File: Info34.png (370 KB, 1280x720)

370 KB PNG

>>5309771

“But if it doesn’t help this world to stay alive, why does the energy keep flowing then?” You question.

“We don’t understand the anomaly. How should we know? That’s the whole point.” Esperanza frowns.

“Eh, sorry.” You didn’t want to anger her. “Cutting it off will do the trick, right?”

“It needs to remain closed.” Esperanza stresses out. “The flows of energy from the same source always seek to reunite themselves to become whole again. The Old Man will be able to reconnect with himself.”

“That’s why you jumped straight to killing him…” You somewhat understand the logic. “Do you hate my idea?”

“Is the old man even worth that much? It’s a net gain for everyone else involved.” That’s your answer. Esperanza has no qualms about getting rid of him. There’s something endearing about Esperanza caring this much about other people’s happiness but feels a little off coming from her after all your interactions. Perhaps it’s because you feel like she’s being too logical about this…

“We’re not opposed to you closing the gate.” Smithele doesn’t have a hard stance on this, even if he leans towards cutting it.

“Maybe there’s a way to cut off only Gordon.” You think it’s pretty arbitrary how San Wich’s ability works. Use that to your advantage!

“Back to that again?” Esperanza is pissed off. “It’s easier to kill him!”

“Investigate.” The Cloak demands. “You seem to know the source of the anomaly. It’ll be your responsibility.” He’s got you there.

“Oh…” Esperanza’s attitude changes. She thought you were talking out your ass and nothing more. “Yeah, figure this out, we’ll be waiting. You have a couple of days, there are still so many things I want to see before we close this place...”

…

And with that, you’re back to dreaming. Everything is back to black.

What’s the plan?

>Maybe killing Gordon Sr. isn’t that bad of an idea… Y-You can totally do it…
>Ask San Wich if he can close the gate. End the Energy Loop.
>Ask San Wich if he can cut off Gordon Sr.’s energy stream. Killing or leaving the Dictator motivated will change the country in unforeseen ways.
>Write In.

>>5309772

Information:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QM91m
Discord: https://discord.gg/AmjbaTR
Archives: http://lws.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=do+your+best+quest
(Rough Grammar ‘till half of the 9th Thread)
Incomplete Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-nIx_dvaNCPQ7zLg2BK_ucCyGNM741kAANxqXj7hdDs/edit?usp=sharing

Votes:

Votes are counted until 25 minutes have passed. This rule doesn't apply to the last reply of the day.
Votes that require a dice roll are counted until 15 minutes have passed, so we can speed up the process. Rolls are counted until 10 minutes have passed, so be prepared!

(NEW) Dice Mechanic:

We always roll 1d100s!
Since most people weren’t happy with the system of averaging top four rolls, we’re using best of 2/3/4 depending on the attribute a prompt requires. If Johnny is a genius and it’s a Knowledge based roll, he gets more rolls (Max. 7)! If he sucks, he gets less dice (Min. 2)!

When asked for rolls, I will specify how many you’re going to get. Rolling begins after it’s asked.

Rolling 100 is a critical! There are no Critical Failures anymore!

The difficulty of the roll is tied with the effectiveness of the action. In other words, the harder the option the better the result!

Don’t forget that at the end of the day, this is a story-driven quest! What the prompts are describing is more important than the difficulty of the rolls, for results in a fight.

Again, rolls are only counted when they are posted within ten minutes of being asked, so watch out!

>>5309772
>>Ask San Wich if he can cut off Gordon Sr.’s energy stream. Killing or leaving the Dictator motivated will change the country in unforeseen ways.
Let's hope they can come in handy

>>5309772
>>Ask San Wich if he can close the gate. End the Energy Loop.

>>5309772
>Ask San Wich if he can close the gate. End the Energy Loop.

Tbh QM senpai you always bring the heat with the OP pics on this quest. +Respect

File: 3238.png (316 KB, 800x640)

316 KB PNG

You better end the energy loop altogether. Esperanza thinks only Gordon is capable of getting ahold of his bubble body, but maybe that’s not the case – we’re talking about flames here. Who knows what random thing is bound to happen that’ll allow someone else to do the exact same thing? You can’t risk it.

You’re going to need to contact San Wich to discuss a way for him to close the gate.

“I’m right here, friends!” That’s San Wich’s voice. Wait, you haven’t left dreamland, what’s going on? He can contact you here?!

“It seems like he can, partner.” Philonune informs you that this isn’t your imagination and he’s here as well. He didn’t say much earlier with Esperanza and Smithele, he thought of them as too finicky to intervene, and not screw things up. “Hey there!”

“Is there anything you want to discuss?” San Wich is ready to have a friendly chat.

“Huh, why are you here? How are you here? What’s going on?” You correct yourself.

“I’m iffy on the details. I had a deep desire to discuss something with you, friend. Even with great effort, I couldn’t get a hold of you before, but then I teleported here! It’s incredible!” San Wich isn’t sure how his abilities work. “I heard you talk with that girl before, apologies for intruding.”

“You did?” You’re surprised Esperanza didn’t notice him.

“At the very end, yes.” San nods.

“Can you do it? Can you close the gate?” You wonder.

“Possibly, yes! I’d need to investigate how, but with everyone’s help, it won’t take long.” San Wich is confident thanks to you all. “Naiad, Philonune, and Nekomotor have helped me immensely to understand my capabilities.”

“Who’s Nekomotor?” You think you missed something.

“Leo Major’s entity!” San Wich clarifies. Philonune confirms it. Huh, you forgot.

“Right!” You get effusive too. It’s contagious. “I’ll trust you with that then!”

“Count on me, friend!” San Wich is ready to solve this issue!

“What do you need me for anyway?” You want to know the reason why he wanted to talk to you.

“Oh yes. What’s your favorite color, friend?” San Wich gets serious.

“Purple.” You give him a serious answer.

“Excellent! Thank you, friend!” San is very excited now. He waves goodbye. “I’ll be working on the task you require done! See you two on the other side!”

“See ya!” You wave back.

“Take care.” Philonune waves in his flame form somehow.

It’s a beautiful morning inside the camper! You wake up on the mattress, sleeping bag all open acting like bedsheets, and you’re not alone under them – Matilda is sleeping behind you, acting like the big spoon. Wait a second, you’re wearing a purple scarf! And Matilda has a blue scarf too! Is this why San Wich asked for your favorite color? Wait, Matilda’s favorite color is blue? How predictable. Anyway, you have the entire day ahead…

>>5309845

What do you do?

>Assert your authority, become the bigger spoon.
>Check the Police Station. Ask the trustworthy policemen and Vanessa what ended up happening.
>Check the Police Station. Maybe you can have a chat with Ophelia about her wrongdoings!
>Return the Fisherman’s Truck! Don’t forget!
>Wilma and Cookie are here with their own scarves too. Resolve the Scarf Mystery with their help.
>Write In.


>>5309788
Thanks! I'm glad you like them!

>>5309846
>>Wilma and Cookie are here with their own scarves too. Resolve the Scarf Mystery with their help.

>>5309846
>Wilma and Cookie are here with their own scarves too. Resolve the Scarf Mystery with their help.

>>5309846
>Assert your authority, become the bigger spoon.
This is an affront!

After that inevitably wakes Matilda up,
>Return the Fisherman's Truck!
This has a time limit on it.

>>5309846
>>Write In.
enjoy being the little spoon, how many times in your life is THAT gonna happen again?

File: 3239.png (346 KB, 800x640)

346 KB PNG

You get comfortable in your little spoon position, the morning light enters through the window blinds, you can see little particles of ‘whatever the fuck’ floating in them – your eyes divert to the side to watch Wilma and Cookie sleeping together. You’re taking this moment slowly… Until you realize both tomatoes are also wearing scarves! Wilma’s is red, and Cookie’s is cyan. Weird choices, somewhat fitting if you think about it.

