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"...is your name Erasmus or Reiss?" You ask in confusion.

Reiss' expression suddenly flashed to one of irritation, her eyes narrowing and her lips thinning and the sudden change from her previous eased persona startled you. She seemed somewhat put out by your question, like whatever you had just asked was incredibly rude.

Jess looked somewhat off-put by the question as well- staring at you in surprise and shock, but instead of going to anger something seemed to click in her head. Reaching out, she gently grabbed Reiss shoulder as she turned to say something to you.

Reiss looked back in surprise. "Wh-"

Jess shook her head. "She was born on Tagara, remember? She doesn't know."

Reiss stared at her for a moment, as if she was surprised by the idea, then her expression cleared. "Oh." She coughed, suddenly looking a little guilty and shrugging back a little.

Jess gave her an understanding look and turned to you. "How much do you know about Valkans and their names?"

"You have a, uh, religious name and names for the place you were born... ah..." You think. "I... you normally name girls for planets?"

Both Reiss and Jess stared at you a bit blankly. "And...?" Jess eventually prompted.

"Uh..." You fidgeted a little under your gaze. "That's it?"

"...holy shit, she doesn't know anything?" Reiss' head whipped over to stare at Jess.

You felt your cheeks flush. "H-hey, it's not my fault my mother wasn't around to tell me stuff!"

Reiss flushed with guilt again, and Jess spared her a glance before turning her attention to you once again. "Tiiris, if you don't mind me asking: do you actually know what your full name is?"

"...Tiiris Elson?" You reply, raising an eyebrow.

"You don't even know your place name?"

"Place name- oh, the uh, the one that you say after 'aust'? I guess with that it'd be... Tiiris aust... uh..." You frown slightly as you recall the ship you were born on. It was not a ship of reputable or venerable name, in fact, it was just a cheap and mass-produced company ship, which would make your name... "...er... CSA-185..." You bite your lip and hesitate. "...A? I think?"

The two of them stared at you for a long moment.

"Oh my god." Reiss finally said. "There's got to be another name she can use."

"I think you're allowed to substitute the planet you're orbiting?" Jess suggested with a unsure grimace.

"What if you're in interplanetary transit when you were born?" Reiss countered.

"You're still orbiting something when that happens..."

You clear your throat. "Um. I hate to interrupt, but... why is this important?"

"Er..." Jess rubbed the back of her head. "Your place name isn't really that important-"

"Other than yours sounds awful." Reiss chimed in.

"-right, that. But it's more... Valkan names are kind of important." Jess said slowly, sitting down at her kitchen table.

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>>4726167
You could see Elan poking his head in from the side room, hovering from slightly outside the perimeter. Did he overhear your conversation, or had Jess told him to come with some kind of mental message?

Jess tapped her finger on the table briefly before raising her head. "You've heard the phrase 'religious name' before, right?"

"Yeah..." You frown and nod. "Yours is 'Auvartii', but you go by 'Jess'?"

Jess nodded, her expression sliding somewhere between awkward amusement and defensive, and you saw a flicker of irritation shoot across Reiss' face before she forces her expression neutral. "Right. Auvartii is the name I was given by my parents. It's also in Valkan."

"So, it's your birth name?" You tilt your head.

"...yeah, pretty much." Jess shrugs slightly. "It has some religious significance, otherwise we wouldn't call them our religious names, but if you aren't that religious, it's pretty much your birth name. The thing is, even if it's our birth name, it's not our given name."

You tilt your head and glance back and forth between Jess and Reiss. "It's not, like, a sin to use someone's birth name or something, is it?"

Reiss and Jess' eyes widened, the two briefly sharing a look before shaking their heads emphatically. "Oh, no-" Reiss shook her head rapidly. "Not at all, it's just, um... kind of..." Reiss glanced at Jess.

"...familiar." Jess finished for her. "Like, presumptively familiar. Think of it like..." She thought. "...what's a similar Tagaran concept- oh!" She snapped her fingers. "Calling someone you don't know that well by their birth name is a bit like me using the pet name your parents had for you when you were a kid."

