False Dendrite Quest 158

Well since this is possibly the last thread. I just wanted to say its has been an honor to have you as a QM arch. I wish you all the best and hope you have a happy fulfilling life.

I'm going to be keeping this up for as long as I can, partially in protest and partially because I want to see this story to its conclusion.
or for as much as I can manage

Once again I thank Doc over in the quest IRC channel for encouraging me to not just lie down and give up like I'd previously resigned myself to.

And many more thanks to everyone who's been participating in my threads for all this time. The story never would have even reached this point if not for you all.

>writing

I'll keep fighting if you will Turtle.

Don't let some poor fool, hopped up on the complaints of the loud and annoying minority, crush your passions and joys. If nothing else, let's go out doing what we love.

GAS THE MODS CHAN WAR NOW

Thank you for running inspire of that failed experiment.

Amen, brother.

*in spite

"What exactly's been bothering you?" I ask. "If I'm not prying too much, I mean."

The line goes quiet for a few seconds.

"Nothing that I really want to be talking about over the phone," Theresa replies, "but I'm sure you have a good idea already. Less the screaming and shit and more, you know..." she groans, "...fingers."
"Oh."

I suddenly have a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"I'm not mad at you or anything, I mean," Theresa says. "I know how it is to have a voice in your head constantly encouraging you to do stuff that you kind of wanted to do but know better than to act on... but it was still fucked-up to see in person."
"Sorry," I mumble.

she is in pain on account of your actions

because of our actions

for the first time I feel regret in what I have done

>[1/?]

"Like I said, it wasn't your fault," Theresa groans. "I already knew how you get and still brought you along anyways. That was on me."
"But still..." I mumble.
"The thing that really kept me up was that fucker," she growls. "He was SO pissed when he ran away and I was getting paranoid that somehow he'd figure out where I was and where I lived and get me while I was sleeping."
"So you didn't sleep."
"Pretty much, yeah," she replies with a long yawn.

So she had pretty much the same concerns as Charlotte did... while I was able to sleep like a baby. Sometimes I really wonder what the hell is wrong with me.

>[2/?]

>[3/3]

"So what about you?" Theresa asks. "You holding up alright?"
"Yeah, kinda," I lie. "I was pretty shocked to see that they're actually talking about what happened on the news, though."

Really freaking shocked.

"Wait, for real!?" Theresa shouts.

>try and encourage theresa to be optimistic about this
>I am going to be pessimistic about this

>try and encourage Theresa to be optimistic about this

We GOT to have hope.

>try and encourage theresa to be optimistic about this

>>try and encourage theresa to be optimistic about this

>>try and encourage theresa to be optimistic about this
>But also plan

>writing

this pic seems rather fitting now?

"Oh God," Theresa groans, "what if they have-"
"Hey now," I cut her off. "Quit panicking, alright? It's not like this is necessarily a -bad- thing."
"In what fucking way is it not!?"
"Well apparently the guy who owned the building took credit for driving that asshole off,:" i reply, "No mention of anything strange happening whatsoever, they said that it was all thanks to the security goons they had posted all over the place."
"........."
"So basically," I continue, "they're taking the blame for us. And if he tries for revenge then he's probably going to target -them- again and not come gunning for the unknowns that -we- happen to be."

scapegoats

this is the path they chose by taking credit for our deeds

>[1/?]

Arch you are doing the right thing by questing especially today.

>[2/2]

"I guess you might have a point there," Theresa mumbles. "If they're taking credit then all the heat'll fall on them too."
"Exactly," I reply. "So try and calm down some, okay?"
"Guess I can at least try," she yawns. "

>suggest that maybe she call irene too
>I will be the one to call the irene up first

>>suggest that maybe she call irene too

>suggest that maybe she call irene too

I first thought that we should deal with Irene, but I think that the conversation about why Theresa was so brashly putting her life on the line is something for those 2 to talk about.

>I will be the one to call the irene up first
Easy choice.

>Arch you are doing the right thing by questing especially today.
I'm just doing what little I can.

