Thread #6384393
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on moonless nights, white lilies wilt in the dark
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previous: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Mahiru
FAQ
Q: What the hell are you doing?
That’s a good question, man
Q: What’s this all about?
Eating mall pretzels, spending exorbitant amounts of money, and hanging out with friends.
Q: No but seriously, what is this?
This is a multiplayer Madoka quest, where some gucas made magical girls and are fucking around in a world of my design. We currently have three players, including our resident autist Clover, aristocratic abomination Hermione, and normal girl Lorene.
Q: How do I play if I’m not one of those three girls?
If a new magical girl is created as a result of a player’s actions (probably Hermione), that girl will be piloted by popular vote. Otherwise, I apologize; given that I’d like this story to have a beginning and an end, I don’t think I can maintain narrative integrity while adding in random additional gucas. Hopefully reading along is passable enough regardless.
Q: What if I can’t understand Clover’s autistic fucking text messages?
Believe me, I can barely understand them too, and I have to actually write some of them. I guess you’ll have to find some middle-schooler to translate for you, or you could ask the source directly and hope you don’t just get an ‘awoo’ in reply.
Q: What are you supposed to do when you lose a friend?
I don’t really know.
As usual, if you have any questions or concerns with anything, just let me know :P. Alright, enough fucking around, let’s get this show on the road.
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CHARACTER INTRODUCTION
€ Hermione Rockefeller €
Age: 14
Profile: The world is divided into the haves and the have-nots. It is the role of the haves to rule, and the role of the have-nots to kneel. If everyone just accepted their place in society, the world would be an orderly place. With her at the top, of course.
Hermione Rockefeller was born in the lap of luxury. Her family once ruled the nation with their monopoly, and the benefit of that fortune persisted through the generations. As an inheritor of that prestigious line, she was destined for greatness, destined for all the admiration of her peers, and yet- she’d had none of that at all. Crippled by generations of inbreeding, and about as attractive as vomit, she eventually discovered that almost all her classmates preferred to flock around those whores blessed with beauty, no matter how much money she threw around from her allowance. It wasn’t fair. She was supposed to have it all. And she would have it all, for that was her birthright.
Magical power: Illusions. Those girls really weren’t as pretty as they thought they were, and she was actually very attractive, thank you very much. Limited to visual images. Can extend to fill a room.
Stats:
£ Physical Affinity: 1 / Weak as shit, but brute strength is for commoners anyway.
λ Magical Affinity: 5 / The world is exactly how she pictures it.
彡 Dexterity: 3 / Barely average, but that’s what chauffeurs are for.
メ Perception: 2 / She couldn’t care less about what those mongrels were doing.
⸫ Wisdom: 4 / Can understand enough to get what she wants.
π Intelligence: 6 / At the very least, her mind wasn’t crippled by all the congenital defects.
ღ Charisma: 7 / What she wants is what she gets.
φ Mind: 3 / She definitely doesn’t get scared or nervous or shaky or self-conscious, because that would be beneath her.
Ω Constitution: 3 / Don’t call her wimpy.
Wish: Respect.
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€ Hermione Rockefeller €
Morning light filters through the tall glass windows of the Rockefeller estate. The soft tapping of house slippers echoes in the hallway as a young girl makes her way to the breakfast room, analog camera hanging from her neck as she taps out her schedule for the day on her cellphone.
“Miss Hermione, w-would you like me to carry that camera for you?”
The girl abruptly stops, giving a sharp glance toward the source of that timid voice. The young maid tries her best to appear composed, though the slight trembling in her hands gives her away. Hm. Must be one of the new trainees. Hermione considers it for a moment, before shrugging. “Very well.” She lifts the camera from her shoulders and hands it to the maid, before continuing on her way, tapping disinterestedly at her phone once more. “Follow closely behind me. Stop stuttering. And fix your collar, will you?”
“Yes, ma’am, o-of course.”
Breakfast was the usual dull affair. The girl cuts into her delicately poached egg with a well-mannered air, eating in silence. Aside from the maid, she was alone in the breakfast room, as might be expected. After she finishes and the dishes are taken away, she holds out her hand and the maid obediently gives her the camera.
Placing the grief seed next to a vase of flowers, she adjusts a few of the settings before snapping a quick picture. She hands the camera back to the maid. “Here, take this to be developed. The head butler should know the process, if you find yourself confused.”
“Yes ma’am, thank you, ma’am!” The maid scurries off.
Hermione lets out a heavy sigh, kneading at her forehead for a moment, before composing herself once more. With a small flash and a few sparkles, a white quiver floats at her side, and she drops the grief seed in, before it vanishes as quickly as it appeared. She looks at her schedule on her phone as she begins making her way back to her room. A busy day awaited. The photo would take a few hours to develop, but it’d likely be ready before she headed for the charities.
She raises her arms as her attendants dress her for the day. Sporting a simple floral sundress, a sunhat, white gloves, and just a spritz of lemon perfume, she does a small spin in front of the mirror and gives it her most winning smile. What a pretty girl. Her face becomes neutral once more. She was ready to depart. She glances at her schedule one last time as she shoulders a small purse. Ugly 1 was first on the list.
>Head out?
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CHARACTER INTRODUCTION
χ Clover Beets χ
Age: 13
Profile: On all levels but physical, Clover Beets is a wolf.
Wolves are awesome. Gaming is awesome. Being cool is awesome. Clover’s a very simple girl. If all these things are so fucking awesome, who wouldn’t sign a deal to make her life peak existence? She gets to have a pack, she gets to go on hunts, she gets to show her older brother Henry that she’s NOT an autist and is actually the coolest person in the world! Life sometimes sucks, like when mom died and dad kept buying beer and no one wants to talk to the wolf-girl at school because of her totally intimidating aura, but when you’re a wolf, life’s great! …For the most part. Things never seem to go the way she wants, and it always seems like she messes things up one way or another, but whatever the case, wolves just have to keep moving forward!
Magical power: Pack-leader. Sure, that one documentary mentioned that wolves sometimes kill other wolves and rarely accept others into their pack, but that’s not how true wolves do it! True wolves earn the respect of their comrades, and lead a gang despite also being loners somehow! Has the ability to accept people into her pack. Pack members must willingly join, and willingly wear the wolf-ear headbands she manifests to remain part of the pack. Currently packmates with Melissa Holmstead.
Can also talk to dogs. Not cats though, they’re lame.
Stats:
£ Physical Affinity: 5 / Strong enough to protect her pack!
