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[LP CYOA] 傳
- Thread starter treave
- Start date
Achievement unlocked: Owes a favour to immortal super-child.
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- Jul 6, 2008
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Banhe Town
The river journey ends without any further surprises: the boats dock at the jetties of Banhe Town, a bustling little place full of trade activity. From here, it is only a short distance to Xiangyang over land. You would stay here for a night before resuming your journey in the morning. The bandits get off with you here, unbound and unrestrained. Some of the orthodox pugilists had thought it barbaric to keep them tied up, instead electing to keep an eye on them personally. So far it has not given them any problems – Pang Xiaohu and his men do not seem inclined to make a break for it. Perhaps they realize that they would not be able to get far, not when surrounded by so many masters.
Xuezi had kept her word and stayed away from visiting Madam Nie. You are unsure what request she would make in the future, but you hope that it would not cause a headache to you. Hopefully it will end up being nothing more than a demand for some snacks. Sighing, you finish moving the belongings into the room by yourself; the girls have gone out into town to visit its famed market while they can – the craftsmen here are renowned for their ability in carving intricate little trinkets. You sit, resting your elbows on the small, round table.
There is a knock at the open door.
You look up. Madam Nie is standing there, smiling gently.
“Hello. I do hope that I am not interrupting your private time.”
It would have been too much to expect that she would overlook Xuezi suddenly distancing herself, you suppose.
You return the smile as naturally as you can. “Of course not, madam. What can I do for you?”
Without being invited, she swoops into the room and takes a seat right beside you. “Nothing taxing. Not yet, at least.” Her eyes glint. “I was just feeling bored. My husband is off talking business with his fellow leaders of the Eight Sects, the twins have gone off to the market with Tian’er, and you seem to have stolen my little conversation partner away from me.”
“Steal? Oh, Madam Nie, that is such a strong word to use,” you laugh. “You are wrong, too. Xuezi is a capricious little girl. Her whims change as the winds blow.”
“There is no need to dance around the point, Xu Jing.” She shakes her head, and says quietly, “Oh, that child is not as half as smart as she thinks she is. You already know about the Jiuyin Manual, don’t you?”
“Well, I can’t say I don’t know about it. I think every martial artist worth his salt knows about these legendary manuals, Madam Nie.”
“Still playing coy, I see.” Her smile widens. “Xu Jing, you are an intelligent young man. There are no need for such games.”
“It is the only way I can defend myself from your charms, Madam Nie,” you say earnestly. “If I do not put up the pretense of playing a game with you, I’m afraid you will bring down my fortress in seconds.”
To your surprise, she giggles fetchingly, and you can see in her flashes of the mature, charming woman that Qilin will gradually – well, possibly – become in the years to come. “I suppose that is the tongue that felled my daughter, hm? Interesting. So, why are you acting antagonistically to everything we do, Xu Jing?” Madam Nie changes the topic quickly, leaving you trying to think of a quick response.
“Am I? Have I not fulfilled your husband’s wishes by suggesting this expedition?”
“Oh, you know what I mean. Have you not thought this before: that you might be making a mistake by acting without understanding the full picture? You do not really know our motives, our plans, and what we might hope to achieve. Have you never once thought that you might be making things worse by acting blindly?”
“Please, Madam Nie. Do I look like the sort of person who thinks deeply about what he should do before he goes and does it?” you laugh.
“Well… perhaps not, but you are an intelligent young man, as I said. I am sure you understand the power of knowledge. Whenever I look at you, I feel a certain… something...” Madam Nie brings her hand to her chest. “I am not sure how to express it, but I would feel bad if I let such a promising young man continue running around, wilfully oblivious to your surroundings.”
“Promising? Did you not doubt my suitability for your daughter?” you point out.
