Boon and Burden

You go back and forth between the information above their heads.

Yes... quite a lot of dirt concealed in there. But how do you go about presenting it?

A: "Now that you mention it, I made a deal with one. Now I know your secrets."
B: "You talk smart for a Guinling."
C: "If you don't make like a dryad and leaf, I'll tell everyone."
D: "Hey, Gara. I thought you said you had a draconic ancestor?"
E: "Noe! Hey, I heard you write. Can you read me one of your books?"

D I'm not sure what C is even referring to though I enjoy the pun

D

Oh, cool, changing to E would ironically break the tie so ima do that.

A Wish to know if Quori is a murderer

D

You quietly make a decision, and go to the disposal grounds.

---

Earlier this month, one of the academy's benefactors donated a large sum of money, which they used to buy new equipment. Which happened to include kitchen equipment.

You check the coast is clear, and duck in.

It looks more like a post office than a dump. All the sharp things are wrapped up in packages, and everything that isn't is sorted neatly in boxes, covered in film. So neatly, in fact, that you're easily able to locate the old grindstone, and a box of medium-sized knives.

You unwrap the film across the intersections, and take a Rusty Medium Knife out of the box, then sharpen both sides of it with the Old Grindstone to create a Small Dagger.

You then reseal the film with a little bit of Lamp Wax from the wall lamps. It's difficult to tell you were ever there. Your Small Dagger fits neatly in the pen-holder in your blazer.

---

"Hey, Quori."

"What do you want, Caratral?" she eyes you suspiciously. Luckily, she was still sitting at the same bench when you got back, and nobody else has seen you at any point since then.

A: "I need to talk to you. Privately."
B: Make up a convincing lie about a discovery that would interest her in a sound-proof room
C: "I need your help."
D: Make conversation
E: Probe her for information first
F: Just stab her here

Yeah maybe jumping straight to murder was a bad idea

"Have you done Porrani's homework?" you ask, trying to make conversation.

"Don't remind me." she says quietly.

"It sounds bad, but do you ever wish she'd just die?"

"Where is this coming from?"

"It, I don't know. None of the stuff she gives us is even helpful, and it makes us waste so much time, and..."

"And what?"

"I don't think anyone would really care if she... was gone. Do you?"

She turns to look at you. "Probably not," she says after a while.

"I wouldn't, like, really do this. But if I did have a way of getting her out the picture, would you... help?"

"That's a dangerous question to ask. Would be, I mean, if you were serious."

She's listening intently now. The corners of her mouth are twitching upward.

"I have quite a good idea how I'd do it, too." you say.

"Not here." she says, standing up. "I know somewhere where we won't be overheard."

---

She's taken you to an old music room. Since it housed a drum set, it has soundproofed walls.

"Tell me the plan." she demands in a whisper. "If you don't know what you're doing, you're going to get caught."

"I happen to have a little experience." you say. Which is true. You accidentally drowned your sister's gerbil, and successfully managed to cover it up. Of course, you felt so guilty you confessed anyway, but that's not the point.

"I'm willing to bet I've got a little more."

You laugh. "You? Don't get me wrong, I reckon you could do it, but..."

"But what?"

"Well, could you really cope with yourself afterwards?"

She takes a deep intake of breath, then pulls a lipstick tube out of her blazer pocket. She takes the cap off, and jerks it downward. A long silvery knife folds outwards, like a stage knife in reverse.

"Oh, yes. I think I could."

"Blight sung faeries, is that what I think it is?"

She smiles. It's not a nice smile.

"My mother was an assassin. She taught me how to kill a man."

"And I'm guessing you have?"

"Nope."

She leans forwards. "But I always found babies pretty annoying."

"So, you're her then. The River Ripper?" you say, trying to make it sound like you're extremely excited and a little scared to finally meet your hero. The 'scared' part is the easiest.

She guffaws. "Oh, you've heard of me? All the way up here?"

"Recently, I've become rather fascinated with serial killers."

She holds the blade up to your throat, just a hair's breadth away. "Listen," she says, in a deadpan voice. "If you tell anyone about this – anyone at all, mind you. Even your cat – I will kill you. Make no mistake. There's only one way I'm going to let you out of my sight."

She grins again. "Once we go through with that plan, you're committed. I'll own you."

"Can't we be partners in crime?" you manage to keep the tremor out of your voice. Mostly.

This seemed to be the right thing to say, for she moves the blade away from your neck. "Oh, eventually. But you gotta stick by me first."

She sits down at a drumstool, resting her blade against the wall beside it. You pull another up near her, and sit down by her.

"Tell me, who was your first?"

You unconsciously look to the knife in your pocket. "Well, I was bullied as a little girl..."

She leans forward and nods encouragingly. "And then?"

A: Make a wish
B: Make up a story
C: Pretend to be embarassed
D: Admit you've never actually killed anyone before
E: Just stab her, you fool!