228688
I forgot to say this is the last reply of the day, we continue tomorrow! Sorry for keeping you guys up.

>>2228972
See ya mate.

>>2228808
Backing this

>>2228808
This, but also apologize. We'll do everything we can but shit still sucks mates.

>>2228972
G'night, boss. Hope to see you tomorrow.

>>2228688
>>2228808
A little add-on to this, as it might help her calm down a bit.

>"I think part of the reason why she's doing it is that there might be unregistered entities who are bypassing the entry rules. Barry there had a previous partner that I'd taken away from him. By all rights, he should be out of the contest, but he's back with a new friend before he should have gotten one. That means someone's been bringing in entities without the judges permission, and if your parents know that, they might go back to that someone, get a new partner, and return to what they were doing before we came in to bring their previous partners."

>>2229074
I like this explanation, even if it's a bit wordy.

>>2229074
Supporting

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“I’ll try to convince her later.” You can’t make big promises, but you can still do your best with what you can. "Just remember, Constance doesn't know what Athelone's job duties entail. So don't have a screaming match with her. It'll just make her anxious, and Athelone will probably keep quiet and not tell you or us anything else."
“Fuck that monster piece of shit, I’m so fucking mad right now.”
“I mean I think part of the reason why she's doing it is that there might be unregistered entities who are bypassing the entry rules. Barry there had a previous partner that I'd taken away from him. By all rights, he should be out of the contest, but he's back with a new friend before he should have gotten a new one. That means someone's been bringing in entities without the judge’s permission. If your parents know that, they might go back to that someone, get a new partner, and return to what they were doing before we came in to bring their previous partners. And then nothing will have changed." Lise is breathing a little slower, attention on every word you say.
“Can't you lock them from having a demon or some shit? Is this the only way to make sure my parents don’t go insane? Besides, aren’t they brainwashing them or something? Wouldn’t just tearing these monsters out make them return to normal?” Lise is asking good questions. Questions you haven't asked yourself, even though you might have been thinking them in the back of your mind.

“She’s the expert and has no reason to lie to us. But like I said before, I’ll try to convince her to bring your parents back.”
“Fuck her! That’s all I can say! I just want to scream my heart out, for god’s sake.” You put your fingers in your ears. “Not now, you ass.” She smirks and almost laughs, but she’s too deep into her despair to be able to give in and relax.
“Sorry…” You say, plain and simple. You have nothing else to say after the explanation you just gave.
“D-don’t be sorry, I should be thanking you – I know deep down you saved my parents from becoming mindless monsters or something dangerous. I’m just a fucking idiot who expected everything to turn out perfectly fine.” At least she’s not going crazy now.
“It isn’t over yet anyway. There is still some hope.” It’s something to latch onto.
“I need a fucking drink…” She rubs her forehead and groans. Her tummy growls too. “And I’m hungry too… Just great.”
“Its lunch time, we should go eat something. Might be a place nearby.”

[1/2]

>>2231044

You two leave the room and see Osgood and Bradford lounging around in the waiting room chairs, staring at the ceiling looking bored.
“We should get something to eat.”
“Now you're speaking my language, kid!” Bradford moves and gets up, ready for anything.
“…You disgust me.” Lise quite bluntly just lashes on the fatso, who didn’t see it coming.
“I-I’m going to let it slide because you’re having a bad day.” Bradford tries to sound nice. It doesn't work.
“You sure? With that body I don’t think you can slide at all.” Lise is absolutely brutal! Osgood meanwhile is having the laugh of his life.
“F-f-f… forget it.” Bradford has no comeback. He's done.
“Oooh… wow… hahaha…” Osgood regains his composure, taking a few deep breaths. “Okay, what do you guys want to eat? I can go buy something in my van.” …He only wants to drive that thing, doesn't he? Will you be that attached if you get a car, too? Who knows?

What do you suggest?

>“Let’s get pizza!” You can order it from here and destroy Osgood’s yearning for driving his van again. Plus everyone likes pizza.
>“Drop me off at home, I’ll prepare something for everyone.” Time to show your cooking skills to the whole group! Don’t disappoint Constance!
>“Just order something from a restaurant near here…” Let’s just eat something, who cares what.
>Write In.

[2/2]

>>2231048
>“Drop me off at home, I’ll prepare something for everyone.” Time to show your cooking skills to the whole group! Don’t disappoint Constance!

>>2231048
>“Let’s get pizza!” You can order it from here and destroy Osgood’s yearning for driving his van again. Plus everyone likes pizza.

>>2231048
>“Let’s get pizza!” You can order it from here and destroy Osgood’s yearning for driving his van again. Plus everyone likes pizza.

Did the cop agree to poker night? I forgot.

>>2231048
>>“Just order something from a restaurant near here…” Let’s just eat something, who cares what.

>>2231048
>>“Drop me off at home, I’ll prepare something for everyone.” Time to show your cooking skills to the whole group! Don’t disappoint Constance!
And show off our husbandly skills to Nina

>>2231048
>>“Drop me off at home, I’ll prepare something for everyone.” Time to show your cooking skills to the whole group! Don’t disappoint Constance!

