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Magical Girl Quest - The Fire That Burns

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Deathbybunnies said:
To be fair, magic settings with Oaths and an implicit expectation that no one can lie (or at least, no one is willing to face the consequences of doing so) usually come as part of a package deal where knowing someone's true name gives you power over them, since they all stem from the same source: stories about the fae.

[X] Tell her your name, try and be friendly
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You can totally break an Oath.
It's not magically binding by default.

I probably should have mentioned this earlier.

Also, chapter soon, am writing it, dialogue is being a bitch.
 
Rukia said:
You can totally break an Oath.
It's not magically binding by default.

I probably should have mentioned this earlier.

Also, chapter soon, am writing it, dialogue is being a bitch.
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Sure, in real life, and settings where they aren't magically binding by default. But this:
Rukia said:
"I have no intention of harming you in any way so long as you are civil and remain friendly." She lets out a long breath at that and slumps down, all of the tension in her body seeming to seep away. Why does she believe me completely when I say that? I could be lying.
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Kind of looks like a hint that lying is extremely unlikely from her point of view, and there's probably a reason for that. In this case, that reason's probably something like "people with huge amounts of magical power don't usually bother lying to people who can't feasibly challenge them". The same update also mention oaths, which is weird by modern standards and implies that they're a thing in magical communities, and now you've got aversion to lying and possibly-magical oaths and to people who read a decent amount of fantasy fiction this hitting all of those "magic that works on fae bullshit and names" buttons.

It's not that you made false hints that name magic is a thing or anything, it's just you inadvertently looked like you invoked a few familiar tropes (which is inevitable, because everything's a trope and not invoking any is impossible) and people started thinking "hey, I've seen this before." In regular fiction it doesn't matter, and in quests it doesn't matter either but does lead to some silly shadowruns sometimes, because the readers pick up on something the author didn't actually put there and try to act on it.
 
Deathbybunnies said:
Sure, in real life, and settings where they aren't magically binding by default. But this:

Kind of looks like a hint that lying is extremely unlikely from her point of view, and there's probably a reason for that. In this case, that reason's probably something like "people with huge amounts of magical power don't usually bother lying to people who can't feasibly challenge them". The same update also mention oaths, which is weird by modern standards and implies that they're a thing in magical communities, and now you've got aversion to lying and possibly-magical oaths and to people who read a decent amount of fantasy fiction this hitting all of those "magic that works on fae bullshit and names" buttons.

It's not that you made false hints that name magic is a thing or anything, it's just you inadvertently looked like you invoked a few familiar tropes (which is inevitable, because everything's a trope and not invoking any is impossible) and people started thinking "hey, I've seen this before." In regular fiction it doesn't matter, and in quests it doesn't matter either but does lead to some silly shadowruns sometimes, because the readers pick up on something the author didn't actually put there and try to act on it.
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Yeah, that's why I should have mentioned it earlier.
Still, Magically binding oaths and contracts are possible.
Just really, really obvious. Like, the oath will make it's presence known whenever you mention it so that people know you are being serious.
 
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MEETING MORGAN
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    • You decide to relax a little, trust someone, just this once. "My name is Cerys" You say with a smile, then tip your head towards your sister. "This is my little sister, Una." Your sister pokes her head over your shoulder and looks inquisitively at Morgan. You haven't really let her talk to anyone but you like this for a long time huh? The only people she talks to are you and a shopkeeper if she has to. You're pretty sure that you read that young girls are supposed to socialise a lot.

    After a minute of staring, the silence is starting to get a little awkward, before it is suddenly broken by your sister smiling and nodding. "Yes, she'll do. I knew you'd bring home a proper girl sooner or later." What? You just blink at that statement, sharing a look with Morgan, you feel that somehow Una's mind is running in a distinctly different direction to yours. "I was getting worried, girls at your age are supposed to be working your way through the local girls, but you never brought any of them home. I know we travel a lot but it's good that you've finally decided to settle down with 'the one' and started taking your commitments seriously."

    Very slowly, you feel a tremendous heat start creeping from your cheeks and down your neck, actually heating up enough that your skin starts steaming slightly. It doesn't look like Morgan is much better, though she lacks the distinct 'steaming' look. I don't think I've ever been more mortified in my life. You very carefully keep your eyes away from Morgan, hoping she doesn't interpret your earlier question as some sort of strange dating prospect.

    You turn your head to look back at your sister, she is smiling innocently and cutely, but you know better. You lean in to whisper to her "I don't know what this is revenge for, but I will get you for this." Her response is a giggle and clamping tighter with her hug. You bashfully raise your eyes to look at Morgan. She is currently blushing furiously and opening and closing her mouth over and over without result. You take a deep breath and look her in the eyes.

