pantherasapiens
you were always my best friend
- Location
- somewhere over your shoulder
I see! It's the dog that didn't bark, isn't it?
[q] Interrogate the statue of the dog.
[q] Interrogate the statue of the dog.
-
Going forward, links to content from Twitter (now X) will no longer be embedded. Pre-existing links should not be affected.
The Tinpot Princess and Her Many Travels
- Thread starter Chandagnac
- Start date
- Original
- Location
- Earth
[X] Thank the women for their time and wait to interview Reeta. (Maybe pay for some time to avoid ruffling feathers.)
[X] Report back to Gareth and Yslena.
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
[X] Report back to Gareth and Yslena.
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
Hye
Reader of The Long Words
- Location
- In the middle of a story
[X] Report back to Gareth and Yslena.
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
I'm a bit iffy about giving Jana the cake. On one hand, the cake will have more effect if given by Moraine. On the other hand, if Moraine is dead, the cake will likely not be as appreciated.
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
I'm a bit iffy about giving Jana the cake. On one hand, the cake will have more effect if given by Moraine. On the other hand, if Moraine is dead, the cake will likely not be as appreciated.
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- Location
- Earth
I want to give Jana hope. The cake is a delivery mechanism for that.
I expect Jana to hold onto it and not eat it until she finds out about her mother. In the meantime, it represents the truth about what her mother was up to.
If moraine is dead, I expect the cake will be too upsetting to eat.
pantherasapiens
you were always my best friend
- Location
- somewhere over your shoulder
So... well, at least we know that this is not the place Moiraine was doing her baking at, either. So maybe she was holding down an extra job as a baker's assistant, or something, since she also wasn't baking at home?
Two jobs three incomes, egads, Moiraine! Making up for lost time!
Two jobs three incomes, egads, Moiraine! Making up for lost time!
Kyrina
A Simple Merchant of Mirrors
- Location
- England
[X] Report back to Gareth and Yslena.
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
Storm the bar!!!
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
Storm the bar!!!
[X] Thank the women for their time and wait to interview Reeta. (Maybe pay for some time to avoid ruffling feathers.)
[X] Report back to Gareth and Yslena.
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
[X] Report back to Gareth and Yslena.
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
Yes, Bellona thought so too.
That's what this was meant to imply:
It's a possibility, for sure.
A reference to Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventure of Silver Blaze? (I.e. "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time"?) Alas, no. Rather, the "one of my favourite short stories" I was referring to was Gene Wolfe's The Fifth Head of Cerberus.
Gene Wolfe is one of my favourite authors because his stories are like intricate puzzles, full of mystery and ambiguity, and it's often necessary to read between the lines to figure out what's really going on; often, important plot points are merely implied or only become apparent on a second or third reading. That's not to say I like all of his books: some of them I've found frustratingly obtuse, baffling, or just unconvincing. Still, when I've read some of his best works, I've occasionally felt a wonderful moment of dawning realisation as I've worked out the twist – and that wasn't really a twist, but something that was there all along.
The Fifth Head of Cerberus (TFHoC) is one of Wolfe's best, in my opinion. It takes place on an alien planet that was colonised by humans a century before; apparently, when the first human settlers came, they slaughtered the "abos" who were the planet's original inhabitants. (One of the most interesting mysteries of TFHoC is whether or not this is true. The "abos" were shapeshifters. Were they massacred by the human colonists who then replaced them as the planet's dominant species? Or did they kill the human colonists and then take over their lives, mimicking them so perfectly that future waves of human settlers didn't notice that they had been replaced?)
The protagonist of TFHoC is the son of a small-town brothel keeper. The brothel is nicknamed "The Cave Canem" because one of its most notable features is a statue of Cerberus. (Although the statue has three heads, it is joked that "Old Cerberus has four heads; don't you know that? The fourth's her maidenhead, and she's such a bitch no dog can take it from her."*)
*Yeah, the title mentions a fifth head, but this is never explained.
As it turns out, the protagonist is a clone of his father, who was a clone of his father, who was a clone of his father, and so on. They're all clones of the same man: one of the early settlers, a clever and ambitious man who thought to himself, 'I could be great. I could achieve great things. I could even become the king of this world, if I had more than one life in which to achieve my goals.' (Or something like that. That's not a direct quote.) However, because the clones are genetically identical and are brought up in almost exactly the same conditions, they live very similar lives, make the same mistakes again and again, and none of them are able to progress beyond being a small-town brothel keeper.
