If you do talk to them, you should probably put the food back first. That's just all kinds of bad for a first impression.

1/2 Lemo 2015/06/24(Wed)23:11 No. 650602 ID: 02d9ae
File 143521267402.png - (96.82KB , 700x700 , 1-44a.png )

Since it seems like they're from Calderon, I figure it's worth taking the risk to talk to them, and see if they have any information about my route. They might be able to give me some tips for when I pass through Temahktem, or at least give me an idea of how much farther I have to go. But I'm keeping the food; I simply can't risk the possibility that they wouldn't willingly give me some, even if that means potentially dealing with them finding out. Starvation won't help me get to Calderon.

I wriggle my way back down the way I came, and throw the hoodie back on, and make sure that I keep my bag underneath it, to avoid letting them see the food I have stuffed inside of it. I figure that it'll make them less likely to suspect I stole from them, since something bright and orange would've made me easily visible. I turn around to start making my way back up the hill, and--

2/2 Lemo 2015/06/24(Wed)23:11 No. 650603 ID: 02d9ae
File 143521270712.png - (92.43KB , 700x700 , 1-44b.png )

BOSS: "Hello."

"Uh. Hi. Was just planning to talk to you, actually, guess I got the chance now..."
or something more in Lemo's voice cause I don't have so good a sense for how it sounds

By the way Lemo you ever seen one of these guys before? He's got four arms, that's cool right?

>>650603
Stand your ground, don't act overly fearful or aggressive. We don't know his or her intentions, yet.

>>650603
Um, hello.

Wait to see if they do or say anything further. If this goes bad you'll need to move quick, they outnumber you.

Hi! Is your vessel available for hire? I'm looking to go to Calderon, quickly and quietly if you catch my meaning. All I have to pay you with is some charged quartz.

Be polite.

>>650716
Don't say this. Especially not straight away - he may have caught you stealing. If he asks you to return the food, agree.

1/2 Lemo 2015/06/29(Mon)19:51 No. 651789 ID: 02d9ae
File 143563269271.png - (379.93KB , 700x700 , 1-45a.png )

Sorry for the delay; I threw my back out last week and couldn't get comfortable enough to draw.

LEMO: "Uh, hi! I was wondering--"

BOSS: "Why don't we discuss this by the bonfire, instead?"

She turns around and starts walking back up the hill, gesturing for me to follow.

>Stand your ground, don't act overly fearful or aggressive.
I've got to act natural. If I don't go up there with her, it'll make me look suspicious, and she might already suspect I've been up to something. So I follow her up to the fire pit, trying to seem nonchalant.

>Have you ever seen one of these guys before? He's got four arms, that's cool right?
I've never seen anything quite like her. But I've probably never seen most things in the world. And four arms is definitely a new thing, to me.

BOSS: "Hey, listen up! We've got a visitor." She gestures towards me.

Everyone in the group turns to look at me, and thankfully none of them look angry or hostile. I notice that only two of them are Nolor. I'm not sure what the rest are, but one of them looks to be the same species as the Boss. The smaller one seems kind of like a digger, but maybe slightly bigger and with a different facial shape.

The huge one gets a quizzical look on her face.
3???: "...and?"

2/2 Lemo 2015/06/29(Mon)19:52 No. 651790 ID: 02d9ae
File 143563273180.png - (169.58KB , 700x700 , 1-45b.png )

The Boss grins, placing a hand on my shoulder.
BOSS: "And he's the guy who robbed us, right under our noses. While you were supposed to be on lookout duty, Rosalka."

Ummmmmmm

The huge one--who is apparently named Rosalka--jumps up and starts shouting at me. Shit.
ROSALKA: "What?! You lil' pipsqueak, I'll flatten y--"
BOSS: "Can it. You aren't going to touch a hair on his--" She glances at me. "Well, you aren't going to touch him at all, anyway. Got that? Now, how did you put it earlier, when you volunteered to be the lookout? 'Ain't no one gonna get past me'? Well, this little guy just did, and he got within five meters of you while doing it. You lost any right to beat his face in when you fucked up at your job. You're lucky this wasn't a more critical situation, and that all he stole was some food."

Rosalka opens her mouth to say something, then apparently reconsiders it and sits down, with a sour look on her face. The smallest one is snickering and doing a bad job at stifling it, but stops when Rosalka glares at her. The Boss turns back to me.

BOSS: "Now. What's your name?"
LEMO: "Uh, I'm Lemo. Look, I'm--"
BOSS: "Shhhh. Lemo, I think it's obvious why you stole that food. Possibly even understandable. But what confuses me is the fact that, after doing so, you apparently decided you wanted to speak to us, for some reason." She gets a severe look on her face, suddenly. "Are you a con-man as well, in addition to being a thief? What's your angle?"

Well you are kinda lost, and that their best bet would be to point you in the right direction, you were kinda hoping that they wouldn't notice that you had taken anything and would just let you pass on your way.

That's all you really wanted, food and directions.

>Are you a con-man as well, in addition to being a thief? What's your angle?
Um. No. I just hoped you wouldn't notice I'd taken the food.

...I'm uh, really struggling to think of a con that starts with being seen stealing from someone. Aren't con men all about getting people to trust them?

Our only refuge in is complete beguiling innocence and naivete. Other than that, getting away would be a crapshoot. Even with your weapons, you're outnumbered in close range- they could just tackle you.

At least they don't seem to recognize you for an escaped miner and default to immediately wanting to hand you over.

>>651790
>>651790
Be at least slightly honest.

"I was worried you would attack me or... something. I'm more than a little lost on the way to Calderon. When I got closer and listened to you guys talk a little, I, uh..."

Play up the scared and out-of-place angle a little bit. You can offer to pay them now, too, if that's an issue.

"Honestly I'm just looking for a good dick to suck."

>>651809
Replace with "heard what you were singing", but otherwise seems fine.

Lemo 2015/07/02(Thu)23:13 No. 652738 ID: 02d9ae
File 143590401331.png - (154.45KB , 700x700 , 1-46.png )

LEMO: "...Con-man?"

BOSS: "Come off it. I mean that you're trying to trick us into trusting you, so that you can steal more from us than just some food."

LEMO: "I--um, how could I get you to trust me by stealing from you? Look, I just--"

BOSS: "Seriously, quit playing dumb." She narrows her eyes at me. "I've seen this scam plenty of times before. You walk along, pretending you just escaped from an Argentyne slave camp, and find some sucker who'll pity you and give you whatever you say you need. Stealing from us is just a way to make it more believable--makes you seem desperate. I've got you figured out."

Everyone's staring at me, and none of them are smiling.
LEMO: "That's not true! I'm sorry I took the food, but I didn't know how I was going to get my next meal otherwise. I'm lost and I just wanted to get directions! I'm trying to get to Calderon, and I heard what you were singing... so I thought maybe you could help me." They don't look like they believe me. "I-I'll pay you."

The Clezean interjects, speaking in a stern tone.
CLEZEAN: "Too late. Yhou zhoulda zhought about zhat before robbin' uzh."
BOSS: "Oh, but you'll pay all right, that's for sure."

LEMO: "I'm sorry! I'll give the food back, I didn't mean any harm!"

BOSS: "Damn straight you'll give it back. The only question is, what should we do with you after that?" She pokes me firmly in the chest when she says 'do with you,' and then turns to the rest of the group. "Any ideas?"
Rosalka and the Clezean wink at each other, for some reason. The smallest one starts giggling, but one that is the same species as the Boss just rolls his eyes. What the hell have I gotten myself into? I've got to think fast.

Take out a chunk of charged quartz. Ask if that proves your innocence. From what we've seen, they might either be afraid of it (as it reacts strongly with those not of your species) or believe you really ARE an escaped slave.

Then tell them you don't want anything from them anymore, except maybe for them to not tell anyone you were here. Back away from the campfire then run off. Keep the damn food. Draw your pneumogun for emphasis if any of them stand up and look like they want to give chase.

>>652738
They want to have, uh. I guess this wasn't in your education or you just forgot about it. They're just playing with you.

OR THINK FAST THEY PLAN TO GRAB YOU AND SELL YOU BACK FLIP YOUR SHIT *NOBODY* WANTS TO GO BACK THERE.

Yeah, tale out a chunk of raw quartz and just hold it. Let them react. They'll freak out a little bit because it's a weapon- that doesn't hurt you, and because it means you really are an escaped slave. Either they help you after that, or it's the start of the chaos you need to escape.

Out of curiosity, what happens if you put quartz in a campfire? If it reacts violently, that might give us the distraction we need without shooting any of these guys.

1/2 Lemo 2015/07/04(Sat)19:44 No. 653091 ID: 02d9ae
File 143606426316.png - (260.59KB , 700x1400 , 1-47a.png )

ROSALKA: "Just lemme at 'im, Boss. That weird horn would look better danglin' from my neck, maybe a few of his teeth too." She snorts. "It's prolly fake anyway--who ever heard of a steward with a horn?"
???: "Not me! None of my brothers or sisters ever had one," the smallest one adds, forcing words in between giggles. "Let's keelhaul him! That'll teach him a lesson!"
CLEZEAN: "Nah, let'zh dump him off by zome backwater town in Temahktem. It'd probably make those hillbilliezh' day to have zomeone to rough up and chaze out."

Rosalka takes a step towards me, and I stumble backwards, falling onto my back.

BOSS: "I say we do all of it. You hear that, you little con artist? We've got plans for you."

