SCENE: In front of the tavern where the meeting with the BARONESS VERAYA took place. NAOFUMI, CONSTANCE, FILO and RAPHTALIA exit the tavern, and cluster together, preparing to teleport. REN runs after them, waving for them to stop.
REN: Wait!
NAOFUMI raises his eyebrows. REN comes closer to their group, and breathes out, preparing to speak.
REN: Look, I thought about what you said yesterday, and I think I get it.
NAOFUMI’s eyebrows climb higher still.
NAOFUMI: Is that so?
REN: Yes. I get it, you are angry about the slavery thing, you want to stop it. That’s good. But you don’t know anything about how the legal system works here, so of course from your position revolution seems like the only option.
REN puts his hands together in a pleading gesture.
REN: Can you please let me introduce you to some people? Show you how the Great Council works, how the legislation is passed? If you learn more about it, I am sure you’ll see my point of view.
NAOFUMI looks at REN for a while, then sighs.
NAOFUMI: Sure. For a couple hours per week, at most.
REN grins and claps NAOFUMI on the shoulder. NAOFUMI doesn’t return the gesture. RAPHTALIA glances at NAOFUMI curiously.
NAOFUMI: Do you need an escort back to the city?
REN shakes his head.
REN: There is nothing in this area that can threaten me. See you later!
REN returns to the tavern. NAOFUMI and his group dissolve into light.
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SCENE: NAOFUMI, CONSTANCE, RAPHTALIA and FILO materialize in front of the tavern in the village of Lute. RAPHTALIA turns to NAOFUMI.
RAPHTALIA: You are really thinking of dealing with Ren more? Why?
NAOFUMI sighs.
NAOFUMI: Well, partly it’s Fredalia’s influence. I think we can get some useful information that way.
CONSTANCE: It’s good to know that you can occasionally learn something.
NAOFUMI: …and partly, I think it would be a decent cover. The closer we get to those nobles, the less likely it is that they would think we could be responsible for the demihuman vanishings all the way across the country. It could delay their organized response some.
CONSTANCE nods.
CONSTANCE: It’s not a bad idea, if you know what you are doing. But where will you find some kind of expert at playing both sides of the political game to conceal their movements, to teach you how to do this? Why, they must be extremely rare. I suppose the only thing we can do is wait for them to contact us.
NAOFUMI rolls his eyes.
NAOFUMI: Oh get off your horse.
CONSTANCE bats her eyelashes at him.
CONSTANCE: But Naofumi, I am not on top of any “horse”, whatever that is - how could I get off it?
NAOFUMI squints at CONSTANCE. RAPHTALIA snorts.
RAPHTALIA: Just one problem here: you literally told Ren you wanted to do a revolution. He’ll instantly suspect you, if he doesn’t already.
NAOFUMI takes the excuse to break off the eye duel with CONSTANCE before his decisive loss, and turns to RAPHTALIA, waving her concern off.
NAOFUMI: He is a liberal, like I said. Their mindset is like blinkers: it prevents them from seeing direct action as an option, but it also means they do not think of other people using it. As long as there is any possible way to explain the events in another way, he will cling to it. He’ll start to think we were joking yesterday, or something of that nature. Depending on how stuck he is in that way of thinking, we could attempt an insurrection right in front of his very eyes and he will still talk about working together in the aftermath.
NAOFUMI shrugs performatively.
NAOFUMI: If we put even a modicum of effort into pretending to listen, Ren will not suspect a thing.
RAPHTALIA: Hm. And if his mindset changes?
NAOFUMI: Liberals that start to think in terms of direct action stop being liberals. From there, they either become socialists or fascists. Let’s hope it’s the former.
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SCENE: Yesterday, back when NAOFUMI and REN agreed to go with the SHADOWY PERSON to the meeting. NAOFUMI, RAPHTALIA and FILO walk out of the tavern to pick up CONSTANCE. REN heads upstairs to his room, writes some letters, and goes back down.
NARRATOR: When a stone is thrown into a pond, it sends out ripples! Waves! Signals that spread out and affect the whole surface!
REN approaches the INNKEEPER and hands him the letters.
REN: Hey Jack, could you get these to the captain of the city guard, directly into his hands? I will be out for some time.