It's a very sad story, but much of its sadness isn't readily apparent. It slowly builds up throughout the text: a creeping malaise; an atmosphere of loneliness and alienation, of hopelessness and crushing inevitability. So yeah… it's one of my favourites.
Actually, Wolfe wrote three short stories in his The Fifth Head of Cerberus setting, but I've only read one of them: the first one. The others he released years later; therefore, they aren't included in my omnibus collection of Gene Wolfe's best short stories.
I think you might be joking, but just in case…
Hefty, Jancey, and Xantha have all said that Moraine worked in the brothel by cooking and cleaning for them. Admittedly, I never stated it outright, but it's implied that she used their kitchen to bake her cakes. She did most of her cooking in their kitchen. That's why she left Jana's cake in their pantry (it was a convenient place to store it, she didn't want to carry it across town to her dingy apartment, and she assumed she'd be back for it soon enough).
There's no reason to go looking for another place where Moraine was doing her baking; you've already found it.
Ah, yes, the rallying cry of the British binge-drinker.
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- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Thank the women for their time and wait to interview Reeta. (Maybe pay for some time to avoid ruffling feathers.)
[X] Report back to Gareth and Yslena.
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
[X] Report back to Gareth and Yslena.
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Where are Gareth and Yslena currently? I am not sure I heard them being mentioned in this chapter... in fact, I have assumed that they let Elys go to another island together with Jana under Bellona's and Flawse's supervision.
Though I vaguely remember Bellona saying something about them staying at the castle?
Anyway, Flawse's guards are not very reliable, which is unfortunate sine the sheer numbers would be extremely useful here. Still, we might benefit more from an adventurer's expertise and maybe a couple invisibility spells/potions to get a drop on the cultists.
[X] Report back to Gareth and Yslena.
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
Flawse probably needs to be warned regardless, at least privately. It's only good form since he is the Governor here. What he does and who he trusts with that information is his own business. He might be able to use his soldiers even, if they themselves don't know what they are in for. Just tell them it's a police crackdown on some smugglers, er, for a given medieval definition of such.
Eh, Gareth and Yslena can make that call if they want to.
Also, good job on the last two chapters. The pimp was pretty colorful.
Though I vaguely remember Bellona saying something about them staying at the castle?
Anyway, Flawse's guards are not very reliable, which is unfortunate sine the sheer numbers would be extremely useful here. Still, we might benefit more from an adventurer's expertise and maybe a couple invisibility spells/potions to get a drop on the cultists.
[X] Report back to Gareth and Yslena.
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
Flawse probably needs to be warned regardless, at least privately. It's only good form since he is the Governor here. What he does and who he trusts with that information is his own business. He might be able to use his soldiers even, if they themselves don't know what they are in for. Just tell them it's a police crackdown on some smugglers, er, for a given medieval definition of such.
Eh, Gareth and Yslena can make that call if they want to.
Also, good job on the last two chapters. The pimp was pretty colorful.
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[X] Report back to Gareth and Yslena.
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
Also of note: if we end up assaulting The Drink it is worth noting that the cultists would likely have time to scuttle their equipment and possibly flee if they get any sort of forewarning of the raid by spotters or perhaps corrupt guardsmen. If we take a more stealthy approach we might be able to catch them unawares and perchance save the souls they have collected before they can steal away with them or destroy them out of spite.
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Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
Gareth and Yslena are in Flotsam. They came to talk things over with Flawse.
See here:
Currently, Gareth and Yslena are looking after Elys and her friends while Bellona conducts her investigation.
Thanks. It's nice when my work is appreciated.Also, good job on the last two chapters. The pimp was pretty colorful.
Bellona is quite stealthy and a powerful illusionist; she sneaked into the lair of the previous ruler of Flotsam, a pirate lord named Merne Bloodscalp, and slashed his throat. However, the Sea Ghouls are master illusionists as well...
I wouldn't worry too much about whether it's legal or not. Flotsam isn't the kind of place where anyone pays much attention to that sort of thing. Also, Gareth and Yslena are its king and queen, with the power of absolute monarchs; if they say it's legal, it's legal.
I will add 'sneak into the Drink and search for an entrance to the Sea Ghouls' secret hideout' to the list of options next chapter.
Here's the vote tally so far:
Yeah, I could probably close it right now, but I'm not going to have time to update until the weekend, so I'm going to leave it open. If anyone else wants to vote*, feel free.
