Quoted By:
>Diplomancy
>112, 42, 102 vs. DC 70 - Success
>99, 48, 107 vs. DC 85 - Success
>Double spendy
You hesitate: you've tangled with Lucky thrice before, when once you left him to die via alligator, twice he murdered your worm, and last he tortured you about the whole 'leaving him to die' thing. Breaking Guppy out would bound to lead to a #4, and you're not particularly interested in seeing how he'll escalate.
...But that's <span class="mu-i">quitter</span> talk, isn't it? 'Oh no, I can't do something, consequences might happen'... Nonsense! There is a path clearly visible before you that will allow you to rescue this poor innocent (useful for your goals) woman without causing any damage whatsoever. And it'll be easy.
Huh. Well. You realize after a beat that you were waiting there for <span class="mu-i">Richard</span> to interject- but he hasn't reared his nasty little head the whole time, has he? Can he reach you in here? If he can't, that only hardens your resolve: you will indeed rescue this woman, etc., and it will be very cool and heroic, and nobody can say otherwise. Ahem. "Well then, I swear upon my family's honor that I shalt do mine very best to salvage thee from thine, um, plight. Cruel and deleterious plight. So can you tell me the-"
"Why are you talking like that?" Guppy squints. "And I really need to be OUT first, not just— sworn at."
"Okay, <span class="mu-i">fine,</span> then-" You gesture irritably. "I can't do anything while you're looking like Madrigal, okay? There's <span class="mu-i">already</span> a Madrigal, and it's not you. That's mainly why you're in here. You have to put your normal face back."
"I CAN'T. If I could—"
"Of course you can! I've seen <span class="mu-i">other</span> people do it. Pat's done it. Deirdre— <span class="mu-i">Deirdre's</span> done it."
She stares up at you. "Did you kill Deirdre?"
"Did I kill— how is that relevant? The point is that it's totally possible. And easy. Have you tried?"
"YES."
Her tone and expression are sullen. You contemplate bringing out The Sword again to convince her a little more thoroughly, then think better of it. There's more you can do. "Okay, maybe you have. I believe you. And I'll— I'll help you out, okay? I'll help you through it. As I am a wielder of extremely powerful magyck, and additionally—"
"Magic? What are you going to to do... turn me into a SHARK, or some shit? I— I think I have enough blood in my—"
"Not that— 'magyck'! Not magic."
"You said the same thing twice," she says uncertainly.
"<span class="mu-i">Magyck.</span> With a— a 'k'. It's completely different and much better. It's like— have you ever read anything by, um, A. R. Fontaine? Or Edgar Soares? I mean the later stuff, not the weird period from the '80s..."
"I don't really... read..." She appears to be thinking hard about this. "Do you mean the sort of thing where you shoot fire out of your hands?"
"Yes!" you crow. "Exactly! And—"
"You can shoot FIRE out of your HANDS?"
(1/4?)