“Drop me off at home, I’ll prepare something for everyone.”
“Aren’t you tired? No way you're cooking now.” Lise stops you dead on your tracks.
“Another suggestion…?” Osgood wants to get quickly to the point. Maybe he's hungry too, after getting hurt that much in the fight.
“Let’s order pizza.” Everyone loves pizza!
“I’m down for that.” Lise just wants to eat and feel better after feeling like shit.
“I’ll make the call. Where are we anyway?” Bradford quickly takes his smartphone out and dials the number. You have no idea which pizza shop he’s calling…
“…We didn’t discuss which pizza to order.” Lise seems mildly annoyed.
“Pizza is pizza. Who cares?” Osgood dismisses Lise’s complaint. She half-heartily agrees. Can Constance even eat pizza? What's her illness anyway? Hopefully nothing bad enough to prevent her from enjoying pizza. Now THAT would be horrifying!

After the call was made, you went inside to Constance’s room to pass some time with her. The three of them seem busy playing an old retro console; Constance and Amelia are the ones actually playing while Uccelli is watching, amused by the whole thing...

You didn’t play at all but coached everyone who fought valiantly against your sister until the pizza arrived. You could tell Constance was getting more and more tired as the game went on, but she stood awake by sheer willpower!

You find out that the TV was always in the clinic, but nobody uses CRTs anymore; and the console is something Amelia bought from one of her classmates – she said she got it cheap, but knowing your ditzy sister she might have got scammed.

But who cares about all that? It’s pizza time! You ask Calamity about Constance, and he said there is no problem for her to eat some, but she never has much of an appetite. After eating some pizza together, Constance couldn’t bear it anymore and fell asleep. The three of you leave the little girl alone… Outside the room, Osgood and Bradford were talking seriously, with Lise nowhere to be found.
“So is she asleep?” Osgood asks, concerned about Constance.
“Yeah, poor little thing was exhausted.” Uccelli replies.
“What about Lise?”
“She said she’s going to stay a little while with her parents and to not worry about her.” Bradford clarifies. “So… What now?”

Yeah. What now?

>Have everyone go back home, including you. Time to relax after a long day! Maybe get some work done before you sleep.
>Is Bradford really teammate material? Time to discuss it with the group, maybe at home too.
>Write In.

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>>2231236
Cleaner pic.

>>2231236
>Have everyone go back home, including you. Time to relax after a long day! Maybe get some work done before you sleep.

>>2231236
>Have everyone go back home, including you. Time to relax after a long day! Maybe get some work done before you sleep.

>>2231236
>Is Bradford really teammate material? Time to discuss it with the group, maybe at home too.

>>2231236 #
>Have everyone go back home, including you. Time to relax after a long day! Maybe get some work done before you sleep.
>>Mind coming over to "tutor" me Uccelli

>>2231236
Backing >>2231285

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“What now? What else? Let’s go home.” Osgood says, taking the words right out of your mouth.
“Since we’re not going to talk about it, I guess my performance today means I’m part of the team, right?” Bradford says with a pompous stance.
“Don’t be a bother. We'll talk that over later.” Osgood dismisses his friend away.
“I-It’s not like it’s going to take more than 5 minutes to say ‘yes’.” He answers back.
“Let it go, fatso.” Lise chimes in.
“Fine…” Bradford gives up, going mopey again.
“Now everyone to the van, I’ll drop you guys off at your houses.” Osgood points outside.
“How nice of you, thanks.” Uccelli says, doing a mock-bow.
“I know you two live close by, but hop in anyway.” Osgood tells you and Amelia. Amelia nods and you give him a thumb up. It’s his gas, not yours…

Shortly after, you and the gang arrive home! You leave the van.

“Hump!” Amelia jumps out too.
“You staying here? Did you ask your dad if you could?”
“I skipped classes! Dad can’t know that! So I’ll stay here in the meantime.” Amelia says that cheerfully.
“How did you skip classes anyway? I probably called you in the middle of one."
“Ms. Uccelli pretended to be mom and took me out to the dentist! Little they know, it was all a lie!” Amelia says almost proudly.
“I-it was the first thing I thought of, honest!" Uccelli is a tad ashamed of her unoriginality. You wonder how that came to be…
“You guys didn’t forget anything here, right?” Osgood asks, turning back to check the seats. Nope! You have the computer with you though, so you can look into that later.
“I don’t think so.”
“A-are you sure?” Uccelli looks at you with puppy eyes... You wonder why.

You’re about to close the curtains on what was a really stressful day…

What do you do now?

>Plug that computer in and let’s cyberdive! Amelia will have to help this time!
>Ask Uccelli if she can ‘tutor’ you or something. Amelia is going to be here a short while, right? You can have the rest of the day for the two of you…
>You still need to get fit. The fight with the mystery flame-user is coming soon, remember? So let’s get swole!
>Write In.

>>2231388
>Ask Uccelli if she can ‘tutor’ you or something. Amelia is going to be here a short while, right? You can have the rest of the day for the two of you…

>>2231388
>Plug that computer in and let’s cyberdive! Amelia will have to help this time!