*maybe if you want to clinch the "Thank the women for their time and wait to interview Reeta" option
See you later.
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keios
very normal
- Location
- US
[X] Thank the women for their time and wait to interview Reeta. (Maybe pay for some time to avoid ruffling feathers.)
[X] Report back to Gareth and Yslena.
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
[X] Report back to Gareth and Yslena.
-[X] Tell Jana the truth about her mother. (I.e. Moraine was trying to be good, hadn't slipped back into bad habits, and was waiting for her with a cake.)
--[X] Give her the cake.
---[X] Ask Gareth and Yslena for help in assaulting the Drink.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
[x] Sneak into the Drink and search for an entrance to the Sea Ghouls' secret hideout
[x] Thank the women for their time and wait to interview Reeta. (Maybe pay for some time to avoid ruffling feathers.)
[x] Thank the women for their time and wait to interview Reeta. (Maybe pay for some time to avoid ruffling feathers.)
91. In Summation
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
Ugh. Lately, my writing has slowed to a glacial pace. I think I've barely managed one hundred words per hour. Anyway, it's late, I'm sleep-deprived, and I don't have time to edit this tonight. If there's anything majorly wrong with it, I'll sort it out tomorrow afternoon.
*
In Summation
She waited until Reeta had finished with her latest client and taken some time to freshen up. After that, she asked Jancey to let her know that someone was waiting to speak to her. Soon afterwards, Reeta came downstairs, wearing a silken dressing gown. She was a slight, fragile-looking young woman with shoulder-length dark hair and tawny brown skin. 'You wanted to talk to me?' she said, looking Bellona up and down without enthusiasm.
'I heard that you want to leave this place, that you want to reinvent yourself,' said Bellona. 'I heard that Moraine Netpicker offered to help you with the money you need for your plan to go somewhere far away, where no one knows your face. Is that true?'
'It is. What of it?'
'I'm trying to find Moraine. She disappeared last night. I think she was kidnapped by the same people who kidnapped Kizzy a few nights ago.'
A sharp intake of breath. Slowly, blinking back tears, Reeta raised a hand to cover her mouth. 'Oh,' she said dismally. 'I should have expected something like this.'
'What do you mean?'
'Every time I think this world isn't such a terrible place, every time I think I might have a chance, every time I someone reaches out a hand to help me up out of the gutter…' Reeta hesitated, took a deep breath, and said, 'Every time, something like this happens.' Her face crumpled. She looked sad and weary, like she was trying not to cry.
'It's only been a few hours. I'm sure I'll find Moraine alive and well,' Bellona tried to reassure her. 'Don't despair.'
Reeta nodded mutely. Her eyes were downcast. She already seemed resigned to her fate.
'If you don't mind me asking…' Bellona paused, grimacing. After a moment, she continued, 'Hefty told me all about his "rules". One of them was "no unwilling women". Does that not apply to you? You don't seem all that "willing" to me.'
'This isn't what I hoped I'd be doing with my life. If I could choose to do anything, I wouldn't have chosen this job,' Reeta admitted. Her lips quirked in a ghastly parody of a smile. 'Still, I'm here by my own choice. Because all the other options available to me were even worse. Working here as a prostitute… it's not ideal, but it's better than being a slave. Better than being tied to a cruel man who demands his "marital rights" every night.' Under her breath, she muttered, 'Better than being thought of as a murderess. Believe me, I know.'
'Hefty said pretty much the same thing.'
'Yeah? Well, he might have been thinking of me when he said that. Probably was.'
Although she'd only had hints as to what Reeta's life had been like until this point, Bellona thought that her circumstances seemed very similar to Moraine's: both of them had been shunned by their neighbours because of things that had happened in the past, things they couldn't change. Perhaps they'd made the wrong choices, perhaps they'd hurt people and spread their misery around, but that didn't mean they were undeserving of sympathy. Neither of them had much of chance to do better without some outside help. Bellona had done her best to help Moraine; silently, she vowed that if – for whatever reason – Moraine was unable to live up to her promise to this woman, she would offer to help her instead.
She counted out five silver shards. 'For your time,' she said, handing them to Reeta, who looked astonished. That amount of money was probably as much as she made in a week. Bellona didn't mind; she'd paid two shards to the bartender at the Drink and received nothing but lies in return. She had plenty of money and not much to spend it on; as if to prove it, she counted out two more piles of shards and said, 'Please give these to Jancey and Xantha next time you see them.' Of course, she could have given them the money herself, but she didn't want to disturb them while they were working.
