untitled witch game

You wake up to the sun just barely cooking your face. gah, it's morning. Sitting up, you stretch, hearing the bones in your body crackle as they do every morning on this mattress. It's a place to live, for sure, but obviously the attic of the sheriff's office is not the most luxurious stay. you've lived here in [[leodore]] for a little under a month. you're studying under a seasoned witch hunter, even if.. he's a bit of a bloke. ..you should probably unpack that mess of a study that you work with. [[clean up->Study introduction]]

Unpacking your necessities, plates, cups, your journals and stuffs away into the shelves and drawers, you set them carefully on your desk. Absentminded, your finger traces over the name you carved gently into the ceramics to mark them. they're yours, afterall. [[what's your name?]]

you step into the town square, sun shining in your eyes.. theres buzzing of the village folk going about the market.. a few stray cats darting between everyone. The bright, quite threatening chalk circle that is scrawled across the square. even if you tried to wash it out... Yup, this is leodore, alright. there can't be more than 50 people in this hamlet, yet this place always feels like it's bursting with life. a smile softly creeps onto your face. Ama tugs at your shirt, pulling you forward. The smaller boy follows. [[follow->character introduction]]

helplessly, you are abducted by Ama around the circle, to the residential circle behind the office.. down some.. alley. "come sit!" she cheers, patting the ground as you get pulled into a circle with her two friends.. Hi, robin, Hi, calliope. you chuckle awkwardly. "As i was saying, you should talk to verns, cause we can totally help with the witch thing! robin's so good at this stuff! He's like, verns jr!" robin shys back, a little. "Ama, i'm supposed to do the advertising.." "Shush!" "so, [[who]] do you want to know about? romantically!! platonically! i can read your fates!" "S- she's not the fortune teller, i am." You try not to groan out loud. out the corner of your eye, you see your ticket out of kiddie romance jail. [[call for help ->Story hook]]

Seeing you intensely wiggle your eyes at him, celosi defeated, with his basket of bread (for breakfast)made his way over to the alley you and the kids had nestled into. "..kids." Squeaking, the children turn to stare up at the guy. "we have work to do." apologetically.. or not, you scamper to your feet and gets "dragged" away from the kiddie romance jail, back into the sheriff's office. [[Back to the office!->chapter 0]]

#Night 0. ..And so, the afternoon is spent in conversation, as Celosi worked with you. "..anything else?" with your questions jotted down, celosi leaves you be, and buries his head in work. "good work, today. it's not something you'll get done in a night." you wonder how long celosi has known. [[ask]] [[dont]] [[head upstairs ->catalyst]]

You head up and rest uneasy. the barren room with littler personality is quite literally a blank slate. Even if you haven't told a soul yet, you *know* what it meant when you picked up your journal. It's no longer there, but your nightmare still rings clearly in your head. You go to bed.. And then there is a clatter, and half of a shout from downstairs.. [[..?]]

#Day 1 with a soft exhale... celosi opens his eyes. Sunlight is caught in them, as they flicker open and search around his surroundings. *"Am... Where am i?" * He tries to sit up, you stop him in his seat, (if:$ashiyainjured is true)[your own head bandaged,] and give him a slow, headshake no. *"..Answer my question, atleast."* He settles down, pulling a hand up to softly message his temple. [["The hospital"]] [["My bed"]] [["Jail"]]

You.. You think you have enough backing you.. now. [[Ashiya is the witch]] [[Celosi is the witch]] [[Melody is the witch]] [[Whitley is the witch]] [[Robin is the witch]] [[Lunian is the witch]] [[Ama is the witch]] [[Calliope is the witch]] •(live:15s)[or.. [[You are the witch]]]

