Maribel Quest Continuation: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> Peruse the contract. Keep an eye out for loopholes in either direction.

>You have a look at it, "I, the undersigned, do hereby pledge to not reveal to any person any involvement of Alice Margatroid in any plot to attack, rob, or otherwise harm Scarlet Devil Mansion. Should this be done, I hereby forfeit my-."
>"Nice and simple," she says."Now... shall we go with eyesight? It is a traditional thing. "

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"This seems like it would also apply to any future attempt you might make to harm anyone there, doesn't it?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"This seems like it would also apply to any future attempt you might make to harm anyone there, doesn't it?"

>"The magic is smarter than that," Alice says.

>_

[UncertainJakutten]

> "Hmmmmm...what precisely is 'the magic' involved?"

[DracoOmega]

>"For which I have only your word, unfortunately."
>"I'd like another proviso attached to this; that my pledge not to reveal your involvement in plotting this is binding only so long as you do not actually 'attack, rob, or otherwise harm Scarlet Devil Mansion' "

[Hello Purvis]

> "Hmmmmm...what precisely is 'the magic' involved?"

>"As I doubt you understand the finer points of binding, I wouldn't be able to explain it to you very well. But in essence, the seal is a bit of Makai work. Should you violate the intention of the contract, it will enact the penalty written."

>"For which I have only your word, unfortunately."
>"I'd like another proviso attached to this; that my pledge not to reveal your involvement in plotting this is binding only so long as you do not actually 'attack, rob, or otherwise harm Scarlet Devil Mansion' "

>She sighs. "Fine. Will that satisfy you?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I would go a nice way to reassuring me, at any rate. My intentions are genuine, as I have already said, but I admit that... this method of enforcement is quite unsettling, nevertheless."
>Let her finish the rest of the contract and then read it again

[Hello Purvis]

>"I would go a nice way to reassuring me, at any rate. My intentions are genuine, as I have already said, but I admit that... this method of enforcement is quite unsettling, nevertheless."
>Let her finish the rest of the contract and then read it again

>"Why should you be unsettled?" she asks, "I thought you had no intention of breaking it."
>She presents it to you again after a moment. "I, the undersigned, do hereby pledge to not reveal to any person any involvement of Alice Margatroid in any plot to attack, rob, or otherwise harm Scarlet Devil Mansion. Should this be done, I hereby forfeit my eyesight. The contact is considered null and void should Alice Margatroid attack or rob Scarlet Devil Mansion."
>There is a place to sign underneath.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I assume the contract is smart enough to know if I'm talking about it to someone that already knows, like everyone here."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I assume the contract is smart enough to know if I'm talking about it to someone that already knows, like everyone here."

>She nods, and hands you her brush.

>_

[UncertainJakutten]

> "The unsettling part would be the whole 'magic contract that uses magic I'm unfamiliar with, crafted by someone I have little reason to trust' thing. I...don't THINK there will be any issues though"

[DracoOmega]

>"I have no intention of breaking it. My unsettlement is... well, you have to understand that the idea of such magical contracts even existing, let along binding myself to one.... Perhaps it's more common, here.

>"And... is it intentional that the strictures on each of us are asymmetric? I cannot inform of a plot to 'attack, rob, or otherwise harm', yet you are only obligated not to use this plot to 'attack or rob', implying that you can still 'otherwise harm' them through means of this plot, while I must take care not to accidentally mention this fact to anyone, even during or after events have transpired."
>"If I seem excessively picky, it is only because all that I've read about such contracts has left me very wary of the wording of them. No offense is intended."

[Hello Purvis]

>"It's so you aren't released if I happen to do something unrelated," says Alice.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Renko's been awfully quiet during this whole procedure...

[UncertainJakutten]

> "Then another question. Would you yourself sign this contract were our positions reversed?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Renko's been awfully quiet during this whole procedure...

>She certainly has.
>Looking over, you see she doesn't seem to really be paying attention to things, or at least is doing her best not to look at Alice.

