Now You Feel Like Number None [Bleach Arrancar Quest]

[X] Work with Szayel. In exchange you will ask for…
-[X] Nothing. By feigning pure scientific interest in his work and an eagerness to help him, you will please him greatly and make him less likely to scrutinize your work, putting you in a better position to make the Sacrophagus less inhumane, and perhaps giving you the opportunity to pilfer Szayel's notes on other subjects for your own use.

Washing her hands of this entirely runs the risk of bruising the evening, oh Szayel won't hold a conscious grudge but he'll be in a meaningfully worse mood I suspect which could injure Cirucci's attempts to network. And he's a monster, yeah, 100% but he's a monster who regularly collaborates (sure let's call it that) with our Lady. It's not on us to disrupt that or jeopardize that, especially at such a crucial time with the endgame closing on the horizon and Circucci's current position still new and fragile. Yeah snubbing him won't have lethal consequences but it's bound to introduce complications at unforeseen junctures, ones that close off options and introduce unhappy prioritizing. The guy's Las Noche's science/medical expert. He's going to be increasingly involved as things escalate and beyond a sense of propriety (even if she'd understand why we did it we shouldn't deliberately put her in that position to need to forgive us) it's important to preserve his good nature towards the Thunderwitch.

Healing is just...c'mon guys.

Szayel's boss form has a penis skirt. That forms a turgid shell to protect him from attacks.

I don't-

I mean yeah it'd be cool, don't get me wrong, but maybe his conception of what's "useful" or "helpful" doesn't quite match onto ours. Besides, making a deal with a devil for healing after seeing the nature of his work, his tools, feels a little callous? A little desperate? In a direction I don't really like. Interceding on Cirucci's behalf is tempting yeah but ultimately feels sort of presumptive, like she needs us to bail her out. It's thoroughly IC for Nemo to be worried and not want her in this weird hell-lab but again it doesn't...really feel right to make that judgement call without consulting her. To make it on her behalf and force her to own the consequences or look weak. Her servant dictating her decisions for her.

Asking for nothing feels...like a kind of bravery really and in line with a lot of Nemo's growth. It's nothing big. It won't fix everything. But in some way, some form, it'll make something unconscionable a little better in a way that matters. And it's risky yeah, but it's covert and subtle and that's where smolmoth excels. I like what it says more than the other three options really. That when faced with horrible shit Nemo isn't turning her back on it or ignoring it or swallowing it to get what she needs, she's reaching in to do what she can to help. Even if it's for a monster who probably can't appreciate it.

Also I just like the symmetry of stealing papers from Szayel too because at this point its just a running Thing. Sure it's gonna be ghoulish reading but it's knowledge and understanding, and that's an important sort of power all on its own even if we don't know to what specific ends we can turn it.

Y'know what, Grimmjow's description of Szayel was spot on, everything about that guy just feels...obscenely enthusiastic.

Aaroniero was charming, menacing and felt like a bizarrely friendly High Priest for Nyarlathotep.

Szayel made me want Nemo to have an effective escort, super creeper vibes from the guy, you did a fantastic job of mashing the buttons for 'STRANGER DANGER' Omicron!

Storyteller said:

[X] Refuse. Nothing is worth the moral hazard of working on this project, or the dangers of Szayel's laboratory. You will offend the Espada, who might not even understand why you're letting go of such an opportunity, but Style will let you do so smoothly enough that he won't hold a grudge.

Guys, it's not just Szayel as a threat we need to consider but the cost of working with him. Nemo is safe for a fraccion around the Numeros. Nemo has a reputation to consider here.

If Alphonse had been known to work with Szayel would you have voted to interact with him more?

This is a devil's bargain and walking away is the one exit without paying with Nemo's conscience.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Pretty sure we would I mean the only reason we didn't interact with some of the scarier espada is the fact we didn't understand them. That or the fact that we were simply outvoted when it came to it.

[X] Work with Szayel. In exchange you will ask for…
-[X] Healing your crippling injuries. With the Quinta as your mistress, there is no risk of him offending her by turning you into a freaky mutant, but letting Szayel play around with your insides might still have consequences, even - especially - if he believes he's helping you doing so. Then again, these consequences could be positive…

[X] Work with Szayel. In exchange you will ask for…
-[X] Nothing. By feigning pure scientific interest in his work and an eagerness to help him, you will please him greatly and make him less likely to scrutinize your work, putting you in a better position to make the Sacrophagus less inhumane, and perhaps giving you the opportunity to pilfer Szayel's notes on other subjects for your own use.

It's a devil's bargain - but he's mighty, and she isn't, and he holds the one she loves in his hand.

She doesn't want to help him. She doesn't want to be complicit in what he does. But turning her back won't make his actions any less evil, and it'll anger him - and he might turn on Cirucci or plot against him. He's spiteful and capable of long term plots. She'll have to dirty her hands to protect Cirucci, and by not taking a reward she won't be complicit.

And this way, she might be able to mitigate his evil. Just a little bit. Turning her back and walking away won't make things better.

[X] Work with Szayel. In exchange you will ask for…
-[X] Nothing. By feigning pure scientific interest in his work and an eagerness to help him, you will please him greatly and make him less likely to scrutinize your work, putting you in a better position to make the Sacrophagus less inhumane, and perhaps giving you the opportunity to pilfer Szayel's notes on other subjects for your own use.

