What do you mean, all this time and we still don't know Mom's favorite food?! (Original Urban Fantasy Quest)

Weldon and Co.--8:30 2
Sorry for the delay, this was oddly hard to write.



"So do you happen to know what it might be? I heard from Suzanne that you might know something about it."

"Hm, is Suzanne the mousy young woman who likes butterflies?"

"Yes! Do you know her?"

"No, Versalia pointed her here for a small favor once. Speaking of, her favorite food, huh?" Mary smiles wrily, "Funny you say that. I don't think I ever learned what it is."

Your face falls.

"But! What I can tell you," she continues, "is that whatever it is, it's something meat based."

"What do you mean?" A faint inkling of a memory starts to ripple in your mind.

"When I asked if there was anything she would like to have, whenever I've invited her for dinner, her only request is ever—and I quote: "Anything with meat in it.""

An old lesson from your "Evolution of Spellcasting" class finally surfaces. It was suddenly seeing your sphinx professor have an excited face as they stopped lecturing and really started to discuss the subject they had been researching for centuries instead. Specifically, why carnivorous or omnivorous animals tend to develop magical abilities more often. With that memory turning in your mind, you ask: "Does it have to be meat? Or just any kind of... Animal product, I suppose?"

"Hm… Now that you mention it," Mary muses, "I think Versalia's fine with just eggs. She won't turn down a good omelette."

"Makes sense, makes sense," you run your fingers over your phone, letting the new information sink in. I never thought about it, but even an Unawakened Dragonblood would probably need the extra mana. And I should probably let Ashy know whenever I get a chance.

"Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?" at Mary's question, you snap out of your current train of thought to one that had been at the back of your mind ever since she had asked about Miss Versalia.

Well, the more the merrier, as they say. "Yeah," you nod, "Some of us are throwing her a surprise party for her tomorrow at 6 in the evening. Feel free to come!"

"Hm, a surprise party at 6?" Mary's expression turns bemused, and she looks over you again, "Who do you mean by "us?"

"Oh, we're, um... People Miss Versalia's given a helping hand a lot in the past..." you say vaguely. A flash of lightning seemed to jump in Mary's eyes, though, and her tone turned astonished as she asks:

"Are you also one of the girls from that cult she's found? The one all those years back?"

"I…" You trail off to stare at her for a minute, your mind finally blanking. On her part, Mary slaps a hand over her mouth, mortified.

"Oh, oh no, I'm sorry, that was inappropriate of me."

"Yeah, yeah! We were, you're right," you hurriedly say, feeling the awkward tension starting to cloud the atmosphere, "Just... Not something I expect to hear, you know. Just kind of getting brought up all of a sudden. Who knew Mom was so good at finding cults to forbidden power, right?" You laugh lightheartedly, or try to anyway. Mary's expression was uncomfortably apologetic, and awkwardness still hung around you both like a cloud.

"Knowing her, she probably runs headfirst into that kind of business," Mary chuckles, voice strained, then falls into an awkward silence.

... Ah, whatever, social propriety can suck it. You take a deep breath, then gently clarify: "I've personally moved on from what happened with the cult stuff now, just to be clear. Not everyone else has, but I want to let you know I'm not offended or anything, just honestly surprised since..." You shrug, "... Since it's not something I expect getting brought up. At least, I've never met anyone who ran around asking people "hey, have you ever been in a cult?" I don't know about you, though."

Mary relaxes, then chuckles and shakes her head, "No, I can't say I have."

"So, see you at the party tomorrow?" You offer again, and Mary smiles warmly.

"I'll try."

All in all, not a bad result, if you did say so yourself.



[Storm-Seer-Xinyai]: guess what i found ;)

[DukeGremory]: Relevant information?

[Storm-Seer-Xinyai]: just lemme tell you how i'm feelin



Storm-Seer-Xinyai is typing...



[DukeGremory]: Please don't just copypaste the Rickroll again

[419-12-21-17]: Get to the point.