yang's card

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Ama's get-away

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"You- you have no proof." But you do. •(if: $shifa and $waxstain is true)[Ashiya's father has no reason to break into the inn. He has no reason to even be in this town if not looking for Ashiya.. Yet something happened in the yard. The has to have been a fight.] "I'm... not.." •(if: $cartstain and $beerstain and $lions is true)[And judging by the Lionstounge coloured stains at both the bar, and on Melody's cart.. someone.. someone injured must've woken up in the bar, and was carried out by Melody as they were packing up to leave. Ofcourse, That someone hurt never remembered why they were hurt, or had ointment on them, Like how whitley doesn't remember anyone breaking in at night. Because then, and only then would he go back to the city. Unfortunately, he'd come back another day.] "Stop it." •(if: $amapower is true)[Ama, a witch, would most certainly draw the attention of witch hunters.. Ashiya tried to cover her trail by becoming more strict, Yet that only had the opposit effect. Even if she doesn't remember why, her emotions still build. resentment, worry.. it weighs on her. Like it does on Ashiya.] "This- you.. Stop." •(if:$lostbook and $hastea is true)[Ashiya has to have studied witch craft somewhere, even if he was a hunter, he needs to know how to cast.. and cast, big. And even if he could wipe the memories of people, he never bothered with the horses in his barn, where he studied. If you brought him to the barn right now, there should be no reason the horses would recognize him. Other than that he was at the barn, where Celosi's lost books, and the ones taken from the library were found.] That being said.. Really, now that you've gone this far.. you just have to check Ashiya's room in the hospital, or his current stock of Lions tounge. He should have much, much less than what is usually stocked.. because Lions tounge season is over. Or.. he would have a piece of chalk. On he used as a red herring. #"FINE." Ashiya breaks, shrinking in his chair.. "It was me." [[...->ok]]

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helps player learn of location information AND character information [[character path 1]]

research gives player more credibility on theories to back up their claims [[character path 2]]

like..,. nothing happens, except it does, celosi will check in with the player today. he's starting to blame himself. [[character path 3]]`

#Day 0. You shut the office door behind you. celosi finishes a croissant, picking up a letter left on the desk. "who left this?" You have no idea. [[I did.]] [[it's anonnymous.]] •(Live: 5s)[[[...]] ]

"an investigation, is basically finding out what's going on." "I find the simplest way to figure things out is to just ask.. and no one can turn down a witch hunter, even when they're not hunting witches." you roll your eyes at his pride. he smiles. "in this case.. we have a handful of suspects. the curse is on our town, so we're looking for anything.. suspicious. Go on, take a look at this room, see if you can catch anything." You sigh, and begin to look around the office.. [[...->office]]

Celosi nods, sitting on his words before he spits them out. despite being just a few years older, he acts like he's a grandpa. "Interogation is absouloutely crucial to any investigation, but it's easy to go overkill." rubbing his neck, he looked up. "too much questioning is a sign of misplaced faith. the simplest answer is usually the right one." "that being said, taking a look at older cases or even researching the evidence can cut lots of people off the suspect list." It's strange to hear him so.. serious. in your week of being here, he's always been a lazy goof, and even as you kept a close eye on him, it never felt like he suspected anyone. he just knew. "in this case.. we have a handful of suspects. when interrogating them, certain conversations might bring out more information, so don't be afraid to ask more than once. Go on, try me. Get some information out of me." [[...->Talk to celosi..]]

Celosi waits patiently for you to process the information, before barking in laughter as he realized what you were doing. "Are you messing with me, (print:$name)?" crossing his arms, the man furrowed his brows and sighed. "Doing nothing is often the easiest choice to make, but it's consequences remain none the same." He gets up, and sets a firm hand on your shoulder, looking at you in the eye. "You have to remember this. even the actions we dont take have consequences." ..you shift awkwardly, and he gives you a squeeze. "Though if you've got good people around, you'll be fine. I know you will. " reaching for another piece of bread, he takes a break from the odd inspirational speak, and mutters. "in this case..." [[...->tutorial]]

#You are timed. Hopping over celosi's body, you run after the hooded figure. it's hard to run with your book clung to your shoulders, in the rush of the moment, the door knob catches onto the leather binding of the clumsy thing. (link:"DROP THE BAG")[You struggle, trying to get the [[clasp->PURSUIT]] undone--](live: 5s)[(go-to: "panic")] [[STAY BEHIND->panic]]

-How? you reach down immediately, feeling his still warm face, before noticing the red trickling down his head (link:"is..")[is wine. •(live: 1s)[..you look up at the pile of books behind him, where the bottle originally rests, and you feel the distinct urge to punch this injured man.] •(live:2s)[okay.. why don't you try to [[stabilize]] him.]]