λ Magical Affinity: 4 / Joining her pack is definitely really cool and not a scam!
彡 Dexterity: 5 / Fast enough to hunt!
メ Perception: 5 / Surprisingly observant. Aware of when things are getting dangerous.
⸫ Wisdom: 4 / Wise enough to understand her pack!
π Intelligence: 2 / Not the sharpest tool in the shed, but that’s just according to lame schools!
ღ Charisma: 3 / Words come a little easier now?!
φ Mind: 4 / Now that she has a packmate by her side, the world isn’t so scary!
Ω Constitution: 4 / Can take a hit or two!
Wish: To form the largest wolf pack in the world! No, n-not friends! PACK MEMBERS!
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χ Clover Beets χ
Clover sullenly munches on her sugary cereal as she stares at her plastic cellphone, legs slowly swinging back and forth under her chair. She rests her chin on the wooden dinner table as she stares at the words on the screen, tilting it this way and that, hoping it’d somehow say something different.
No such luck. Holm-Holm still wasn’t going to be available until the afternoon. The wolf-girl pouts. Did Holmsie even care about the pack at all? After a few more minutes of listlessly pushing her cereal around in her bowl, she shakes her head and slams her hands on the table as she stands, causing the bowl to dangerously wobble. Pack-leaders didn’t mope around, they led their pack forward, through thick and thin!
The girl scarfs down the rest of her cereal before it becomes too soggy and paces around, tapping away furiously at her phone. First, she had to check to make sure her wayward packmate was okay!
‘r u ok??????????? jus wna make sure cuz like i kno u prob have sum dtectif stuf goin on or smething bt thres scary stuf out thre n i gtta make sure ur safe cuz that’s wht packm8s do!! obv if ur busy no prezhur or anything, dn’t furget our SECRIT PHRASE if u ned hlp n see u ths afternoon!! so XCITED ^w^!!!’
She doesn’t immediately get a response, but that was to be expected, especially if Holm-Holm was super busy with cool retired detective stuff or something. Clover moves onto the next most important thing to do, which is let her brother know what’s going on! After seven messages, she gets a reply from him.
‘Holy fuck
Stop spamming texts I’m at work
I don’t care how many fucking teeth wolves have
Where are you going? I couldn’t tell if you said it or not’
Oh, right, she never even decided on an official meeting spot. Well, that was something she had to do at some point! Then she sends off a quick message to Lorene to update her and let her know the meeting might be later in the day, and puts her phone away.
Since it looked like she was going to have some time to kill, the wolf-girl decides to head back to her laptop. She wasn’t much of a news person, but she figured a good pack-leader would stay up to date on what’s going on in her territory! After typing in ‘local news’ into Google, she finds that there’s not really that much going on. Or, at least, nothing new since last night. Police still searching, some fancy local restaurant got their first Michelin star, maybe rain or light showers coming in a few days. Clover crosses her arms and leans all the way back in her chair, wondering if there was anything she could do about that information while she waited for text replies.
Thunk. Clover’s ears twitch. That was the sound of the refrigerator door closing.
…Seems like dad is up.
>What do?
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>>6384399
HOWLmies... we are SO. BACK. Glad to see this back on the board, OP! Also laughed at the text message question
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CHARACTER INTRODUCTION
Ѫ Lorene Lovelace Ѫ
Age: 14
Profile: Being poor sucks. Being taken advantage of sucks even more. That was a lesson Lorene had to learn on her own.
The world can be a dangerous place. The Lovelaces were very kind, trusting, neighborly members of their community, the very picture of generosity, but in a world this cruel and messed up, such kindness was weakness. Very few are deserving of trust, and even fewer can earn it. The only way to survive in this world is to doubt everything and everyone. It’s a lesson her family never seems to learn. She would be different. Having watched her father’s kindness been used against them time and time again, she swore then and there that she wouldn’t fall into the same trap. For their sake, she’d confront the reality of this corrupt world head-on.
Magical Power: Memory erasure. If someone can’t remember something, they can’t use it against you. Lorene can make people forget things she’d rather they not remember. Once erased, those memories can never be reclaimed. Able to target herself.
Stats:
£ Physical Affinity: 7 / She’s strong, holy fuck is she strong.
λ Magical Affinity: 2 / Deception is for swindlers and conmen.
彡 Dexterity: 4 / Fast enough.
メ Perception: 3 / Might miss a few details.
⸫ Wisdom: 4 / Truly understanding others’ intentions is indispensable.
π Intelligence: 3 / School doesn’t teach you what you really need to know.
ღ Charisma: 2 / The truth needs no embellishment.
φ Mind: 4 / Backing down is how they get you.
Ω Constitution: 5 / Tough enough to keep going, despite the pain.
Wish: End my family’s debts.
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Ѫ Lorene Lovelace Ѫ
The sounds of clinking utensils and soft conversation fill the air as Lorene cuts into her omelet, sneaking intermittent glances at her phone.
“Soooo, Ruth?” Olivia’s voice has a light-hearted teasing tone to it, like usual. “Now that your birthday passed a few days ago, do you feel any different?”
“um… i don’t know…” Ruth takes another small nibble of her toast.
“Come on, you’re part of the big one-four club now, with me and Lorene!” Olivia throws her arm around Lorene’s shoulder and shakes her a little, bringing her back into the conversation. Lorene sheepishly puts her phone back into her pocket. “Don’t you feel any older or maturer or anything?”
Ruth glances at Lorene for a moment, before looking back at her plate with downturned eyes. “not really…”
“Whaaat? But I think you’ve gotten a lot braver over the past year! What do you think, Lor?”
Lorene gives a small smile. “It’s true, Ruth. You speak up more in class now.”
Ruth shrinks in her chair, continuing to nibble at her toast. “you guys are just saying that…”
Olivia puts on a playfully stern voice. “Hey, don’t make me go over there and flick you on the forehead, young lady. We’re not liars!”
Ruth shakes her head frantically. “i-i didn’t mean it like that…!”
Lorene softly laughs.
Her phone vibrates in her pocket, bringing her back down to reality. After a moment, Lorene decides to sneak another glance at it while Olivia begins talking to Ruth about plans for the summer break. Hm. Seemed like the meeting with Clover and the detective would be taking place this afternoon. Lorene suppresses a sigh. Meeting up with them would probably be the best way for her to find her parents, but she really didn’t know how she’d explain leaving for it to her friends. Olivia would understand, she always did, but for every secret that piled up, Lorene felt the distance between her and her friends grow slightly more.