INNKEEPER nods. After REN leaves the tavern, INNKEEPER hands the letters to a WAITRESS, and she heads out. Scene changes to the guardhouse, where the same WAITRESS hands over the letters to the GUARD CAPTAIN. GUARD CAPTAIN opens the letters, reads them, and his eyebrows fly up. GUARD CAPTAIN finishes the letters and heads out of his office.
NARRATOR: The larger the stone, the larger the ripples! A meteorite can send boats flying!
Scene changes to an office room at the palace. The KING, MYNE and half a dozen NOBLES are sitting at a long table. GUARD CAPTAIN is standing in front of the table, giving a report. He pauses, draws breath, then continues. Suddenly MYNE jumps out of his chair, slamming her hands on the table. Her face is contorted in shock and rage. The other NOBLES are similarly affected.
NARRATOR: If you want to keep your actions in the darkness, you have to be careful about what kind of stone you throw. You should try to lower it down carefully, slowly, and without disturbing the pond. But no matter how much care you put in, if a stone is large enough, it will still send waters flying!
The KING puts a hand on MYNE’s shoulder and she sits back down, and rubs her forehead. Time passes in discussion. Finally, a decision is reached. The GUARD CAPTAIN bows, and the scene changes back to his office. The GUARD CAPTAIN summons several GUARDS, and gives them orders.
NARRATOR: If you want to affect the whole society, the only choice you have is to weather the storm!
Scene changes to one of the GUARDS hammering in a large poster to a display board. The poster is titled “THE DEMIHUMAN TREASON ACT”. Below, in smaller lettering, it says “By order of the King, following the tragic events, ...”
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SCENE: Small room in the tavern at Lute. The furnishings are very simple: a table, a bed, and a closet. A chair is wedged under the door’s handle, keeping it closed. The bed and the closet have been pushed off to one side of the room, clearing up space on the wall.
The wall itself is covered with a mess of papers, pinned to it with nails. Text on the papers seems to be in code, but diagrams and map sketches are easily recognisable. Springs of yarn stretch between the papers. CONSTANCE is standing in front of the wall, playing around with a small hammer by throwing it up and catching it on the way down.
A knock comes from the door, and CONSTANCE moves to get the chair out of the way. NAOFUMI walks into the room, blinking in surprise when he sees the wall.
NAOFUMI: You’ve been busy, I see.
CONSTANCE waves her arm in the air vaguely.
CONSTANCE: Planning, thinking, it’s sort of my job. At least one person has to be the brains of the operation here.
NAOFUMI rolls his eyes at her jab.
NAOFUMI: We are all glad you are here for it. Anything new you’ve figured out?
CONSTANCE sighs.
CONSTANCE: Well, first of all, this curse problem. This Pope is no good - but there used to be a Pope for the church of the Four Heroes too. After the takeover, he vanished. I’ve put some feelers out for him - if we get in contact, maybe he could help us out. But mostly, I’ve been thinking about this “Baroness Veraya”. Her existence makes no sense to me.
NAOFUMI: How so?
CONSTANCE motions towards one of the parts of the wall with particularly dense yarn links.
CONSTANCE: Well, I went through all the parties I know of who could be involved here, and basically, she has to be sent by the Queen. That’s the only thing that makes any sense - everything else is too remote of a possibility. That also means she has to be close to the Queen - otherwise, she would not trust her with a mission of this significance. That would also explain who that “Fulana” lass is - she is a Shadow, they are a close knit group of agents working for the Queen.
NAOFUMI: Alright, sure. And?
CONSTANCE: And nothing, or rather nobody. She isn’t any of the Queen’s allies that I know of - I went through the members of their families whose locations I couldn’t account for, and even with makeup, she couldn’t be any of them. She isn’t a Shadow herself - of that I am fairly certain, the way she holds herself is quite distinct. In fact it is so distinct I would have put my money on her being a foreigner - but that would make no sense whatsoever.
CONSTANCE ruffles her hair.
CONSTANCE: She doesn’t fit, which means I am missing something, and I hate it. Do you think it’s possible she could teleport like you heroes?
NAOFUMI frowns.
NAOFUMI: It’s not impossible, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
CONSTANCE sighs.
CONSTANCE: Yeah, I didn’t think so either. I can’t even send anyone to follow her - if she has Shadows around, they’d just get caught. Me or Raph could do it, but that would still be risky. How are you and Filo doing?
NAOFUMI: Well, our crazy trek to Shieldfrieden is progressing on plan, though Filo just about collapsed today. Even with just me on her back, her legs tire out quickly trying to keep the same pace we had before while being cursed.
