I like the idea, taken from CS itself, that certain characters have affinities with certain Hours. Not due to some fate-bound unbreakable link, but because it is natural. As natural as the Lores, and the Mansus, and the fact that the sky is up and Nowhere is down.
Don't think too hard about it, but don't think too little about it either.
Approval vote, though I might change it to plan if I feel they are too closely linked. Six hours moratorium because it is so damn early.
And I hope you are all doing well.
promising!
and yeah, it makes sense. if the Lores are the secret laws of the universe, above even concepts like gravity and thermodynamics (or maybe they're just somehow lower-level effects of lores. we know that a nuclear bomb/explosion is Forge, so maybe the nuclear bonds are Forge, gravity is secretly Grail or something), then the Hours are kind of... the ones that, if they don't write them, at least nudge them/change them a bit to their liking.
A mortal being affine to an Hour would just mean they're kinda close to their ideals and principles, which is hardly impossible.
I imagine Rarity might have an affinity for... what was it called, the Flowermaker? The hour that will ALWAYS give you what you want?
she's just... less malicious about it.
Because you have already felt frightened. Heavens, you have already felt horror. In the Mansus, and in the Wake, and in the height of the more gruesome summoning rituals where you realized you were inviting a being that maybe should not have been allowed back into Equestria.
Yeah, it might have been wiser to drop from the cult before summoning the Master I suppose. And then there's the Wolf... but at least the first one is NOT our fault, and the second is somewhat justifiable if you know all the fact.
It would be very hard to justify a third wolf though.
However, you realize now that… there was also something else. Something that has accompanied you this whole time, regardless of if it was during the fright of your escapades, or the excitement of your discoveries, or even the boredom of the nights spent awake trying to gleam some esoteric insight out of an otherwise ordinary book.
This whole time you have been accompanied by something else… perhaps motivated by something else, even.
And this thing, this one feeling that has truly been with you every step of the way, no matter what you did…
Was curiosity.
Sounds fair to me. Knowledge for knowledge's sake, we just want to know how things work and what's hidden in the Mansus.
Of course we're not above using this knowledge, which is also power, but still.
But the things that you will learn tomorrow are pleasures for your future self. Right now, you are relishing the present.
Because you always wondered how it felt like, to do this.
You saw the ritual itself, of course. You were there, two months ago, when he did it. Why, you even helped him do it!
But still, that was not enough. Not enough to sate your curiosity. Not enough to sate your… desire, to know how it was like. Because you have already been dubiously blessed by the Master, and have received Baldomare's watered down gifts. But even those experiences pale in comparison to… to this.
again, it makes sense. By definition the Influences gifted from Baldomare and Master were...
filtered, and in the case of
that Old Yearning we were also NOT ready for it.
This... this is pure, unfiltered Grail.
...and if I'm reading the text correctly, it's very likely we got the max tier
And as you finish quaffing down the strong, honeyed concoction that you had prepared just for this moment, the ordered chanting of the cultists around you breaking down to raucous shrieks and longing gasps, you finally understand how Comet Feet felt. You finally understand what it feels like, to become a host to something so much larger than yourself that you have no choice but to be carried by it.
And oh, how divine this sensation is.
[Calling of Influence: Grail, cd 60/80/110/150]
[Roll: 86 + 13 (Magic) + 30 (GRAIL Level 3) + 18 (Cadre) + 30 (Grail 3 reagent) = 177]
[Velvet Covers is now under the effect of "An Incarnadescence"]
- - -
...we really got a tier 4 influence!
We FINALLY have a chance! Next turn will HAVE to be all-in social actions! Cadence, Shining, our Husband to convince him of doing the ritual on Selene, Celestia, Twilight,
ANYONE WE CAN TALK TO!!!
...I kinda want to visit Baldomare, just to see her reaction
Also, I just realized... I think we might scare DoA even more by showing ourselves in full control of a tier 4 influence which we (apparently) called down on a whim.
...I wonder what Cadence will feel from us. She already felt a VERY strong love, and now it might even be strengthened by all this Grail...
