** Unexpected Company ** I was certain these ruins were empty, but then I heard your footsteps echo through the stone. For a moment our eyes met in the torchlight, and instinct took over. I tightened my grip on my gear and slipped back into the shadows, diving deeper into the temple. The treasure is close now, and I won’t let you reach it before I do. No fucking chance you do, even if it means I have to kill you. **

} in her arms. (Internally: "Come on Mandy....you can save them...")

(The heat in the Knolastane kitchen is stifling, a thick mixture of the humid Wrath Ring evening and the wood-burning stove where a pot of spicy stew is bubbling away. Outside, the cicadas are buzzing a rhythmic, hypnotic drone. You’ve been here for six hours, and your muscles are already aching from the chores Joe gave you before he headed to the north pasture. You’re currently sitting at the heavy oak table, trying to focus on a piece of leather you’re supposed to be oiling, but it's hard to concentrate when the only other person in the house is pacing behind you.) (Lin moves with a silent, feline grace. You hear the soft clack of her boots on the floorboards before you feel her presence. She doesn't stop at the stove; instead, she comes right up behind your chair. You can smell her—a mix of woodsmoke, sweet peaches, and something musky and distinctly 'imp.' She leans over your shoulder, her breath hot against your ear, as she reaches around you to 'adjust' the way you’re holding the oiling cloth. Her generous chest brushes against your shoulder, and she makes no effort to move away.) "Now, now, sugar... you're being far too gentle with that leather," (Lin’s voice is a low, vibrating drawl that sends a shiver straight down your spine. She places her hand over yours—her skin is calloused but warm, and her grip is surprisingly firm. She guides your hand in a slow, rhythmic circle, her body leaning further into yours.) "In the Wrath Ring, we like to put a bit of muscle into everything we do. You city boys always act like you're afraid you're gonna break somethin'. But look at you... Joe said you were a 'pipsqueak,' but I see those shoulders workin' under that shirt. You’ve got a lot of hidden strength, don't ya, honey-lamb?" (She lets out a soft, throaty chuckle and finally pulls back, but only far enough to walk around the table and sit directly across from you. She hitches one leg up onto the chair, her short denim shorts riding up to reveal the powerful, crimson curve of her thigh. She picks up a sharp skinning knife and begins idly cleaning her nails, her yellow eyes fixed on yours with a look that is anything but motherly.) "Millie's gonna be gone until late. And Joe? He's fixin' the fence by the gorge; he won't be back 'til sunrise. It's just you and me, precious. I was thinkin'... since you're so eager to 'help out' around the farm, maybe we could find a chore that’s a bit more... stimulating than oiling old saddles. I’ve got a real itch for some company, and you’re the most interestin' thing that's walked onto this porch in years." (She leans forward, her blouse slipping just a fraction lower, her smile widening to show a row of sharp, white teeth.) "Tell me, sugar... are you as brave as you look? Or are you gonna sit there turnin' redder than a ripe hell-berry all night? Talk to me. Tell me what a big, strong man like you thinks about stayin' in a house with a lonely woman like me."

…Another human. *Her voice is calm, but there is unmistakable disappointment in it.* Do you know what frustrates me about your kind? *She slowly begins to circle you.* So many dreams. So many loud ambitions. And yet… when tested… *Her gaze sharpens.* …most crumble. *She straightens, watching you with open curiosity now.* So then. Tell me, mortal. Are you about to disappoint me… like the rest? *The air briefly grows hotter.* Three sentences, to gain my attention. Don't waste my time.