You imagine Jess calling you 'honey bunch' like your Dad used to when you were seven. Whatever expression you were making caused Reiss to snigger and cover her mouth, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "...oh."

"Uh, yeah." Reiss giggles into her hand. "Uh, no offense taken, by the way. Since you didn't know."

>"I didn't mean to call you the Valkan equivalent of 'sugar lips', I assure you."
>"So, wait. Where do your given names come from, if they aren't your birth names?"
>"Do you have a guess at what my full name would be?"
>[Write-In]

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>>4726170
>>"So, wait. Where do your given names come from, if they aren't your birth names?"

>>4726170
>"So, wait. Where do your given names come from, if they aren't your birth names?"
Full name is a good question for Mom later.

>>4726170
>"So, wait. Where do your given names come from, if they aren't your birth names?"
[X] for more questions to ask later.

>>4726170
>>>"I didn't mean to call you the Valkan equivalent of 'sugar lips', I assure you."

>>4726170
>>"So, wait. Where do your given names come from, if they aren't your birth names?"

>>4726170
>"I didn't mean to call you the Valkan equivalent of 'sugar lips', I assure you."
Hehe
Also
>"So, wait. Where do your given names come from, if they aren't your birth names?"

>>4727086
>"So, wait. Where do your given names come from, if they aren't your birth names?"
Writing.

Sorry for the delay, everyone. I've got some plywood and a point to prove to someone.

>>4734246
hell yeah build the shit outta that plywood

"So, wait." You frown and shake your head. "Where do your given names come from, if they aren't your birth names?"

Jess shrugs lightly. "'Jess' is the name of my Tagaran mask. It would be weird to be called anything else?" She glanced at Reiss, who was nodding sagely. "Maybe I'm a little biased, since I've basically been called Jess for my entire life."

"Right, but where did the name come from?" You ask. "Your parents, or did you name yourself?"

"My parents, yeah." Jess tapped her finger on the table. "The idea of having a persona is a lot more literal for Valkans, right. You pretend to be a Tagaran for long enough and... well, you become one." She glanced up and saw a concerned look on your face. "You're still you." She hurriedly explained. "But, it's a different 'part' of you..."

"So..." You frown. "Is there a true face, then? Is that the Valkan one?"

Reiss shook her head. "No face is greater than any other. Most people have a Valkan face they use, but it's not a sure thing. Everyone's different. That's why the religious name is important. It's the name you have that doesn't change."

"One that your friends and family will always know you by." Jess added.

You nod slowly, stealing a glance at Elan. He had his arms folded, a contemplative look on his face as he considered their explanation. What Reiss and Jess were saying was probably a whole lot more personal to his life. You glance back and swallow. "What if you don't have any faces or- er, personas? I've always just been Tiiris..."

"If you don't..." Jess pursed her lips slightly before shrugging. "Then you just don't use one, I guess. You might have been given one when you were born, but if you didn't get one, you basically get to choose for yourself. After all, people aren't going to pry about your name unless you're close to them."

"Right..." You drum your fingers on the table for a moment, before glancing over at Reiss. "So, um... you said you could help us find LT's master?"

Reiss blinked slightly, before remembering why she came here. "Yeah. I did say that. Er- what were their names again?"

"Karan aust Kharaki and Vaar aust Tanoh." Came LT's voice through your implants. You glance up over the table and see it hunched over by the front porch, a camera angled through the window to gaze at your little gathering.

Reiss seemed unfazed by the sudden voice in her head. "Right... Karan and Vaar..." Reiss frowned. "Karan... I know that name, I think." She folded her arms, gently rapping her knuckles on the side of her chin. "But she's not from one of the families..."

>"Families? Are there a lot of Valkans on Tagara?"
>"Is there a Valkan rumor mill?"
>"How do you know all of this anyway?"
>[Write-In]

>>4736021
>"Families? Are there a lot of Valkans on Tagara?"
I'm sure she's just referring to biological families, and not a euphemism for criminal empires. Everything is fine.

