>>5631418You have long resigned yourself to the fact that the Novice does not, CANnot, love you. Oh, she feels affection, ownership. She humours your dates, seems to take some pleasure in your physical proximity and in teasing reactions from you, and when you express your OWN love, her embarrassment and confusion has a distinct charm… But it signals incomprehension, emotional disconnect. A pureblooded Reptilian of your era simply lacks the capacity for the sort of pair-bonding instinct and mutual commitment which you inherited from your human grandparent (whoever they even were). She is capable, intelligent, wonderfully self-actualized in her selfish intellectual ambitions... A fascinating mystery with a WONDERFULLY thickness and a smoothness of hide to put a Silkscale to shame... Perhaps a perfect partner in matters arcane and political, and the very embodiment of your youthful desire made flesh...
>“I… Think I love him. I think I love YOU.”Ekaterine’s words, words Sseztlussth will NEVER say, echo in your mind as you take advantage of the palace’s rather sophisticated ‘indoor plumbing’ apparatus to pump cold water for your bath. Making sure nobody is around to witness you do it, you exhale a small plume of fire to quick-start the fire beneath the great cooking-pot of a bathtub which they have proffered for your washing. Your artificial human skin sheds, but in tiny, grimy flakes rather than a proper Reptilian’s monthly shedding, or even your own natural bi-weekly shed of large flakes and chunks, necessitating more frequent cleaning. It at least gives you time to think, really CONSIDER, your feelings.
Are you… Actually falling in love with Ekaterine?
>Yes>NoDo you even still love the Novice?
>Yes>NoWhat will you do about the added risk you have placed upon your companions and allies in Hawksong?
>Speak with Rufos about this, giving him information on them so that he can specifically AVOID his agents detecting or apprehending them as he expands his security apparatus>Reach out to the Archmage of the Mages’ Tower to negotiate for safe haven for Reptilian Infiltrators there>Instruct Irinnile to re-establish the Incubus Cult’s connections, under her auspices, and to use those resources and your insider knowledge to avoid discovery>You’ll engineer your date so you can meet with them yourself, and instruct them to leave the city for their own safety>Do nothing—making contact carries its own risks, and you trust in their ability to stay out of trouble[Write-ins allowed for the third vote, but not the first two]