>>2231388
>You still need to get fit. The fight with the mystery flame-user is coming soon, remember? So let’s get swole!
Check the news too!

>>2231388
>>Plug that computer in and let’s cyberdive! Amelia will have to help this time!

>>2231388
>You still need to get fit. The fight with the mystery flame-user is coming soon, remember? So let’s get swole!
BUT Invite Ucceli

>>2231545
Disregard the second part, I forgot we train with Chad Thundercock.

>>2231388
>Ask Uccelli if she can ‘tutor’ you or something. Amelia is going to be here a short while, right? You can have the rest of the day for the two of you…

>>2231388
>Ask Uccelli if she can ‘tutor’ you or something. Amelia is going to be here a short while, right? You can have the rest of the day for the two of you…

>>2231388
>>Ask Uccelli for help with the computer.

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“You know now that I think about it, maybe you should stay here for a while and help me with this thing.” You show her the computer. “Besides, I know how much you like staying at my apartment...” You raise your eyebrow, looking straight in her eyes with a 'you know what I mean' look.
“Ando…” She looks angry. It’s always amusing seeing her flustered at your flirting.
“Are we seriously doing that now?” Amelia doesn’t seem too amused.
“No, you two are going to. You can’t always rely on me doing all the intel work.”
“Fine. The sooner with deal with it, the better.” Uccelli comes down from the van.
“Anything you find, send it to me, I’ll double check it.” Osgood says as the engine starts roaring. “See ya!”
“Goodbye, thanks for everything.” Lise says before the door closes. The van drives off, leaving you three alone.

The three of you finally arrive in your apartment. Nariko is nowhere to be seen, probably Matilda took her away…
“Did Matilda go to classes?”
“Spice? No, she didn’t.” Uccelli gets comfortable in your couch. Amelia goes to her room, probably to dispose of her bag.
“Then there isn’t anything to worry about. She’s with Nariko by the way, they are finding more information about her past.” You tell her this because she didn't know too much about it.
“I’m ready!” Amelia appears with a more relaxed look.
“I’ll plug it in. I expect great results.” You put the computer in your room and attach your monitor to it. Then you leave the two of them to find out what to do with it, while you go to watch the news. You turn the TV on… Let’s see what Pokyo-Lokyo News has in store for you!

>The Politician Lloydington is in the news again! He’s getting rather blunt now, telling everyone the government is straight-up working with the local mafia for some internal affairs he didn’t specify. It would gain more validity if he would say how, but he's currently coming under some fire for it.

>There seems to be a massive influx of stray and feral cats in the city, and the animal compounds are seeking volunteers to help the situation. What a weird piece of news to include! Well Chewirton the Dog was featured too, so it isn’t that bad.

>The Strange Soul Disease keeps spreading somehow! In fact, the Grand Hospital of the city had to rent a facility near the main structure to keep the new patients 'contained'. 'Quarantined' is more apt a term, though.

Well, there are more fluff news after those, but you aren’t going to pay attention to them now. You hear Amelia calling you from your room…

[1/2]

>>2231663

“Johnny! We can’t do anything!” Amelia sounds frustrated, pouting and frowning.
“What?” You rush inside your room, seeing Uccelli and Amelia around the computer.
“We have no idea what to do…” Uccelli sounds deflated.
“We can’t get past this stupid window! Besides, this computer doesn’t look like anything I have seen before!” Amelia wants to kick the machine. You take a quick look and see an operating system that doesn't belong to any computer on the market. Also whatever is on screen is an illegible fucked-up gibberish.
“The fuck…?” You are confused. You hardly doubt you will find something on the internet about it.
“We should take it to an expert.” Uccelli says as she still trying to find answers on her phone.
“This was a massive waste of time! What the hell, Johnny!?” Amelia is frustrated. You can’t blame her really, but she could have tried harder instead of whining about… “I-I need to go home! Dad told me to go immediately after classes, and we’re about the time I usually get there! See ya!” Amelia escapes the apartment rather quickly. Hopefully, she didn’t forget her bag…
“Bye Amelia!” Uccelli hopes that she heard her. With the speed she was running, not even you're sure.

You’re left with Uccelli in the middle of the evening, and night is going to fall in an hour or two…

What do you do?

>Train by yourself! Too late to call Trent. Maybe your girlfriend can join in too, she might need to fight or run one of these days, and she won't have a choice.
>Call Trent, maybe there is still time for you to train with him! You need a professional’s (?) help! Maybe you could show off Philonune's tricks…?
>Relax with Uccelli, weren’t you tired before? Multiple fights in a row and running back and forth all day! Some alone time with her should be just fine… :^)
>Practice and experiment with Philonune more. Who knows what else you can do!?
>Write In.

>>2231669
>>Write In.
Look at computer gibberish with enhanced glasses, then relaxation time.

>>2231669
>Train by yourself! Too late to call Trent. Maybe your girlfriend can join in too, she might need to fight or run one of these days, and she won't have a choice.
NO PAIN
NO GAIN

>>2231669
>Train by yourself! Too late to call Trent. Maybe your girlfriend can join in too, she might need to fight or run one of these days, and she won't have a choice.

