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After? You’re not after anything really, you shrug, still taken off-guard by the sudden contriteness! You just… want for her what you want for everyone, you guess.
Rezzie raises an eyebrow. “... which is?”
You want her to be happy, you answer with a reassuring smile! You want her to make friends… accomplish her dreams… and as for being good, well… the fact that she’s even pondering that in the first place means she’s-
Your schpiel is interrupted by a low, rumbling giggle. Pursing your lips as it grows into raucous laughter, you take a few steps back as some of the tree-dwelling critters take it as their cue to book it!
“A-<span class="mu-i">HA!</span>” The devil cackles, eyes wide and manic, “You <span class="mu-s">DO</span> have ulterior motives! I <span class="mu-i">KNEW</span> it! I’m <span class="mu-s">NEVER WRONG!</span>”
S-sure, you say with a polite laugh, but-
“<span class="mu-i">FRIENDSHIP? HAPPINESS?</span> How droll! Juvenile, really!” You take a step back when the devil starts to punctuate each statement by poking you in the chest! Look, you deflect, if she’s gonna be like that-
“Oh I most certainly will ‘<span class="mu-i">BE LIKE THAT!</span>’” The girl giggles! “See, I can read you like a book, Anton Peas! A particularly simple book… one with a lot of pictures and parts that you can scratch and sniff! And I know <span class="mu-i">PRECISELY</span> what you’re getting at!”
Okay, you sigh, well-
“You think I’m <span class="mu-i">INCAPABLE</span> of being happy! You think it <span class="mu-i">IMPOSSIBLE</span> for me to collect a loyal army of allies and bosom-buddies! HA! Foolish indeed, An<span class="mu-i">TWERP!</span> Foolish indeed…”
You open your mouth to protest, but the words stop halfway as you gradually unpack the devil’s words. Yea, you slowly nod, you… you just thought, since, y’know, she was ready to up and leave-
“Tch!” Rezzie replies with a whip of her tail, “A simple test of your ability to see through my clever ruse… and you passed! Auspicious!”
Trotting over to the pond to give it a good kick, the demon glances over her shoulder at you with a fresh grin on her face!
“The gauntlet is dropped, then! I accept your challenge, Anton, stupid though it may be!” Making a show of pondering her task, the girl raises an eyebrow your way. “Now who would make for a satisfactory challenge, I wonder? The first ally of many…?”
If you blinked, you would have missed it, but you didn’t–Rezzie clearly glanced your way for an idea…
Who should be her FIRST ALLY?
>You!
>TT!
>Volka!
>A Forest Critter!
>She’s the one with the clear and rational judgement… she should decide herself!
>Write-In!
