MEI: "Like you said, he's probably just here to observe. Frankly I don't very much care what happens when we get off this island, as long as we do."
You chew on the fish. It's mild in flavor and flakes into layers in your mouth. The meat is fried, but hasn't dried out. Some kind of grouper. The sauce is smoky and lightly nutty with a hot, piquant aftertaste. Roasted almonds, olive oil, pickled sweet chilli.
MEI: "Are you doing that thing where you think really hard about food?"
"What thing?"
MEI: "Where you list the ingredients in your head."
"Doesn't everyone do that?"
MEI: "No."
"I think appreciating it makes it taste better. I don't know how to react if I don't know what I'm eating."
MEI: "Yeah, I know how you work."
You both eat in silence. After a while, she finishes her own meal and starts wiping her knife on a napkin.
MEI: "Ah, damnit, I'm going to have to replace Rivers."
"Is that going to be difficult?"
MEI: "Nobody has a second, we're stretched too thin on officers. Normally I would promote one of his talons, but that's Fincher and Sen Yin. Sen Yin's too inexperienced for her command already, and Fincher's supposed to be on punishment detail, I can't promote her now."
"What kind of punishment?"
MEI: "The useful kind. Getting her talon to clear a region of impromptu farmland in the burned forest, and she's growing crops for us. She hates it, but we need the fresh provisions."
[ ] You should promote her.
[ ] You should promote Sen Yin.
[ ] You should promote Orison.
[ ] You should promote me.
I mean, yes, but...
This wouldn't be a Disco Elysium quest if we were in charge of a good person. She knew that she wasn't a good person. She knew that better than anyone else in the world.
To do list:
Kill the Scarlet Empress
Get silk for ballista things (possibly from the sorcerer)
----
My point is between Viper and Lilly handling communications, it might be possible for Fincher to send out orders and get instruction/information while she is growing crops, depending on how much attention/effort the crop growing requires
Crumplepunch; apart from Fincher are there many/any that have "make food" powers?
Fincher is the only person you have met so far with that particular ability.
Dragon-Bloods come in five elemental aspects: Fire, Earth, Air, Water and Wood. Not all Dragon-Bloods of the same type have the same powers; Usamir's powers are quite different from yours despite you both being water aspects, even though your powers are both in some sense water-based.
In terms of other resources, Rooster is really good at digging wells, and Vesper could probably come up with a pretty great catch if she spent her time underwater fishing. It's possible that the Bane of Kadj could make food using sorcery, which follows its own special rules, but the process would be quite different, and probably disgusting.
It's possible that the Bane of Kadj could make food using sorcery, which follows its own special rules, but the process would be quite different, and probably disgusting.
Regardless if it's a good decision or a bad decision, it was a fast decision. And as far as Vesper is concerned, that's all that matters.
You could offer her a choice between eating a bowl of cereal and trying to chew on some straw left for a horse, and the only deciding factor will be which of her remaining brain cells fires faster.
Every decision she makes is like a surprise mexican stand-off. Not sure if it tells us about her character, her current state, or both.
"Just my opinion. I was with her when she was in command."
MEI: "Mm. Go on. What do you think of her?"
INTEGRITY: VERY DIFFICULT CHECK PASSED
INTEGRITY: She wants to know what you think of her personally. It's not jealousy, it's protectiveness.
Mei doesn't seem very protective of us.
INTEGRITY: Not protective of us, protective of Fincher.
Really? They didn't seem to have much of a connection when we saw them together.
INTEGRITY: Maybe because she was so busy being angry at us.
Fincher mostly seemed to be intimidated by her when we asked her opinion of Mei.
INTEGRITY: Whatever their connection is, it seems to be one-sided.
MEI: "Still with me?"
You realize you have been staring at your water cup.
Right.
"She's obviously inexperienced, but she came out of a bad situation and managed everything as well as could be expected. She inspires loyalty. Maybe a little over-cautious tactically, but that can be an asset if you account for it. Personally, I like her. She's rough and impulsive, but she cares about people."
Mei's expression is unreadable.
MEI: "You still feel this way after the poisoning incident?"
"Everything I said still applies. She only did it because you thought you were going to kill me. She probably could have pulled it off without anyone getting hurt if she accounted for my tolerance."
MEI: "Impulsive but she cares about people. Right."
INTEGRITY: She seems... embarassed? Maybe about the killing you thing, maybe something else.
Mei finishes polishing her knife, examines both sides, and sheathes it.
MEI: "I'll consider it, it's not like I have any great options. Now, we have an autopsy to attend. Follow."
Mei stands, downs the last of her wine from the bottle, and hops off platform. She heads towards the east side of the mess area, where the Bane of Kadj is seated. You shrug and follow her.
A girl with a auburn ponytail who has apparently been waiting for the opportunity approaches Mei to give her one of her message slates. You recognize the girl as one of the ones who carried Mei's dispatches this morning.
Mei takes the message, reads it, nods, underlines a word and hands it back.
MEI: "Take it back, then go rest. I'll see you after dinner."
The girl nods her thanks and then withdraws with the message.
"You often give your people long breaks during the day?"
MEI: "Nallaj has been running ragged most of the night, I don't need a lot of sleep. Besides, she took a message to the sorcerer. Everyone who takes a message to the sorcerer gets a break."
"Why's that?"
MEI: "Nobody likes him. Partly because of the demons, mostly because he's an asshole. Don't ask him any questions."
The sorcerer still seems to be staring directly at you, but as you approach, he addresses Mei in his drawling voice.
THE BANE OF KADJ: "I can hear you, dragonlord."
MEI: "Fuck you. We're going to go to the autopsy now."
THE BANE OF KADJ: "I am ready."
He stands. He's a little taller than you and Mei. His off-white robes conceal a thin frame. Bandages cover his head where it is not concealed by a mask, and he wears red gloves, the same scarlet as his officer's cape.
MEI: "Turn up to lunch wearing a fucking mask so you can't eat anything, what a prick."
THE BANE OF KADJ: "I am, as ever, charmed by your company."
MEI: "This is-"
THE BANE OF KADJ: "I remember who this is very well."
The mask is definitely pointed towards you. Even this close, you can see only darkness behind the eye sockets.
[ ] How do you know me?
[ ] Why do you wear a mask?
[ ] Can I call you Bane?
[ ] Can I call you Kadj?
[ ] Nice mask.
[ ] (Give him the finger.)
[ ] (Remain silent.)
Vesper has outsourced her feelings via dissosiation. It's very clever of her. Super efficient. She'd never function if she had to be the one obsessed with muscles and largeness all the time.
Well, from Mei's perspective, she made that comment right after we stuck up for someone who straight-up poisoned us. The flow of conversation makes sense for that to be Mei remembering why she used to not hate us.
From our perspective, our coping mechanism to keep our consciousness stapled together when heading over to fight the fire monster was focusing on the people we know.
The haze is starting to lift. The world is beginning to resolve in the light of other people. You can get it together, maybe, for a little while, if it would make things better for them.
And we have the option to think deeply about why everyone we know is sad, which indicates it's a topic we care about. Granted, Vesper's priorities mean we also have the option to think deeply about whether we might be a long-dead Anathema and why we asked to be gagged.