>>2231679
Supporting

>>2231669
>Train by yourself! Too late to call Trent. Maybe your girlfriend can join in too, she might need to fight or run one of these days, and she won't have a choice.

>>2231669
> Put our dick in the waifu

Gotta raise those testosterone levels before working out.

>>2231669
>Train by yourself! Too late to call Trent. Maybe your girlfriend can join in too, she might need to fight or run one of these days, and she won't have a choice.
Let's get sweaty!

>>2231669
>Relax with Uccelli, weren’t you tired before? Multiple fights in a row and running back and forth all day! Some alone time with her should be just fine… :^)

>>2231669
>>Relax with Uccelli, weren’t you tired before? Multiple fights in a row and running back and forth all day! Some alone time with her should be just fine… :^)

We did bring her from the car to spend time didn't we?

“Let me try one more thing…” You tell your girlfriend, the mysterious computer still has your attention.

Maybe you could try to decipher the computer's seemingly impossible gibberish with your Philonune enhanced glasses! But sadly, nothing out of the ordinary happened… Pretty lights and weird colors and all, but the message is still unclear. You remove Philonune out of your glasses.
“Nope, that didn’t work.” You knew there was a small chance, but you still feel disappointed.
“What did you try to do?” You piqued Uccelli’s interest.
“Well I…” You explain whatever confusing power Philonune has! I mean it’s not confusing, just hard to explain if you can’t experience it.

“I see…” She’s a smart woman, she probably got it. “But why did you expect it to change if what you’re changing is your own perception?”
“Flame bullshit is flame bullshit, you don’t know what could have happened.”
“Johnny, don’t swear. You’re a cool kind gentleman, not a sailor.” She gently fixes your hair while talking, then kisses you on the cheek. “Now, we’re finally together… What do you want to do?” She asks in an almost flirtatious tone.
“Exercise!”
“Yeah, of course… Wait, what?” Nina is confused because she wasn't expecting you to say anything like that.
“We could do it together, because of… you know.”
“W-w-w-wait, you think I’m f—?!” For a moment, Nina actually looks outraged.

“I have the fight in a few days, remember?”
“Oh. Right, but Johnny you shouldn’t push yourself – You just had a fight today and you were looking dizzy earlier.”
“That’s why we're training together. So we can keep a pace that won't wear me out.”
“But I don’t have my workout clothes here…”
“I’ll lend you some of mine. Remember, you need to learn self-defense too. One of these days, you'll have to fight alongside Icioba, like it or not.”
“Alright, alright. But if you start looking even a bit sickly we are calling this off, alright?”
“Yeah, of course. I just don’t want my ass getting beat again.”
“Nor do I.” She puts her pinky on your nose for some odd reason.
And so, the two of you start to work out together in the living room! You are just doing a routine work out, so you just want to keep your body in peak conditioning! Nina seems to be struggling a little bit… maybe she is living an unhealthy lifestyle, but that’s changing from now on! You really came to notice your girlfriend’s figure now that she’s using the clothing you gave her, you’re a quite lucky man! You can’t help but to feel hypnotized by her movements. You received 2 Athletics points! You feel good, but you’re not close to leveling up yet.

[1/2]

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>>2231898

Eventually the work out ends and night falls. Uccelli's workout left her all sweating and with her hair being a mess, and looks paler than you thought you looked earlier in the day – the hot climate isn't helping. She’s taking deep breaths and drinking a lot of water, spilling some on the floor.

“…I must look terrible.” Uccelli tries to regain her composure but she keeps panting. “I’m going to go take a quick shower. You wait for me here.” She goes to the bathroom with her previous clothes in hand, though luckily for her there is a towel inside too.
Suddenly you hear someone knocking your door, who could it be…?

“Johnny! It’s us! We have big news!” It’s Matilda! Wait. OH SHIT, it’s Matilda and Nariko! They're back home! Things can get even messier if you don’t resolve this cunningly. “Are you in there? I don’t want to waste money on an empty call.”

>Pretend to be sick and tell Matilda you will talk tomorrow. You just worked out, so you feel worn out enough to sound almost sick. Hopefully it'll fool them!
>Pay Matilda 3 bucks to walk around the street for 5 minutes, while you sort out this mess with your girlfriend. You can just slip the Gor$ under the door.
>Just pretend nothing is wrong and talk normally, but don’t let them inside until everything is clear. Uccelli can hide in your room.
>Write In.

+2 Athletic Points.

[2/2]

>>2231905
>Just pretend nothing is wrong and talk normally, but don’t let them inside until everything is clear. Uccelli can hide in your room.
Go outside with them for a bit, pretend it's to get the "cool air of the night" to chill our post-exercise sweaty body.

Plus it looks cool to have people reporting things to you in the middle of the night, outside.

>>2231905
Slip a note under the bathroom door about heading out with Nariko and Matilda, and that you'll be back in 15-20 minutes.

>>2231920
Supporting

>>2231905
>Write In.
Have Uccelli hide in the bathroom. Just tell em you were working out if they ask what is wrong with you.

