YOU ARE ALEX RASTON.

Carrying a plate of eggs, you return to your room, intending to surprise Elsie with breakfast in bed.

You return to see her stretched partially across where you were sleeping, rolling around fitfully a mildly concerned look on her face.

>What do?

>>20615997
Set the breakfast down on a surface.

Sit down in the bed, give her a hug, stroke her hair, tell her that we're here for her.

>>20616118
that sounds appropriate.

>>20616118
That does seem to cover it.

>>20616118
Sounds like an appropriate response to the girl in our bed obviously having a bad dream.

>>20616118
I have nothing better to suggest.

Random question, what the fuck is that amnesiac quest in the AC Quest Archives?

Is it at all related?

>>20616363
Not in the least but it looks for AC Quest and it's tagged as Amnesi(ac Quest) so it pops up.

>>20616363
No, it has confused me too. The tags don't seem to relate either, so I have no idea.

You look at her for a moment, and then set the tray to one side before sitting on the bed.

Very gently, you wake her and pull her into a hug. After a long moment where she just clings to you, you pulls away and pushes her long dark hair out of her eyes to look at you.

"You're up early." She says, tone neutral.

"Wanted to surprise you." you say, handing her the tray you set aside. She looks at it for a moment, then smiles and gives you a kiss on the cheek before sweeping her hair off her face and taking a bite of poached egg.

You take your own plate, and after a moment you realize Elsie hasn't moved.

"El?"

"These...." she says, a single tear on her cheek. "These are the best goddamned eggs I've had in my life."

You slowly take a bite while she stares at nothing, apparently overwhelmed with emotion. And then you understand.

Hollandaise and some sort of white sauce combine with some of the most succulent Ham you've ever tasted, seasoned with a spice you can't quite identify. You can taste artichoke and creamed spinach, fresh and delicious. And the egg, oh gods, it's cooked to perfection and allows a delicious medium that keeps the multitude of flavors from overwhelming each other.

How in God's name did a mortal man make eggs this good?

Slowly, you come to the realization that you've only taken one bite, and Elsie seems to do the same. And slowly, almost afraid of being overwhelmed, you go for a second.

>>20616384
Ah, gotcha.

>>20616391
Holy shit eggs

>>20616391

After almost twenty, soul searching minutes, you finish eating your breakfast, and Elsie slumps into you slightly, clearly emotionally drained.

After a few minutes, you collect yourselves and head out to the kitchen.

Ari is openly weeping over her plate, Laurie has a thousand yard stare painted on his face as he slowly chews. A half smile directed at nothing.

Dave on the other hand looks mildly concerned. He looks at you. "You didn't make these, did you?"

"No." You admit.

You go to say more, but Dave slowly nods and looks away. "I've only had eggs like these once before in my life. And the man who cooked it refused to give me the recipe. I heard he died not long after we parted ways." He wipes his mouth, and puts his empty plate in the sink. "This warrants investigation."

"Wait," Elsie says as she looks at you "You didn't cook those?"

[ ] I was going to make you something, but they were already made when I got up.
[ ] No, just took advantage of them. I was as shocked as you were at how good the were.

>>20616484
>>20616391

.... Subtle.

>>20616484
>[x] I was going to make you something, but they were already made when I got up.

>>20616484
>[ ] I was going to make you something, but they were already made when I got up.
And now, I must away, for I have to go to bed now.

Goddamnit.

>>20616484
[x] I was going to make you something, but they were already made when I got up.

>>20616484
[ ] I was going to make you something, but they were already made when I got up.

"I was going to make you something, but they were already there when I got up."

"Hmmm..." She says, before shaking her head. "Whatever. Thought that counts, right?" She smiles up at you. "No plans for today, right? We should go do something."

"Uh, actually Dervish was gonna come over this afternoon. But other than whatever he has planned we're pretty open."

She frowns "It has to be today?"

"Apparently his team's gonna be busy as hell tomorrow, so he wanted to slip it in while he could. Why? Did you have plans?"

"...Not really, I just thought it would be nice to have a day off after yesterday." She responds.

"Well we do have most of a morning...."

"Nah, that's alright. I'm gonna go make Ari run a few sims for now." She then proceeds to drag your still emotional sister downstairs.

Laurie puts his dishes away, and then kinda wanders out of the room, giving a vague nod in your direction as he leaves.

You idly wonder if he even heard you, and you don't think EGGS, even eggs THAT GOOD would take him out it that much.

Having nothing pressing to do, you decide to:

[ ] See what's up with Laurie.
[ ] Find out what spooked Dave.
[ ] Help torment your sister.
[ ] Find out why Mooch wasn't at breakfast.

>>20616739
>[ ] Find out what spooked Dave.
We need to investigate the mystery of the Eggs with him.

>>20616739
>[ ] See what's up with Laurie.

>>20616739
[x]Help torment your sister.

>>20616756
>>20616760
>>20616774

And we're off to a great start.

By the way, for those of you who haven't seen it: the crunch thread is alive, and it's amazing if only for the brief glimpse of what he's plotting after Armored is finished.

>>20612572

>>20616789
Elsie seems to want to spend time with us, seems like a good idea to go with her.
but I'm a newcomer so feel free to ignore my reasoning.

File: 1346911148848.jpg-(23 KB, 320x240, 1323438905548.jpg)

>>20616756
>>20616760
>>20616774

>Is that a three way tie?