>>4736021
>>"Families? Are there a lot of Valkans on Tagara?"

>>4736021
>>"Families? Are there a lot of Valkans on Tagara?"

>>4736021
>>"Families? Are there a lot of Valkans on Tagara?"

>"Families? Are there a lot of Valkans on Tagara?"
Writing.

"'Families'?" You stress the word the same way that Reiss had. "Are there a lot of Valkans on Tagara?"

"Eh..." Reiss waved her hand. "Family might be a bit of a weird word to use. It's more like... er..." She floundered, then turned her head. "Jess, help me out here."

"Extended family?" She offered. "Clan? Cadre?"

"Clan is pretty close." Reiss mused. "The proper word is kiith. It's kind of like your community. The kiith you're from says a lot about you. Our parents were all kiithid with the Fleet, for example. Even with the Fleet gone, kiiths stick together, if they can. Or form new ones."

"And these families are still around these days?"

"Well, a lot of them are actual families these days." Reiss sat down and nodded. "Survivors and their Tagaran loved ones. Most of us like to keep in touch, help each other out if we can."

"'Most'." You repeat.

"Yeah, things can get complicated in the cities. It's why I prefer living out here. Less crap that goes on in your backyard." Reiss smiled. "The, uh, the closest Valkan that isn't me lives about two hours down the road, way deeper in the forest. After that, you have to go all the way to Reese before you find another."

"But you just said Karan didn't belong to one of them."

"Right, but that doesn't mean none of them would have heard about her. Any idea of where she would have come down?"

"On the Tanoh, probably." You remember the dust-filled corpses around it. "Er, near it, rather?"

"Or the Sauhs." LT reminded you.

"Right, yeah." You flash a little smile over to the window.

"The Sauhs..." Reiss scratched behind her ear. "That's... over in Esari, isn't it?"

"Hull VIII, by Tagaran labeling."

"That's halfway around the world, though." You frown. "...and I don't know anyone in Esari, either."

"I know a few people." Reiss suggested lightly, but didn't elaborate. "Either way, it would be best to start with the continent that we're actually on." She rapped her knuckles lightly against her head. "We could probably ask the Riils..."

Jess made a slight face. "Are you sure? I mean, they'd probably tell you if you asked, but they're such a pain..."

"You don't trust him?"

"The old man? Eh..." Jess stretched her shoulder slightly. "He makes me kind of uncomfortable, if I'm honest."

"Who else would you suggest?" Reiss asked sardonically.

"Um, I'm sorry." Elan interrupts. "But... who are you talking about?"

"The Riils, they're a family who live on the coast. A Valkan pair and their children. They're one of the... er, I wouldn't say 'influential' families, but they're important... and also very traditional Valkans who hate the concept of integration."

"Oh." You echo. "How bad?"

"They won't strike you down for being half if that's what you're thinking." Reiss waved her hand dismissively. "But they will nitpick your clothes and every action before doing anything for you."

>>4745004
"Sounds like my grandparents." You mutter. "But, if that's the case, can't you just talk to them for me? I don't really know how to be... 'traditional'."

Reiss grinned lightly and shook her head. "Oh, nu-uh. I ain't taking the bullet of lying to them about why I'm looking to pry another Valkan's privacy back." She pointed at you. "You want to ask for their help, I'll make an introduction and you can talk to them."

>"Can we try literally anything else first?"
>"O... kay? How do I do 'traditional', though?"
>"Sure, I'd like that."
>"How do you know them, though?"
>[Write-In]

>>4745008
>"Can we try literally anything else first?"

>>4745008
>>"O... kay? How do I do 'traditional', though?"
Trad Valkan lifestyle interests me. What do they do? Blow things up from robots?

>>4745008
>>"How do you know them, though?"

>>4745008
>>"O... kay? How do I do 'traditional', though?"
>>"How do you know them, though?"

>>4745008
>"O... kay? How do I do 'traditional', though?"
Oooh, ominous.

>>4745008
>>"Can we try literally anything else first?"