>writing

"Talking to Irene might help with that too," I say. "Since she's your girlfriend and all."
"Heh, I guess," Theresa sighs. "Not really looking forward to explaining how I'm involved in all this shit but it's probably about time that I did..."
"I'm sure it'll go well," I reply. "Irene's super nice."
"Yeah, she is. Thanks for setting me up with her."

all as a ploy to fend off her affections

Shut up, you.

>[1/2]

Over-chan a cute.

Take it to

>[2/2]

"And thanks for calling me up, too," Theresa says. "Makes me feel a little bit less paranoid to know that you're doing alright."
"Likewise," I reply.

And with that, we say our parting words and end the call. It's definitely a relief to know that my partner in crime is safe and mostly doing well, though I feel more than a little bit crappy about my actions having caused her to worry as much as she did.

But hey, I'm sure that talking to Irene about it will help with her anxiety about everything. That's how it is with me and Charlotte, at least.

>guess I'll take a shower while they wait for room service
>guess I'll call someone else up before doing anything else
>[OTHER]

Nope.

Fight on, Arch!

>guess I'll take a shower while they wait for room service

Just a quick one. We were slinking around in a catsuit all yesterday

You lasted through PGQ, I can't imagine this new bullshit making you give up.

>guess I'll take a shower while they wait for room service

>guess I'll take a shower while they wait for room service
Yeah alrighty.

Oh it's over?
Cool.

>guess I'll take a shower while they wait for room service

Oh so /qst/ is being set up?

cool. Maybe I won't have to share /qst/ with all these roleplaying "muh immersion" "muh narrative" GM fiating rule-of-cooling 3.5e and pathfinder assholes.

>writing

>You lasted through PGQ, I can't imagine this new bullshit making you give up.
Anons shitposting and administrative retardation are two completely different monsters.

Are you concerned about being forced onto a new board with a sea of shitposters, or what?

When you're not writing it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on it.

The first page here has most of my thoughts on the matter.
maouzenigame.tumblr.com/

Pardon my laziness, but typing anything else up will only serve to get me pissed off again and I'd rather not do that so late in the night.

Can't contribute much to this thread right now but if this is the end I just want you all to know that it's been an absolute pleasure.
Arch's quests have been a welcome distraction and brought me a bit of light during some very dark points over the last couple of years. I can't underestimate how important that's been for me.
Whether it's quest threads or visual novels, I'll be there to see what you do next, Arch. Thanks.

>Sometimes I really wonder what the hell is wrong with me.
>
You are a quest protagonist and the DM does not want to have to constantly ask for player input over the 8 hours of you staying awake but accomplishing nothing.
Sleep is a convenient way for the DM to take control away from the player so the World can progress.

Archelon, just letting you know that this mess isn't likely set into stone. There is still hope things will get turned around. If not, there are other places you can run quests at too. Don't give up yet.

I could probably give someone else a ring before room service comes with our breakfast, but this feeling of griminess is really bugging me. Even though I already took a shower last night to wash off all the sweat from that way-too-tight catsuit thing I was wearing when me and Theresa snuck into that office building.

Ugh.

As such, I gather up a change of underclothes and duck into the bathroom that's attached to this bedroom to take another quick shower. The fancy body wash that Charlotte has really does the trick, too... I can by the time I step out I'm feeling super squeaky clean and am smelling really nice to boot!

After drying myself off, I slip on my underwear and step back out into the bedroom to get a proper outfit to wear... and while rifling through the section of the closet that Charlotte alloted to me, my eyes trail across the latest dress that she made me.

Screw it, I'mma be cute today. After last night's creepy gimp suit that I had to wear, I freaking DESERVE this.

>[1/?]

Cutecile a best

>[2/2]

Just as I finish adjusting the ribbon in my hair and making sure that the shawl that goes with this thing is sitting just right, I step outside...

"Holy crap that smells amazing," I blurt out as my eyes immediately trace the source of said delicious fragrance.

And just as I'd hoped, Charlotte's at the door taking a large tray of food from the room service hotel delivery guy.

>help set things up
>go bug the gabrielle while I wait for charlotte to set things up
>use my phone while I wait
>[OTHER]

>>help set things up

>help set things up
I'm off to sleep, night arch!

>help set things up

Thanks for running them, I sometimes get into dumb arguments or ask dumb questions, but I'm here because I like your work. I don't know what exactly happened but you shouldn't let anyone else dictate how you run your own hobbies, especially if they act like an asshole.

Thanks, man. It seriously means a lot.
Starting work on Princess Guard way back when is actually what pulled me out of 24/7 dwelling on some crappy things that have gone on in my life.

>Archelon, just letting you know that this mess isn't likely set into stone
I certainly hope so.

>Cutecile a best
Cutecile is best Cecile.

>I don't know what exactly happened but you shouldn't let anyone else dictate how you run your own hobbies, especially if they act like an asshole.
I completely agree, but it's kind of hard to do that when the people in question are the administration of the board where said hobby takes place.

>writing

You could move to something like tgchan if Veeky Forums is the problem.

がんばって、ぜにがめさん!

Akun is probably the best place to go if the admin doesn't see reason.

Akun is not a place I will go to; I've stopped following a QM because they switched there.

Why?

While Charlotte takes care of bringing in the food itself, I get to quick work in getting the table ready for us to sit at. After clearing off the stray feathers and cat hair from it (I have no idea how Loki got up there with a broken wing), I give it a good scrub and make sure that everything's all nice and pleasant-looking.

And from there, I take the food from the tray that Charlotte left on the counter and get everyone's plates in order.

Thinking about how my Mom used to do all this stuff AND cook every single morning while she still lived here really makes me appreciate her a lot more.

"Alright, it's all set up," I say, nodding to myself in appreciation of my hard work.
"Thanks for that," Charlotte says, giving me a quick smooch as she sits down at the table.

I soon do the same... but after I sit down the continued absence of a certain someone (well actually "someones") piques my interest.

"Uh..." I look around. "Don't they smell this food too?" I ask Charlotte, wondering why they haven't long since raced to the table to stuff gtheir face.
"Gabrielle decided to follow your example and take a shower in the other bathroom," Charlotte replies. "Don't mind her."

>talk about ____ while we wait for the gabrielle
>my hunger cannot be staved off any longer

I just checked it and it looks like complete ass. I wouldn't go there either.

Because?

>my hunger cannot be staved off any longer

>>my hunger cannot be staved off any longer
Blood for Dracula!

>>my hunger cannot be staved off any longer

Because it looks like complete ass.

I dunno what I think of /qst/

I do like /trash/ tho, so at least 1 new board is good.

And it looks like complete ass because?

Same reason you hopefully don't eat shit.

>Akun is probably the best place to go if the admin doesn't see reason.
During better times, I considered moving the sidestory over to Akun. But the layout and overall everything is something that I just can't get used to.

For me at least, it's Veeky Forums or nothing.

>writing

I'm hungry. Really hungry. And these syrup-drenched pancakes are CALLING to me.

So heeding my lovely girlfriend's advice, I tear into them while she does the same. And Jesus Christ they hit the spot. Since I got to them before they hit that critical point where they're saturated with syrup yet not soggy yet, their perfect texture and flavor is just about overwhelming.

Still not quite as good as what my Mom makes, but they're more than an adequate substitute.

And just as I'm starting on my final third pancake, Gabrielle comes stomping into the kitchen and plops down in the chair next to me.

"Why didn't you tell me that the food already got here?" she grumbles while pouring melted butter all over her food.
"We figured that you already knew," Charlotte replies without a hint of sarcasm. "They're still hot though, right?"
"Yeah, but still..." she mumbles.

Well all three of us are here now so I guess it's as good a time as any to start making some plans for the day.

>any ideas?

Check hospitals for people with faceless' injuries.

>>any ideas?
Well sinc we've been dealing with branch-related crap and getting bad vibes from it, how about taking a day off? Go to an amusement park or something.

>Abandoning cactus-chan

Supporting this Charolotte has been currently stressing out, we should get her away from thinking of Faceless.

>writing

It's for a good cause!

"You know, Charlotte..." I say while cutting my last pancake into small, easy-to-eat pieces, "you've been really stressing out lately."
"You think?" Charlotte says, rolling her eyes. "That man is still at large and there's no telling when he might strike again."

She glances across the suite at Loki, who is currently using Milla as a nest.

"I could never forgive myself if something else happened to them." she says.
"The whole reason I'm here is to watch them, you know," Gabrielle chimes in. "If he tries -anything- then I promise that me and Shary'll mess him up even worse than we did back when-"
"I'm -trying- to eat," Charlotte says, cutting her off.
"Sorry..."

With a cute little pout, Gabrielle slowly sinks lower and lower in her chair.

"Daddy says that he's only ever struck at nighttime though," Gabrielle says. "So you should at least go out and get some air or something so you don't end up going nutty. Cecile's worried about you and I am too."

>yeah, let's go out to clear your mind
>maybe it is a bad idea for her to leave

>yeah, let's go out to clear your mind

>>yeah, let's go out to clear your mind
It's a date.

>writing

"Yeah," I nod. "Let's go out somewhere so you can clear your head some. Take your mind off of things for at least a little while. As long as we make it back before it gets dark we should be fine, right?"
"Listen to your girlfriend," Gabrielle says while filling her face with pancakes. "Me and Shary'll hold the fort here just in case, and I promise not to let Loki out of my sight while you're gone."
"......." Charlotte makes a really pained face.
"Daddy would say the same thing and you know it."
"Damn iiiiiiiiiit..."

Charlotte throws her head back over the edge of her chair and lets her arms go limp.

"Fine," she moans. "Since I know you'll just call him up and then I'll have him nagging at me too."
"Great!" Gabrielle says, giving me a thumbs-up. "See, I'm a great wingman!"
"Thanks," I reply with a weak chuckle.

I guess I owe her for this one.

>[1/?]

>[2/2]

With this latest issue having been resolved, the three of us finish up our delicious breakfast and get up from the table. While Gabrielle heads right back over to her "home base" in the living room to play whatever game she's into at the moment, I gather up all our dishes and place them into the sink.

"Since you insisted on us going somewhere today, I assume that you had some idea of where?" Charlotte asks while I'm finishing up.

>botanical gardens
>amusement park that's more like a fancy regular park
>museum
>[OTHER]

>amusement park that's more like a fancy regular park

>>amusement park that's more like a fancy regular park
Now don't go blow all your money on it.

>writing

>amusement park that's more like a fancy regular park
Thanks for the years of service, Arch

"Well, uh..." I scratch my head, "...there's this park around the rich people part of town that's kind of almost like an amusement park?" I shrug. "They've got like boat rides and a ferris wheel and a bunch of stands along a river. Does that sound like something that you might want to do?"
"Sounds like a date spot," Charlotte replies flatly.
"Well that was kind of the point."

And just as I start to worry that she'll shoot the idea down, Charlotte strolls over to me and gives me a quick, syrupy-flavored kiss.

"It sounds like just the thing to help me relax some," she says, smiling at me. "As long as we can get back here before dusk, I think that'll be just fine."
"Great," I reply, returning her smile with a big dopey one of my own. By car I think it's like twenty minutes away..."
"Well you go figure that stuff out while I take a shower and get dressed," she says, walking past me and into the bedroom.

I think that went over pretty awesomely if I do say so myself. At the very least, she seemed a little bit less tense.

>phone a friend while I wait
>bug the gabrielle while I wait
>do something else while I wait
>just wait while I wait

>bug the gabrielle while I wait

I haven't read this quest and I don't know what it's about, but it sucks what's happening to you. I'll throw my coin in the bucket.

>bug the gabrielle while I wait

>phone a friend while I wait
Mina

>writing