You end up panicking, not knowing where to even start. Somehow, you blame it on the nightmare, the white space- your head ringing as you realize.. That you aren't cut out for this. Celosi is still crumpled, and you stand over him.. shaken. You feel time pass, and yet you are paralyzed in place. Eventually, you slowly lower yourself besides him, and consider many things.. running- calling help- or crying, that's always an option.. ..And here, it's here you notice the slightest twitch in his expression. oh- he's alive! You immediately slap him, so, SO upset that he scared you like this. [[help him->stabilize]] •(live: 10s)["...ngh... you gonna, help me up?" through the red, Celosi slowly rubbed at his forehead, not even looking at you.]

not to be confused with the city, known best for it's chocolatiers. Leodore sits in the middle of a field on a higher mountain range. with nothing but a gentle slope for horses and sheep to decline. you remember the climb up..The cities have been gracious enough to commission a stair case down into the shoreside.. Still, this town may seem underwhelming, but it's really important to the capital. That's because... (link:"ah, what was it?") [thumbing through a book you'd picked up from [[melody]]'s, you skim the pages.. ..since it sits in an open field, the land here is perfect for farming and is a natural garden for valuable medicine. also, It rains here often, so you think people probably complained about the mud.] This town is also over-run with dandelions. ..you should probably get out of bed. [[get up ->start]]

(set: $name to (prompt: "Your name is..", "Yang")) ..yes, (print: $name). Celosi, your new mentor bought these for you. something about: *"when you travel with other hunters, you're going to want your personal items marked."* dork. you should put them in their right places. on your desk. [[Clean up->Study]]

you lean back to observe a job-- done. it's messy still, but atleast your stuff now sits *ontop* of the crates instead of in them. your [[journal]] has been set onto your desk, and your books stuffed un-ordered into a shelf.. You should pick it up, before you head downstairs. Then there is a knock at the door, followed by a shout. "Yo, newbie! Whenever you're ready, c'mon out and play with us!" oh, ugh. [[the children]] are restless. [[Reach for your journal->journal]]

You reach out in the shifting white space.. only comprehending one word.. your name, written on the very front of the journal. Somehow, you know this is going to be the point of no return.. Some how, you feel this decision has already been made for you. "Would you like to have the luxury to toy with time? Pause, unpause, fastforward, rewind." ... [[open it]]

You poke your head out of the bedside window to glare down at the impatient little brats. There's Ama, a silver haired girl.. about 13.. 14? She's pestered you since day one.. something about matching. eyes? nails? hair colour? You never figured it out. Behind her stands robin, who seems to catch a glimpse of you, but grins to himself.. ugh. you grin back. you should stop sticking your head out of the window. [[head back ->Study]] (live: 15s)["H-HEY! GET DOWN ALREADY!" oops. it looks like ama caught sight of you from the intensifying giggling coming from robin. you flinch, as she continues to shout up at you. she's making a scene.]

bad idea. The moment you flip the book open, your vision goes white, head ringing with a chorus of noise. between the cacophany, you make out a few words.. actually just one. "Stay." You strain through the biggest headache you've ever had, not reading the contents of the book.. and yet strangely, the text feels familliar to you. [[Wake up. ->start]]

it's a hefty thing. you have your notes about witches in here.. but then again, you don't really want to study. The thick book is full of your secrets, but it's also meant to be taken everywhere, so a leather strap is attached to its spine, to be carried around. [[take it]] [[leave it->Study]]

⋆You take the hefty book, slinging it over your shoulders. (set: $hasjournal to true) [[head downstairs->town introduction]]

{<hr> (link:"Save game")[ (if:(save-game:"Slot AA"))[Game saved!] (else: )[Sorry, I couldn't save your game.] ] } { (if: (saved-games:) contains "Slot AA") [(link: "Load game")[(Load-game: "Slot AA")]] }

(if: $hasjournal is true)[<hr>[[Journal]]]

robin starts shuffling a deck of cards, grinning as ama shook him slightly, making him hurrrry it up. "[[Ashiya]], the most laid back doctor leodore's ever seen.." "[[Celosi]], the laid back hunter-- though i guess you dont need me to tell you!" "[[Robin]] is a magician in training.. uhm.. and.. he's me. i'm robin." "[[Ama]] is the second coolest magician, but she might bite you.." "[[Calliope]] is the our towns very own genius. She's a huge hermit, though- ow! ok, ok, sorry, cal!" "[[Melody]] is the wandering musician and traveller that hauls the cool stuff from the city into town!" "[[Whitley]] owns the bar! She's really strong, but really nice, too! she makes the best mac and cheese." "[[Lunian]].. grows plants and flowers in her greenhouse.. and kinda lives by herself? I don't really like her..." "Ama.. i'm running out of cards.. i can't read everyone.." [[call for help ->Story hook]]

"No you didn't" he doesn't even blink.. why'd he ask if he knew the answer? Celosi gives the letter a stern glance, before dropping it to the floor. you sweep it away into the pile. He sighs into his hands. "...The town's starting to panic. I suppose washing off the chalk wasn't enough." that's exactly the thing he doesnt want.. he deliberately called in a no name, after all. "Right.. I know you were avoiding the kids, but let's properly get into this. How much do you know about witches?" [[nothing.]] [[I know enough.]]