But that’s not what should concern you! Why does everyone have one? Where do they come from? And why are you making a big deal of something you probably know the answer to already? Confusing, mysterious, and inconsequential – 3 words that pique your interest.

You squeeze out of being the little spoon, change into something more comfortable in the tiny bathroom stall, and decide to take on this mystery head-on. You silently approach the sisters…

“Hey.” You whisper to them.

No answer. They’re both sleeping.

“Hey.” You continue pestering them.

“Brbrbrbr…” Wilma acts like a squirrel.

“No… I don’t wanna get up…” Cookie sleep talks. Hmph, you wonder how you’re going to deal with these two.

…

…

Wait a minute, you just realized that Matilda slept alongside you the whole time! Huh, being sleepy really affects you…

It’s fine. You just need to focus. And your focus is to get some answers.

What do you do?

>Wake the Cookie up.
>Wake the Pudding-head up.
>Wake both Tomatoes up.
>Wake the Former Big Spoon up.
>Steal all the scarves.
>Write In.

>>5309905
>>Wake the Cookie up.

>>5309905
>Wake the Cookie up.

>>5309905
>Steal all the scarves.
Its to show dominance

>>5309905
>Wake the Cookie up.

File: 3240.png (443 KB, 800x640)

443 KB PNG

Your older brother instincts kick in, when a silly sleepyhead begs not to get up from bed, it entices you to go against her wishes!

“Heeey…” You up the volume slightly and poke Cookie’s arm.

“Leave me alone…” Cookie begrudgingly turns around, exposing her back.

Cookie’s pajama top leaves some skin exposed that the scarf can’t cover. With your cold hands, a cruel idea is brewing…

“Hey.” You cautiously slide the top of your cold fingers on Cookie’s skin.

“GU-UhAh!” An agitated Cookie twitches upon your touch. She muffles her words; it was too unexpected for her to actually let out a scream. She doesn’t wake anyone up but herself. She’d be fidgeting more, but Wilma’s grip doesn’t allow her to move that much. They were hugging each other. How cute.

More confused than angry, Cookie turns around to find the source of this displeasure. The moment she takes a look, her expression turns into a mix of emotions that are hard to discern, the only thing that is clear is that she’s blushing. Cookie puts the scarf over her entire face lighting fast, not allowing you to study the kind of face she’s making.

“Hey.” You’re bored of saying ‘hey’.

“W-What’s the matter with you…?” Cookie doesn’t raise her voice. She doesn’t want to wake up anyone else in the camper.

What do you do?

>“You know where these scarfs come from?” Ignore everything else and ask for the facts.
>“Sorry, you weren’t responding.” You don’t know what came to you to act like that.
>“Are you really going to keep that scarf on your face while talking to me?” Wonder what she is doing.
>Slowly remove the scarf from Cookie’s face.
>Write In.

>>5310003
>>“You know where these scarfs come from?” Ignore everything else and ask for the facts.

>>5310003
>>Slowly remove the scarf from Cookie’s face.

>>5310003
>tease cookie with flirting

>>5310031
I'll support this to break the tie

File: 3241.png (324 KB, 800x640)

324 KB PNG

“What’s the matter with you? Why are you hiding your pretty face behind the scarf?” Wiggling your eyebrows won’t do anything yet. You still have that under your sleeve.

“D-Did you call me pretty?!” Cookie doesn’t want to raise her voice, but you’re making it very difficult.

“Yeah, you told me I can call you whatever way I wanted. And all morning girls look pretty, I told you as much.” You nod to the facts. “Now stop hiding.”

“I, huh, well, uh, uh, can’t do that. Nope. Sorry. I don’t wanna.” Cookie loves her new cookie jar.

“Your face is cold again?” You roll your eyes.

“Exaaactly. You get me, man.” Cookie sounds relieved.

“I propose I get under your scarf. The best of both worlds.” You smirk.

“U-Under…?” Cookie is recalculating.

“You need to loosen it up to make some space for me…” You wiggle your eyebrows out of instinct. “I’d love to be face to face with you.”

“Gah! I know what you’re doin’ now.” Cookie is frustrated now that she realized you’re teasing her. “Sheesh, I should’ve known better…”

“Aw, you don’t want to?” You sound disappointed.

“Don’t say stuff you don’t mean! I told ya!” Cookie gets frustrated. “You’re such a tease! Be quiet or we’re going to wake everyone up!”

“Hard to take you seriously with the scarf on your face.” You deadpan.

“It’s your fault I’m being awkward.” Cookie must be pouting now.

“I know you don’t want to be anymore. So, why don’t you take it off?” You try to sound gentler. “It’ll make things better.”

“’Cause y’know…” Cookie takes her scarf off her face. “I look stupid…” She’s looking away.

She’s tomato red…

What do you do?

>“No, Cookie, you look pretty.” Continue teasing!
>“You don’t. Let’s talk outside, we don’t want to wake up everyone.” Maybe talking one-on-one will make her less self-conscious around you.
>“Nah, you’re acting stupid. It’s different. Right, Wilma?” Wake up the other tomato to move on.
>Write In.

>>5310099
>>“No, Cookie, you look pretty.” Continue teasing!
Engage eyebrow wiggling!

>>5310099
>“No, Cookie, you look pretty.” Continue teasing!
>"If you look stupid now, I can't wait to see you at your best." Wiggle. Those. Brows.

>>5310099
>“No, Cookie, you look pretty.” Continue teasing!

>>5310099
>“No, Cookie, you look pretty.” Continue teasing!
EYEBROW WIGGLING INTESTIFIES.

File: 3242.png (222 KB, 800x640)

222 KB PNG

“No, Cookie, you look pretty.” The moment has arrived, you wiggle those eyebrows!

“Y-You have issues.” Cookie refuses to acknowledge the truth.

“Look at me, I mean it.” Your eyebrows continue waving. Cookie takes a deep breath and puts her eyes on you.

“W-What are you doing? Pfft…hahaha!” Cookie gets distracted by your smooth movement and giggles, closing her eyes. “Haha, wow, how can you say these things without any shame?”

“It’s easy when you wholeheartedly believe them.” There are no lies here.

“I-I can’t tell if you’re a smooth talker or the exact opposite.” Either way, Cookie is enjoying it.

“Neither, I’m just honest.” You say it earnestly. Your sudden shift of tone makes Cookie curious; she opens and locks her eyes on your face. Her expression tells you very little, like she’s in a trance, slowly the red on her cheeks starts conquering the rest of the face. You gulp, not loudly, just out of words. You’re unsure on how to react. “What’s wrong?”

“I knew you looked different…” Cookie whispers, it was really difficult to hear. Her expression remains.

“Yeah, I just woke up too, I might look stupid.” You show a wry smile.

“I, huh, uhm, ugh, hurr, ugn, know what I wanna say…” Cookie stammers. You can tell she’s hating herself for this. “Words aren’t comin’ out… I’m a bumblin’… errr… y’know…” Cookie wants the ground to eat her away. She looks down at the cyan scarf, both hands on it to prepare to hide. “What’s wrong with me…?” That was barely audible.

“Go for it…” Wilma sleeptalks to encourage her sister. The pudding head shows no other signs of being awake.

Wilma’s words just made Cookie freeze… You can’t tell what’s going to happen, trying to ease up things can make things more difficult, or give her the push she needs to let it all out – you have no idea what to do.

What do you do?

>“Don’t worry, I’m used to being around awkward people.” Screwing things up makes you all human! Cookie should feel free to talk.
>“Speak your mind, I’m not going to judge you.” Reassure her that everything will be fine.
>“Relax. It just was a little teasing, that’s all.” Maybe you gave her the wrong clues with the way you acted.
>“Are you okay? Do you need some space? We can leave this for later.” Maybe you went too far, too early in the day.
>Trust that Cookie will find the courage to say whatever she wants to say.
>Write In.