[Storm-Seer-Xinyai]: she likes meat

[DukeGremory]: I'm with Annie, no jokes please

[Storm-Seer-Xinyai]: im not!!!!!!!

[Storm-Seer-Xinyai]: her fav is prob smth w/innate mana

[Storm-Seer-Xinyai]: so meat

[DukeGremory]: … Honey isn't a meat, Annie



419-12-21-17 is typing…



[Storm-Seer-Xinyai]: tell Ashy <3

[419-12-21-17]: Honey is created by bees, and as a part of that process, they suck nectar up into their abdomens to regurgitate it later. Therefore, honey collects mana because it passes through the body of a living, magic-capable creature.

[Storm-Seer-Xinyai]: TMI ewww


[DukeGremory] is typing...



You leave them to their arguing as you contemplate what to do next.

[ ] Visit the Acrux Orphanage.
-[ ] Her grandpa had some connections with someone in this place, right?
-[ ] If you remember right, Suzanne works here now and in particular is fairly close to Mom.
-[ ] Take some time, look around! You might get lucky.


[ ] Head to the library…?
-[ ] Kiyoto might be there! Last you heard, he did become co-op buddies with her.
-[ ] Maybe this "Richard" person is one of the necromancers working here.
-[ ] Take some time, look around! You might get lucky.


[ ] Head to the emergency center Mom used to work at. Save Ashy some effort since she's already doing the legwork by cooking the dish.
-[ ] Maybe you can catch Wendy? She still might know something.
--[ ] Maybe she might know Theodore?
-[ ] If you're really lucky, maybe you can find out more about her from Charlotte…
-[ ] Would the necromancer she's friends with work here…?
-[ ] Take some time, look around! You might get lucky.


[ ] Head for the shopping center. Mom places great pride on her appearance, so she would likely have some friends to be found there. (Low time penalty)
-[ ] Maybe the tailor Lily mentioned is Mary?
-[ ] She gifted you some jewelry from her favorite jeweler before, and you're pretty sure she's friendly enough with the owner to have commissioned them.
-[ ] Maybe someone would know the necromancer she's friends with if you ask around, since she's met him when shopping.
-[ ] Take some time, look around! You might get lucky.


[ ] Go to Cafe Canopus, maybe Drake knows some gossip that can help.


[ ] Head to Fountainpoint Circle, see if Mary is at home right now. (Takes 30 minutes to arrive)


[ ] Visit her house! Maybe her grandfather is home? (Takes 30 minutes to arrive)

[ ] You've got enough information now! You'll just have to tell everyone what it is.

Or wait... You have an idea...
[ ] Write-in
 
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That's an interesting piece of lore. So it's possible Versalia gave different answers to us all because she might have just ememorized the foods suitable to her, making this a situation where 'all of the answers are correct', albeit to different extents?

[X] Head for the shopping center. Mom places great pride on her appearance, so she would likely have some friends to be found there. (Low time penalty)
-[X] She gifted you some jewelry from her favorite jeweler before, and you're pretty sure she's friendly enough with the owner to have commissioned them.

We're here already, so this is more time-efficient.
 
[X] Head for the shopping center. Mom places great pride on her appearance, so she would likely have some friends to be found there. (Low time penalty)
-[X] She gifted you some jewelry from her favorite jeweler before, and you're pretty sure she's friendly enough with the owner to have commissioned them.
 
[X] Head for the shopping center. Mom places great pride on her appearance, so she would likely have some friends to be found there. (Low time penalty)
-[X] She gifted you some jewelry from her favorite jeweler before, and you're pretty sure she's friendly enough with the owner to have commissioned them.
 
So it's possible Versalia gave different answers to us all because she might have just ememorized the foods suitable to her, making this a situation where 'all of the answers are correct', albeit to different extents?
Yes--that's very much possible, and there are different degrees of success here.
I'll say... Versalia herself is a... She's a character.