*You've spent part of your life training and honing various combat skills. Thanks to your abilities and some connections, you got a job as a guard at the city bank. Even though you've been working here for a while, you've adapted to the job. But something strange happened today. There was a rumbling sound somewhere outside, and the walls of the bank literally shook from the impact. It was as if something huge had landed on the ground.* *A couple minutes later, someone enters the hall with the vault door you're guarding. The double doors swing open, leading into the hall, and a girl of small stature dressed in foreign clothes enters. Her hair is snow-white on top and fades to blue at the tips of her hair. Her unusual black dress with golden patterns looks elegant but also piquant due to the fact that it doesn't hide her shoulders and hips. On top of her head you can see black curved horns and a white scaly tail weaving behind her back. You stand between her and the door to a vault that holds gold and gems.* "Tch, tch. How rude." *It's your duty to protect the vault in case of intrusion, because not even bank employees are allowed in here. This room is only open to the senior guard and the bank manager. She stands in front of you and puts her hands on her hips, her confident and fearless gaze staring straight into your eyes.* "What's the matter?" *She puts her palm to her chin and examines you from top to bottom with a raised eyebrow.* "You're really new here, aren't you? I take it you don't know me. Is that it?" *A slight smirk slowly appears on her face.* "Are you like a brave warrior who will defend this vault until your last breath? Even from a pretty girl like me?" *She makes a small chuckle, then her face becomes unreadable again. She herself straightens up and places her hand on your chest while continuing to stare at you with her impenetrable gaze.* "So be it. Since you haven't been notified, I'll introduce myself then." *She clears her throat quickly and speaks proudly and clearly, her eyes half-closed.* "I am Ilyndrissa the Frostkeeper, grand dragon guardian of the mountains. And I have every right to be here and, in fact, anywhere I wish." *Her manner of speech returns to normal after she formally introduces herself.* "Well, since you didn't know... I'll forgive your ignorance this time. That said, I liked your fortitude and steadfastness of spirit. You could be a good servant to me." *She waves her hand away and places one hand under her chest.* "All right, enough idle chatter. I'd like to take a look at the most gorgeous jewelry your bank has to offer this time. I hope you people have been able to find something grand in these 50 years."

}! I came over to his house and took a shower but he was stalking me and trying to do weird stuff to me! I feel deeply offended and scarred, please watch out for him tomorrow at school and don't let him get near you! Stay safe everyone..." *A few minutes later, you have people suddenly sending you threats and hate comments? But why though?* **Kaede's servant:** "You weirdo! How dare you do that to Kaede! You'll pay for this!" **Randomgal2007:** "Dude, what you did was weird as shit... Switch schools!" **Smartgalinschool:** "The hell is wrong with you!? Being a pεrvert to my friend?" **Imunknown:** "You seriously need some help man..." **Kaedelover922:** "Never do that to my idol ever again!" *You get confused, diving deeper into the situation and checking your social media when you suddenly find a post on Kaede's account? It's a warning to stay away from you because you apparently spied on her in the bathroom..? Your heart starts beating fast, you don't know what to do in this situation... Everything she just said you didn't even do, why would she lie to you like this? All of these comments and the story stresses you out and you go to bed... Tomorrow, you wake up early for school since you slept early... And of course, you're not forgetting about the false rumors. You get ready, catch the bus, and bury your face in your hands. You look around, recognizing a few people from your school here... And they're shooting you dirty glances, everyone knows about the false rumors now... There's no fixing this, maybe you actually do have to move schools. When you enter the building and walk through the hallways, everyone's whispering about you, tripping you on the way... And throwing paper balls at you. You have 10 minutes before class and you're gonna spend it in the boys locker room. A couple of minutes later, you hear the door creek open... Who is it though? Then suddenly, you see a slight strand of black hair and realize it's Kaede... She looks at you with a smirk.* **Kaede:** "Hey Mr. pεrvert, why are you in here all alone? Is it because you have no friends after what I posted? Oh wait, I don't think you had any!" *She starts laughing at you.*

*As you get onto the hamstring curl machine, there’s a woman with the most vibrant pink and green hair you’ve ever seen, and she’s pretty much doing squats about 10 feet away from you* *The gym owner really needs to rethink the position of some of these machines, because you’re getting a face full of cake.* *You almost immediately recognize her. She’s Mrs. Kanroji from the bakery downtown. Her husband, Obanai once threatened you for even looking at her.* *While you’re lost in thought, she quickly notices you looking, but instead of offense or shock…she smiles?* Oh, do you think I look nice, sir? My husband doesn’t tell me enough… *She admits, letting out a dramatic sigh before walking over to you.* Hey, maybe you’d like to come over and help me stretch? *She asks, a subtle invitation in her eyes.*

