+1 Ether, +1 Amrita
"Yeah, I don't really mind everyone taking what they want here. I'll get the Bawws Stick," you pause a moment, just saying that makes you feel kinda dumb. "Since Sera doesn't want it."
"I want to hold on to my current staff for a little longer, that's all," Sera responds, "It's been longer since you got a new one anyway."
"With the bag though… Sera, why don't you take the Rucksack, and give me your old Spellpouch. You need the extra slots more than I do."
"Sensible, I didn't think of that," Shimah comments.
Seraphine fidgets for a moment, then nods, "I um, if that's fine with you, I don't mind doing it," why are her cheeks pink again, you didn't even do anything.
Everyone takes their loot and you make the swap with Seraphine. You almost regret equipping the Bawws Stick. It's so heavy. It's pretty ugly too, the description wasn't kidding, it feels like you're carting around a sapling with a big tribal painted ogre skull jammed on the top.
You glance over to Anshelm, where he's cheerfully looking down at the faintly glowing green crystal of the race mod… ugh, Maya must be either oblivious or still too far into her mood to do anything about it!
"Hey Anshelm, you sure you want to use that one?" you say in your best casual voice, as your group sets off down the road. Maya is trailing behind looking lost in thought, some help would be nice!
"What, the race mod? Why wouldn't I? These stats are great for me." He asks, sounding confused.
"Yeah, but… I mean Ogres… do you really wanna look like an ogre?" You say waving your hand at the dungeon entrance shrinking in the distance behind you.
"This is the Oni one though," he points out, "You remember that super tall lady from the square on mission day? I'm pretty sure she was using this. So I won't be like…. Fat and stinky or anything. I'll probably just get tall and buff." He seems way to pleased at that prospect.
You have to idea how to respond to that without sounding weird, so your mouth just goes and runs on ahead anyway. "Yeah, but you look pretty good right now ya know, do you really want to change that?"
What. No. Mouth. Mouth why. Why this betrayal. Anshelm is looking at you like you've grown a second head, and Sera is pouting at you. Maya seems to finally come out of her funk, if only to frown at you a bit. Shimah walks on oblivious to the brewing storm. Lucky her.
"My Al, think of Sera's feelings a little more will you?" Maya speaks up, getting a little of her usual teasing tone back as she goes on, "But she is right, you look fine as you are. That is a really good mod though… I can't tell you not to use it."
Anshelm looks back and forth between the two of you and mutters something that sounds like 'women' under his breath before hustling on ahead a few steps, retreating from the field of awkward between, you, Maya and Sera. Uh… right, probably the best thing he could have done there.
The rest of the trip passes in fairly awkward silence, you make it back to the gates just as the sun is slipping below the horizon. Good thing you hurried, you thought you heard the sound of Shantak wings in the distance, and looking up at the walls, sure enough the soldiers and City Branded on Nightwatch are even now cranking back the ballistae that line the walls. Yeah, you don't want to be outside yet, maybe in a half dozen levels or so you can risk it.
"I won't be available tomorrow." Shimah is the first one who speaks up as you all pass the gates, "I have to take care of a little personal business. My apologies." She inclines her head slightly to all of you as you stopped to talk on the side of the street.
"Ah, is that so? That's too bad." Maya says, "We'll have to be more careful with what we decide to do tomorrow."
"Hope it goes well, whatever it is." Anshelm says absently, he's fiddling with his inventory… oh crap, no don't do it!
Anshelm is consumed by a flash of white light, and what emerges is…. remarkably similar. You think he might have gotten a few inches taller, but not by much, his hair turned white and as he unequips his helmet to look at his reflection in the storefront you stopped next too, you can see that he's sprouted a pair of short red horns from his forehead. He scowls at his reflection, and you see his lower canines have gotten longer too. "The hell is this! Why am I still so short?!"
You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding, and Maya starts laughing softly.
"Ah… as the others said, I hope your business goes well, Miss Shimah," Sera says, trying without success to keep the conversation polite.
"Yeah, me too," you say vaguely. You wonder why the Oni mod had so little effect, maybe they effect different body types differently… divine whim maybe? You should totally thank… one of them, maybe all of them if so.
"Don't worry so much Anshelm. You look plenty handsome as you are," Maya says consolingly.
"Dammit, I wanted to be taller," Anshelm grumbles, stomping his foot petulantly, it's oddly cute… until you notice that he just caused a paving stone to explode into powder…. Uh, how much stronger did he get?
Anshelm seems to have noticed too, and it's enough for him to become distracted from his height woes. "Ah… crap, did anyone else see that?"
"I believe we may wish to go to the tavern," Shimah points out, not looking at the cloud of dust now rising from pulverized stone.
So you all do, you spend some time together eating and drinking, and working on your pamphlet with everyone, getting insights from different people makes everything more detailed, and you can fill in part of Crystal lake D, Maya even parts with a few tidbits about the graveyard. Lots of enemies with paralysis and life steal. All sorts of fun. You also collect your cut from Adel, the extra money is helpful right now.
As the night winds down you take a brief trip up to your room… time to face the music. You spend a few minutes digging behind your bed for the… thing you found on your head this morning, you stuff it in the pocket of your robes and head back down, you take a moment to ask Sera to meet you upstairs… much to Maya's amusement and Sera's near combustion. She agrees hesitantly.
Which brings you to where you are, upstairs with a fidgety blushing Sera glancing around like she expects monsters to jump out.
"Um… Al, w-why did you?" she begins, "I mean, isn't it a little too soon?" she shakes her head, growing even redder, "That is, not that I don't like you or anything, but this is a little f…"
She's starting to babble so you cut her off before she can really get going, pulling your hand from your pocket and thrusting the handful of silky… stuff in her direction. "Here, I need to return these."
She stares at the contents of your hand for a moment, uncomprehending, you can see understanding dawning, or at least recognition of uh… what your holding, that's good right?
"Those aren't mine," she mumbles softly, staring transfixed, "Mine are red," she adds absently, and you strongly suspect she didn't mean to say that going by the way she starts to splutter.
"W-why do you have another woman's underwear?!" Her voice goes up an octave as her whole face goes red, "What did you and Shimah do after I went to bed yesterday!"
"I don't know," You respond frantically, waving your hands in front of you… you stop when sending the things flapping around in front of her eyes doesn't seem to improve the situation, 'I don't remember, I thought they were yours."
"I-I, I'm not some sort of easy woman! I wouldn't j-just throw my underwear at someone, even if it was you. I didn't think you thought so little of me… We haven't even been on a, um…" she shakes her head, seeming to lose her train of thought, "Nevermind," her shoulders slump a little, "They aren't mine, um… I think I want to go to bed now." She sounds tired and kinda mad. Crap. Crap. Crap.
"Sera, I didn't mean anything bad by it, I just uh..." You try to come up with a reason for why you thought they would be Sera's that doesn't sound like you think she'd be willing to just throw herself at you... Crap. "Sorry." You end up calling guiltily at her back
Sooo… alone in the hallway holding a strange pair of underwear… possibly Shimah's, maybe they belong to someone else entirely. You know… bed sounds pretty good; you can figure this out in the morning.
+30 Gilder
Man Alice sure had kind of a crappy day, huh? Lets hope the next one goes better.
[] Shopping?
[] Blessings?
What do you want to do in the morning?
[]Dungeons
----[]If so, go without Shimah, or try to find someone to fill in?
----[]What dungeon? Searching for a new one is valid.
[] Missions
---[] Ditto
[] To Hell with it, you need a break, go spend some time at the fusion lab with Mom.
[]Something Else?