>Take out a chunk of quartz and threaten them with it
I scramble backwards, using my legs to push myself. I hastily grope around inside my bag for a chunk of quartz, and hold it up at them. They all stop in their tracks, wide eyed in disbelief.

ROSALKA: "The hell?"
BOSS: "Holy shit."
CLEZEAN: "How izh he... Ola, can you ztewardzh touch quartz wizhout getting burnt?"

The smallest one responds to the Clezean, so I assume she's Ola. She's stopped giggling--she's just staring with the rest.
OLA: "...Nnnnnope."

>Throw quartz in campfire
Still holding the quartz chunk out at them threateningly, I get back on my feet. For a moment they remain still, and then Rosalka takes a step towards me. Getting ready to run, I throw the the quartz towards the bonfire. Rosalka shouts and dives out of the way. The quartz lands inside the fire, and...

2/2 Lemo 2015/07/04(Sat)19:46 No. 653092 ID: 02d9ae
File 143606436329.png - (184.42KB , 700x700 , 1-47b.png )

Nothing happens. There's just a faint fizzling sound as the quartz's light dies, just as it passes into the fire.

ROSALKA: "What the fuck! You tryin' to get someone killed?!"
BOSS: "...Just what are you?"

A voice speaks up from across the campfire--it's the one that looks like the Boss.
[color=#006666]???: "Whatever he is, he's not a con artist, Vivian."

I guess Vivian is the Boss's name.

BOSS: "Really, Vic? You're gonna stand up for this prick who thought he could con us? Besides, I'm doing him a favor--next time he'll think twice when choosing a mark!"
VIC: "He's a slave. And I don't think he's a steward."
BOSS: "So what, you're saying you believe him?! And what the hell is he, if he isn't a steward?"
VIC: "I am. Do you really think that anyone, even a rookie, would be foolish enough to try the escaped slave scam in the Union? Everybody knows everyone in the LU is dirt poor. Plus, it's not out of the question that there might be some other enslaved species that nobody's seen before. Who knows what goes on behind closed doors at Argentyne slave camps."
CAP: "He's got a point, Viv. And y'all were takin' it too far anyway."

The Boss opens her mouth to say something, but doesn't. She furrows her brow for a moment, apparently thinking about what Vic had to say.
BOSS: "...Fuuuck me," she murmurs under her breath. "Dammit Victor, why do you have to be right all the time?"
VIC: "You know my secret. I don't say anything unless I'm completely sure it's true."
BOSS: "Rhetorical question, you turd." She turns to face me. "Well, shit. I'm sorry, guy--I really did think you were just another scammer, and we were trying to teach you a lesson by scarin' you away. Keep the food, you deserve it. If you want to leave, we won't stop you. But you did say you wanted help getting to Calderon, right?"

I'm a little shocked still, but I manage to find my voice and choke out a response.
LEMO: "Err, yeah, I was told that's where I'd be safe from Milpol."
BOSS: "Well, we're heading there after our next gig on Adiba Island--which is a protectorate of Calderon, so it's pretty safe for escapees. If you want, we can give you a lift--it's the least we can do after how we treated you. Besides, most of us know all too well what it's like to be in your position."

She gestures towards the notch cut out of her left ear, grimacing a little, as though thinking about it brings back harrowing memories.

>>653092
>>653092
You shouldn't have thrown the quartz, it's very valuable. Are you fire resistant, too? You might be able to reach in and just pull it out.

You can just point to your ear where (most) of the ear tag was cut off. "I need to remove the rest of this too." You can probably relax and maybe share stories about where you've been.

>She gestures towards the notch cut out of her left ear, grimacing a little, as though thinking about it brings back harrowing memories.
Wait, you were a slave too?

>what do
Might as well stick around. You took a stupid risk, but it looks like you've found some folks who are sort of sympathetic, when they're not being jerks.

>You shouldn't have thrown the quartz, it's very valuable. Are you fire resistant, too? You might be able to reach in and just pull it out.
I think it's broken. It said the light died.

>>653106
Yeah throwing it in there wasn't worth it. Who suggested that? Oh well. Now we know, I guess.

> Most of us know all too well...
...
GROUP HUG!

>>653112
No, it's just discharged. That's different.

Comment that you're a bit disoriented at how quickly their attitudes have changed. You're really not used to social stuff. Before it was only just your family you really talked to. And do they really get so many con-men of your species... Actually, you don't even know your species' name, do you? Your mother nor your handlers ever said, did they? Do they know? Anyway, do they really get so many con-men around that they have to act like they did? Are there really that many liberated and escaped slaves running around?

Tell 'em that up 'till about a week ago you were a slave mining charged quartz for... Uh... Guys of the species that old guy in the yellow hat is. From the Duchy. That's where you got all this charged quartz and stuff from, from down in the mines. Then you were liberated by this good guy named Remy. You were hold up in a crawl space 'till tonight, when he tried to smuggle you into the LU. And then everything went sideways at the checkpoint and you had to make a run for it. And now you're here. It's all been a combination of horribly terrifying and amazing and your head has been spinning for hours. You mean, you've lived underground your whole life and only just tonight saw the sky and it's... Amazing.

You don't know how you can handle charged quartz without bursting into flame or whatever. It's just something you assumed your species could do, but looking at... Ola? Looking at her you guess not. By the way, the horn is real. Give it a knock for emphasis. Maybe they could go 'round and tell you what their species names are. 'Cause before tonight you only knew of your own and the guys with the breathing tank things. And mlurx.

...Oh, you just realized you might have a problem seeing come daybreak 'cause your eyes are all adapted to low-light. It'd be a terrible shame if you're nearly blind during the day and can't see how amazing things are.

Does the Boss know a way to pop this damn tag-hole thingie out of your ear without just ripping it out? Or is it going to have to be the painful and bloody way?

You get the uncomfortable feeling that that chunk of charged quartz should have done far worse then just fizzle out, and yet it did fizzle. Ask 'em what they think it would have done when it landed in the fire. And ask if they have a pair of tongs or a something you can use to retrieve the quartz. Maybe it'll do something once it's back in your hands.

1/4 Lemo 2015/07/11(Sat)16:21 No. 655109 ID: 02d9ae
File 143665686094.png - (181.67KB , 700x700 , 1-48a.png )

>You shouldn't have thrown the quartz, it's very valuable.
Yeah, that was a mistake... I was hoping it would explode or something and give me a window to escape, but maybe it's good that it didn't.

>Who suggested that?
>>652805

>Are you fire resistant, too? You might be able to reach in and just pull it out.
I don't think so, and it'd probably be a bad idea to find out. I'll just wait until the fire has been put out.

>My species' name?
We're just called diggers, as far as I know. Maybe we have some other name, but I don't know it.

"Vivian," Vic says, "Perhaps some introductions are in order, don't you think?"
"Right," the Boss agrees. "Well, you heard 'im, guys--I'm Vivian."
Cap speaks up next, with a grandfatherly smile spread across his face. "Name's Claude, but jus' call me Cap if y'want."
"I'm Izzhadenezh," the Clezean next to him chimes.
"Just call 'im Izzy," Vivian chuckles.
"Rosalka. Gonna guess you never seen somethin' like me before. I'm a vassal."
"As has already been stated, I'm Victor, Vivian's brother."
"I'm Ola," the tiny voice next to Vic rings out.
"Y'mean Squirt," Rosalka chimes.
"Shut up! Anyway, I'm a steward."

"Juzt like Lemo," Izzy adds.
"Nuh uh. We don't have horns," Ola objects. "And just look at his hands! No offense Lemo, but back at the manor, keeping my nails that long woulda gotten my fingers broken!"
"So just what are ya, son?" Cap inquires, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "If y'don't mind my askin', of course."
"I'm a digger. Ola's the first steward I've ever seen, as far as I know."
Rosalka raises an eyebrow incredulously, then turns to Ola. "Heh. Never heard of a digger before. You sure that horn ain't fake?"
"Uh, no, it's real," I object, knocking on it audibly for effect. "Up until a week ago, I lived underground in a mining camp... so maybe I'm the first one out?" The idea that I might be the only free digger sets off pangs of loneliness inside me.
I gaze up at the stars; the thought of my ancestors watching me relieves the pain somewhat. "Before then I'd never been topside. The sky is amazing... there's no way I could've imagined what it'd be like."

"You ain't seen nothin'. Just wait 'til you set yer eyes on Adiba," Cap chuckles, pulling a pipe out of his satchel and dropping a pinch of tobacco inside. "If yer comin' with us, that is. She's quite a sight--lights 'n costumes 'n decorations, far as the eye can see!"
"That explains the name 'digger', anyway. Would I be correct to assume you mined for quartz?" Vic asks.
"Yeah... that's what we use our claws for," I reply. "We dig it out of the rock by hand."
Rosalka snorts. "Must be some damn strong claws," she says, picking her nose idly. "How d'ya do that trick where you hold the quartz without gettin' burned, anyway?"
"Gross," Ola mutters under her breath, narrowly dodging the booger Rosalka flings at her in response.
"Er, it's not a trick. I just... hold it. I didn't even know what it did to other people before I escaped."

I pull another quartz chunk out of my bag to demonstrate. Everyone stares at me like I'm doing the impossible... but I guess to them, it is impossible.
"Bullshit," Rosalka says surlily, snatching at the quartz suddenly. I can hear a faint hissing noise when her fingers touch the crystal.