>>2231905
Backing >>2231929 and >>2231921

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You write a quick note with a recipe paper you had on the table that basically tells Uccelli about Nariko and Matilda, and that you’re going to come back soon. Then you take your keys and go outside, and indeed it’s Nariko and Matilda! Both seem glad to see you, perhaps for completely different reasons. You close the door behind you, acting like nothing's wrong, which is true.

“Johnny…" The mild Nariko says. She doesn’t look too happy.
“Good to see you. Why'd you close the door?” Matilda asks. Is she catching on?
“I need some air to chill my body after working out, and it's a nice night out.”
“Nice.” She nods profusely, like she’s proud of you even though her expression is stoic as always. “I came here to brief you on our progress, because we have big news.”
“Yes…” Nariko nods slowly and steadily.
“You seem quite busy right now, so I’ll make it short.” Matilda takes her smartphone out. “Ehem. Her name is Nariko Edamura, she was indeed studying at Golden Peak. Her parents are overseas, they didn’t want to tell what their work was – but if Nariko’s memory doesn’t fail her yet again, they are supposedly fashion designers or at least artists of some kind.”
“Yes…” Nariko nods, her face hard to read.
“Nariko appears to live all alone in one apartment in the middle of the city. Quite a fancy one if the principal wasn’t lying. An exemplary student for the most part, the envy of her class and of others. She was lost for weeks, with the last time they saw her being the Pitfall Arcade... and well, if you want to read the rest, I will send you a copy of this file.”
“Thanks.” You tell Matilda, taking in this revelation.
“Now, I have to give you some bad news…” Matilda gets even more serious. “We actually came here to say good-bye. Well, Nariko is going to. I wasn’t supposed to take her here, but she was adamant to see you. The school and the police are going to take custody of her until her parents return, and they are going to take her with them outside the country… Apparently, they didn’t even know she was lost. Some parents.”
“…” Nariko is holding her beanie. Her face is shadowed and you can't make it out.

How do you respond?

>“She still doesn’t have her memories back, even with this info.” Quite obviously an issue. You thought simply learning would be enough to return her memories, but amnesia doesn't work that way in real life!
>“Well, let’s tell Amelia, you're her friend too.” Woah, that was anticlimactic. But you have to take it one step at a time for Nariko's sake.
>“You're not taking her away. There's something iffy here.” The police took her multiple times to a shelter. If it's not incompetence, there must be something bad going on here.
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the day, we continue tomorrow)

>>2232111
Write-in
>“She still doesn’t have her memories back, even with this info. More importantly, the police knew about her and yet they did nothing for quite a while. Knowing that the government has found a way to force people into getting flames again, I think she might be set up to be possessed again, or some other shady thing."
>"in short, I don't wanna just hand her over like that, without memories, and specially if there's a risk"

>>2232147
Supporting.

>>2232111
>>“You're not taking her away. There's something iffy here.” The police took her multiple times to a shelter. If it's not incompetence, there must be something bad going on here.
"If they were that incompetent to not realize that she was missing, then I have a few problems to voice with them, regardless of how legitimate their claim is. They need to come here to pick up Nariko and explain their situation, and I need to see if they have partners, or if they're just crummy parents."
>"Also, why didn't they just hire someone to watch over her and bring her to her school?"

You're not stealing our hobo anytime soon.

>>2232111
Backing >>2232147

>>2232111
>“You're not taking her away. There's something iffy here.” The police took her multiple times to a shelter. If it's not incompetence, there must be something bad going on here.

Yup, this is definitely a ploy.

>>2232111
>“You're not taking her away. There's something iffy here.” The police took her multiple times to a shelter. If it's not incompetence, there must be something bad going on here.

We'd better lose that virginity of ours when we see Uccelli again

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“You’re not taking her away. There's something iffy here.” They are not stealing your hobo anytime soon! Nariko’s eyes light up the moment you say that, but she stays quiet.
“How so?” The always serene Matilda asks, completely unfazed by your response
“She still doesn’t have her memories back, even with this info.” Matilda looks a little annoyed with that remark, but she lets you continue talking. “More importantly, the police knew about her and yet they did nothing for quite a while. Knowing that the government has found a way to force people into getting flames again, I think she might be set up to be possessed again, or some other shady thing. I don’t wanna just hand her over like this, without memories, and especially if there’s a risk of something seriously bad happening.”
“Woah, slow down there… So you can get a flame?” Matilda’s eyes spark with interest. “Tell me more.”
“Even if I wanted to, I don’t know how they did it.” You shrug. “Anyway, if her parents were incompetent enough to not realize that their own daughter was missing, then I have a few problems to voice with them, regardless of how legitimate their claim is. They need to come here to pick up Nariko and explain their situation, and I need to see if they have partners, or if they're just crummy parents." They could have hired someone to watch over her or something, especially if they're rich as fuck! So why didn't they…?

“I’m not here to advocate anything in the name of her parents, the police or the school for that matter. I actually agree with you. You don’t have to be a genius to understand there is something strange going on here, but there was nothing else I could do when the police got involved.” Matilda explains, expression not changing but her eyes are looking a lot more down, almost guiltily. “I took her here because she was having a panic attack... And you know how she gets.”
“I just wanted to feel safe…” Nariko says as she pushes her beanie downwards, hiding her eyes in embarrassment.
“A teacher from her school is watching over her in the meantime and— You have that look in your eyes, Ando. You have something in mind. What’s your plan? I don’t want the little airhead here to have a bad time, but you must understand you’re putting both of our asses in danger...” Matilda is strangely cooperative today, maybe she got fond of Nariko a little while helping her out?