File: 1346911294367.jpg-(114 KB, 421x292, 1344625568995.jpg)

>>20616929

>>20616950

We can't really continue the game unless we come to a consensus.

>>20616739
help torment sister

[X] LAURIE


geega

tie

buhreakur

>>20616979

>Good enough for-

>>20616992

>...Never mind.

>>20616992
>>20616979
And now it's a two-way tie.

>>20617009
To make your life easier.
Switching from >>20616756
to Torementing Sister.

>>20616992
I'll put a [X] for Laurie too just to be sure.

>>20617021
>>20617027

Why

File: 1346911712372.gif-(995 KB, 280x201, I Laugh So I Won't Cry.gif)

>>20617021
>>20617027

>>20617021
>>20617027

>....

File: 1346911791162.jpg-(44 KB, 603x315, 1346387118468.jpg)

>>20616979
>>20616992
>>20617021
>>20617027

>>20616739
Mooch

j/k, go for laurie

rolled 1 = 1

Alright, I'm gonna leave it to fate

1 is Sis
2 is Laurie

rolled 1 = 1

>>20617056
>>20617058

FUCK

Fuck it, switching to
[x] Help torment sister
just to break this infernal tie.

File: 1346911881366.jpg-(2.38 MB, 1376x3632, 1332812789113.jpg)

>>20617035

>>20617044
Well I wanted to find out what's happening with Dave but since that's not happening why don't I break the tie and vote for Laurie

>>20617076
Well fuck that didn't help. Dice spoke go mess with Ari

Acguy, how about you flip the coin?

It seems like its the only way.

File: 1346912112721.jpg-(2.57 MB, 1376x4240, 1332812857596.jpg)

>>20617058
>>20617056

>Looks like Ari/Elsie is winning by one, I'm going with that before this goes on any longer.

File: 1346912312723.png-(294 KB, 349x447, ac guy gets off from a ha(...).png)

Oh god, this thread

You decide to head down and check on Elsie and your sister.

You pause outside the door, hearing them talk.

[ ] Eavesdrop.
[ ] Enter.

>>20617154

Amusing picture, but doesn't AC-Guy work at a mine? I seem to remember mention of bulldozers.

>>20617190
[x]Drop some Eaves, samwise.

>>20617190
MORE CHOICES

Eavesdrop

>>20617190

[X] Eavesdrop.

>>20617190
>[ ] Eavesdrop.
Confound it all, and et cetera.

>>20617190
>[ ] Eavesdrop.

You opt to listen in, and quietly lean against the wall.

"So you're doing better then Ari?"

"Yeah. Still a little shaky, but not as bad as I was. And... don't tell Alex. He's got enough to worry about and it's only temporary."

Elsie sighs deeply. "Yeah, alright. You know, you really shouldn't hide things like this from him. He's not just your brother, he's your CO right now. Not knowing this could impact his decision making if he gives you something you aren't ready for."

".... Yeah. You know, sometimes I wish we could take a little break from all this. I'd like to get to know you a bit better before you two actually get married."

Elsie laughs nervously. "Alright, yes, Alex and I are a thing now. But let's not get ahead of ourselves...."

"He'd go buy a ring now if you asked him. Hell, he'd buy one if he knew about the-"

"FALSE POSITIVE!" Elsie blurts, and your heart skips a beat as you realize the implications. "And don't just SAY things like that. You never know who might overhear."

"Oh yeah, because he's totally listening in right now. HEY ALEX! C'MERE!"

[ ] Stay in cover.
[ ] Head on in.

>>20617346

... SHE'S BLUFFING!

NOBODY PANIC, NOBODY MOVE!

>>20617346
[x] Stay in cover.
She's bluffing. She's GOT to be bluffing.
There's no way she's a Newtype.

>>20617346
>[ ] Stay in cover.

Nope, wait for a good minute longer before wandering in as if we just got there.

>>20617346
and on that bombshell ladies and gentlemen,
[x]head on in

>Head on in.

Come in holding a plate filled with Pancakes, and say "I was making dinner and i heard someone call my name......Why are you people screaming for me when im busy...MAKING PANCAKES?"

>>20617346
[X] Stay in cover.

>>20617346
>[ ] Head on in.
Our proud ancestral trolls would be greatly disappoint if we did not take this opportunity to fuck with our little sister.

>>20617346
>[x] Stay in cover.

>>20617346
I only suggest heading in if its hidden that we weren't eavesdropping.

So... Stay in cover, stay in cover now!

Yeah it seems stay in cover wins

>>20617346
Lets fuck with her, head on it confused. Say we were somewhere else, but now we're here all of the sudden. Ask if someone called our name.

You opt to stay in cover, for just a moment longer.

"Come on Alex, I know you're there."

SHIT. You feel your resolve wavering, you're about to step out-

"See? he's not here." your sister says "Didn't overhear anything. If he was eavesdropping I would've gotten him with that."

Clever girl.

Elsie sighs. "God, for a minute you almost had ME."

"Why are you so worried about him finding out? It's not like it would ruin your relationship. He wouldn't cut and run even if he could, and I'm pretty sure Mom's been pressuring him to 'seal the deal' with you in one way or another."

"... Really? Is she that desperate for grandkids?"

"Not really, she's just all but adopted you as her daughter-in-law already, and seems fairly certain you two are in it for the long haul."

"Heh. I don't know, I think I might have to consider my other romantic prospects first." Elsie responds jokingly you can almost hear the blush in her voice.