    "Please ignore my sister, apparently I'm going to have to start keeping an eye on what she's been reading." Your words sound strange even to you, you aren't sure what the tone of your voice is but it's something you've never heard before. You clear your throat and continue before anyone can say anything. "I think that she's been getting a few too many sweets recently, makes her say silly things." Your sister lets out an adorable whine right net to your ear but you just smile calmly back at her. Revenge

    Morgan stops her aborted attempts at talking and lets out a slightly high pitched laugh. "Yeah, it's fine. I know what kids are like, I've taken care of a few of them at that age." She clears her throat and gives a mighty effort, pushing down her blush the best she can. "Just uhh, yeah." Oh god, she's so embarrassed. Well, there goes the tension. If I didn't know any better I'd say she did this on purpose. You sigh and close your eyes for a minute. When you open them, you've successfully used your Thermokinesis to shunt the heat that was radiating from your face back to wherever it came from.

    Before Una can say anything else horribly embarrassing, you drag her out from behind you and sit her down in your lap, letting her lean back into your warmth as you turn it up. "So, lets try this again. You came here to investigate the magic I let off when training as a side stop to the town that was attacked?" Morgan nods along with your points.

    "Yes and yes. I honestly didn't expect to find much here beyond maybe an empty nest or a recently emptied battleground. Magical things just aren't that common in the states." She takes in a breath. "For the town, I'd heard there was some sort of magical battle there. Someone I know was nearby and felt a big surge of magic in the area, before the fire started. Well, I guess I know what started the fire." She shakes her head. "A demon incursion. God, what a mess."

    Listening to her talk about things is actually incredible enlightening, but the problem is that she expects you to know a lot of the context behind what she is saying. You really should just bite the bullet and tell her, yeah, might as well. You sigh. "I'm going to be completely honest with you here Morgan." She perks up a little from where she was thinking deeply, apparently. "I got my magical powers when I was attacked by the Demon at the mall. I have no clue what the hell is going on." Yeah, that would do it.

    Morgan looks completely and utterly flabbergasted, starting at you with her mouth slightly open. "Wait, you're that strong and you've had your powers for like a week? What the fuck?" She does a double take. "Wait, you said you got your powers. Not remembered or used?" You nod. She looks at you flatly. "What. The. Fuck."

    She keeps staring at you, looking for something on your face and her magic is doing the wavy thing again, still not actually touching yours or leaving her body though, so you let it go. She eventually lets out a long sigh. "You are telling me the truth aren't you. You suddenly got your powers a week ago and managed to kill a Demon." She grumbles quietly for a moment. "Yeah, this is some Gaia bullshit." What?

    "What do you mean by that?"

    She gives another sigh as she rubs her face. "Alright, quick lesson time, so pay attention. People like you are really uncommon, it's something the world as a whole has tried to understand for a long time. It's usually women like, 99% of the time, but they suddenly have a bunch of magic and rough knowledge of how to use it. Best we can work out it's the doing of something we call Gaia."

    "And what, is Gaia?" That sounds like it has something to do with the land. You think you remember Gaia as something related to the world.

    "Gaia is... as best we can tell, the planet." You really are getting a little tired of the sudden shocks today.

    "I'm sorry, are you telling me that the planet just suddenly decided to give me powers?" You are quite satisfied with how well your tone transfers your level of what the fuck

    She smiles a little sheepishly. "Not exactly the planet, just, the embodiment of the planet? There is a lot of arguing as to whether she is the planet or an embodiment, probably won't ever get anywhere unless she says something one way or another." Gettin reaaaal sick of these shocks

    "Ok." You rub your brow. "Why has Gaia seem fit to give me powers. And for that matter, the planet is a girl?" You finish your sentence at a higher tone than before.

    She smiles at your confused tone. "For the first matter, well, there are a lot of theories. First, Gaia is setting up people to achieve their destiny or fate or whatever. Most people don't really believe this since we have proof that destiny is kind of bendy around magic. Second, Gaia likes giving people powers and seeing what they will do with them, no powerset is ever the same or what they do with them. Third, and this is the theory that most people believe in and has the most evidence." She actually takes a break here to add tension. "Is that Gaia likes giving cute young girls magical powers because it appeals to her for some reason."

    You honestly thought that you would be immune to surprise by this point, but obviously this was the feeling of the bottom of the barrel being hit with a sledgehammer to dig even deeper. "I-I don't?" You make a sound that is a mix between choking and crying "The fuck? The planet is a Lolicon?" I think I am losing the will to live. Is this what it's like to have all of your dreams and illusions shattered by the cold harsh world? You just flounder in your mind a little before a thought comes to mind. Oh god, if the planet is a Lolicon then what about my sister?!?

    Your horrifying thoughts are interrupted by your sister finally letting out the giggles that had been quietly building in her. She was literally laughing so hard that she lost her grip on you and slid to the floor, curling into a little ball as her laughter shakes her body. Morgan is looking at you a little blankly quietly muttering to herself "What's a Lolicon?"

    You shake your head and try to clear your thoughts, ignoring your sisters crazed cackling as you look at Morgan straight on and ask as seriously as you can. "How sure are you of this?"

