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In Scrimshaw Mount, all graves are shallow. Even on the Promontory, where Nature, through the permutations of the Pattern had placed soil on the otherwise nude basalt of the Mount, the bone white stone was never more than a few feet down, commonly less than one. As such, getting graves to the standard depth of eight feet was simply not practical for those interned in the Mount's public burying grounds. But those that lived their lives and died their deaths on the Mount didn't take overmuch umbrage at their shallow graves. For both the practical and pious among them understood full well that under the panopticonical Gaze of the Patternmaker Above … all things are shallow.

Your name is Chlotsuintha, and you are still thinking that if this isn't to be the last night of your life, then it is certainly shaping up to be the longest. You are at an impromptu late night dinner, the guest of a Thief-Taker, a Master Thief-Taker, Alvor Sulphreme, the Ninth of the Hall in the Hole and Master of her Stocks … or Locks. In spite of the danger, you are trying to pump him for information about the state of the roads in this stretch of the Principalities, which have been suddenly beset by banditry and highwaymen – but another one of the guests at the dinner, some stick-in-the-mud named Poincare, objected to him discussing such things in your presence. Moreover, he clearly finds your presence here at all inappropriate … which it is, admittedly, but everyone else is being a good sport about it but him. After interrupting someone for so much as trying to make idle talk with you, pointedly asking if your father taught you the concept of an appropriate bed-time, you were about to seriously consider giving up on getting anything out of Sulphreme, the Taker's friend – whose name you have already forgotten – suggested to the hostile Poincare that he should ask your father himself. After feeling as if you had been struck with a Slaughter's sledge-axe for a long-lingering moment, you realized the man was trying to play a practical joke.

Still a-fluster and a-flutter you are not well-disposed to be working out the balance here. It cannot be gainsaid that there is at least some risk with him or anyone else playing around with the tall-tales you have woven together to make Wilhelmina, and excuse her presence here. But at the same time, such risk pales in the face risks that you have already taken here, by the Heights of Hell, are currently taking. Besides, whatever risk may come from this meddling is already being borne; the proverbial milk is already spilt. And if you were to play along, then you might be able to dislodge the Poincares from the table – or at the very least, get them to leave you along as you pump Sulphreme. There is the question of how the proprietor will react to all of this … but he looks to still be in conversation at the moment; you can only guess as to what he will or will not overhear.

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Pattern's Perdition, you went and managed to cozen the ninth ranked Thief-Taker on the Mount, how can you be so unmade by the prospect of idle – of lies. You are going to be lying, and … no, don't dwell. Just … just …

"Yes, why don't you?"

You say it; not so much because you are convinced that it won't bite you, or that it might increase your odds of the Poincare's decamping, but instead to keep you from taking yourself to pieces worrying. Yet there is no small satisfaction when you see the aggrieved look on the closer of the Poincares face; the further one is still glaring away – but when he continues to glare when Poincare the closer turns to him and they lock eyes, you have to wonder if he just has a naturally intense face. Trying to not bog yourself down in potential thinking-traps, you make a very deliberate point of not looking around the room … though judging from the murmurs coming up from some of the guests seated nearer to you, your retort has not gone unnoticed.

“Oh, I shall. I certainly shall.”

The man gestures for his intense-faced family member to follow, and without so much as a word he follows his much more aggravating kith out of the room. There is no small joy at seeing the backs of them pass into the shadows of the hall, but it is fleeting at the thought of them realizing the joke for what it is – and how Poincare will definitely be all the less amenable over it. For now though, you have a reprieve. How best to avail yourself of it though, that remains to be seen …

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> [Undirected] "..."
> [Directed at the Man to the Left] "You were saying about yourself?"
> [Directed at Sulphreme and Friend] "Glad to see their backs, would be gladder still to never have seen their fronts!"
> [Directed at Sulphreme's Friend] "I can only hope that whoever is in Four of Cups has more humor then the pair of them do ..."
> [Directed at Sulphreme] "Now, what were we talking about, again?"
> [Directed at Sulphreme] "Now, I believe we were talking about the state of the roads."
> [Directed at Nasturtium] "Goodman Nasturtium? Half of your ear and a moment of your time."
> [Directed at Nasturtium] "Goodman Nasturtium? Would it be an imposition if I were to ask to speak privately for a moment?"
> [Directed at Nasturtium] "Goodman Nasturtium? When you get a moment, could you send for those documents, please?"
> [Directed at (Write-in Subject)] Write-ins allowed with QM approval.

> Previous thread: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2024/5982823/
> Archive of threads: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=eternal+rome

If this looks familiar, it is with good cause. We ended the last vote of the last thread on a tie. Whether you voted there or not, please vote again here – and do not feel as if you must cast your vote for the same choice as you did last time either.

>>6053882
Glad to be back, anon!

>>6053777
> [Directed at Sulphreme] "Now, what were we talking about, again?"

>>6053777
>> [Directed at Sulphreme] "Now, what were we talking about, again?"
Welcome back Trash!

Alright, consider this closed.

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Dropping your head as not to catch anyone's eye, your thoughts rattle and scramble through your increasingly wearied head as you try to grasp upon the strongest, safest play here. Oh, oh ... okay. Well, the safest move invariably is to do and say nothing; to wait for the proprietor to make his way over here, so you may ask for the Patent and Bill for the stage and team. Or rather, so you may ask if you could speak with him privately, so you could ask for the Patent and Bill for the stage and team. Even if you have already told Sulphreme your purpose here as you were cozening - lying, when you were lying to him - you cannot see any sense in speaking of such matters in front of so many other who-bodies. That said, can you plan on coming back to this room after leaving? Should you plan on it?

No, you - no. No, you shouldn't. Keep things simple, keep things moving. That is to be your personal litany for the rest of the night. So then, if you must be 'moving' - that is to say, doing something productive - you should try again to pump the Taker for as much news as you can about the state of the roads. Obviously, you don't want to come off as too interested - so perhaps it may serve to be a bit ... circumspect. Seeing that the man is set upon his cup, and not in conversation with anyone else around the table, least as far as you can tell, you wait until you have caught his eye then you muster up a rejoinder - a rather witty one, all things considered.

"Well, now that the Rex and Regina Sacrorum are away, what were we talking about again?"

The Taker guffaws heartily at that. He isn't alone in his mirth either - which is a real double edged sword. You are glad that others are laughing along at your joke, but concerned that so many are listening in - or at least hearing - what you are saying. After another few chuckles and a deep sip, the Taker answers your pointed question.

"Ah, the roads. Bands of Highwaymen have hit a number of coaches, all of them no more than a stone's throw away. But you have the local Municipalities calling a 'soft' muster, and the houses have either suspended their routes or taken on Takers for additional security. As it stands, there is nothing else that can be done, not until some of the trash is swept up - alive - by a patrol, or taken in an attempt on a coach."

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With that, the Taker takes another sip of wine, and looks around for a serving-man. You expect him to say something else on the matter, but - of course! - it seems that he has said all he is going to unprompted. Cry fie and fray it all! You go through all of this, just to get practically the same tidings you overhear in the office of this house, just hours ago? Do ... do you try for another question? Something more specific? Obviously, the last thing you want to do is put it in his head that you might be looking to head out onto the roads, considering that he has already demonstrated feelings of responsibility for you - but at the same time, you cannot just cut your loses and walk away like this. One of the whole reasons you accepted the danger of having the ninth-ranked Thief-Taker on the Mount escort you to this dinner was the opportunity it presented for intelligence-gathering. You need something more ... don't you?

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> " ..."
> "Bands? Plural? Is that typical?"
> "I almost don't believe it, everyone said the roads were so safe."
> "Are you going to go after these ruffians, Goodman Taker?"
> [Write-in a seemingly idle question or leading statement] Subject to QM approval
> [Write-in a more direct question about the roads] Subject to QM approval

>>6054791
> "Are you going to go after these ruffians, Goodman Taker?"

Welcome back Trash

>>6054791
>> "Bands? Plural? Is that typical?"

Consider this closed!

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Damn it to Hell and back, you haven't done all of this just to lose out on some potentially life-saving intelligence just because some long-in-the-tooth Taker is more interested in the house red than he is with conversation with you. No, you have to keep on this ... with a light touch, of course. You will be boiling before you know it if he - or anyone else around the table - thinks that you are too interested in the situation out on the roads. You let a moment or two pass, in the hopes that it plays down your keenness, then you ask in the idlest tone that you can muster up -

"Bands? Plural? Is that typical?"

The Taker, whose attention had been solely devoted to watching a serving-man approaching him with a tray, looks over his shoulder at you in some surprise at the astuteness of the question. The appearance of surprise smooths over gradually, never giving away to anything even approaching suspicion - yet, one does not need a working understanding of Glamours to know that looks can be deceiving. The man shifts in his seat, to properly face you - hopefully because he is just too polite to resume conversation with you over his shoulder - and after a pause of his own where he works his seat forward a bit, he answers.

"No. No, it is isn't. Those so inclined to try these sort of things almost as a rule are lacking in intelligence and discipline; if an outfit demonstrates any, then it invariably it is being imposed on them by their boss. And believe me when I say it is not a burden they bear gracefully. Typically, you can expect that a boss's command goes no further afield than the sound of his voice. But this ... there have been knock-downs from Outbye to Thinlance, and those are some long leagues between them. Hard too ... or at least, as hard as the Thoroughfare will get this side of the frontier. This ..."

He trails off, and gestures to the serving-man, who in turn places a number of pastries of a stripe unfamiliar to you carefully on his plate.

"There has to be at least three teams, but practically, you are probably looking at four. Which ... well, regardless, the 'soft' muster should take care of it."

With that, he starts to pick at the pastry, leaving you with your thoughts roiling and boiling away. There is something - perhaps several somethings - being left unsaid; that so much is plain to you. Moreover, that last little bit - it was meant to be reassuring. Perhaps you are reading to much into it, but if he thinks that reassurance is needed, then it must be that this is a serious threat. By all indications, everyone is taking it seriously, what with the Takers and the 'soft' muster - whatever exactly that is, you have never heard the term before – and of course, you always intended to take it seriously as well. But it is possible you aren't taking it seriously enough? By his word and his cast, it is plainly written that the Taker is concerned. And if a Taker is concerned …

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Yet, you need to be very careful not to appear too interested or too attentive, lest he work out your intention to take to the roads as soon as possible. Maybe if you let enough time pass, or waited until he was in conversation with someone else, and interrupted him then to ask if the other Thoroughfares are safe or not … perhaps he'd be distracted enough to not deduce why you are asking? Even the thought of taking a risk like that is enough to tie your stomach up into knots, but you don't see how you could get that information out of him without asking. A subtler tact would be to ask about the significance of there being three or four teams of highwaymen operating, or to just bring it up again and hope he expands on it - it is possible that he is just worked up about it, because four teams means a lot more highwaymen than one team, but that is not exactly how you took it. Or, painful as it may be, perhaps the best tact would be to just bite your tongue. There was that little look he had when you first asked that pointed question about his choice of words. You might be at the end of your rope here.

Hell, for all you know, you might be past it.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> “…”
> "My goodness, four whole packs of these ne'er-do-wells.That seems ... well, that's a lot, isn't it?"
> "But what I don't get is why wouldn't these unsavories just stay in one big group?"
> "When you said that there were hard leagues on the Thoroughfares, did you mean 'hard' as in hilly, or 'hard' as in dangerous?"
> "With so many of these vagabonds about, do you think that some might slip away? To other Thoroughfares?"
> [Write-in a seemingly idle question or leading statement] Subject to QM approval
> [Write-in a more direct question about the roads] Subject to QM approval

>>6054882
Still glad to be back!

>>6055528
> “…”

>>6055528
>“…”

>>6055528
> "My goodness, four whole packs of these ne'er-do-wells.That seems ... well, that's a lot, isn't it?"
> "But what I don't get is why wouldn't these unsavories just stay in one big group?"

The innocent outgrowth of our conversation- besides, we can simply claim we’re worried about our traveling father. It’s not like information on the local bandit scene won’t be useful- either as an opportunity, or a problem to avoid.

Consider this closed. I'll get a quick update out for an overnight vote.

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Run through with questions as you are, there is some doubt lingering in the back of your mind about holding your tongue. But by any and all measures, it is a risk to continue conversation this this vein. And under the current circumstances, you cannot afford to suffer unnecessary risks for what will invariably be diminishing returns. It isn't that the information couldn't be useful, but you don't imagine that you would need it to win your way through to the frontier. If there is a bumper crop of banditry on a stretch of the Fourth, then you just avoid that stretch - or if at all possible, avoid the Fourth entirely. Now, beyond the names of a few places, some points of interest, and a ... very vague idea of their relative position to one another, you don't know the lay of the land beyond sight of the Landward Walls. But if there is a Fourth, then it stands that there must be at least three others of these Imperial Thoroughfares to get you to the interior. Moreover, though it may be far from a worthy thought, if the Guards and the like that were typically stationed on other roads or in cities - on roads or in cities that you will be passing through - get rolled up into this 'soft' muster and are marching up and down the Fourth, then there might be a white belly to all of this unpleasantness. For you, of course, not for anyone caught be these killing rakehellies.

The conversation having since lulled again, the Taker's attention is once again returned to matters more fundamental; to wit, clearing his plate and draining his cup. You'd imagine that he isn't going to be paying for any of this; either his Guild will cover it, or he was given board as a courtesy after the deal he apparently cinched with the proprietor - who is currently caught up in a side conversation, just a few seats beyond Sulphreme's friend. He is definitely within earshot of a polite interjection, you could call over to him at your leisure. Alternatively, perhaps you would be best served at the moment to cover your scent - that is, your proverbial scent - with the Taker. The questions you have put to him are both about the roads, if he thinks you might be pumping him for intelligence, then just turning your attention elsewhere immediately afterwards would certainly compound those suspicions. Asking something actually innocuous, about his work, or about him might smother out such thoughts. Is such a thing necessary though? Just how much is innocent in his eyes?

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> [Directed at Sulphreme] "So, what exactly does being the keeper of the keys for a Guildhall actually entail?"
> [Directed at Sulphreme] "I cannot quite place 'Sulphreme'. Is it southern?"
> [Directed at Nasturtium] "Goodman Nasturtium? Half of your ear and a moment of your time."
> [Directed at Nasturtium] "Goodman Nasturtium? Would it be an imposition if I were to ask to speak privately for a moment?"
> [Directed at Nasturtium] "Goodman Nasturtium? When you get a moment, could you send for those documents, please?"
> [Directed at (Write-in Subject)] Write-ins allowed with QM approval.


Sorry about the delay on this one, it was like pulling teeth. Lost the damned thing half-way through writing it, then the internet connection was dropping in and out. I'm thinking that if a majority crops up quick enough for this next vote, I might be able to get in two votes tomorrow.

>>6056260
> [Directed at Nasturtium] "Goodman Nasturtium? Half of your ear and a moment of your time."

>>6056260
>> [Directed at Nasturtium] "Goodman Nasturtium? Would it be an imposition if I were to ask to speak privately for a moment?"

>>6056260
>> [Directed at Nasturtium] "Goodman Nasturtium? Half of your ear and a moment of your time."

Damn it! I don't know how I missed the tie-breaker; consider this closed.

>>6056260
> [Directed at Sulphreme] "So, what exactly does being the keeper of the keys for a Guildhall actually entail?"
I’m legitimately curious- the unflattering details are always the most fascinating.

>>6056681
I honestly meant for >>6056689 to be posted an hour ago- damn captcha failing me in my time of need!

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It is frustrating, really. You have spent a fair bit of time with the Taker, but you really don't have a read on the man. And as such, you cannot say with any certainty if muddying the waters is going to help you or not. You suppose it couldn't hurt ... or then again, it very well might. The Poincares; you had almost forgotten about them. Presumably, when they return to the room, there is going to be a scene of some stripe or another in the offing. If you are anchored to your seat by courtesy while Sulphreme works his way through an interesting but unuseful-to-you anecdote when they arrive ... well, you can certainly imagine him challenging Sulphreme on your presence at this dinner, which could and almost certainly segue into questions about why you were out so late. From there, you can easily imagine things spiraling away from you. Aye, lingering overlong could be your undoing ... but that is only assuming that the Poincares realize that they are the butt of a joke. It might be that they go to the empty room they believe your fictitious father is sleeping in to try to rouse him, find that they cannot, and simply decide to retire for the night. If that is what they ended up doing - or have already done - then you have some time to work with here. You could ask the Goodman proprietor over for a moment, and ... well, actually, you should do that regardless, whether you are going to be risking remaining in the room or trying to take your leave before the Poincares can return.

"Goodman Nasturtium? Half of your ear and a moment of your time."

The man politely disengages himself from the company he had been caught up in and closes the distance to you.

"You will forgive me, I hope, but it seems that I ended up taking you up on your offer of a seat at your table after all."

The man chuckles warmly, and worn as you are you find yourself smiling away.

"There is nothing to forgive, nothing at all. In fact, if there has been any trespass here, it was me, allowing you to leave without the Patent and Bill."

Your smile withers away in a half-heartbeat, and you find yourself having to actually purse your lips together to keep your face somewhere approaching placid. Cry fie and fray it all, does he intend to make everyone remaining at the table part-and-party to your affairs? Damn it, you should have gotten him out of the room first. Now you have to wonder how many guests here heard that, and how many will remember. Sulphreme definitely heard - and definitely will remember - but you had practically told him already anyway. Doesn't make the pill any less bitter, though. Blind to your frustration, the proprietor continues on.

"But you haven't actually had anything to eat or drink yet? Oh, that won't do. No, food first, papers later. Myriam, over here, if you please."

"Oh, no, no - the hour, it is much to late for me to eat anything."

"Truly? You wouldn't even take some iced water and heel of the house emmerloaf?"

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You are having a hard time remaining cross at this man for spilling about your business here. It feels as if your stomach is liable to start gurgling at the offer, to the point where you actually place a hand over it in the hopes that somehow it helps. At this point, you are running on nothing more than the meal-carrion from the Clerking house, and with all you have to do tonight - with the half of the night that remains to you - the prospect of a hearty snack is inordinately attractive. You would also have the opportunity to keep speaking to Sulphreme and the other guests, at least for a little bit. Of course, assuming that the Poincares don't just retire after their escapades outside of Sulphreme's friend's door, remaining in the dining room could seriously come back to bite you - a lot worse than not taking Nasturtium out of the room already has. And considering that you are going to be spending serious time in a sewer, perhaps there might be a proverbial white belly to keeping your actual one empty ... assuming, of course, that you are able to get that far in your itinerary for the night. Everything is just harder and taking much longer than you anticipated, and it is already well into the Hour of Change.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> "I suppose I could risk it, if you so insist." [Remain in the dining room, allowing you to continue to interact with Sulphreme and the other guests, risking a scene if the Poincares return]
> "No, truly, I don't think I could manage. Just business at this hour." [Leave the dining room with the Goodman Nasturtium to sign the Patent and Bill for stage, team and tack]

>>6056773
>> "I suppose I could risk it, if you so insist." [Remain in the dining room, allowing you to continue to interact with Sulphreme and the other guests, risking a scene if the Poincares return]

Bless this kind man.

>>6056773
> "I suppose I could risk it, if you so insist." [Remain in the dining room, allowing you to continue to interact with Sulphreme and the other guests, risking a scene if the Poincares return]
Food helps is in the long run, given our schedule and dice modifiers. Besides, I want to still pump him for more information on how the keeper of the keys works in practice!

>>6056773
>> "No, truly, I don't think I could manage. Just business at this hour." [Leave the dining room with the Goodman Nasturtium to sign the Patent and Bill for stage, team and tack]

You know, if I ever get the time, I should go back and see how many deadlocked votes we have had in this Quest. I have to believe it is more than typical. I'll throw a notice up in the general.

>>6056773
> "I suppose I could risk it, if you so insist." [Remain in the dining room, allowing you to continue to interact with Sulphreme and the other guests, risking a scene if the Poincares return]
No idea what's going on, came here purely to tiebreak

>>6057314
I appreciate it, anon!

Consider this closed. I'll get to writing straightaway, I should have a short update done before I go to bed.