Nemo, hon, one day that bleeding heart and that kleptomania are going to get you killed.

[X] Work with Szayel. In exchange you will ask for…
-[X] Nothing. By feigning pure scientific interest in his work and an eagerness to help him, you will please him greatly and make him less likely to scrutinize your work, putting you in a better position to make the Sacrophagus less inhumane, and perhaps giving you the opportunity to pilfer Szayel's notes on other subjects for your own use.

I'm wavering between this and refuse, but I'm coming down on this side because at the end of the day? It's because of Nemo that Yammy is in this state; she might not have experimented on him, or delivered him into Szayel's care, or crippled him, but without Nemo's actions Yammy would never have been weak enough and Cirucci would never have been strong enough for her to beat him. And as much as a monster and brute as Yammy was, he still didn't and doesn't deserve this.

Here, Nemo has a chance to atone for that in some small way.

[X] Work with Szayel. In exchange you will ask for…
-[X] Healing your crippling injuries.

Whats moth for 'It seemed like a good idea at the time'?

Dragontrapper said:

[X] Work with Szayel. In exchange you will ask for…
-[X] Healing your crippling injuries.

Whats moth for 'It seemed like a good idea at the time'?

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Nemo: *frantic hand gestures*

[X] Work with Szayel. In exchange you will ask for…
-[X] Healing your crippling injuries. With the Quinta as your mistress, there is no risk of him offending her by turning you into a freaky mutant, but letting Szayel play around with your insides might still have consequences, even - especially - if he believes he's helping you doing so. Then again, these consequences could be positive…

[X] Work with Szayel. In exchange you will ask for…
-[X] Nothing. By feigning pure scientific interest in his work and an eagerness to help him, you will please him greatly and make him less likely to scrutinize your work, putting you in a better position to make the Sacrophagus less inhumane, and perhaps giving you the opportunity to pilfer Szayel's notes on other subjects for your own use.

If there were some Hollow in Las Noches who had retained the power of our true selves, the ability to consume and grow stronger therefrom, surely such a Hollow would be truer to our inner selves, to our origins, could drink of this nectar and find in it strength… But could that ever happen?"You stare in Aaroniero's mask, and you feel through some instinct, some hunch without any basis other than the overtuned intuition brought about by this environment, that he is winking at you.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Cheeky bastard.

He's embezzling every time he makes a delivery. Now the original intent of the vials was for a temporary boost, but I wonder if Aaroniero has found another way to get permanently stronger by eating? I wonder if he, like Nemo, is stronger than anyone knows and hides under the mask of 'former Gillian'.

[X] Work with Szayel. In exchange you will ask for…
-[X] Healing your crippling injuries.
why would we do this if we dont get anything out of it

dredloki said:

[] Work with Szayel. In exchange you will ask for…
-[] Healing your crippling injuries.
why would we do this if we dont get anything out of it

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Because as a rule, Nemo wants to do the right thing. Also, we have a chance to snag some notes.

NSMS said:

Because as a rule, Nemo wants to do the right thing. Also, we have a chance to snag some notes.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

anything to do with the mad doctor is not the right thing, the fact that it lets us heal is the only benefit and we REALY need it fixed if we every want to fight again.

[X] Work with Szayel. In exchange you will ask for…
-[X] Nothing. By feigning pure scientific interest in his work and an eagerness to help him, you will please him greatly and make him less likely to scrutinize your work, putting you in a better position to make the Sacrophagus less inhumane, and perhaps giving you the opportunity to pilfer Szayel's notes on other subjects for your own use.

SolipsistSerpent said:

Cheeky bastard.

He's embezzling every time he makes a delivery. Now the original intent of the vials was for a temporary boost, but I wonder if Aaroniero has found another way to get permanently stronger by eating? I wonder if he, like Nemo, is stronger than anyone knows and hides under the mask of 'former Gillian'.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

I'm guessing he has a mistaken view- that Nemo has become more powerful by eating her way there, as opposed to the truth that she trained herself to be better.

A mark of someone who isn't a monster is doing a good thing when it helps you.

A mark of a decent person is doing a good thing when you don't need to.

The mark of a good person is doing the right thing even when costs you something you desire greatly.

[X] Work with Szayel. In exchange you will ask for…
-[X] Nothing. By feigning pure scientific interest in his work and an eagerness to help him, you will please him greatly and make him less likely to scrutinize your work, putting you in a better position to make the Sacrophagus less inhumane, and perhaps giving you the opportunity to pilfer Szayel's notes on other subjects for your own use.

Part of Nemo's arc is becoming someone that tries to be a good person, it's part of the nice dichotomy of her character and I think adds to horrific nature of her strengths, it's entirely in character for Nemo to try and help someone even when they probably no longer have the capacity to appreciate and probably never would have in the first place.
Even if it's nothing more than being able to put Yammy into a safe 'storage mode' that grants him something akin to a peaceful sleep it might be enough, something to prevent his suffering from being constant.

[X] Work with Szayel. In exchange you will ask for…
-[X] Healing your crippling injuries. With the Quinta as your mistress, there is no risk of him offending her by turning you into a freaky mutant, but letting Szayel play around with your insides might still have consequences, even - especially - if he believes he's helping you doing so. Then again, these consequences could be positive…

I'm tired of our Moth being injured, and I doubt we'll get another opportunity to heal before the next Combat Arc.