2/4 Lemo 2015/07/11(Sat)16:21 No. 655110 ID: 02d9ae
File 143665688921.png - (138.32KB , 700x700 , 1-48b.png )

"FFFFFUCK!" She roars as her arm recoils, and she flings her hand around to dull the pain. "God damn that hurt! ...Okay, maybe it ain't bullshit after all. But how the hell?"
"How, indeed," Vic muses, his eyes fixed on the quartz as he leans forward. "Lemo, should you decide to take up Vivian's offer, I would like to spend some time researching your... curious relationship with quartz. Are all diggers able to do that?"
"Uh huh," I say, nodding. "Handling quartz is pretty normal for us."

3/4 Lemo 2015/07/11(Sat)16:22 No. 655111 ID: 02d9ae
File 143665693918.png - (144.18KB , 700x700 , 1-48c.png )

"Hmm, a species-specific adaptation," Vic mumbles to himself, rolling up a sleeve.

He deftly plucks the quartz chunk out of the fire, gently tossing it among his four hands as it cools. It's lost its glow, and is just a milky grey color now, with little black specks throughout.

His gaze catches mine and, noticing my surprise, he says, "I was a forge worker. Fire and heat aren't too bad, if you're quick about it. I suppose you didn't know that fire kills quartz instantly--but having this one as a control will help with my studies."
"Vic here's basically our resident scientist," Vivian chirps.
"Tinker."
"Same difference!"

"Lemo, if you'll help me with studying the quartz, I would like to get a sample of subcutaneous flesh from you--don't worry, just a small one," Vic requests. "I'll also require one of your active chunks of quartz. I can remove that stud in your ear for you, in exchange."
"Err, sure," I say hesitantly, nervously eyeing the notch in his ear. "Is it gonna hurt? Yours looks like it was pretty painful."
"Wimp," Rosalka chortles.
Vivian elbows her in the ribs. "Cram it. Nah Lemo, you gotta earn that. Vic's got a tool that'll cut the center post without hurting your ear. Just a little hole will be left, and that'll probably seal itself up over time."
"...Earn it?" I ask.
"Don't worry about it."

"So... you were a slave too?" I ask, changing the subject.
Vivian nods. "Yep. All of us, except for Cap and Izzy, of course. In the beginning it was just Vic and me. Cap found us on the northwest coast of Argenty after we escaped, 'n took us to Calderon. Lucky thing, too, since we'd probably have been recaptured otherwise."
I look at her quizzically. "So do slaves escape all the time or something? The way you acted earlier makes it seem like there's a big problem with con-men pretending to be escapees."
Izzy whistles. "Hoo boy. Yhou really did zpend yhour whole life underground, didn't yhou?"
"What you need to understand, Lemo, is that there are plenty of non-Nolor who've never been slaves," Vivian explains, shooting an annoyed glance at Izzy. "Most of 'em are in Calderon and Adiba, of course--born and raised there, usually. Combine that with the fact that most folks there are abolitionists, and sooner or later someone was gonna try faking being a fugitive. Plenty of marks out there who'd help a slave."

The idea that there are non-Nolor who have never been slaves shocks me. "...I had no idea. I assumed most of us were slaves."
"In the Empire as a whole? Sure. But in Calderon? No way," Vivian says.
"But that still doesn't explain why you reacted so strongly."
"Sure it does," she maintains. "You think any of us are okay with assholes who pull that scam? Don't forget, we used to be slaves, too. That shit makes it harder for actual slaves to make it after they escape. So we make a point to scare the shit outta them when we find 'em."
"How ironic that it caused us to do that to an actual slave," Vic adds solemnly. "And unfortunate."
"No kidding," Vivian sighs.

4/4 Lemo 2015/07/11(Sat)16:23 No. 655112 ID: 02d9ae
File 143665698774.png - (95.84KB , 700x700 , 1-48d.png )

"Well folks," Cap yawns, standing up to stretch, "I better call it a night. Can't be runnin' the boat aground tomorrow, after all. Nice meetin' ya, Lemo."
"Hear hear," Vivian says, yawning a little herself. "Gonna be a long day of rehearsals on the way to Adiba tomorrow, we should all get some shuteye."
She looks at me apologetically. "I hate to rush you like this, Lemo, but are you gonna set sail with us in the morning?"
"I don't know if it's a good idea or not... Argenty's Milpol wants me pretty badly. The guy who found me tried to sneak me into the Union, but they were waiting for us when we reached the border, and we got separated. He said he'd never seen them try so hard to get a slave back."
"Fuck Milpol," Rosalka snorts. "I ain't scared of 'em."
"MPs won't be a problem when we cross into the bay; there's a Prophet's edict banning military activity there." Victor keeps examining the quartz as he talks, turning it slowly in his hands. "Who was guiding you before you got to the Union? There's a chance we might know of him."
"He said his name is Remy, but--"
Victor cuts me off, looking up to stare at me with a severe expression. "Remy le Bagnard?"
"Err, yeah, I think he called himself that."

There's a sudden tension in the air; everyone else seems frozen in place. Victor and Vivian exchange glances for a moment, before Victor nods at her.
"Lemo." Vivian's voice sounds serious and unwavering, almost pleading. "You need to come with us to Adiba. We won't force you... but that's the safest place for you, if Bagnard's involved."

Um. Is he famous or something? It seems like it would be hard to smuggle people if you were famous.

They're acting like he's scary. Is he scary or something? He was nice! He gave me a peanut butter and banana sandwich!

Why would be Adiba safer than Calderon?

>>655155
I think they're implying that Bagnard is involved in some high profile activity which means that the MGs are going to be hounding Lemo more than they would any other escaped slave. Going to Adiba would be tagging along with them, because that's their next stop. This isn't about where we're going to stay, it's where our next destination is.

>>655112
Agree.

>>655112
You got mistaken for a steward. That's a good thing, because it means you can-possibly-disguise yourself as one instead of a unique one-of-a-kind escapee that an entire country wants back because your very existence is a state secret.

Which would entirely explain why so much effort and work was put into arranging your escape, along with the assets put forth.

1/2 Lemo 2015/07/18(Sat)23:58 No. 656885 ID: c0fe75
File 143728912656.png - (200.44KB , 700x700 , 1-49a.png )

"How do you know about Remy? Is he that well-known?" I ask.
Vivian shakes her head. "Nah. No way he'd be able to smuggle slaves if he was. But we've helped our fair share of escaped slaves--you aren't the first, y'know. And when you're in that business long enough, you start... hearin' things."
"...Hearing things? You're acting like he's dangerous or something, but I'd have been recaptured if it wasn't for him!"
"Sure, he's helped plenty of slaves, but that isn't the issue," she replies, her voice suddenly becoming low and stern. "The problem is, a lot of them tend to, well, disappear."

"Disappear? What do you mean?" I don't bother to mask the incredulity in my voice.
"Yhou know, dizappear." Izzy gathers a pile of dirt in his hands and blows it into the air above the campfire. "Poof. Juzt like zhat."
"Well uh, couldn't they just be getting recaptured?"
"That's highly unlikely." Victor shakes his head, his eyes still fixed on the chunk of deactivated quartz in his hands. "It happens months, if not years, after their escapes would have been written off as a loss. And there are never any signs of a struggle. It's as though, one day, they simply decided to leave."
"But where do they go?" I ask.
"Your guess's good as mine," Vivian shrugs. "None of 'em ever came back to tell us. So maybe you'll understand if we aren't too keen on letting the same thing happen to you."
"Yeah," I murmur, scratching my head in confusion. "I guess I'd be crazy not to go with you."

2/2 Lemo 2015/07/19(Sun)00:00 No. 656886 ID: c0fe75
File 143728921688.png - (104.11KB , 700x700 , 1-49b.png )

"So did you guys really think I was a steward, earlier?" I ask, changing the subject.
Rosalka shrugs. "Yeah, what of it? You look like one."
"No he doesn't, for crying out loud!" Ola protests. "You guys must be blind."
"You're just sayin' that 'cause you are one, Ola."
"Well, some of you mistook me for one, then. Do you think I should try to pretend that I actually am one? I mean, it's looking like I might bet he only digger who got out, and Milpol is after me pretty bad."
"Not a bad idea," Vivian says. "Ola, you think you could figure something out to disguise him?"
Ola looks me over for a moment. "Hmmmmm. Probably. That horn's gotta go--we'll have to cut it off file it down and paint over it or something. I dunno what to do about those claws just yet, but maybe we can just paint over them, too. We can work on it tomorrow."

"So why's Adiba safer than Calderon, anyway?" I ask, changing the subject.
"Safety in numbers, kid," Rosalka grunts, folding her arms and leaning back against her tail. "You come with us, then you got some folks watchin' yer back."
"With any luck," Victor adds as he stuffs the deactivated quartz in his pocket, "Keeping a close eye on you may give us some insight into what happened to those who disappeared."
He stands up and brushes his pants off. "Now, did Remy give you anything, before you parted ways?"
"Just a pneumogun, a weird book I can't read, and this hoodie," I reply, unsure as to why he cares.
"May I examine your shirt for a moment?"
"Uh, sure..." I say, slipping the hoodie off and handing it to him.
Rosalka whistles at me for some reason. Ola's hands prove useless for stifling her giggles. I don't really get what's so funny.

Victor rolls his eyes as he takes the hoodie from my hands, and he begins feeling around the edges of the shirt, eventually homing in on a spot on the upper back. With a sudden, swift jerk of his arms, he rips the lining open at the bottom of the shirt; he reaches an arm inside and retrieves a thin, black card, waving it at me.

"It's a quartz-based tracker," he says flatly as he tosses the hoodie back. "Remy bugged you."