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Father taught you that you must never refuse charity - and that thieves must have a very expansive definition of 'charity'. Anything unsecured is effectively just a gift to the first to come along who would be willing to take it. Just look at all of the stuffs and stocks that you pinched today; even things that you didn't immediately need and could readily buy. To be sure, that was before you made your resolution - but the point is that you don't want to live like that any longer, and you suppose that on some level, your refusal of hospitality here may be some quiet way of repudiating that greed and trespass which has so characterized your life, even if this hospitality is genuine. Perhaps even especially because of it. But hunger and the persistence of the Goodman are wearing against this resolution, as are the thoughts of how long it may end up being before you get a chance to eat again. And when to your acute embarrassment, your stomach actually does start audibly growling, you find yourself relenting and reversing on this point. Clearing your throat loudly, and hoping no one but you heard, you address the proprietor.

"Well ... it could be risked, if you so insist."

"Oh, I do. Myriam."

The serving-man wordlessly sets about, and the proprietor moves on shortly, continuing to work to work the room convivially. Welcome as the food will be, you are far from certain that you have made the right decision. Furthermore, there is quite the throng of threats and issues looming over your head. The most immediate of which is the possible return of the Poincares. Possible and potentially imminent. Initially, you assumed that the room they were sent to - Four of Cups - was empty, because Sulphreme's friend sent the pair of pains to his own room. But you cannot know that for sure; perhaps it might be worth asking as much. If it does turn out that there was someone in the room, odds are they are going to be made aware of the joke played on them much quicker than they would be with an empty room - and similarly, odds are they are going to be markedly more upset about it. You would have some forewarning, and unless they show up in the next dozen or so seconds, an opportunity to reverse course and bail out of the room before any unpleasantness can boil over and blanche you. Or ... or perhaps you are already out of the proverbial woods. After all, you don't know how far away the room actually is. It might be right outside the door, and the Poincares have already given up and retired for the night. In which case, there would certainly be better questions to ask or conversations to have.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> [Directed at Sulphreme] "So, what exactly does being the keeper of the keys for a Guildhall actually entail?"
> [Directed at Sulphreme] "I cannot quite place 'Sulphreme'. Is it southern?"
> [Directed at Sulphreme's Friend] "I can only hope that whoever is in Four of Cups has more humor then the pair of them do ..."
> [Directed at the Man to the Left] "Oh, you were saying about yourself?"
> [Directed at (Write-in Subject)] Write-ins allowed with QM approval.

Sorry about the delay on this.

>>6057499
> [Directed at the Man to the Left] "Oh, you were saying about yourself?"

>>6057499
> [Directed at Sulphreme] "So, what exactly does being the keeper of the keys for a Guildhall actually entail?"

>>6057499
>> [Directed at the Man to the Left] "Oh, you were saying about yourself?"

Alright, consider this closed. I'll try to get something up before I go to bed, but it might end up like yesterday.

I don't quite have the update done, and I am fading fast. Instead, we can take this opportunity to vote on which book will provide the passage to open the next thread.
> Please choose ONE of the following:
> The Endowed Farm
> The Canon of Medicine
> The Ways and Means
> Imperatives and Rights
> The Feats of Tools
> Waste Not, Want Not
> On Design
> The Grown Pharmacopœia
> The Garden of the Suppressed
> The Estrangement of the Great Gloom
> Cultivated Curiosities and Exotics
> Compendium [Reformed Priests]

>>6058161
> Imperatives and Rights

>>6058161
>The Feats of Tools

>>6058161
> Imperatives and Rights

Okay, consider this vote closed as well. I should have the update finished and up within two hours.

Stifling a frustrated sigh, you wrestle for a moment longer with the idea of reengaging the Taker in truly idle talk, so that if he is - or later becomes - suspicious of you, and the directions you lead the conversation in, there will be something to muddy the waters. To be sure, it sounds sound, but ... part of you feels that perhaps the moment has passed. Had you followed up your pumping with this fluff immediately, then you would have felt a lot better about it; but scores of seconds must have passed by now - a rejoinder now to talk about moonbeams seems ... well, suspect in its own right. To be sure, so long as you picked your topics reasonably, he wouldn't know that they were spoken moonbeams. Least, you would hope so; but in such straights as you are, planning on hope is ... a clinical idiot would know better. So then, if the Taker is out, perhaps you should speak to his friend; make sure that the room he sent the Poincares to was in fact his own - and empty. But what really is there to commend that? At this point you don't imagine there is a polite way to get out of the snack that you just accepted; unless you are intent on making a scene - or at least, an arse of yourself - to avoid being present for a scene that the Poincares could make if they return ... no, you should consider yourself here for the duration, baring further developments. So then, with the Taker unnecessarily dangerous to talk to - at least, when he is so adequately distracted by food and drink - and with the Taker's friend merely unnecessary to talk to ... perhaps you should try to resume conversation with the personable guest sitting to your left? Your two options with Sulphreme are to either fill his ear with fluff or to cut yourself away from him; as you have settled against fluff in favor of isolation, then talking to the man's friend - who is sitting right next to him - may see Sulphreme interjecting himself into the conversation, or at least listening to all of it. Seeing that the man to your left isn't engaged in a conversation of his own, you find yourself resolved.

"Ah, you were introducing yourself ... before our company became so impoverished."

The man - who besides yourself is the youngest at the table - laughs heartily at that. You don't know where all of this wit is springing from - perhaps you have to lose your mind to find your tongue.

"I'm Caninae Cantcanis, Adjunct-Solicitor under the Goodman Erasinus. We bring cases at the Forum and at the Anchorage on behalf of the local Port Authority."

Oh, wonderful! Thief-Takers weren't bad enough, you needed to be sat between fraying prosecutors.

"Forgive me, but is your father not here tonight? I know he is not in my room. Heh! Unless the Goodman knows something I don't ...".

This just keeps getting worse, doesn't it?

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> "No, no he isn't. He isn't well, actually."
> "No, no he isn't. Could you point me towards the privy, please?"
> "No, no he isn't."
> "Yes, he is."
> "Yes, he is. But he isn't well, actually."

>>6058726
> Write-ins allowed with QM approval.

>>6058726
> "No, no he isn't. He isn't well, actually."

I think we have to provide an explanation and hopefully after this we can sit quietly and neatly and only speak when spoken to

>>6058726
>> "No, no he isn't. He isn't well, actually."

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Offering up a silent prayer for the fortitude to keep your face as composed as your thoughts are not, you try to deduce some way to correct course before a bad decision becomes an utterly ruinous one. With Sulphreme still very much in earshot, you cannot seriously consider claiming that your father is in fact at this Coaching house, but simply indisposed for some contrived reason or other at the moment. Of course, admitting that your father isn't here is opening an effectively bottomless pot of worms. But what other choice is left to you? If there is any, it is beyond you, what with your head so worn out and worn down. If it wasn't for the stress, you would probably be half-asleep right about now - as opposed to an eighth-asleep as you are. Damn this chair, it is too comfortable.

Perhaps ... perhaps, if opening the pot of worms is a forgone conclusion, as you cannot - and should not - lie and say that he is, and simply refusing to answer won't pass muster, especially when you were one who resumed the conversation ... perhaps then, your only recourse is to make that pot of worms as uncomfortable to delve as possible, within the bounds of polite conversation - or at least, your best estimation of polite conversation - and hope that he decides to leave well enough alone on his own volition. It is far and away from being sure-firing, but you can dredge up no better idea.

"As a matter of fact, no ... no he isn't. He's not well, actually."

"Oh, Maker's Mercy, I am sorry to hear that."

As the weight of another lie bears down on your brow, you can see a look of genuine concern wash over Cantcanis, of the sort that you never would have expected a prosecutor of all people to be able to experience. It seems to be written across his face that he isn't going to let this go, but when he doesn't say anything more straightaway, a feeble hope takes root in your breast that you might have misjudged about misjudging him. But -

"Is he being seen? Professionally, that is? Because Raptelis here is a Journeyman Chirurgeon."

The remark catches the ear of the Chirurgeon; now you must tread with much more care when lying about Wilhelmina's father's health. Did you tell Sulphreme that your father had been seen professionally? Oh damn it, where in the Heights of Hell is that food? At this point, you'd just keep your face stuffed until the proprietor was ready to take you into his office ...

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> "No."
> "Yes."
> "Oh, no. It is not that bad."
> "Well, yes, but only as a precaution."
> "Oh, no. It is not that bad, he just had a rough go of the crossing, that's all."
> "Well, yes, but only as a precaution - he just had a rough go of the crossing, that's all."
> "I'm ... not sure if he'd want me speaking about such matters so publicly."

Forgot it again, damn it!
> Write-ins allowed with QM approval.

>>6059047
>> "I'm ... not sure if he'd want me speaking about such matters so publicly."

>>6059047
>"Well, yes, but only as a precaution - he just had a rough go of the crossing, that's all."

>>6059047
> "I'm ... not sure if he'd want me speaking about such matters so publicly."

We already established with Sulphreme that our father is weirdly private and paranoid, so this weird answer fits the bills there and might keep us out of a medical conversation with a doctor

>>6059047
>> "Yes."

Alright, consider this closed.

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Were you not under so much attention at the moment, you would be sorely tempted to swear at yourself under your breath. Everything was fine - or as close to fine as you were like to get under the circumstances - until you had to open your fat, stupid mouth. And you are not entirely sure, but you feel as if the site of your Hide-Eyes Scarification Glyph is warming up again - though that might just be a combination of stress and the fact that this dress is thicker, and thus necessarily warmer than either the domestic dresses you bought or the hooded canvas hodgepodges you made for yourself. Fighting the urge to fidget, or to look down at your bundle, where it languishes at your feet, you grasp desperately for a quick, polite and above-all conversation ending response. Silence would certainly be quick, and it would certainly end the conversation - but it in no way would be polite. Would it be rude enough to be commented on, to give offense? Perhaps. But what really speaks against it is that someone raised as Wilhelmina would have been would never come to employ it here, at least, based on your ken of her sort. To be sure, someone raised as Wilhelmina presumably was would never have been out so late, but by any measure, a foundation with twice the flaws as another is twice as worse.

So then, there needs to be an actual, spoken answer. By your recollection of what you poured into Sulphreme's ears, you ... think you might have said that he was being seen. You are long leagues from certainty though. Perhaps you merely implied it, but implicit or explicit, it would hold water. But you aren't sure. What if you were caught in a lie? Would Sulphreme confront you about it? Probably not; and if he did, you might be able to wave it away by saying you didn't want everyone else to worry about him, or think him feeble, or something like that. You have managed to lie to the man before ... though you had given the man no indication to believe that you were lying to him. No, you cannot in any way, in any capacity underestimate this man - or overestimate yourself. The intelligent thing - or at least, your lamed-brain conception of the intelligent thing - would be to only lie in his presence when the truth is more dangerous than he is. And of course, by truth, you really mean 'established and unchallenged lie'. To that point, you should side-step the question entirely, claiming that your - that Wilhelmina's father, rather - is of ... an uncommon mind. Unsure of how to parse and phrase it tactfully, and well-aware that the question has lingered unanswered overlong, you throw out what comes to the tip of your tongue.

"I'm ... not sure if he'd want me speaking about such matters so publicly."

You can plainly see that does not go over without some confusion, but perhaps that -

"It's nothing serious, the man had a rough go of the crossing, that's all."

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Perhaps that would have ended the fraying conversation, had Sulphreme not interjected himself. Fie! The confusion slips off of the face of Cantcanis and he smiles as he nods his acceptance of this 'fact'; but it does not satiate his tongue.

"So, are you taking up residence here, or just -"

"Visiting. Well, I mean, we're - oh, father's here on family business."

You are faltering. Pull it together. Pattern's Perdition, where is that food? Perhaps you should find some way to excuse yourself from the room to relieve yourself. But you don't exactly know how someone like Wilhelmina would go about doing that - or if she would at all. Not to mention, if you stepped out of the room temporarily, you would have to take your bundle with you, which would draw attention to it, and -

"Where in the Whole did you come from?"

Shit, now that Chirurgeon is asking questions. You -

"How do you know her father, anyway?"

That wasn't directed at you, but at Sulphreme - from the man two seats to the left of him, who up until now you believed wasn't paying attention to the conversation at all. This is ... everything is just getting away from you. Where did you even figure that Wilhelmina and her father were from again? And the other conversation; you may interject into it, but unless you tell a lie - a lie that Sulphreme will recognize as a lie - you don't see how it could be any different from just letting the Taker answer the question truthfully; that he doesn't know your father, that he has never even seen your father. And for someone to escort a man's daughter without the knowledge of her father, without her father even knowing the man ... that is likely to be looked at in askance. And it may beg questions that are harder still to answer.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> [Directed at Raptelis] "The Northern Core." You will answer succinctly, and turn your attention towards Sulphreme's conversation instead.
> [Directed at Raptelis] "The Northern Core. But if you will excuse me, I think I need some air." You will answer succinctly, and try to politely excuse yourself from the room. You will take your bundle with you, hoping it is not noticed.
> [Directed at Raptelis] "The Northern Core. But if you will excuse me, I think I need some air." You will answer succinctly, and try to politely excuse yourself from the room. You leave your bundle behind, hoping it is overlooked.
> [Directed at Raptelis] "The Northern Core. Never been further from home, for a surety. Oh, but you are a Journeyman, are you not? You must be widely traveled ..." Commit to conversation with Raptelis, steering it away from you.
> [Directed at Sulphreme's Interlocutor] "They met the last time father was here, at some function or other ..." You will interject yourself into the other conversation, and tell a bald-faced lie, hoping that Sulphreme plays along.
> [Directed at Sulphreme's Interlocutor] "He has never met my father. Just me." You will interject yourself into the other conversation, and tell the truth, hoping that you may control the narrative.
> [Directed at Sulphreme] "I ... I think I dropped my fan somewhere on the way to the dinning room. Would you mind taking me back into the lobby to look for it?" You will make a bid to get yourself and Sulphreme out of the room.
> Write-Ins are allowed with QM approval, as always.

>>6059573
Okay, so giving more information is BAD and will make this situation worst, so here is my proposal to eliminate the amount of resultant bad.
Basically, I think we should hope that Sulphreme's response to the other interlocutor's question is sufficiently interesting that it distracts Raptelis and we can get away with only one question/conversation

>WRITE IN: To Raptelis: "..." [Wait and stay silent for as long as social acceptable]
>[If, by some weird trick, Sulphreme is doing the same thing, then we should answer one of them]

>>6059573
>> [Directed at Sulphreme] "I ... I think I dropped my fan somewhere on the way to the dinning room. Would you mind taking me back into the lobby to look for it?" You will make a bid to get yourself and Sulphreme out of the room.

>>6059573
> [Directed at Raptelis] "The Northern Core. Never been further from home, for a surety. Oh, but you are a Journeyman, are you not? You must be widely traveled ..." Commit to conversation with Raptelis, steering it away from you.
Distract the man by presenting him an opportunity to peacock to a lady of status- he’ll bite like a starving dog on the chance to impress us with exotic/funny stories.

I trust Sulphreme will protect our virtue by not stating that he hasn’t met Father, if only out of polite curtesy- we did win his confidence with our conversation after all.

My internet is cutting in and out again, and it is really late. I'll put a post up in the general, and hopefully, the tie will be broken when I wake up in the morning.

>>6059763
>>> [Directed at Sulphreme] "I ... I think I dropped my fan somewhere on the way to the dinning room. Would you mind taking me back into the lobby to look for it?" You will make a bid to get yourself and Sulphreme out of the room.

>WRITE IN: To Raptelis: "..." [Wait and stay silent for as long as social acceptable]
>[If, by some weird trick, Sulphreme is doing the same thing, then we should answer one of them]
If we just leave with a sudden excuse then it is the most blatant "uhhhhhhhh you can't be asking this" ever choreographed and will make them much more suspicious.

>>6059763
>>6060511
No offense lads, but running away will only cause a bigger spectacle- gotta trust that our conversation success hold on Sulphreme, otherwise our actions undercut our story and put a bigger spotlight on our back.

>>6060561
My thoughts exactly friend

>>6060745
Unless I'm instructed otherwise, I'll take this as a vote for the write-in. With that, we should have our tie-breaker. I'll get to writing.

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You struggle mightily to let none of your frustrations nor fears show on your face. Remaining in the room seems to have been a mistake, through and through. You cannot even assuage yourself with the snack, which is still nowhere to be seen. Did he have to send to the kitchens for it? You thought everything was here in the room, on the services that line the walls. If you had known - no, damn it, stop dwelling on food. There are much more imminent issues here. Namely, these two lines of conversation. Both of them have strayed into dangerous territory with alarming alacrity. You are being asked questions about Wilhelmina that you haven't even really decided the answers to. Certainly, there is a notion that Wilhelmina Dremen should come from the Northern Core, as Captain Dremen did ... but that is the sum total of thought you have given the matter. What if he asks what province, what city? What if he has traveled there? He is a Journeyman, after all. Or Hell, what if you bungle things up, say that you are from the Northern Core and then name a city in the Old Hinterlands instead - it has been more than eight years since you made the Crossing, after all, you might have gotten some places confused. There really just isn't any good, safe way to answer this man; as impolite as it may be - and as undermining as it might be to your desired image of a well-heeled, well-reared woman - you are going to have to ... well, just ignore the man. In that case, then your best bet to justify, or at least explain away your breaking of etiquette that is so fundamental that even you recognize it as 'rude', would be to just turn the sum of your attention to Sulphreme.

You won't say anything, of course, but perhaps if you just stare at the man as you are right now, he'll be so uncomfortable that he won't say anything either. Or at the very least, he won't say anything that would -

"Ah, well, I ..."

Already seemingly at a loss for words, he completely falters when he belatedly notices that you are staring at him intently. Presumably to buy himself some time, he quaffs his drink, presumably torn between the two honorable paths forward - truth, or discretion. Damn it; he's definitely going to have to say something now ... though admittedly, the hope that he would remain silent when asked a direct, perfectly reasonable question by his friend was not so much vain as it was just ... inexplicable. While you may have plucked the fuse from the 'peter-pomegranate to your left, the one to your right looks ready to go off in a matter of moments. Should you answer the question in his place? And if you should, how should you answer it? How would the Taker take you saying something that he knows to be a lie? Oh, Pattern's Perdition, you need to be careful, very careful here ...

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> "..." You will allow Sulphreme to speak as he will, remaining in the room as he does.
> "If you will excuse me, I think I need some air." Spoken to no one in particular, you will quit the room, allowing Sulphreme to speak as he will. You will take your bundle with you.
> "If you will excuse me, I think I need some air." Spoken to no one in particular, you will quit the room, allowing Sulphreme to speak as he will. You will leave your bundle behind.
> "He hasn't made my father's acquaintance yet." For a surety, it is a pot of worms - but perhaps if you are the one opening it, if you are the one with the initiative, then it might be the best option that remains to you. Not to mention, it is the truth!
> "Their paths crossed for the first time at the Forum, just yesterday morn. Or the morn before yesterday morn now." It is a lie - but a delicate one. How could Sulphreme - or anyone - hold it against you? And what if he did? He wouldn't name you a ... a liar in front of everyone, not someone as tactful and polite as he is; you might not have the best read on the man, but you feel pretty confident about that at least.
> Write-ins allowed with QM approval.

>>6060782
> "..." You will allow Sulphreme to speak as he will, remaining in the room as he does.

>>6060782
>You won't say anything, of course, but perhaps if you just stare at the man as you are right now, he'll be so uncomfortable that he won't say anything either. Or at the very least, he won't say anything that would -
This is not an acceptable solution Chlot, and you know it.

Is there a way to ask Sulphreme a question that the good Chirurgeon googled the memory of, just as way to harmonize the conversation without appearing too rude? None of these options are appealing, and I’d rather we continue the conversation instead of abruptly leaving or staying silent.

Maybe we could blame discreetly on woman things, like cramps and such? Maybe that’ll give us social legroom for our sudden faux pass?

I’m certain Sulphreme will pull up a white lie to protect a lady’s virtue- especially in a social situation where he just sent to a practical joke with our verbal assistance.

>>6060966
> Is there a way to ask Sulphreme a question that the good Chirurgeon googled the memory of, just as way to harmonize the conversation without appearing too rude? None of these options are appealing, and I’d rather we continue the conversation instead of abruptly leaving or staying silent.

