Quoted By:
"High. There's no harm done. He doesn't have pain receptors." Pat narrows her eyes. "I have <span class="mu-i">professional standards.</span>"
You look to Gil, but he's already got his hand in his pants pocket— is pulling out a matchbox and a match and is striking it up. He holds the lit match up, screws up his face, and hovers his thumb right near it. Then on it.
"Yeah," he says after a second. "Um. There isn't anything. And I-I-I feel... good... so as long as Lottie gets to watch, that's—?"
"There's nothing to watch. We'll be in a room."
"And then we'll leave?" you say. "Once it's over?"
Her eyelids flare up. "As soon as humanly possible."
"Great."
"Great."
And she turns and stalks off toward a door. Gil raises his eyebrows and sticks his palm out at you.
When he doesn't put it away, you realize that it must mean something. A City custom? Or something foreign, tracked in all the way from his Pillar? After some hesitation, you stick your own palm out flat.
"Uh..." He grins lopsidedly. "Do you not...?"
"What?"
He shakes his palm. "Slap it."
Really foreign. Possibly barbaric. You screw up your face. "Why?"
"...I-I-It's a good thing. It's for, um... it's when you..." The grin's fading. "Please?"
His palm's still there. He's really serious about this. Maybe you did scramble his brains? In which case it's your fault he wants to be slapped, so this'd be your punishment, then? Having to slap your own retainer? God. Well, here's hoping it's a temporary thing— one good slap, and he'll be back to his senses.
You wind up. You slap. Gil's palm is freezing cold, and when you tear your stinging hand away it's coated in a layer of goop. Gil flexes his fingers. "Shit. That <span class="mu-i">didn't</span> hurt."
"Speak for yourself," you mumble, and begin to follow after Pat.
>You'll be stuck in the curing room with Pat for a little bit. You should probably talk about things.
>[1] Inform her that you're definitely not Ellery's associate.
>[2] Tell her that she's just jealous of your and Gil's epic magyckal powers.
>[3] Ask if there's any tips she has for maintaining a goo body.
>[4] Ask if this whole thing could possibly have any side effects.
>[5] This is getting silly. You have a *fantastic* reason to hate her, but her reasoning? You destroyed the facility? You betrayed her about the snake? It was accidents and misunderstandings, all of it, but you have no idea how to get her to believe that. (Write-in arguments? Ways to convince her?) [Difficult roll.]
>[6] Write-in.