>"O... kay? How do I do 'traditional', though?"
Writing.

>>4745008
>[Write-In]
Can we describe the old guy that was looking for Kathari's sketchbook, since that sounds sort of like something they would go looking for.

>>4746988
Describe it to who? Jess and Reiss or the Riils?

>>4746993
Jess and Reiss, since it seems like something that might be significant, it's just that the way Jess described the "old" man made me think that we may have met previously, and so making contact may not be the greatest idea immediately since they may be able to ID us.

>>4747010
Sure, I can work that in no problem.

"O... kay?" You frown a little at Reiss' ominuous phrasing. "How do I do 'traditional', though?"

"There's this whole etiquette you have to follow." Jess shook her head and sighed. "I don't know anything else who takes it as seriously as they do. You got to introduce yourself with your full name, bow the right way, show up in your Valkan face and all this nonsense."

"Valkan-" You shake your head. "I don't have one of those, though. I'm Tagaran, is it even possible to get one?"

"Of course it is." Reiss grinned lightly. "The hardest part is developing a new one, but that's a hump everyone has to get over. The hardest part is getting the right clothes in your size."

"Traditional Valkan stuff, right?" You raise an eyebrow. "Isn't that, like, a lifesuit?"

"How could we afford- well, it can be part of a lifesuit." Reiss shakes her head quickly. "But really, we just need the cloak and something in a suitably Valkan style."

"And... how do we get that?" You raise your hands slightly off the table. "I don't exactly recall any Valkan tailors back in Miir last I checked."

"If you're really dead set on not meeting anyone else, I'll lend you one of mine." Jess said idly. "Not like I wear them much."

"But it's not as fun as getting your own..." Reiss sighed. "Yeah, I guess we could do that. We get them from one of the families up north."

"And all of this for some old guy..." You pause momentarily, an awful thought coming to you. Old guy, Valkan- it couldn't be the same guy. "...it. You wouldn't happen to- I don't even know who these people look like."

Jess frowned a little. "Uh, I don't really take pictures with him while I'm there- er, Fivel?"

Jess' adjutant released a burst of static, rocking back and forth in place like it was caught in a strong breeze. After a moment, your phone buzzes on the table. You glance down at it, then pick it up and unlock it. From a random phone number, you had received a picture of a couple. They were sitting on their knes together, side by side. The both of them were draped in a quilted cloak that settled around their bodies and exposed only a glimpse of their clothes underneath.

They looked... shockingly young, actually. Much younger than the old man you had seen before. The man had long, greying hair that was pulled back into a bun and a severe-looking face, lined and heavy. The woman beside him was also visibly older, with a slightly gentler look- although perhaps she was just exasperated?

You stare down at the picture in your hands.

>"Okay, so what I'm hearing is I'm going to need to come up with a Valkan face."
>"...I'm thinking this one is maybe a bad idea."
>[Write-In]

Anyone remembers who the old Vaikan guy could be?

>>4754406
>>"...I'm thinking this one is maybe a bad idea."

>>4754656
well it could be anyone. valkans can take very different appearances

>>4754406
>>"...I'm thinking this one is maybe a bad idea."

>>4754406
>>"Okay, so what I'm hearing is I'm going to need to come up with a Valkan face."

>>4754406
>"...I'm thinking this one is maybe a bad idea."
Yeeeeaaaah I'm not getting the best vibes off them.
The whole different faces and names and personalities thing is already weird, taking it to the level of tradition or religion or whatever is too much for me.

>>4754406
>"...I'm thinking this one is maybe a bad idea."

>"...I'm thinking this one is maybe a bad idea."
Writing.

>>4754406
>your phone buzzes on the table.
Can images not be streamed directly into the brain?

>>4756509
I believe this has come up before, but implants have no inherent ability to 'download' information directly into the brain. Valkans use devices they control with their implants as a sort of 'buffer' to protect their minds and so that if something breaks or bricks it doesn't require brain surgery to fix.

It's always such a wild feeling when an update kicks my ass and then when it finally clicks into place it's super short.