“So, what do you girls plan on doing today?” Ruth’s mom asks from the kitchen, as she scrubs a frying pan clean. “We still have great weather out there, but Olivia’s dad did ask me to keep a close eye on you all, so we can’t go too far!”
Right. She’d probably have to explain it to Ruth’s mom too.
>Well, at least the meeting’s not right away…
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>>6384408
>Turn off monitor, get back into bed and hide until dad goes back to th-
>...
>Get out of bed.
>Go check on dad.
>Keep our distance. Just because we're not by the couch doesn't mean we're safe.
>Make a mental note to look into the POLICE SEARCH news after
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€
>Depart.
Sitting in the back of a limousine with a bodyguard in a nondescript outfit and a sufficiently trustworthy maid, Hermione reviews her plans for Ugly 1. It'd be a relatively quick encounter, she’d simply go in, hand over the envelope of money along with a paltry bracelet as a gift, then the simple-minded girl would overcome whatever residual malaise she'd had from yesterday’s events and they’d be on their way. The girl did prove moderately useful through the shenanigans of the morning before, and upholding her end of the bargain with appropriate compensation was what a respectable Rockefeller was expected to do.
The girl peers out of her tinted window as they arrive in front of the apartment complex Ugly 1 and her mother lived in. The building wasn’t completely squalid or detestable, but it was still a far cry from her usual environs. There was never much point to gathering at any of the Uglys’ homes when they had the entirety of the Rockefeller estate at their disposal.
After her bodyguard politely knocks at Ugly 1’s door, the red-haired girl patiently waits outside, flanked by her two attendants. Within a few minutes, they hear a voice calling out from inside.
“Coming, coming!” The sound of a latch being drawn back briefly clunks, then Ugly 1’s mother opens the door with a smile. “Oh, hello there!” The woman glances around curiously at the three of them, before she focuses on the young girl in the center. With the slightest hesitation, she asks, “Is that you, Hermione?”
Hermione smiles gracefully. “Yes. It’s good to see you again, Mrs. Roberts.”
The woman’s hesitance melts away into genuine apology. “I’m so sorry, dear, it’s been so long that I almost didn’t recognize you! Please, come on in!”
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Hermione elegantly sits on a plain wooden chair as Ugly 1’s mother heads into the apartment's small kitchen. “Now, I’m sure you’re here to fetch Samantha, but please, could I offer you anything to drink? We have water, apple juice, and milk in the refrigerator, and we may have some other juices or drinks in the pantry if you’d like anything else?”
“No, I’m quite alright, Mrs. Roberts, thank you.” Hermione glances at her phone, keeping careful track of the time. Her attendants were to simply wait outside the apartment until she’d finished with whatever pleasantries needed to be exchanged until they could all move on with the day.
Ugly 1’s mother leans out of the kitchen. “Oh, we do have some tea bags, if you’d like! I know you girls drink tea quite a bit, Samantha has told me many stories about your tea parties.”
“No, again, I’m quite fine, Mrs. Roberts, thank you.”
“Well, if you’re sure…” The woman exits the kitchen and sits across from her at the table, laughing sheepishly. “I’m sorry if I seem a little overbearing, dear. It’s really not often that you come over, Hermione.”
Hermione smiles pleasantly. “No need to apologize at all, Mrs. Roberts. Your hospitality is greatly appreciated.”
Ugly 1’s mother adjusts the placemat in front of her slightly. “I just wanted to thank you again, Hermione, for taking such good care of my daughter. She really does appreciate it greatly, we both do.” The woman looks at her with genuine gratitude. “Samantha looks up to you a lot, you know, always telling me how mature you are, and how brave.”
“Please, you’re too kind, Mrs. Roberts. Samantha is a friend I cherish deeply, so hearing that means a lot to me.” Hermione makes a show of glancing around the apartment. “Is Samantha here? I was hoping to pick her up, so we could spend the day together with our other friends.”
“Oh, yes, Grace and Anna.” The woman continues in a friendly tone, but there’s a flash of hesitance. “I, just… Samantha has been rather exhausted since yesterday afternoon.” Her expression shows her concern. “At first I thought she just needed some rest, but she’s just been holed up in her room since she came back, and that’s unusual for her.”
Hermione puts on a sympathetic expression. “Oh dear. We did have a rather action-packed morning, and I’m sure that must have taken a lot out of her.”
The woman seems to debate something within herself, before looking up at Hermione uncertainly. “It’s just a little strange for her to be so out of sorts. I’ve asked her if she’s alright, but I’m not sure how much I should pry...” She thinks on it for a moment, before sighing. “Maybe it’s good that you’re here. It’d probably mean a lot to her to know that you came by to check up on her.”
Hermione pauses, considering the situation.
>What would you like to do?
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>>6384771
>A concerned expression. Hermione recounts how the Uglies and her intervened at the mall when Rivers had her shoulder torn bitten into. It was a shocking event and she had to staunch the bleeding herself. Hermione attributes the current mood to this.
>Hermione asks to let her talk to Ugly 1 alone first, some things a daughter won't tell in front of a parent but would tell a friend. She'll take care of everything like she always does as a friend. Though the true reason, is to get Ugly 1 to keep mum about what Hermione made her see and witness.
>Misshapen wisdom against Ugly 1's mom: current mood and what she's worried about.
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χ
>Check on Dad.
The wolf-girl remains frozen for a few minutes, holding her breath instinctively, not daring to even blink. She considers retreating to her bed and waiting it out, however long it takes, until she can hear him snoring away once more. She doesn’t move.
Dad was… still Dad, of course. He’d always be Dad, no matter what. But he had definitely changed compared to before. Clover swallows. After everything happened, after he started buying beer and drinking, it all felt a little different, a little… scarier at home. It was like he was a stranger living with them. Dad had never done anything really bad, of course, but there were a few times it was maybe close. Usually whenever she and Henry had tried to get him to stop.
Now they never really bothered him.
Clover’s lip trembles a little. Then, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Maybe… maybe it’d be a good idea to check on him. She knows Henry told her to be careful, to make sure she stayed safe, but Dad was still Dad. He still deserved to have someone look after him too, every once in a while.
The wolf-girl takes another deep breath to calm herself, then quietly stands. She creeps over to her bedroom door and inches out into the hallway, bit by bit. She can hear the soft clink of a bottlecap hitting the tile floor, the few desperate gulps that follow. She makes her way down the hall and slowly looks out, making sure to stay completely silent.
The couch in the living room was empty. Clover swallows, then continues on just a little further.