Finally, before Bellona departed the brothel on Lower Beard Street, she went back to the pantry and picked up the cake Moraine had made for Jana. Wrapping it up in a piece of cloth, she hoped it would survive a short journey. After that, she once again headed to Flawse's stronghold where she had left Elys, Jana, and Catharne in the care of Elys's parents.
In a comfortably-appointed drawing room, she found them sitting together. She heard Yslena say, 'And that's when Jack chopped down the beanstalk and Wolofhir the cloud giant tumbled to his death.'
'That's horrible!' Elys cried, aghast. 'Jack didn't have to do that!'
'Most of the Nimble Jack stories have somewhat unpleasant morals,' Yslena agreed. 'But the important thing to remember is… Oh! Belle, welcome back! Did your investigation prove fruitful?'
Only one of them was not sitting down; Jana was pacing agitatedly around the room. There was a look of wild hope in her eyes when she saw the new arrival. 'Did you find my mother?' she asked.
'I found out what happened to your mother. I found out that she's been making a better life for herself, that she hasn't fallen back into bad habits, and that yesterday she was making this for you,' said Bellona, handing her the cake. 'She was very much looking forward to seeing you.'
There was a brief silence as Jana unwrapped the cake. When she saw it, she looked like she might burst into tears. 'M-m-my mom made this? For me?'
'I didn't believe it at first, but she's changed for the better.'
'B-but that bartender–'
'He lied to us. I'm fairly sure he had something to do with her disappearance. Everything I've found out so far suggests that the bar is a front for Sea Ghoul cultists, and that they've been kidnapping people off the streets to sacrifice to their vile gods.'
'How did you find that out?' asked Gareth.
Bellona gave him and Yslena a brief summary of her investigation. After she'd done that, she said, in conclusion, 'This is what I think happened: Moraine and a few of her friends went to "the Drink" a few evenings ago. There, they were noticed by the Sea Ghoul cultists who decided, rightly or wrongly, that no one would miss them. On their way home, the cultists grabbed one of them, Kizzy, who got separated from the others. The next day, Kizzy's co-workers told the town guards that she was missing. The town guards laughed and said that no one cared. Possibly because they've been subverted by the Sea Ghoul cultists. Anyway, Moraine was excited about her daughter coming to see her today, so she continued her preparations for that. She baked her cake in her friends' kitchen and then walked home late that evening. I'd guess the cultists had been lying low for a few days, just in case someone made a real effort to investigate Kizzy's disappearance, but when they saw an opportunity, they took it. Moraine was walking around on her own, in the twilight; so, they kidnapped her.'
'All right,' said Gareth. 'What do you propose we do next? How can we find the cultists' hideout?'
'The Drink is a meeting place for cultists. Someone there will know. Maybe there's a way to access the hideout from there. I'm fairly sure the cultists built their hideout somewhere underground; maybe it's underneath the Drink.'
'That's a lot of maybes,' said Yslena dubiously.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Jana sobbed into Elys's shoulder while Catharne worriedly rubbed up against them.
'S-sorry,' said Jana, rubbing her eyes. 'I shouldn't be like this.
'You don't have to be tough all the time,' said Elys.
'B-but… if I don't… who's going to look after you?' Jana asked.
'I can look after myself, silly. That's what dragon breath is for.'
'Oh, right,' Jana mumbled. 'I'm the bodyguard of a girl who can spit magical flames. You don't really need me, do you?'
'You're just here to look decorative,' said Elys, giving her a playful poke.
The relationship between Jana and Elys was like an idealized version of sisterhood. They were very sweet together, but their relationship had very little in common with any real bonds between sisters Bellona had ever seen. Sisters were all different, as different as people were: some sisters were bitter rivals, some despised each other, and some just got on each other's nerves; some took each other for granted, some didn't understand each other, and some loved each other very much but were reticent about showing it. Presumably, somewhere there were sisters who were just as loving and playfully affectionate as Jana and Elys were. It's just that Bellona had never met any of them. She thought that might be because Jana and Elys' relationship was, in a way, artificial. Their "sisterly" behaviour masked the reality of their relationship: they were mistress and servant. Elys held all the power in their relationship, if they ever thought about it like that.
Occasionally, Bellona wondered what insecurities lay buried in their subconscious minds. Jana must know that if she ever displeased her mistress she could be sent away and lose everything. Did she ever worry about that? Elys seemed to value Jana's friendship, but did she ever worry that if she didn't come from a relatively rich and powerful family Jana wouldn't want to be her friend? Bellona didn't know. And it probably wasn't a good idea to try to bring those fears out into the open. At least not right now.