CONSTANCE frowns.
CONSTANCE: We talked about this in the postmortem.
NAOFUMI sighs.
NAOFUMI: That’s kind of why I came by. I tried to argue with her about it but she told me she needs stronger speed potions not nagging. I don’t know if she is even wrong on this - with the pace she is holding, we’ll be in Shieldfrieden by the end of the week. But if you want to try your hand at it, she is downstairs.
CONSTANCE: I’ll talk to her.
CONSTANCE heads to the door. NAOFUMI motions to the wall of papers.
NAOFUMI: You aren’t worried about leaving it like this?
CONSTANCE: Why? It’s all in a code that only I can speak. Even the maps don’t have the real locations marked. Even if someone sneaked in here, all they’d know is that one of the Shield Hero’s shady followers is a bit more shady than expected - and frankly, there are bigger skeletons to find in this village.
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SCENE: Tavern in Melromarc. REN is sitting at one of the tables, dressed in an expensive, decorated court suit. A masterful tailor has worked on it, even working the sword hanging off his hip into the design.
CONSTANCE and NAOFUMI enter through the doors. CONSTANCE is dressed like a valet. NAOFUMI is also wearing an expensive suit, but it’s a cut below REN’s. They approach REN. REN appears surprised to see them.
REN: I see you know how to dress already. That’s good, I figured our first goal would have been to go see a tailor.
NAOFUMI: I don’t know anything. Fredalia, however, does.
CONSTANCE: You underestimate your abilities, Sir Hero. For example, you knew the names for at least half of the garments.
NAOFUMI: Yeah, see. This is why she also wanted to come with, in case I fuck something else up.
REN looks between them.
REN: Our mutual acquaintance asked me to tell you that they will be arriving in Melromarc in two days. It would be great if you were here for it.
NAOFUMI nods.
REN: Today, on the other hand, there is a small party happening at the manor of Marquees de Belqua. I’ve been invited, and you will be attending with me.
CONSTANCE nods.
CONSTANCE: It’s a good choice for a first outing for this delicate courtier. De Belqua had been known for their eccentricity, so a certain degree of scandal would go unnoticed.
REN looks at CONSTANCE, frowning.
REN: You know them?
CONSTANCE: This valet knows a little bit about everything, Sir Hero.
REN focuses on CONSTANCE. She smiles slightly under her mask. Finally, REN shrugs.
REN: What the hell, less work for me. Let’s go.
They head for the doors.
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SCENE: A fortified town wall is patrolled by a set of demihuman GUARDS. On one side of the wall, there is a large city; on the other side, fields that transition into a forest. A road leads away from the gate in the wall and into the forest.
From a distance, a cloud of dust rises into the sky above the road. One of the GUARDS stops to look at it. The cloud comes closer, and one can see a giant FILOFIAL at the head of the cloud, with a black figure on its back. The GUARD shouts in alarm, and the other guards gather around, preparing to repel an assault. One of them raises a horn to their lips and blows three short signals. The signal is repeated from other guard posts alongside the wall.
In moments, the FILOFIAL approaches the wall and leaps up, flying on top of the wall in a gust of magic wind. It lands, and transforms into FILO, who immediately flops on the ground on her back. NAOFUMI manages to hop off her back in the middle of the transformation.
FILO raises a triumphant fist into the air, breathing heavily.
FILO: HA! And you said I couldn’t do it!
NAOFUMI sighs.
NAOFUMI: I didn’t say that, I said I was worried about you pushing yourself.
FILO ignores NAOFUMI.
FILO: Oh Filo, you can’t run that far on your poor little cursed legs, you gotta relax… IN YOUR FACE! One week, easy!
In the distance, GUARDS gather into a formation and head down the wall towards NAOFUMI. NAOFUMI leans over FILO, looking a bit worried. FILO is pumping her fists in the air, changing “Filo! Filo!” softly.
NAOFUMI: You have so many potions in you that I think we are pushing the limits of what is known about potion toxicity.
FILO: Eh, I’ll be fine.
NAOFUMI glances up at the approaching WALL OF GUARD.
NAOFUMI: If you are fine, can you get up?
FILO tries to sit up, but fails, and flops back on the ground.
FILO: Uuuuuh. Not right now, chief. These legs don’t want to work so soon.