If I am understanding what you are saying, you want to ask Sulphreme a question that merges the two conversations into one, correct? That's a perfectly acceptable option; where Chlotsuintha answers the Chirurgeon by saying something to the effect of "oh, the Northern Core", and then, directed at Sulphreme, she says "that is where the two of you first met, right?" I should point out though, not only is this a lie, it is a blatant one - and if any of the other guests know the Taker well enough, then they will recognize it for what it is - and by extension, recognize Chlotsuintha for what she is, namely, a bold, ready liar.

I'll consider this a write-in option. If you have a write-in that achieves the same - or similar - effect, then by all means, share it. Don't consider yourself locked into this write-in, if you don't wish to be. I'm fine with multiple write-in options for the same vote.

Anyway, I'm going to bed soon. Hopefully I'll be able to close the vote first thing when I wake up.

>>6060966
I still think we should let Sulphreme direct the conversation here, at least until we get proof of whether or not he is comfortable lying

Unless I'm instructed otherwise, I'll take this as a vote for holding our tongue. Consider this vote closed.

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Discomfort is plain to see on Sulphreme's face; never in your wildest dreams would you ever had thought that a Thief-Taker would actually have such a hard time lying! You are sorely tempted to offer up a silent prayer for the man, so that he may be led to Wisdom here ... but even in the dimming afterglow of your resolution to decency, even as doubts about your ability to see such a reversal of course through, you catch yourself. How presumptuous would it be to say that you knew where Wisdom lay here. Instead, you pray for yourself - that you may find the strength and wit to survive what remains of this terrible, arduous night.

"Well ... it was, what ... oh, three years ago now, when he was last on the Mount that I made his acquaintance. Some ... function. Then a few days ago, he sends word that he is back on the Mount - with his daughter - and as he is under the weather, so he needs someone to escort her while he is indisposed. So I - and in my place, my second - have been escorting her around the Mount."

It takes the entire Breadth of your Thread, but you manage to keep from sighing in relief. That is a good answer; as good of an answer that could be hoped for. It even accounts for who was escorting you while he was at dinner here. The interlocutor nods, but still looks for the sum of the Whole to be the picture of a man confused. You can only presume that he is wondering why you were being escorted to this house at this remarkably late hour in the first place. And you cannot imagine that he is alone in thinking that either. If there ever was going to be a time to explain your presence here - or rather, attempt to explain - then by all counts and measures, it would be now.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> [Undirected] "..." At this point, you feel that the best move is to simply play for time. Hold your tongue, wait for the food, and then move on to business.
> [Directed at Raptelis] "Oh, sorry. The Northern Core." A belated answer seems better than none, especially if you are able to just leave it at that.
> [Directed at Raptelis] "Oh, sorry. The Northern Core. But if you will excuse me, I think I need some air." A belated answer seems better than none, especially if you are able to excuse yourself from the room. You will take your bundle with you.
> [Directed at Raptelis] "Oh, sorry. The Northern Core. But if you will excuse me, I think I need some air." A belated answer seems better than none, especially if you are able to excuse yourself from the room. You will leave your bundle behind.
> [Directed at Raptelis] "Oh, sorry. The Northern Core. Never been further from home, for a surety. Oh, but you are a Journeyman, are you not? You must be widely traveled ..." Commit to conversation with Raptelis, just steer it away from you.
> [Directed at Interlocutor] "Yes, I'm here on my father's behalf, to conduct his business." [Requires Rolling] Building off of Sulphreme's lies, you will tell some of your own.

The third time I have dropped it in this thread; I must be slipping.
> Write-Ins are allowed with QM approval, as always.

>>6061217
> [Directed at Raptelis] "Oh, sorry. The Northern Core. Never been further from home, for a surety. Oh, but you are a Journeyman, are you not? You must be widely traveled ..." Commit to conversation with Raptelis, just steer it away from you.

Maybe Chlot should subtly play at having bad cramps? Could help explain the oddness of our conversation, and elicit embarrassed sympathy, which due to the nature of this society, won’t be brought up for propriety reasons. Of all the people here, the Chirurgeon would likely pick up on the hints, and may get him to lay off the questions to distract us with his stories.

>>6061217
>> [Undirected] "..." At this point, you feel that the best move is to simply play for time. Hold your tongue, wait for the food, and then move on to business.

What about briefly going "The Northern Core" and then asking them about the city to fill time until the food arrives?
Surely they'll be interested in such a lovely (boring and polite) topic.

By my count, that is 2-1-1 for the write-in (which I accept, of course). I'll try to have a quick update out within two hours.

>>6061560
Being >>6061399, I don’t mind, so long as we give possible reason for our lapse in conversation- a decent transition would be from ‘your own travels’ to ‘how they differ from the Mount?’ And onwards from there.

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The moment looms heavy in the air; the interlocutor glances at you, then back at the Taker. You catch yourself tensing in your chair, and you force yourself to relax - a tall order, when waiting for a serious blow to fall. But the moment drags, then eventually passes in silence - or near enough to silence, what with the soft sounds of eating and drinking from around the wheel-table, as well the lilting drone of markedly less dangerous conversations all around, Your education may have given you a decent enough vocabulary, but the ways the well-heeled talk to one another might as well be one of the Many Mysteries to you - you cannot imagine why, but it seems that he - nor anyone else - is going to press the issue, ask the obvious next question. For a surety, there must be some arcane rationale as to why doing so is impolite and improper, but for the life of you, you cannot reason out why. That ... that is something that you need to be much more aware of going forward if you intend to make use of your riding habit. A day may come where knowing or not knowing the rhyme and reason of sophisticated society may really be for the life of you.

That said, you are not wholly out of the woods yet. In fact, the other conversation - the one you were actually an active party in before you just turned away to stare at Sulphreme ... well, you know enough that you are aware you shouldn't ... do exactly what you did. Even the most base cur would recognize your misstep there; and of course, besides being rude, it might come across as evasive. On account of it being evasive. Can you just, pick up like nothing happened? Neither Cantcanis or Raptelis are speaking to anyone at the moment, but from the corner of your eye, you can see that they have since turned away. It has to be better late than never, for a surety. Right?

"Oh, sorry. The Northern Core, to answer your question."

Both men look up from their plates, surprised by the rejoinder. You are about to follow it up with a question directed to the Journeyman, about his travels, but it occurs to you that it might be more in your interest to ask simple questions about the Mount, as you are posing as visitor. You are further distracted by the arrival of your snack, an absolutely scrumptious loaf - reheated even, served with a dish of oil - and an impressively tall goblet of ice-water. You turn to thank the manservant, but in doing so, you catch a portion of a distant conversation between someone leaving the room and someone remaining at their seat on the other side of the table.

" - really, I should be abed before the Hour of Change passes. Goodnight friend."

Shit! Have you lingered that long? Do you even have the time for any of this?

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Even if you hadn't run yourself through the wringer for this snack, you mustn't turn away charity - actual, genuine charity - to save the unsavable mess that your itinerary for the night has become. Also, you have a conversation that you need to continue.
> Yes, it is frustrating - but it is also very, very late. Content yourself - or try to - with a big bite of the bread and a deep swig of the ice-water, then call the proprietor over. You need those papers in hand. Oh, how are you ever going to pull this off?
> Write-Ins are allowed with QM approval, as always.

>>6061657
> Even if you hadn't run yourself through the wringer for this snack, you mustn't turn away charity - actual, genuine charity - to save the unsavable mess that your itinerary for the night has become. Also, you have a conversation that you need to continue.

But mostly stick to stuffing our mouth in silence

>>6061657
> Even if you hadn't run yourself through the wringer for this snack, you mustn't turn away charity - actual, genuine charity - to save the unsavable mess that your itinerary for the night has become. Also, you have a conversation that you need to continue.

Om nom nom nom

>>6061657
> Even if you hadn't run yourself through the wringer for this snack, you mustn't turn away charity - actual, genuine charity - to save the unsavable mess that your itinerary for the night has become. Also, you have a conversation that you need to continue.
Can we make it like we suffered womanly crams or something? Even if it’s just a noticeable wince later in the middle of us speaking- I’m just looking for a excuse that they’ll happily gloss over.

Also, the snack can’t take but a minute- call the proprietor over in a minute or so.

>Ask the servant for the time, and thank him for the service
I assume they got a clock stored somewhere, so it’ll take him a bit to find it and relay it to us- it’ll be a good decent segway to focusing on the proprietor after recovering the conversation.

>>6061831
I can incorporate this.

Anyway, consider this closed. Look for the update within two hours.

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If the Hour of Change truly is nearly through, then there is nothing for it; with everything left that you want to - that you have to - do tonight, there is just not enough time for you to 'move house'. Maybe, just maybe, if you didn't bother planting the False Graven Ball in Aldoin's grave, there might be enough time to get everything in order, packed up ... and through the sewers? You don't know. Honestly, now that you think about it, you really should have scouted your path out through the sewers before hand - you'd have a much better idea of how much time you would have needed, not to mention you wouldn't be trying to find your way while dragging the sum total of your worldly possessions with you. You take a long draught of water to occupy yourself, and try your damned best to just enjoy the refreshing coolness. But for as much as it soothes you, it might as well have been ladled out of a bilge. Well ... what sense is there denying yourself now? A matter of minutes for a snack isn't going to unmake you if you are already unmade - and if you aren't, then surely you could make them up elsewhere. You find no fortification in that thought either though ...

Belatedly recalling that you are amongst the well-heeled, it occurs to you that you should thank your server ... and perhaps ask him the time. The man had already managed a good distance, but is still certainly within earshot.

"Thank you. Very much."

The manservant - the one that Nasturtium named Myriam - seems even more surprised at being acknowledged than the Chirurgeon and the Adjunct-Solicitor did at your belated rejoinder. The man sketches a polite bow.

"It - it is my pleasure to serve you."

"Right ... hmm. If it, oh, wasn't much of an imposition, could you find for me the time?"

"The - ah! The time, yes - I'll go consult the company 'glass."

With that, he is off. Belatedly, you notice the attention of the men to your left, and you turn to face them - after on an impulse feigning signs of some discomfort that might be attributed to your fairer nature. Perhaps that will explain why your attention has been all over the place tonight. When they appear a little - off-balance about your about-face in their direction, as well as your soft grimacing - you plaster a smile over your face, pretending to hide the discomfort that you are pretending to feel, and then look to preempt any potentially dangerous conversations with them by keeping them paddocked inside an absolutely harmless one.

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"Have the two of you lived in the Mount for long? It's such a fascinating city; I've never quite seen its like."

You wonder if deliberately misspeaking by saying 'lived in' as opposed to 'lived on' constitutes a lie. It is a deception, certainly. You take another draught of the water, finding it marginally more enjoyable than the first go. Meanwhile, the Chirurgeon is nodding - a surprise, considering his Journeyman status - but it is the Adjunct-Solicitor who speaks first.

"I've lived quite nearly the sum of my days on the Mount. My family has a house, just a few streets shy of the Promontory proper. Er, that's on top of the Mount."

While you are sorely tempted to quaff the entirety of your water, it does occur to you that you would be best served by meting it out, so you may be excused from speaking for as long as possible. You instead turn your attention to the bread; as no silverware was provided, you have to assume that you are to just break bread as you would in the Plaza of the Midden - though you make a deliberate point of doing it as delicately as possible, and taking mouthfuls so small that chewing them almost feels silly. The oil makes up for it though, in spades and wheeled-barrows. As you savor the rich, full-bodied import, the Chirurgeon speaks his piece.

"I cannot say I have spent that long here, but for the past eight years, I have served on Oilers that sailed out -"

A distant, but approaching commotion cuts off his account. Your immediate reaction is panic, assuming that someone has tracked you here somehow ... then you realize that the noise is approaching from inside of the house, not from the lobby. Pattern's Perdition! It cannot be those fraying Poincares, can it? Were they really just standing around outside Cantcanis' room, knocking like dullards? You see the proprietor, flustered, moving towards the door, surely looking to head them off. Sulphreme's friend, for his part, is openly laughing.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> And just like that, it is time to go! You know where the proprietor's office is, grab a 'stick and head there to wait for him. You will not indicate intent by word nor deed; seek a clean break from the room, even if you have to wait once there.
> And just like that, it is time to go! You know where the proprietor's office is, grab a 'stick and head there to wait for him. You will try to indicate by hand-gesture your intent to the proprietor, hopefully he - and no one else - catches on and follows you out.
> And just like that, it is time to go! You know where the proprietor's office is, grab a 'stick and head there to wait for him. You will tell him as much, to ensure that there is no confusion or delay, accepting fully that it will raise further awkward questions here.
> You ought to weather this out. How are you ever to learn how to conduct yourself if you just scarper when things get difficult? That said, it would surely be for the best if you held your tongue - at least, during the opening salvos.
> You ought to weather this out. How are you ever to learn how to conduct yourself if you just scarper when things get difficult? And if your conduct is already inappropriate in their eyes, then you have nothing to lose. Tell them off ... politely! [Requires Rolling]
> Write-ins allowed with QM approval

>>6061969
> And just like that, it is time to go! You know where the proprietor's office is, grab a 'stick and head there to wait for him. You will try to indicate by hand-gesture your intent to the proprietor, hopefully he - and no one else - catches on and follows you out.

>>6062190
+1

I'll accept this write-in. Consider this closed; look for the update within the next three hours.

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And just like that, it is time to get yourself hence! Blessedly, you already know where the proprietor's office is from your first time through here - all you will need to do is walk yourself back into the lobby, then through the door. It ... it might be locked, now that you think about it, but given the imminent arrival of the Poincares, you are more than willing to just wait in an empty, dark lobby. You gather up all of the pieces of bread that you have broken into one hand, quaff the rest of the ice-water and some of the ice besides, pluck your bundled up off of the floor then you stand up to your full, unstooped height- drawing the eyes of just about everyone remaining in the room. Undaunted, you look over at the proprietor who is now hopelessly looking between you and the door from which the Poincares are about to pass through on their way to resume inflicting themselves on tonight's company. Instead of calling over to him, you turn to the nearest servant, which happens to your server, Myriam. You approach the man, perhaps too quickly - he is quite apparently startled.

"Myriam, was it?"

You don't bother waiting for a response - quite honestly, it doesn't matter if this manservant is Myriam or not. You close the distance, and drop your voice down to a whisper - and end up stooping again, so you are closer to level to his ear.

"Tell the ... er, master of the house, that I'll be waiting for him and my papers in his office. Unless the doors locked, in which case I'll be waiting for him the lobby. "

With that, you heft a candelabra off of a nearby service, and head to the door. As you open it - an awkward process, given that you have two rather occupied hands - you see Sulphreme rising from his chair, taking his 'stick.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> "..." You doubt that you could say anything to dissuade the Taker with the time remaining to you before the Poincares storm the dinning room. Depart, accepting that you will have company in the lobby.
> "Goodman Taker, you are over-diligent. I'm just trying to take some air. It seems liable to get rather stuffy in here momentarily. " [Persuasion Test, Requires Rolling]

>>6062753
> "..." You doubt that you could say anything to dissuade the Taker with the time remaining to you before the Poincares storm the dinning room. Depart, accepting that you will have company in the lobby.

Did our meager meal do anything for our dice?

>>6062786
Yes, a marginal - and temporary - improvement.

I'll leave this open for another hour or so, in case this information changes anyone's vote, then I will close it.

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Not even bothering to stifle the grimace which blooms onto your face, you keep your tongue and in short order manage to quit the dining room – comfortably ahead of the Poincares. You start to head for the lobby proper, but as soon as you hear Sulphreme at the door, you stop and wait for him, with as much primness as you can manage – considering that your hands are both full, and moreover, you are not entirely certain of the meaning of the word. Sulphreme has a much easier go of the door, and slips through quickly and quietly – illuminating the darkened hall in a sweeping shaft of light, spilling from the dinning room behind him, until the door nestles up against its frame once more, and the only lights in the space are the pin-prick off of the Taker's 'stick and the swath of light off of your candelabra.

“Headstrong as a battering ram, you are.”

It is said good naturedly, but much too loud for your liking. You judge that you should be far enough from the door that any words that pass from your lips shouldn't carry beyond the hall, but by your best estimation, Sulphreme is not – not when he is speaking that loudly, anyway. You remain silent, in a bid that he may head further into the room, which he does; a grand total of three steps, before stoping in his tracks. Looking to excerise some intiaitve here, you speak in hushed tones, hoping that Sulphreme follows your lead.

"I do appreciate your attentiveness Goodman Taker, but I am just heading the house office, so I may not need weather the coming storm in there while I wait to do my father's business."

"That is ... probably for the best, actually."

Pleased that your little ploy worked and he is speaking at a volume much more suited to keeping confidences, you wait for him to speak his mind … but nothing but stares are forthcoming from the man, so you find yourselves regarding one another in the lapping, inequal lights off of the candles. From this study, a growing concern emerges; you had hoped it to be lightblindness, or just the relative darkness that the Taker is in, but squint as you may at the man, it just cannot be gainsaid – Sulphreme looks to be uncomfortable. Now his reticence to speak is rapidly unmaking your nerve. Did you do something? Did he see something? What is this? A rush of panic, attented by a taste of bile flushes through you, and with awkwardness given over to concern, you find yourself pulling away from this nearly unlit tableau without even intending to – which in turn seems to force Sulphreme's hand. Or at least, his tongue.

"Madame, I ... I am sorry to do this, but I find that I must renege on word."

"You ... you what?"

>>6062753
>> "Goodman Taker, you are over-diligent. I'm just trying to take some air. It seems liable to get rather stuffy in here momentarily. " [Persuasion Test, Requires Rolling]

File: The Worn Piece.jpg (34 KB, 512x474)

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"I have ... well, I have lied. For you, readily and gladly. But in doing so, I ... implicated my second. And by extension, my Hall. Now, the thought of you coming ... to any misfortune, on your last escapade tonight - that is, your return to your father - is an unpleasant burden. Yet, it is plain that you are an exceptional sort, on more than account of your beauty -"

You are so taken-aback and flummoxed by that actually start spluttering aloud at that, but you catch on quickly and bite your tongue. The man has been imbibing rather steadily the whole time you sat next to him at the table, and clearly he had already started drinking before he escorted you in. Between the addling of his wits and the richness of your dress, you don't doubt that you really do look beautiful to the man - at least for the night. Seeing that an interjection isn't forthcoming from you, Sulphreme continues haltingly.

"If there ever was a girl I'd let walk the streets alone, it'd be you. And I swear, when I promised that I would let you do so, I truly intended to. But having said that my second ... if it was just on my head, if it was just me - as an individual - and something happened, that would be terrible, to be sure ... but the judgement would be mine alone, for my own lie. Now that I have gone and made my Hall part of this by saying that my second escorted you, if something were to happen, then we would all be judged. For something that only one of us did, without forbearance or even knowledge of the others."

You are like to start spluttering again. Honestly, you - what can you even think about something like this? Perhaps you can understand that as a ranking member of a Hall, he has to be keen on anything that might poorly reflect on his Hall and his Guild; though honestly, you would think that in a hypothetical situation, where you actually were Wilhelmina, you actually were going back to a Public House, and in the process you actually did come to some unpleasantness out on the moonlit streets, it would reflect poorly on the Hall in the Hole, regardless if both Sulphreme and his second had been escorting you earlier that day – but not for the last bit – or if it was just Sulphreme alone who had assumed responsibility for you earlier in the day. Though it need not be said that if that argument is to have any use it would be against you; put that idea in his head and the man will not be willing to let you out of his sight until he meets your - no, Wilhelmina's father. Which would be quite a bit harder than meeting your father, considering that though you have no idea where he may be at the moment, he at least fraying exists.