>>656886
Were you watching his hands? How likely could it have been that he snuck that card into the shirt before pulling it out? You know, like a magic trick? Looks small enough to fit up his sleeve... It's possible they're trying to trick you into trusting them a bit more than you should. I can't think of much of a reason for that though, especially considering what's already happened between you and them...

Anyway, tell them Remy said he was given orders to rescue you. So it sounds like whoever Remy is in contact with eventually comes to find the slaves he rescues, and abducts them or simply convinces them to leave.

How accurate is the tracker? Any way to tell where it's broadcasting to?

We'll reserve judgment on Remy because he went to a lot of effort to rescue us, and his employers are weird and mysterious even to him. The tracker would come in handy if we got separated or recaptured during the rescue anyway, it sounds pretty sensible actually.
Do you recognize this language the book is in?

>again with the cutting off your horn talk
Rub your horn nervously.

>"It's a quartz-based tracker," he says flatly as he tosses the hoodie back. "Remy bugged you."
Not necessarily nefarious, wanting to keep track of you. And/or it's possible someone else planted the bugged hoodie on Remy.

How hard is it to track that? Can anyone besides the person who put that there follow it? What's the range?

What we should be worried about now is milpol or anyone else picking that up.

>Were you watching his hands?
Wondering if he planted it was the first thing I thought off. Lemo, finger / examine the damaged hoodie. It'll fit with the behavior of someone disturbed to find the tracker there, but really, I want you checking if it looks like there was a space where the tracker was. (A little pocket, and/or marks where the edges would have pressed or worn against the fabric).

1/5 Lemo 2015/07/25(Sat)23:04 No. 658119 ID: c0fe75
File 143789068730.png - (97.65KB , 700x700 , 1-50a.png )

>Were you watching his hands? How likely could it have been that he snuck that card into the shirt before pulling it out?
His hands were moving pretty quickly, so I guess he could've tried something. And I couldn't see what he was doing when he had his arm shoved into the lining of the hoodie. So it's tough to tell whether the tracker was actually there or not... I'd better keep my guard up, just in case, but I should act like I believe him. Don't want to let on that I suspect he might have put the card there himself.

>>again with the cutting off your horn talk
>Rub your horn nervously.
The idea of cutting my horn off does make me kind of nervous... maybe I should forget about disguising myself. But the idea of being caught makes me even more nervous... and with any luck I won't be getting anywhere near a mine in the near future, so it's not like I'll need it for digging anytime soon.

>Lemo, finger / examine the damaged hoodie. It'll fit with the behavior of someone disturbed to find the tracker there, but really, I want you checking if it looks like there was a space where the tracker was.
>The tracker would come in handy if we got separated or recaptured during the rescue anyway, it sounds pretty sensible actually.
I shove my arm inside the hoodie, feeling around the spot that Victor was focused on. I think I feel a spot where it could have been stitched into the lining, but I'm not sure... it just feels like a little bit of torn fabric and loose threads.
"Maybe Remy planted it on me in case I got recaptured or lost," I suggest, while trying to peer through the hole in the hoodie. "Wouldn't that make sense?"
Victor watches me with stoic eyes. "That's certainly a possibility. Of equal possibility, I think, is that he intended for the tracker to remain in your possession until you found a place to settle down, thus enabling whatever party is involved with these disappearances to locate you."
"Could be both, Vic," Vivian adds as she walks by, carrying a bundle of picnic supplies.
"Indeed."

As the others begin cleaning up the campsite and getting ready to head back to the boat, I take the time to ask Victor some more questions about the tracker.
"So... what are you going do do with it?" I ask, slipping the hoodie back on. "The tracker, I mean."
"I will keep it on my person at all times."
"Aren't you worried about, uh... disappearing?"
"Hardly. When they come for you, they--whoever they are--will find me instead. And then I intend on asking them about the disappearances."

"Oh." Even though I don't think that really answered the question, I drop the subject. It occurs to me to suggest that 'they' might be Dawn, the group Remy said he works for, but I decide to stay quiet about it. "How accurate is it, anyway?"
"It's accurate enough that, with triangulation, one could probably narrow down the tracker's location to a radius of five hundred meters or so. From there, a handheld receiver could probably be used to get closer."
"Is there any way you could figure out where it's broadcasting to?"
Victor shakes his head. "No. This variety of tracker uses a passive design: the quartz inside is configured in such a pattern that it will resonate when exposed to radio waves within a narrow range of frequencies. When that happens, it effectively amplifies and rebroadcasts the signal; one then need only broadcast a signal at the correct frequency, and listen for it bouncing back from the tracker, at two or more locations. Through geometric reasoning it would then be simple to ascertain a rough idea of the tracker's location."
"Uh, so what about Milpol... couldn't they pick the signal up, too?"
"That would be extremely difficult for them. The ingenuity of this tracker's design lies in the fact that the user must know the proper frequency to use. It would be very easy for one to disguise the carrier signal as more mundane radio traffic, meaning that Milpol would have a difficult time separating it from other signals. This also puts us at a slight advantage, as with some diligence I expect that I will be able to discover what frequency range this one is calibrated to. If we monitor that frequency, it should be apparent when they are trying to locate you."

2/5 Lemo 2015/07/25(Sat)23:05 No. 658120 ID: c0fe75
File 143789075184.png - (206.59KB , 700x700 , 1-50b.png )

>Do you recognize this language the book is in?
I've never seen any writing like it in my life... but I haven't had much experience with books beyond the Noloric reader Ma made us read when we were kids. Maybe it's a different language.

I decide to see what Victor thinks. I pull the book out of my bag and hold it up for him to see. "Here's that book Remy gave me. Can you make anything of it?"
Victor takes it from my hands and skims through it, pausing to stare pensively at a few pages that apparently stand out to him. "It appears to be a biology text of some sort, judging from the illustrations within."
"...So that means you can read it?"
"No. I don't recognize this character set."
Ola sticks her head past Victor's arm, sneaking a peek at the book. "Oooh. You know what this looks like?" She doesn't give us a chance to respond. "A code they used back at the manor, for secret messages and stuff. They didn't think we could read it, but... well, Mistress had a bad habit of not hiding things she should have. Like her copy of the Argentyne codebook."
"The manor?" I ask.
"Ola was owned by Argentyne aristocrats," Victor notes. "Can you read it, Ola?"

Ola scans the page with her eyes, and gets a confused look on her face.
"Kinda," she says, wrinkling her nose. "It just comes out to a buncha garbage. Like, it doesn't mean anything, it's not even words."
"I suspect, then, that it's encrypted as well as encoded. I may be able to decipher it, given enough time. Ola, would you mind transcribing it?"
"Sure, but it might take me a couple of days."
"That's fine. I imagine it will take me longer than that to break the encryption, anyway--assuming I can do it at all."

He hands the book to Ola, then faces me, touching his fingertips together. "I assume you're okay with that, Lemo. It's your property, so you're welcome to object--but it's not as though the book is of much use to you in its present state."
I shake my head. "No, I'm fine with it... Remy must've thought I'd find it useful or important, so I should probably find out what's in it."
"Indeed. Did Remy say where he got it?"
"He told me he found it in the back of a Milpol vehicle."
"Did you see him retrieve it from there?"
"Uh, no, he already had it when he gave it to me."
"Curious," Victor murmurs to himself. He stands up abruptly and brushes dirt off of the seat of his pants. "I am going to retire for the evening, Lemo. This has been an... enlightening conversation. Please stop by my room in the morning, if you don't mind; I should like to begin my study of your relation to quartz as soon as possible."

With that, he marches briskly down the hill and towards the boat.

3/5 Lemo 2015/07/25(Sat)23:07 No. 658122 ID: c0fe75
File 143789082262.png - (232.22KB , 700x700 , 1-50c.png )

Someone places a hand on my shoulder, startling me slightly. It's Ola.
"Sorry if Victor's kinda rude. He's just weird like that." She hooks her thumb towards the boat. "C'mon, let's get you set up in a room for the night."
We trek back down the hill, onto the boat, and into the deckhouse.
"Watch your step," she says cheerfully as she hops down a steep flight of stairs. "These stairs are kinda tough for us shorties! Sleeping quarters are all below deck."

Following her lead, I hop down the stairs after her, balancing myself against the thin banister. The quartz track lighting on the ceiling flickers and crackles to life as we reach the bottom; Ola does an about-face and makes her way down a short hallway, disappearing briefly through one of the doors. She doesn't have the book with her when she comes out, so I assume it's her room. Down at the end of the hall, she slides open one of the pocket doors on the right, revealing a small, dark bedroom; it's bare save for a bed that takes up nearly the whole width of the room, and a shelf placed adjacent to it.

"Here, this'll be your room. It's kinda cramped, but it's the only guest room we've got. Sorry!"
"Don't worry about it," I reply. "Back at the camp they had twenty-five of us sleeping in a single room."
"Sheesh! And I thought six to a room back at the manor was crowded. I guess this'll be a nice change of pace for you, then!" She gestures down to the other end of the hall, past the staircase. "Facilities are down that way at the end of the hall. I'm gonna hit the hay now, but just knock on my door if you need something. 'Night!"
"Good night," I reply. "And thanks."
"No prob!" She chirps, disappearing back into the same room as earlier.

4/5 Lemo 2015/07/25(Sat)23:07 No. 658123 ID: c0fe75
File 143789086103.png - (93.24KB , 700x700 , 1-50d.png )

I place my bag and the hoodie on the shelf, then crawl into bed. It's surprisingly comfortable--not because it didn't look comfortable, but because I didn't even know a bed could be this comfortable. Not to mention how spacious it is, at least compared to what I'm used to. I lie still for a while, listening to the rhythmic thump of water lapping against the side of the boat. Sleep sneaks up on me, and I drift away into the night.