"Like who? Mooch is taken, Laurie's too busy with baggage, and Dave sweet but only has really good dick jokes going for him." Your sister responds. Not seeing a better opening, and feeling your leg beginning to cramp, you walk in.

"Really Good Dick Jokes is the name of my King Missile cover band." you say calmly as you walk in, and they both do a double take. "Also, what are we talking about?"

File: 1346914762944.png-(267 KB, 499x252, 1335298155584.png)

>>20617530
Oh AC-guy, my sides. You never fail to deliver.

File: 1346914790878.gif-(2.14 MB, 302x220, 1332050996165.gif)

>>20617530
dodged that trap like a boss.

>>20617530

"Nothing." They both respond looking away from each other.

You choose to silently quirk an eyebrow as you look between them. "So anyway, Ari was gonna run a sim or two, right? I want in on that."

Elsie looks at you "Sim side, or with me?"

[ ] With Ari.
[ ] With Elsie.

>>20617530
>"Really Good Dick Jokes is the name of my King Missile cover band." you say calmly as you walk in, and they both do a double take. "Also, what are we talking about?"

Well played sir. Bonus points for the obscure double reference.

>>20617579
[X] With Elsie

If we go in the sims it will became CRAZYIVANCRAZYIVANCRAZYIVAN and that's not really what we should do when we are trying to train Ari.

>>20617579
[x]With Ari
if there's shit she needs to work out that would effect her mission performance, better to address that sooner than later, yes?

>>20617579
With Ari

>>20617579
>[ ] With Elsie.

[X] With Elsie

Let's not go in the sims with Legion on the loose, right guys?

Was gonna troll, changed my mind.

Already deleted the post, also: get a trip code.

>>20617579
Ari

We can talk with Elsie about her "issue" later. Right now is a good time to deal with Ari's AC related issue.

>>20617639

>.... did I miss something?

>>20617684
http://archive.foolz.us/tg/thread/20615861/#20617612

[X] With Elsie

>>20617697

>The fuck?

>>20617711
Elsie seems to be winning, so lets go with that before someone votes for Ari.

>>20617724

>Yeah, alight.

>I need to go deal with dogs, and apparently get a tripcode.

>Dammit, we made it how many threads?

>>20617734
>>I need to go deal with dogs, and apparently get a tripcode.
>>Dammit, we made it how many threads?

Tripcodes are overated.

Besides we will always be able to know who is the real Acguy, tripcode or not.

>Let's see if I actually know how to do this.

"With you on the operator side of things. I wanted to see how she handled solo." You answer with a nod towards your sister.

Ari shrugs and climbs into one of the simulators, while you and Elsie head over to one of the control consoles. "How do you want to start this off?" Elsie asks you. "Slow? Throw her right into it? Basic review?"

[ ] Ease in. (Explore and explain mechanics).
[ ] Right to it (straight testing).
[ ] Review (explanation of how cores work).

>>20618015
[X] Ease in. (Explore and explain mechanics).

[X] Ease in. (Explore and explain mechanics).

>>20618015

[X] Ease in. (Explore and explain mechanics).

>>20618015
>[ ] Ease in. (Explore and explain mechanics).

>>20618015
[x] Ease in. (Explore and explain mechanics).
We want to make sure that she's got the basics.

>>20618121

>[We want to make sure that she's got the basics.]

>Actually, that would be more in line with the last one. It's more me talking about how I'm currently trying to get health and combat to stop fucking up, the one you picked.

You start out with some basic combat maneuvers, just shooting at targets for now.

>So let's go to....

YOU ARE ARIANNA RASTON. Apparently your brother decided to play nice today. You get a number of floating balls you have to find and eliminate in the city before the time limit expires.

[ ] New piloting protocols.
[ ] New Radar/scanning system.
[ ] New targeting protocols.

>>20618188
>[ ] New piloting protocols.

>>20618188
[x]New piloting protocols

[X] New Radar/scanning system.

>>20618188

[X] New targeting protocols.

I'm intrigued.

>>20618197
>>20618223

You decide to get to a better vantage point, taking advantage of a nearby parking garage.

[New piloting base: difficulty of tasks are measured by comparing your machines capability to what you're asking it to do. So movement on the ground is almost always gonna be an instant success, even in a terrible core. With a sufficiently advanced machine, even extremely adverse conditions can hold little danger.]

[Ari's task is a simple one: get on top of a 5 story building from the ground. Based on her heavy but powerful machine, this will require a roll of 60 or lower.]

rolled 19 = 19

>>20618315
This is our first roll in a while.

I wonder if the dice still hates us?

rolled 86 = 86

>>20618315
low rolls you say?

rolled 55 = 55

>>20618339
>19

Apparently not.

>>20618343
>86

Nevermind

>>20618339
>>20618343
>>20618350
>53,3 average

At least we passed

You leap to the top of the building, and touch down fairly lightly.

[ ] New Radar/scanning system.
[ ] New targeting protocols.

>>20618411
>[ ] New targeting protocols.

>>20618411
>[X] New targeting protocols.

>>20618411
[x] New Radar/scanning system.

[x] New Radar/scanning system.

>>20618426
>>20618432
>>20618438
>>20618445

Fuck, voting for [x] New targeting protocols.

You make up a couple of random targets on the building next to you, to get a feel for your weapons again, and improve your aim.

[Gun based combat is now primarily a opposed test of ballistics.]