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But what has really checked what otherwise might be righteous anger – or at least anger – at this reversal is the markedly uncanny nature of being brought face to face with someone so unwilling to lie - and whose unwillingness to do so is proving to be a dangerous obstacle - mere minutes after resolving yourself to be more truthful, more decent, more righteous in all things. You cannot say if this is a Trial – especially when compared to previous moments, where there was much, much less ambiguity to it – but regardless, you are going to have to overcome this. How exactly you are to go about doing that though, that remains to be seen.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> "I cannot say that I am pleased, but I do understand - and I certainly don't want to be a burden on your mind or conscience. Considering the hour, I'll speak to the proprietor about taking a room here for the night. Odds are father is already asleep, considering his infirmity, I'll just make sure that I return to him first thing in the morning. Escorted, of course." Would Sulphreme go so far as to actually check with Nasturtium that you took a room? You are not sure. Should you actually ask for a room, then sneak out of it? It isn't as if you could just actually stay the night … though wouldn't that be an absolute blessing? Regardless, you just need to say something to get the man off of your back. Any further decisions should be made later.
> "I cannot say that I am pleased, but I do understand - and I certainly don't want to be a burden on your mind or conscience. In spite of the hour, if you would be willing to wait for me to conclude my business here, I'd be greatly obliged if you were to escort me to my lodgings in the city." You will need to name a public house to pretend you are staying at; you can think of a couple, but none that come to you are without drawbacks.
> "A right sorry wound I may be on your conscience, and your Halls reputation besides, but I couldn't accept such kindness before - and I cannot accept it now, either." [Requires Rolling]
> Write-ins allowed with QM approval

>>6062847
>"A right sorry wound I may be on your conscience, and your Halls reputation besides, but I couldn't accept such kindness before - and I cannot accept it now, either." [Requires Rolling]

>>6062847
>> "A right sorry wound I may be on your conscience, and your Halls reputation besides, but I couldn't accept such kindness before - and I cannot accept it now, either." [Requires Rolling

File: Persuasion I.jpg (26 KB, 508x337)

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> Persuasion Test I

> DC 65: Witchlet Chlotsuintha has no particular aptitude at Persuasion, making this test [Quite Difficult]
> + DC 9: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Tired III and is not as perceptive as she might be otherwise
> + DC 6: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Drained III, and may not be thinking as quick as she normally does
> + DC 3: Witchlet Chlotsuintha's height corresponds with the description of a wanted criminal [Trebled]
> + DC 2: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is oddly tall for a woman, evoking suspicion
> + DC 2: Witchlet Chlotsuintha's tongue is not as deft at lying as it was when the wages of sin were out of her mind [Banes]
> + DC 15: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is asking Master Taker Sulphreme to do something outside of the bounds of propriety
> + DC 20: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is asking Master Taker Sulphreme to do something that he does not want to do
> + DC 0: Witchlet Chlotsuintha's mind isn't Grasped by the Grape, allowing her to function as well she might
> - DC 8: Master Taker Sulphreme feels guilty about this reversal, and as such, his resolve is not as strong as it might be otherwise
> - DC 20: Witchlet Chlotsuintha has already Persuaded Master Taker Sulphreme to allow her this once tonight
> - DC 12: Witchlet Chlotsuintha has already established a believable rationalization for why she wasn't - and shouldn't be - escorted [Doubled]
> - DC 10: Witchlet Chlotsuintha looks to be Gently Bred, making her entreaties more effective [Doubled]
> - DC 3: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is Richly Dressed, giving her words additional credence that they might otherwise lack
> - DC 2: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is Suitably Spoken, allowing her to articulate and argue her points well-enough
> - DC 1: Witchlet Chlotsuintha has Vis from Victuals, fortifying her nerve and buoying her spirits
> - DC 3: Master Taker Sulphreme's mind is Grasped by the Grape, impeding his function in this verbal bout
> - DC 8: ??? [Doubled]

> DC 55. Anything lower is a failure. [Five auto-pass(es) available. Nine re-roll(s) available. No hostile re-roll(s)]

> Persuasion Test I Cont'd

> No passes: Still the Crook in His Arm. Master Taker Sulphreme has no ear for her arguments; believing the reputation of his second and Hall to be at risk, he once again intends to deliver "Wilhelmina" safely to her lodging - and will brook no further discussion on the matter.
> One pass: Taken Further Aback. Master Taker Sulphreme is not particularly surprised that "Wilhelmina" is trying to argue the point; though he doesn't have much ear for these arguments. Of course, not much is not none, and "Wilhelmina" may either continue to argue at a disadvantage, or propose remaining at the Coaching House for the night as an alternative. [Prompts Vote]
> Two Passes: Taken Further in. Master Taker Sulphreme is neither accustomed nor suited to arguing with women, especially one making articulate and impassioned points. "Wilhelmina" may continue to argue for reinstatement of her 'parole' at an advantage, or propose remaining at the Coaching House for the night as an alternative. [Prompts Vote]
> Three Passes: As You Were, As it Was. In spite of everything, "Wilhelmina" manages to convince Master Taker Sulphreme to allow her to walk herself to her lodging for the night - for a second time tonight.

> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near Critical Failure (Roll of 1 or 2) then the Poincares are much more intent on making a scene than previously thought.
> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near Critical Success (Roll of 100 or 99) then Sulphreme divulges something about the presence of all of the Inquisitors on the Mount.

> Reminder; auto-passes and re-rolls cannot be used to reverse or redo Critical or Near Critical Failures

Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>6063164

>>6063169
And we are off to the races! Is there any interest in using a re-roll or an auto-pass for this?

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Use a re-roll
> Use an auto-pass
> Let it stand as is

If you are voting on this, don't forget to roll - we still need two more rolls of 1d100!

Rolled 16 (1d100)

>>6063166
May our luck turn white, especially with that Inquisitor divulge on the table!

>>6063178
Probably, but in order to make up my mind, I’ll need to ruminate on what’s best for dear Chlot.

I will say, it is touching for the man to be so concerned as to go back on his word (oh, wait, that sounded more earnest in my head :P)

Rolled 69 (1d100)

>>6063164
We get carried there? Well, eh.

>>6063178
Use One reroll.

>>6063276
Does this count as an infatuation crit Trash? ;)

>>6063283
Heh; this isn't that sort of quest.

Anyway, now that we have our three rolls, I'll wait until three anons chime in on how to proceed with re-rolls and auto-passes. For the one anon who already voted (>>6063277) feel free to vote again - if you do, I'll count this new one, if you don't I'll just count the old vote instead.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Use _ re-rolls
> Use _ auto-passes
> Use _ re-rolls and _ auto-passes
> Let the tests stand with just one pass

>>6063360
How many rerolls and autopasses do we have. Is our purse of blessings full?

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From >>6063364; DC 55. Anything lower is a failure. [Five auto-pass(es) available. Nine re-roll(s) available. No hostile re-roll(s)]

There should be less than that actually, but I didn't correct the count when I copied the Persuasion Test over from the last thread so you get everything you used for that test 'refunded'.

>>6063360
>> Use re-rolls

In an effort to keep the Quest from completely stalling out, if there are no more votes in an hour, I'll just close it for using two re-rolls.

>>6063360
Use 2 rerolls.

Okay, that's good enough for me. Can I get two rolls of 1d100 please?

Rolled 52 (1d100)

>>6063579
Just woke up, was gonna vote reroll just to keep the thread moving.


May our luck turn white

>>6063166
>"Wilhelmina" may continue to argue for reinstatement of her 'parole' at an advantage
What does advantage mean, in this case?

Rolled 91 (1d100)

>>6063579

>>6063584
If you were to attempt a second persuasion test, trying for the same outcome, there would be a decent Boon affecting the DC in your favor.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Continue using re-rolls until all three tests are passed, and Sulphreme agrees again to let you off on your own.
> Claim that you will ask Nasturtium for a room for the night; saying this to Sulphreme will not commit you to staying, let alone asking, however.
> Accept the two-pass result, and initiate a near-identical persuasion test with a DC reduced in your favor.
> Accept Sulphreme's request to escort you to a Public House [Prompts Vote on which Public House]

If we reroll now we have a 46% chance of getting our third pass
If we go on now and the DC lowers then we have a better than 46% chance of ending up with a 2 or 3 passes even with just a small drop to the DC (ie, a situation better than now, since the DC will be lower). On average it should be better to continue from here, although we could always get unlucky.
> Accept the two-pass result, and initiate a near-identical persuasion test with a DC reduced in your favor.

>>6063619
>Continue using re-rolls until all three tests are passed, and Sulphreme agrees again to let you off on your own

>>6063619
>>Continue using re-rolls until all three tests are passed, and Sulphreme agrees again to let you off on your own

Thought we could do it with two, but OK.

>>6063645
Anon did the math, supporting
> Accept the two-pass result, and initiate a near-identical persuasion test with a DC reduced in your favor.

>>6063619
Do you mind qualifying the decent boon for me please? The whole ‘near-identical persuasion test’ part muddies it for me. Is it a double digit swing? Because then it probably would be worth another test, assuming an identical two pass buff would also apply.

Unfortunately, I’m a bit feverish irl, so I can’t properly think clearly, so if it is a decent boon by your estimate, I’ll trust your judgment and accept the two pass result- I hope this ends up saving the rerolls instead of spending them frivolously. If the Patternmaker blesses our luck extra white, we may even snag that Inquisition intel.

Alright, consider this closed.

>>6063923
As a rule, I don't divulge that sort of information because of the undue, out-of-character influence that it has on voting decisions. However, as the vote is now closed, I can tell you that it is - DC 14 (where as the disadvantage applied for one pass would be + DC 7)

Anyway, I hope you feel better soon, anon.

File: Persuasion II.jpg (18 KB, 508x337)

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> Persuasion Test II

> DC 65: Witchlet Chlotsuintha has no particular aptitude at Persuasion, making this test [Quite Difficult]
> + DC 9: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Tired III and is not as perceptive as she might be otherwise
> + DC 6: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Drained III, and may not be thinking as quick as she normally does
> + DC 3: Witchlet Chlotsuintha's height corresponds with the description of a wanted criminal [Trebled]
> + DC 2: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is oddly tall for a woman, evoking suspicion
> + DC 2: Witchlet Chlotsuintha's tongue is not as deft at lying as it was when the wages of sin were out of her mind [Banes]
> + DC 15: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is asking Master Taker Sulphreme to do something outside of the bounds of propriety
> + DC 20: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is asking Master Taker Sulphreme to do something that he does not want to do
> + DC 0: Witchlet Chlotsuintha's mind isn't Grasped by the Grape, allowing her to function as well she might
> - DC 8: Master Taker Sulphreme feels guilty about this reversal, and as such, his resolve is not as strong as it might be otherwise
> - DC 20: Witchlet Chlotsuintha has already Persuaded Master Taker Sulphreme to allow her this once tonight
> - DC 12: Witchlet Chlotsuintha has already established a believable rationalization for why she wasn't - and shouldn't be - escorted [Doubled]
> - DC 10: Witchlet Chlotsuintha looks to be Gently Bred, making her entreaties more effective [Doubled]
> - DC 3: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is Richly Dressed, giving her words additional credence that they might otherwise lack
> - DC 2: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is Suitably Spoken, allowing her to articulate and argue her points well-enough
> - DC 1: Witchlet Chlotsuintha has Vis from Victuals, fortifying her nerve and buoying her spirits
> - DC 3: Master Taker Sulphreme's mind is Grasped by the Grape, impeding his function in this verbal bout
> - DC 14 Witchlet Chlotsuintha has had the better of Master Taker Sulphreme in both the last bout and the last round [Doubled]
> - DC 8: ??? [Doubled]
> - DC 2: ???

> DC 39. Anything lower is a failure. [Five auto-pass(es) available. Seven re-roll(s) available. No hostile re-roll(s)]

> Persuasion Test II Cont'd

> No Passes: Still the Crook in His Arm. Master Taker Sulphreme has no ear for her arguments; believing the reputation of his second and Hall to be at risk, he once again intends to deliver "Wilhelmina" safely to her lodging - and will brook no further discussion on the matter.
> One Pass: Caught Up. Master Taker Sulphreme is not well-disposed to any of "Wilhelmina's" argument's, but all the same they are winning through to his ear. Either continue the argument at a slight further advantage, or propose remaining at the Coaching House for the night as an alternative. [Prompts Vote]
> Two Passes: Taken Along for a Ride. Master Taker Sulphreme does not seem well-disposed to argue with "Wilhelmina". After some cajoling, the man unhappily gives tenuous ascent once more. "Wilhelmina" must tread carefully though, lest something engender yet another reversal.
> Three Passes: As You Were, As it Was. In spite of everything, "Wilhelmina" manages to convince the Master Taker once more to allow her to see herself back to her father - this time eliciting a promise to keep to his word.

> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near Critical Failure (Roll of 1 or 2) then the Poincares are much more intent on making a scene than previously thought.
> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near Critical Success (Roll of 100 or 99) then Sulphreme divulges something about the presence of all of the Inquisitors on the Mount.

> Reminder; auto-passes and re-rolls cannot be used to reverse or redo Critical or Near Critical Failures
> May our luck run white, and may I please have three rolls of 1d100?

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>6064051
White luck, white luck.

If either of you are still here, feel free to roll again. I have somewhere to be in a few hours, but I'd like to get an update out before then.

So close to that Inquisition intel…. ;_;

However, due to the subject matter relating to his Hall and his second, maybe we’ll get to understand what being Keeper of the Keys is and the internal workings somewhat, so I’m quite excited actually.

Good rolling everyone. I don't have enough time to finish the update before I leave, so expect the update some time in the next five hours.

>>6064224
I'll look to work in an aside about his role as the Ninth of the Hall in the Hole and the Master of her Locks, but I don't think I could really get into any great depth on the matter - in this update at least.

>>6064238
Update is going to be a little late.
>Gained one re-roll [eight total]

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In spite of how open and forthcoming the Taker has been with you, you still feel that you are long leagues away from getting a true read on the man. Is he just rolling you a more palatable pill, talking about how he has just realized his actions may indict his Hall - or did he always plan on this about-face, and merely accede to keep you pliable? You are run through with doubts and fears, but they don't make much sense - at least, not in the state you find yourself in. The man is a high-ranked member of an important Guild; surely, he cannot be unfamiliar to the notion that his actions - or inactions - could reflect on more than just him? And yet, to hear him say it, it didn't occur to him until he mentioned his second - in passing, you might add - that if he didn't escort a woman who was alone on the Mount at night, and something were to happen to her, that he would not be alone in being rebuked? Perhaps he truly was clinging to the notion that it was just him and him alone, that no-one would ever see whatever transpired as reflecting on his Hall or his Guild, but ... that just seems so incredible to you.

Regardless, you must cling to it. If he always did plan an about face - you cannot imagine why, but you still have a hard time accepting that you actually managed to convince the man in the first place - then you doubt that there are any words which will make him genuinely accept you back out on the streets. All that is left to you is to muster and marshal the arguments you plied him with in your first bout. If the concession you wrung from him was genuine, then surely, you must have the means to wring another - especially if you leverage the guilt that he is plainly feeling over this reversal.

“A right sorry wound I may be on your conscience, and your Halls reputation besides, but I couldn't accept such kindness before - and I cannot accept it now, either."

The man at least has the good graces to look bashful. He grasps for words, but you make a point of bulling over him.

"I appreciate your ... continued discretion on my behalf. I appreciate that you have implicated your second and your Hall in the course of your discretion. And I appreciate that if anything were to ... well, you would not be alone in being rebuked, certainly. But what I ask, is for you to appreciate is that no matter what happens, I am going to be rebuked? By mine own father, on account of the hour? And then again and again now, on account of your kindness."

You let him chew on that for half a moment, while you allow yourself a quick glance towards the doors to the dining room. You can just barely hear elevated voices, but you cannot make out anything that they are saying - and aren't like to, not at this distance. Not that you really need to; you can more or less imagine what is being said.

"And right sorry am I -"

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Straightening to your full height, you tighten up you grip on the candelabra, as one might a club - and you make another point of bulling over him again.

"Oh, not as I. Not as I. You looked me square in the eye, and you said that you were going to let me find my own way back to my father. I never, never would have dreamed that your word alone was not your bond, that I would have had to have you swear it, to put it in writing. You ..."

Seeing what your words have wrought upon the man, you trail off. Partly because you should not turn out the whole of the reserves ... and partly because you feel bad. The man looks to be the image of defeat. Figuring a new tack to be in order, you reign in your tone - for now.

"Pardon me and my tongue; that was ... unkind."

"But not untrue. I - I am ashamed. I -"

"Couldn't you possibly just let me do this? I've managed my way here - and all over the Mount besides - surely, I can win through this last little leg on my own. It ... it would make things so, so much easier - oh truly, you cannot imagine the burden you would be freeing me from by doing this."

The man composes himself in silence; only for a tired little smile to return to his face for the second time tonight. There is no offered arm this time though, just a tired sigh and a tight nod.

"It really is the most outrageous kindness I have ever known, but ... whatever mark my deeds may be against by brothers and my Hall, it cannot be held against the mark against me were I to renege on my word to a girl who needed my help - or rather, one who didn't. You may find your own way, Wilhelmina - this I promise you."

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> "Oh, thank you - again! Now, I must compose myself and be off to the office of the house, so I may finish my father's business here." You don't even know if the door is unlocked or not, nor do you know when Nasturtium will actually return, but you are better served separating yourself from the Taker, before there is another reversal ... or some other innocent question with a dangerous answer.
> "Oh, thank you - again! Now, you must tell me; what exactly does a Master of Locks do? I could probably work out what a Master of Keys does, but with locks ..." In spite of everything, you don't want to deprive yourself of Sulphreme's company quite yet. More than just small talk about his Hall, you might be able to squeeze a final insight or two out of the man. [Optional; write-in specific questions - subject to QM and player approval]
> Write-Ins allowed with QM approval

>>6064462
> "Oh, thank you - again! Now, I must compose myself and be off to the office of the house, so I may finish my father's business here." You don't even know if the door is unlocked or not, nor do you know when Nasturtium will actually return, but you are better served separating yourself from the Taker, before there is another reversal ... or some other innocent question with a dangerous answer.

*1970s cartoon "getting out of here fast" sound effects*

>>6064462
> "Oh, thank you - again! Now, you must tell me; what exactly does a Master of Locks do? I could probably work out what a Master of Keys does, but with locks ..." In spite of everything, you don't want to deprive yourself of Sulphreme's company quite yet. More than just small talk about his Hall, you might be able to squeeze a final insight or two out of the man. [Optional; write-in specific questions - subject to QM and player approval]
A Master Thief-Taker, of your level? You must’ve lead a pretty exciting life- however did you advance to such a prestigious position? Any insights you might spare from your storied experiences?

(Being a wanted criminal, learning how their institution functions will be useful and illuminating. Besides, between the wine and a pretty lady taking an interest in him? We’ll be getting O’Keefe levels of interesting insider information!)

>>6064462
>> "Oh, thank you - again! Now, I must compose myself and be off to the office of the house, so I may finish my father's business here." You don't even know if the door is unlocked or not, nor do you know when Nasturtium will actually return, but you are better served separating yourself from the Taker, before there is another reversal ... or some other innocent question with a dangerous answer

>>6064494
>> "Oh, thank you - again! Now, you must tell me; what exactly does a Master of Locks do? I could probably work out what a Master of Keys does, but with locks ..." In spite of everything, you don't want to deprive yourself of Sulphreme's company quite yet. More than just small talk about his Hall, you might be able to squeeze a final insight or two out of the man. [Optional; write-in specific questions - subject to QM and player approval]
I'll second this while we wait for Nasartium, otherwise we'll just be standing around
Sending him back earlier might just raise further questions of "Where is the girl from earlier? Why are you not escorting her?" which the man will drunkenly waffle through

>>6064462
> "Oh, thank you - again! Now, I must compose myself and be off to the office of the house, so I may finish my father's business here." You don't even know if the door is unlocked or not, nor do you know when Nasturtium will actually return, but you are better served separating yourself from the Taker, before there is another reversal ... or some other innocent question with a dangerous answer.
No more stupid risks

Apologies about the late start; by my count, the vote is 3-2 in favor of making tracks.

Expect the next update some time in the next two hours.

Maker's Mercy, you hope he means it this time. Now then, to separate yourselves. Obviously, you cannot just walk off; even you know well enough that doing so would be rude. Moreover, against everything that this man is, and everything that he and his Hall would do to get their hands on a bounty half as rich as the one on your head, he has been genuinely kind and well-intentioned with you. Scarpering off without another word just isn't going to sit right with you - setting aside that it might not sit right with him. You have managed so far to keep him off of your scent so far; the absolutely last thing you want to do is give him a whiff on your way out. Perdition, what a turn of phrase that worked itself - Ah! What are you doing, just standing around like a mopey piece of statuary? Wake up, and get this over with before your luck runs black again!