5/5 Lemo 2015/07/25(Sat)23:09 No. 658124 ID: c0fe75
File 143789093879.png - (223.54KB , 700x700 , 1-50e.png )

I'm awake; I feel well-rested for the first time in, well, ages. It's morning, I think, but I can't be sure without the reveille call to wake me up. I crawl out of bed and grab my bag off the shelf, wolfing down some kind of meat pastry from last night. I slide the door open and peek out into the hall, but I don't see anyone around; bright light streams down from the top of the staircase ahead of me. I think I can hear the faint sound of someone talking, but I can't place it. Aside from that, everything's quiet except for a distant, rhythmic hum emanating throughout the boat.

>>658124
Sneak up and listen in, see if they're talking about you. Also, pay attention to the layout of the ship. Knowing where possible hiding spots are and escape routes could be good if things go south.

>>658119
Hmm. I'm leaning on believing Vic didn't plant that. If he did lie, he just set himself up to make a bunch more lies later about his investigation and monitoring the channel when we come asking later. Unnecessary details that give rise to more complex lies aren't a good practice.

>Vic keeping the tracker on him so he gets to investigate who comes for it
>accurate to within 500m
I would point out the people tracking the signal might not expect you to be wearing the hoodie by the time they get there, if they expect you to be settled in. At best, they expect the signal to get them close, then to find the target the old fashioned way. Which means if you stay near Vic, they'll still just disappear you, and ignore him.

>"Did you see him retrieve it from there?"
Heh. They're just as suspicious as you are.

>>658122
Ola's kind of a cutie.

>>658124
Just walk closer. If you're caught, hey, you just woke up and were looking around. You can pretty easily cover and just say good morning. It's not like you know what you're supposed to do now. (Maybe ask where Victor is, he wanted to see you in the morning).

> She doesn't have the book with her when she comes out, so I assume it's her room.
Maybe she threw it out a porthole. You can't be sure of anything.

Listen to what's being said before you barge into what could be an inopportune moment.

1/3 Lemo 2015/07/29(Wed)21:35 No. 659242 ID: c0fe75
File 143823090346.png - (111.71KB , 700x700 , 1-51a.png )

>Just walk closer.

I head out into the hall, trying to move as quietly as I can without looking like I'm sneaking around. The open door across the hall is the same one Ola went into last night. I decide to glance inside, although it doesn't sound like the talking is coming from in there. Sure enough, Ola's inside, lying on the bed with the book Remy gave me draped across her side. I guess she fell asleep in the middle of decoding it.

2/3 Lemo 2015/07/29(Wed)21:37 No. 659245 ID: c0fe75
File 143823105789.png - (323.78KB , 700x700 , 1-51b.png )

>Sneak up and listen in, see if they're talking about you. Also, pay attention to the layout of the ship. Knowing where possible hiding spots are and escape routes could be good if things go south.
I decide not to disturb her, and head to the staircase, where the two hallways meet. The hall to my right is fairly short, having just a couple of rooms branching off of it, and ending with a door with a sign marked "Galley". Now that I'm closer, I can tell that the talking I heard is coming from one of the rooms in the hall in front of me.

I gently pad towards the sound, eventually finding the room it's coming from. I press my ear against the wall by the door, and while the voices are muffled, I'm able to hear what they're saying. It's Vivian and Victor, and they don't sound like they're happy with each other. I try to listen as quietly as I can.

"...gotta destroy that thing, Vic."
"You know I can't do that, Vivian." Victor's speaking in a low, deliberate tone; it's a subtle contrast to the detached attitude he showed last night. "This, after years of searching, might be the only way of finding out what happened to Father."
"...Vic. You've gotta let go. Dad's gone. He's not coming back. It's shitty and horrible and I know--" Her breath shudders for a second. "I know how bad it hurts. I know it never goes away. But is it fair to put everyone else here--the closest thing we've got to a family--in danger just to find out Dad's dead?"
"He might be alive, Vivian," he spits, punching the words out in a quick staccato.
"God damnit Vic! If he's alive then why--" she shouts, cutting herself off in mid-sentence and lowering her voice. "--then why hasn't he tried to find us? He's had fucking years to do it!"
"I don't know. Maybe he couldn't find us. Maybe they've got him locked up somewhere." His voice deepens to a low growl. "But Remy must know what happened to him. And this tracker might be the only chance I will get at finding out what he knows."
"That says it all, Vic. It's your chance. You're only thinking of yourself!"
"I'm thinking of Father," Victor barks. "And so should you. If he's--"

3/3 Lemo 2015/07/29(Wed)21:38 No. 659246 ID: c0fe75
File 143823111585.png - (264.67KB , 700x700 , 1-51c.png )

The sound of someone stomping down the staircase behind me startles me, causing me to jump away from the wall, whirling around. It's Rosalka, drenched in sweat and with a small hand towel draped over her shoulder, and she stops at the bottom when she spots me. The light from upstairs streams past her shoulders, making my eyes squint reflexively.

"Oh hey, so yer finally awake, squirt." She raises an eyebrow as she dabs sweat off of her face with the towel. "...What're you doin'?"

Just admit you heard someone yell GOD DAMNIT and you were making sure things were fine.

>>659245
Well, unless that was staged for our benefit, we know Victor's angle, now. Someone he cared about disappeared, and he's hoping you're a link to that.

>"...What're you doin'?"
Looking around an unfamiliar place. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be doing now, except I know Vic wanted to talk to me, but it sounds like he's having an argument in there, so I can't do that.

The angle is being lost / unsure in a new environment, and offput / uncomfortable by the fighting.

>>659246
Yeah, straight up admit to it.

"Heard yelling. Wanted to know what was going on. Is it normal for Vivian and Victor to have arguments?"

>>659263
>staged for our benefit

We've already seen these people trying to put on a show with the you're-not-really-an-escaped-slave thing. A certain amount of paranoia is healthy, but I don't think they're subtle enough for that, particularly with no apparent way to know when Limoe would wake up.

My morning wall stretches. The wardens had us assume the position before and after we went to the mines, to check for contraband. You could get pretty stiff from doing that without stretches.

>>659246
Victor asked me to come see him as I wake up, so here I am, but it looks like he's currently occupied.

Also, compliment her glistening, strong, statuesque body.

1/4 Lemo 2015/08/04(Tue)22:39 No. 660371 ID: c0fe75
File 143875316937.png - (162.84KB , 700x700 , 1-52a.png )

"Oh!" I exclaim, somewhat startled. "Uh, I was just doing, err, wall stretches. Back at the camp they'd line us up every morning for contraband inspections, and you get pretty stiff doing that without stretching."
She gives me a skeptical look and starts to say something, but I cut her off. "And Victor wanted me to stop by his room, but uh, I think he's in there with Vivian." I hook a thumb at the door. "Sounds like they're fighting. Do they do that a lot?"
Rosalka rolls her eyes, making a 'psshhh' noise. "Yeah, They really get into it sometimes." She shrugs. "Siblings, y'know?"

I'm reminded of when my brothers and I would fight as kids, before we went to the camp, but... that was fun. Not angry.

"Yeah, I guess," I reply. "And uh, nice muscles."
Rosalka grins, flexing an arm and kissing it. "Impressive, huh? Been workin' hard on these guns. They ain't just fer looks though! You oughta check out my act when we get to Adiba."
"Your act?"
"Y'know, a show. I lift a buncha heavy shit and toss it around 'n stuff and the audience goes 'ooh' and 'aah' at it. Not real popular with other vassals, though. Guess it's kinda like if you tried to impress yer minin' buddies by jugglin' some quartz." She chuckles. "Actually, you could prolly make a good livin' doin' that on tour with us. Just sayin'."
"I guess, but... wouldn't that draw attention to me?"
"Point," she says, turning to face the door. "Anyway, lemme help you out here."

2/4 Lemo 2015/08/04(Tue)22:40 No. 660372 ID: c0fe75
File 143875322193.png - (203.75KB , 700x700 , 1-52b.png )

I jump when she suddenly pounds on the door so hard that the walls themselves seem to shake; I'm surprised the door can withstand that kind of punishment. The muffled voices in the room go silent.

"'Ey, Vic!" Rosalka barks. "Quit makin' out with yer sister and get out here! New guy's waitin' on ya!"

With that, she winks at me and stomps off down the hall, past the staircase. She enters Ola's room and starts loudly telling her to get up.

3/4 Lemo 2015/08/04(Tue)22:41 No. 660373 ID: c0fe75
File 143875326890.png - (231.98KB , 700x700 , 1-52c.png )

A moment later, the door slides open. Victor looks down at me through stoic eyes, showing no hint of having just been in a heated argument.

"Ah, Lemo. Good afternoon. Shall we get started? We're behind schedule as it is," he says dryly. I guess I slept later than I thought.
He heads into the next room over, not waiting for a response, and looks back at me as he enters. "Oh, and would you fetch one of your pieces of charged quartz, please?"

4/4 Lemo 2015/08/04(Tue)22:42 No. 660374 ID: c0fe75
File 143875331772.png - (248.05KB , 700x700 , 1-52d.png )

I tell him okay and quickly head back to my room to get the quartz. Ola waves at me sleepily from her bedroom door as I walk by, flagging me down.

"Hey, Lemo... can we talk for a sec? In private?" She asks, in a hushed voice.
"Uh, okay," I reply, unsure about what she needs to tell me. "But can it wait for a little while? I'm in the middle of helping Victor, and I think he's already kinda impatient since I slept too late."
"Not to be rude, but right now would be better... it's about the--" She cuts herself off and glances uneasily down the hallway. "It's important."