[It's simpler, and makes a lot more sense than trying to flat out dodge bullets if you think about: ballistics is basically a measure of how good you are, and how much you know about guns. Knowing a lot about guns can help you: for instance knowing how much bullets of a certain caliber can penetrate certain materials would let you better pick what makes for good cover.]

[As well as certain factors like a certain kind of gun having a tendency to jam, or pulling up and to the left whenever you shoot it.]

[In theory, you could use a high ballistics score as the basis of an aspect of trait, that could be invoked to, say, make someone's gun jam because they weren't taking proper care of it.]

[In this Case, Ari's trying to shoot out a couple of windows across the street with minimal collateral.]

>Target 60.

rolled 53 = 53

>>20618533
Rolling

rolled 74 = 74

>>20618533
lets try that again

rolled 83 = 83

>>20618533
Rollan

>>20618537
>>20618547
>>20618552
>70 average

Fuck

>>20618533
>Ari's trying to shoot out a couple of windows across the street with minimal collateral.]

We blew up the entire building didn't we?

>>20618537
>>20618547
>>20618552

Chain-guns aren't really made for accuracy, you know? You got the windows you were aiming for.

Along with every other window on the building.

"Hey Ari?" Your brother's voice comes over the coms. "Mind telling me where the bad building touched you?"

"I was just double checking my targeting protocols."

"You hit the building, congrats."

"I wasn't aiming for the BUILDING."

"... Sis, hate to break it to you, but if you're that bad of a shot...."

"I was aiming for a couple of windows, you smug ass, Chain-guns aren't a weapon with a lot of finesse."

"Well if you're done climbing around and shooting poor defenseless buildings, you've got targets to hunt, and you're on something of a time limit."

You dispatch a couple of probes.

[If you've played AC:V, you already know where I'm going with this.]

[Basically, a probe will tell you when there's a person close to the unit. Some units will tell you how far away (thought not the direction) or have much broader ranges. Alex's tac-met automatically lets him know about other cores in the area if his team mates or overwatch spots them. Here though, Ari's 'at liberty' and will need to make a tech use check to find her targets].

>Target 65.

rolled 8 = 8

>>20618613
TECH USE!

rolled 27 = 27

>>20618613

rolled 79 = 79

>>20618613
>8
>>20618620
>27

I'm gonna roll a 99 I feel it

>>20618615
>>20618620
>>20618627
>38 av.

Nice

With a handful of strategically placed probes, you've already identified twelve of your sixteen targets. You make a note to plant a few more while you hunt to narrow down the last few locations....

>I'm gonna end it there for tonight, keep this and the crunch thread alive and I'll try and put down some more awesome for you.

Thanks for the thread. I like the tutorial, it adds a neat touch.

>>20618681
I haven't got to say this before because I've only recently caught up with the archives, so this is the first time being in a thread, but thanks for the thread, both it and you are awesome.

bump

Staying alive...

So, like, stuff.

Life support bump, and I officially fucking hate Comcast. My internet crapped out last night (actually, everyone in town with Comcast's internet crapped out, but anyway...) and they didn't get it back up and running until five minutes ago.

>>20628628

>Wow. That there is some bullshit.

>So, who's ready for AC-Quest?

>>20630161
Go for it.

>>20630161
I'm ready.

>>20630161
I am!

>>20630161
My body is ready.

YOU ARE ALEX RASTON.

Currently, you're watching your sister engaging in a training run in the sims. You decided to start her off slow in light of her injuries.

Elsie adjusts a few parameters at the console next to yours. "The first few should be relatively easy kills." She comments, as she puts in the last few variables. "With each one she takes out, the rest will get smarter and harder to hit."

"Good warm-up." you respond with a nod, then turn to her. "I didn't know you could have the A.I. targets dynamically adjusted like that."

"Mooch showed me some tricks during the tourney and when we had some down-time due to things like your...."

"Recent fainting spells?"

"...seizures. Fainting spells?" She turns to look at you, slightly incredulous. "That makes you sound like one of those prissy Victorian ladies from a cheap romance novel."

"Wow El. I knew about the poetry, but not the dirty girl books."

"Shut up." She says, shaking her head and trying not to laugh.

"Oh Mr. Darcy!" you proclaim, leaning back in your chair and resting the back of your hand on your forehead.

Which is when Elsie kicks the chair-leg from underneath you.

Hitting the ground with a slightly pained 'omph', you perk up when you hear Elsie announce that your sister has already claimed three targets.

"So fast?"

"She's improving quickly." Elsie responds. "At her current rate, I'd guess she'd be on our level in a couple months."

[ ] Discuss Ari's training.
[ ] Talk about how Elsie's doing.

>>20630462
[X] Talk about how Elsie's doing.

>>20630462
>[ ] Talk about how Elsie's doing.

>>20630462
>[ ] Talk about how Elsie's doing.
And maybe ourself, too.

>>20630462
[x] Discuss Ari's training.

>>20630462
Discuss Ari's Training

>>20630462
>[X] Talk about how Elsie's doing.

If this becomes a tie, some one's gonna be so mad.

>>20630667

>Nope, Elsie wins.

>>20630679
So I see.

"So Elsie." She turns to look at you. "You feeling alright?"

"Yeees...?" She quirks an eyebrow and tilts her head slightly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Just concerned is all. Between yesterday and this morning...."

She smiles sadly, and shakes her head. "Yeah, alright. I can see why you'd be concerned. I'm actually doing a lot better than I was, I'm just getting worse at hiding it from you."

You sigh. "You shouldn't hide things, El. All it does is create stress and problems."