NAOFUMI curses. The WALL OF GUARDS comes to a stop. An identical wall is approaching from the other end of the wall. A SERGEANT, a dog demihuman, comes in front of the GUARDS and calls out to NAOFUMI.
SERGEANT: Hey you, on top of the wall! Identify yourselves!
Stolen story; please report.
NAOFUMI: Well, hopefully this goes better than the last time.
NAOFUMI turns towards the SERGEANT.
NAOFUMI: I am the Shield Hero. I think your country is named after me. I’d like to talk to your boss.
----------------------------------------
SCENE: A richly decorated office. A large desk takes up most of it. NAOFUMI is sitting on one side of it, with a richly-dressed tiger demihuman MAYOR on the other side. MAYOR is dabbing sweat off their forehead with a piece of cloth. FILO is sprawled on a couch up against one of the walls.
The door to the office opens, and a squirrel demihuman SECRETARY comes in, carrying a tray of drinks. She hands a pitcher of water to FILO, and pours NAOFUMI and the MAYOR a pair of wine glasses. FILO immediately starts gulping down the entire pitcher, dripping water on the couch.
The SECRETARY leaves, and the MAYOR finally speaks.
MAYOR: Sir Hero… I apologize for my conduct, but it isn’t every day that you see a mythical figure.
NAOFUMI waves him off.
NAOFUMI: It’s not an issue, really. Not the first time this has happened.
MAYOR: Well, what can I do for you?
NAOFUMI: I have been informed by a trustworthy person that you are involved in efforts to help escaped demihuman slaves from Melromarc to acclimate to life here. Is that true?
MAYOR pauses for a moment, then nods.
MAYOR: We do what we can, which isn’t much - we can’t directly enter Melromarc territory, or at least not in the open. There are some brave souls that smuggle slaves across the border, but most of the slaves have to cross it on their own without being caught. Very few of them make it across and all the way to us.
NAOFUMi nods.
NAOFUMI: I am preparing to covertly move some demihumans across the border. Could you handle their affairs on this end?
MAYOR: How many?
NAOFUMI: North of six hundred.
MAYOR’s eyebrows go up.
MAYOR: Six hundred at once? That is a lot more than anything we’ve seen before.
NAOFUMI: Yeah, let’s just say there is more where that came from. Whatever systems you have on this end, you might want to expand them. Most of the adults will be trained to hunt monsters, so that should give you something to work with, times being what they are.
MAYOR puts his fingers together and stares at NAOFUMI through the pyramid. He speaks slowly.
MAYOR: Sir Shield…
NAOFUMI: Just Naofumi.
MAYOR: Sir Naofumi, are we to expect some instability west of our borders?
NAOFUMI meets his gaze.
NAOFUMI: That depends. Who knows what the future will bring.
MAYOR leans back.
MAYOR: I see. I am not sure if this is my area of expertise, to be frank. I might have to push this up the line.
NAOFUMI nods.
NAOFUMI: It would be good to do that in any case. I would appreciate it if you exercised discretion, and tried to keep my involvement with the escaped slaves on the down low - if anyone asks, I was here to talk about planning a defense against the Waves.
MAYOR: I see. And should you require weapons, or other resources?
NAOFUMI shrugs performatively.
NAOFUMI: The Waves are a large crisis. Naturally, handling them will require weaponry, food, potions, skilled fighters, medics, and other such things. Of course, it will also lead to a lot of people being displaced from their homes and fleeing the monsters. Your government will need to have a system to help those people - give them new homes and put them to work. Of course, who knows where those people would come from? They are refugees, it isn’t like they would bring their documents when fleeing in a panic.
MAYOR stares at NAOFUMI for a while, then picks up some papers from his desk and starts writing things down. Finally, he looks up at NAOFUMI again.
MAYOR: When could we expect the first…refugees…to come?
NAOFUMI: Whenever you are ready, but the sooner the better.
MAYOR: And how will they come to us? Is it a cart, or a boat, or…
NAOFUMI: Instantaneous teleportation. I would need an open, but concealed area for it, but otherwise it could be anywhere.
MAYOR writes for a while longer.
MAYOR: If I push things, I think we could start tomorrow. Come again in the morning, we will discuss details.
NAOFUMI stands up and stretches his hand. MAYOR shakes it.
NAOFUMI: It’s good to know that we can work together.
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SCENE: RAPHTALIA, NAOFUMI, CONSTANCE and FILO walk into the REN’s favorite tavern. REN is not there. INNKEEPER greets them and waves them over, handing a letter over to NAOFUMI. NAOFUMI opens the letter and reads it, huddling together with the others in a corner.