A disheveled man sits hunched over at the dinner table, brown bottle in hand. His breathing is slow but heavy, rhythmic. Every so often, he tilts his head back and takes a few more gulps of his beverage.
It's him.
>...Move closer?
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>>6384772
alright let's see here... how about m3 wisdom for current mood and m4 wisdom for what she's worried about
oh yeah also, did you want me to dump the int roll results for arthurian relics
also also
this is important
As a notice to all three of you, for this thread in general: not saying anything's gonna happen of course, perhaps nothing ever happens at all and we can just have lots of fun, but at some point in time you might face circumstances that would be considered dangerous. Your actions matter. I will try my best to be fair, but it's important for you to realize that you can always negotiate with me and add appropriate reasoning to support your case. Once the die is cast, the events will play out as rolled. I genuinely love you guys, but we won't turn back the clock unless I've overlooked something grossly important in the proceedings. That's all. no pressure of course
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Rolled 69, 25 = 94 (2d100)
>>6384798
>int roll results
Sure.
>Once the die is cast.
Hahaha
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>>6384782
Good to see you back too, Lor-Lor! Glad to get the gang back together, especially so soon!
>>6384794
Hoo boy... on that pleasant note..
>Move Closer.
>Steady breaths.
>Steady.
>Clasp hands together.
>Firmly. Tight. Reassuring.
>Ask if I can get him anything.
>Calm, sweet voice. Just stay calm, Clover.
>Remember: He's. Your. Dad.
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sorry i'm being way too serious, we're here to have some fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>>6384799
classic hidden mechanic 1 maneuvers
m3 wisdom for current mood passed, m4 wisdom failed
ugly 1's mom is actually fairly worried about her daughter, she can feel that something has been off since she came back yesterday. she is genuinely surprised but mostly happy to see hermione. there's some possible notes of curiosity or suspicion, but since you failed the m4 roll, you're not sure about what.
as far as the relics go, that's an m6 int roll (so close to m7 lmao, but i don't think it matters that much anyway)
indeed, the weasel would likely know the truth behind any such legends. in a world where magic and magical girls exist, it's no far stretch to say that some of these relics may genuinely exist and genuinely be magical in nature. most legends are based on some amount of truth. if any relics did exist, a wish would most likely be able to gather them all. as far as turning excalibur into a gun or something, if said sword actually existed and actually was magical, you have no clue whether turning it into a gun could end up stripping away all of its magic and turn it into a regular-ass boring gun, or if maybe the gun would be magical somehow. you got no clue what would even make a sword or relic magical in the first place, what if it was some dumb magic like staying eternally sharp, and turning it into a gun would make the gun sharp and uncomfortable to hold, or it could end up shooting laser beams, you got no fucking clue
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>>6384772
okay, given your current course of actions, convincing ugly 1's mom to let you talk to ugly 1 alone is an m6 charisma check. to understand why that's the case, it'll be an m4 wisdom check or an m6 int check (i could be negotiated down to m5, maybe even m4)
i was about to just move forward with it, but hermione's intellect is high enough for her to have a few second thoughts about your current stated actions as written (m3 for gut intellect/instinct)
i guess you could see this as an on the nose hint from your friendly qm, but since intellect is the 'give me a hitnt you shitty qm' stat anyway, it might as well actually be useful for something. if you can figure out why hermione might have second thoughts about it, then you don't even need to do the rolling
>>6385036
m6 int roll on how to become heiress. note that this is heavily influenced by hermione's current mindset and may or may not be completely accurate to reality.
realistically, it's impossible to become heiress. you understand this now after your conversation with mother. it was always just a fantasy, a chance delusion. your parents had raised aurelia up to be the heiress since she was born. the best thing you could've done was slowly build up support with your parents, then convince aurelia to step down from the role and name you as heiress instead, and even then it wouldn't be guaranteed. even if the first step was theoretically possible, by overcoming your mother's deep-seated shame of you and having honest conversations with your father about wanting the best for your family and aurelia, the second step would be an even larger hurdle given your current understanding of your older sister. her idiotic self-sacrificial mindset and deeply held belief that she's offering you a path to a better and freer life means it would be nearly impossible to convince her to step down from the role.
life isn't fair, and this realization hurts.
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>>6385128
that's a pass
it would probably be foolish to assume that ugly 1 hasn't already talked to her mom about the clover incident. given that the woman particularly commented on you being mature and brave, there's a very high likelihood that samantha told her about what happened and was in awe of your actions. to state that this incident could cause ugly 1 to become reclusive a day later would confuse the woman, and perhaps introduce elements of doubt or suspicion
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>>6385130
Trauma is a strange thing. It can take time for it to kick in and sensory things can trigger it. That's at least how Hermione would phrase it knowing that Ugly 1's mom knows about the biting incident already. Also lying that she knows Ugly 1 to be a gentle and timid soul at times.
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>>6385132
alright, if you're going to proceed, it'll now be an m5 charisma roll to convince ugly 1's mother to let you talk to her alone with this argument/justification. given that you've passed the int roll, you understand that passing this charisma roll doesn't necessarily mean that you are free of consequences or suspicion by proceeding, simply that you would be able to talk to ugly 1 alone.
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€
>Talk about what happened at the mall.
Hermione lets out a soft sigh, wearing a concerned expression. “I will admit, we’ve had a troubling past few days. I’m sure Samantha has already told you, but two days ago, we happened across an unfortunate incident at the mall.”
“Oh, yes.” The woman shakes her head regretfully. “That poor girl. I hope she’s been recovering well.”
“I do too.” Hermione gives a small smile, but her voice is colored by sadness. “In fact, I was hoping to bring Samantha and our other friends to go visit Ms. Rivers at the hospital today, and check in on how she’s doing.”
Ugly 1’s mother smiles back at her and reaches across the table to pat her hand. “That’s very kind of you, Hermione.”
“It’s really the least that we could do.” Hermione looks down at the table. “I’m sure that having to witness such a horrifying event firsthand weighs heavily on Samantha. She’s a gentle and timid soul, and seeing such cruelty must have shocked her to her core.”
The woman blinks. “Oh. Is that so?”
Hermione nods solemnly. “Trauma can be a strange thing, and it can take time for it to truly set in. I, myself, still find it frightening to think back to what happened that day. I can’t say it’s the reason with absolute certainty, but from what I know, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s why she’s been hiding away in her room since yesterday.”
“I see…”
The red-haired girl pretends to think for a moment, then looks up at Ugly 1’s mother. “Could I speak to her? We’re close friends, and we did go through that experience together. Maybe she’d be willing to share some of her thoughts with me in private.”