"Oh, bless you! Bless you."

You almost threw in an 'again' in there, but you caught yourself at the last moment. That might come off as a bit vindictive; admittedly because saying it would be a bit vindictive. Still, you must keep yourself keen - and this parting quick and painless. With your nerves still alight from catching yourself asleep at your post, you are able to muster up the wherewithal to develop a ploy - though it may be far from clever, it might still explain away why you are effectively fleeing from the man. You break eye contact with Sulphreme, and then for a long, lingering moment, you stare at the door. Only once do you see Sulphreme turning to follow your eyes, do you break your silence again.

"Now then, before I am reacquainted with those Poincares, I must be off to the office of the house, so that I may conclude my father's business here."

And with that, you leave; omitting a farewell, and leaving it ambiguous if you will be seeing the Taker again to night - or ever, for that matter. You quite sincerely hope you don't, though that isn't any reflection on the man as a person. You just don't want him reversing himself again, or asking some innocent question with a dangerous answer. You hold your breath, fearing that he may say something, or come after you ... but as your long legs make short work of the distance, you find yourself markedly unfollowed, and allow yourself a soft, breathy sigh of relief

Shortly, you find yourself in the lobby proper, and here you must turn around to find the door that you were taken through the first time you called here - to your surprise, you can see no light down the hall. It seems that Sulphreme managed to slip back into the dining room so quietly that you couldn't hear the man over your foot-wrapped footfalls and the rustling of your dress. It is disconcerting, to be entirely honest. You are not used to other sneaking off from you ... but you suppose a Thief-Taker would have to have some competence in such things. It is of no matter though; for a surety, this is the last you will see of the man.

As you search your way through the well-furnished lobby, your mind turns away from the problems behind towards the problems ahead. Setting aside the fact that even with all of the light coming off of your candelabra you cannot find the way to the house office, and that you don't know if the way is unlocked or not, nor when Nasturtium will manage to win himself free from whatever mess is being made in the dining room at the moment - the biggest issue that you face at the moment is that you aren't entirely certain what you should be asking the proprietor for. If you were to only ask for the papers, then that would mean you'd have to return here at some point, for a third time. Yes, everyone here knows you as Wilhelmina ... but women your height are very few and very far between. Not to mention, you aren't wearing your veil this time. So then, it would be cleaner to conclude all of your business here - collecting stage, team and tack, then boarding them at another house, closer to where you figure you will end up once you make your way through the sewers ... but it wouldn't be quicker, not by any estimation. Finding some place is one thing, convincing them to accept your custom would be another thing entirely. The extra time of finding another house; it would probably end up being the seal on the coffin for any hopes of moving house through the sewers - and even that is with forgoing planting the Graven Ball. You'll worry about that once you are finished here though; right now you need to decide if you are going to be coming back here or not.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Satisfy yourself with just the papers, and in doing so, keep fighting the increasing uphill fight to leave the Mount this night - or at least, before sunrise. You will have to return.
> What will keeping a schedule - or rather, trying to keep one - avail you in the end, if to do so you must throw caution to the wind? When you leave here, you must not return.

>>6065056
> What will keeping a schedule - or rather, trying to keep one - avail you in the end, if to do so you must throw caution to the wind? When you leave here, you must not return.

I'm really curious what will happen tomorrow. It'll be some Chernobyl shit I guess.

>>6065056
> Satisfy yourself with just the papers, and in doing so, keep fighting the increasing uphill fight to leave the Mount this night - or at least, before sunrise. You will have to return.
Like, do we even have a public house lined up?

>>6065176
> Like, do we even have a public house lined up?
>> Finding some place is one thing, convincing them to accept your custom would be another thing entirely
No.

>>6065056
>> What will keeping a schedule - or rather, trying to keep one - avail you in the end, if to do so you must throw caution to the wind? When you leave here, you must not return.

That damned Taker is going to follow us until he sees us "get home" might as well put on a proper show. Those arial scout Witches are still out there too.

Alright, consider this closed. Look for the update in two hours.

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Oh, what will keeping a schedule - or rather, trying to keep one - avail you in the end, if to do so you must throw caution to the wind? When you leave here, you must not return. On that note, you manage to find the door which led to the house office - which as you might have expected, is locked at the moment. Well, no matter, so long as you are well away from the Poincares - and the rest of the custom here - you are doing well enough by any measure. And there is plenty to occupy your thoughts while you wait for Nasturtium.

First and foremost, the 'cart. Currently, it is languishing but otherwise safe from discovery in a Cleaner's Closet. Your original plan was to take it with you into the Midden, but setting aside how far away that is and how long it will take you to cover that distance encumbered by its heft and lopped wheels, ultimately that would require carrying the load up out of the dried well piece-meal - and quite probably abandoning the 'cart down there, as the crumbling stonework of the well would be too much to handle when hauling a bulky hand-cart up on your back. Yet ... as it stands, you are practically asleep on your feet; were it not for the stress and the company, you might well have drifted off to sleep while sitting so comfortably at the dining table back there; can you be faulted for having a right hard time of making peace with the notion of such exertion - right before you start in with the arduous work of packing up the Belfry, then dragging it into and through the sewers? To be sure, there are others routes into and out of the Midden ... but even ignoring that all but one of them would also require climbing - and that all of them require making your way to the Midden in the first place - they neither so quick nor so hidden as the route through the dried well.

You are keen for a good alternative; but the best you can come up with - which is to get the 'cart onto the stage instead - has serious problems of its own. Chief among them is the Landward Wall, or rather, the men minding it, the Guards and Tollmen. At this hour, anyone seeing someone dressed as a maidservant, rolling a laden 'cart through the night, would probably assume that the maid had stolen the contents of the cart from her master. At the very least, the thought would occur to them. If you take your 'cart through any of the gatehouses, then assuming that whoever is on duty doesn't try to return you to your master or your parents, they are still going to be curious about the cart. Can you count on your tongue and your wits being so fleet and so sure that you may win yourself though without your cart - or your person, for that matter - being molested? Then there is the issue of the stage. Of course, you cannot drive the stage inside the Landward Walls, you don't have the papers - you don't have any papers, save for the bill of sale and the Patent for the stage, which you should have shortly.

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So then, if you leave here - as you just resolved to - immediately after the documentation is in hand, then you would have to find somewhere that will accept your custom and board your stage. Probably the best way to do that would be to pretend that you just got off of the roads, and you are looking to take a room for the night. If you give it a little more thought, you probably could come up with a decent enough explanation as to why you are alone too. But then getting the 'cart to the stage would be ... tricky.

You would have to sneak out, get back inside the walls, then get your 'cart through a gate without being put through the wringer, or having it - or yourself - searched. Once you had done all of that, you would still need to sneak it onto the premises of wherever you end up boarding your stage, then onto the stage itself - which presumably is being looked after by grooms and the like. If you get made ... well, you might have no option but to cut your losses, and leave the stage and everything else you cannot carry - while running - behind. Perhaps if you were wearing your riding dress, then you might be more like to pass it off ... somehow. But of course, unless you intend to do everything in your 'worn piece' that means you are going to have undress out on the streets again - and that ... if anyone was to come across you while you were doing that ... though, now that you think about it, might it be better if you did just wear the 'worn piece' while pushing the cart? Obviously, there would still be questions to answer - and you would be even more of a spectacle than usual - but at least people wouldn't immediately assume you were a thief. Or so you hope.

Pattern's Perdition, is this really the best that you can do? While you have to believe that it would be much, much quicker then taking the 'cart all the way to the Midden, you cannot hope to pass unnoticed. To be sure, odds are that someone would see something of you on your way to the Midden, but by getting the 'cart onto the stage you are guaranteed to be seen by - and remembered by, and compelled to speak to - a number of people. There is no way around it. Even if you were to risk the Wand of Head-Knocking to get through the gate unseen, or you took the load out of the 'cart and hauled it over the Landward Walls piecemeal to try skip the gatehouses altogether, you would still be required to talk - no, to lie - to get your stage boarded. Actually, things might be simpler if you were to just leave your stage here after all ... but not much simpler. You'd still face some uncomfortable questions if you were caught by a groom here, just as you would be anywhere else - and of course, there are specific reasons why you shouldn't linger here any longer.

But ... perhaps, remaining unwitnessed was so important - if you managed to sneak through or over the Walls, perhaps you could try to store your 'cart in the sewers instead? You'd have to break into them from the outside, which isn't optimal, and then wrestle your 'cart through the ditches and runoff, which could prove time consuming - not to mention messy. The absolute last thing you want to have to do tonight is take a fraying bath ... but if you are passing yourself off as some well-heeled subject's daughter, you cannot go around smelling like night-soil and industrial discharge.

Damn it, how is it that all of these choices are so ... shit!

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> You will plan on getting the 'cart to the Midden.
> You will plan on getting the 'cart to the stage.
> You will plan on getting the 'cart into the sewers.
> Write-ins allowed with QM approval.

> If you voted for STAGE, please choose ONE of the following:
> You will stick with your plan, and board the stage elsewhere as soon as possible.
> You will reverse your plan, and keep the stage here until you have loaded the 'cart.

> If you voted for STAGE or SEWERS, please choose ONE of the following:
> You will plan on talking your way through the Landward Walls [Persuasion and Deception Tests]
> You will plan on sneaking over the Landward Walls [Stealth Test, Potentially Athletic Test]
> You will plan on employing the Wand of Head-Knocking to knock Guards senseless [Casting Test]

>>6065344
> You will plan on getting the 'cart to the stage.
> You will stick with your plan, and board the stage elsewhere as soon as possible.
> You will plan on talking your way through the Landward Walls [Persuasion and Deception Tests]

>>6065344
WRITE IN: Abandon the 'cart. As much as ot hurts you to abandon things you purchased, there is just too much to do tonight and most of the stuff in the cart can be replaced and repurchased at the next town. Your priority has to be getting the carriage into the sewers and loaded with your father's materials

>>6065344
> You will plan on getting the 'cart to the stage.
> You will stick with your plan, and board the stage elsewhere as soon as possible.
> You will plan on sneaking over the Landward Walls [Stealth Test, Potentially Athletic Test]

>>6065659
I'll accept this as a write-in, naturally.

>>6065344
> You will reverse your plan, and keep the stage here until you have loaded the 'cart.
> You will plan on getting the 'cart to the stage.
Is it possible to take some papers from here? Silly as it may seem right now, what with all the shenanigans going on below, but if it’s possible it would simply the situation, right?

>>6065344

>>6065659
+1 to this. Hoarding relurces rather than focusing on the mission? No bueno.

>>6066474
Your right- we should just starve while on the run from the Inquisition =P

Abandoning our Oregon Trail supplies is no bueno- like, it’ll literally kill us before the Inquisition will.

>>6065344
> You will plan on talking your way through the Landward Walls [Persuasion and Deception Tests]
If only because of the smell- I would like to ruminate more, but I’d rather we cut the self-sabotaging off at the knees before we throw away 3-4 threads worth of effort.

As I suppose it is germane to the discussion, I'll pull together my inventories, and create something comprehensive to account for everything on the cart. It will take some time though, considering that Chlotsuintha has been pulling that thing around since Thread VII.

Still working on the inventory, but it looks like it is going to be several hours of work to make sure everything is captured.

>>6066526
I should point out that there is more on the cart than just dry goods; there are things that would be hard for Chlotsuintha to purchase like the dueling pistols, things that she would have to steal again like the Family Patents, and things that she simply couldn't replace, like the remediated remains of the Strange Gull, or the notes from Aldoin's house, or the five-foot Wall-Wand inexplicably named Toothache with a seemingly complete harness and bizarre Nut-Nodules.

>>6066580
Sorry, I mean the Glyphed Gull - it is no longer Strange.

Yeah no we need the cart
> You will plan on getting the 'cart to the stage.
> You will plan on talking your way through the Landward Walls [Persuasion and Deception Tests]

Something has come up, I'm going to be away from my computer for the rest of the night. Sorry for springing it on you all so last minute.

>>6066759
Anon, you should vote on keeping the stage here until the cart is in hand, or boarding the stage immediately.

>>6066773
Whoops, I dropped a line
> You will stick with your plan, and board the stage elsewhere as soon as possible.

Okay, so my inventory is a mess; I must have saved over it or something, because a lot of it is missing. I'll continue to chip away at it, but I'm much more interested in running the quest than doing busywork for it. As for the vote here, consider it closed for the plurality position; getting the 'cart to the stage, using a [Persuasion and Deception Tests] to get over the Landward Walls and boarding the stage elsewhere.

Look for the next update within two hours.

There has been another delay. Apologies. Look for the update within three hours from time of this post.

> Gain one lucky tenth-talent [Nine Total]

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You wrestle with the choices before you - and your lingering doubts and growing fears besides - as gamely as you can, but it seems that you aren't able to get your arms around any of them. Instead, you beat a retreat to the nearest seat, a surprisingly comfortable wooden bench, which you avail yourself of - setting your candelabra to one side, your bundle to another, then sitting between them, careful of the flames. Looking for virgin ground to work, you will your mind clear as if you were about to cast - but once your stomach starts roiling again, you give up on that as well, and pop what few pieces of bread you broke in your mouth instead. Feeling at least marginally better, you square yourself once again with the increasingly daunting question of your next few steps.

It simply cannot be gainsaid, you just don't have enough time. The Hour of Change is nearly spent, if it isn't spent already. If you were in the Belfry - right now - and everything was packed up, your affairs out on the Mount in order, then you'd say you'd have enough time to win your way through the sewers tonight. But you are far away from the Belfry, and there are still things that need to - or at least, should be - attended to out on the Mount. And you cannot lighten the proverbial load for your schedule any further, like you did earlier when you quit the Clerking House without actually completing and planting a forgery, as you had initially intended to do. By the Heights of Hell, at one point, you were even considering breaking into the Forum, to properly plant the Patents. Madness it seems like now; madness and tragedy. Where did the time go? More to the point, where can you find it? You rack your brain, but you cannot see any quicker way to deal with your cart - save for abandoning it. And that ... oh, no, no you couldn't. There is so much on that cart that you cannot buy; that you would either have to steal or just go without as it is irreplaceable. Where else are you to find a beautifully kept, presumably operational, hopefully complete Wall-Wand? Or those bizarre Nut-Nodules? Even things that you might be able to buy - like those pistols, for example - are going to be indispensable out on the road. No, these are losses that cannot just be cut.

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The only other loose thread here is the False Graven Ball. To be sure, planting it will take more time than dealing with the 'cart, and be more dangerous besides, but ... foregoing that will have serious consequences as well. You need to plant the Ball. First and foremost, if - no, when - the Inquisition has Aldoin exhumed, they are going to be looking for the genuine Graven Ball. If it isn't there - and it isn't - then they are going to be looking for whoever removed it. And as you were alone with the remains while you were driving them on the hearse, suspicion will obviously fall on you - really fraying hard. Of course, it isn't enough that the Inquisition would be searching for someone who made off with a bit of Witchwork, no. That wouldn't be bad enough for you; no, for in your bid to do the right, responsible thing, you Remediated the remains, in a markedly not mundane way. So if you don't plant the False Graven Ball, near as soon as they open that coffin, they'll know just what they are dealing with.

There will be a Hunt called, for a surety. Still ... with the Refinery to distract them, would you have enough of a head start that Hunt or no, the Inquisition wouldn't be able to track you down? Knowing how far the Inquisition was along with their work off of Oiler's Wharf would allow you educated guesses, but as it stands you have little more to work with than hopes and fears. All the same, you try to work out how much of a lead you should expect, and how much of one you will need if there is a Hunt. But you end up going around in circles, and when you find yourself instead imagining that young Inquisitor you met, Ossavian, with his friendly face lit up and his full lips drawn back over a winsome smile, plying a beautiful debutante the shocking story about how he had by chance met the Witch that the Hunt he just served in took and destroyed, you conclude that you cannot conclude. If you do forego planting the False Graven Ball, then your head start might be a week, or it might be hours.

Even so, your father's words weigh heavily in your mind; you are to leave the Mount if he isn't back in a week. It has now been a full week since he left, so by any measure, your departure is overdue. Worse than that, you have been counting on the cover of darkness to remain unseen while you drag everything out of the sewers and onto the stage in the final stretch of your escape off of the Mount. If you aren't abandoning the cart - and you aren't - and you don't forgo planting the False ball - which you likely wont - then you don't see anyway that it is possible to get everything to the grates off of the drainage ditch so you may close this last bit of distance before sunrise ... which means that you will either have to do this in full light and plain sight of Outwall Belt - heavily trafficked, frequented by Guards - or you will have to wait well past sunset for the crowds to disperse and the night's cover to return.

Neither of these are appealing prospects; but you suppose it comes down to your father's instructions. If you feel as if seven days was just an arbitrary number he threw out, then it would be well-worth taking the time to plant the False Graven Ball, and ensure that if the Inquisition ever do come looking for Sty the Leper, it is only because she may have been exposed to the Strangeness when she was transporting Aldoin to the South Burying Ground, not because she is in possession of a discharged Mysterious munition, and definitely not because she is a Witch. But if he didn't pull the number out of a hat, if he knew something is going to happen - perhaps with the same people he presumably fought at Aldoin's house - then as insane as it sounds, it might actually be worth accepting a Hunt in your future, if it gets you off of the Mount in time.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> You will go through with planting the False Graven Ball, in doing so, giving up on leaving the Mount before sunrise.
> You will forgo planting the False Graven Ball, accepting a Hunt in your future while freeing up enough time that you MIGHT be able to leave the Mount before sunrise.

>>6067443
Nah- if the corpse is covered with Strangeness, it wouldn’t look remediated, just estranged. You forget that Strangeness changes the Form, so the corpse as is wouldn’t look unusual. All we’ll really be doing is putting a giant spotlight on Aldoin and us for the Inquisition while they’re distracted with the Refinery.

Really, it comes down to two things- whether Father meant the deadline number literally (it’s arbitrary) and Father’s extracurricular activities after he left us.

Thinking logically about the first point, why should it be taken literally? He was drunk when we last met, refused to elaborate of the nature of the danger- for all we know, his grape-addled mind may have just pulled the number because it’s shorthand for around a week, not out of any inherent knowledge of the danger, but because he feared that Chlot would be dealing with a full blown Hunt since he died without cleansing the evidence pointing to her away.

By Chlot’s own account, Father is alive and mobile, for who else would know about and operate the remediation monster in Aldoin’s house (and whatever happened to it’s occupants)? If we are to assume that Father is alive and well, and wanted us gone by the seventh day, he would have reappeared, even if in a note, to reinforce the idea and assist us- instead, he’s going around, covering his tracks for the Inquisition instead of reassuring his worried-sick daughter that he’s alive. Whatever the nature of his dealings, it isn’t a direct risk to us- the fact that he’s cleaning his mess up implies that he’s more worried about the Inquisition than he is about keeping to his ‘deadline’.

So, to my mind, it comes to the question of whether Father is trying to cleanse the whole affair, or just trying to direct any Inquisition investigation away from us? If he’s trying to cover up the whole affair, then he’ll have to eventually realize that he’ll need to remediate Aldoin’s grave and remove the graven ball regardless- if we’re recreating a timeline, Aldoin must’ve been shot early on in the affair, the first day (early second at the most), in such a way that prevented Father from properly cleaning up the mess before the family set the funeral arrangements in motion. He may have purposely arranged for Aldoin to be buried where Chlot was working- either hoping Chlot remediates the mess as a timesaver, or for a personal attempt at remediation in the future. Either way, he’ll need to focus down the morticians first to complete a proper coverup.

If he’s trying to not fully coverup the affair, but direct the Inquisition’s hunt away from us and towards the mysterious foreign party, then the graven ball must placed back- there needs to be an explanation for the Strangeness, and Father set the stage for the Hunt to be directed away from Sty, and towards the foreign smugglers with estranged ties. Those bills of sale in the basement- that may have been Father’s ploy all along.

>>6067377
If you don’t mind Trash, I’d like Chlot’s thoughts on my little thought bubble
(>>6067580)- whether it’s a revelation or simply wrong do to reader incomprehension.

Incidentally, I have a bad feeling that something will happen to the Midden soon….

On an unrelated note, could the dead leaper smuggler be a undercover thief-taker attempting to bust a Midden smuggling ring? I was thinking Inquisition because of the undercover Cleaner, but it could’ve been an undercover thief-taker with some gumption. The smuggling ring would fall underneath their authority, right?