>>660374
Well... okay.

>>660374
Well, if it's important, I guess you can take a minute. Vic apparently has ample motive to pursue this even if you annoy him a little.

(Your excuse, if he pushes, is you're really not used to telling anyone "no").

Get out of the hallway to listen to what she has to say.

Go with Ola.

If Victor later asks you where you've been, tell him you got lost (it's your first day in a new place, so it's not impossible!)

1/2 Lemo 2015/08/06(Thu)20:47 No. 660762 ID: c0fe75
File 143891925436.png - (258.45KB , 700x700 , 1-53a.png )

"Well... if it's important, then okay." I figure Victor won't mind too much if I take a couple of extra minutes. And there's something unsettling about Ola's demeanor, anyway.

Ola quietly waves me inside, sliding the door shut behind me as I enter. She grabs the encoded K-084 book, flipping through it until she finds a certain page, towards the end. She holds it up to me, pointing to the right-hand page.

"What's different about this, to you?" She asks.

I look at it and squint my eyes in concentration for a few moments, but it all looks like the same unreadable gobbledygook to me.

"Beats me," I admit, shrugging. "I dunno how to read this stuff."
"You don't have to, to see it. Look at this page." She points to the left-hand page. "The characters look like this throughout the book. They're printed. Now look at the other page." She then points to the right-hand page.
I look a little closer, and I think maybe I see it. "So... the characters look like someone wrote them by hand?"
"Right--so someone added this page."
"Okay... so maybe there some extra notes they added?"
"But added by who? It's in a different cipher from the rest--the crazy part is which cipher it is. I saw it a lot back at the Manor... it's used pretty much exclusively by the Fauteux family." She pauses, then adds, "Well, and me. But they don't know that. I picked it up from helping their kids pass secret notes to each other."
"The Fauteux family?" I ask.
"They're one of the lesser noble families in Argenty. Aristocrats. I was, well, one of their house slaves for maybe a decade or so. Or, as they put it, the help."

This is surprising, to say the least. "So you're saying that note was written by someone who used to own you?"
"Sorta. My guess is it was their daughter, Janine... I guess you could say she owned me, but the last time I saw her was when she was sent off to some academy."
A vague sense of familiarity strikes me, but I don't know why. "I'm not sure how to take this, Ola."
"Me neither, honestly." She shrugs. "It gets weirder: I deciphered it last night."

Ola fishes a sheet of paper out from between some of the back pages of the book, and hands it to me. "Here, give it a read. Maybe it'll make more sense to you, than it did to me."

2/2 Lemo 2015/08/06(Thu)20:48 No. 660763 ID: c0fe75
File 143891929166.png - (328.61KB , 700x700 , 1-53b.png )

The deciphered note is written in hasty scribbles, but it's not too tough to read. I guess Ola was trying to get this all written down in a hurry.

Got word from D, went ahead and reissued route orders @ BKMTN, so asset should already be on the way. D says they need to calibrate w/ MX, don't ask me why, so plan on waiting a few days for asset to recover--prob will not be lucid at first. W estimates MP response to be near-immediate on this one so be on your toes, but W will allocate 1xMX for OPSEC. Get it done ASAP though, MP fire teams will prob come quick once they know what's up.

N wants proof of OSP involvement so I took this lab rpt. If it looks familiar that's cuz you wrote it. They want it planted on asset ASAP, make sure he holds on to it. Dunno why but my guess is they plan on asset getting caught in TMK or something. If I'm right you better make yourself scarce ASAP once he's on his way cuz once TMK deciphers this thing all hell's gonna break loose.

And stay safe OK? Miss you.

-J

After reading it, I look up at Ola confusedly.

Ola locks eyes with me and places her hands on my shoulders. "Listen. Vic's a little, uh, obsessed with that Remy guy. Not saying I blame him, but... something weird like this is sure to get his attention, since you got it from Remy. Maybe that's not a bad thing, I dunno, but I wouldn't feel right giving him this behind your back."
"Err yeah, thanks, I appreciate it," I croak, feeling the slightest bit intimidated.

Her expression softens considerably as she releases my shoulders. "Anyway, so uh, what's your take on it? If you don't mind my asking? Real weird stuff, right?"

MX=mlurx.
TMK=Temahktem.
I wonder what they mean by "calibrate"?

Anyway, tell them you think Vic is right about Remy not being on the level(man, the story with his "flashback" was even a lie! That's some meta shit right there). On the other hand, maybe this report SHOULD get out into the public eye. She translated the rest of it, right? It's bad stuff, isn't it?

Man, Ola's a mega cutie.

>1xMX for OPSEC
One mlurx for operational security. That and the bit about MP teams showing up real quick make me think this is a recent note. Pretty sure they're discussing the op that got you there. (Feel free to share your opinion aloud, she did ask).

@BKMTN At (black?) mountain? Could be where the mine was, though I don't think we ever heard it named (and it's not marked on any of the maps we saw).

TMK is temahktem.

I'm not sure if Remy read this, or if he was the intended recipient. By his account, he was surprised to see the mlurx, and I don't see what get gets by lying about things he could just not have volunteered to me. But then how'd he get it?

>so plan on waiting a few days for asset to recover--prob will not be lucid at first.
Okay, yes, the 'asset' is you. I wonder why the want you to get caught in temahktem, or the journal to be decoded there?

Um, wait, where are we now?

>>643617
I'd suggest showing her this note and seeing if the cypher is the same, except that note is from Remy's memory / story, and I don't think you have a hard copy.

>regular scheduled paranoia check
Everything we're reading Ola wrote, and we're trusting that she translated / decoded it accurately, and isn't just feeding us a narrative she wants to.

>>660763
You were meant to cause an all-out declaration of war upon the country you just escaped.

>>660763
Huh. This is weird no matter how we take it. If Remy was supposed to plant this on you for you to take into Temahktem, why did he wait to give it to you until AFTER you were supposed to bail? On the other hand, if he was telling the truth, he got it from the back of an MP truck, which makes this message completely nonsensical.
But it doesn't really make sense for the message to be falsified by Ola, either, there's too many details that she'd have no way of knowing.

So I see four possibilities, all of them fairly unlikely:
-The MP you encountered weren't actually MP, and the whole scene was staged to get you the book without suspecting its contents and send you on your way to Temahktem;
-Ola and the rest of this group are part of a group that opposes Dawn, and are trying to cast suspicion on Remy;
-Remy was supposed to plant the book, nearly forgot, and salvaged it at the last second; or
-The book was confiscated by the MPs during a prior attempt at this mission, and this was Dawn's way of salvaging it.

Either way, someone is not who they seem, and it's going to be important that we figure out who.

>>660819
>Remy gave it to us after Lemo was supposed to go off on his own
...that... that is a good point. It doesn't make sense that Remy was supposed to give it to Lemo so that he could essentially deliver it. Not unless Remy wanted to deliver it himself, but once he got injured he decided it was too much to handle.

>>660819
>The MP you encountered weren't actually MP, and the whole scene was staged to get you the book without suspecting its contents and send you on your way to Temahktem;

That would be consistent with Remy's decision to stay behind and deliberately be captured by the same guys who had beaten him half to death before their field leader's leg got set on fire, which you'd think would piss them off even more.

>>660894
He didn't choose to be captured, he was in a truck ready to drive off.

>>660895
Oh really?

>>650258
>Prolly my best chance is to get caught anyway.

And then there's the bit where more MPs, maybe the REAL MPs, showed up and started shooting at checkpoint guards instead of asking questions or putting out the fire.

Remy said Bertrand had a knife in his boots. We got a pretty good look at Bertrand's boots, did you see a knife? Maybe Remy just had a pack of fake blood, a standard theatrical prop.

>>660921
...could be. If that's the case, Lemo set someone on fire that maybe didn't deserve it. Depends on what we find out, I guess.

>>660923
Under this theory, "Betrand" pretended to be a sadistic milpol, in front of a former slave with a gun, who was fleeing from the milpol, as part of an elaborate scheme to rob the actual milpol and incite a war. Tangentially responsible for Limoe's freedom or not, he surely must have known and accepted that getting shot was a possibility.

>>660921
The additional MPs showed up because the ones there called for backup, and opened fire because the border guards had guns trained on their men. >>649734

Remy trying to get medical aid from the guys whose commander just shivved him is a bit odd, though, but then his options were pretty limited at that point.

Although I just thought of a possibility 5:
-The "Remy" you saw in the truck was actually a lookalike (imperfect, thus the paleness) there only to give you the book.
Unlikely, but so is everything at this point.

All signs point to the intended recipient of that message NOT being Remy. IF the entire point of getting Lemo out was to plant this lab report on him for later capture, then failing to give it to him before preparing him to run the checkpoint would have been a total failure of the entire operation.

But then why did the MilPol who were chasing Lemo have it? Did they have their OWN plans to use Lemo as a plant? Could be that there was a third party meant to receive Lemo from Remy, who the MilPol had captured earlier, but that would probably be past the border and outside MilPol's jurisdiction.

>>661525
...or maybe they tried to cross the border too, and got captured?

1/4 Lemo 2015/08/15(Sat)00:52 No. 662509 ID: c0fe75
File 143962515097.png - (274.17KB , 700x700 , 1-54a.png )

>Anyway, tell them you think Vic is right about Remy not being on the level
"Uh, I think Vic might be right about Remy," I say, staring at the paper in my hand. I look up at Ola, tapping my clawtip at the page for emphasis. "If this is for real, then he wasn't being completely honest with me... And it sounds like he was setting me up to be captured, since I think I'm the 'asset'."
"Wait, what makes you think that?" Ola cocks her head to the side slightly, in apparent surprise.