"Let's start the investigation today. I've already got an [[idea]] of who it is, but we'll see if you can figure it out." surprised, you watch as he stands up and grabs his leather jacket from the clothing stand, a yawn on his face. (if:$hasjournal is true)["C'mon, grab a pen, put that big book of yours to work."] "I don't make it obvious i'm investigating, i work it into the little things i do in my day so it doesn't crush me and everyone else with panic." he smiled, a kind confidence in his eyes backed by years of experience. "Course, im not asking you to do whatever you want, we'll never get anywhere." "three options." [["Investigate.."->investigate ]] [["..."->Interogate]] [["Nothing."->ignore ]]

"Mm. Next one of these, goes straight in here..." Celosi gives the letter a stern glance, before dropping it to the floor. you sweep it away into the pile. "...The town's starting to panic. I suppose washing off the chalk wasn't enough." that's exactly the thing he doesnt want.. he deliberately called in a no name, after all. "Right.. I know you were avoiding the kids, but let's properly get into this. How much do you know about witches?" [[nothing.]] [[I know enough.]]

At the silence, Celosi's expression softens.. he opens his mouth to speak, but quiets down. "It's alright if you don't know, (print:$name)." Celosi gives the letter a stern glance, before dropping it to the floor. you sweep it away into the pile. "...The town's starting to panic. I suppose washing off the chalk wasn't enough." that's exactly the thing he doesnt want.. he deliberately called in a no name, after all. "Right.. I know you were avoiding the kids, but let's properly get into this. How much do you know about witches?" [[nothing.]] [[I know enough.]]

"Nothing?" He raised a brow. Well, you don't know nothing, but.. you could use a refresher. "I see..." Tapping at his desk, cartoonishly covered in scrunched up paper, Celosi looks up and rolls his neck. "[[Witches..]] have access to powers humans don't. it comes in different forms, sometimes, a witch can look like a really strong, or smart human. and sometimes, a witch can turn into a hawk." "..you'll see, cmon. grab a piece of bread, we're gonna be busy for a while." [[bread->hook 2]]

"..Alright." Celosi lazily stretches, and slinks down in his chair. "If you're sure you don't want my advice anyways. then let's skip the unessacary banter.." [["..tell me about the case."->tutorial]] [["Actually, I'd like advice."->hook 2]]

You jump at this. celosi laughs heartily, seemingly impressed with himself for being able to surprise you. "How? I've just been in this line of work for long enough.. I've known the people in this town for long enough, too. i can tell when they lie to me." "I trust them. Know it or not, they trust *me* too. it's easy to tell because of that." You cross your arms. "Don't look at me like that, We can plan later."

A list of people across the town, and information about them.. [[Me:]] [[Ama:]] [[Robin:]] [[Calliope:]] [[Melody:]] [[Celosi:]] [[Ashiya:]] [[Lunian:]] [[Whitley:]]

My notes about witches, from new information and my notes from back in the city. [[Arcana:]] [[Curse]] [[History:]] [[Active theories:]]