>>6067443
I'll accept this write-in.

>>6067580
> Nah- if the corpse is covered with Strangeness, it wouldn’t look remediated, just estranged.
You are right - up to a point. Aldoin's remains don't appear to be Remediated with Mysterious means; what little evidence was left behind of the Salt-Remediation cast is potentially concealed by the mess that the Coroners made in their desperate attempt to mundanely Remediate or Mitigate the remains. But there are three issues; the condition of the coffin, the quality of the Coroner's attempt, and the matter of Degrees.

First off, the Coroners made no attempt to Remediate the coffin - but Chlotsuintha did. Her work there cannot be overlooked as theirs as it could for the remains; with swaths of the coffin are completely free and clear of the Strangeness without any explanation besides Remediation, suspicion will be raised.

Secondly, the Coroners are rank amateurs when it comes to Remediation and Mitigation, simply put, they didn't do a very good job - and they exposed themselves in the process. Now, considering that Chlotsuintha came in after them and actually managed to knock back much of the Strangeness, it may be assumed that as bad as it looks, the work the Coroners did was ultimately successful - but the Inquisition is very well versed in mundane Remediation and Mitigation, more so than Chlotsuintha is. She doesn't discount the prospect that an Inquisitor might pick up on the incongruity, and suspect something more transpired, especially when taken with the inexplicably almost Cleansed coffin.

Finally, there is the matter of Degrees. The Coroners and the Morgue appear to be Strange in the Second Degree; which means that they are spreading Strangeness in the First Degree. First Degree is non-communicable, while Second Degree is communicable. For them to be Strange in the Second Degree, they would either need to be exposed briefly to something at a higher degree, or exposed for a extended period of time to something at the same Degree. But as it stands, the coffin and the remains of Aldoin are partially Remediated/Mitigated, and only small swaths are still at the First Degree. This would suggest one of two things; either that the Breaching Point was not Aldoin's remains, or that the remains had been Remediated or Mitigated after they had Estranged the Coroners and the Morgue. Chlotsuintha can reasonably assume that even if the Inquisition does seriously entertain the idea of another Breaching Point, they are still going to want to exhume the coffin. The Inquisition will presumably have testimony extracted from the Coroners, accounting for their attempt to Cleanse the remains, but the concern is that the Inquisition will correctly deduce that the Coroner's botched their job, and that someone else had much more luck.

> so the corpse as is wouldn’t look unusual
Beyond being mangled by the Coroners, no, wouldn't look unusual.

> Really, it comes down to two things- whether Father meant the deadline number literally (it’s arbitrary) and Father’s extracurricular activities after he left us.
Yeah, that's a good way of breaking it down.

> Thinking logically about the first point, why should it be taken literally? He was drunk when we last met, refused to elaborate of the nature of the danger- for all we know, his grape-addled mind may have just pulled the number because it’s shorthand for around a week, not out of any inherent knowledge of the danger, but because he feared that Chlot would be dealing with a full blown Hunt since he died without cleansing the evidence pointing to her away.
As far as refusing to elaborate on the nature of the danger, that just might be him keeping Chlotsuintha in the dark like he regularly does. He's concerned - not entirely without reason - that the more she knows, the more avenues she has for putting herself into dangerous situations.

> By Chlot’s own account, Father is alive and mobile, for who else would know about and operate the remediation monster in Aldoin’s house (and whatever happened to it’s occupants)?
Yes, this is what Chlotsuintha believes at the moment. Father is alive, and as recently as a day ago was inside Aldoin's house

> If we are to assume that Father is alive and well, and wanted us gone by the seventh day, he would have reappeared, even if in a note, to reinforce the idea and assist us- instead, he’s going around, covering his tracks for the Inquisition instead of reassuring his worried-sick daughter that he’s alive.
Not necessarily. I'd direct you to the following passage from the very first post of the very first thread;
>> This was not the first time that he would be gone for a few days on a job like this, and even the part about ‘leave the city’ and ‘when or if I can’ was not an uncommon precaution from him.
To be clear, 'when or if I can' is in reference to;
>> I will come for you, when or if I can
His meaning being that he will reach out to Chlotsuintha - if he can. But it might be that he can't safely reconnect with Chlotsuintha, for fear of leading whoever may be after him to her as well.

> Whatever the nature of his dealings, it isn’t a direct risk to us- the fact that he’s cleaning his mess up implies that he’s more worried about the Inquisition than he is about keeping to his ‘deadline’.
The latter is a much stronger point than the former. Chlotsuintha doesn't know for sure if whatever he has gotten himself involved in will lead back to the Belfry - but she has good reason to worry it might. Remember the Construct that Chlotsuintha thought that he might have made, the one that the Inquisition recovered from the unlicensed cock-pit? The one that had been made of fresh human remains, and now the Inquisition was paying attention to the Burying Grounds? There are only so many who have regular access to those spaces ... The point is, Chlotsuintha doesn't know what else he has done - and what else may have fallen into who else's hands.

> So, to my mind, it comes to the question of whether Father is trying to cleanse the whole affair, or just trying to direct any Inquisition investigation away from us?
Chlotsuintha is unclear if her father is even aware of the Inquisition's capture of the cock-pit construct. Knowing her father, Chlotsuintha would say given a choice, he would try to Cleanse away evidence of the entire affair.

> If he’s trying to cover up the whole affair, then he’ll have to eventually realize that he’ll need to remediate Aldoin’s grave and remove the graven ball regardless-
Yes, if he is trying to Cleanse away all evidence of the Strangeness from whatever happened on the job.

> If we’re recreating a timeline, Aldoin must’ve been shot early on in the affair, the first day (early second at the most), in such a way that prevented Father from properly cleaning up the mess before the family set the funeral arrangements in motion.
Given what we know, and how funeral arrangements work, this is a reasonable assumption to make.

> He may have purposely arranged for Aldoin to be buried where Chlot was working- either hoping Chlot remediates the mess as a timesaver, or for a personal attempt at remediation in the future.
This is not such a reasonable assumption. Chlotsuintha would assume that the family would have made the arrangements, as they were at the service.

> Either way, he’ll need to focus down the morticians first to complete a proper coverup.
If he is intending on a proper cover up, then he really has his work cut out for him now. The Coroners who were exposed to the remains have been walking around for a couple of days now, and have been tracking the Strangeness were they go, as they are Second Degree. Same goes for the (late?) family and friends of the late Aldoin. Chlotsuintha might conclude that because he let it get to this point, he has decided to bail on the Mount - and is leaving or already has left, just for whatever reason he didn't feel as if it was safe to reach out.

> If he’s trying to not fully coverup the affair, but direct the Inquisition’s hunt away from us and towards the mysterious foreign party, then the graven ball must placed back-
Again, it may simply be that there is just so much Strangeness out across the Mount that he might just have had to just give up on dealing with all of it. And as far as a plan to lead the Inquisition to whoever he was fighting with, Chlotsuintha would think that her father is too cautious for something like that. Clearly, the other party knows something of father's business - or at least, his interests and abilities - so if any of them fell into the Inquisition's custody alive and talkative, then it might end poorly for him.

> there needs to be an explanation for the Strangeness,
Does there? If he wasn't able to contain the spread of the Strangeness in time - and he clearly wasn't - then for his own safety, he might just be bailing on the Mount and for whatever reason doesn't feel safe enough to collect his daughter on the way out. If that was the case, then there wouldn't need to be an explanation for the Strangeness.

> and Father set the stage for the Hunt to be directed away from Sty, and towards the foreign smugglers with estranged ties. Those bills of sale in the basement- that may have been Father’s ploy all along.
It is possible that the bills and slips that were in Aldoin's basement were planted. It is also possible that they were genuine. Again, Chlotsuintha knows how cautious her father is; given the choice he'd want to deal with the other party himself, rather than risk the Inquisition getting involved.

> On an unrelated note, could the dead leaper smuggler be a undercover thief-taker attempting to bust a Midden smuggling ring? I was thinking Inquisition because of the undercover Cleaner, but it could’ve been an undercover thief-taker with some gumption. The smuggling ring would fall underneath their authority, right?
It is possible that the smuggler dressed as a Leper was a Taker. Some of them do undercover work like that; and there are certainly bounties on pushers.

Considering that it has been so long since some of this stuff has happened, I figured I should be pretty free with the in-character opinions.

Anyway, everyone please remember to vote on >>6067377! In spite of all of the posts, there has only been one vote cast!

>>6067716
Unfortunately, it seems like we’ve reached a point of decision paralysis- neither options are really palatable, for differing reasons.

I care less about the time limit and more about getting the sensitive equipment out before the Midden wakes. I also care about diverting suspicion of a Hunt away from poor Chlot.

Different track then- we don’t need to leave early, we just need our stuff out of the Belfry before the waking hour, is there a way to accomplish that, planting the false ball, and securing our stuff in a boarding room or something similar in time to get back to Midden before the fifth hour? Even if it’s boarding our stage here? I do remember a certain appointment we have to keep, so I just want options before I make up my mind.

Also, can we get some coffee or the settings equivalent before we head out? I’d feel a bit better if we did.

>>6067377
Well, in light of me fading fast, I’ll give you a quick vote
> You will go through with planting the False Graven Ball, in doing so, giving up on leaving the Mount before sunrise.
Figured squaring the future is worth a bit of time inconvenience. I do hope that this is another solution though, as I’m somewhat uncomfortable with it.

> we just need our stuff out of the Belfry before the waking hour, is there a way to accomplish that, planting the false ball, and securing our stuff in a boarding room or something similar in time to get back to Midden before the fifth hour? Even if it’s boarding our stage here? I do remember a certain appointment we have to keep, so I just want options before I make up my mind.
From a practical standpoint, getting the contents of the Belfry out of the Midden and into a boarding room or an empty warehouse would actually be rather involved; what makes the sewers an attractive option for 'moving house' is that they are accessible through the old Ablutive Baths in the Not-Temple. If Chlotsuintha was thinking about 'overstaying', then she'd give serious thought to simply storing the contents of the Belfry in the sewers right outside of the Baths. As far as if it would be enough time? With getting the 'cart to the stage, the stage boarded, the Ball planted (or the grave just dug up as suggested in >>6067443) and everything out of the Belfry into the sewers there would be a lot of proverbial (and actual) moving parts, and as such a lot of things that could chew up time or go wrong. But if Chlotsuintha managed to avoid those pitfalls, then it would certainly be more reasonable of her to think that she could do it, as opposed to 'moving house' in what remains of the night.

Hope this answers your question anon!

For everyone else, there have only been two votes cast for >>6067377. Please feel free to throw your hat into the ring!

>>6067692
Could we just use something that's strange, like a rag, and wipe it all over the coffin to undo the evidence of remediation, at least partially?
> You will go through with planting the False Graven Ball, in doing so, giving up on leaving the Mount before sunrise.

>>6067377
> You will forgo planting the False Graven Ball, accepting a Hunt in your future while freeing up enough time that you MIGHT be able to leave the Mount before sunrise.

Lets skip it.

>>6067702
>>> I will come for you, when or if I can
>His meaning being that he will reach out to Chlotsuintha - if he can. But it might be that he can't safely reconnect with Chlotsuintha, for fear of leading whoever may be after him to her as well.

You know guys, father may be pinned down surveillance flying witches and might need a distraction to escape in a timely manner. Like a burning building.

>>6067873
>>6068061
Anons, if we don’t put the graven ball back, the Inquisition will be hounding Chlot until she is dead, make no mistake. We have the advantage of being skilled at stealth and knowing the Inquisition may be watching but is ultimately quite involved in dealing with the Refinery explosion. We can do this- if we skip this, they will always be on the lookout for a 6’4” woman, and we will stick out like a sore thumb.

By my count, we are still tied 2-2. I'm not entirely comfortable about going into the general and asking for some random anons to come in and break the tie, considering the significant implications that this vote will have for the rest of the Quest. I'm going to bed, with any luck, by the time I am ready to write tomorrow, the tie will have been broken.

If the vote does end up forgoing planting the False Graven Ball, then there would be a vote revisiting Chlotsuintha's choice of ultimate destination, with the choices being a coastal province, an interior province, a frontier province, upriver into the Great Gloom or returning to the Old World.

>>6067873
>>6068061
To reiterate- giving up planting the ball is a mistake, not only will the Inquisition be forever looking for us, it’ll mean that we’ll have the force of multiple flying Mitigators, plus their hosts, directed at our ass the moment we fail to report in and the Inquisition mounts any sort of investigation in the Midden. At that point, we’ll be racing for our lives for the next 50 threads- keeping to Father’s vague schedule simply ain’t worth it, come what may.

>>6068392
Look anon, I get what you're saying: without a graven ball, they'll know the 7 foot tall female leper was the one who took it and start a hunt against us.

But, if they are already at the point of digging up Aldoin's grave, we're kind of fucked already. Grand Inquisitor Sherlock Holmes will definitely realize the coffin was been magically remediated by that 7 foot tall female leper and start a Hunt for us anyway. In other words, I'm unconvinced that planting the ball helps us avoid a Hunt aimed at a woman of unusual size

Also, I think the timeline you established is wrong. It seems really unlikely that the Inquisition is going to discover the contamination of the Midden AND track it back to Aldoin all tomorrow. Even worst case scenario, we should have a few days before a Hunt is called

>>6068446
I believe you got the established timeline wrong- Inquisitor Homes isn’t aware of the Aldoin affair yet, so they’re not at the point of exhuming the body, especially with the Refinery fallout still in play. Given plausible deniability of Strangeness deterioration of the coffin (instead of remediation), it’s doubtful he’ll have enough evidence to convince his peers of whatever wild theories he presents, especially with the whole controversy surrounding his past. He’ll be forced to focus on Aldoin instead of a suspiciously missing leaper, as opposed to substantial evidence of a witchlet from Midden running amok unaccounted for.

You also forget, if we’re not back in Midden in time to report to our handler, there will be an investigation as to where we went which will blow open the whole affair. We’ll need to throw them off the trail while they’re still focused on the Refinery for them to erroneously double down on Sexton instead of investigating where the large leaper girl went.

>>6067377
I'll support the write in or planting the graven ball somewhere else the inquisition would find without going back.

>>6068771
When you say the write-in, do you mean >>6067443? Also, if you were to explain your thinking with planting the False Graven Ball elsewhere, you might convince other anons into changing their vote and potentially breaking the tie.

Anyway, the vote in >>6067377 is still open. If you haven't voted yet, please do.

This might be a dumb question, but how would we even know we were estranged if we weren't a witch?

>>6068913
You generally don't until the Inquisition spots the Strangeness on you with a detecting device, you start mutating, or you start going insane. There are a lot of paralells to radiation here. Normies live in fear.

>>6068467
We're pretty boned on that account. Sty is all but burnt. We need to leave before they start casing our home- the Not Temple.

>>6068911
To address the 1st and 4th point- putting the estranged ball in with re-estranged the coffin and corpse, covering up the magical remediation with strange deterioration, and the ball wouldn’t be missing. The 2nd and 3rd point- we are supposed to be giving our written testimony in the morning, if we give it, while our disappearance would be sad, the written testimony should satisfy them, and they would take our disappearance as further confirmation that the South Sexton is involved, deluding any investigation for a missing leaper, like with Smil. At most, they’ll think we were used for parts for Construct.

Make no mistake, taking any action contrary to putting the false graven ball back into the coffin will mean that there will be a Hunt- a Hunt that means we’ll we’ll never rest, constantly running, constantly anxious and afraid, constantly trying to evade death’s specter.

I don’t want these last couple threads to become the next hundred, friend. I want to relax, not constantly worry, thinking any pleasant deviation from any self-imposed schedule will put us a step closer to the Patternmaker. I want a chance to rest, friend.

>>6068911
Chlotsuintha is only 6'4" - though she is still growing. As far as creating some false pretext to Chlotsuintha's flight from the city, there is certainly merit to the idea. If the False Graven Ball is in the coffin, and it was Estranged at a level that would make sense with the Degree of the Strangeness present in the Morgue, then the Inquisition could reasonably assume that Chlotsuintha figured something was wrong and managed to run away. Of course, the idea that she was able to notice that something was wrong is a dangerous one in itself, considering how subtle low-Degree limited exposure to the Strangeness can be - but if they swallowed it, then they wouldn't be raising a Hunt. There might even be some way to present her departure as completely disconnected to the happenings in the South Burying Ground and the unfortunate state of Aldoin's body, the Morgue and Corners - but unless Aldoin's remains were accounted for, the deception would fall apart the moment that the Inquisition had him exhumed.

>>6068913
Basically, you wouldn't, at least until it got to a point where serious and often irreversible damage would have been done.
>>6068932
> You generally don't until the Inquisition spots the Strangeness on you with a detecting device, you start mutating, or you start going insane. There are a lot of parallels to radiation here. Normies live in fear.
Yep. With those born into the Many Mysteries, mild physical degradation comes before moderate mental degradation - for those who are not, it is the opposite ... and both sorts of degradation can only be described as 'extreme'.

>>6068932
>>6068941
Ok, that's what I thought. So there would almost never be a scenario where we got estranged and fled because of that like >>6068911
I still think the only way out here is to cover our tracks, at least a little bit.

>>6068942
The cover up will be us misleading the Inquisition with our testimony- we mention Smil and how we think the Sexton may be on to us, then the blood under the cobbles and a potential covered up mess in the Belfry will tell of a struggle- the missing bodies may be assumed to be taken as material for another Construct.

We just need to play our cards right.

>>6068972
You may recall that we estranged the false ball by dumping strangeness directly on it- to either the 2nd or 3rd degree, at which Strangeness becomes communicable. Simply placing the estranged ball back into the coffin with re-estrange the corpse and coffin. That was always the plan.

>>6068972
> You say the ball is going to reestrange the coffin. I missed out on that part of the plan. Are we going to be adding strangeness back to the coffin, ball, and corpse? How?
In Thread V (which was more than two years ago, yikes!) Chlotsuintha made the False Graven Ball by using tools from the Glyphery in the Belfry to scrape an approximation of the Glyphs that were on the genuine Graven Ball onto a steel ball near enough to the right size. To be clear, she didn't Engrave the Ball - it was no witchwork, just a look-alike. She then deliberately misused the Glpyhery to Breach the Strangeness into the False Graven Ball, so that it was at a Degree comparable to the genuine Ball, and would spread the Strangeness just like the genuine Ball would have, had it not been removed and Mitigated. As all the Inquisition will know about the Ball will come from the testimony of the Coroners who found it, Chlotsuintha can see no reason why the Inquisition would ever suspect that it may have been switched.

Again, in case any regular pops back into the thread and doesn't see the vote, >>6067377 is still tied up 2-2-1. I know I said I didn't want to advertise this one in the general, as it was such an important vote that I didn't want randoms just picking a decision without entirely understanding what was at stake, but if the tie is still standing by the time that I am ready to go to bed tonight, I'm going to have to. This has already been up for more than two days.

>>6069023
We could always put off this decision until later if need be- we are waiting for Nasturtium, he may just come in at any moment.

I do think, given that irl time-lapse, some anons reading the thread may not even know the why and the what of the False Graven Ball plan, and are just voting on Chlot’s anxiety on the matter. Considering I’ve been here since the first thread, that thought leaves me a bit queasy, especially considering they’re embracing a for-sure future threat over a mysterybox that could just be empty words.

We have already made the graven ball and planned around it.
There's no way we're getting out of here tonight given how behind schedule everything has been.
We ought to just take one extra day.

>>6069058
I increasingly am coming around to this way of thinking. I had also totally forgotten about our appointment to give a statement to the Inquisitor. I think we do need to stay another night -- although we should try not to return to the Midden between our deposition and nightfall.

I'd like to then change my vote again to:
> You will go through with planting the False Graven Ball, in doing so, giving up on leaving the Mount before sunrise.

Alright then, consider this vote closed - finally! I'll try to get a quick update out before I hit the hay.