What’s your plan?

>Tell Matilda you want to talk with whoever is watching over Nariko now. You’re going to explain to them you’re going to keep her safe until her parents arrive! Then you’re going to have a meeting with them.
>You’re going to keep your hobo here! Make Matilda tell whoever is looking over Nariko, that Nariko suddenly escaped. This is not kidnapping at all!
>Write In.

>>2234240
>Tell Matilda you want to talk with whoever is watching over Nariko now. You’re going to explain to them you’re going to keep her safe until her parents arrive! Then you’re going to have a meeting with them.
and by "now" we mean tomorrow because it's fucking nighttime

>>2234240
>Tell Matilda you want to talk with whoever is watching over Nariko now. You’re going to explain to them you’re going to keep her safe until her parents arrive! Then you’re going to have a meeting with them.

>>2234240
>Tell Matilda you want to talk with whoever is watching over Nariko now. You’re going to explain to them you’re going to keep her safe until her parents arrive! Then you’re going to have a meeting with them.

>>2234240
Does anyone think the police in a dictatorship will just acquiesce to the demands of some teenager who's already under "probation" (we have a new legal guardian watching over us).

Seriously.

>You’re going to keep your hobo here! We'll make an act of her escaping.

>>2234240
>You’re going to keep your hobo here! Make Matilda tell whoever is looking over Nariko, that Nariko suddenly escaped. This is not kidnapping at all!

>>2234324
This anon is right we don't really have a leg to stand on here. It's amazing they even let Nariko out of their sight after disappearing for so long.

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“Nariko is staying here. Tell whoever is watching over her that I’m going to keep her safe until her parents arrive. I’ll gladly have a chat with him or Nariko’s parents.” That’s the idea!
“…That’s not a plan at all. How do I explain that a stranger that has absolutely nothing to do with Nariko is going to take care of her? C’mon Ando, we have to think this through.”
“B-but I want to stay.” Nariko replies, looking at Matilda then back at you.
“Well it’s not feasible with that strategy.” Matilda replies dryly, shutting Nariko up.
“They can call me right now if they want to. I’m not trying to kidnap her or something.”
“Well, it could be taken as such. Do you want the police on your ass?” Matilda does not like this idea in the slightest.
“I-I can talk to her!” Nariko takes the initiative.
“…The whole point everyone is panicking over you is that you’re not acting normally. Even if you really want to stay here, they are going to say no.” Matilda doesn’t seem to budge even a little.
“B-but…” Nariko is getting stressed again, you both calm her down for a minute before it gets worse.

“Okay, fine. I’ll tell her you’re going to take care of her, but if I get into any trouble, you two owe me one. And it’s going to be paid in cash, do you understand?” Matilda says, glaring you down.
“Yes, sorry for making you do this.” You reply to the now generous girl, giving her an easygoing stare instead of something serious. After all, you won here, didn't you?
“I want a fancy meal tomorrow, you got it? You owe me lunch for a year, remember?” Matilda says, her stare still going.
“I’ll do my best…” Like you always do.
“I’m going to give the teacher your phone number and nothing else. You’ll have to convince her yourself. You two are so lucky they didn’t ask my name, but I’ll just have to wear a wig or something in the meantime if things start getting close.” Matilda tells you, going back to her dryer style of talking.
“I knew you like cosplaying.” You tell Matilda, who is frozen in place for a second. her expression briefly shifts into pure shock, but it goes away within milliseconds.
“I told you to forget that.” Matilda seems annoyed. “Good bye.” Matilda quickly nods and leaves the apartment building, walking briskly.
“T-thank you!” Nariko tells you while hiding behind her hat. “I-I-I really didn’t want to stay t-there… Thank you… Thank you!” Nariko is trying to contain her tears.
“C’mon Nariko, calm down – everything is okay.” For now. You still have to deal with what comes next.

[1/?]

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>>2234435

You two go back inside the apartment and see the bathroom door slightly opening, Uccelli poking her head out to see who just entered.

“It’s only the two of us…” You tell your teacher, who visibly relaxes.
“Oh thank goodness.” She fully opens the door, wearing her clothes from before and her hair looking like normal. “Hello there, Nariko. How are you?”
“I’m happy.” Nariko nods as she grabs your arm.
“No need to get touchy, aren’t the two of you hungry? I’ll make dinner.”
“Mhm…” Nariko seems so happy to be here that she didn’t care about you not cooking.

During the meal, Ucceli explained to you that she asked the school for permission to leave during the day if her sister Lana’s condition worsened, so she could check her out. In other words, she lied through her teeth. After her fun little anecdote, you tell her about what happened to Nariko…
“You did WHAT?!”
“I mean, I don’t want to do anything illegal.”
“It’s illegal anyway! And—”
Your phone rings, and it’s Matilda. You answer, and she briefly explaines that the closer she got to Nariko’s apartment, the more she thought your idea sucked, so she decided to lie instead and say Nariko escaped… That was not part of the deal at all! You can blame her if something bad happens, but that's kind of a dick move of an option, so you decide to deal with it when it comes up.