'We need a plan,' said Gareth. 'I think we should…'
What did Gareth (and Bellona and Yslena) decide to do next?
[] Frontal assault! (They will burst into the Drink and attempt to subdue everyone they find inside.)
[] Sneaky sneaky! (Bellona will sneak into the Drink and search for a hidden entrance to the Sea Ghoul cultists' underground hideout.)
[] Rally the troops! (Gareth will take command of some of Flawse's men and use them to attack the Drink.)
[] Assault on multiple fronts! (With Flawse's help, they will attempt to identify several of the cultist's meeting places. With the aid of Flawse's soldiers, they will attack all of them at once.)
[] We need a distraction! (Bellona will sneak into the Drink and search for a hidden entrance to the Sea Ghoul cultists' underground hideout. Meanwhile, Gareth and Yslena will attempt to distract everyone who might otherwise notice her sneaking around.)
[] Something else! (Write in)
Who's going to look after Elys, Jana, and Catharne while this is going on?
[] Flawse can look after them.
[] Summon Mishrak to look after them.
[] Summon a different god to look after them. (Write in: who?)
[] That priest of Ydrassa didn't seem suspicious at all! He can look after them!
[] Someone else! (Write in)
*
In Summation
There was no real need for her to stay and wait to talk to Reeta; she had no reason to doubt Jancey and Xantha when they said that Moraine had offered to help their colleague with the money she needed to leave Flotsam and start a new life somewhere else. She didn't particularly need to know the details. Nevertheless, Bellona stayed because she was curious; she wanted to see the woman whom Moraine had tried to help. Unless she saw proof with her own eyes, she wasn't sure whether she could believe that Jana's neglectful mother had any capacity for selflessness.
She waited until Reeta had finished with her latest client and taken some time to freshen up. After that, she asked Jancey to let her know that someone was waiting to speak to her. Soon afterwards, Reeta came downstairs, wearing a silken dressing gown. She was a slight, fragile-looking young woman with shoulder-length dark hair and tawny brown skin. 'You wanted to talk to me?' she said, looking Bellona up and down without enthusiasm.
'I heard that you want to leave this place, that you want to reinvent yourself,' said Bellona. 'I heard that Moraine Netpicker offered to help you with the money you need for your plan to go somewhere far away, where no one knows your face. Is that true?'
'It is. What of it?'
'I'm trying to find Moraine. She disappeared last night. I think she was kidnapped by the same people who kidnapped Kizzy a few nights ago.'
A sharp intake of breath. Slowly, blinking back tears, Reeta raised a hand to cover her mouth. 'Oh,' she said dismally. 'I should have expected something like this.'
'What do you mean?'
'Every time I think this world isn't such a terrible place, every time I think I might have a chance, every time I someone reaches out a hand to help me up out of the gutter…' Reeta hesitated, took a deep breath, and said, 'Every time, something like this happens.' Her face crumpled. She looked sad and weary, like she was trying not to cry.
'It's only been a few hours. I'm sure I'll find Moraine alive and well,' Bellona tried to reassure her. 'Don't despair.'
Reeta nodded mutely. Her eyes were downcast. She already seemed resigned to her fate.
'If you don't mind me asking…' Bellona paused, grimacing. After a moment, she continued, 'Hefty told me all about his "rules". One of them was "no unwilling women". Does that not apply to you? You don't seem all that "willing" to me.'
'This isn't what I hoped I'd be doing with my life. If I could choose to do anything, I wouldn't have chosen this job,' Reeta admitted. Her lips quirked in a ghastly parody of a smile. 'Still, I'm here by my own choice. Because all the other options available to me were even worse. Working here as a prostitute… it's not ideal, but it's better than being a slave. Better than being tied to a cruel man who demands his "marital rights" every night.' Under her breath, she muttered, 'Better than being thought of as a murderess. Believe me, I know.'
'Hefty said pretty much the same thing.'
'Yeah? Well, he might have been thinking of me when he said that. Probably was.'
Although she'd only had hints as to what Reeta's life had been like until this point, Bellona thought that her circumstances seemed very similar to Moraine's: both of them had been shunned by their neighbours because of things that had happened in the past, things they couldn't change. Perhaps they'd made the wrong choices, perhaps they'd hurt people and spread their misery around, but that didn't mean they were undeserving of sympathy. Neither of them had much of chance to do better without some outside help. Bellona had done her best to help Moraine; silently, she vowed that if – for whatever reason – Moraine was unable to live up to her promise to this woman, she would offer to help her instead.