    "Uhh, one time, ages ago one of the girls she gave powers to got to talk to her. It's actually related to the other half of your question. We know she's female because she was seen by said girl and shared that she was indeed female. We aren't really sure what she looks like, since despite the girls best effort, every word she spoke when trying to describe her just dissipated from peoples minds as they heard it and any drawing was impossible to look at." She pouted.

    "It actually one of the reasons I wander everywhere, I want to see her face, even if I can never tell another. I want to see things that no-one else ever has." She starts smiling now, her voice showing clearly just how much enthusiasm she has for her choice. "I want to see the beings that shaped the world, I want to talk to Gaia, I want to see the mounds of the dead in Mexico, I want to see if there really is a Dragon still living in England, I want to see if there really are monks that live atop the mountains of China still-" She cuts herself off at this point as she realises that she's started babbling about her goals. She sports a little blush on her face and she's breathing a little hard.

    Una, having recovered from her laughing fit, pokes you in the side and whispers. "I knew you would pick a good one. Big sis has the best taste." You give her forehead a flick at that as you ignore the blush on your face. "Stop that, there is nothing romantic about this." Geejz, you knew this would happen. She's probably been thinking up lines like this for months, waiting for you to bring someone home with you butnotlikethat. Oh god, now she's got me thinking like that.

    Ignoring your sister you look back to Morgan, calmed down from her little rant as she starts speaking. "So... yeah. I'm actually downplaying it but I'm really exited about meeting you. One of Gaia's Magical Girls is an incredibly rare person to find and you girls almost always find and see amazing things!" You actually stopped listening to her half-way through her sentence when she said two words that make you sit bolt upright. Gaia's. Magical. Girls. Gaia's Magical Girls. Gaia's Magical Girls. Magical Girls

    "Oh for fuck sake." Your sudden outburst is rather startling to the Morgan and Una, seeing as it was followed by your promptly palming your face in sheer exasperation and a deep sigh. You keep for face resting in your hand for a long while, just... literally at a loss for words. Still, might as well confirm your, thoughts. "You said, Gaia's Magical Girls. Did you not?" The emphasis you put on your words does not go past either of them, Morgan nodding at the same time as Una freezing in place.

    You watch her, already knowing what's coming, bracing yourself as best you can. You send Morgan, the poor girl, an apologetic look and steady yourself for the incoming storm.

    It takes longer than you had thought it would, but Mt.Una erupts at full force regardless. She lets out a silent scream as she throws herself at the nearest object, that being you and starts babbling faster than you can make out. She then jumps from you to Morgan faster than she can react and starts bouncing between the two of you before she eventually tires herself out. All the while you are quietly grumbling to yourself. Fucking Planet. Fucking Anime. Fucking Japan.

    You are seriously reaching the end of your patience here and you are getting pretty tired. You sigh. "Look, I just. I don't want to deal with this right now. I want to just go back to sleep and wait for the world, literally, to start making sense again. Is that too much to ask?" You sit back against the wall behind you. "Do you have something to sleep on or somewhere to sleep nearby?"

    She shakes her head. "I was going to sleep in the trees as I went through the forest."

    You grunt in response and think. You really just want to go to sleep right now, the nights previously were rough because you keep getting woken up, not helped by that fucking fish that is just sitting inside your sensing range right now. Go the fuck away. You consider doing something about it, but right now you are tired and the endless night of shocks has pushed you far enough. "Alright, I... Am going to sleep. You are either going to sleep over there or in a tree or whatever." You grab your sister and pull her to you as you rest your head against one of your packed bags. You can't be arsed to get your clothing bed out again so you just cuddle up to your sister and lay there.

    You spare Morgan a look "You staying or going?"

    "Oooh, no. There is no way in hell that you are going to escape me that easily. Interesting things always happen around Magical Girls." Those words make you twitch silently. "I'll just sleep outside or something. Wake me up in the morning? I always sleep in." She quietly makes her way out of the cave as you cut off the light you'd had glowing for the past twenty minutes or so.

    It doesn't take long for you to fall asleep now, only being woken once overnight by that fucking fish I swear to god. Once morning comes, you are moderately rested, despite sleeping on the hard stone you feel a lot better. The two of you quietly make your way out of the cave and look around. Eventually, Una just asks you and you point her to a specific tree, where you had sensed Morgan. There she was, sleeping away on a branch, a good seven metres or so above ground.

    Her words last night come to mind, about sleeping in. You could just grab your stuff and leave. To be honest, the thought of doing that really doesn't appeal to you, leaving her like that after she's been so helpful. It would feel a lot like kicking a puppy. Then again, I've done a lot worse things than kicking puppies

    Morgan...
    [] Wake her, your path lies with her
    [] Leave her to sleep, you walk alone
    Don't kick the puppy pls
     
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    • [X] Wake her, your path lies with her

    That fish is trying to pick a fight. Let's freeze the whole lake before leaving. That will teach it. :V
     
    [X] Wake her, your path lies with her
    -[X] Once you have enough control over your fire, wake her up by flicking a few sparks on her

    So, the important things to take away here is that Una thinks we're a lesbian, and that Gaia is Chaotic Neutral.
     
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