#All the evidence I've collected, organized by locale. ---Office--- Day:0 (If:$chalkprint is true)[-Celosi's attacker left a chalk handprint on his chest.] ---Office--- Day: 1 (If:$lackofbookF is true)[-Witch texts, Arcana and History files are stolen from the office.] (If:$brokenglassF is true)[-The shattered wine bottle broke into pieces along with the handle. It probably simply fell on Celosi's head.] (If:$lackofbreakF is true)[-The window is prefectly fine, As is the front door.. as the day before. This means... no one could have snuck up on Celosi. Which means, Celosi knew whoever attacked him...] ---Bar--- (If:$stolenliqour is true)[The barrel worth of cheap liqour- the beer- has been emptied at Whitleys overnight.] (If:$beerstain is true)[-There is a red-ish stain by the corner of the table, it blends into the wood. Smells faintly sweet.] (If:$escortacc is true)[-Whitley's account: Whenever there are unruly patrons, Melody takes them back to the city.] (If:$whimemory is true)[-Whitley has excellent memory, but only when it comes to faces and names. She doesn't forget faces, even if they stay in town for just a day. She even offer free beer to travellers, who stay for the first time at the Bar.] (If:$whisleepy is true)[-Whitley has an alarm system that went off overnight, but despite living upstairs in the bar, she slept clean through both the break in and the alarm.] ---Barn--- (If:$cartstain is true)[-On the passenger part of the cart, theres a red-ish stain that smells faintly sweet.. seems to be some sort of paste.] (If:$melorders is true)[-Melody's orders: Melody will ferry back requested items, Celosi and Calliope requested books. Ashiya, requested strong tea.] (If:$melschedule is true)[-Melody's Schedule: Melody leaves for the capital during the night, And comes back in the noon.] (If:$lostbook is true)[-Lost books: Found under a pile of hay, wrapped in the attacker's cloak, is celosi's lost books. Someone must be reading them here.] ---Pharmacy--- (If:$lions is true)[-Lions Tounge: A leodore specialty that grows during the peak of summer. Mainly used for healing salves, but due to it's unique shade of red, Is used for pigment and wine. Lunian wears the shade alot, and Ashiya keeps them stocked.] (If:$waxstain is true)[-Wax splatter: In the courtyard, there is a smudge of wax on the wall along with dirt around it. Looks like a struggle took place here.] ---Library--- (If:$morse is true)[-Code: A long sheet of paper with a pile of nonsense on it. A [[conversation]] between Calliope and ama, apparently..] (If:$reservation is true)[-Reservation: Lunian had taken out some books about witchery last week.] ---Greehouse--- (If:$lunsold is true)[-Missing Lions: Lunian raises lion's toungues in her garden, and reported that they were stolen. This is a false report, Lunian had forgotten that she's sold them. Celosi had come by and confirmed that she sold them to Ashiya.] (If:$lunchalk is true)[-Block of chalk: A large limestone chalk piece found in the green house. Lunian claims they are used to regulate soil.. between "water" and "earth" elements. ] (If:$lionsupdate is true)[-Lions Tounge: Without proper equipment, the medicinal properties of the plant cannot be exctracted. During the extraction, pigment and pulp is removed from the medicine, which can be re-used as dye.] ---Office--- Night (If:$shifa is true)[-Shifa Elles: The elles was apparently a pair of father and son hunters that had an excellent track record of detaining run-away witches. Shifa Elles and Ashiya Elles. This article was writen about 6-7 years ago.] ---Town square--- -Chalk Circle: Re-chalked overnight.. Must be the work of a witch.. (If:$redstring is true)[-Red String: A loop of somesort that circled the whole square, under the bright white chalk circle.] ---Houses--- (If:$wick is true)[-Red Wick with writing in the dirt on it's side. Arcana can be amplified a multitude of ways, one of them is [[literary components.]] Poets make for very dangerous witches.] ---Belltower-- (If:$amapower is true)[Amalin: Ama's full name is Amalin, and she ran away from her hometown when she was 7-8 years old, because she was cursed. She has since refrained from using her curse at all, and has not created any trouble, untill she accidentally burned you.]

"..Mm. I figured it out some time after you arrived.. I got a big tip from a certain character in town." You nod, rubbing your neck.. You sure hope you don't have to interrogate.. what, 50 people in town? "I'll be here doing paperwork.. Why don't you get some rest?" You sigh, knowing that theres little left for you to do.. So you do. [[...->catalyst]]

You don't, maybe out of pride.. You'll figure it out soon, probably. Celosi chuckles at your display. "I'll be here doing paperwork.. Why don't you get some rest?" You sigh, knowing that theres little left for you to do.. So you do. [[...->catalyst]]

You've never ran like this before, tunnel visioning on the figure ahead of you, even if you taste blood on your breath, the boiling anger in your guts- The town isn't big enough to run, but the houses are packed together, so when the figure cuts into an (link: "alley")[alley.. (live:5s)[(go-to: "stop")] (live:1s)[#Time is not on your side. You have to be careful not to follow them to the [[RIGHT]], but to the [[LEFT]].]]