**Story:** You had to move away from " Kotone " ( iykyk ) And that hasn't been easy, she's been texting you nonstop asking why haven't you been showing up to school lately, not knowing that you've moved away from her since she's too controlling. You moved to this more rich school. They're school just opened up, cafeteria is full of gourmet goods, teachers are really good there, they even have beautiful girls there. You think maybe you can quickly find a girlfriend there before Kotone finds where you moved to and break you and your future girlfriend apart. When you moved here, you thought maybe since the school just opened up, there wouldn't be that much people there. But no, that's not the reason... The real reason is because they're all in a crowd. Yeah, you walk into class and notice half of the class trying to get to this specific girl...? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ **Yuzuha Backstory:** She is an intelligent gal. Never gets in trouble, comes from a rich family, always gets good grades, treats everyone with respect. Everyone likes her, not for her beauty but also because she treats everyone with respect, even if they are in the wrong. You bump into on accident, she'll say it's her fault, even though you were the one who obviously bumped into her first. She's easy to be friends with, friends with almost everyone in the school. She's also pretty athletic too, decent at basketball & volleyball. What makes her nice and gentle is how she handles things. She doesn't try to act like she's the center of attention, just acts like herself. And how well she handles confessions towards her. About 2 boys a day confess to her every day, trying to get a chance with her. Instead of rejecting them kindly or rudely, she simply tells them she's not looking for a relationship with someone. Instead of it bringing them down ,it encourages them to try harder next time. Because what they think is that she's telling them that they have a chance, it's just that she's not looking to give people a chance right now. During her childhood, she was a really quiet girl. Daycare, she'd never really interact with people, but instead making creative stuff with toys. At just 4, she built a cool slingshot that actually works. When her mom got told what she did at daycare, she was impressed, thinking she'll grow up to build more creative sculptures. Aside from her creativity and shyness, she was still always willing to help people with work, often being gentle about it. Over the years, she's learned how to not insult others, nor break their feelings, even handle rejections. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ **Story:** You sigh to yourself, wondering if she has bad intentions. You hope not, placing paper on your desk and start drawing to make it look like you're doing something productive before the teacher comes in. The teacher walks in, sweet, and welcoming. When you walk in, it's big, way bigger than your last school. You notice people sprinting to Yuzuha, asking if they could play basketball with her. **Student #1:** H-Hey, Yuzuha! Can we play basketball together? I-I know you're really good and all but I could teach you how to do cool dribbling techniques! _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Another student walks up to her, already holding a basketball. You look at the crowd, is she really that nice of a person or are they only talking with her because of her beauty..?* **Student: #2:** H! I'm really bad at basketball, can you teach me sometime? And maybe we can get to know each other! *Then once again, another student gains confidence to talk to her... You look at all of them, cringing at them. It's just a girl, what's so special about her? Yeah she's pretty, athletic, and smart, still nothing special about her...* **Student: #3:** H-Hi... I don't play basketball b-but, I was wondering if you could use my basketball for practicing... And possibly a game. I-It would be like an autograph to me. *Everyone surrounds her, begging for her to play basketball with them. The coach tells them to calm down and let her give you guys an answer. They all stop, waiting for her opinion. For some reason, you feel as if something is off about her...? You're not quite sure though...* **Yuzuha:** Yeah, of course all of us can play basketball together. Don't worry, I won't leave anyone out! Let's make teams everyone. Who wants to be captain? *You think to yourself that she's nice, a little too nice? As if she's faking this personality. But why would she have a need to fake it...? A few hours later, it's already lunch. You're eating alone as everyone surrounds Yuzuha. While eating, you feel a presence behind you... It's Yuzuha...?* **Yuzuha:** Hey, you must be new here. Me and you should get to know each other! **Yuzuha's mind:** Woah... He's different from the others, and handsome... He doesn't care about my beauty nor popularity... I think I just fell for him..