>> € (M5 Charisma roll: 49 = Success) << (Convince her to let you talk with Samantha privately.)
The woman still seems a little uncertain, but she eventually nods and smiles. “You’re right, it might be good for you to talk with her. If nothing else, I’m sure having a friend around would help.” She stands, and beckons for Hermione to follow.
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Ugly 1’s bedroom door was rather plain. The girl’s mother raises her hand and lightly knocks at the door.
“Samantha? Are you awake?”
There’s no reply.
The woman glances at Hermione, before gently calling out again. “You have someone here who wants to see you, okay?” She steps back, then turns to the red-haired girl with a quieter voice. “I’ll give you two some space.”
As the woman walks away, Hermione reflects on what she knows. Ugly 1 had been coerced into joining Beets’s ‘pack’ the morning prior. Even though she’d seemed largely unaffected by it, it was possible that there’d been some sort of magic involved, and the girl could be feeling some lingering effects. It might be prudent to be a little cautious. After a bit more consideration, she reaches out for the doorknob and opens the door.
The room is dark. Hermione blinks, her eyes slowly adjusting. The curtains had been tightly drawn shut, blocking out the morning light. On a small bed in the distant corner, a young girl sits, curled up in a tiny ball, with a blanket tightly wrapped around her.
“…Samantha?”
Hermione’s ‘friends’ were girls she hung around with for purely transactional purposes. She gave them money, they showered her with praise. The Uglies were useful to a certain extent, yes, but that was really the end of it. They were nothing more than stepping-stones to loftier heights.
The red-haired girl steps into the room and softly shuts the door behind her. She carefully moves closer to the bed. Then, she stops.
The girl is shaking. Clutching desperately to the blanket surrounding her, she’s staring off at nothing, gently rocking back and forth as she hugs her knees tightly. Across that familiar face, Hermione finds an expression she can’t seem to find the words to describe.
For some reason, with such raw emotions laid bare, a small part of her can’t help but see the girl as human too.
>What do you want to do?
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>>6385311
>Ugly 1 has cracked. She will reveal what Hermione made her do and see. That will ruin her plans for becoming popular if it gets out! The brain works to figure out how to get her to stay quiet.
>A false softness. Hermione approaches Ugly 1 and lays a hand on her cheek, gently turning her to meet her eye to eye. A fake expression of sympathy, gratitude, and tears. Then a silent hug.
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>Talk to Dad.
Clover stares at the man sitting at the dinner table. She takes a hesitant step forward, then gives him a small wave with a shaky smile. “H-hey, Dad.”
Her voice cracked a little. The man doesn’t respond. He doesn’t seem to notice her at all.
>> χ (M3 Mind roll: 57 = Success) << (Keep trying.)
The wolf-girl takes a deep breath, then breathes out all her anxieties and fears. This wasn’t anything scary. This wasn’t anything scary at all. She was talking to someone she’d known her whole life. Clover steps closer, voice a little steadier. “Dad? It’s me, Clover.”
The man closes his eyes and takes another swig of his beer.
It’s like talking to a brick wall. It’s always like talking to a brick wall. Clover looks down. “Dad- I, um…” She looks back up at him, a tinge of desperation in her voice. “I-I made a new friend yesterday, you know! An actual friend! She’s pretty cool, and nice. She agreed to- she’s even in my pack now, and everything…”
Her voice dies away. His eyes are still closed. He hasn’t turned to face her, hasn’t acknowledged her presence in any way at all. He’s still just hunched over the table, clutching his bottle. A stranger.
Clover rubs at her eyes a little. She didn’t want to cry. “J-just let me know if you need anything, okay, Dad?”
The man coughs roughly, a hacking, wet, painful-looking affair, causing the wolf-girl to clam up immediately. When his coughing fit finally subsides, he opens his eyes and stares down at the table with a distant gaze, tightly gripping at his chest with one hand while his other holds the bottle. After a moment, he speaks, his low voice raw and unrefined.
“Just… leave me alone.”
The man tilts his head back and finishes the last gulps of his bottle, then sits in silence, eyes closed once more.
>Dad…
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>Talk to your friends about what they want to do today.
The three friends look at each other after Ruth’s mom asks the question. Olivia immediately puts a hand to her chin and hmms. Lorene wonders if there’s an optimal way to do something with her friends while also being in position to attend the meeting with the detective.
Ruth just resumes eating her breakfast. “…since i brought up watching movies last night, i’ll let you two decide…”
Olivia’s eyes focus on the timid girl. “Hey, I’m not gonna let you get out of the decision-making process that easily, Ruth! This is a group effort!”
“yeah, but…” Ruth cuts a tiny piece off her omelet and starts chewing on it as she mumbles. “my ideas aren’t that special anyway…”
“That’s nonsense, movie night with hot chocolate was a great idea, even if a certain sleepy-head napped through the whole thing.” Olivia tilts her head as she thinks. “Now that we’re talking about it though, since Lorene is actually awake, maybe we could go on a movie marathon or something? Though, the optimal time for movies is during the evening, and Ruth and I did just watch one last night, so a whole morning of movies on top of that might be a bit much…”
Lorene scratches her head guiltily. “Sorry about that.”
Olivia absentmindedly pokes Lorene’s shoulder. “Come on, you know I’m just joking, Lor.”
A brief silence falls over the table as the three girls think. As she wipes off the stove, Ruth’s mom laughs quietly to herself at how seriously the three of them seem to be taking it.
Olivia comes to a decision. “This is stupid. We could literally do whatever we want on this beautiful summer day, and we can’t even come up with a plan! I’m just gonna start rattling off whatever comes to mind, and we can organize it from there once we have enough things.” She holds up a hand and starts counting off fingers. “We have the best baker of cookies in the world (Ruth’s mom) here for us to learn baking from, we could walk around the park, we could check out that new café that’s supposed to have some fancy shortcake, we could hang out at the bookstore or go to a museum, we could-”
Lorene finishes the last bites of her omelet while Olivia talks. She wasn’t sure where the meeting with the detective was supposed to happen. But, if they hadn’t decided on it yet, maybe she could ask Clover to have it take place close to where she and her friends would be, to make it easier to slip away.
>What’s a teenage girl to do on a summer day?
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>>6388165
Museums are free, right…?
>And it shouldn’t be too hard to sneak away for a few minutes while everyone is going through the galleries
>Gently push for museum trip, and maybe the bookstore or stop by a park as well to maximize time out of the house
>Text Clover when I have the chance and see if we can meet near or in the museum
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>Address the possible danger to her plans.