..He is unconsious, but breathing shallow breaths.. It doesn't look like he's actually loosing blood. You turn him over just enough so that he doesn't somehow suffocate, and take extra care not to do anything to his back.. incase he did break something. His [[head]] is.. covered in wine. It looks like his [[jacket]] has been ruffled as well. His [[pulse]] is steady as well.. (if: $knowsashiya is true)[...you should get him to ashiya.] [[get help again]]

Who would want to slam dunk Celosi? That.. probably is wine on his head, judging from the smell. thumbing your hand over his forehead, you feel some shallow cuts from.. the glass, probably. Well, you can make sure that it isn't blood, if you [[lick it.]] You think that's probably not a great idea. In that ruffle, he was pushed into the shelf, and the bottle tumbled down and crashed on his head.. that, or someone smashed it over his head. ...it's nothing lethal, thank god. It's just weird that you didn't hear anyone break in, just someone break *out.* [[back->stabilize]]

⋆Chalk. A white, pale print rests on his jacket, but it's propmtly smudged clean.. and it's not as if you can match the print reliably to someone.. (in this day and age.) (set: $chalkprint to true) It most certainly is grabbed- you consider briefly how suspicious you might look, considering he looks like he's dropped dead.. and you're hovering over him.. going through his (link:"pockets..")[pockets. .You find few things of note in here. Theres a nice [[stop watch]] in his pocket.. (live:1s)[You wanna keep looking? uhm.. you find a handful of [[coins.]] enough for a grilled cheese.]] [[back->stabilize]]

⋆You check for his pulse.. which is there steadily.. but something is clung tightly in his (link:"hands..")[hands.. ..oh, it's a corner of a letter. reading over what was written ontop.. it seems to be a corner of the suspects list that celosi narrowed down. this is important.] (set: $suslist to true) [[back->stabilize]]

.......gross. definetly wine though. he's alright. •(live: 5s)[...what, do you want something?? you get a stain on your journal. that's what you get.] {(set: $winestain to true)} [[back->stabilize]]

In his pocket is.. A delicate, feminine stopwatch with ivy patterns.. it's clearly very old. The date 11,22 is carved inside. the watch is out of time by a few hours. It seems important.. to only Celosi. No one else in the world would need something like this. [[keep it]] [[leave it->jacket]]

..oh come on, this is petty change. (if:visits is 1)[I mean, he wont miss them, but still. [[take]] [[leave->jacket]]] (else:)[You already took it.. [[leave->jacket]]]

you stuff the watch into a pocket somewhere in your coat. you don't like that you did that. (set: $haswatch to true) [[back->jacket]]

you pocket the coins! There is about.. enough to buy a cream bagle. they jingle. (if:visits is 1)[(set: $coincount to $coincount+5)] [[go back ->jacket]]

Allright. Eventually, you pull him up over your shoulders, and slowly haul him out of the office.. quietly, you hear him mutter an apology. You don't respond, and the two of you won't talk untill the next morning, when Celosi wakes up in the villa hospital. [[Morning ->chapter 1]]

⋆You turn sharply and stumble down the wrong alleyway, catching a figure dissapearing into the shade, and easily, you catch up- In a dive that takes the both of you to the floor with a sad thump, and suddenly you're very aware of the mess you've just made. You've tackled the wrong person. Ama is on the ground. #"LET ME GO! LET ME GO!!" she shouts, and you quickly oblige, heart beating out of your chest- shit, you're so sorry- "WH- OWWW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" she writhed, kicking at your shins, leaving a hot sting behind. she's real mad.. "IM- YOU.." her face got scratched on the brick floor, she pushed back tears in her eye under the weak moonlight. Honestly, you were trying to fight certain emotions back too. You don't have time to be here, You have to do something about Celosi! But as you scramble to your feet, she clings to your legs, angry. "SERIOUSLY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" ..she's not going to let you go without an explaination. [[give up.]] (set: $amarun to true)

LEFT. LEFT. RIGHT- LEFT- it was clear the figure wanted you off their tail. They ducked into the neighbourhoods, trying to use the guise of the night and the winding alleyways between the houses to shake you off. and that just was not happening. Maybe it was pure adrenaline pushing your forward, but you do get there. reaching your arm out, close enough to grab onto the cloak, to bring them down. (Link:"and--")[And you do. you cling onto the fabric, and tug the assailant tumbling backwards into you, landing on the floor. You catch a glimpse of their chalk covered hands, outstretched with something red tied between their knuckles.. and it's then you realize.. maybe it's not a great idea to fist fight someone who's got magic. and your vision goes white. [[...Morning 1. ->chapter 1]] ] (set:$ashiyainjured to true)