(Last Reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow!)

>>5310248
>"Nothing is wrong with you. There's no shame in being honest about your feelings."

>>5310248
>Trust that Cookie will find the courage to say whatever she wants to say.

>>5310258
+1

>>5310404
Supporting. Sometimes you have to let people fight their own battles.

>>5310248
>>Trust that Cookie will find the courage to say whatever she wants to say.

You got this Cookie!

>>5310248
>Trust that Cookie will find the courage to say whatever she wants to say.

File: 1933_angry.png (130 KB, 600x512)

130 KB PNG

I'm having technical issues. We're delaying the session for tomorrow. Sorry for everything!

>>5310248
>>Trust that Cookie will find the courage to say whatever she wants to say.

File: 3243.png (193 KB, 800x640)

193 KB PNG

No, this isn’t the time to interfere, people need to fight their own battles, and you’re certain that Cookie will find the courage to speak her mind! And if she doesn’t, you’ll believe so hard in her she’ll feel it! And if that doesn’t work… nothing will happen!

Cookie stops cowering inside the scarf, looks up to you, opens her mouth and…!

“T-Thing is that… V-Vibe’s ruined, I took too long.” Cookie throws in the towel, she averts her eyes. You want to tell her to say it anyway, but you decide to continue believing in her. Maybe Wilma can encourage her again?

“*Prrff*…” Nope, Wilma is deep in her sleep. Adorable.

“…” Timing can’t be ruined if you give her all the time in the world.

“……” Cookie is too self-conscious to say anything now.

“………” It’ll be a duel then. She’ll have to speak her mind first.

“I-If you want me to say it anyway, you should’ve said so…” Cookie gets what you’re trying to do. To a point, anyway. You’re not trying to do anything specifically, you just want her to do something. “Doesn’t matter, I don’t remember what I was going to say…” She’s lying. Most people would’ve bought it, she sounds pretty authentic, but not you for whatever reason. “S-Say it, i-if y-you think I’m lyin’, just say it…” She knows that you know. Usually nervous people aren’t this self-aware. Or maybe she’s being paranoid. Either way, it’s working! “Alright, I’ll say it… but the vibe is ‘capital G’ Gone. So keep that in mind…”

You nod.

“…I don’t think you look stupid. I think you might look better than the ‘Midnight Effect’ boys… *tied with*…” Cookie mutters the last bit to inaudible levels! At long last, she speaks her mind! But you have a hunch that isn’t everything she wanted to say. “I bet you don’t even remember why I’m saying this! T-This isn’t what I want…” Cookie wanted a fun back and forth between you two, and all she got was a sluggish compliment. Despite that, she’s glad the words came out of her mouth, but she feels bad about being happy over something so insignificant. “Uh, uhm… I think I know what goes through Mirjam’s mind all the time now… I think I need to apologize.” Cookie has an epiphany.

“Woah, thanks!” You’ll take the compliment very happily. Knowing her, that means a lot!

“You never stop sayin’ embarrassin’ stuff, so why can’t I?” Cookie has mixed feelings about what she said. No wonder she struggled so much to say it. There’s a little more bravado in her words now.

“Then it’s my turn again: I don’t think you look stupid! You look pretty!” You repeat yourself until she believes it!

>>5312388


“Admittin’ that says more about you than it does about me…” Cookie tries to comb her hair with her fingers. She doesn’t believe she looks presentable enough for you to say these things, and nothing will change her mind. Cookie wholeheartedly believes you have bad taste in women.

You’re in a dead end.

>>What do you do?

>“So, I was poking you because I wanted to know where these scarves come from.” Time to begin the investigation.
>“Cookie, I don’t think you’re being completely honest with me, I think you wanted to say something more.” Cookie is hiding something! Something she wants to say but is still too embarrassed to air.
>Well, that was fun, wake up Wilma so Cookie doesn’t feel as pressured.
>Write In.

>>5312389
>>“Cookie, I don’t think you’re being completely honest with me, I think you wanted to say something more.” Cookie is hiding something! Something she wants to say but is still too embarrassed to air.
She's way too cute when embarrassed

>>5312389
>“So, I was poking you because I wanted to know where these scarves come from.” Time to begin the investigation.

>>5312389
>“Cookie, I don’t think you’re being completely honest with me, I think you wanted to say something more.” Cookie is hiding something! Something she wants to say but is still too embarrassed to air.

>>5312389
>>“So, I was poking you because I wanted to know where these scarves come from.” Time to begin the investigation.

>>5312389
>“So, I was poking you because I wanted to know where these scarves come from.” Time to begin the investigation.
Let’s get down to business

>>5312389
>“Cookie, I don’t think you’re being completely honest with me, I think you wanted to say something more.” Cookie is hiding something! Something she wants to say but is still too embarrassed to air.

>>5312389
>“Cookie, I don’t think you’re being completely honest with me, I think you wanted to say something more.” Cookie is hiding something! Something she wants to say but is still too embarrassed to air.

File: 3244.png (257 KB, 800x640)

257 KB PNG

“Cookie, I don’t think you’re being completely honest with me, I think you wanted to say more.” You go with the hunch you had earlier.

“Y-You don’t think what I said is embarrassing enough?” Cookie tries to joke around but her lack of confidence makes it fall flat, revealing that she’s hiding something.

“That’s not my point, I can *feel* that wasn’t everything.” You don’t have hard evidence. It’s difficult to point out what clued you in, but the signs were there.

“You can feel it? How? Are you a mind reader?” Cookie is acting too unsettled for you to think she’s purely being skeptical.

“It’s hard to explain, just my intuition.” You know your tomatoes!

“No, no, no, no, no, no way y-you can’t read me this well, not me, we met like 2 days ago. It’s impossible. So what is it? W-What’s the big secret…? Hmm?” Cookie is ready for you to confess your mind-reading ways.

“So I’m right?” You raise an eyebrow. You got her!

“Y-Yeah, ehm, uh, uhm, so what? That’s what I implied.” Cookie isn’t trying to hide it anymore. “N-Now tell me, Phil, what’s up with you? What’s the big secret? T-There’s something about you that isn’t right… You’re psychic? Is that it?”

Hmm, Cookie’s intuition is going crazy. If you try to dodge the question, she’ll become more unsettled.

>>What do you do?

>“Huh, did the others forget to tell you I’m from the future?” Not like that has anything to do with what Cookie is thinking.
>“Cookie, I’m just doing my best, my intuition fails me as much as it helps.” Be brutally honest about yourself.
>“Cookie, you’re not too hard to figure out when you’re nervous.” Drop it like it is.
>“That’s something for you to figure out.” Wink and keep the mysterious aura. As mysterious as these scarves!
>Write In.

>>5312492

Also, the last reply of the day, we continue tomorrow! (Because the tie took too long.)

>>5312492
>>“Huh, did the others forget to tell you I’m from the future?” Not like that has anything to do with what Cookie is thinking.

>>5312492
Does anyone recall which thread the letter we wrote to Cookie (as well as the other Tomatoes) was? I remember for Cookie it was a write-in, and it's definitely the reason she's acting this way.

>>5312492
>“Cookie, I’m just doing my best, my intuition fails me as much as it helps.” Be brutally honest about yourself.

>>5312499
118 I believe

File: Something Going On.png (62 KB, 1880x375)

62 KB PNG

>>5312539
Oh, looks like it. In other news while trawling I noticed this:
https://lws.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2021/4932572/
Post 4953534

Terrorist incident aside, do you think Lazarus' announcement was because of something real-world Lazarus is doing?