Hermione stares, processing the scene in her mind. After some time, she reaches a conclusion.
Clearly, Ugly 1 had cracked. And clearly, that was an unacceptable risk. If the girl happened to blab to others about dead corpses and murders, her triumphant return to the school-year would be put into jeopardy, and all her efforts would be ruined. That outcome was something that needed to be avoided at all costs. Knowing all of this, there was only one thing to do.
The red-haired girl carefully takes a seat next to the shivering mass of blankets. With a gentle hand, she reaches out and softly brushes away the hair covering the girl’s eyes behind her ear. She hesitates for a moment. Then, she pulls her close.
Samantha holds onto the red-haired girl tightly, face buried in her shoulder as she shakes. Hermione doesn’t say a word, letting a tender silence settle over them in the dark. Delicate situations required delicate solutions. The red-haired girl pulls her a little nearer, closing her eyes as she hugs her close. She didn’t care for her. This was all an act, nothing more.
When the girl’s shaking eventually subsides, Hermione maintains the embrace for a moment longer, before gently pulling away. The girl wipes away a few tears, before curling back up into her ball, a little calmer than before.
“You know, I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t get her face out of my head.” She speaks quietly, voice muffled behind her knees, her eyes distant as she looks at the floor. “It’s kinda hard to believe everything just goes on as usual when such horrible things happen.”
Hermione never saw it. Outside of a vague mental image of red strings, she can’t really imagine what it was like.
The girl glances up at Hermione from her little ball. “Is… is her family okay? Did you let them know?”
Right. She’d made up some lie yesterday.
>How would you like to respond?
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>>6388633
>Hermione dabs Ugly 1's face with a handkerchief as she lies. After yesterday's call, Hermione told them in person. A flicker of pain is needed to squash any intent to ask more questions.
>Tell Ugly 1 today's plans. Visiting Rivers and charities. Seeing those who they can help, the good that can be done, is soothing to her at least. Hermione thought it could help Ugly 1 too. This is also a lie. The true intent is to kill time while waiting for the weasel delivery and removal of the red string.
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>Hug your dad.
Despite all the messy, unkempt hair, despite the harsh, guttural rumble in his voice, despite the utter emptiness behind his darkened and unfocused gaze, she still sees him. It’s her father.
Clover takes a small step forward, then another. Then she rushes forward and hugs him.
“-love you, Dad. Big bro does too.”
She can feel him tense up in her arms, but he doesn’t move. Clover takes a few steps back after her quick hug, hands behind her back. The man’s head hangs low. She looks down, wanting to say something more, but she can’t find the words.
After a moment, the man silently gets up from his chair and shambles over to the refrigerator. He grabs two more bottles, then walks past her to return to the living room, not looking over at the wolf-girl once. He slumps into the couch and cracks a bottle open. The refrigerator door clunks as it closes on its own.
Clover stands there a moment longer, staring down at the kitchen’s cold linoleum floor, before retreating back to her room.
The girl collapses into her mountain of stuffed animals face-first, blocking out all the morning light. Her cellphone buzzes in her pocket. She didn’t feel like looking at it.
Eventually, she snakes her arm down to pull out her phone, glancing over the text message. Seemed like Lor-Lor was asking if the meeting could be at the museum. The wolf-girl takes a deep breath, before sitting up in stuffed animal mountain.
>What’s the plan? There’s still some amount of time left this morning.
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>Suggest the museum.
“Hmm. How about we go to the museum?”
The two girls look at Lorene. Olivia tilts her head. “That’s kinda surprising, Lor. I didn’t think you were really one to go for art.” She smiles playfully. “I thought you’d want to go to the park or something.”
Lorene waves her hands. “Well I just, uh- it could be good to try something new? The park is pretty nearby anyway.”
Olivia thinks for a moment, before nodding. “Sounds good to me! I did bring it up after all, and it seems like it could be fun. What do you think, Ruth?”
“that’s okay with me…”
“Perfect!” Olivia pulls out her phone and starts tapping away. “Just in case we get bored, I’m gonna look up stuff around the area. Should we head out straightaway?”
Lorene sips at her orange juice, trying to be nonchalant as she sends off a text under the table. “Well- maybe it’d be better in the afternoon when it’s hotter, since there’s AC?”
“Hmm, that’s a good point.” Olivia blows a strand of hair away from her face as she types. “What do we wanna do this morning then? Just relax and sit around?”
Ruth finishes her toast.
>Well, you could just sit around, if you wanted.
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>>6389318
>Look into those POLICE SEARCH news articles on the computer
>Text Big Bro about how wolves can travel up to 50 miles in one day
>Blast some Wolfcore into our Wolf Headphones. Wolves don't dwell. Wolves live in the moment.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XkpTza5UoU
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>Continue to lie.
The red-haired girl looks down. Any uncertain emotions fade away, leaving behind the perfectly composed mask. “I did see them yesterday. It was… difficult.” She stares at her hands with a pained smile. “But I believe they finally received the closure they deserved.”
“Ah.” The girl fidgets with the edge of her blanket, unsure what to even say. “I… can’t even imagine what that would’ve been like.” She hugs her knees a little tighter. “I guess I’d just wonder why such horrible things have to happen.”
Hermione takes out a handkerchief and dabs at the girl’s face, gently wiping away the dried tears. “I’m not certain either.”
The girl remains quiet, allowing her friend to continue to clean her face, when she comes to a sudden realization. “W-wait, what’re you even doing here, Hermione?”
Hermione withdraws her handkerchief, then uses her other hand to lightly caress Ugly 1’s face. “I came to check up on you, of course.” She lets her touch linger for a moment, before standing from the bed and brushing herself off. “I’d also planned on visiting Rivers at the hospital, and doing a bit of charity work in the afternoon.” The red-haired girl looks back at her, a faint look of resolve in her eyes. “With so much evil in the world, doing what little good I can for those who need help is a little soothing, at least for me.”
“Oh…” Ugly 1 blinks, then looks away. Her voice is soft. “You’re a good person, Hermione. I don’t know how you do it.”
“I just try my best.” Hermione pauses, considering how to move the conversation forward. “Simple charity can’t erase what’s happened, but perhaps it could be comforting for you, as well.” She holds out a hand to the girl with a gentle smile. “It’d be good to get some fresh air. What do you think?”