> "Then another question. Would you yourself sign this contract were our positions reversed?"

>"If you had wings, would you be a faerie?" Alice asks. "I don't care about hypotheticals. I'm not the one threatening blackmail."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"My apologies, but if you could entertain one more hypothetical... let's just say that it were possible for the punishment clause to trigger under a circumstance that was outside of the expected agreed bounds of the contract. It is possible for you to reverse the effect?"

[communist unity (comm-unity)]

(seems like a pretty bad contract from a glance. considering if Satori ever reads our mind, we're screwed and lose our vision.)

[Kilgamayan]

Satori already knows anyway.

[Hello Purvis]

>"My apologies, but if you could entertain one more hypothetical... let's just say that it were possible for the punishment clause to trigger under a circumstance that was outside of the expected agreed bounds of the contract. It is possible for you to reverse the effect?"

>"On the very off chance it would happen, I can arrange for something," she says, giving you a look and clearly wearing thin on patience.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Sorry, I know I'm being exasperating, but this is all still a bit Greek to me and I wouldn't have believed any of it even possible 12 hours ago. You must understand my fright at risking losing my vision to mysterious forces due to an accident or misunderstanding."

> Let's just sign the bloody thing.

[Hello Purvis]

> "Sorry, I know I'm being exasperating, but this is all still a bit Greek to me and I wouldn't have believed any of it even possible 12 hours ago. You must understand my fright at risking losing my vision to mysterious forces due to an accident or misunderstanding."

> Let's just sign the bloody thing.

>She nods, saying nothing.
>You sign the contract.
>"Renko?" Alice says.
>Renko looks over. "Huh? Oh yeah." She comes over and has a look at the contract, then takes the brush from you and signs it. As neither of you are very used to using ink and a brush, your signatures are a little sloppy, but still recognizable. Alice takes the stamp from one of the faeries, and without bothering to ink in, places it on the lower corner of the contract. It leaves a seal in the shape of a seven-pointed star in the middle of concentric circles, in black ink that has a slight tinge of red to it.
>"Put it on my desk, Shanghai," says Alice. One of the dolls moves forward and collects up the contract, careful not to smudge the ink. Alice then looks to you. "Will there be anything else?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, I assume that you're at least satisfied now that we didn't come here to blackmail you."
>"In any event, if you're out, and we're on our own, I suppose there's nothing more to be said, is there?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, I assume that you're at least satisfied now that we didn't come here to blackmail you."
>"In any event, if you're out, and we're on our own, I suppose there's nothing more to be said, is there?"

>She nods. "I'm satisfied you won't try it now, at least."
>"So it seems. Good day, then."

>_

[UncertainJakutten]

Watch, Alice was bluffing us. Remind me in postgame to ask if Alice was bluffing us.

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm sad if you think that a contract is the only thing keeping me honest, but so be it."
>Nod politely
>Walk a reassuring distance away from there

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm sad if you think that a contract is the only thing keeping me honest, but so be it."
>Nod politely
>Walk a reassuring distance away from there

>You say your last words and nod politely. Alice doesn't seem to be inclined to return the gesture. Instead, she rounds up her dolls and heads inside.
>You walk some distance away from Alice's house, Renko angling toward the northern bank of the lake.
>"I...I thought she was my friend..." she mutters. "She was a little cold, but she seemed so nice under it..."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Renko...."
>Give her a hug.
>"I'm so sorry if I've made things worse. I was only trying to do what I thought was right...."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Renko...."
>Give her a hug.
>"I'm so sorry if I've made things worse. I was only trying to do what I thought was right...."

>You giver her a hug. She returns it, clinging to you tightly and leaning on you heavily.
>"You didn't...I don't think...It's just...I can't believe she said all those things, Mary. Oh god...I really thought she was my friend..."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm so, so sorry, Renko... I don't know what to say. Just remember that no matter who else comes and goes, I'm there for you."