“I must say that I am not yet convinced,” she smiles. “Perhaps you will have a chance to prove to me that you have the ability to make my daughter happy… in all matters personal. Perhaps… tonight. I am quite familiar with Banhe Town, as I spent some time here when I was younger than Qilin is now. There is a place just on the outskirts where we can talk in private. What do you say?”
***
A. You are not accepting any of her suggestions. It is probably a trap. You will stay away as far as you can.
B. You meet with her later tonight. The promise of what she can tell outweighs the possible danger; besides, you are confident in your ability to escape if necessary. Still, she did not emphasize that you should show up alone… perhaps you can bring someone along with you?
I. Qilin
II. Cao’er
III. Xuezi
IV. Bai Jiutian
V. Huashan Twins
VI. Liu Qi and Su Liaojing
VII. You go alone
The river journey ends without any further surprises: the boats dock at the jetties of Banhe Town, a bustling little place full of trade activity. From here, it is only a short distance to Xiangyang over land. You would stay here for a night before resuming your journey in the morning. The bandits get off with you here, unbound and unrestrained. Some of the orthodox pugilists had thought it barbaric to keep them tied up, instead electing to keep an eye on them personally. So far it has not given them any problems – Pang Xiaohu and his men do not seem inclined to make a break for it. Perhaps they realize that they would not be able to get far, not when surrounded by so many masters.
Xuezi had kept her word and stayed away from visiting Madam Nie. You are unsure what request she would make in the future, but you hope that it would not cause a headache to you. Hopefully it will end up being nothing more than a demand for some snacks. Sighing, you finish moving the belongings into the room by yourself; the girls have gone out into town to visit its famed market while they can – the craftsmen here are renowned for their ability in carving intricate little trinkets. You sit, resting your elbows on the small, round table.
There is a knock at the open door.
You look up. Madam Nie is standing there, smiling gently.
“Hello. I do hope that I am not interrupting your private time.”
It would have been too much to expect that she would overlook Xuezi suddenly distancing herself, you suppose.
You return the smile as naturally as you can. “Of course not, madam. What can I do for you?”
Without being invited, she swoops into the room and takes a seat right beside you. “Nothing taxing. Not yet, at least.” Her eyes glint. “I was just feeling bored. My husband is off talking business with his fellow leaders of the Eight Sects, the twins have gone off to the market with Tian’er, and you seem to have stolen my little conversation partner away from me.”
“Steal? Oh, Madam Nie, that is such a strong word to use,” you laugh. “You are wrong, too. Xuezi is a capricious little girl. Her whims change as the winds blow.”
“There is no need to dance around the point, Xu Jing.” She shakes her head, and says quietly, “Oh, that child is not as half as smart as she thinks she is. You already know about the Jiuyin Manual, don’t you?”
“Well, I can’t say I don’t know about it. I think every martial artist worth his salt knows about these legendary manuals, Madam Nie.”
“Still playing coy, I see.” Her smile widens. “Xu Jing, you are an intelligent young man. There are no need for such games.”
“It is the only way I can defend myself from your charms, Madam Nie,” you say earnestly. “If I do not put up the pretense of playing a game with you, I’m afraid you will bring down my fortress in seconds.”
To your surprise, she giggles fetchingly, and you can see in her flashes of the mature, charming woman that Qilin will gradually – well, possibly – become in the years to come. “I suppose that is the tongue that felled my daughter, hm? Interesting. So, why are you acting antagonistically to everything we do, Xu Jing?” Madam Nie changes the topic quickly, leaving you trying to think of a quick response.
“Am I? Have I not fulfilled your husband’s wishes by suggesting this expedition?”
“Oh, you know what I mean. Have you not thought this before: that you might be making a mistake by acting without understanding the full picture? You do not really know our motives, our plans, and what we might hope to achieve. Have you never once thought that you might be making things worse by acting blindly?”
“Please, Madam Nie. Do I look like the sort of person who thinks deeply about what he should do before he goes and does it?” you laugh.