I briefly fill Ola in on what's happened to me over the past week or so--at least what I remember of it, filling in the gaps with what Remy told me. I hesitate to tell her what Remy said about the mlurx, but I figure I have to, if I'm going to explain why the letter doesn't mesh with what he told me.

"So," she says incredulously, "You're saying Remy found you with a mlurx?"
I shrug defeatedly. "Well, that's what he told me at least, so now I wonder if it's even true. But there must be something to it... seems like 'MX' might stand for 'mlurx'."
"I dunno if I can believe it either," Ola admits. "I mean, those things are crazy dangerous, and you almost never see 'em north of the equator anyway. I wonder what this 'calibration' thing is, then, if you're right."
"The only thing I know is that I don't like the sound of it."
"No kidding."

>I wonder why the want you to get caught in temahktem, or the journal to be decoded there?
>Um, wait, where are we now?
>You were meant to cause an all-out declaration of war upon the country you just escaped.
"Do you think TMK means Temahktem?"
Ola shrugs, slinging her head around to move a stray lock of hair out of her eye. "Maybe. Sure sounds like it's supposed to be a place, y'know?"
"It says 'all hell will break loose' if I were caught there with the book, so... maybe there's something in it that would make Temahktem declare war against Argenty." I freeze when the image of the map Remy gave me pops into my mind. "Hey, wait, where are we right now?"
"Well, uh," she replies, rubbing her arm uncomfortably. "I'd guess we're right in the middle of Temahktem at this point in the trip. But they'll leave us alone so long as we don't set foot on their land. Say, if the book is what would start the war, why'd they need you to deliver it? It'd be a lot easier for them to send a Nolor. Anyone else'd prolly just get lynched."
"I... don't know. Would they really murder someone for not being a Nolor?" The idea scares me; were they trying to get me killed?
"Yeah, they think we're evil or somethin'. Like mortal-enemy-of-all-Nolor evil." She hops onto the bed beside me and stretches out on her back, folding her arms behind her head. "S'why we never make any stops on our way through."
I swivel in place so that I'm facing her, sitting cross-legged. "Shouldn't we be afraid they'll attack the boat? You seem pretty sure they won't."
"Imperial edict," she says nonchalantly. "No one's allowed to stop traffic on major waterways. Well, except for the Imperial Guard, but they've never given us trouble."

>She translated the rest of it, right? It's bad stuff, isn't it?
"You didn't manage to get anything else out of the book, did you?" I ask.
Ola shakes her head. "Nope, just the letter. I can still decode the rest, but decrypting it afterwards's a different story, 'cause I dunno what cipher it uses. Maybe it can be broken, but that's more Vic's kinda thing."

She sits up suddenly and hops onto the floor. "Anyway, I gotta get freshened up and get some chores done. Rosalka already bitched at me for sleepin' in too late. And besides, you don't wanna keep Vic waiting any longer... it's best if you don't make him suspicious."
"Yeah, good point. And thanks for letting me know about all this." Best for who, I wonder to myself, but I decide not to say anything else.
"No prob."

2/4 Lemo 2015/08/15(Sat)00:53 No. 662511 ID: c0fe75
File 143962517952.png - (123.78KB , 700x700 , 1-54b.png )

I leave and head back to my room to fetch the quartz. My head's swarming with questions now, leaving my mind groping for answers, where there are none.

>Everything we're reading Ola wrote, and we're trusting that she translated / decoded it accurately, and isn't just feeding us a narrative she wants to.
I only just met Ola... she seems nice, but can I really trust her? For all I know, she changed things, or left something out... but why would she do that? I guess I don't really have a choice other than to just assume she's been honest--for now, at least.

>Maybe this report SHOULD get out into the public eye.
If it'd hurt Argenty, then yeah, maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing... but the fact that I was apparently set up to be the one to deliver it--that gives me doubts. I think I should wait until I know exactly what's in there, before I make a decision about it.

>I'd suggest showing her this note and seeing if the cypher is the same, except that note is from Remy's memory / story, and I don't think you have a hard copy.
Hey, wait, that's right! Remy said he received an encrypted note telling him where to find me... so why would he need another that explains the whole thing? Maybe it was a lie on his part, but it doesn't make sense that he'd go into so much detail about it when he could've just said he was contacted about me, if he was trying to lie.

>If Remy was supposed to plant this on you for you to take into Temahktem, why did he wait to give it to you until AFTER you were supposed to bail? On the other hand, if he was telling the truth, he got it from the back of an MP truck, which makes this message completely nonsensical.
>All signs point to the intended recipient of that message NOT being Remy.
Why would Remy wait to give me the book? It was at the last possible moment, and he would've missed the opportunity if I'd decided not to check that Milpol vehicle out. Maybe he really did find the book in the back--but then why is the letter even there? Was it meant for someone else, and if so, then who?

>Either way, someone is not who they seem, and it's going to be important that we figure out who.
None of this adds up--it feels like something important is missing, something which would tie all of it together and make it make sense. But without it I'm stuck wondering... is someone not who they seem? And who: Remy, Ola, Vivian, Victor... maybe even all of them? The only thing I know for sure is that I need to be careful not to trust anyone entirely; and I need to stay quiet about it, at least until I get a better idea of what's going on. The sheer uncertainty of it all starts making me feel dizzy, so I decide to push it to the back of my mind for the moment.

3/4 Lemo 2015/08/15(Sat)00:53 No. 662512 ID: c0fe75
File 143962522403.png - (227.07KB , 700x700 , 1-54c.png )

Heading back to Victor's room, I see that his door is open, so I knock as I walk in. Inside, I find Victor staring at a map of the Empire on his wall, with a bunch of thumbtacks in it, mostly clustered around Calderon and Argenty.

"Ah, finally," he says smoothly, not taking his eyes off the map. "I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost, somehow." He points a finger to a rubber mat on his desk. "Place it there, please."

I set the quartz on its side, atop the rubber mat; alongside it are the dead, smoky quartz from last night, and a small black box with a needle gauge on it.

Victor turns around, fishes a notepad and pen from a drawer, and looks intently into my eyes. "Now, what is it like, touching charged quartz? Any unique sensations, visuals, scents, tastes? Pain, vertigo, nausea?"
I think for a second before answering. "Uh not really... maybe it feels a little tingly sometimes, I dunno."
He scribbles something on the pad, and wordlessly exchanges it for the black box. He detaches two wands from the box's underside, which are connected to the it by short cables.

Victor touches the wands to the dead quartz first; the gauge doesn't respond at all. "As expected," he mumbles to himself, scribbling something on the pad for a moment. Then he does the same with the active quartz, being careful to not touch his skin to it, and the gauge's needle jumps to life, wiggling energetically towards the high end of its range.
"Mmhm, a good baseline," he murmurs, and sets the wands on the desk, reaching for the notepad. As he's jotting down another note, the wands roll off of the desk, clattering to the floor. I grab the wands and hand them to him.

"Thank you," he says distractedly. Suddenly, he does a double take, eyeing the gauge again, before looking down at my hands. "Hmm. Would you please clasp your hands together, Lemo?" He asks as he diverts his gaze back to my eyes.

4/4 Lemo 2015/08/15(Sat)00:54 No. 662513 ID: c0fe75
File 143962526912.png - (144.17KB , 700x700 , 1-54d.png )

I do as he asks and lace my fingers together, although I'm confused about why he wants me to do it. I look up at him expectantly, and he touches the wands to my hands. Immediately the needle comes alive again, but this time wiggles near the very bottom end.

"Intriguing!" There's a hint of excitement in his voice as he attacks the notepad yet again. "Did you see what the meter was doing? What do you make of this?" The way he asks it leaves me unsure as to whether he actually wants an answer from me, but he doesn't say anything further.

ah that explains it, you can handle charged quartz because your body is charged already. so the quartz wont discharge into you.

>>662511
If it would have been easier to send a Nolor, then they DID send one. From the story Remy gave us, it sounded like Mlurx have some way of reading minds, so maybe they can alter minds too. If so, they could have used a Mlurx to brainwash someone into being sent down with the codebook, they got captured, but Remy just coincidentally got his hands on the book when things went south at the checkpoint. The plans went awry because they tried to do two things at once.
...or maye Remy was the asset... the Mlurx grabbed his head, didn't it?

>>662513
If charged quartz makes the needle wiggle near the hgih end, and you make it wiggle near the low end... you're slightly charged.

if he starts trying to audit you run a mile

Your regained memories... The OSP was using giant, charged quartz crystals on you and your brothers at the time, that might actually be a connection for why you are able to handle the quartz.

>Say, if the book is what would start the war, why'd they need you to deliver it?
I'm guessing because your presence in some way authenticates what the book says. That you're evidence that supports the words. (Like, say, that Argenty has a secret operation with weird horn things who can touch quartz mining a ton of it for a military buildup).

>I think I should wait until I know exactly what's in there, before I make a decision about it.
Agreed. We can choose to expose it later- we can't choose to unexpose it if we don't like that outcome.

>but it doesn't make sense that he'd go into so much detail about it
Yeah, the best lies are the simplest. Too many extra details makes them easier to find holes in.