>>5312555
No clue, I think it'd be more apparent if his plan made it that far so it could just be a normal villain speech

>>5312492
"Cookie, you wrote a letter to me not too long ago. I want you to be happy too."

>>5312568
Shit, meant to green text that

File: Letter and Analysis.png (48 KB, 1853x481)

48 KB PNG

>>5312555
>>5312539
Right, found the letter and a bit of the analysis that went into it. Based on her behavior we hit the mark.

Now how do we crack the crust on this Cookie for good in this conversation.

>>5312492
>Write-In
"Maybe I'll tell you my secret if you tell me what you didn't say."

Then if she tells us.

"I don't have any big secret to reading you. It's just that you're acting like how I used to be, and that gives me some insights.

If you don't want to be so easily seen through, then become the Cookie that moves past her failures and becomes better for them. If you don't believe in yourself enough to do that...then at least believe in your friends and in me, who all believe in you."

If she doesn't tell us then
>"That's something for you to figure out." Wink and keep the mysterious aura. As mysterious as these scarves!
And also ask about the scarves.

>>5312492
>“Huh, did the others forget to tell you I’m from the future?” Not like that has anything to do with what Cookie is thinking.

File: yuangry.png (103 KB, 800x640)

103 KB PNG

Sorry, everyone, we're continuing tomorrow, I had a bunch of technical problems all day, and with all them gone, I realized I feel too sick to write and draw. Apologies again.

>>5312555
Use suptg instead of lws. The domain got fixed for real.

>>5313783
I just use the archive linked in the not-quite-OP. >>5312492
I'll go for
>“Huh, did the others forget to tell you I’m from the future?” Not like that has anything to do with what Cookie is thinking.
If my write-in isn't supported

File: 3245.png (328 KB, 800x640)

328 KB PNG

>>Meanwhile at the Tiger Fist GYM…

The largest meeting of mafia heads from the entire country is being held at the office level of the enormous Tiger Fist GYM. Leaders from all Prancijan’s regions are here. Everything hosted by the largest underground organization and owners of the establishment: The Youhao Clan, and its leader Gianluigi Youhao. Like some sort of executive meeting, everyone is sitting around a large table with Gianluigi standing in front, having a phone call with speakers on for everyone to listen…

“…Can you confirm it once again for everyone at the grand table to hear?” Gianluigi has heard the news he has been waiting for, the last step for his scheme to come to fruition.

“Yes, sir. The head of the Min-Hu Alliance, Mr. Ubaldo Hae-Seong is dead. He… uh… choked on broccoli.” His informant stammers for a second. None of the members of the table know if what he said is a euphemism or not.

The Min-Hu Alliance is a little but historic mafia group on the west coast of the country, known as the facilitator for other organizations to close deals, take care of the logistics of said negotiations on neutral ground, and even partake as impartial judges if deemed necessary by the negotiating parties. Suffice it to say, they were extremely influential despite its size around the country, and received royalties from all the important mafia groups. Basically, they were the underworld regulatory body.

“Vatalaro, your voice sounds… *manlier*.” Gianluigi finds it rather odd.

“I have a cold.” Zama Vatalaro, a high ranked mafiosi, is the one delivering the information, and he’s acting out of character. He was an undercover agent sent there to take over the Min-Hu Alliance from the inside. Problem was, as traditional criminal organizations go, the head role is inherited by blood, and they found a successor, who just happens to have died.

“…” Gianluigi presses the button on the phone to hang up. Originally, Gialuigi wanted the Min-Hu Alliance to become part of the Youhao Clan to have its influence, but due to the chaotic events that have transpired recently. He has decided to undermine its importance. “You heard him, ladies and gentlemen. The Min-Hu Alliance is no more, and with it the last bastion of those pesky traditions that have been holding our business back for decades. We are no longer bound by unwritten law, but by common sense. And common-sense dictates that the strongest will set the rules. Now, I demand that those who abstained recast their votes.”

File: 3246.png (365 KB, 800x640)

365 KB PNG

>>5314797

“Topakasa gives its trust to the Youhao Clan and its leader.” The representative of the criminal organizations of the South Region declares solemnly.

“W-We have no choice… L-Los Iluminados decided to fully back up the Youhao Clan as well…” The representative of the secret ring of informants has also changed their mind as the bad news is too much for him to handle.

“With that in mind, it’s official: the Youhao Clan will lead our efforts from this point onward. Long Live the 6th Pillar: Gianluigi Youhao!” The representative of Yoinkshire, the northern region, proclaims.

An ovation from all the members of the High Table climaxes the historical meeting of the underworld! Gianluigi is the most powerful man outside the law. But the head of the table raises his hands asking for the clamor to stop.

“Ladies and gentlemen. This is not the time for celebration, we have much to do to secure the future of our institution. There’s still a visage from the past who, along with his men, has made a mockery out of us for far too long. Once an indispensable piece to our operations, now is mere a pebble in our shoes, and I’m sick and tired of this great discomfort. *Yes, gentlemen, our next step is to slay the dragon once and for all.*”

>>Gianluigi Youhao has declared the end of the legendary Jun Spice, his collaborators and disciples!

File: 3247.png (181 KB, 800x640)

181 KB PNG

>>5312492

“Huh, did the others forget to tell you I’m from the future?” You ask back. This isn’t the kind of answer Cookie was looking for, but it could explain a thing or two she might be missing!

“…You’re a funny guy, Phil. I *almost* believed you.” Cookie is worried she’s not reading your demeanor correctly anymore or if she ever did after what you said.

“I’m not lying, you can ask the others if you want.” You have told so many people here, you don’t get anxious about it. “Hell, I can show you something. I can turn invisible. Please don’t make any noise, everyone’s sleeping…” You make yourself disappear in front of her. Cookie is petrified.

“…….uhm, um, uh, uh, uh, huh, t-this ain’t cool, I really wanna scream.” Cookie manages to not throw herself into despair. It’s like she knew something about this to not be fully surprised like many others. “You’re here to take Wilma away, right?”

“Huh? What makes you say that?” You find Cookie’s response odd.

“I bet this scatterbrain showed you *that* thing she does. Her big secret.” Cookie rubs her hands near her eyes pretending to cry. “If she can do magic, time traveling is possible, y’know? No matter how much Chio disagrees because her novels say otherwise.” Cookie knows about Wilma’s powers?! She’s starting to connect the dots. “Wilma doesn’t know I know. I saw her do it when we were little, and once more a couple of weeks ago. It explains why you’re fixated on her, and everything going on. Sugar and Oliver are from the future too, maybe y’all came by accident or this is your first time ‘cause you couldn’t find each other at first. Or am I wrong?”

“I can’t say. It goes against the rules.” Self-imposed rules, but rules nonetheless.

“Don’t be boring now.” Cookie wants to hear anything. All her previous worries are washed away by her curiosity.

“Sorry to disappoint.” You feel real bad about it. “I want to clarify, I’m not taking anyone away. I’m helping because I want to.” You don’t want Cookie to get the wrong idea.

“It was an accident then!” Cookie is really excited to feel in control of the conversation. “Hold on, that means you’re not staying around?”

“I’m not…” You don’t want to say goodbye. But you can’t stay in the Bubble Dimension forever. Maybe you can visit? Or will it disappear after you’re gone? You’ll have to ask San Wich.

“Woah…” Cookie realizes something game changing! “You have no idea how much ammo you gave me against Chio. She’s so uptight about our futures. To be realistic and dull. Get our education, find proper husbands with stable jobs, have kids and what not. Never letting us dream of a knight in shining armor to take us out of this dump, or just live life a lil’ crazy, to enjoy stuff a little. And at the first chance she was fooling around with you!”