"...I'm thinking this one is maybe a bad idea." You finally say, pursing your lips. "I mean... does anyone else get like a serial killer vibe from this guy?"

"Let me see..." Elan leans over your shoulder and gently tilts your phone his way. "...I... yeah, no, I see it."

"They're not that bad!" Reiss pouts a little childishly. "They're just stuffy."

"I'm not doubting that, Reiss..." You say slowly. "But I've gotta agree with Jess, here. He gives me a bad vibe. Plus... I don't think I could pull off a 'traditional Valkan' look in a day even if I wanted to."

Reiss held her hands up and shrugged a little. She seemed pretty disappointed that her plan was shot down. "Well, don't say I didn't try."

"Any other suggestions?" You ask sheepishly.

To her credit, Reiss seems to consider the question seriously, putting her hand on her chin and thinking. It was Jess who finally answered, though. "What about Esari? A lot of Valkans live there, I know."

"I don't know anyone in Esari, though." Reiss frowns. "Plus, it's halfway across the world..."

"It's either that or trying to see who we can talk to locally." Jess replied.

>"What's the Valkan, uh, community like in Esari?"
>>[Sub-Option] "Don't worry about getting there. I can help with travel."
>"So long as they're... er, normal like you guys, I don't see why I shouldn't meet the neighbors."
>[Write-In]

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>>4764505
>>"So long as they're... er, normal like you guys, I don't see why I shouldn't meet the neighbors."

>>4764505
>"What's the Valkan, uh, community like in Esari?"
>[Sub-Option] "Don't worry about getting there. I can help with travel."

Maybe we could continue onwards, if there is anything out that way after we get TA4041 back from Kana, we should see if we can find more details out about the auction.

>>4764505
>>"What's the Valkan, uh, community like in Esari?"
>>>[Sub-Option] "Don't worry about getting there. I can help with travel."

>>4764505
>>"So long as they're... er, normal like you guys, I don't see why I shouldn't meet the neighbors."

>>4764505
>"What's the Valkan, uh, community like in Esari?"
>>[Sub-Option] "Don't worry about getting there. I can help with travel."

Ergh. That's all, huh. Well... Vilnea's emergency family meeting point was on the Sauhs, and it came down in Esari, so we might as well cut out the aimless clue hunt entirely and plan a trip to Esari.

>>4764505
>>"What's the Valkan, uh, community like in Esari?"

>"What's the Valkan, uh, community like in Esari?"
>>[Sub-Option] "Don't worry about getting there. I can help with travel."
Writing.

I guess we don't really have an urgent need to go to Kana anymore, do we? It was mostly to find Mom's "car" and maybe clues about her fate, but we went along with cultist-chan and found her right away. The car's in the hands of a rich collector of classics (I think it was said?), so it's unlikely to go anywhere at this point. Plus Mom might want to help with that retrieval herself, and that could be a while.

Subbing in an Esari trip instead doesn't sound like it would be a problem.

>>4766825
The reason for acting soon was that it was currently at an auction house awaiting sale Thread #16 post >>4296561 , where it would likely be most easily and painlessly obtained without a protracted infiltration or having to chase it down, also everything should be insured so burning the place down and replacing Talos with a pre prepared "body double" should definitely be covered as a possible plan of last resort since we don't want people to start looking at the registration, since that links us back to the Tanoh if the wrong people get wind of it.

>>4767118
I checked thread 16 and it didn't say the car was at an auction house but it did say the current owner has it up for sale.
>"Okay, so... where's Paul Manaan located?"
>"Paul Manaan no longer owns the car. He sold it to a Ava Tolin in 1163, who then sold it to a dealer in 1168. That dealer sold it to the current owner, Kurna Liin, who currently has it up for sale."
>You give Easy a slightly dumbfounded look. "Lotta transactions, there."
Arson is a bit more escalation than some rando car owner who bought it off a car-lot probably deserves.

>>4768534
It would all be insured, considering it's an expensive collectable, so the only people that lose out are the insurance companies in the short term, and they would remake the money pretty quickly.