But still, the fact remains that you are spending this time at your home because you want to. Forget about your silly plans, and worries, and contingencies and whatnot.
After all, you are sure that you are in full control of your faculties.
You are doing all of this because you want to.
But that is not to say that you have been idle, of course. You are succulent, not slothful.
...I wonder about Stormchaser's reaction once he's back... he might have a heart-attack
You called upon your faithful Hintchasers to commit some light grave-robbing.
and she's so casual about it
...you know, grail 4 might actually make it possible to turn them to our side once we leave... maybe somehow recruit them into the Lunar Bureau as trusted agents... something to think about.
I also kinda want to meet Copper just to outgrail her
Besides, you realize the two "friends" Jade Whistle has been living with have not been having many moments of privacy, ever since the quiet mare moved in with them. So, what better way to repay them for their kindness? How else to extend them your gratitude if not by giving them that sweet time, by having Jade stay a while at your home?
...I completely forgot that Jade is probably the third wheel in there.
Oh, so much more importantly...
You.
Have.
Also.
Been.
Helping…
...I need an adult?
Velvet: I AM AN ADULT
You gently fix the tiara onto your head, right behind your horn. Feeling the prickle of the empty sockets where it will be fitted with precious gems in the near future, savoring the feeling of how it elegantly holds down your mane.
And for all that she claims this to be an incomplete design, you can already tell how much unborn potential it already has. As if you were looking at a filly, who would no doubt grow into a beautiful mare, or a sapling that will one day bear luscious fruits.
You can't help but express your delight. You wouldn't be able to even if you tried.
"Oh Rarity… this is gorgeous…"
...ok, the clothes are Rarity's action, but I'd be both surprised and a bit offended if our grail influence didn't end up inspiring her somehow.
Although you can see that she is not looking at the dress. She agrees with what you say, but she has not thought about the dress for a long time now. Still, you pretend you don't realize it.
little Rarity want a taste 
If only Velvet wasn't married... or Stormchaser was here to join in, maybe...
And then you suggested that she stay the night every now and then. Because Jade was already here, and what sort of friend would you be if you let her go back home at such a late hour?
And now you are here.
In your study room.
At night.
With her.
Bird, I love you and I hate you.
You tease!
Have Stormchaser come back! I'm sure they can all have fun together
Never mind that by doing this, by merely shaking your mane back and forth, you are also filling the room with this sweet, sugary scent, that is neither honey nor roses, but somehow better than both.
ok, this might be just me, but I'm not even sure honey and roses really smell that good.
If I had to go for best scent... maybe chocolate and/or coffee?
You then look back at the mirror, this time looking straight at Rarity's reflected eyes. Seeing how the mare is all but pressing her back against the wall, as if desperately trying to restrain herself from…
From what, you wonder?
...Tease...
give me moar!
You walk up to the mare, feeling as something inside of her desperately thrashes against its bindings, yearning for release, even as she musters all of her will to keep herself frozen solid. Her forelegs pushing her back towards the corner of the room, where she is now helplessly trapped, as they desperately try to put even another inch between you and her.
And never mind that, now, the two of you are so close that if she stops pushing her back against the wall the two of you will…
"I… V-velvet darl-ling, I really d-don't-"
"Hush," is all you say to interrupt her.
And you can feel as the mare's body flares up in response to that. Her voice dying out as if you had just physically closed her lips with a hoof, or with your magic, or with something else that is even closer and sweeter than either of those.
"I said it then, and I will say it again. You have... something in here," you say, as you place a caressing hoof against the fluff of her chest-
-feeling her frenetic heartrate double at that-
"… that is natural."
You bite down the word "talent". You are sure she understands exactly what you mean.
And then you look up from her chest, tracing the elegant lines of her face as if you were appreciating a work of art, until you are looking back into her eyes once again.
"And I can't help but wonder… what else do you have in mind?"
...I'm seriously getting jealous of a fictional tiny horse
This must be the sweetest torture possible for poor Rarity.
...Somehow I expect she'll now start to make lingerie instead of dresses.
You ask that, you say those words, as you idly think over the fact that…
Jade Whistle left, just this morning, to go back to the place she is staying.