NAOFUMI: It seems we still have a couple hours before the arrival.
CONSTANCE: In that case, I’d suggest we pop over to our whiskered friend in high places. There are still some things to arrange, and you can start alerting our people to pack their things.
NAOFUMI nods. They head for the entrance. RAPHTALIA stops at the doors.
RAPHTALIA: You guys go ahead. I’ll stay here - do the shopping we’ve been putting off for a while. I still need some kind of formal outfit, if we will be meeting with nobles a lot.
NAOFUMI shrugs, reaches into his backpack and throws a coin purse to RAPHTALIA. RAPHTALIA catches it. CONSTANCE looks concerned.
CONSTANCE: Be careful. There were some talks about the guard intensifying patrols after that monster attack up north.
RAPHTALIA rolls her eyes.
RAPHTALIA: I can literally go invisible and bisect pretty much anyone in these parts. I’ll be fine.
CONSTANCE: I am not worried for you. Avoid confrontation if you can, please.
RAPHTALIA nods. They head outside. NAOFUMI, CONSTANCE and FILO vanish into thin air. RAPHTALIA heads down the street with a jingle in her feet.
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SCENE: RAPHTALIA is negotiating with a female MERCHANT selling alchemical reagents. Both of them are leaning to face one another over the counter, gesticulating aggressively. Several CUSTOMERS are waiting in the queue and observing this process. RAPHTALIA turns around and attempts to leave the store without the deal, but the MERCHANT runs out from behind the counter and grabs her by the arm. RAPHTALIA gives a counteroffer, causing the MERCHANT to turn around in a huff and leave into the back room, until RAPHTALIA catches up to her and pulls her back. Finally, they reach an agreement and shake hands. RAPHTALIA hands over a sizable amount of gold.
RAPHTALIA: Thank you. Send this to the Three Barrels tavern, for Naofumi.
MERCHANT: Girl, I’d say it’s a pleasure doing business, but if every customer of mine fought like you do I’d be left with no pants to wear.
RAPHTALIA smiles and leaves the store, heading down the street. As she passes by an alley, the SLAVE TRADER steps out of it.
SLAVE TRADER: Ah, Raphtalia! Is your master here?
RAPHTALIA turns towards him, and her eye twitches. Her right hand darts towards the pommel of her sword, but clenches into a fist inches above it. Her tail puffs up behind her back. She slowly breathes in and out, before responding.
RAPHTALIA: What?
SLAVE TRADER: Your master, Naofumi. Is he nearby? I have a…business proposition to discuss with him.
SLAVE TRADER laughs creepily. RAPHTALIA’s mouth twitches.
RAPHTALIA: No. Anything else?
SLAVE TRADER: Well, why don’t you give him a message for me.
SLAVE TRADER takes out a sealed letter and hands it to RAPHTALIA. RAPHTALIA immediately tears it open and reads it. SLAVE TRADER purses his lips.
RAPHTALIA: You want him to look into who killed that noble fuck up north?
SLAVE TRADER spreads his arms.
SLAVE TRADER: He was one of my best customers! I will pay handsomely for any information. It’s only good business. He was even the one who sold you to me - maybe you’d find out something about your family.
RAPHTALIA’s eyes glance at the SLAVE TRADER above the letter she holds in her hands.
RAPHTALIA: I’ll pass it along.
RAPHTALIA turns around and heads off without saying goodbye. SLAVE TRADER fades back into an alley.
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SCENE: RAPHTALIA is heading down the main street, still scowling after her encounter with the SLAVE TRADER. A group of GUARDS comes from the other direction. For a moment, their eyes cross.
HEAD GUARD frowns at her, and their group moves towards her. RAPHTALIA tries to avoid them in the street crowds, but the GUARDS keep after her. Finally, HEAD GUARD calls out.
HEAD GUARD: By the order of the King, stop right there!
SPIRIT OF RAPHTALIA: Damn guards. Should I flee? But then they could start searching for me all over the place, and they’ll know I can turn invisible in the future. It’d be trouble to walk around Melromarc then. Constance suggested I avoid conflict… Maybe it’s fine. It’s a public place, they won’t dare to do much.
RAPHTALIA stops in front of a building with decorated wooden panels, a sign above the door demarcating it as the “Third Plate” restaurant. She closes her eyes, focusing on her breathing. The GUARDS strut over, and RAPHTALIA turns to face them, forcing a smile on her face.