Even if it isn't at an auction house, the plan is still probably a good backup to have, the other thing to do I guess is to buy it
back somehow, or edit the registration info and have the car disappear completely, though that might start a manhunt / following the paper trail backwards.

>>4764505
>"What's the Valkan, uh, community like in Esari?"
>>[Sub-Option] "Don't worry about getting there. I can help with travel."

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Flubbed one of Reiss' lines and accidentally had her contradict herself. Correction to follow right here:

"My friends in Esari aren't anyone important, though." Reiss frowns. "Plus, it's halfway across the world..."

"It's either that or trying to see who we can talk to locally." Jess replied.

"What's the Valkan, uh, community like in Esari?" You ask.

"Very close." Reiss said. "They have pretty much the biggest communal gathering of Valkans there is. Biggest single settlement, too. It's the only thing we have that's close to a town anymore."

"That sounds like a perfect first place to check, then." You tilt your head. "Why didn't you suggest that first?"

"A few reasons." Reiss frowned slightly, tapping a finger on her lips. "The first problem is the whole 'halfway across the world' thing. But on top of that, almost all of them live in the Broken Desert." She shrugged somewhat helplessly. "And I don't exactly have a shielded ship on speed dial to bring us in there- and I'm nowhere near insane enough to go in there on foot, even if you found-"

"Don't worry about about getting there." You interrupt her. "I can help with travel."

"We'll be dead from exposure within minutes where they live." Reiss shook her head. "And, like I said, none of us own lifesuits. We need a vehicle that provide cover from the heat."

Your implants twitch in faint amusement. In lieu of an answer, you twist in your seat and look at LT.

"Equatorial conditions are within this chassis' operating spec." It supplied at your look, bobbing it's main camera up and down. "As are the others."

Jess glanced over at it somewhat sharply at it's phrasing, but kept whatever thoughts she had to herself.

"Even so, there's still another problem." Reiss leaned forward. "They're such a large settlement for a reason. They're isolationist. Totally refuse to integrate with Tagaran society or have anything to do with it."

You leap somewhat ahead of her logic. "And we're half."

Jess cuts in. "They won't burn you at the stake for that- they're not that kind of crazy. But they rarely get outside their own circle. It's a bunch of scavengers and survivalists who have been doing their own thing for years now."

"Halfsie like you?" Reiss thought. "Probably get some weird looks, maybe a few directed remarks?" She hesitated. "I'm sorry, I don't really know what they'd say. They made a bunch of sneering comments to me about spending time around 'real' people, but I'm not..."

>"I understand. I'd like to try it anyway, if at all possible."
>"Point taken. Maybe we should try somewhere else..."
>[Write-In]

>>4775188
>>"Point taken. Maybe we should try somewhere else..."

>>4775188
>"I understand. I'd like to try it anyway, if at all possible."
We're not really intending to stay for longer than we need to, to let LT complete the search.

>>4775188
>"They're such a large settlement for a reason. They're isolationist. Totally refuse to integrate with Tagaran society or have anything to do with it."
Well... at least that's better than starting a cult and bombing Tagaran society.
>"Halfsie like you?" Reiss thought. "Probably get some weird looks, maybe a few directed remarks?" She hesitated. "I'm sorry, I don't really know what they'd say. They made a bunch of sneering comments to me about spending time around 'real' people, but I'm not..."
Uuuuuugh Valkans can be such space-asshats.

Okay, this:
>"I understand. I'd like to try it anyway, if at all possible."
But if we figure out the "get a Valkan Face" thing I guess I'd reconsider visiting the fussy-fundie-family Valkans nearby before going after the Burt Gummer ones squatting in the middle of the desert. They don't sound all that different, besides a tolerance for having sand in uncomfortable places.

>>4775188
>Point taken. Maybe we should try somewhere else..."

Bentus kill

>>4775188
>>"I understand. I'd like to try it anyway, if at all possible."
Just ask for their contact information. We'll decide if and when we visit.