>>5314800


“Well, I’m no knight in shining armor, so...” You’re just a regular guy doing his best. And sadly, Cookie is right, you can’t have a family with Chio…

“I don’t mean it literally. Can you imagine a guy walking around with full armor on and riding a stupid horse picking up chicks?” Cookie smiles, she’s having fun. Suddenly, her happiness is wiped from her face. “H-Hold on a minute… t-this doesn’t change a d-darn thing…! H-How can you read me s-so well? Maybe you’re really a psychic!”

Back to square one. Maybe that wasn’t the answer she wanted, but one she needed!

>>What do you do?

>“Cookie, I’m as much a psychic as you’re an actual cookie.” Just dispel the notion outright. You feel like she’s seriously considering it.
>“And why does this upset you so much? Worried I’m that knight in shining armor you always dreamed of?” Wiggle those eyebrows. It’s a joke.
>“Does it really matter? Me being able to tell you’re upset is a good thing since we’re friends.” You don’t see the issue and she shouldn’t either.
>“Cookie, stop being a dummy. Let’s figure out where these scarves come from.” The real mystery is right here around your necks!
>Write In.

>>5314801
>>“Cookie, I’m as much a psychic as you’re an actual cookie.” Just dispel the notion outright. You feel like she’s seriously considering it.

>>5314801
"It's just that you remind me of me, Cookie. Unlike me though you've got plenty of friends to help you if you'll let them."

>>5314801
>“Does it really matter? Me being able to tell you’re upset is a good thing since we’re friends.” You don’t see the issue and she shouldn’t either.

>>5314801
>>>“Cookie, I’m as much a psychic as you’re an actual cookie.” Just dispel the notion outright. You feel like she’s seriously considering it.

File: 3248.png (366 KB, 800x640)

366 KB PNG

“Cookie, I’m as much a psychic as you’re an actual cookie.” You dispel the notion immediately as you feel like she’s considering it seriously. Anyway, you’re still disappointed she’s not an actual cookie, but you’ll never show it – it’ll be one of your deepest secrets.

“Fair, fair.” Cookie chuckles, this is the most relaxed you’ve seen her during this conversation. “Don’t get me wrong, I never believed it. Y-Yeah, not even for a sec. Nope. Not even one. Time-traveling? Real. Mind reading? Too far-fetched. See?”

“Sure.” You nod like a dumbass.

“Man, it really blows that I’m the last to meet you, and the last to know ‘bout this. I’m always late to everything now.” Cookie is hurt. “But thanks for letting me be in the know. Gotta appreciate being included.”

“No apologies needed, you deserved to know.” A convoluted way to go about it, but the information was entrusted.

“Nah, I don’t.” Cookie responds to you almost instantly. She knows that was awkward of her. “Uuuuuh, I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry! Ehem, let’s light up that pan and… uhm, cook. I’m gonna wake up these two pillow-heads while you do your thing.”

“You know, I woke you up for a reason.” You raise an eyebrow. The Mystery Scarves…

“Oh, yeah, I never asked...” The Last Tomato turns away, she feels like she’s losing control of the situation – and can’t face it. “Y-You can tell me now… I mean, it’s not an order, feel free to do whatever. I can cook if you want.”

>>What do you do?

>The Investigation must start! Where do the scarves come from? The answer will be San Wich, but it’s all about the journey, not the destination.
>Prepare breakfast for everyone. You interacted with Cookie on her lonesome, now you can enjoy time with everyone together!
>“One last thing, Cookie. Is it wrong of me to feel like you wanted to ask me something?” There’s something else. The mind-reading stuff didn’t ease her mind completely. She’s a tough cookie to crack.
>Write In.

>>5314913
>>“One last thing, Cookie. Is it wrong of me to feel like you wanted to ask me something?” There’s something else. The mind-reading stuff didn’t ease her mind completely. She’s a tough cookie to crack.

>>5314913
>>“One last thing, Cookie. Is it wrong of me to feel like you wanted to ask me something?” There’s something else. The mind-reading stuff didn’t ease her mind completely. She’s a tough cookie to crack.
We can't let her deflect her way out of this so easily.

>>5314913
>One last thing, Cookie. Is it wrong of me to feel like you wanted to ask me something?” There’s something else. The mind-reading stuff didn’t ease her mind completely. She’s a tough cookie to crack.

File: 3249.png (182 KB, 800x640)

182 KB PNG

“One last thing, Cookie. Is it wrong of me to feel like you wanted to ask me something?” There’s something else, you can feel it.

“Uuuh, ngh, c’mon, Phil – h-haven’t I asked enough?” Cookie is trying to find a different way to move on.

“No, of course not, I have all the time in the world for you.” You nod like a dumbass again.

“T-That’s so corny…” Cookie likes it. She does as well when Wilma acts this way, but she won’t openly admit it. “I-It’s not important, really.”

“It’s important to me now.” You won’t let her deflect!

“Shuush, d-don’t say it like that, i-it’s embarrassing.” Cookie finds you too cheesy. She doesn’t know about your rat tendencies yet can feel them… “Fine, I’ll tell you. But would you please think over the things you say? I-It’s driving me nuts how easy it is for you to, uhm, y’know, act like you do.”

“I’ll try.” You won’t use your catchphrase in this instance.

“What I want to ask you is about something you said, err, uhm, something you wrote.” Cookie stares at her hands to look away. “It kinda scared me ‘cause you were throwing darts in the dark and you got pretty close. Like, it made my stomach sink. You said you went through something similar and I… I want to know what happened to you. But that’s not all…”

“What is it?” You’re all ears.

“You said you’ll be there for me. To help.” Cookie turns her eyes to you, full tomato mode. “I-I wanted to take you up on that… I want to ask you if you can take me somewhere far away, and be together for a bit, and talk.”

“Like we’re doing right now?” You’re not trying to be cheeky, you’re just wondering.

“No, I feel like this place is pulling me down… It’s trapping me. I’m out of air.” Cookie is struggling to explain herself. “T-The town, not the camper.”

“Just the two of us?”

“I’d like to chat with you… maybe with Wilma too, Sugar is here so her as well if you wanna, I don’t mind my sisters coming along either, and… I don’t know.” Cookie realizes she’s not sure what she wants, like she feels guilty excluding people. “I don’t know…”

>>What do you do?

>Grab the Fisherman’s Truck and drive Cookie to the lake. Two stones with one bird.
>Organize an impromptu road trip with the people in the camper.
>Call everyone and suggest a big road trip somewhere fun! You have a Camper, put it to good use!
>Deny Cookie’s request. You need to address her issues some other way.
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, we return on Saturday!)

>>5315036
>>Call everyone and suggest a big road trip somewhere fun! You have a Camper, put it to good use!

>>5315036
>Grab the Fisherman's Truck and drive Cookie to the lake. Two stones with one bird.
Not as her trip, but just to spend a bit more time with her and to drop off the truck since we have a strict time limit on that.

>>5315422
+1

>>5315036
>Grab the Fisherman’s Truck and drive Cookie to the lake. Two stones with one bird.
I think she would be more comfortable with fewer people. At most, Wilma can come since she's like a little sister to everyone including Johnny.

>>5315036
>Call everyone and suggest a big road trip somewhere fun! You have a Camper, put it to good use!
I think for something like this we should give her what she wants at least

>>5315036
>Grab the Fisherman’s Truck and drive Cookie to the lake. Two stones with one bird.

File: 3250.png (329 KB, 800x640)

329 KB PNG

“Well, I need to return the fisherman’s truck before we plan on doing anything.” You made a promise, and you don’t break those anymore! Also, Cookie can accompany you, maybe it’ll help her somehow – a two stones, one bird deal! Wait… you said that wrong… it’s fine, nobody can hear, except…

Philonune smiles wider as you turn your gaze on him for a moment. He heard you. Your thoughts are loud.

“Sounds like a befitting carriage for Chio. She likes her tuna.” Cookie moves one brow up.

“I-It wasn’t for the date.” It kinda was, but wasn’t!