RAPHTALIA: What is it?
HEAD GUARD: Where’s your master, demi?
RAPHTALIA raises an eyebrow.
RAPHTALIA: Nowhere.
HEAD GUARD smirks.
HEAD GUARD: Haven’t heard of the new law? All demihuman slaves need to be accompanied by a human, or have a written permission to go places.
RAPHTALIA: Good thing I am not a slave then.
RAPHTALIA pulls the neck of her coat down, revealing clean skin a bit below her shoulder blades. A crowd of ONLOOKERS begins to gather around them.
RAPHTALIA: See? No crest. Are we done here?
HEAD GUARD: Now hold on here. What if it’s placed lower?
HEAD GUARD smirks. RAPHTALIA stares at him with a flat expression.
RAPHTALIA: You want me to show you my tits, right here, in public, just because you think I might have a crest in a strange place?
HEAD GUARD: The law’s clear - we need to know if you are a slave!
RAPHTALIA rolls her eyes.
RAPHTALIA: No.
RAPHTALIA turns to walk away. HEAD GUARD grabs her by her right arm. RAPHTALIA looks down at his hand, her face becoming politely blank.
HEAD GUARD: Where do you think your cute tail is going?
RAPHTALIA stares directly into HEAD GUARD’s eyes.
RAPHTALIA: You really should let me go.
HEAD GUARD: Yeah, no. You are probably an escaped slave. You aren’t going anywhere.
RAPHTALIA sighs.
RAPHTALIA [WHISPER]: Yeah, to hell with avoiding conflict.
RAPHTALIA: Let me be more clear: let me go, or I’ll shove that sword of yours so far up your ass that we’ll both have tails.
HEAD GUARD pulls RAPHTALIA closer, trying to grab her by the shoulder with his other hand. RAPHTALIA spins in place, pulls out her sword with her left arm, and hits the HEAD GUARD in the throat with the pommel. HEAD GUARD falls on the ground, choking. The crowd of ONLOOKERS push themselves backwards, falling over themselves to get away from the fight.
Other GUARDS pull out their weapons and start to circle RAPHTALIA, not seeming eager to approach. RAPHTALIA twirls her sword around and looks at them calmly, stepping over the HEAD GUARD’s body.
RAPHTALIA: Go ahead, come closer. I need the exercise.
MOTOYASU: Hey! What are you doing there?
MOTOYASU comes out of the restaurant doors. RAPHTALIA glances up at him. Other GUARDS recognise MOTOYASU and seem encouraged.
GUARD: Sir Hero, help us! This crazy demihuman slave attacked our sergeant!
MOTOYASU: What? This is just Raphtalia. What are you talking about?
GUARDS look between them, no longer certain what they got themselves into. RAPHTALIA looks over at MOTOYASU fully.
RAPHTALIA: I don’t need your help, Motoyasu. Are you sure you want to get involved?
RAPHTALIA smirks, tapping the side of her nose. MOTOYASU winces, but waves the GUARDS off.
MOTOYASU: Come on, she is with me. Let her go.
The GUARDS pick their HEAD GUARD off the ground, and they limp off together. The crowd of ONLOOKERS disperses. MOTOYASU approaches RAPHTALIA.
MOTOYASU: What was that all about?
RAPHTALIA sheathes her sword and crosses her arms.
RAPHTALIA: What do you want, Motoyasu?
MOTOYASU ruffles his hair.
MOTOYASU: Listen, I thought about what happened… last time … and I am sorry. Don’t let Naofumi hear of this, but it wasn’t right to do that to you, without asking you first.
RAPHTALIA has a confused look on her face. She motions to where the HEAD GUARD was lying on the ground.
RAPHTALIA: You wanted to apologize for getting involved in things that had nothing to do with you by… once again, getting involved in bullshit that’s none of your concern?
MOTOYASU pinches the bridge of his nose. RAPHTALIA shrugs.
RAPHTALIA: Well, whatever, you apologized. Anything else?
MOTOYASU brings his hands together in a begging gesture.
MOTOYASU: Come on, at least let me make it up to you. How about I get you lunch here? It’s the best restaurant in the city!
MOTOYASU motions to the restaurant behind him. RAPHTALIA raises an eyebrow, becoming even more confused.
RAPHTALIA: You want to make up poisoning me by giving me food?