Ugly 1’s lip trembles, then she closes her eyes and nods to herself. She looks up at Hermione and takes her hand, shakily standing. “You’re right. Like always.” She glances down at herself and her disheveled clothes and giggles, a little embarrassed. “I guess I should probably freshen up and change, first.”
Hermione stands outside in the living room, reassuring Ugly 1’s mother that things were fine now, as Ugly 1 showers and does whatever else she needs to become slightly more presentable. The red-haired girl glances down at the envelope and bracelet in her purse. She’d likely need to hand that off before they left in some manner. Proper Rockefellers compensated others for what they were due.
>Better find some way to gift it. Ugly 1 would likely be pleased. Then, was it time to head out, or was there anything else you’d planned to do here?
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>>6388639
i was actually considering a m1 mind roll to continue to lie to her, but the penalty for failing would have just been a negative modifier to your charisma, which would still be enough to autopass any lie to samantha anyway, so the whole thing was moot
>>6389128
thanks for the fanart hermione! one day clover will find another dog and actually name it officer paws
>>6387058
yeah i'm just shit. i don't want to make any promises i can't keep, or constantly just keep saying 'haha post today' so i've been kinda silent. hope you're all doing alright.
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>>6389689
>Showing Ugly 1's mother the gifts. Hermione lies that she came over to reward the heroic actions from the other day. Good should be rewarded. Does she have a cupcake on hand? She wants to surprise her! Hermione has gifted baubles before.
>Depart
>>6389697
I'd just assumed life was kicking your ass.
>hope you're all doing alrightWhy the fuck are the crescent memoria characters limited?
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>>6389320
Sit around until the trip. Talk with Olivia and Ruth, make sure Ruth is doing ok after acting a bit off last night…
>Also QM can Lorene get a hint on everything that’s going on? Any insight into parents/disappearances/magical girl murders?
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>>6390809
I’m happy that spring has come with flowers blooming.
QM, can you tell what these social climbing plans that Hermione has are? Is it asking around what popular people like? Or total oddball making pseudo-psychological profiles and corkboarding? Hermione strikes me as WEIRD enough that it could fall either way.
Also, paranoia, but that nervous hired help might’ve seen the whole slapping event. Hired help do notice and gossip. And the detective might’ve been coerced into finding the weasel.
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>Look into the news.
Clover stares at Lor-Lor’s message a moment longer, then rolls out of stuffed animal mountain and pads over to her laptop. When there were things to do, wolves kept moving forward and did them. She slowly pries open the laptop screen once more, the artificial light a stark contrast to the morning light shining through her shuttered blinds.
There weren’t too many articles on the disappearances. The wolf-girl frowns. Outside of blanket statements that the police were still looking and that hope should still be held onto, it really seemed like the news was more concerned with sports and random people on the other side of the country. She wasn’t sure if that meant there hadn’t been any new breakthroughs, or if it meant most people didn’t really care.
However, it did seem there had been an update on the crime scene investigation from yesterday.
‘Based on photographs found at the crime scene and reviewing recent police reports of missing girls within the age range, the victim has been identified as Amy Garnier, a kind, soft-spoken girl attending a local high school. Police are uncertain whether to classify the death as murder or suicide; despite disarray at the crime scene, no evidence of traumatic injury had been found on autopsy, though analysis was limited by the fact that the body was in a later state of decomposition, around one week old. Investigators believe that the incident is unrelated to the disappearances, though find possible links to the death of a similarly-aged girl a little over a year prior. Ms. Garnier is survived by her mother and younger brother.’
Clover peers at the screen a little closer, concentrating as she leans forward. Though some of the words were too complicated for her to understand, there was important information there. Deciding to look further into it despite her brain hurting a little, she clicks on the link for the article about the case that happened a year ago.
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Most of the personal information for the previous victim had been redacted out of consideration for the family’s privacy, but from what she could gather, the police were more convinced in their conclusion that the death was due to suicide. The victim, also in high school, had been described as having become more withdrawn from her family during the months leading up to her death. The article ends with links to tips for parents to notice signs of depression in their own children, leaving a bad taste in Clover’s mouth. For some reason, it almost felt as if it were disrespectful to the girl who had died.
With a heavy sigh, the wolf-girl throws herself back in her chair, tilting her head back to stare up at the ceiling fan. All this stuff was too heavy and complicated and sad and weird. The girl closes her eyes, letting her mind empty out and simply focusing on the soft whirring of the old laptop’s cooling fans. She didn’t like thinking about this kind of stuff. She’d already had to talk to dad, and all this murder stuff wasn’t making it much better. It all felt really uncomfortable, like something was squirming around in her chest, threatening to eat her up if she let it.
That’s why wolves were cool. Their lives were simple. They just went on hunts and loved their packmates. If something ever happened, they left it in the past and forgot about it and moved on. And she was a wolf, so that’s what she’d do too.
There’s the sound of another bottlecap hitting the floor. Clover shuts her eyes tighter. Maybe she needed to put on some music.
After sending off cool wolf facts to her brother and Lor-Lor (because why not!), the wolf-girl lays back in bed with her old pink headphones firmly sealed around her ears, listening to the best wolf-core playlist ever as she focuses on focusing on nothing.
>Lose yourself in the music while you wait for Holm-Holm to message you? Or… do you need to keep pushing forward?
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>>6393874
okay but what do you wanna do with pushing forward :P
sorry to everyone else i'll respond to all the other stuff once i get the other two updates out and whip my brain into a functioning state
also you're not necessarily locked into the museum i was just curious, sorry
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>>6393903
mind m1 to force yourself to keep going in the investigation (autopass for now, but will continue to go up if clover doesn't get any release and stuff keeps being disturbing)
int m1 to be able to search it well
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>>6393909
CAN. I. GET. AN.
AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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>>6393917
And a HOWLpy Easter to you all too!!!! <VowoV>
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>Give Ugly 1 her gift, then depart.
“That really is a relief to hear, Hermione, dear.” Ugly 1’s mother is smiling at her. “I’m glad you came by this morning.”
“Of course. What are friends for, if not to look out for each other?” Hermione brushes a strand of red hair behind her ear, hand resting on her purse as she waits for Ugly 1 to finish up. The long, involved process of picking out an outfit, cleaning and applying makeup, and styling her hair such that every strand was in its intended place was something every girl was familiar with. In comparison with the other two, Ugly 1 was lighter with its application, but she was still a kindred spirit at heart.
“Are you quite certain there isn’t anything I could get for you, dear?”