“Suuuure.” Cookie chuckles. She has collected more ammo against Chio.

“Say that again, ‘cause I want you to come with me. So, will you?” You turn this around into a win. “We’ll leave them a note.”

“What about her?” Cookie doesn’t want to leave Wilma behind. She’s clinging onto her. “Should I wake her up?”

“No, I have an idea…”

You carry the tomato to her new bed with Matilda. The Sweet girl embraces the little nest hair and both end up cuddling together. Adorable. You’d take a picture if cameras existed in this time period.

“Hehe, it’s funny to imagine what will happen when one of them wakes up.” Cookie is letting her imagination go wild.

“Yeah.” You let yours go wild as well… Yeah, you can see them not minding at all and staying like that for longer! It’s beautiful!

“Hold on, I need to put some pants on…” Cookie is wearing a loose top and sports shorts. She completes her full disheveled sport outfit. Didn’t she care a lot about covering herself? She did absentmindedly change clothes too when you were there. The Last Tomato is a pretty confusing gal. “There, ready.”

Before leaving the Camper, Cookie wrote a quick note about your whereabouts on a sticky and plastered it over the exit door.

File: 3251.png (427 KB, 800x640)

427 KB PNG

>>5317582

Inside the truck, Cookie put her fingers on the radio and immediately put on a station of her liking. She didn’t know the ancient rule that the driver decides on the music, but whatever – it’s not like you care, you’re happy to go along with her whims. During the entire trip she shared her music interests and tried to teach you the lyrics to some of the songs. You sense she was purposefully trying to avoid other topics despite it being just the two of you. But you felt it was necessary for her to have some time to unwind, you talked a lot, and even if you didn’t get to the heart of the problems just yet, the road was too rocky for her not to feel exhausted.

You’re driving 10 times more carefully than yesterday, more alert to the road regulations. Exaggeration or not, you have someone alongside and you can’t run the risk of anything bad happening. You wonder if everyone on the road feels the same heavy responsibility. Probably not with the sheer amount of accidents that happen weekly, but you’re most likely being unfair to those people. Shit happens.

Now you’re at the Big Pond, the greatest name for a lake you've ever heard. The sea of drunk men and gals is nowhere to be seen, there’s little life on the shore, a couple of people sitting near the water, and some tents. There are boats deep into the lake, big ones. You can’t see the Friendly Fisherman from yesterday.

Unsure about how to proceed, you take a moment to think about your next move…

>>What do you do?

>Look for one random fisherman and give him the keys. Fishermen care for each other, right?
>Look for a government official and hand him the keys. The Friendly Fisherman said he worked for a ‘Government-backed’ company.
>Approach the people near the lake.
>Approach the tents.
>Wait until the Friendly Fisherman shows up. You and Cookie can wait near the lake.
>Leave a Sticky Note on the Truck that reads ‘The Keys are inside’, leave the car unlocked, and the keys inside. Job done.
>Write In.

>>With no transportation, how are you planning on returning to the Camper?

>Challenge Cookie to another race! You’re sure she’s dying for a rematch!
>Ask if anyone can give you a ride back.
>Walk away…?
>Write In.

(Only reply of the day, we continue tomorrow!)

>>5317583
>Approach the tents

>Walk away...?

>>5317583
>>Approach the tents.
>Challenge Cookie to another race! You’re sure she’s dying for a rematch!

>>5317583
>Look for a government official and hand him the keys. The Friendly Fisherman said he worked for a ‘Government-backed’ company.
>Challenge Cookie to another race! You’re sure she’s dying for a rematch!

>>5317583
>Approach the tents.
>Challenge Cookie to another race! You’re sure she’s dying for a rematch!

File: 3252.png (336 KB, 800x640)

336 KB PNG

With this moment to think, you’ve realized you have no method of transportation to go back. To compensate, you’ll challenge Cookie to a rematch later! She issued the first one, so it’s a given she’ll accept! That aside, you decide to check the tents because you saw a fisherman come out of one. On your way there, you let Cookie know that you have no idea to whom to return the truck’s keys to since the guy who lent them to you is nowhere to be seen. She follows your lead like you have everything figured out.

You excuse yourself inside the tent. It’s an infirmary of some kind, 3 hammock beds with 2 of them being used, one is Ronda. There’s a woman who seems in charge smoking behind a desk, the papers on it all neatly organized. Behind her there’s a board with the boats’ schedules, next to it, a first aid kit hanging on the tent wall. There are empty dilapidated cooler boxes lying around. Maybe it’s not an infirmary but a fisherman rest spot?

“Can I help you two?” The nurse (?) puts out her cigarette. She doesn’t look like an actual nurse unlike the not-nurse you know and love. She looks outright tired but her face lit up a tiny bit upon seeing you.

“Yes, can I ask you something?” You clear your throat.

“Are you two new? You don’t know your schedules? The 45 is going out soon.” She immediately starts diving into her papers. “Names?”

“No, that ain’t it.” Cookie lets her know that she’s got the wrong idea. “We’re here to talk to a fisherman.”

“Name?” With the right information, she’s willing to help.

“I… don’t know.” He was ‘Drunk Fisherman’, you were ‘Food Cartman’, and that was it.

“We’re here to return something we borrowed.” Cookie jumps right ahead.

“What? A sweater? Some money? A boat? If it’s part of the equipment again, I’m gonna lose my mind…” The poor woman acts like she’s going to be heavily scolded for this.

Judging by her tone, you sense there will be consequences for the person who lent it to you…

>>What do you do?

>Hand the keys and nothing more. You won’t be a snitch, but you’ll leave it in the hands of someone who can take care of them.
>Pretend the keys are for something else entirely. Then crudely describe the fisherman who lent them to you, so she can return them to him.
>Tell her what happened and hand over the keys.
>Pretend this was a mistake and leave…
>Write In.

>>5318790
>>Pretend the keys are for something else entirely. Then crudely describe the fisherman who lent them to you, so she can return them to him.

>>5318790
>"I borrowed one without permission because I was on a very important date. I came to return it."

>>5318790
>"I borrowed one without permission because I was on a very important date. I came to return it."

>>5318790
>>Pretend the keys are for something else entirely. Then crudely describe the fisherman who lent them to you, so she can return them to him.

>>5318790
>Pretend the keys are for something else entirely. Then crudely describe the fisherman who lent them to you, so she can return them to him.

>>5318790
>"I borrowed one without permission because I was on a very important date. I came to return it."

>>5318797
fuck it changing it to
>Pretend the keys are for something else entirely. Then crudely describe the fisherman who lent them to you, so she can return them to him.

File: 3253.png (222 KB, 800x640)

222 KB PNG

“No, it’s something else.” You’ll ease her worries.

“Oh yes? Could you specify?” This has happened to her before, and knows people are more than willing to lie about this.

“Something is missing?” Cookie wonders if you can deflect it to something less important if you choose to.

“N-No, absolutely not. Nothing has been reported missing yet. The workers have the right to responsibly borrow the equipment for legitimate reasons under strict timeframes.” She’s trying to save her skin as well. “Like to borrow a vehicle to safely drive home. A vehicle we use to transport our goods daily. Like a truck.”

“Stuff is missing, got it.” Cookie is shocked about how dreadful this woman is at being subtle.

“Please, none of this type of alarming talk from now on. It’d be disastrous if something like that were true. But if it somehow was, well, it’d be great to know if the equipment is still in good condition, and who did it.” She wants you two to take a hint and help her out. “Care to share now what you exactly borrowed and from whom?

“It’s the keys for an apartment room.” That’s the only thing that came to mind that made any amount of sense.

“A room? What for?” She’s not buying it, she has heard a similar tune before.

“To, uh, well…” You scratch the back of your head and speak slowly to come up with something. “To study.” Yeah, you’re a genius.

