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Shimmer, Glimmer, & Gleam - A Quest of Loss & Gain

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Woulda been faster to kill my food myself but I'm so fucking fed party people.
Scheduled vote count started by Morrowlark on Jan 21, 2025 at 2:53 PM, finished with 22 posts and 16 votes.
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Where The Heart Is 5: Conversations New
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    • Sasha's trying to get used to the tactical armor on loan to her when you track your friend down. Currently, 'trying to get used to' means 'wearing it around everywhere whether or not she's exercising', which in turn means you are struck dead where you stand laughing at her all kitted up and stirring a pot of Eternal Soup. She gives you a long-ass glare while you're doubled over, vision turning black at the edges because you're laughing too hard to breathe, and then she tries to get up and fucking faceplants with that stupid helmet on and to make a long story short one of the other people on shift has to slap your back really hard and yell at you to BREATHE BITCH BREATHE while two others help Sasha to her feet.

    "Y'need that?" she drawls sarcastically, but you can catch the smile on Sasha's face while you nod wordlessly and wipe tears from your eyes. "Good, glad to help. 'sup with - uh..."

    The two of you watch as...wait a moment...you know this person's name...you've got it...in your head...come on come JALEX THAT'S THE NAME, as Jalex, without saying a word, putters behind the two of you with what you sincerely hope is a sterilized rod, dips it into the soup, and records the level of the liquid before standing there awkwardly holding the thin rod above the pot so the soup will go back into, well, the soup.

    "...I feel like the quartermaster ordering the soup measured is either onea those unbelievable common facts or a dire fuckin' sign," Sasha finishes, a little too loudly.

    "Yes," Jalex answers, absentmindedly. "Don't mind me."

    "We're kinda not minding a lot of people right now," you point out, gesturing to everyone who helped you and Sasha out. "But since you're there anyway you mind if I borrow Sasha for a bit and then come back? Since you're staring at the soup 'n' all?"

    And in the weary voice of the perpetually too-busy, Jalex goes, "Yeah, sure, I'll be here. With the soup."

    So the two of you walk off to someplace a little more reasonably private (the outside metal stairs on a building, sue you, you like being tall okay) and you lean against the railing together. "So," you begin, quietly. "How you holding up?"

    "Haven't slept right in days," Sasha admits. "...I was still running scared during the University rescue, y'know? But I'm the big sister, I gotta show a good face, and anyway people needed help...but like. We won those fights, right? We even got away pretty clean. And it was still the scariest thing I'd ever done. Now I'm gonna go do it again, on purpose? How do you do it every time?"

    "...You want the honest answer or a hopeful answer?"

    "Just fuck me like Andrea fucks you," Sasha says with a sigh. You blink and try to slap her ass, which fails due to, you see, the tactical gear. "That one was metaphorical, Orchid - wait, you'd fuck me?"

    "Would you make it weird?" you ask, still confused.

    "...Raincheck," Sasha decides. "And honest answer."

    You shrug, and look away, instead of at her. Her hair really is coming back in quite fast, isn't it? And there's dyes that aren't good for anything else, if she wants to...

    You're doing that thing again, aren't you?

    At least your lighter is easy to toy with, while you work up the courage. "...Mostly I dissociate and then I'm not dead at the end," you admit, at long last. "Barely, in some cases. A lot of cases. I think this body cut its teeth on things you can't exactly parry and riposte. Or it wasn't trained that way, I don't fuckin' know...but I don't want that for you. I want you safe. It should be me going."

    Sasha scoffs and ruffles your hair. "You can't fight every dragon wit'cher knight ass, Orchid. I don't want to go, but...I wanna go. That make sense?"

    "No."

    "Fuck you too," Sasha says with a laugh. "...You got any advice?"

    Pick 1
    [ ] Bloodlust; malice is greater than fear
    [ ] Caution; learn from my mistakes
    [ ] Knowledge; it only looks like I've been making shit up, I'm attacking weaknesses

    Clarifying text about reasoning may be taken into account

    This will also influence Orchid    ​
     
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    • [x] Caution; learn from my mistakes, to trust and rely on your Team

    A little more to Caution, Orchid tends to go off alone at some point, and/or fight the biggest/scariest thing itself. Don't be Orchid on this, Squad Tactics and coordination, all the way.
     
    [X] Knowledge; it only looks like I've been making shit up, I'm attacking weaknesses

    Would probably pick Bloodlust b/c if you freeze, you die, but like... Sasha doesn't have that killer instinct & she should try and lean into other ways of fighting.
     
    [x] Caution; learn from my mistakes

    Right now we represent what's very possibly the largest, best-organized, and best-armed force in the city. What that means, above all else, is backup. There's gonna be very few battles that need to be won right here, right now; running away and coming back with more friends is always a valid move.
     
    [x] Caution; learn from my mistakes

    …ngl I've had a cold for a while now and have just been trying my best to not die on my feet, why's Sasha leaving again? I know it should be obvious but I don't have the time for a reread.
     
    [X] Caution; learn from my mistakes

    but not just its mistakes. learn from it's successes as well. pay attention to how your enemy acts, because it is not a real, living thing, but a thing of rules. evil and cruel rules. exploit them.
     
    Kermie said:
    [x] Caution; learn from my mistakes

    …ngl I've had a cold for a while now and have just been trying my best to not die on my feet, why's Sasha leaving again? I know it should be obvious but I don't have the time for a reread.
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    she's fighting the corporate at the amusement park. she's doing empire of joy while orchid gets its damn rest on.
     
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