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You are as one between a rock and a hard place; or perhaps more accurately, a rock and an Estranged place. Aware as you are that your father must necessarily know more than you about ... well, just about everything, really ... you are loathe, absolutely loathe to overstay into the seventh day. Even if nothing happens tomorrow - which is already today, damn it ... even if the number was just made up, the danger certainly wasn't. Isn't. And yet, weighing against your father's words, weighing against all the schemes and dangers that you cannot possibly know of is a singular danger that you with which you are well-apprised. A Hunt. Your Hunt. Six-score men - at least, if they rate you as worth so many - and probably a Mitigator or two besides, all to flush you out and run you down. If there was any way at all that you could manage to plant the False Graven Ball and get off the Mount tonight, you'd do it ... but even if you abandoned your 'cart, you just don't see how you would have enough time to dig up Aldoin and 'move house'. And with all of the leads out there, not planting the False Graven Ball will more or less guarantee a Hunt. Moreover, even if you were to do nothing but 'move house' tonight, abandoning both 'cart and planned artifice, there simply is no surety that you would be able to get everything remaining in your possession through the sewers in time. You have never been down there, you don't know your way through, and there are grates and sealed off walls that you'll need to work your way through. It wouldn't be impossible to get lost down there ...

Fraying Hell.

You are run through with some sense that whatever decision you make here will be wrong; and as such, you find yourself strongly disposed against making any decision. Of course, that isn't going to work, but ... regardless, that is where your careworn and Threadbare mind goes. Looking at your bundle, you are almost tempted to dig a coin out, and flip for it ... yet there remains enough wherewithal in you to recognize that for what it is. Ultimately then, the only thing for is to actually make a decision; you will be planting the False Graven Ball as planned, and necessarily, you will be overstaying. As best you can tell, you have managed to side-step or at least temporarily overcome everything that the Mount has thrown at you these past few days, so then, is it truly far from Wisdom to think that you might be able to overcome whatever dangers darken your path for just one more day?

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A noise in the distance precludes further mother henning. Turning towards its source, you can just see a light slipping out of the dining room door. Your muscles coil, and your hand makes its way back to the candelabra without your say - though once you find it there, you grasp it tightly again. But when no outburst is forthcoming, you judge that your newest company would not be the Poincare, and you relax - somewhat. It is only once enough of the distance has been closed that you may see that the approaching man is Nasturtium, that you return your hands to your lap, completing what you figure to be the very picture of a proper but bored woman. To be sure, there is very little about your conduct that has been proper, but ... well, no matter. You have gotten though this far, haven't you?

"My sincerest apologies about the wait."

"And my mine about the scene in there."

The proprietor snorts at that, but says no more on the matter, instead gesturing you towards the door. Suits you just fine. As you stand and collect your things, however, you find that he is not done talking.

"I'd be remiss as a host - and as a decent man besides - if I weren't to offer you a room for the night, on account of the hour. Gratis, of course."

The offer isn't entirely unexpected, considering the extremity of the hour and the generous nature of the man making it, but all the same you find yourself touched at the prospect. Though trailing behind that blessedly affirming warmth is a hollow sadness. The man is being so kind to Wilhelmina. But you are not Wilhelmina, are you? You would neither engender nor deserve the kind of kindness that a well-heeled Subject's daughter would regularly be extended. You ... no, don't dwell. Just answer, near enough politely as he offered - that's all you need to do now. That's all you can do now.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> "Actually, I was hoping - what with your coaches off of the road - you might have a driver around here somewhere for me to hire out? I'm more than willing to pay you for the privilege and him for the doing." [Barter Test?]
> "It so happens that the Goodman Taker sent for his second; he'll be here before long and with a driver of his own besides. Between the two of them, I'm sure their more than enough to see me back to my father." [Deception Test]
> "As a matter of fact, I am well-acquitted with driving teams; as father and I happen to be staying just up the street, I imagine I should be able to get the stage there without issue." [Persuasion Test]
> "I ... I will take you up on that offer. You couldn't even begin to imagine how tired I am." But you will be all the more tired come morning, though your 'cart will be in the stage and the False Ball will be planted if all goes well. [Stealth Test]
> Write-ins allowed with QM approval

>>6069186
> "Actually, I was hoping - what with your coaches off of the road - you might have a driver around here somewhere for me to hire out? I'm more than willing to pay you for the privilege and him for the doing." [Barter Test?]

This seems to me like the least bad option. Plus, we can probably get the driver to stable the horses for us, avoiding another round of questioning about a young woman on her own

The deception seems too likely to fall apart as soon Nasturtium returns to the dinner party and I don't like the idea of remaining here in general with so many interested parties

>>6069186
>> "Actually, I was hoping - what with your coaches off of the road - you might have a driver around here somewhere for me to hire out? I'm more than willing to pay you for the privilege and him for the doing." [Barter Test?]
Do we have cash on us?

Just a heads up, my schedule today is in flux. I don't know when I will be able to sit down and write. Until then, I'll leave this vote open.

>>6069416
Yes, in the bundled domestic dress we are carrying around. Large denomination coins.

>>6069559
Great, that solves a couple of worries.
I apologize ahead of time for the dumb questions I'll ask but I don't remember half of the stuff I should about the quest after this long, let alone anything about the gurney-bounded crab car chase.

>>6069186
> "As a matter of fact, I am well-acquitted with driving teams; as father and I happen to be staying just up the street, I imagine I should be able to get the stage there without issue." [Persuasion Test]
I’d rather not deal with trying to find a staging house while trying to pretend that it’s our father’s current loggings.

>>6069680
I'd don't think there is such a thing as a 'dumb question' - and considering how long the Quest has been running, I very much doubt that you are the only one who is unclear on some minor points.

Anyway, consider this vote closed. I'll try to get something up soon, but no promises.

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Sorely tired as you are, you spare more than a few moments thinking as you follow after Nasturtium, his standing offer of a room for the night still hanging heavy in the air. You are tempted, you will admit - not for the sake of sleep, unfortunately, but for the sake of ease. In your estimation, the easiest way forward here would be to leave stage, team and tack at this establishment, saving yourself the effort - and the expense, and the risks besides - of going somewhere else to temporarily board your conveyance until you were ready to load it. And if you were to take a room here, you wouldn't need to convince the proprietor here to let you out on the streets at this incredible hour either. To be sure, you would have to sneak your way in and out, but otherwise, it would be the Idea of ease. It would also be the Idea of sloppiness. The acceptance of your presence at this house is predicated on a host of lies, half-truths and suppositions. If just one of them is seen for what it is, then the whole raft of them are called into question. And doesn't it stand to reason that the longer you linger, the better the odds are that you will be on hand when your deceptions come into the Light? You cannot stomach the thought of that. There is also a sense that the longer you remain somewhere, the more clues and the clear trail you lead behind. It doesn't have to work that way, but as a rule, the longer you give yourself to make mistakes, the more mistakes you make.

But then what does that leave you? Claiming that Sulphreme sent for a driver and escort? That ... that could work, assuming that Sulphreme is going to keep to his word this time and play along with the lie - and even if he didn't, you would surely be gone before he was told. You don't see him correcting Nasturtium about it either. Still, that is not to say that you don't have misgivings about the idea ... though in your state they are not quite articulable. Well ... the man is a Taker, so by any measure, the less of your affairs, of your coming-and-goings he is part or party to, the better. Nasturtium would definitely make mention of this to Sulphreme to commend him and brothers; but even if he didn't, you are of the mind that Sulphreme would - that he will - ask after you regardless. And Nasturtium would see no reason not to tell the man, believing him to already know the answer. It cannot be gainsaid just how awkward the exchange might get, but you imagine Sulphreme to be capable of lying his way out of it. Willing as well. Still, as a solution goes, relying on others to do inevitably required lying for you is near as sloppy as lingering in the house. But besides that ... you suppose you could tell the man the truth - or at least, tell the man that you can drive the stage for yourself. Of your options, it is the cleanest, but you cannot possibly imagine that would be easy to sell him on, however.

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Perhaps then your best bet is to ask the man for a driver - who will also serve as an escort. Doing so is going to seriously complicate things; for a start, you are either going to have to accept that the driver - and by extension, Nasturtium and possibly Sulphreme - will know where you boarded stage, team and tack ... or you will have to find some way to either trick or otherwise separate yourself from him. If you do take the driver with you to ... wherever you end up deciding to board, then whatever lies you tell at that house will have to more or less square with the one you have told at this house, at least, so long as you are in earshot of the driver. There is also the question of what the driver might say to the grooms at the other establishment. Could you just count on bulling over him if he tried to talk? You suppose you have to, at this point. Far from enthused about the prospect, you slow as you approach the door out of the lobby, held open by Nasturtium.

"Actually ... I was hoping - what with your coaches off of the road - you might have a driver around here somewhere for me to hire out? I'm more than willing to pay you for the privilege and him for the doing. I'm ... just worried about father waking up in the middle of the night ... needing me, and I'm not there for him."

"Need - oh, Mercy, I had forgotten, your father is ill, isn't he? I - I am so sorry, I didn't realize I was keeping you from him. We'll get this busywork with the papers done straight-away, then I'll drive you to your father myself."

Fraying Hell, that's all that you need, how -

"Where are you staying, anyway?"

Dog-shit for brains! How are you unprepared for this? Regardless if you accept him driving you or not, refusing to answer this question would be dangerously undermining.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Play ignorant, and tell him you are staying at the Blue Boy, located well within the Landward Walls. Because of restrictions on the stage's Conveyance Patent, Nasturtium will not be able to drive you there - and even if he did, as it is in the Walls, there is no stable, livery or yard for boarding stages and teams.Stage, team and tack would have to remain at this establishment. Presumably, he'd walk you to the Boy instead, and part ways with you at the front door - which would get you through the Landward Walls without issue, though you would be a little less than a half-hour's walk from your cart. [Easier Deception Test]
> Be ignorant, and tell him that you are staying at the house with the weather-vaned crab on its shingle, located right outside the Landward Walls. Nasturtium will be able to drive you there - and you would be able to board stage, team and tack there; there will be a choice to remain there or find another establishment once Nasturtium leaves. Presumably, he'd be present when you handed the reins over to the grooms. You would be a little more than a ten-minute walk from your cart. [Easier Deception Test]
> Explain that your father is so cautious and inclined-to-mistrust, he wouldn't want you telling others where you are staying. [Quite Difficult Twinned Deception-Persuasion Tests]

>>6070112
Chlotsuintha doesn't have much in the way of experience either; but typically horses and conveyances dropped off at the stables with the grooms, then the prospective guest would head inside to inquire after lodging. The chief concern is that in the process of handing over the stage to the grooms, the grooms might say something that would suggest that we had never been at this house before, and that all of Chlotsuintha's work might fall apart right at the end.

>>6069982
Be ignorant, and tell him that you are staying at the house with the weather-vaned crab on its shingle, located right outside the Landward Walls. Nasturtium will be able to drive you there - and you would be able to board stage, team and tack there; there will be a choice to remain there or find another establishment once Nasturtium leaves. Presumably, he'd be present when you handed the reins over to the grooms. You would be a little more than a ten-minute walk from your cart. [Easier Deception Test]

Did this look like a respectable establishment? I hope this is not a trap choice and crab house is a brothel or something...

>>6070168
Perhaps it is not the most impressive establishment on the Mount, but it isn't the Poonist's Perch by any stretch of the imagination. From the outside, the establishment looks to be more or less on par with the Hooded Heads, just without the uncanny decor.

Consider this closed.

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> Deception Test I:

> + DC 20: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is a Born and Bred Liar, making a Rudimentary Deception like this [Easy]
> + DC 9: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Tired III and is not as perceptive as she might be otherwise
> + DC 6: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is currently Drained III, and may not be thinking as quick as she normally does.
> + DC 3: Witchlet Chlotsuintha's height corresponds with the description of a wanted criminal [Trebled]
> + DC 2: Witchlet Chlotsuintha is oddly tall for a woman, evoking suspicion
> + DC 2: Witchlet Chlotsuintha's conduct has been a close approximation of a well-heeled woman, but it has not been perfect
> + DC 2: Witchlet Chlotsuintha's tongue is not as deft at lying as it was when the wages of sin were out of her mind [Banes]
> + DC 5: Proprietor Nasturtium finds it odd that "Madame Dremen" cannot remember the name of the Public House she is staying at
> - DC 12: Proprietor Nasturtium has no reason to believe that "Madame Dremen" is lying to him
> - DC 4: Proprietor Nasturtium has Rapport II with "Madame Dremen"
> - DC 6: Witchlet Chlotsuintha has deceived Proprietor Nasturtium before
> - DC 8: Witchlet Chlotsuintha's deception is reasonable and believable
> - DC 4: ???

> DC 15: Anything lower is a failure. [Auto-pass(es) available. Re-roll(s) available. No hostile re-roll(s)]

> No Passes: Imperishable Impugnment. Nasturtium can now not help but to question everything. [Rapport II removed, + DC 5 "odd" doubles, - DC 12 "lying" removed, + DC 4 "truth?" added]. Further convincing is now needed.
> One Pass: Sunk Suspicion. Nasturtium isn't inclined to doubt - but small cracks have since propagated. [Rapport I replaces Rapport II, + DC 5 "odd" doubles, - DC 12 "lying" halved] Even still, he will conduct her to the house.
> Two Passes: Damned Doubts. Nasturtium doesn't want to doubt "Madame Dremen" ... but not knowing the name of the house she is staying is fodder for nagging questions. Regardless, he will conduct her to the house.
> Three Passes: An Unburdened Mind. Nasturtium doesn't doubt "Madame Dremen" for a moment; if anything he is more assured of her genuineness than ever [Rapport III replaces Rapport II] He will conduct her to the house.

> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Failure (Roll of 1 or 2) then instead of + DC 4 "truth?", + DC 10 "lies?" is added, and Nasturtium gets a single test re-roll on Deception Test II
> If ONE of the THREE rolls comes up as a Critical or Near-Critical Success (Roll of 100 or 99) then by chance, Chlotsuintha learns something of the nature of the danger that she is in.

> May our luck run white, and may I please have three rolls of 1d100? Rolling more than once is acceptable, so long as at least half an hour has passed since the last roll.
> Remember, Critical and Near-Critical Failures may not be re-rolled or retroactively auto-passed!

Rolled 70 (1d100)

>>6070303

Rolled 18 (1d100)

>>6070303

Apologies about the late start. Look for an update within an hour.

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What do you say? What in the Heights of Hell do you say? You - you are going to have to name a public house, aren't you? Your nightly forays out into the Mount with father never took you anywhere near such establishments; was always either to the Burying Grounds or private residences. Certainly, you pass them by often enough, but you see shingles, not writ names. That is not to say that you don't know the names of any public houses on the Mount, quite the opposite. Three of them have forced themselves upon your memory; the Hooded Heads, the Blue Boy and the 'Poonist's Perch - and may the Maker have Mercy for you if you ever must return to any of them. Failing at mustering up names that aren't associated with terrifying near-misses, you switch your footing and try to recall shingles instead - only to find that they too are blurring all together. Damn it all, if you had just had a proper night's - Oh! There was an establishment like this one, right by the gates; they had an Omnibus style carriage that you considered trying to buy. Their shingle, it was ... a crab, with a weather-vane out of its back!

"I ...I'm sorry, it must be on account of the hour, but for the life of me, I cannot remember the name of the establishment. It was right by the Landward Walls, a crab - "

"With a weather-vane sprouting out of its back, yes? That's The Trade-Winds Companies' Cancer House. Owned by a cadet branch of the Prunuses family; a junior cadet branch, if I recall. Never met the Princeling - or rather, the Lordling- who actually owns the place, but I know the man who operates it well enough."

Of all of the black luck! Fraying Hell, it ... it shouldn't be a problem. The grooms don't know anything, that's why they're fraying grooms. So long as you are able to see the back of Nasturtium before anyone who might actually know who is staying at the house gets involved - especially the operator, if he knows the man - then you should be close enough to safe. Still, with the sorry state you are in and with so much bearing down on you, you are at the point where forgetting dangers and risks seems like an actual possibility. You weren't able to come up with better options, and somehow it seems that even your inability to name the house that you were staying at has not managed to flag the unflagging faith that this man has in you, so it is not as if you should be out cutting rods ... but at the same time, couldn't you have seen this as a possibility? Would you have, had you not been basically running yourself ragged over the past two days? It is not as if it is the furthest reach that a man in the Coaching trade might know other men in the same trade that run houses just a little further up the street from his. Again, there weren't any other options, you shouldn't dwell ... but what if this does bite you?

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What if things don't go well with the grooms? What if there is no room for you to board your stage, your team and your tack, and Nasturtium takes it upon himself to help by reaching out to his friend? There is nothing for it now though. There was nothing for it then, either. It is just ... you wish your best option wasn't such shit. You sorely want to sigh in frustration, though you lock your jaw shut instead as Nasturtium leads you into his office. When you finally lay eyes on what must be your papers sitting atop his desk, you cannot help but feel marginally better about your prospects. There is a small service besides the desk, topped with a bottle and pair of glasses - but hastened by the prospect of "Wilhelmina's" father waking up sick and alone, not knowing where his daughter is, they remain unmentioned and untouched as he rounds the desk ahead of you, to collect a pen and pot. You have to remind yourself how you decided to spell Wilhelmina, but luckily only three signatures are needed from you, so you manage to keep each of them consistent enough in between scanning through the documents, just to make sure everything is as it should. Nothing jumps out at you, but contracts and the like are all alien to you, so you have to doubt if anything actually would ...

"Alright then, that is it. All in your name."

They are just two short sentences, but somehow, everything seems much more real, all of a sudden. You are actually going to be able to leave the Mount, to go wherever you can drive your team and lie your way through. It isn't going to be easy, by any stretch of the imagination; horses are going to need fodder, water and rest, a stage is an inherently attractive target to Highwaymen, and most of all, until you actually forge a Family Patent, you aren't going to be able to prove that you own any of this - or that you have the right to be on the Thoroughfares in the first place. Still ... you are actually going to leave.

Without father.

It takes the Breadth-Entire of your Thread, but you manage to keep your face even through that blow. Adrift as you may be, before you can be carried away out into waters darker and deeper still, you remind yourself how many little clues you had stumbled across, that you simply had to turn your back on as you didn't have the time. If you are going to be waiting until tomorrow night to leave, then perhaps you might have time? You'd certainly like to think so, but you have been so poor at estimating the time that 'moving house' was going to take, you are not sure if you can count on that. Besides, shouldn't you be taking any extra time for yourself, you know, to sleep? As it is, you are near dead in the water; sustaining yourself for another night on naught more than catnaps - especially when the roads are in such a state - seems to be black askance. But this is your father. He could be in danger, he could need your help ... and if you leave the Mount without him, whose to say that the twain shall meet?

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> As hard as it may be for you, you are going to need to prioritize your father's wishes. If he wanted your help, if he wanted you involved, all he needed to do was take you along. Right now, you are on your own; any opportunity that overstaying presents to you, you will take to get yourself situated - rested, fed, patched up, bathed, Remediated ... and most importantly, rested.
> As hard is it will be for you, you cannot turn your back on half ... possibly all of your living family. Right now, your odds of reuniting with him are as high as they are ever like to be; any opportunity that overstaying presents to you, you will take to follow up on leads about your father - from the Strange Footfalls leading into public houses, to Aldoin's office in the College of Botany, to the unlicensed cockpit somewhere out on the Mount.

Sorry about the delay, the update really got away from me
>Gained one re-roll [ten total]

>>6070736
going to need to prioritize your father's wishes. If he wanted your help, if he wanted you involved, all he needed to do was take you along. Right now, you are on your own; any opportunity that overstaying presents to you, you will take to get yourself situated - rested, fed, patched up, bathed, Remediated ... and most importantly, rested.

>>6070736
> As hard is it will be for you, you cannot turn your back on half ... possibly all of your living family. Right now, your odds of reuniting with him are as high as they are ever like to be; any opportunity that overstaying presents to you, you will take to follow up on leads about your father - from the Strange Footfalls leading into public houses, to Aldoin's office in the College of Botany, to the unlicensed cockpit somewhere out on the Mount.
Keep in mind, we can’t help him half-starved and delirious from sleep-deprivation- helping him will largely involve sleeping, eating, bandaging, and remediating. This is only after we take care of the bulk of our needs.

Mainly just thinking about hitting up the office- mainly to salvage props to fabricate a plausible story for where our Patriarch has gone to. The footfalls would only be if it isn’t too inconvenient, and the cockpit really if we happen to stumble onto it- not really looking to stress ourselves to the limits here, just knocking out two (or Pattern-willing, three) birds with one stone while taking it easy.