“I seem to understand…” The worker takes a look at Cookie then back at you. Her gloomy eyes turn down. “You two are dating…?”

“Ah, uh, uhm, huh? U-Us? D-Dating?” Cookie’s mind is going to wild places. Should you clarify that you’re not dating? That’d make the conversation go for longer, right?

“You’re not out of shame, huh. It had to be pretty wild with how you’re looking.” The lady starts smoking once again.

“HUH?!” Cookie can’t handle this. You’ll have to speak up.

“I’m not surprised, stunning men are *always* with company.” Now the gal looks as dejected as before the conversation started.

“I-I think there’s a misunderstanding. We’re just good friends, that’s all.” You dispel the confusion.

“Friends? Give me a break. If that’s how he treats you in public, you should break up with him now.” The lady turns to Cookie. “You have worth.”

File: 3254.png (401 KB, 800x640)

401 KB PNG

>>5318974

“H-He’s not lying, lady! We’re good pals!” Cookie gets closer to drive in the point..

“Oh, you two have *that* kind of friendship… Don’t flaunt it in front of me. It’s upsetting.” This Lady is bitter. “We’re the same age yet I don’t get to do that. None of that. Nothing in my life is fun. I’m stuck here in this job, rotting from the inside…”

“We just want to return some keys.” You’re not at fault for getting this derailed.

“What I’d give to throw it all away and be with you, having all kinds of fun… Perhaps in another life we’d be friends.” This lady is not making any sense!

“THE KEYS!” You and Cookie shout in unison so this lady can get out of her downward spiral.

“Oh.” The Lady snaps out of it, embarrassed, and with all cigarettes gone. “I-I’m sorry, please don’t yell at me… Uhm… who are you returning this to…?”

“He looks like this…” You do a very crude imitation of what the friendly fisherman looks like.

“Hihihahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaha!!!” The lady finds your act hysterical, she can’t stop laughing, tears flow from her face. She nods and asks for the keys mid-laughter. You put a piece of a sticky note on it to disguise it a little, in case she realizes it’s from one of the trucks. Her laughter goes on for so long, you don’t think she spent a second looking at them – she just puts it inside a box below the table with the other missing items.


T-That’s done, you guess.

>>What do you do?

>Leave and never come back.
>Check on Ronda briefly.
>Invite Laughing Lady over?
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the day, we continue tomorrow!)

>>5318975
>Check on Ronda briefly.

>>5318975
>Check on Ronda briefly

>>5318975
>Leave and never come back.

>>5318975
>Check on Ronda briefly.
What did she mean by this?

>>5318975
>>Check on Ronda briefly.

File: Sorry36.png (272 KB, 800x640)

272 KB PNG

>>5318975

Delaying for tomorrow! Sorry for the inconvenience!

>>5320055
Thank you for running this quest. I really enjoy your drawings.

>>5320055
This is incredible

File: 3255.png (337 KB, 800x640)

337 KB PNG

The lady behind the desk continues her cackling like she’s in a trance of eternal laughter. Cookie and you share a look, marveled and confused, like watching the Winter Olympics without knowing the sports’ rules – but one of the weird ones that nobody knows they added. This analogy makes little sense. Move on.

You move your gaze to the woman you noticed resting on one of the hammocks before: Ronda. She was beyond wasted last night, screaming to the moon for answers only a man with invisible powers could have. That man being You. It might sound egotistical, but you feel like you’re involved. With Cookie walking by your side, you approach the unconscious teacher.

“Ms. Ronda?” Cookie is not concerned about her well-being but she didn’t see her before, hence the confusion.

You ask your friend to be quiet while you engage with the fallen teacher. She’s mumbling something: the laments of being abandoned by her demon lord. Were you a demon to her? What was your character? You’re sure she’s talking about you, or the demon she met at the store.

“Why… Why did you abandon me…? I did… I did everythin’ you wanted…” Ronda mumbles as she delves deeper into her nightmares. She’s having a bad trip.

“Sounds nasty.” Cookie is getting the wrong idea. The lady’s perverted mind has influenced your pure tomato…

Ronda frowns. She reacted to Cookie’s words.

What do you do?

>Rudely wake Ronda up. There’s no point talking to someone half asleep.
>Ask the Desk Lady what happened to Ronda and why she’s here. She’s a teacher and works at the Garden Shop, there’s no correlation.
>Talk to Ronda. Pretend to be the demon from her dreams and tell her she did good, but you must leave forever for malignant reasons.
>Pat Ronda’s head and leave. If you intervene, you’ll make things worse. There’s no good path to take.
>Write In.

>>5320913
>>Talk to Ronda. Pretend to be the demon from her dreams and tell her she did good, but you must leave forever for malignant reasons.
She only knows us by our voice anyway

>>5320913
>Talk to Ronda. Pretend to be the demon from her dreams and tell her she did good, but you must leave forever for malignant reasons.
I feel a little bad for leaving her, but overall we didn't ask much of her...and she did help a kid get back together with his mom (at our behest).

>>5320913
>Talk to Ronda. Pretend to be the demon from her dreams and tell her she did good, but you must leave forever for malignant reasons.

>>5320913
>Talk to Ronda. Pretend to be the demon from her dreams and tell her she did good, but you must leave forever for malignant reasons.

>>5320913
>Talk to Ronda. Pretend to be the demon from her dreams and tell her she did good, but you must leave forever for malignant reasons.

File: 3256.png (263 KB, 800x640)

263 KB PNG

“Do you hear me?” You try to sound a tiny bit more commanding; you can’t recall if you feigned some tone to trick her.

“That enthralling voice… The harsh but gentle tone… Milord, is that you…?” Ronda’s eyes are glassy, the light coming from above makes it difficult for her to see anything. “I can’t make out your form…”

“You were never able to see me to begin with.” You put your hand above her eyes to close them just in case.

“Your warmth… is delightful.” Ronda is at peace for a brief moment. Then she turns sour. “Why… did you forsake me…? What mistake have I made…? Did I not follow your orders to perfection? In what way did I fail your harsh but fair trial? I implore you for an answer…”

“Nothing. You followed my whims as ordered.” You won’t antagonize her with the wrong answers.

“As your minion, I’m not in any position to demand an answer, but I must know why… why am I not worthy?” Ronda is in tears again. She sounds half-drunk; you can tell now after dealing with so many drunks yesterday.

“You’ve done what I required of you. It’s that simple.” You start sounding harsher.

“I can be of other uses… Please reconsider… Let me be of service.” Ronda is fidgeting, this is not going the way she wants.

“You’ve done enough, and you’ve done it well, even surpassed my expectations. Your reward is my personal regards before I leave this world for malignant reasons beyond your comprehension.” You ease your tone.

“Take me with you… There’s no place for me in this world…” Ronda begs.

“I can’t.” You won’t pretend otherwise.

“…Milord.” Ronda’s heart sinks for a moment but she gains the strength to say something. “What’s thy name? Who do I pray to from now on? It’s all I want to know…”

How do you respond?

>“Sorry, Ms. Ronda. It’s just me, one of your students. My joke went too far, there’s no malignant spirit or anything.” Break her heart but be honest about everything.
>“Philonune.” Technically that’s correct, isn’t it?
>“Take care of yourself, Ronda. A minion of mine always keeps going.” Don’t answer.
>Leave.
>Write In.

>>5321185
>>“Philonune.” Technically that’s correct, isn’t it?
>>“Take care of yourself, Ronda. A minion of mine always keeps going.” Don’t answer.

>>5321185
>“Philonune.” Technically that’s correct, isn’t it?

>>5321185
>"Johnoandou."
>"You're strong enough to go on without me, I believe in you. Walk tall, Ronda, my minion."

>>5321186
+1

>>5321185
>“Take care of yourself, Ronda. A minion of mine always keeps going.” Don’t answer.