“…I think it’s fixed.” You tell your teacher, looking back up at her from your phone.
“What do you mean?"
You tell her about the phone call.
“I don’t know how to feel anymore. But you could always pretend you found here just now or something…” Uccelli tries to think about it, but the brief stress shock plus her tiredness doesn’t let her think anything through.
“I mean there is something very wrong happening here…”
“That I get, that’s why I’m not getting mad at you.” Nina replies, then she looks at the time. “Well, I need to go, next time I’ll bring spare clothes so I can stay longer…” She winks at you. You kinda have a feeling you know where this is going.
“Oh, alright.”
“C’mon, go with me to the station…” Uccelli opens the door of your apartment. You wave Nariko off and the two of you leave. As soon as you close the door, Nina grabs you by the hand, turns you around and kisses you in the mouth. “…I needed that, Sorry.” Nina blushes furiously.
“It’s fine…” No really, you want more of that now.
“Y-you don’t need to follow me to the station, I just wanted to... I mean… I… I’m gonna go.” She runs away before you can even think to call out to her in the moment.

That took you by surprise! It’s almost like you forgot she is your girlfriend. And there she goes! Guess there's nothing to do but go to sleep now; after everything you did the whole day plus the workout, you think staying up any longer might make you collapse entirely!

[2/3]

>>2234443

What do you want to do tomorrow?

>There was this thing about a bet between Terry and Scarlet, let’s see the aftermath.
>You’re a terrible boyfriend if you don’t pass time with your girlfriend tomorrow!
>The big fight is on Friday! Call Trent for more training — if the mystery guy is that good at fighting, you'll need it.
>Write In.

[3/3]

>>2234444
>You’re a terrible boyfriend if you don’t pass time with your girlfriend tomorrow!

>>2234444
>You’re a terrible boyfriend if you don’t pass time with your girlfriend tomorrow!

>>2234444
>The big fight is on Friday! Call Trent for more training — if the mystery guy is that good at fighting, you'll need it.
Priorities.

>>2234444
>The big fight is on Friday! Call Trent for more training — if the mystery guy is that good at fighting, you'll need it.

>>2234444
>>You’re a terrible boyfriend if you don’t pass time with your girlfriend tomorrow!

>>2234444
>>you're a terrible boyfriend if you don't pass time with your girlfriend tomorrow!

Nice quads.

You have been neglecting your girlfriend somewhat, isn’t this more or less your honeymoon period? You decide excitedly to pass the time with her tomorrow, knowing Nina would be happy about it! You send her a text before going to sleep… Well, not really; you check the messages you received today first:

-The first one is from Terry! He asking you why you didn’t go to classes today, and tells you he, of course, beat Scarlet on their bet… He says he’s disappointed in her, believing that his banter would somehow help her get a better score. He reminds you that you’re officially invited to the art session, and that it would be good motivation for Scarlet.

-The second one is from Scarlet! It’s just multiple paragraphs of unreadable incoherent nonsense, not even angrish!

-The third one is from Trent! He wrote ‘Remember Friday, I’ll get you at your school.’ Plain and simple. Trent is a simple man, and part of you respects that. So many of the things you're involved in are rarely that simple anymore.

-The final one is from Osgood asking you when would be appropriate to discuss if the fatso can join the team or not. You couldn’t care less, so you told him to ask in the team chat. Maybe the others have better ideas?

It’s a fabulous Thursday morning! That's what you would think, if you woke up in your bed. You’re at the Bridge Between Worlds! You almost forgot you told Athelone to call you at night. You really need to know the truth behind her harsh punishment to Lise’s parents; Maybe it really is exactly as she said, but you still feel that nagging feeling in the back of your mind that maybe there's something more…

“If she was serious about keeping a secret, she wouldn’t have called us. Could be distraction from the greater issue keeping her attention. Problem is something close to us, enough that we're likely to discover it ourselves…?” Philonune is floating by your side in his true form. His arms are folded and his head is tilted slightly downward, mumbling to himself with a neutral expression on his face — this is just about the first time you've seen your partner without his usual smile/smirk on his face! You feel his eyes would be closed in thought right now, if his eyes weren't just creepily-empty black holes like someone's skull. Philo might not talk much outside of battles or when it's relevant, but he is always there with you, always watching and listening to everything even if you aren't. On his end, in his own way, he's taking it as seriously as you are.
“Well, we did sign a contract with her. We’re a team.” You reply, trying to make sense of the situation. Philonune relaxes a little with the smile returning somewhat, but you feel through the bond that his guard isn't any lessened.

[1/2]

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>>2234761

“Hello, Philonune and Johnny.” It’s Athelone with a sleeping Constance in her arms, appearing from the grey void. “I have answered your call, I wouldn’t want to lose you gentlemen as my allies. So, what are these questions you would like answered?”

What do you ask?