Well, I've already advertised this vote in the general, and I'm definitely not going to roll on something like this, so I suppose we can just wait until the tie is broken. I can't quite think of any votes to hold to tide those remaining in the thread over while we wait though, so until I do - or until the tie is broken - if anyone has any questions, I'll be watching the thread.

>>6070736
> As hard as it may be for you, you are going to need to prioritize your father's wishes. If he wanted your help, if he wanted you involved, all he needed to do was take you along. Right now, you are on your own; any opportunity that overstaying presents to you, you will take to get yourself situated - rested, fed, patched up, bathed, Remediated ... and most importantly, rested.

>>6070736
> As hard as it may be for you, you are going to need to prioritize your father's wishes. If he wanted your help, if he wanted you involved, all he needed to do was take you along. Right now, you are on your own; any opportunity that overstaying presents to you, you will take to get yourself situated - rested, fed, patched up, bathed, Remediated ... and most importantly, rested.

We need sleep. Trust the plan.

Alright! Consider this closed. Look for a quick update within two-and-a-half hours.

For one terrible, embarrassing moment, you actually feel tears welling up before you manage to find some steel - and the presence of mind to clasp your hands, so that you don't inadvertently dab at your eyes. The twain shall meet when father finds you; that was the plan. His plan. It ... Pattern's Peace, it is hard. But you have to believe that he must have his reasons. No doubt his way of keeping you safe from whatever running battle blew through Aldoin's house - and possibly elsewhere over the Mount - is to keep you completely apart from it. And as the Pattern seems so tightly Woven against you, you know that forgoing the surety of food and sleep for the slim chance you are able to find your father - who doesn't want you to find him - is far and away from Wisdom.

With a start, you realize that Nasturtium is looking at you patiently. Looking to move past this awkward lapse, you quickly stuff the papers into your burgeoning bundle.

"Ah! Sorry, just ... it has been a wearisome day."

"I can imagine."

Somehow, you very much doubt that. All the same, Nasturtium hefts a small, glassed lamp, merrily burning away, and offers you his arm. You keep your face as even as you can as you accept it, taking some solace in the fact that the man is more than a few inches taller than Sulphreme, so you aren't in as much pain. Leaving the candelabra behind - it does belong to the house, after all - you make sure that your bundle is situated as Nasturtium leads you through the back door of his office, out onto the yard. Scant yards ahead, illuminated in the glow of the poled lanterns - and its own glassed lamps besides - is your stage, with the complete team in harness, attended by a sharply dressed porter. It is almost hard to believe, but just three days ago now, buying food, or ... oh, what even was it - a whetstone and an oilcloth? Aye, it was - and it was a big deal. Now ... this ... you are at a loss for words, though that it is probably the lack the sleep more than anything. Still, this is incredible! Part of you wants to look over the stage again, if only just to savor the moment ... but you know better than to give in to such indolence.

From out front of the house, you hear something that might be a conversation - as does Nasturtium, who stops and turns to the noise. The porter looks on in quiet askance, and one of the horses takes this opportunity to relieve themselves. If you had to guess as to the source of the noise, you'd say that it is probably Sulphreme talking to his driver out front. Perhaps he is getting ready to leave as well? If it is him ... hmm, should you try to delay until he leaves? Say you need to attend to a need, something like that?

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> For a start, you don't know if it is Sulphreme. And even if it is, you don't know if he is leaving. And even if he is leaving, then so long you were inside the stage, he wouldn't even see you. Further, even with the time you have now allowed yourself, things are too tight to jump at shadows like this.
> The less that Taker - that any Taker - knows about you and your comings-and-goings, the better. If Sulphreme manages to recognize Nasturtium from this distance, he may ask him about it later - and learn about the appearance of your stage. You should make an effort to delay here.

>>6071548
>> For a start, you don't know if it is Sulphreme. And even if it is, you don't know if he is leaving. And even if he is leaving, then so long you were inside the stage, he wouldn't even see you. Further, even with the time you have now allowed yourself, things are too tight to jump at shadows like this.

>>6071546
> For a start, you don't know if it is Sulphreme. And even if it is, you don't know if he is leaving. And even if he is leaving, then so long you were inside the stage, he wouldn't even see you. Further, even with the time you have now allowed yourself, things are too tight to jump at shadows like this.

>>6071548
> For a start, you don't know if it is Sulphreme. And even if it is, you don't know if he is leaving. And even if he is leaving, then so long you were inside the stage, he wouldn't even see you. Further, even with the time you have now allowed yourself, things are too tight to jump at shadows like this.

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Suffering Saints, you need to get a hold of yourself. Setting aside the fact that you don't even know if this is the Taker or not, you cannot possibly know if he is leaving - and how long he might be is he is. And even with the time that you have allowed yourself by pushing your planned departure from 'before sunrise' to 'after sunset' of the seventh day, things are still rather tight; simply too tight for you to indulge yourself in jumping at the shade of shadows. And come to think of it, if you were seated in the stage, then how would Sulphreme possibly be able to see you? He ... hmm.

You hadn't given your seating arrangements any mind whatsoever until this very moment - and clearly, from the position of the porter by the door and the bearing of Nasturtium towards it, it is plain that they expect you to sit inside the cabin. But is that what will best serve you here? Your worry is that if you were inside the stage - as opposed to on the top deck, or on the driver's bench - then Nasturtium would almost certainly be the first one to speak with the grooms, and that he might end up saying something that would winnow your options further down the line. More acutely worrisome is the notion that he might start yapping about you and your father staying here, and one of the grooms might say or doing something that would give the game away. To be sure, you don't imagine that the grooms know all of the custom at the house, so even if something does slip out you ... well, actually ... you would certainly like to think that nothing would come of it, but there aren't a lot of six foot, four inch women running around for you to be confused with, are there? And it isn't as if you can count of grooms and husbandmen to be so tactful not to question Nasturtium; if they were more tactful, then they would probably be serving inside the house, wouldn't they? Of course, that is not to say that there isn't much to commend doing things normally for once. Sitting inside would preclude conversation - polite or otherwise, especially while he was driving the team. And in spite of his continued kindness - no, kindnesses - you just are not looking to field any more questions from him, especially the sort that would be innocent ... if only you were. Moreover, while there are scant few eyes left out on the streets, there would be none inside the stage - and that holds true for whoever is out in the front of the house as well.

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And it wouldn't be appropriate either, for you to be riding anywhere else - not when there was empty cabin with empty benches for you to avail yourself of. Much more off-putting then the notion of impropriety, however, is the possibility - slim as it may be - that your uncommon and unwomanly familiarity with conveyances would linger with him, making you even more extraordinary than you already are. Would it occur to him that you might want to take the stage out on to the roads, even in the state they are in? You have already shown your knowledge of driving, carriages and selecting teams to him when you purchased this lot. Would he - feeling responsible - change his mind, turn the stage around and insist on keeping it for you until the roads were safe? After all, Sulphreme reversed himself, didn't he? No, that - no. This is just nerves. Nerves and guilt and nothing more. Of course, there is more than that keeping you cautious of taking any seat outside of the cabin. Damn it all, you are going in circles here - if you don't do or say anything in the next few strides, your decision will be made for you. It isn't even as if you could do it with half-measures either; once the stage starts off, you will have to remain where you are - sitting inside until the final stretch, then sticking your head out or even trying to get off to beat Nasturtium to the punch with the grooms ... setting aside how dangerous that would be, if you were to make a scene like that, you'd be liable to draw the attention of someone who would know that you don't have rooms here - or the grooms would be more likely to speak up and push back against any tales that you weave and feed them.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> You will ride on the driver's bench
> You will ride on the top-deck
> You will ride in the cabin

>>6071878
> You will ride in the cabin

>>6071878
I’d choose to sit on the driver’s bench, just to chat up the driver about the current events happening on the Mount- but I dread causing a tie. You can consider be supporting >>6071884 unless there’s another Driver’s Bench vote

>>6071878
>You will ride in the cabin

Alright, consider this closed. Look for the update within three hours.

Just a heads up, some stuff has come up - I'm just sitting down to write now, and it is possible I may need to stop again soon. I'm certain that I should have the update out before too long, but I can't be sure when exactly it will be.

> Gain one Clipped Tenth-Talent; may redeem for a re-roll of an opponent's test, so long as they themselves haven't used a re-roll or auto-pass for that same test.

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Pestered with doubts as usual, you allow yourself to be led to the cabin. Ever the goodman, Nasturtium offers you his hand to help you up, which after a second of hesitation you accept ... though you make a point of balling your hand into a fist first, in a bid to hide your fingers. If the man thinks it - or you - odd, he gives no sign. Least, no sign you can suss out in your state. Well ... your left arm doesn't feel fit to fall off at least though, that's something.

You have to stoop - presumably to an unseemly extent - to get yourself into the cabin. And while you are able to stretch to your full height once inside, by your estimation there is less than two inches between the battered and bruised crown of your head and the ceiling. Moreover, you have to remember that at this moment, you are wearing foot-wraps; proper boots - or even sandals - would winnow away that gap to the point that even moderate bumps would carry the risk of getting your head boxed and rapped. To be sure, one doesn't ride a stage standing up - and once you are on your own, you driving the stage will be rather preclusive to you standing in the cabin while underway. All of this cannot gainsay that more space would be better; if not for your sake, then for the sake of everything you hope to - or have to, at this point - stuff in here. Beyond concerns about the space, however, the cabin is comfortably appointed with handsome wooden backed-benches complete with cushions and a glassed lamp, mounted in place on the ceiling and putting off more light than you would have believed it capable of doing. After getting your bundle situated in the hollow underneath the bench, you tenderly perch yourself on top of the cushions, which you find to be yielding enough that their softness may even be felt through the stiffness of your dress. Seeing you are ready, Nasturtium nods and smiles as he closes the door. Now out of sight, you permit yourself ease in your posture - to the extent that your 'worn piece' allows - then you amuse yourself by looking around what is to be your hope for the foreseeable future. You might have to dump the benches to make more room, but for a surety you will want to hold on to these cushions.

You pat them absentmindedly - until you are startled by thudding reverberating through the cabin. You are actually reaching for your Wand of Head-Knocking, secreted away in the bundle, when you realize that it just Nasturtium getting up onto the bench. Were you in a more whole state, you might have cursed your stupidity - at the moment, all you can do is laugh at it. There is more thuds, this time from behind you - so it seems that the porter is coming along for the ride too. There is some more noise, as the men get themselves situated - not as comfortably as you have, for a surety! - then after a bit of a delay, a rustling, followed by a soft jolt that pushes you even further into the cushions as the stage begins its first journey under new ownership.

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You get a lick of nerves at the prospect of being seen by Sulphreme - if it is him out front of the house as you fear - but when you lean on your side and curl up length-wise across the bench and close tight the wooden shutters on both sides in a bid to make yourself as hard to see as you can, you find yourself feeling better about your prospects. And when the stage continues on without stopping in the front of the yard, or even having a question shouted in passing at it, you allow yourself a shuddering sigh, stress whistling out of you like steam from a kettle. You did it. You - a thief - where arm in arm with a Thief-Taker, no, a Master Thief Taker, and you managed a clean break. Or at least, clean so far. Still, you are relieved enough to melt, and as you sit yourself up on the bench you might as well have - corset or no. Its the cushions; honestly, you should ask Nasturtium where he had them made. Maybe they make pillows ...

Blearily, you open your eyes - only to realize with a start that you don't remember closing them. Oh, Maker's Mercy! Did you actually fall asleep?! Panicking, you check the bundle under your seat ... and find it seemingly undisturbed. You calm down marginally, just long enough to realize that the stage is not moving - and that your Hide-Eyes Scarification Glyph is trembling and twitching, but otherwise as cold as it has been all day. Maker's Mercy, Maker's Mercy, oh Maker's Mercy, you - you must have rolled over in your sleep and pushed through the envelope of the cast. Desperately looking to get off of the back foot, you do your best to Reach into the Glyph and assume direct control of the cast to get you out of this halting stutter. You aren't able to Reach, but before you can completely lose your head, the stutter slips away on its own, and you are about to throttle the Glyph as wide open as you can ... when it occurs to you that if you cannot even manage to Reach into yourself, you probably aren't in a state to manually control Glyphs like this. Things can go wrong doing that, and when the Glyph is etched into your subdermis, you are just along for the ride. On the other hand, manual control of the Glyph could get it running in a heartbeat or two, as opposed to the two minutes plus that it would take if you just did it properly. Passively, that is. Passively. Can you wait that long? What is even happening here?

You can hear voices outside, distantly - and other harder to place noises besides. Have you already arrived at the Cancer House? Have you been stopped on the street? You cannot see much of anything with the shutters done up, but you are loathe to open them, for fear that someone is standing right outside - or may be shortly.

> Please choose one of the following:
> You will attempt manual control of the Hide Eyes Scarification Glyph [Requires Rolling]
> You will 'passively' control and activate the Hide Eyes Scarification Glyph

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> You will call out to Nasturtium; you need to know what is going on.
> You will remain silent until your eyes are cover by Glamour again.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> You will risk trying to crack one of the shutters over the windows in the door.
> You will leave the shutters over the windows in the doors as they are; shut up tight.

>>6073051
>> Please choose one of the following:
>> You will 'passively' control and activate the Hide Eyes Scarification Glyph

>> Please choose ONE of the following:
>> You will remain silent until your eyes are cover by Glamour again.

>> Please choose ONE of the following:
>> You will risk trying to crack one of the shutters over the windows in the door.

Play it cool but stay aware.

>>6073105
Unfortunately, Chlotsuintha doesn't have her veil with her at the moment.

>>6073051
> You will attempt manual control of the Hide Eyes Scarification Glyph [Requires Rolling]
> You will call out to Nasturtium; you need to know what is going on.
> You will risk trying to crack one of the shutters over the windows in the door.
We need to know what’s going on- and we need our Hide-Eyes operational before whoever’s outside comes to take a look.

Man, I miss Sulphreme and company- he was a sweetheart, shame we couldn’t talk with them more (and not be panicking over it).

Okay, with these three votes we have a 2-1 split for passively activating the Hide-Eyes Glyph, a 2-1 split for remaining silent until the Glamour has enough time to spool back up, and a 2-1 split for risking to crack the shutters. Look for the update within the next three hours.

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You have lost what precious little nerve you have enough times to know that you don't have much steel to you. You fold over, you vacillate, you fret - and you doubt. Aye, you do that in spades and barrows. To say that these past few days you have doubted more than you have breathed may be an exaggeration - but it damned doesn't feel like one, for a surety. Especially not now. Would you that you could, you would take two half-measure here ... but this cast - or at least, your understanding of this cast - will not allow for it. You cannot active the Glyph and its cast as it was intended to operate, then immediately try to goose it across the line by taking it into your own proverbial hands. So you must ask yourself, are you about to doubt yourself into a Leadbelly Grave? Two minutes - or more! - is a long time. Who but the Maker may know what the Pattern will spin out in that breadth? In the end, it is not a question of if you think it is safe enough to count the grains as they pass, but rather, it is a question of if you feel as if you are capable and conditioned well enough to brute the Many Mysteries, to temporarily break your own Scarification Glyph in such as way that it works well enough straightaway, without doing any damage to the Glyph - or yourself, for that matter - in the process.

With it framed like that, your mind makes itself up almost before you realize. You will content yourself to count the grains and hope that your Glyph, operating - and operated - as intended will be enough to get you through this. With that settled, and the now-familiar but still uncomfortable warmth returned to your back, your attention may now be undivided from more mundane concerns, even as you start a whispered count, on account of how scattered your thoughts and worn your brain is at the moment.

"Count of one, count of two, count of three ..."

To wit; do you try to peek out of the shutters - and more boldly, do you attempt to speak with Nasturtium, or failing him, perhaps the porter? To be sure, you are concerned that if left to his own devices, Nasturtium is going utterly confound you here with his idle, entirely well-intentioned talk ... yet with your Glamour still nearly two minutes away, you have no stomach for the risk that he - or someone else - might try to enter or otherwise look into the cabin. While the stage itself may be integral to keeping you alive, you are not quite willing to go so far as to say that it is worth your life, not in the way that your father's work is.

"... count of fifteen, count of sixteen, count of seventeen ..."

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If things really get that bad, you can just walk - or in all honesty, run - away, leaving it behind. It is a painful prospect, to be sure - but one that you are not unfamiliar with. How much have you given up on over the years, simply to remain safe? At this point, such depths may be unfathomable; you probably wouldn't even realize everything you have forgone, missed out on. You will, however, allow yourself a peek through the shutters in the doors ... which now that you look seem to have shaken themselves open during the ride.

" ... count of twenty-six, count of - "

Maker's Mercy, you hope that they shook themselves open. Otherwise ... no, no - you cannot give in to such senseless panic. If they were opened by someone else, would they close them? And even if you suppose that they were, and that this peeper did close the fraying shutters, what would they have seen? You, yes, they would have seen you - but with your eyes closed you gutter-borne mental derelict. Be calm! Be calm, and take your look.

"Count of ... thirty? Oh, on the Heights of Hell. Count of thirty-one, count of thirty-two ..."

There are many things that prove to be easier thought than done though. This among them. Cautiously, you try to lift yourself off of the damned cushions - which you are most assuredly going to be using as kindling at the first available opportunity - only to find that the bench, and even the floor beneath it, creaks as you shift your weight. Wasn't this silent as you got in to the cabin ... or is it that as you are now trying to be quiet that you finally notice the noise? You are beset with second thoughts, but these ... these you manage to push through. You simply have to know what is outside that window.

"...count of forty-three, count of - Fray this floor! - forty-four, count of forty-five ..."

That is your problem, isn't it? You were Woven with a cat's mind and a chicken's heart. A dangerous, dangerous combination. Scant solace may be taken, however, that there is yet to be any indication that either your abundance of curiosity or you absence of courage is going to doom you in the next minute or so. Though it seems like the floor of the cabin creaks like a ship in a swell, your long legs are able to make it to the door in one tenuous stride.

" ... count of fifty-one, count of fifty-two, count of fifty-three ..."

Unfortunately for you, no solace may be taken at the sight out of the window. The angle is poor, and not like to be improved by taking the risk of opening the shutters. The lighting is even worse. Immediately, you can see that you are off of the street and on a yard. But it is the yard of Cancer House? Is it just another portion of Nasturtium's yard, one that you didn't see? Is it somewhere else entirely?

" ... count of fifty-nine, count of sixty, count of sixty-one ..."

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About half-way to safety - or more accurately, one less danger - you work your way to the window in the opposite door, keeping yourself as bereft of creaking as you can be - only to find the view to be distressingly similar. It is an unpaved yard, surrounded by buildings that you don't recognize. As you did when you first woke up, you can just hear sounds off in the distance, some of which you think may be conversation. After concluding that the view out of this window is not going to be made more informative by opening it further, you instead draw your face nearer still to the sill of the window - though not near enough to compromise the envelope of your Glamour. Staking the sum of your hopes that you may hear something, you even stop your quiet count at seventy-three, or near enough there to make no difference. You strain your ears, and hold in your -

A wooden groan from behind you shocks you near insensate! You whirl around instinctively, only by dumb luck keeping your footing as is and avoiding the mother of all creaks. It is outside of the cabin, of course. You ... you should have known that. But! There is a third window! High above the seat you took, so high you managed to overlook it. This one is shuttered up truly tight - but if you are any to judge, it must overlook the drivers bench - presumably, it is so that the passengers and the driver may speak to one another, if the need arises. Considering where you estimate the sounds of conversation to be coming from, you'd have to be better served by listening at that - though if you were willing to risk it, you would be served even better still if you were to peer through it ... though considering that Nasturtium - or at least, someone - is still on the driver's bench, that might prove to require a softer touch than even you could muster at the moment.

> Please choose ONE of the following:
> Satisfy yourself with listening at the forward window. [Requires Rolling, Hearing Test I]
> Risk trying to crack the shutter on the forward window [Requires Rolling, Deftness Test I, followed and twinned with Sight Test I]
> Turn your head so that it faces away from the window, then open the shutter. Do not say anything.
> Turn your head so that it faces away from the window, then open the shutter. Speak to the driver.