She counted out five silver shards. 'For your time,' she said, handing them to Reeta, who looked astonished. That amount of money was probably as much as she made in a week. Bellona didn't mind; she'd paid two shards to the bartender at the Drink and received nothing but lies in return. She had plenty of money and not much to spend it on; as if to prove it, she counted out two more piles of shards and said, 'Please give these to Jancey and Xantha next time you see them.' Of course, she could have given them the money herself, but she didn't want to disturb them while they were working.
Finally, before Bellona departed the brothel on Lower Beard Street, she went back to the pantry and picked up the cake Moraine had made for Jana. Wrapping it up in a piece of cloth, she hoped it would survive a short journey. After that, she once again headed to Flawse's stronghold where she had left Elys, Jana, and Catharne in the care of Elys's parents.
In a comfortably-appointed drawing room, she found them sitting together. She heard Yslena say, 'And that's when Jack chopped down the beanstalk and Wolofhir the cloud giant tumbled to his death.'
'That's horrible!' Elys cried, aghast. 'Jack didn't have to do that!'
'Most of the Nimble Jack stories have somewhat unpleasant morals,' Yslena agreed. 'But the important thing to remember is… Oh! Belle, welcome back! Did your investigation prove fruitful?'
Only one of them was not sitting down; Jana was pacing agitatedly around the room. There was a look of wild hope in her eyes when she saw the new arrival. 'Did you find my mother?' she asked.
'I found out what happened to your mother. I found out that she's been making a better life for herself, that she hasn't fallen back into bad habits, and that yesterday she was making this for you,' said Bellona, handing her the cake. 'She was very much looking forward to seeing you.'
There was a brief silence as Jana unwrapped the cake. When she saw it, she looked like she might burst into tears. 'M-m-my mom made this? For me?'
'I didn't believe it at first, but she's changed for the better.'
'B-but that bartender–'
'He lied to us. I'm fairly sure he had something to do with her disappearance. Everything I've found out so far suggests that the bar is a front for Sea Ghoul cultists, and that they've been kidnapping people off the streets to sacrifice to their vile gods.'
'How did you find that out?' asked Gareth.
Bellona gave him and Yslena a brief summary of her investigation. After she'd done that, she said, in conclusion, 'This is what I think happened: Moraine and a few of her friends went to "the Drink" a few evenings ago. There, they were noticed by the Sea Ghoul cultists who decided, rightly or wrongly, that no one would miss them. On their way home, the cultists grabbed one of them, Kizzy, who got separated from the others. The next day, Kizzy's co-workers told the town guards that she was missing. The town guards laughed and said that no one cared. Possibly because they've been subverted by the Sea Ghoul cultists. Anyway, Moraine was excited about her daughter coming to see her today, so she continued her preparations for that. She baked her cake in her friends' kitchen and then walked home late that evening. I'd guess the cultists had been lying low for a few days, just in case someone made a real effort to investigate Kizzy's disappearance, but when they saw an opportunity, they took it. Moraine was walking around on her own, in the twilight; so, they kidnapped her.'
'All right,' said Gareth. 'What do you propose we do next? How can we find the cultists' hideout?'
'The Drink is a meeting place for cultists. Someone there will know. Maybe there's a way to access the hideout from there. I'm fairly sure the cultists built their hideout somewhere underground; maybe it's underneath the Drink.'
'That's a lot of maybes,' said Yslena dubiously.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Jana sobbed into Elys's shoulder while Catharne worriedly rubbed up against them.
'S-sorry,' said Jana, rubbing her eyes. 'I shouldn't be like this.
'You don't have to be tough all the time,' said Elys.
'B-but… if I don't… who's going to look after you?' Jana asked.
'I can look after myself, silly. That's what dragon breath is for.'
'Oh, right,' Jana mumbled. 'I'm the bodyguard of a girl who can spit magical flames. You don't really need me, do you?'
'You're just here to look decorative,' said Elys, giving her a playful poke.