“Well… perhaps not, but you are an intelligent young man, as I said. I am sure you understand the power of knowledge. Whenever I look at you, I feel a certain… something...” Madam Nie brings her hand to her chest. “I am not sure how to express it, but I would feel bad if I let such a promising young man continue running around, wilfully oblivious to your surroundings.”
“Promising? Did you not doubt my suitability for your daughter?” you point out.
“I must say that I am not yet convinced,” she smiles. “Perhaps you will have a chance to prove to me that you have the ability to make my daughter happy… in all matters personal. Perhaps… tonight. I am quite familiar with Banhe Town, as I spent some time here when I was younger than Qilin is now. There is a place just on the outskirts where we can talk in private. What do you say?”
***
A. You are not accepting any of her suggestions. It is probably a trap. You will stay away as far as you can.
B. You meet with her later tonight. The promise of what she can tell outweighs the possible danger; besides, you are confident in your ability to escape if necessary. Still, she did not emphasize that you should show up alone… perhaps you can bring someone along with you?
I. Qilin
II. Cao’er
III. Xuezi
IV. Bai Jiutian
V. Huashan Twins
VI. Liu Qi and Su Liaojing
VII. You go alone
Kashmir Slippers
Magister
B1
Elfberserker
Liturgist
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2013
- Messages
- 1,540
Uuuh...
BV
The girl is very perceptive, great healer, knows her throwing weapons and pressaure point...I have literally no idea what to pick.
Liu Qi and Su Liaojing are good choice for neutral witnesses, if anything problematic should happen during our meeting.
Twins seems to be truthful sort, but they probably will side with Madam Nie if anything happens.
Edit: flopped
BV
The girl is very perceptive, great healer, knows her throwing weapons and pressaure point...I have literally no idea what to pick.
Liu Qi and Su Liaojing are good choice for neutral witnesses, if anything problematic should happen during our meeting.
Twins seems to be truthful sort, but they probably will side with Madam Nie if anything happens.
Edit: flopped
Last edited:
Tigranes
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2009
- Messages
- 10,350
It's a good point that we should find out more about their motivations, etc. Under current circumstances, escort of the Sword and all, I don't think this is some NOW YOU DIE XU JING ambush (famous last words).
I think no to Qilin and Bai, because they are the most easy for Nie to manipulate one way or another.
Liu Qi / Su Liaojing may also end up Nie talking in circles and not really revealing anything interesting.
Cao'er wouldn't do much but is potentially an unobtrusive backup that certainly Nie can't really use for her gains.
Xuezi could provoke additional info, but I fear Nie can play her easily.
B5 for now. With characters like Bai or Qilin we give her the advantage in that she can use her superior position with them / her knowledge; this is not quite the case with the Twins because she is the one that wanted to have a frank chat, and she's hardly going to cancel it all and not say a word if we bring the Twins. It's also unexpected, and at least one of the Twins is now doubtful that we are a Monster, and they will become even more curious when we bring them to a meeting that Nie has arranged. It's a chance to troll som einteresting faultlines within the Huashan.
I think no to Qilin and Bai, because they are the most easy for Nie to manipulate one way or another.
Liu Qi / Su Liaojing may also end up Nie talking in circles and not really revealing anything interesting.
Cao'er wouldn't do much but is potentially an unobtrusive backup that certainly Nie can't really use for her gains.
Xuezi could provoke additional info, but I fear Nie can play her easily.
B5 for now. With characters like Bai or Qilin we give her the advantage in that she can use her superior position with them / her knowledge; this is not quite the case with the Twins because she is the one that wanted to have a frank chat, and she's hardly going to cancel it all and not say a word if we bring the Twins. It's also unexpected, and at least one of the Twins is now doubtful that we are a Monster, and they will become even more curious when we bring them to a meeting that Nie has arranged. It's a chance to troll som einteresting faultlines within the Huashan.
Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,211
I completely disagree with the notion that Qilin could be manipulated in any way. No. Not after that:
If that's not final, I don't know what is.
I am not really sure if there is something to manipulate in Miss Bai's case - I still have no idea which side, if any, the girl is on.
I kind of suspect that inviting Xuezi would be the quickest way to learn about what that favor of hers entails... in a bad way.
If I had to choose, it would have to be either Qilin for a private family talk with a backup, or the orthodox disciples (as a neutral party, though I suppose Madam Nie would not be all that talkative around them), or the Twin Flowers to have a back-and-forth talk with their mother that would fly completely over their heads, since they would never suspect her of anything shady.
Or Cao'er, if we think Madam Nie is about to make us an offer we would not be able to refuse.
Tigranes
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2009
- Messages
- 10,350
Let me clarify. I don't think Qilin's emotional state will be manipulated, but bringing her along would just have Nie spin webs of words around the relationship - she already wasted half the time in the previous conversation going on and on about 'her daughter' - and frankly that's not the bit we're interested in talking about, and that's not the bit where there is anything specific for us to gain by doing verbal sparring with her. I mean, what do we want out of bringing Qilin along and making it a family talk? For Qilin to denounce Nie? Ironically, she has already done that. We want to focus on and get the most out of Nie regarding her position in Huashan, Huashan's aims, etc.
Twins is best. Orthodox disciples would only work if we had some substantial evidence to push Nie on.
Twins is best. Orthodox disciples would only work if we had some substantial evidence to push Nie on.
Elfberserker
Liturgist
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2013
- Messages
- 1,540
Flopping to twin option BV
we still have no idea what kind of relationship the twins and Madam Nie have.
So far it seems that Bai Jiutian is both liked by Nie Wuxing and Madam Nie, but it seems that Madam Nie seems to taken Bai Jiutian under her wing.
Twins on the otherhand seems to be Nie wuxing favorite while Madam Nie and Twins might have more of formal relationship rather than close family or student mentor relationship.
This might be crackpot theory, but twins might be most distant/oppose members of Nie family towards Madam Nie compared to Bai Jiutian and Nie Wuxing.
we still have no idea what kind of relationship the twins and Madam Nie have.
So far it seems that Bai Jiutian is both liked by Nie Wuxing and Madam Nie, but it seems that Madam Nie seems to taken Bai Jiutian under her wing.
Twins on the otherhand seems to be Nie wuxing favorite while Madam Nie and Twins might have more of formal relationship rather than close family or student mentor relationship.
This might be crackpot theory, but twins might be most distant/oppose members of Nie family towards Madam Nie compared to Bai Jiutian and Nie Wuxing.
Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,211
Qilin is someone who has enough experience in intrigue and knowledge of her mother to be of help to us, and also has the advantage of being in-the-know about most of the current plots, so her mother does not need to shy from sensitive topics. Do you expect Madam Nie to fill you in on their deals with the zhang clan and the affair with the manuals when the Twins are around? Not directly, at least, that much is obvious. If you want to get the most out of it, you need to bring in someone less upright.
Qilin also made it clear that the topic of our relationship is closed. I do not think Madam Nie is stupid enough to bring it up again after that.
Not to mention Qilin's fighting prowess (now that are training her and experiencing a bit of a downtime ourselves) and superior knowledge of poisons could help us out if we believe this meeting might go south - and I do.
Simply put, there is no other person on the list I would trust as much as her. I feel safer about the whole deal that way.
Qilin also made it clear that the topic of our relationship is closed. I do not think Madam Nie is stupid enough to bring it up again after that.
Not to mention Qilin's fighting prowess (now that are training her and experiencing a bit of a downtime ourselves) and superior knowledge of poisons could help us out if we believe this meeting might go south - and I do.
Simply put, there is no other person on the list I would trust as much as her. I feel safer about the whole deal that way.
Last edited:
ScubaV
Prophet
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2011
- Messages
- 1,022
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