>“Can you bring one of Lise’s parents back?” Maybe only her dad, he seems more chill if what Lise said is right. Having one parent be in the coma might be enough for Athelone to believe the other won't try anything risky or against the rules. It would also help Lise feel better or not as stricken.
>“Are you hiding something from us regarding Lise’s parents?” Be as blunt as possible. Show her you're not fooled. This might be risky but the payoff might be good. Though you have no idea how powerful the Judges really are…
>“So what happened to the policeman the crew brought to the clinic?” You didn’t see him, right? Maybe you should ask the team instead of Athelone, but she was still there with Constance wasn't she? She might have seen something.
>Write In.

[2/2]

>>2234763
>“So what happened to the policeman the crew brought to the clinic?” You didn’t see him, right? Maybe you should ask the team instead of Athelone, but she was still there with Constance wasn't she? She might have seen something.
I dunno, babysteps.

>>2234763
>“Are you hiding something from us regarding Lise’s parents?” Be as blunt as possible. Show her you're not fooled. This might be risky but the payoff might be good. Though you have no idea how powerful the Judges really are…

>>2234763
>>“So what happened to the policeman the crew brought to the clinic?” You didn’t see him, right? Maybe you should ask the team instead of Athelone, but she was still there with Constance wasn't she? She might have seen something.

>>2234763
>>“Are you hiding something from us regarding Lise’s parents?” Be as blunt as possible. Show her you're not fooled. This might be risky but the payoff might be good. Though you have no idea how powerful the Judges really are…

Can't believe i didn't think this before but can we fuck the flames?

>>2234851
I mean, we can fuck their manifestations, that's what you mean, r-right?

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“So what happened to the policeman the crew brought to the clinic?”
“…Is this really what you wanted to be answered? Why didn’t you ask your teammates? Wait, I understand, you want to know what exactly happened to his body and why it transformed, correct?”
“Uh… Uhm… Yeah, that.”
“No need to be nervous, I won’t bite…” She opens her mouth and makes her tongue go crazy for a second, then goes back to being serious. “You humans are really interesting creatures. What happened is that somehow they managed to not only to give this man a partner, but one created from the ground up. I believe the term you use is 'manufactured'. You little devils are trying to find new ways to interfere that we didn’t even imagine existed. Maybe that's our punishment for using you and your world for our selfish war.”

“How is that even possible? It’s not like any of us can create our own humans or any living creature, sentient or otherwise. I know of others that have tried, but they've only succeeded in horrific failures and more, and you know this.” Philonune is not content with that answer, his smile lessens but not to the extent it did before.
“Is that what made you break your link with The Creator? When you found out he couldn’t create anything? Of course, we were born from collective human thought, so it isn’t far-fetched to think humans themselves could manipulate their thoughts to create one. Also the diseases’ souls have potential to have the same properties as us. Anyway, you get the point.” Athelone explains, smiling somewhat cheerfully despite the context.
“But his flame disappeared. I saw it vanish when I dealt enough damage.”
“That’s interesting, it was already odd seeing this man glowing in power but with no source. Perhaps he didn’t receive a partner at all, but the raw energy of one without an identity or consciousness to accompany it.”

“That makes no sense! If spirits run freely in the world, wouldn’t everyone be exposed to their power too? Wouldn’t all of us be taken over?” Does this mean that the longer you have Philonune, the more you become like one of them? The hell?
“Rationality goes out the window when our war exists in the same realm you question its logic in… Besides, it was only a hypothesis. There is so much about your technology and creations that are an enigma to me, even now.” Athelone replies, literally hand-waving your issue aside.
“What a cop-out." Seriously, why?
“Is that everything you wanted me to answer? I would have thought you would simply be content with struggling for your survival, as before. Sometimes the answers you receive may not be what you want…”
“Wait, let me think…” You put your fingers in your chin, pretending to concentrate on what to ask, when you already know what's next…

This strange talk with Athelone isn’t over yet. But sadly, the thread is! Thanks for playing and see you guys next time!

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>>2234943

Thanks everyone for playing! Not much happened, but at least we are more or less in a clean state from the next session onwards… except we left the thread mid-conversation, but whatever!

Sadly no cute drawing today, I’ll deliver something tomorrow, if you have an easy idea (character + costume combo), it’s your moment!

Questions/Feedback/Comments/Drawing ideas and the like are always welcome and encouraged.

If you want updates about the quest:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QM91m
Discord: https://discord.gg/AmjbaTR

We will return this Saturday (20th) in a brand new thread.

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>>2234955
Since no one asked for anything, here have a quickly drawn Scarlet.

>>2236726
Looks nice.

>>2236726
Oh shit i totally didn't read that
Ah well, Scarlet is qt anyway, thanks for the good work.

>>2236726
Quick thing, I am reading through your archive, and sweet Christ you're spelling is grating. You use the incorrect tense for an action in at least every post you make. Among several other mistakes. I love the story, but for fuck sake man, spell check before posting.

>>2240076
>you're spelling
>you're

>>2240076
Get over it NEET.

>>2240076
Sorry, I know it's bad, but it gets better from the 9th thread on (Got someone to proofread it and also English is not my first language). I'll put a disclaimer next to archive link in the future.

>>2245660
New thread.