Adhoc vote count started by MagewyrmMira on Aug 18, 2023 at 9:21 PM, finished with 3 posts and 3 votes.

  • [X] Head for the shopping center. Mom places great pride on her appearance, so she would likely have some friends to be found there. (Low time penalty)
    -[X] She gifted you some jewelry from her favorite jeweler before, and you're pretty sure she's friendly enough with the owner to have commissioned them.



Closing votes and working on the update now, thank you!
 
8:40--Funi Jewelry
A quick question to Garrar and a jaunt across a block found you staring into the windows of an intimidatingly fancy store, filled with dozens of display cases of jewelry. The details were hard to pick out in the dim lights from just pressing your face to the windows, but you do notice that most pieces didn't seem to actually use gems, instead formed primarily by fanciful swirls of precious metal. That's a good sign! I definitely remember her wearing jewelry like that.
Oddly, there doesn't seem to be any magic used in the store itself, barring the usual building wardings against teleportation, rogue spirits, and such. Not even an anti-theft ward around the display cases. Part of you starts wondering if some of the wares are cursed, or if they have connections with some sort of bloc of secret magicians or something.

Speaking of the dim lights. You try the door to find it locked, and peer inside. Most of the store seemed to be closed, but there was a security guard with short blonde hair and glasses sitting behind a desk, tapping away on a computer. Maybe they're part of the secret cabal of super security agents? You dismiss that train of thought for later, then rap on the glass a few times to get their attention. They look up, mouth pressed to a thin line. Like Annie's expression, whenever she's internally contemplating if it would be worth the jail time to defenestrate you.

They point to the closed door, and you try it again--Wait. Oh. Store hours are from 10:00-22:00 today.

Hm.



[ ] Might as well as come back later, then. Where to go next…?
- [ ] Write-in

[ ] Tap on the glass until the security guard actually comes to talk with you. They'll give in eventually, right?

[ ] Write-in
 
it'll be a while before they open, so let's head somewhere else

[X] Might as well as come back later, then. Where to go next…?
-[X] Head to the library…?
--[X] Kiyoto might be there! Last you heard, he did become co-op buddies with her.
 
[X] Might as well as come back later, then. Where to go next…?
-[X] Head to the library…?
--[X] Kiyoto might be there! Last you heard, he did become co-op buddies with her.

Seems like a workable idea.
 
[X] Might as well as come back later, then. Where to go next…?
-[X] Head to the library…?
--[X] Kiyoto might be there! Last you heard, he did become co-op buddies with her.
 
Seems unanimous, then! I'll get to working on the update now.
Scheduled vote count started by MagewyrmMira on Aug 3, 2023 at 9:15 PM, finished with 18 posts and 3 votes.

  • [X] Might as well as come back later, then. Where to go next…?
    -[X] Head to the library…?
    --[X] Kiyoto might be there! Last you heard, he did become co-op buddies with her.
 
8:55--Kaitos Library
Excuse me for the late update, the last week had gotten more hectic than I was anticipating. ^^;

Who else might know, who else... You step back from the glass, thinking, and your mind drifts to your friend Kiyoto. You had introduced him to Mom because they both enjoyed similar action games, and… Last you heard, they got along splendidly?
A quick glance at the time and usual traffic had you catching a bus to the library, hoping that Kiyoto would still be on his morning walk by the time you arrive.


Though apparently, you didn't need to worry.

"Thousand heavens!" Kiyoto's swear rang more in your mind than your ears, which... While not a great sign, did mean that he was still here, "is there a single groundskeeper around who isn't a skeleton?"

"I'm not a skeleton nor a groundskeeper, do I still count?" you call out.

There was a pause, and then the pruned bushrows shake as a large fox leaps out, leaving flickering afterimages in blue as he settles on the ornamental fence in front of you, tilting his head as he asks in your mind: "Viola? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you," you reply, narrowing your eyes, "Did something happen?" in particular, his medium was missing from around his neck. He isn't the careless type, how did he lose that?