>Did you see what the meter was doing? What do you make of this?
Dead quartz and air didn't make the needle do anything. Charged quartz made the needle move a lot. I make it move a little. So... I'm a little like charged quartz? Or the needle only moves if the wands touch something 'alive'. What does the needle do if they touch you?

I can't be that much like quartz, though. It doesn't hurt people to touch me.

1/2 Lemo 2015/08/16(Sun)13:28 No. 663019 ID: c0fe75
File 143975692890.png - (138.79KB , 700x700 , 1-55a.png )

"I... guess it means I'm a little charged... kinda like quartz?" I reply tentatively, still a little unsure of the implications. "So... I guess it doesn't discharge into me? Or, uh, maybe something that happened when I was back in captivity caused it..." I decide not to elaborate about the uh, giant quartz torture machine OSP used on me; I get a hunch that I should keep that to myself.
Victor nods excitedly. "Yes, that's what I suspected as well! This device is a quartz milliammeter; it measures current flowing through quartz circuits. Clearly, there is some minor current flowing through your body, as a result of some heretofore-unexplained process!" He seems barely able to contain his sudden giddiness. "And that process is the most exciting part! I should like to begin studying in-depth immediately."

He pulls open a side drawer of his desk, and starts digging through its contents, eventually unearthing a small, white box.

"I'm confused, though," I say as he searches, "if I carry a charge like quartz does, then why doesn't it hurt other people to touch me?" Victor opens the box, producing a small scalpel, some gauze, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol from it; he rolls up his sleeve and wipes his arm down with the alcohol. "Hey, what are you doing with tha--" I interject, before being cut off.
"That is a good question, and one further investigation will explain, if we are fortunate!" He doesn't skip a beat as he suddenly jabs the scalpel into the top of his forearm, slicing out a small section of skin with it. "As for what I'm doing: recall that last night I said I would require a skin sample, and it turns out my suspicions then were correct. This sample, from my arm, will serve as a control, for comparison to yours. Now, please hold your arm out."
I start to object, when he reminds me: "Ah, and of course I didn't forget that, in return, I would remove that stud from your ear!" He deposits the sliver of skin into a small metal tray, and then cleans the scalpel with alcohol.

Hesitantly, I hold my arm out, and Victor rubs alcohol into my skin. I wince as he cuts a small section of flesh out of my arm, but surprisingly the pain isn't as bad as I expected.

"Now, it will take me some time to prepare these samples for testing, as well as samples of the two quartz chunks here," He says as he dresses my wound, and there's an ecstatic urgency in his voice. "You have been an incalculable aid to my research already--if not to modern science itself, considering how poorly understood charged quartz is, but to do this correctly I require solitude, so I must ask you to come back later." He gets a small clamp out of the drawer, and with the same surgical quickness, clips the stud off of my ear, discarding the pieces into a trash can in the corner. "There, the stud's out, so now our business is completed for the moment!"
"Wait," I protest as I rub my ear where the stud used to be, "what about you? What happens when you touch the milliammeter wands?" By the time I finish, he's always swiveled to face the desk again.
"What? Oh, nothing happens, I'll demonstrate it to you later!" He replies absently, reaching into one of the shallower drawers for a moment. He pulls out a small pamphlet and shoves it into my hands. "Here, here, take it. It's a copy of the ship's roster. Go see if someone else needs your help with something, for now I need to work alone!" He actually goes as far as to get up and physically shoo me out of the room, carelessly slamming the door once I'm out.

2/2 Lemo 2015/08/16(Sun)13:29 No. 663020 ID: c0fe75
File 143975698679.png - (115.06KB , 700x700 , 1-55b.png )

>I'm guessing because your presence in some way authenticates what the book says. That you're evidence that supports the words. (Like, say, that Argenty has a secret operation with weird horn things who can touch quartz mining a ton of it for a military buildup).
So maybe I'm... proof? But proof of what, Argenty mining quartz? It seems like it's already pretty widely used on the outside, so if that's all it is then they must be stockpiling enormous amounts of it. Or maybe it's something else--maybe something to do with the machine they used on my brothers and me? What was that thing even supposed to do? All I remember of it is excruciating, horrific pain.

>it sounded like Mlurx have some way of reading minds, so maybe they can alter minds too. If so, they could have used a Mlurx to brainwash someone into being sent down with the codebook, they got captured, but Remy just coincidentally got his hands on the book when things went south at the checkpoint. The plans went awry because they tried to do two things at once.
>...or maye Remy was the asset... the Mlurx grabbed his head, didn't it?
At this point I'm not even sure how much of what Remy told me was even true, but I don't see why he'd bring up mlurx if he didn't actually encounter them, let alone the whole head-grabbing thing... so could it be that it happened to him, too? And if I'm brainwashed... how can I even tell? I mean, I think I feel normal, but maybe that's part of the trick.

Ugh, this is giving me a headache.

Well, I'm back out in the hall now, anyway. I guess Ola wasn't kidding when she said Victor's kind of rude. I open up the pamphlet, and sure enough, it's a roster listing out each crew member and their responsibilities. On the other page is a map of the boat's layout, I guess to give an idea of where each person on the roster will be working. Maybe I should do what Victor said and see if someone could use some help. Or I could have a look around, in which case I should figure out whether to stay below deck or head up top.

CAP.................CAPTAIN, NAVIGATION, NEGOTIATION IZZY................FIRST MATE, MAINTENANCE, DEFENSE LETOURNEAU..........FIXER OLA.................COOKING, HOUSEKEEPING, SUPPLIES, LOOKOUT ROSALKA.............LOOKOUT, DEFENSE, SUPPLIES, movin heavy shit!! VICTOR..............MAINTENANCE, LAUNDRY, COOKING, HOUSEKEEPING VIVIAN..............NAVIGATION, PAYROLL, LAUNDRY, NEGOTIATION

Everybody has three or four different duties listed except Letourneau, which implies that "fixer" duty is something special, either extremely demanding or a broad catchall. Either way, Letourneau is a good first one to check on.

I'm not sure we should go above deck, if we don't know who might be watching the ship pass. Best not to tempt fate.

Looking around and/or finding someone to help wouldn't be unreasonable. You're not going to make any progress on these mysterious without more information, and you might as well keep busy and maybe earn a little good will.

look around and if you bump into someone ask if there's something you can do to help. I mean we're not really sure where anyone is anyways so might as well get use to the ship while we go looking for someone.

Let's stay belowdecks. Catch the view out a porthole to see what's around, though. Then, let's visit Letourneau.

1/2 Lemo 2015/08/26(Wed)22:16 No. 665252 ID: c0fe75
File 144065257688.png - (227.24KB , 700x700 , 1-56a.png )

Huh... "Letourneau". I don't think I met anyone with that name last night. I guess they stayed on the boat.

I decide it's best to stay below for the moment, since we're passing through hostile territory. Ola said nobody in Temahktem would stop us, but... if they think we're their mortal enemies, they might think capturing me might be worth breaking Imperial law, since I guess I'm pretty unique in the outside world. I'll have a look around, and see if I happen across Letourneau.

That only leaves one way for me to go, since the only exits I can see are the stairs leading above deck and the door to the galley. I enter the galley, and find that it's a small room, comparable in size to one of the bedrooms; most of the space is devoted to a U-shaped counter with a stove, sink, and oven fitted into it, and a single overhead cabinet. Glaring light streams in through a porthole above the sink, and while it's really bright, I think I can barely make out the riverbank rushing by in the distance.

2/2 Lemo 2015/08/26(Wed)22:17 No. 665253 ID: c0fe75
File 144065266333.png - (128.68KB , 700x700 , 1-56b.png )

An open doorway leads to a larger area, which seems to be a combination dining room and lounge. Vivian's there, standing with her back to me at the long dining table as she folds clothes.
"God damn, Rosalka..." she mutters to herself, "I dunno how you carry those things around all day without getting back cramps..." She shakes her head and keeps folding.

"Uh, hi Vivian," I say tentatively, trying not to startle her.
She glances back over her shoulder. "Oh, hey Lemo. What's up? Vic get done with you already?"
"Yeah, mostly," I reply. "He said he needs some time alone to study the sample he took." I gesture to the bandage on my arm.
"Heh, so he was serious about that, huh? Sometimes Vic thinks ahead of himself with stuff like that." She looks back down at the laundry as she resumes folding. "So whatcha up to now? Sorry if everyone's kinda busy, between rehearsals and chores we don't have much free time leading up to when we get to Adiba."
"Well uh, Vic needed some time to work alone, so he told me to see if anyone needed help," I glance at the roster in my hands for a moment. "Do you know where Letourneau is? I don't think I've met them yet."

Vivian freezes, digging her fingers into the shirt she's folding. "...How do you know about her?" There's an oddly confrontational tone in her speech, all of a sudden.

>"...How do you know about her?" There's an oddly confrontational tone in her speech, all of a sudden.
Hold up pamphlet. Her name is written in a list on this paper Vic gave me.

Sorry, was she supposed to be a secret or something? Although not a very good secret if they put her right in the roster...

My horn has psychic powers! That's what Vic was investigating. It allowed me to read this crew roster's mind!

Well it's on this pamphlet Vic gave me, it's got a little map of the boat, everyone's names and what they do. Says here she's a fixer, so I guess she fixes the boat? Maybe the tools or something and I figure I might as well say Hi to her, didn't really see her at all before.

Also, what does Rosalka carry all day that gives her back pains?

>>665258
Pfft. Let's joke this, why not.

>>665282
Lets not. Things are already a bit touchy and every one has a reason to be a little paranoid. Just tell her about the pamphlet the Vic gave you.

Gently massage her tail to calm her down.