Your daughters, and Rarity's younger sister, are in one of their friends' houses, spending the night at a sleepover.
And Stormchaser will be gone for so many more days.
You say those words, and then you wonder. You wonder if Rarity will move to adjust the tiara that you have on your head, and continue to work on the dress… or if she will do something else.
[The Chalice Murmurs. What became of that redmost dream?]
...I'm
so conflicted. why couldn't Stormchaser be here too!
well, let's see what are our options...
[] "You are a fool, cozened by a fool to emplace one more stone in the walls of the Mansus. You may, if you choose, cast that stone away into the night." (OPTION UNAVAILABLE)
-Where is the fun in that?
...is this a "give her up" option? Hell no! To The Worms with that!
[] "So the seeds . . . were planted, though for long years [they will be] nothing but an unfulfilled ache."
-Rarity will temporarily become a Minion
-Rarity will stop being a Minion as soon as her Grail level becomes equal/greater than yours, AND An Incarnadescence ends (both conditions must be met)
-Rarity will RETURN to being a Minion, should her Grail level ever become lower than yours, OR if you come under the effect of An Incarnadescence again (either condition being met will be enough for her to become a Minion again in the future)
interesting. Basically whenever we have tier 4 influence OR we're above her in Grail, she'll always be at our mercy. She'll love us too much to ever go against us, no matter what. Basically we'll be the ideal she'll always try to reach, and she'll be a minion as long as we're STILL outside of her reach.
Reminder: Minion LITERALLY means they'd do anything for us. ANYTHING.
...well, nearly anything. If we asked her to torture Sweetie Belle or something similarly monstrous
for no reason, she'd likely come back to her senses, not that we'd ever do that though.
[] "The real Hours don't meet the Gods-from-Nowhere, but the Ring-Yew meets the Mare-in-the-Tree in where the Wood grows lush. Their couplings are forbidden, and forbidden things have power, and this is the story of their coupling."
-Rarity will permanently become a Minion.
-Rarity will be upgraded to a Disciple (Grail 3, Forge 1)
-Rarity will ???
...ok, the subtext is quite heavy. the Obvious implication is that she becomes our "forbidden" lover, and indulging in this
pleasure makes her a minion AND upgrades her to Disciple
...I've joked for so long about having a
tryst with Rarity, and now it's actually an option.
I'm so conflicted....
[Regardless of your choice, Rarity is currently a Minion due to a reason other than your Leash.]
[Your Leash has retracted back to you, and is available for further use.]
This has been really unexpected... but does that mean she'll finally "remember" about Twilight?
Leash somepony else?
[] Leash Fluttershy, the next time you meet her. You are about to go talk to the mare, and have her help in something very, very important. What better way to stack the deck in your favor? (You have no idea if Comet Feet will be able to sense it, or how he might react if he does.)
[] Leash Soft Sweeps, the next time you meet her. This will certainly help her come out of her shell quicker. Straight into your embrace, even. What is there not to love? (This will help you approach her more easily. Unhealthy? How could this possibly be unhealthy? You are succulent, and you renew, and by the Hours that is what you will do to her.)
[] Keep it in reserve (Velvet will keep the Leash to herself, and consider using it if an unexpected circumstance arises, such as Twilight Sparkle or something else.)
No Fluttershy. if Comet senses that somehow he might very well try to kill us.
Soft Sweeps is a bit tempting though. I kinda think of it like forcing her to take antidepressive drugs.
The problem is... what happens when we remove it? She'll probably rationalize it, but...yeah, it might be unhealthy. And she IS probably recovering on her own, if slowly...
I think I'd consider keeping it for Twilight, honestly. Keep her leashed for long enough to restore her horn, THEN unleash her and use our grail influence to try and convince her to trust us in keeping this secret from Celestia... or maybe to give us permission to remove a few of her memories with incision. I think it was mentioned it would be relatively easier if she didn't resist it?
Velvet Covers is currently under the effects of "An Incarnadescence". QM will purposefully decline from answering any questions of "what does Velvet think about this."
As I said, you're a
tease 