The relationship between Jana and Elys was like an idealized version of sisterhood. They were very sweet together, but their relationship had very little in common with any real bonds between sisters Bellona had ever seen. Sisters were all different, as different as people were: some sisters were bitter rivals, some despised each other, and some just got on each other's nerves; some took each other for granted, some didn't understand each other, and some loved each other very much but were reticent about showing it. Presumably, somewhere there were sisters who were just as loving and playfully affectionate as Jana and Elys were. It's just that Bellona had never met any of them. She thought that might be because Jana and Elys' relationship was, in a way, artificial. Their "sisterly" behaviour masked the reality of their relationship: they were mistress and servant. Elys held all the power in their relationship, if they ever thought about it like that.
Occasionally, Bellona wondered what insecurities lay buried in their subconscious minds. Jana must know that if she ever displeased her mistress she could be sent away and lose everything. Did she ever worry about that? Elys seemed to value Jana's friendship, but did she ever worry that if she didn't come from a relatively rich and powerful family Jana wouldn't want to be her friend? Bellona didn't know. And it probably wasn't a good idea to try to bring those fears out into the open. At least not right now.
'We need a plan,' said Gareth. 'I think we should…'
What did Gareth (and Bellona and Yslena) decide to do next?
[] Frontal assault! (They will burst into the Drink and attempt to subdue everyone they find inside.)
[] Sneaky sneaky! (Bellona will sneak into the Drink and search for a hidden entrance to the Sea Ghoul cultists' underground hideout.)
[] Rally the troops! (Gareth will take command of some of Flawse's men and use them to attack the Drink.)
[] Assault on multiple fronts! (With Flawse's help, they will attempt to identify several of the cultist's meeting places. With the aid of Flawse's soldiers, they will attack all of them at once.)
[] We need a distraction! (Bellona will sneak into the Drink and search for a hidden entrance to the Sea Ghoul cultists' underground hideout. Meanwhile, Gareth and Yslena will attempt to distract everyone who might otherwise notice her sneaking around.)
[] Something else! (Write in)
Who's going to look after Elys, Jana, and Catharne while this is going on?
[] Flawse can look after them.
[] Summon Mishrak to look after them.
[] Summon a different god to look after them. (Write in: who?)
[] That priest of Ydrassa didn't seem suspicious at all! He can look after them!
[] Someone else! (Write in)
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- Location
- Earth
[X] Sneaky sneaky! (Bellona will sneak into the Drink and search for a hidden entrance to the Sea Ghoul cultists' underground hideout.)
[X] Flawse can look after them.
I'm pretty sure Catharne can look after them, but it's good to have an adult.
I assume the Sneaky sneaky plan has Gareth and Yslena waiting nearby for when the manure is distributed by the rotary device?
I hope things improve for you @Chandagnac
[X] Flawse can look after them.
I'm pretty sure Catharne can look after them, but it's good to have an adult.
I assume the Sneaky sneaky plan has Gareth and Yslena waiting nearby for when the manure is distributed by the rotary device?
I hope things improve for you @Chandagnac
The story is fine, please, if this is becoming too much don't over focus on it, the quest is great but your health is important. Please say if there's anything that can be done.Ugh. Lately, my writing has slowed to a glacial pace. I think I've barely managed one hundred words per hour. Anyway, it's late, I'm sleep-deprived, and I don't have time to edit this tonight. If there's anything majorly wrong with it, I'll sort it out tomorrow afternoon.
- Location
- Canada
[X] Sneaky sneaky! (Bellona will sneak into the Drink and search for a hidden entrance to the Sea Ghoul cultists' underground hideout.)
[X] Flawse can look after them.
[X] Flawse can look after them.
- Location
- Earth
We need to get Jana's mum back for the heartwarming reunion! And cake!
[X] Sneaky sneaky! (Bellona will sneak into the Drink and search for a hidden entrance to the Sea Ghoul cultists' underground hideout.)
[X] Flawse can look after them.
I know Bellona said sisters, but it feels like that could apply to siblings as well. So I was gonna talk about how my brother and I aren't like that, but then I remembered we mostly communicate through Facebook memes
[X] Sneaky sneaky! (Bellona will sneak into the Drink and search for a hidden entrance to the Sea Ghoul cultists' underground hideout.)
[X] Flawse can look after them.
I know Bellona said sisters, but it feels like that could apply to siblings as well. So I was gonna talk about how my brother and I aren't like that, but then I remembered we mostly communicate through Facebook memes
Hye
Reader of The Long Words
- Location
- In the middle of a story
[X] Sneaky sneaky! (Bellona will sneak into the Drink and search for a hidden entrance to the Sea Ghoul cultists' underground hideout.)