MOTOYASU holds his arms up in a defensive gesture..
MOTOYASU: That wasn’t me. I didn’t even know about any poisoning until after the duel - I thought you were just drunk. Maybe it was Myne. I don’t know what is up with her. She is so busy with the King lately that I barely have time to talk to her.
RAPHTALIA blinks at this statement.
A FIGURE steps out from behind RAPHTALIA. It is dressed in a red courtly dress with black accents. The hem of the dress has a line of stitched golden ornamentation, depicting racoons playing together. The FIGURE is wearing the same mask as CONSTANCE. It takes off the mask, letting it hang from their neck on a tassel, revealing RAPHTALIA’s face.
This is SPIRIT OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE.
SPIRIT OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE: You know, I think we should accept this invitation.
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION also steps out from behind RAPHTALIA, and looks at the SPIRIT OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE in confusion.
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION: Are you insane?
SPIRIT OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE turns to the SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION.
SPIRIT OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE: Look, there is a unique opportunity here. He is complaining about Myne - this means there might be an angle here to put a fissure in between them. If we can get them to split up, this would be a pretty big win.
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION grabs their head in their hands, pantomiming a migraine.
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION: Oh no, they got to us too. They are in our head now!
SPIRIT OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE: Who is in our head?
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION: These deranged thoughts about trying to do a revolution by dealing with the drama of rich people.
SPIRIT OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE folds their arms.
SPIRIT OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE: This isn’t about drama. It’s about causing a concrete split among our enemies, thus making them less effective at achieving their goals.
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION gesticulates wildly, as if trying to point at the BARONESS who isn’t here.
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION: They aren’t even our opponents, they are the opponents of that Baroness, or opponents of Ren! What do we care about their power balance?
SPIRIT OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE: We care because the less collected they are, the less effective they will be at keeping and directing the power of the state, and thus the easier it will be for us to operate. This should be pretty obvious: we don’t want a powerful hero slowly brainwashed into becoming a slavery supporter, or else we’d have to fight him later on.
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION: This is a waste of time. If we had some kind of concrete strategy for doing this, it would be one thing. But we don’t: we have a sliver of a possibility based on a single sentence Motoyasu said, as well as your guess for how he feels about Myne. The chances of this leading to a break are very slim, and thus it’s a waste of time.
SPIRIT OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE rolls their eyes.
SPIRIT OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE: Obviously we won’t make a break happen today, that’s not the point. The point is to find out information we can use to cause a break later on, or to sow the seeds that will grow over time. And even if the break can’t be made, it’s still likely that we’d get some information we can use. Look at this idiot - do you really think he won’t make something slip? Take those people with the eye symbol that keep showing up - chances are they are related to the King, and thus to Myne, and thus Motoyasu might know something about them.
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION: If we had Constance’s skills at manipulation, maybe. But we don’t.
SPIRIT OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE: She taught us the basics. You do not need any especially complex skills here - most of it is just listening to people and showing some interest.
RAPHTALIA’s stomach rumbles.
SPIRIT OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE: Also we really are quite hungry after our shopping spree.
MOTOYASU makes a begging gesture.
MOTOYASU: Please?
RAPHTALIA sighs, and takes out a potion from her bandoleer, downing it in one gulp.
RAPHTALIA: Sure.
MOTOYASU: What was that?
RAPHTALIA heads past MOTOYASU and towards the doors. MOTOYASU follows.
RAPHTALIA: Poison immunity potion, obviously. Not about to go eat food I didn’t make without it.
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DRAMATIS PERSONAE
NAOFUMI IWATANI, THE SHIELD HERO. The first socialist. Protagonist. Filofial racer.
RAPHTALIA. The second socialist. Junior court intrigue planner.
FILO. World record filofial speed holder. Probably not overdosed on potions.
CONSTANCE VON MARUKIEVICH / FREDALIA. Secretly demihuman. Great analyst, better plotter.
KITAMURA MOTOYASU, THE SPEAR HERO. Apologist. Knows good restaurants. Political affiliation unclear.
SLAVE TRADER. Trades slaves. Sold RAPHTALIA to NAOFUMI.
MAYOR. Leader of one of the largest towns in Shieldfrieden. Key figure in slave escape routes.
NARRATOR. The voice of drama.
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION. The voice of affecting things personally.
SPIRIT OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE. The voice of plot and trickery.