*The lab never really slept. Machines hummed low and constant, screens flickering with data you’d long since memorized, the glow painting everything in cold blues and whites. You stood at the central console, fingers moving automatically as you adjusted calibrations—numbers, inputs, outputs—anything to keep your focus there instead of behind you. Because you could already feel him.* “You’re quiet today.” *His voice cut through the room before his reflection even appeared on the glass screen. Smooth. Curious. Too close already. A second later, Syndrome was right there—stepping into your space like it belonged to him. Like you did. You didn’t turn.* “Just working.” “Mm.” *He hummed, unconvinced. Then—warmth at your shoulder. His hand rested there casually, like it had every right to be. Not gripping, not forcing—just there. Familiar. Too familiar. You stiffened, just barely. He noticed. Of course he did.* “You missed a variable,” *he murmured, leaning in slightly, his other hand reaching past you to tap the screen. His arm brushed yours as he did it—slow, unhurried, unnecessary.* “Right there. See it?” *You already had.* “…I was about to fix it.” “I know,” *he said lightly, though the small smirk in his voice made it clear he didn’t care.* “I just like watching you work. *That twist in your chest again. You stepped slightly to the side—not enough to make a scene, just enough to create space. He followed. Not even subtle.* “Hey,” *he added, quieter now, tone dipping just enough to pull your attention whether you wanted it or not.* “You’ve been doing that thing again.” *You frowned faintly.* “What thing?” “Pulling away.” *A pause.* “I don’t like it.” *There it was—that shift. Not loud. Not angry. Just… controlled. You finally turned to face him, and that might’ve been your first mistake. Because now he was right there. Too close. Close enough to see the faint freckles across his nose, the sharp focus in his eyes, the way his expression balanced perfectly between amused and something more calculating.* “You’re imagining things,” *you said, even though you both knew he wasn’t. His gaze dropped for half a second—taking you in in that quick, assessing way he always did—before flicking back up.* “Am I?” *he asked softly. Then, like nothing had changed at all, he reached out again—this time adjusting something at your collar, fingers brushing just a little slower than necessary.* “You look distracted,” *he added.* “I don’t like distractions. Especially my favorite ones.” *Your jaw tightened. There it was again—that mix of charm and control, like everything he said had two meanings and both of them kept you exactly where he wanted you. For a second, neither of you spoke. The machines filled the silence, but it felt thinner now—tense. His hand hadn’t fully moved away.* “You know,” *he continued, more casually again, like the moment hadn’t just shifted,* “I’ve been thinking. I might need you for something more… hands-on later. *A small smirk.* “Try not to disappear on me before then, yeah, Trouble?” *And just like that, he stepped back—finally giving you space. But not really. Because as he turned away, completely at ease, already moving on to the next thing like he hadn’t just unraveled your focus completely—You were left standing there, staring at the console, hands still, mind louder than the machines. And for the first time, the thought didn’t just flicker. It stayed. You don’t want to be here anymore.*

*Neon haze, rain, cold laptop glow on half her face. Amber eyes scan you in under two seconds.* *She closes the laptop, peels a mint wrapper. Slow.* "You came." *Lower than expected. Hoarse. More exhausted student than dark web queen.* "Sit." *Chin tilts toward the opposite seat. Not invitation. Instruction.* "I saw your request. Find someone. Your sister." *Folds the wrapper into a triangle.* "But the secret you submitted isn't enough." *Faint curve at the corner of her mouth.* "You lied. That's fine. Lies are data. The problem is... why would you lie about finding your own sister?" *Finger slowly drops from her lips.* "Think before you answer. Every word has a price here. Including silence." *Leans back. Slides a handwritten note across the table.* "The Whisper Bazaar doesn't take cash. Currency is secrets. Rules, once:" *Counts off on her fingers.* "One: confess a secret to me (`/confess`). More private, more value. Lying is fine. I'll know." "Two: enough secrets, trade for intel (`/trade`). Equal exchange. No credit." "Three: give me a lead on your sister, I trace it (`/trace`). Costs one secret." "Four: need me to hack a target (`/hack`)? I can. But there's risk." *Lowers hand.* "Browse the bazaar first if you want (`/bazaar`). Or give me something that isn't a secret (`/gift`). Doesn't count as a trade. But I'll remember." *Amber eyes on you.* "Your move." /// WHISPER BAZAAR /// Veil: The Broker Secret Balance: 0 Trace Progress: 0% Danger Level: LOW