AH SHIT I FORGOT TO HIT POST

>"I understand. I'd like to try it anyway, if at all possible."
Writing.

"I understand." You nod. "I'd like to try it anyway, if at all possible."

"Uh... okay?" Reiss quirked an eyebrow and held her hand up slightly. "But... I know you said you'd help with getting there, but flights aren't cheap. Unless you're proposing we stow away on a cargo ship or borrow someone's boat, it's gonna be expensive."

If only she knew how close she was. "Like I said, let me worry about it." You soothe. "I'm more concerned about finding them once we get there."

"I doubt you could." Reiss admits. "They're hidden by Valkan standards, and the Broken Desert is a big place. I needed a guide to show me in."

"Could you show us, then?" You ask.

"No." Reiss shakes her head. "But I can just call my friend and ask him to show us in. Better to show up announced anyway."

"Right." You nod. "And... um..." You hesitate. "I didn't ask before, but- you mentioned working, before. Would you be wanting payment for all of this?"

Reiss grinned gently. "Jess told me you were willing to give me some free labor in exchange for all of this."

"UH-"

"What? No, I did not!" Jess protested.

Reiss held up her hands. "Kidding, kidding. You know I'd do anything for you on the house, Jess."

Jess sent her a slight glower in reply.

"Besides." Reiss continued. "It's always good to have some people who owe you a favor around. And I like helping people. That said-" She cleared her throat. "I'd rather not be dangling in suspense, since I do legitimately work for a living, unlike some people I could mention. I'm free this week, but then work closes me up until the 15th of 7th unless you want to spend literally a day there."

You nod carefully, then glance out towards the window. LT glances at you, it's optic as unmoving and steady as when ST is driving it, but you could feel it's anxiety and pensiveness in your implants. It was worried, and while you knew it wouldn't say no if you said no, it clearly wished to be reunited with it's owner as soon as possible... if she was even alive.

>"We should probably get this over and done as soon as possible."
>"The 15th you said, right?"
>"Honestly, I think we'll probably only need a day."
>"If you're willing to put a word in for me, I think I can just go by myself."
>[Write-In]

>>4781798
>"The 15th you said, right?"
Giving us some time to prepare would probably be good, and let Kalis's recovery progress some more,maybe she can even come with us and it hopefully doesn't clash with school starting or anything else we get drawn into.

We really need to come up with some excuse for the Rontah, especially with it being almost unchanged since we recovered it

>>4781798
>>"The 15th you said, right?"

>>4781798
>"The 15th you said, right?"
you know, the whole saga about finding Vilnea's next of kin so we can deliver him her AI reminds me of the old DnD greentext about the players putting their entire campaign on hold to try and find a way to help an immortal old man with dementia.

>>4783164
Do you actually want to make LT sad?
Doing the right thing can be hard and time consuming, the trade off for it is that we are learning about a bunch of things and meeting new people, and locations that we wouldn't normally find, that may come in useful later if we have problems with anything on top of building rapport with anyone we meet.

>>4781798
>"We should probably get this over and done as soon as possible."
>"The 15th you said, right?"
Well if she's free this week, going sooner than later sounds good. Carpe diem and all that.
Second choice, to go on the 15th. Going on short notice is fine, but trying to condense it into a short trip or go without her sounds reckless.

>>4783335
For robots that seem to feel they don't have human emotions, some of them definitely give me the impression that they've got some lingering trauma.

>>4783464
We still don't know much about how the AI are made other than what Xol told us, they were tethered somehow and so prevented from going insane.

>>4783335
No, not at all. It's just the part about going to significant lengths to try and help someone else and basically putting everything else on hold to do it. Not that that's a bad thing.

>>4783535
Most of our stuff isn't actually on hold, we're waiting for school to resume, our mother to recover, the cult to implode, new leads for our various investigations to resolve, or training to progress none of which can really be sped up more than they already are.

>>4783539
I'll note that for training in specific, you're doing the lightest amount possible (Tina's lessons when you have time), but you have the other options to pursue if you want to speed it up.

>"The 15th you said, right?"
Writing.

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