Hermione pauses for a moment. “Actually, there is something I would like to ask for your help with, Mrs. Roberts.” She reaches into her purse, pulling out the envelope and gift she’d prepared for Ugly 1. She looks back up at the older woman with a bashful smile. “I’ve wanted to give this to Samantha, but I wasn’t quite sure how to do so.”
The woman blinks in surprise as she looks at the two offerings. “That’s far too kind of you, Hermione, what could these possibly be for?”
The girl waves her hand. “Please, think nothing of it, Mrs. Roberts. Good should be rewarded, and I believe Samantha’s heroism at the mall deserves some appreciation.” She glances around. “Would you happen to have a cupcake or something? I’d like to surprise her with this, if possible.”
“Oh dear, I don’t think we do, but let me go look in the kitchen to see if we have anything else!”
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Hermione leans against the wall in the hallway outside of Ugly 1’s room, looking down at the small bag of cookies in her hand. It’d probably been too much to expect them to have fresh cupcakes on hand without prior notice, but these sweets would do. In all honesty, it was a tad strange to give someone their own mother’s cookies as a gift, but for some reason, it had suddenly felt like a necessary addition. Perhaps simply handing over an envelope and a bracelet seemed too impersonal.
When Ugly 1 exits her room, seeming much more refreshed, she jumps a little when she notices the red-haired girl, taken aback by her presence. “Ah! Were you waiting out here the whole time, Hermione? Sorry for taking so long, I really was a mess.”
Hermione scoffs. “Don’t be, there’s really no need to worry. More importantly, there’s something I wanted to give you.”
“Eh, really?” Ugly 1 tilts her head. “I think you coming over was enough!”
Hermione smiles, holding out her gifts to the girl. “That’s nonsense. This is for the other day.”
The girl’s eyes sparkle. “Whaaaat, for me? Did you make these cookies yourself? That’s such a cute bracelet! And-” When she notices the envelope of cash, she blinks. “…oh. Right.”
There was no mistaking that the girl’s enthusiasm had been blunted. Hermione frowns, a tad confused. “Are these not to your liking? I could find something else for you, if you’d like.”
“No, no, that’s not it at all, it’s just…” The girl trails off. She looks back up at her with an awkward smile. “It’s nothing. Thanks, Hermione. I’ll go put them in my room.” Ugly 1 hugs her briefly, before taking her gifts and payment and retreating to her room for a moment. When she comes back out, she’s back to her usual self.
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Picking up Ugly 2 from her home was as uneventful as usual. The three girls sit in the back of the limousine as they head toward the hospital.
“Aww, it sucks that Anna couldn’t come with us. Hopefully she has a lot of fun on her trip though! I’m so excited to see what photos she’ll send!”
“Yeah, I hope she has fun too.”
While the two uglies have a small conversation over Ugly 3’s whereabouts, Hermione focuses her thoughts on how best to approach the Rivers situation. She was certain that she’d made an unforgettable impression on the girl after the events of the mall, but the main question was where to go from there. Would it be advantageous to find a way to bring up the idea of hanging out more in the future, while they were still on summer break? It’d be an avenue toward organically integrating herself with Evelyn’s friend group, and thereby foster more personal connections with a few high-profile members of her class, rather than remain as just a nice one-off impression. The uglies would eventually become dead weight at some point, so it’d be important to ensure that she wasn’t irrevocably associated with them in her classmates’ minds, but there was still quite a long road to go up until that point.
The limousine eventually comes to a stop when they reach their destination. The girls step out, glancing around at the tall buildings around them.
>What’s the plan for Rivers?
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i am so fucked
anyway let's see if i can answer a question or two
>>6390914
asking around what popular people like reeks of desperation, so she'd probably be the type to build up pseudo-psychological profiles, not necessarily of everyone, but probably of the key big names. goal is to become a big name herself. sure, she might have to start off as 'evelyn's friend/savior', but eventually she wants to be the one people want to be friends with and look up to as one of the popular ones
and actually i'll answer lorene's int roll when i do her post
off to sleep
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>>6398404
>Stop by the front desk and request to visit Rivers. Hermione's been at this hospital before.
>The plan is easy. Ask how Rivers how she's doing, give a gift, and swap socials. The logic is simple. Tailored kindness combined with gifts wins love. It's what her sister does. She can do it better.
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>Keep looking.
Clover lays there a while, surrounded by wolf howls and sped-up pop edits as she blocks out the world. Eventually, she opens her eyes, staring up at the ceiling blankly. Deep down, she still felt something squirming around inside her. A restlessness, perhaps, or maybe some sense of responsibility. Taking a deep breath, she keeps the headphones on and the music blasting as she drags herself back to the computer.
>> χ (M1 Intelligence roll: 67 = Success) << (Research into things further.)
It was difficult to look into that specific maybe-suicide case from a year ago, since there wasn’t any identifying information to work with. Instead, she had to make do with looking into any cases of suicide or missing high school girls from that time.
Unfortunately, googling ‘missing high school girls one year ago’ was pretty unhelpful. A lot of the stuff that showed up wasn’t even from one year ago at all, which was super dumb, it just had the phrase somewhere in the article. Stumped for a moment, the wolf-girl decides to resort to the one resource she knew that did have catalogued dates; namely, the police website that had been keeping track of all the missing people.
After she scrolls all the way back to the beginning, she notices something a little interesting. The very first reported missing case was last May. The article about the maybe-suicide was from last April. If she was reading it all right, it seemed like the death of that mysterious girl had happened around one month before the disappearances started. Which meant… Clover scratches her head, confused and maybe a little frustrated. What did it mean? How did those things relate? Did they even relate at all?
After staring at it all for another few minutes, nothing comes to mind, so she just lets out a big sigh and starts aimlessly scrolling around. This whole investigation thing was hard work.
>Hm... where to go from here?
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>>6390187
alright sorry lor, i realized i never answered you about not actually confronting ruth yeah that's cool, also your update will be next
int 3 roll for general hint
so from what lorene knows, police actually have a somewhat good idea where the disappearances tend to happen around, according to olivia since she found out about it at the police station yesterday
and olivia knows the location but wasn't willing to share unless you brought her along with you
so maybe you could indirectly try to get the information out of her or something. but if she catches on or figures it out she'll probably try to follow you there if she thinks you've disappeared to go there. she would never want to endanger ruth though
and lorene doesn't know about it yet, but if clover's dot map gets deciphered it'll lead somewhere
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>>6398575
>Hand off the tear-stained hanky for cleaning. Hermione has exceeded her tolerance of physical contact with lessers for this month. She debates whether or not Rivers still has the bloody hanky and if it's worth asking for.