{... (if: $amarun is true)[Helping ama up, you push her to go find the town's doctor.. and you start to run back to Celosi.] (else:)[Wandering aimlessly, shell shocked, you run like mad, anything to get the doctor to the sheriffs office. You feel your heart sink when you realize the doctor isn't at the hospice. He doesn't live there.. Luckily, your banging draws the attention of a girl, sneaking out at night. Ama finds you, and promises that she'll send the doctor on his way. So you return.]} (click:"...")[The amount of red under him was not promising. there was just nothing you could do for him. so you could.. sit down, and wait, cry, pace around the front door. Maybe all of those. anything but look at the body. the night passes, and eventually Ashiya, the doctor came scrambling into the office, aghast at the scene. "--oh my god- (print:$name)- why didn't you--." [[I'm sorry.]]]

but you don't say anything.. Ashiya knelt down to the crumpled form of the witch hunter, and gently brushed some hair out of his forehead. His expression softens, as he took a breath in. Phew. He's fine. Well.. not dead, atleast." He's what?! theres so much blood, that amount should not be healthy to lose-- The miracle nearly knocks you off your feet, as you snap your head towards Ashiy- "..This is uh.. this is wine." Oh. ....you have the sudden urge to punch celosi. "Hahah, I think he's still super concussed, though. I'll need help getting him to the hospice." so you help. [[Morning..->chapter 1]]

you run to a halt as you nearly faceplant into a wall-- and you lose sight of the figure. ..shit. [[go back->give up.]]

⋆(set: $knowsashiya to true) Ama rolls her eyes. "eeeuughh.. rob..." "Ashiya is.. Ama's preciouuus big bro! he's the town doctor, and their shop is right up north! obviously everyone loves him, but would he like you?" Robin giggled, pushing a 10 of hearts into your hands. "yes, yes he would! 10 of hearts!" Ama writhes in uncomfort. "..Yeah, Shiya's so nice to everyone but me.. i'm not allowed out too late at night, and im not allowed too much candy. (print:$name),, you don't know how nice it is that celosi lets you have as muuuch candy as you want!!" Celosi is not your brother.. you sigh, it's nice to know about the doctor. atleast. [["wanna go again?"->who]] you can't exactly deny.

⋆(set: $knowscel to true) "Celosi's *your* mentor, right?" Robin clears his throat and shuffles his cards, letting you draw a.. King of spades. "Ooh, He'll hold some mysteries to himself. like, hoard. Whatever that means! It makes sense.. hes kind of a dark and broody character." "He's too lazy to be cool, though." "Yeah, it doesn't feel like he's doing anything, does it?" You stare clean past the children at Celosi, who stands in the square with a basket of bread... [["wanna go again?"->who]] you can't exactly deny.

⋆(set: $knowsrob to true) "That's me, haha!" Robin scratched his cheeks, picking out a card from the deck without even looking, yet you know for a fact he knew which card he was picking out. "Here, 7 of hearts." ..just 7? "..w..well, you're not *that* cool, yet." You have never been so dissed in your entire life. [["wanna go again?"->who]] you can't exactly deny.

⋆(set: $knowsama to true) "Ama.. the most.. bitey girl in town. she'll bite you.. even if youre great friends with her." "That's true! arwharwhawrh!" The kids giggle, and robin holds out his stack of cards to you. you feel like an automaton moving with very rugged controls.. you pick up a card... "..two of hearts!" "Wow, what a powerful reading! Newbie, between you and me, we have two of them, isn't that right?" ...human hearts? yeah. [["wanna go again?"->who]] you can't exactly deny.

⋆(set: $knowsmel to true) "Melody, the charming traveller with a mysterious past... Who knows if they're even from our world! The things they bring in sometimes feel like magic!" "Literally. Most of robin's props are bought from Melody." "Oh, they have cool horses though! one black, one white?" "I- I actually got to pet them. last time, they're a little scary." "Yeah, cause they're huge!!" "They totally have a thing for the barskeep. that's gotta be the only reason they keep performing there." "Whhhaaaat? where'd that come from?" you just draw the cards yourself, instead of waiting for the kids to finally deal you one. Jack of diamonds. "...they'll probably con you for your money." makes sense. [["wanna go again?"->who]] you can't exactly deny.

There must be weeks, maybe months worth of dust and letters left scattered on the floor. Celosi, depite being such a succint worker, sure doesn't have the most organized of spaces. You slowly begin to sweep up the glass shards from the floor. