[LP CYOA] 傳

Damnit. You're right. Gotta be consistent here.
I've flopped my original vote.

 

I think B2 might be a bad idea:

This woman feels a bit lonely and neglected by her husband, which is something we're taking advantage of here. One part of it is that she wants to get back at her husband for fucking the chambermaids, but she also wants to feel sexy. Turning this into a business transaction where it becomes sex in return for an invitation will really shatter her fantasy and make her feel used.

On the other hand, sneaking upstairs to pick up the invitation after she's exhausted from a good fuck seems like a smarter play. Yeah, she'll be pissed when she finds out our real intentions, but by then we'll be in Luoying Manor. And once it's gone, what the fuck is she going to do about it; tell her husband? "Hey honey, so this kid came by and fucked me so hard I passed out, I think he took your invite while I was still shaking in bed, delirious from pleasure. Dinner's on the stove." She's going to lie to her husband to cover her own ass too, of course. With A1, she doesn't have to.

However, she could make some noise during the act, so others might hear. There's a chance we might run into one of the chambermaids or servants as we're trying to steal it. Still, I think it's a better bet than B2.

C1

No, they aren't our mortal enemies - if they were, we'd be getting a bounty on our heads. Yes, they hate us, but Master Rong's honour and our fair conduct in the duel mean that they aren't going to come after us. In the end, I think that having the school hate us iwas unavoidable. As for morality, the whole situation was tricky; we had someone who was likely an attempted murderer, and a victim who was completely vulnerable against them. We were in a position to do something about, but it also would involve trying to protect a man from his only child and heir, whom he loves. It was a real moral conundrum - I say that we tried to do the right thing overall, but really, the whole situation was one big clusterfuck.

Good point about the Beggars, though.

 

Run Away! RUN AWAY!

I immensely regret ever voting for this choise.

Sell the dream, not the act. Expanded to A2>C1.

And I am not prostituting myself over a piece of paper. Yikes!

 

I get it, but there are some problems with A2. The old scholar would know of our involvement - if we fuck her and take it while she's asleep, it's not like she can tell him, right? But yeah... boning her could cause some serious problems. If we make a deal with her to sell some "love potion" in exchange for the invitation, he's going to ask her where it went when he returns from his trip. She'll proudly tell him about how the potion has made her into an irresistible sex goddess, but the husband obviously won't notice.

That being said, I'm rather fond of Yunzi. Putting our dick in anything that moves won't make a great second impression the next time we meet.

 

And the maids whom he fucks on a regular basis won't suspect a thing and would never tell him, right? It would be difficult to hide the fact that a young man came to deliver a message and stayed overnight.

Not whoring ourselves is also a matter of personal pride. But even if we leave that aside, we've been a salesman for the whole year now. We can make a strong case for the medicine we would be selling, though it would be a fraud at its finest. Still cleaner than the alternative, and the husband would be less pissed.

Honestly, I am strongly considering admitting defeat and leaving without a word. Only the fact that I didn't go to Xuzhou to spend a winter doing absolutely nothing of note keeps driving me forward.

Azira, Grimgravy might you be persuaded to consider combining the use of laxatives (which is a thing, I agree) with bargaining instead of outright stealing?

 

I'm with Esquilax on this one, make the truth too shameful for her to tell the husband and she should keep quiet. There are some possible problems: while Jing is no virgin, he was out of practice completely for the last year so "passed out" may not be the state she'll be in, our END is a mere 5.

She'll be pissed, until she gets in bed with Jing.

And that's where we get into "porn with a plot" territory.

 

Sengoku Jing the VN.

That reminds me, treave never delivered on his sex scene promise in a previous LP, did he? Now would be the best time to write one in such a way that would make the most stoic freeze in a mind-shattering horror and claw their eyes out while pleading for a mind bleach.

 

Yep we will end up banging 3-4 people trying to run away, mby it will increase our end stat. There was something about severe occurrence increasing them. ;D

 

I've just remembered. Forget the maids. We were being followed by Qilin on our way here. And she's got an invite, and the husband is one of the fellows. When we get there, we'll be under her thumb, she'll blackmail us for kingdom come. And then tell on us anyway, just for lulz.

Folks, be wary of what you put you dicks into on her watch!

 

Whether we choose A or B I don't like the sneaky options. She already knows who we are and why we are here and if the invitation goes missing now we are going to be the only possible suspect. Let's not add the reputation as a thief to ourselves as well if we can help it.

With A she might buy into our story or not - but stealing the invitation is definitely going to cause some major legal problems for us. After all, why wouldn't she immediately report the thing stolen?

With B she might well be too embarrassed to tell her husband, sure. But why bother when B2 allows us to get the invitation without pissing her off in the first place? And there's a good chance he will find out anyway, either from chambermaids or the girl following us, and between the reputation as a adulterer or adulterer and a thief I'm choosing the former. Especially since the husband could then bring charges against us for stealing the damn thing. We will remain here through the whole winter at least, and this will come back to bite us in the ass. No, stealing it now that everybody knows we want it is just too risky.

 

More like jealous that the "virgin" actually got some and insecure that he didn't take her bait. "What, am I not good enough for you?" Come to think of it, this may help us with our girl problems all at once.

 

Good points about Yunzi and getting blackmailed by Qilin. I might flop to A2.

 

Yup, by being chased out of town.

I don't think she cares much for Jing to be jealous (you are just having fun, aren't you?), but let's suppose so. The girl does not wait long to settle her debts when it comes to pissing her off. She will tell on us. All she needs is to drop a hint to the husband, he'll ask a maid about us and then it all goes downhill.

That is, if she doesn't tell him all the juicy details herself. In public, to ensure that no rational resolution could be attempted. She just might.

Most probably, though, she'll prefer to hold us on a short leash at least until she milks us for what it's worth. What happens next is pure guesswork.

If you want to go B, at least don't bank on the fact that no one will be any the wiser.

 

I'm voting B2 just to punish you guys for not using the laxatives before. I hope it wins so I can laugh at Jing, the adulterer who won't cheat.

 

I am going to abstain from this one.

 

Yep, she'll report a stolen item from A1. She won't report an item stolen by a man who came in and had sex with her.

You don't know that it won't piss her off. I just know from the description of the scholar's wife that she feels neglected and lonely. Turning a hot affair into a business transaction will more than likely infuriate her, causing us to leave with nothing. She wants the attention and affection that she hasn't been getting from her husband. A2 will work, but it will likely lead to us into conflict with the husband once he finds out the stupid shit that his wife traded his invitation for, while B1 will keep things quiet. The angry wife might try to get back at us covertly in the future, however.

I don't think Qinlin or the chambermaids will be in a position to blackmail us. What is he going to believe, a thief who isn't even Han? A mistress of his that might want to replace the missus?

This is very dumb. Why the hell would she tell her husband that she slept with another man? This makes absolutely no sense at all.

 

Last time I heard, Qilin was single.

Qilin's father is a fellow, ffs.

 

It has to be A2 or B1, or even C1. If we are going to sell a potion it makes sense to manipulate her desires and push for a sale; it's not like she will take the potion tonight. If we are going to bone her we can try and steal it, but for reasons of a certain annoying girl monitoring us and the chambermaids that might not be so easy. I'm inclined to C1 even, so that we can try and manipulate the chambermaids instead of the madam... heck, might give us a better night out.

 

Actually, if we're worried about being followed and blackmailed, bying it is the stupidest thing to do:

Bying is a no-no and the best blackmail we can give her against us.

Mostly, yeah.
But Quilin's "I'm a real woman, you have no chance with me!" act does make me wonder if she's just trying too hard to make Jing dance to her strings. Showing her that we don't give a fuck will just make her insecure. That is, if she's shadowing us in the first place.

If there's an alternative I'll go for, it's C1: makes use of our skills and talents, gives us a chance to practice them too. A is just stupid for reasons stated above. And then there's Yunzi.
Edit:

She's married and we're the adulterer?

 

Ok, let's do it the old school way.

A1 - we take part in a fraud, and then thievery. It is going to be obvious who stole the invite. If we prove ourselves a scoundrel to the madam, our fraud will be discovered, too. When the husband returns, she will tell him one hell of a tale about our exploits. Of course, she'll be the victim. Might lead to a confrontation later on, and get us thrown out of the manor.
A2 - we indulge ourselves in just a fraud, and we pay for the invitation 'fair and square'. Madam will have no reason to suspect us, and when the truth comes out, the husband might get a chuckle out of it. He has no need for an invitation anyway, and does not have much respect for the wife, either, as he flirts with the maids in broad daylight. A somewhat safe option.
B1 - we indulge in adultery and then thievery, with a higher risk of being noticed by the maids. The wife won't tell, but if our affair ever comes to light, there will be hell to pay. A 'gambling' option.
B2 - just an adultery, with a possibility of madam being insulted by our bargaining. I don't see it any more dangerous then B1. It's not like she will tell him anyway.

Qilin is in a good position to expose our trist. What we stand to lose in this case:
1) Depending on the manner in which it is exposed, we might have to stop our medical practice and leave town. Possibly with assassins on the tail (the husband can afford it, and if his honor would be at stake, he might hire some). Now that I think of it, our practice might be endangered in A1. too. Yao would be pissed.
2) Cao'er will not think higher of us, either. I still hope that she will teach us the receipt for the temporary antidote one day, if not THE antidote.
3) If Qilin won't rat us out, we'll have to make concessions. She'll probably want us to help her succeeding in a trial, at our own expense. If we refuse, see 1 - our success won't make us much good.

Much risk, little to gain. It is good for a punishing option, but not much else.

Of course, there is C...

Ah, but we would be trading it for a favor, see? It's how you spin the tale that matters.

 

Revenge voting, seriously? That's just dumb, guys.

Blackmail isn't about what we say, it's about her story. If that's your concern then A isn't the way to go.

 

I'm afraid I don't get what you are trying to convey.

I am worried about flirting and being exposed, which the husband can verify through the maids. This will require action on his part, and it will not be pretty.

Qilin blackmailing us because she says we got an invitation for money? It's her word against ours, and our end of the story could be verified, too. If anything, the husband himself would cover us - he would not want to have his fellowship revoked over something his wife did.

 

I think that is a good breakdown, yes. I'm still undecided about whether to stay with B2 or flop to A2. A2 strikes me as less risky, sure (at most we risk our reputation as an apprentice healer, but at least we will not be giving Quilin any more blackmail material against us), but also less likely to bring results than getting her into bed. On the other hand, there is always the prefect option if this should fail... I'll think about it.

 

We've got Intelligence, we've got Charisma, and we are good with words. We've been practicing this for a long while now. We give off the impression of being honest by virtue of being young. We use our Master's reputation as a leverage. Most importantly, she wants to believe us. If this was D&D, situational bonuses would be stacked up to heavens.

I'm good with C. Anything but B. The horror, the horror.

 

Paper rpg system joke Jester aproves. Still getting her to come by herself and getting her after lots of persuasion rolls are two different things.