-[X] Have Gareth and Yslena prepare back up in case things go pear shaped.
[X] Flawse can look after them.
-[X] Have Gareth and Yslena prepare back up in case things go pear shaped.
[X] Flawse can look after them.
Obviously, as seen earlier, she is not spitting magical flames. She's spitting hot rhymes!
This option doesn't seem suspicious at all! We should take it!
I agree with the sibling part as well, but even between siblings there are differences. I am close to my older sister, and we can easily joke around, playfully make fun of each other. But I can't really do the same with my younger siblings. And there's roughly the same age difference between my younger brother and my younger sister, as there is between me and my older sister, yet they don't have the same type of relationship.I know Bellona said sisters, but it feels like that could apply to siblings as well. So I was gonna talk about how my brother and I aren't like that, but then I remembered we mostly communicate through Facebook memes
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- Location
- St. Petersburg
Don't worry, he probably deserved it. And if he didn't, subseqent retellings of the story would ensure he did.
Eh, one could say 'masked', another would say 'complemented'. The situation is not as clear cut as an employment with both of them being close friends. They both recognize the fact that the supposed charge has more capability to protect herself than her bodyguard, and should danger arise, it is not clear who'd be protecting whom. Her parents would prefer it one way, of course, but Elys has her own mind (well, SV's mind) and would probably take risks for Jana's sake as well.
As for displeasing her mistress, Jana would have to do something truly unpleasant for Elys to send her away, which would likely ruin the friendship first, employment second... and she probably wouldn't want to stay if things ever get that ugly. What's the point of worrying about it?
[X] Sneaky sneaky! (Bellona will sneak into the Drink and search for a hidden entrance to the Sea Ghoul cultists' underground hideout.)
-[X] Have Gareth and Yslena prepare back up in case things go pear shaped.
[X] Flawse can look after them.
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
Yeah, that would make sense.
Thank you. I'm okay. Still alive. Don't worry too much.
I'm in edit mode right now. If I see any errors, or if I think any of the sentences in that last chapter are inelegant, I'll change them.
I'm imagining Yslena charging into battle, yelling, 'For the cake!'
I know Bellona said sisters, but it feels like that could apply to siblings as well. So I was gonna talk about how my brother and I aren't like that, but then I remembered we mostly communicate through Facebook memes
Yeah, "sisters" was the word Bellona used, but she could just as well have used the word "siblings".
Well, yeah. That's kind of the point. I've written the last few chapters from Bellona's point of view, but that doesn't mean she's right about everything. She's dead wrong about some things. [Insert crap joke about how she's dead wrong because she's a necromancer. And bla bla bla...
]Her status as an outsider is an important facet of Bellona's character. She's an outsider because she's a foreigner, because she's a necromancer, and because she's an antisocial loner who prefers the company of books to her fellow human beings. She was born in Suantum, a great Chamdarese port city, and spent much of her early life there; because she's not a native Quellonian, she struggles to understand some of the things that come instinctively to someone like Yslena (or Gareth to a lesser extent). Also, even if they like and respect them (which not everybody does), most people think necromancers are weird and creepy. Thanks to the powerful magic at her disposal, Bellona solved the mystery of Moraine's disappearance fairly easily (well, it wasn't a terribly complicated mystery), but I don't think she has what it takes to be a great detective; she doesn't understand her fellow human beings well enough.
She looks at Jana and Elys' deep friendship/sisterly relationship and is weirded out by it because she thinks it's a bit too idyllic. Cynically, she expects to see flaws when she takes a closer look. She thinks, 'If I were in that situation, I'd worry about this, this, and this.' She doesn't realise that Jana and Elys' relationship isn't that complicated: they are genuinely great friends and like each other very much. They're not hiding or masking anything.
Bellona is wrong about Jana and Elys' relationship. Her analysis doesn't tell you anything about them that you didn't already know (in fact, it's unintentionally misleading). On the other hand, it probably reveals quite a lot about Bellona, how she thinks, and what kind of person she is, right? (Is it ironic that Bellona set out to analyse Elys and Jana and "what insecurities lay buried in their subconscious minds", but ended up revealing more about herself and her own deeply hidden insecurities? You be the judge!)
So yeah, Bellona is dead wrong about a number of things. That'll be important later, when she gets utterly blindsided by something... [/Dramatic hinting! Evil laughter!]
*
Here's the vote tally so far:
I'm going to leave it open for a few days. If you want to vote, please go ahead.
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