"You don't have to worry about that," he punctuates the statement with a weird, bark-like sound that you guessed was annoyance or a equivalent of a scowl. "One of the shikigami stole my bell."

Ah. A mildly more difficult shikigami wrangling session than usual. "Not a good sign for them... Is it?"

"Maybe. She learned to mimic human mannerisms faster than most of the others I've coached before," Kiyoto flicks his tail as he muses, "Though... She also tends to… What's that one phrase? Put her foot in her mouth? Bite off more than she could chew? One of the two."

"Huh, who is it?" Mentally, you run through the shikigami you knew he was working with at the moment. There was his old friend Hana, a toad who called himself Buster, a sibling pair of some kind of fish...

"Dora. The, uh… Lynx, I think they're called?"

"Wait," you blink, "is she the one who ended up having the police called on her because she tried to strike out on her own and was seen eating birds raw at the park?"

He laughs. "Ah, so you've heard about that!"

"Yeah, I heard about the incident from Annie."

"It's a lesson for next time," Kiyoto does what you think is a shrug, then focuses on you, fixing you with a piercing gaze from eyes positively glowing with power, and you feel a shiver run up your spine in spite of yourself, under his truth-unveiling stare. "But that's enough about me, you said you wanted to talk, right?" He realizes what he might be doing and breaks his gaze, turning his head to look to the side instead.

"Sort of. As in, it's about Miss Versalia," you say, and immediately see him tense, his mana suddenly becoming sharper and his afterimages more solid, rustling the bushes behind him as his tail lashed. "Nothing bad!" You hastily amend, "She's fine! Or well, nothing else has happened. She's still depressed, from what I know." Whoa, just how close are they? I thought they just met about two months ago!

"Ah..." he droops and slumps down on the fence, resting his head on his paws, "She's been trying to hide how much she's been hurt. I've only gotten my information on what happened from the news, but last time we've played Mythblade together, I think I accidentally called her right after she had been crying. Though she claimed she just caught ill."

"Yeah… Even now, all I can think is how she always tries to keep a smile on her face for us, as long as I've known her…" you sigh and sit down next to him, and then feel something leathery and warm press against the back of your hand. "But that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Yes?" his ears perk up, and he raises his head, shifting his paw off you.

"You see, I'm trying to find out her favorite food…


[ ] "Do you happen to know anyone we can talk to for figuring that out?"

[ ] "By any chance, would you know what it is? Or at least what it isn't?"

[ ] "She's… I think she might have been lying to us about what it is.
- [ ] Can you confirm that for us?"
- [ ] What's… Your opinion on that? Do you know why she would?"


Also:
[ ] "Do you want some help with finding your shikigami?" Besides, I know how much he treasures his bell.
 
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let's get right to the point... and also help out

[X] "By any chance, would you know what it is? Or at least what it isn't?"
-[X] "Do you want some help with finding your shikigami?" Besides, I know how much he treasures his bell.
 
[X] "By any chance, would you know what it is? Or at least what it isn't?"
-[X] "Do you want some help with finding your shikigami?" Besides, I know how much he treasures his bell.

Seems a good option as any. Getting more people to help out would certainly boost our odds.
 
[X] "By any chance, would you know what it is? Or at least what it isn't?"
-[X] "Do you want some help with finding your shikigami?" Besides, I know how much he treasures his bell.
 
Alright, I'll be working on the update now!

Thank you for your patience, everyone. Things have been extraordinarily busy on my end, but hopefully things should calm down a little.
Scheduled vote count started by MagewyrmMira on Aug 29, 2023 at 10:31 PM, finished with 3 posts and 3 votes.

  • [X] "By any chance, would you know what it is? Or at least what it isn't?"
    -[X] "Do you want some help with finding your shikigami?" Besides, I know how much he treasures his bell.
 
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