>>5321191
>>5321186
+1

File: 3257.png (400 KB, 800x640)

400 KB PNG

“Philonune.” Well, that’s technically correct, right? Philonune says he doesn’t want a minion. You tell him that’s not the point. “Take care of yourself, Ronda. A minion of mine always keeps going.”

“Philonune…” Ronda falls asleep in the comfort of this new knowledge, like a struggle finally coming to an end with a peaceful rest.

…

That’s it. You believe you’ve done everything you can inside the tent. Surprisingly, the Desk Lady’s laughter just died down and she’s recovering her breath. You walk to the entrance with Cookie by your side. The laughing lady mumbles something about you still being here, you apologize for intruding for so long and make your leave.

“I get it now.” Cookie giggles once you’re farther away from the tent.

“Get what exactly?” You raise your brow.

“Philonune. Phil Noon.” Cookie knew as soon as you said it, she’s mentioning it now to have a topic to talk about. “It’s clever.” She’s being ironic. “You’re going to disappear one day and she’s going to figure it out, just sayin’.”

“You’re not wondering what happened?” You find it odd that she’s going along with no further issues.

Cookie shrugs. “You’re pullin’ a prank on the wrong teacher, Phil. She’s a witch. Last kid who did something like that went away like smoke.” Cookie is smirking, she’s lying to you!

“Uh-oh.” You take it seriously though. “I think she’s makin’ me disappear…” You raise your hand towards the tomato and make your fingers disappear slowly.

“S-S-Stop that.” Cookie can’t look away. You revert your hand to its usual opacity.

“Well, Cookie, as you can see we have no method to go back but our legs.” You start stretching. “How about a race to the camper?”

“All the way?” Cookie is pleasantly surprised.

“Yup. I can tell you want a rematch.” You are in more appropriate clothes for running. Yes, a stupidly long hoodie is way better than a shirt.

“You know girls have better endurance than boys... You won’t make it far.” Cookie is getting cocky.

“We’ll see.” You smile.

While you think Cookie has gotten more training in the last 2 days. You don’t think the results are going to be that different from last time. You’d better be prepared for this outcome, right?

What do you do?

>Treat it seriously. You’ll run as fast as you can, if Cookie gets tired it’s her problem.
>Keep an eye on her during the race in case she starts to falter. You’ll keep it competitive.
>Pretend not to do well to pump Cookie’s ego. And if she gets tired, you can help her out and she’ll keep some of her dignity!
>Write In.

>>5321375
>>Keep an eye on her during the race in case she starts to falter. You’ll keep it competitive.

>>5321375
>Keep an eye on her during the race in case she starts to falter. You’ll keep it competitive.

>>5321375
>>Keep an eye on her during the race in case she starts to falter. You’ll keep it competitive.

>>5321375
>Treat it seriously. You'll run as fast as you can, if Cookie gets tired it's her problem.
No mollycoddling

File: 3258.png (289 KB, 800x640)

289 KB PNG

Yeah, you should. Being cautious is the best approach here. Realistically, you need to keep an eye on Cookie because she’s going to falter, so keeping her pace is the only way to make sure she’s fine without hurting her ego. Finishing the race would be an accomplishment she might be capable of but she’s cocky, so she’s going to try to win no matter what.

“You ready?” Cookie is done stretching and takes off her scarf.

“Yeah. Just don’t call me a sucker again.” You bring your eyebrow up.

“Heh, I didn’t think I’d upset you with that.” Cookie likes banter when it’s effective.

“I didn’t mind after you kept apologizing while riding my back.” You shrug.

“This time you’ll only pick up my dust.” Cookie is determined to not let that happen again. “Ready? On the count of 3…” Cookie bends down like every professional sprinter in the Olympics.

“Ready.” You know these cheater tomatoes don’t count to 3.

“…1!” Cookie starts running immediately after the one! Her movements are far from sloppy, each step is firm but her limbs move smoothly just like Crossbill runs! Her mojo is back! She knew you were going to start running on the 2, but she was one step ahead like the cheat she is! “Sorry, Phil! I need an advantage! But I told ya we don’t count to 3, so it’s fine, right?!” This cheeky tomato is chuckling! Would laughing hurt her breathing technique or whatever the hell runners do to not get tired faster?

Anyway, you could’ve talked this out, dang it! She’d probably refuse with how proud she is, but you don’t like the way she’s smiling! She’s enjoying being a little twerp way too much! You wanna crush her, but you’ll stick to your plan. You match her pace eventually to run side by side, she’s not going especially fast. Cookie smirks and gets farther ahead with ease, you get on her level once again – and the same thing happens. She wants to be ahead no matter what. This repeats a couple of times, more to the point where you’ll admit you two are sprinting as fast as you can go (admittedly, you think you could run faster if you didn’t waste stamina doing this little charade at first.). Cookie’s technique is what is making the difference to keep you leveled… Until it doesn’t.

It all ends abruptly once Cookie loses all steam and collapses in the same manner as last race, she couldn’t keep up… Cookie loses by disqualification. You’re halfway there, maybe 40%. The amount of stamina to get to this point and this quickly is commendable, but Cookie demanded too much of herself, she almost puked from exhaustion. She was carrying another cheeky water bottle, that and a little break helped her not ‘die’ – and your cheeky towel you were carrying in your hoodie for some reason, helped her not be all soaked. You end up with the responsibility of carrying the Cookie backpack to the finish line once again…

File: 3259.png (172 KB, 800x640)

172 KB PNG

>>5321552

“I-I was doin’ so good… W-Why did this happen…?” Cookie laments after panting from exhaustion for the last 5 minutes.

“Cookie, you did beyond amazing for like a day of training.” And frighteningly so. Maybe you could learn her secrets. A spy needs to run fast. “Also, keep your breath steady.”

“Hmm…” Something is bugging Cookie. You think it’s because she didn’t perform as well as she liked. But there are some question marks on your reading because she’s touching her left leg “…I, um, uh, am.” Cookie is stubborn.

“You’re not, I can feel it.” You turn your head around. Cookie is resting on your back! Did she forget? “Now it’s getting worse!”

“T-That’s because your face is too close to mine!” This tomato shade fits her well like her sisters. She looks away. “Look where you’re going!”

“Oh, yeah, sorry. Tried to enjoy the view for one second too many.” You can’t look at her like this…

“S-Stop it…” Cookie’d complain more, but she’s tired.

“It’s not getting better.” You point out she’s still panting too much.

“STOP IT.” Cookie doesn’t like when you say the truth!

“How are you holding up? Is my back still comforting?” You change topics.

“…Oh good, you remember me sayin’ that too.” Cookie rubs her head on it and yawns. She forgot that she says embarrassing things too. “Yeah, it is. Kinda makes me fall asleep.”

“I’d say go ahead, but I don’t want you to fall.” You believe her security is the most important thing here.

“That’s fair.” Cookie gets comfortable anyway. “Phil, this, uh, uhm, was fun…”

“Sure was.” You nod.

“And, um, you don’t have to take me anywhere anymore... I’m good now, like for real, and, um, uhm, it was a stupid idea. Forget about it, will you?” Cookie doesn’t sound convincing. “It’s not like I wanna leave. I’m stayin’ at the Camper having fun with everyone, but you don’t have to do anything drastic. Okay?”

For some reason, Cookie is trying not to make whatever hazy plans you had for her come to fruition. Is this really enough for her? Or are you getting somewhere? You’ve spent too much time with people who refuse to be helped to not notice some red flags, but you have wisely chosen to give them some space when necessary. You have to react with tact.

But sadly, this is all we have for this week’s thread! Until next time! Thanks for playing!

>>5321555
Really fun thread, thanks for running!

>>5320097
>>5321560

Also, thanks to you both!