"Hey," She says, getting defensive. "You have a lot on your plate."

"We all do. Besides, I already know half the secrets around here despite people sneaking around on me. As it is, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to talk to Laurie about the stash of Booze he has in that toolbox downstairs, or Ari with her leg problems, or...." you sigh and kick back in your chair. "Pushing other people away from your problems when they want to help is a bad habit to get into. And I'm speaking from experience here."

She's quiet for a long moment. "Looks like Ari's up to six."

"Not bad."

The silence returns. "Hey Alex."

"Yeah?"

"We're busy right now, and it's not really related to work but.... tonight, could we have a talk? Just us?"

[ ] Of course.
[ ] Why not now?

>>20630916
>[x] Of course.

>>20630916
[x] Of course.

>>20630916
>[ ] Of course.
Tempted to go with the other, though. Fuck it, I will.

[x]Why not now?

>>20630916
[x] Of Course

Something has been made obvious to me. When making a team of crack mech pilots, always include a psychologist on the payroll.

>>20630953
In a purely support role, at that.

I mean, Dave may be a doctor, but he's ALSO a pilot. We don't need the shrink to also have Pilot issues.

File: 1346998547555.jpg-(66 KB, 640x1047, Ritsuko Akagi.jpg)

>>20630955
And make sure your shrink (or whoever you have filling that roll) doesn't have mommy issues.

>>20630916
[x] Of course.
We should think about getting a ring.

>>20630916
>[X] Of course.

>>20630987
From Dervish. That way it also functions as a GPS device, and as a directional taser.

Although we all know he's probably make it have a few other things too.

In other news, posts can no longer have the word dousomethingbles in them.

"Of course." You respond. Elsie relaxes slightly, and gives you a kiss on the cheek.

You look over Ari's performance data. Her vitals are a little bit higher than they should be, signs of increased stress. Other than that, she seems to be totally fine.

"She's a natural." Elsie comments looking over the same numbers and feeds from her console."

"Yeah." You respond, biting back the bile rising in the back of your throat.

[ ] Go do something else.
[ ] Check Ari's cockpit feed.
[ ] (insert choice here)

>>20631124
>[ ] Check Ari's cockpit feed.
Let's see what she's seeing. Or is it how she's doing herself? Either way.

>>20631124
>[X] Check Ari's cockpit feed

>>20631124
>[ ] Check Ari's cockpit feed.

>>20631124
[x] Check Ari's cockpit feed.
Let's see how she's handling it.

You decide to open a direct feed to Ari's cockpit.

She's sitting there extremely focused, mumbling to herself about proper attack vectors while closing in on another target.

[ ] Talk to her.
[ ] Fuck with her.

>>20631275
>[X] Talk to her.

>>20631275
Talk to her.

>>20631275
>[ ] Fuck with her.
Trollanswer, go!

>>20631275
>[x] Fuck with her.

>>20631275
>[ ] Fuck with her.
Let's do this.

>>20631317
>>20631322
>>20631324

Shiny Red Button Syndrome in action.

>>20631355
I dunno, I may have to change my vote, 'cause I don't actually want to fuck with her. So I will.

Talk to her instead.

>>20631355
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku2wFaaPAzI

>>20631317
>>20631322
>>20631324

>Start typing, get ready for next action.

>WHEN SUDDENLY >>20631366

>Dammit, starting over.

>>20631380
Damnit. I was afraid of that. I'm sorry.

>>20631385

>It's all your fault Udz.

>You are SO off my friends list.

>>20631421
I has a sads.

But man, next time that happens, just ignore my flipflopping. It'll teach me to vote how I really mean.

You open up an audio line.

"Talk to me."

Her attention flickers from the screen for a moment, and then she takes out the target. "Seven down, nine to go."

"Vitals are increased. You alright in there?"

"Performance anxiety." She says jokingly. "Normally it's just us girls in here."

Ah. That'd explain it.

"Feeling the pressure? Gets a lot worse than this in the field. Focus Ari."

"Yeah yeah..." she mumbles, throwing herself into the air and letting out a stream of fire.

"Seven left."

"Eight." you correct. "You missed the second one."

"Wha- oh SHIT." she says as the little probe goes around a corner. "They get harder as I continue, huh?"

"Yep."

"Good to know." She responds, setting off in pursuit of the errant target.

She seems to have switched to her support mode while in transit, so she can focus on things other than driving. You turn to Elsie and mute the line.

"How is it she's able to fly this while she's the bane of all cars?"

Elsie shrugs, and then smiles. "You hit the wrong mute, she can still hear us."

"Oh." You turn back to the screen and your sister looks mildly livid. "Whoops."

[ ] Apologize.
[ ] Seize the initiative.

>>20631508
>[ ] Seize the initiative.
Well, since we're here...

Not gonna change it, I promise.

>>20631508
>[ ] Seize the initiative.
She really IS the bane of all cars.

>>20631508
>[X] Seize the initiative.

I have no idea what this will do but I vote for it.

>>20631508
>[X] Apologize.
Can we just train her without making it a joke for once?

>>20631552
There is something to that, but I did say I wouldn't change my vote. Bugger.

>>20631508
[x] Apologize.
Trolling is all well and good, but we need her trained and ready to pilot.

>>20631508
seize the initiative

rolled 52 = 52

You decide to seize the initiative.

You close the audio line to Ari's core, and then manually take control of the drone she's chasing. After updating the visual data to resemble your own face, you choose to turn it around and fly straight at Ari.

>Beat my roll.

rolled 24 = 24

>>20631633

rolled 40 = 40

>>20631633
Let's get on with it.

rolled 61 = 61

>>20631633
Let's get dangerous.

>>20631641
>>20631643
>>20631645
And that's... 41.6666 repeating. So I guess we did better.

rolled 41 = 41

>>20631641
>>20631643
>>20631645

Ari sees your smiling face flying right at her, and you see her mouth 'What the fu-' before she leveled her gun and you had to focus on flying again. A quick bob and a twist and you were inside her reach, and delivered a light knock with your hastily modded drone.

Not enough to damage anything, but enough to put the solid image of a kiss on the forehead in her brain.

After which you send the drone through the windows of a nearby building and into the clear while Ari tries to track it, before resetting it back to it's default mode and releasing control.

"She might be a bit upset with me over that joke earlier." You say as you stand up and stretch your legs. "I'll be elsewhere for now, I'll leave sim control in your hands."

"I'm not exactly clear on what you just did."

"I was a big brother." you respond, as you walk out the door.

>What do?

>>20631693

>Ignore dice.

>>20631693

Cue the daww, in 3.. 2...

>>20631693
Let's go see Dave about the egg mystery, if that's still a viable option.

>>20631730
Agreed.

>>20631730
Yeah this if at all possible.

rolled 13 = 13

>>20631730
Might as well do this.

>>20631744
>>20631742
>>20631741
>>20631730

>We'll pic up there tomorrow then, assuming the thread lives.

>Sorry it was a short thread today, we dot a late start at work because of reasons, and then I had to deal with a Winnebago.

>I do however got some cool stuff both related to Armored and game design in general I'm working on, hopefully that'll help speed the development process up.

>I'll also have something to share in the crunch thread, probably. Assuming any of the artists following me comes through, I'll have an awesome pic to post with it.

Bumpin

File: 1347039081187.gif-(2.6 MB, 360x205, Science.gif)

>>20631783
My 4Chan skills have failed me I missed another AC-Quest

bump

>>20634840
You'll just have to come back tonight.

bumpu

>Hey, AC-Quest is going to be slightly late, because my Dad wanted to take me shooting.

>At what, he has not yet informed me.

>>20640761

>Never mind, we got rescheduled.

>AC-QUEST NOW.

You decide to look for Dave, and see what he was on about with the eggs thing.

You find him before too long.

"Hey Dave. You solve the eggs mystery yet?"

"No. I just gets weirder." He responds, turning to you. "I go to look up what happened to my friend: Dead. So says the article. So I look into his family: dead ends everywhere. Can't even find so much as a spec. Like someone went through and very carefully erased every aspect of his life."

"That's weird." You respond.

"Gets worse: I happened to remember his sisters name, go search it up. She got married to some military guy, and through her I find the rest of the family. But then I look for him: all I have is a birth certificate. Nothing about his schooling, his licenses, properties, anything. The company he started is gone, his house belongs to someone else... If I didn't know better I'd say he was never real."

"But you know better?"

"Yeah. I met the sister. I helped file paperwork on the business. Shit, I lived on his couch for a week trying to find someone for my Dad. This all... I mean, I know some cloak and dagger shit, but this is on another level. I couldn't do this sort of cover up if I had a decade and unlimited resources. This is just.... It's like thinking you know kung fu, and then seeing Bruce Lee." He leans back in his chair, and runs his hands over his head, staring at the screen. "I don't know what kind of shit I stumbled on, but it's freaking me right out."

>What do/say?

>>20641382
All over a plate of amazing eggs.

Dervish made them, but I'm pretty sure he isn't your old friend. There are three possibilities, either Dervish taught your friend, your friend taught Dervish or someone taught the both of them.

>>20641382
Hey. We're in our own AC hangar, right? What about those improved security systems that Mooch was supposed to set up after our last ninja fight?
Anything get caught on the video cameras?

>>20641466

>I'm not completely sure where you're going with this.

>>20641508
Unless I am completely missing what's happened, I'd like to find out who it was that cooked those eggs, and they were likely cooked in our kitchen, right?

>>20641529

>You talked to Dervish while he was cooking them.

>>20641544
Okay, my memory must be swiss cheese then.
I'll have to get some sleep. Sorry about the confusion.

>>20641382
I think we should tell Dave Dervish made 'em.

So, >>20641447 pretty much, now that I read it.

>What the hell happened to the post I just typed up?

>>20642126
It was dark on /tg/, it likely was eaten by a grue.

"Wow." You respond. "Well, I'm not sure if this helps, but Dervish cooked the eggs."

"Wha-" Dave turns to you. "Well, that explains... nothing at all actually. He cooked the eggs? Did he just show up, cook eggs, and leave?"

"Well, not exactly. Apparently he tested our security and found a couple bugs, and was gonna send Mooch a list of recommendations later."

Dave gives you what can only be described as 'a look'. "Let me get this straight: a secretive bad ass, who just tricked you into helping him break out of the hospital yesterday... broke in, thoroughly tested and analyzed our security systems, cooked breakfast... and then up and leaves? Alex, how sure are you we can trust this guy?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we have evidence he's lied to us several times, he's an accomplished thief and/or assassin, has connections we don't know about, has no reason to be helping us, and frankly seems to be trying to help us. People don't survive in the world he lives in for very long if they're as selfless as he's pretending to be."

"So.... what're you saying?"

"I'm just wondering why you're so keen to trust this guy. Do you HAVE a reason? Is there something you're not sharing with the rest of the class here man? I mean, you lead and I'll follow but.... I guess I need a reason to put faith in this guy."

>What say?

>>20642270
I'm aware that he has ulterior motives, his own goals, all of that. But from what I can gather he is against the same people we are. He's saved all of our lives at least once.

Honestly I'm not sure if I trust him or not, but keeping him close, having him think we trust him is the best way to keep an eye on him.

>>20642270
I've honestly got nothing, so >>20642344 seems good.

>>20642270
Dave, Dave. Don't you know that you should keep your friends close and your "not-sure-if-enemy-or-friend" closer?

Besides, I am pretty sure everyone here knows that Dervish is neck deep in the conspiracies that are taking place here. Even if I didn't trust him, which I do, I would still be accepting his help because we are way over our heads in here.

I mean, killer AIs? Dave, I'm just a soldier! I have no idea how to deal with everything other than going in my core and shooting it.

>>20642450
I'm honestly liking this...

I think they'd work best combined in some form, though >>20642450 is definitely the more amusing. Though I'm not sure about calling ourself a soldier is quite right. "19 year old pilot" maybe

>>20642450
I like this, not fond of calling us a soldier though,

Also fuck yeah Ac-Quest

"What's the expression again? 'Friends close, enemies closer'?" You sigh. "Honestly, I trust him. And even if I didn't I'd want him where I could at least pretend I'm keeping an eye on him. Whatever bullshit with the insane A.I.s or whatever the fuck and the evil doctors and...." You gesture wildly with your arms, and with a simple, if frantic, gesture signal how convoluted and far beyond your understanding it all is. "Honestly, I have no idea why, but I think he wants to help us. Call it a hunch: maybe he's helping us because of some ulterior motive or something, but for now he's on our side. I kinda want to take advantage of that while I can."

Dave shakes his head. "You really think we're that far out of our depth?"

"Dave, 'out of depth' begins for me at about the point where things are more complicated than 'giant robot smash'. I've been out of my depth since shortly before Hope got attacked."

"So we trust him for now, and hope we can survive if he plans to double cross us?"

"Honestly? I think if he wanted us dead he could do it a lot faster and more easily than nearly dieing trying to help us."

".... Point."

Dave seems more relaxed now.

[ ] Talk to Dave about something else (if so, what?)
[ ] Go somewhere else.

>>20642621
[X] Talk to Dave about something else (if so, what?)

"So back to the mystery of the eggs. These eggs you ate before, you say they were cooked in the same way with the same level of quality. Maybe there's a black ops cooking school. It fits the current data."

>>20642666
Yeah, let's go with this, Dave needs to cheer up a bit

"So back to the mystery of the eggs. These eggs you ate before, you say they were cooked in the same way with the same level of quality. Maybe there's a black ops cooking school. It fits the current data." You lay out the new theory cleanly and elegantly, and manage to keep a straight face despite yourself.

Maybe to straight you realize, as Dave gives you a long slow look. Clearly mentally assessing the number of knocks to the head you've taken recently.

"Yeah, alright. Message received, I'll go bother someone else now." You conclude weakly, before wandering off.

>What now?

>>20642821
Let's go take a walk and see how the refugees are doing. It's been a while since we did.

>>20642821
Let's see what m-

>>20642841
I like this. Let's do this.

File: 1347087072915.jpg-(17 KB, 339x327, p (2).jpg)

>>20642821
I vote we find the resident madman Aka Mooch

>>20642821
I'm gonna go with >>20642841
We should see how they're doing.

After a long moment's consideration, you decide to do something you've been putting off for a while.

You mention to Laurie on your way by that you were headed out for a bit as a heads up, and then went for a walk.

Pretty soon you find yourself on the streets of the New Hope. Looking around, you can see families and neighbors cleaning houses and setting up things. You see a couple of kids sitting around in a yard, talking. You see a man leaving his house after giving his wife a kiss, heading off to earn money.

It almost looks like a normal neighborhood, until you look closely.

If you look closely, you can see the smiles are a little strained, some of the cloths have little stains on them, or don't fit quite right. The kids aren't really laughing. The man seems to be walking less out of pride, but a grim determination.

You can appreciate where they're coming from. You were actually pretty lucky: most of the people you knew and cared about made it out fine. But it hasn't been easy. The house you lost had most of your worldly possessions.

Fuck that, it was your HOME. There's something to that that can't just be replaced. Then there's your team. Elsie can hardly sleep, Laurie's been at war with the bottle recently, Dave looks even more frayed around the edges than usual.

Hell, MOOCH of all people is practically NORMAL. Like he had the crazy smacked right out of him.

After a long moment of just standing there and looking around, you realize how terrified you were to see it.

>>20643193

You see the people, the suffering, the problems you couldn't solve. Which is when you hear a voice behind you.

"Excuse me young man, are you lost?"

You turn around and see an older woman standing there. Not quite elderly, but you'd guess she's maybe mid 40's. "Uh, no ma'am, I was just...." You look around, trying to find the words.

You never were exactly eloquent.

You turn to walk away, but her voice stops you. "You're one of the pilots, aren't you?" Something about the voice makes your blood turn to ice in your veins. There's nothing accusing in it, no anger or judgement. Just a simple question. Somehow that makes it worse. You turn to face her, fighting down the urge to scream and ask her WHY she didn't blame you. How maybe if you were a little bit faster, a bit better-

She's smiling. Why's she smiling?

"Yeah." You finally answer. "I'm Alex. Alex Raston."

Her smile widens a bit. "Ah! I thought so. I saw you on T.V. you and your friends were fighting in the tournament right? Trying to help?" Then she smacks her forehead "Oh where are my manners, My name's Clara. I was making some tea, would you care to join me?"

[ ] Sure.
[ ] No, but thanks.

>>20643248
>[ ] Sure.

File: 1347089940786.jpg-(45 KB, 600x600, 545993_421020584578363_40(...).jpg)

>>20643248
[X] Sure.
Nothing quite Like a cup of tea

>>20643248
>[x] Sure.

>>20643248
[X] Sure.

Dude, free tea.

>>20643272
That is a pretty damn snazzy mug.

>>20643248
>[ ] Sure.

File: 1347090595511.jpg-(497 KB, 600x800, 8380dd2b1Onsu.jpg)

>>20643287
its like all my fondest memories slapped onto porcelain......

>>20643348
You finally get it.
There are no heroes.
Capcom is doomed.
YOU WILL NEVER HAVE ANOTHER HERO! YOU WILL NEVER HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE! YOU WILL FALL! BECAUSE YOU NEVER TRIED TO STAND FOR YOURSELVES!

>Decision noted, need a minute.

>>20643348

>... why did you have to remind me.

>>20643248
SIT DOWN AND DRINK YOUR GODDAMN TEA!

this is the most horrible trap we will yet fall for

After a moment's hesitation, you agree. She leads you to a nearby house, and pours out a measure of tea into a cup for you, while she does her own.

"Any sugar?" She asks.

"No thanks." you respond calmly, letting the tea cool slightly before you take a sip.

"Nice of you to join me. I don't usually have company. My Grandson doesn't like it, and by now he's off to school."

"Grandson?" you ask, glancing around.

"The boy across the way." She says with a dismissive gesture. "The one in the red shirt. My son and his wife passed on during the attack on Hope, so I'm raising him now."

You blink at her words. "I'm... I'm sorry for your loss."

She smiles bitterly. "We all lost something." her expression softens considerably "Sorry. It's... hard sometimes. Thank you." she says with a pat to the back of your hand.

"Is... is there anything I can do to help?"

She looks at you bewildered. "What? You mean besides what you've already done? What you're doing? Look around, what do you see?"

You look. And you tell her. "... I see a lot of hurt. A lot of ruined lives, and a lot of work to do."

She looks at you confused, and then with a genuine touch of pity. "... Too young to be so bitter. Look around. Where these people are now is miles above where they were. We were a bunch of refugees running like the devil was after us, and you gave us shelter, food and.... maybe a little bit of hope back, too. Between you kids and that scoundrel Brenner, we might actually come out as people again."

>>20643584

"Scoundrel?"

"Hmmph." She says, turning away slightly. "Zack Brenner was a crook and a half, and he smuggled drugs, weapons, and god knows what else through that bar of his." she takes a sip of tea "He seems to be cleaning up his act now, and he's certainly doing a lot of good for the community.... but I'm not about to forget who and what he was a few weeks ago. We'd be lost without him, but today's virtues don't immediately erase yesterday's sins."

"I... I didn't know people had such a low opinion of him."

"Well, on the whole they don't. My son was one of the Sheriffs back in Hope, and my Husband was a cop before the collapse. So was my daddy and his." She sighs. "Maybe I'm just a bit old and set in my ways. If he's turning over a new leaf he deserves his second chance, so if you trust him don't pay me too much mind."

"I guess I can see where you're coming from, but having gotten to know Zack I don't think he's a very bad person. I'm not sure how much of his past he wants me to share, but from what I understand a lot of his choices were of the 'steal or starve' variety, and he was actually working on cleaning up his act well before Hope fell for his brother's sake."

"His brother?"

"Lawrence Brenner. My wing-man and squad scout."

She's quiet and thoughtful for a long moment. "Maybe I've judged him too harsh. I think that when we're finished with Tea I'll go check in on him." She finally says, and then nods, satisfied with her decision.

Then your com rings.

>>20643654

You apologize and answer the signal while she waves it off like it means nothing to her.

"Alex."

"Hey." Laurie's voice responds. "Dervish just showed up a second ago. Figured you'd want to be informed."

"Yeah, alright. Thanks."

"No problem." He responds before hanging up.

Clara turns to you. "Never a moment of rest, huh?"

"I'll sleep when I'm dead." You respond half-jokingly. "Until then there's more work to be done. Thank you for the Tea Ma'am."

"Pleasure was mine." she responds with a slight bow of the head, as you walk out the door.

As you walk back, you notice something you didn't see before. You aren't sure how you missed it. The people around you are hurt, and trying to cope.

But they're doing it together.

>Sorry for the walls o' text there, and the fact that I'm cutting it off here for now.

>I promise the next thread will be more exciting than this one was.

>Feel free to ask questions or whatever in the crunch/general thread, along with any sort of comments or suggestions you might have.

>>20643193
>>20643248
>>20643584
>>20643654
>>20643724

GodDAMN you can twist the knife.

I feel like we learned a lot more about Alex in this thread...

Wait, is here the place for crazy paranoid ramblings?

>>20643747

General thread is a safe bet.

>>20643747
>Wait, is here the place for crazy paranoid ramblings?

There is the crunch thread >>20612572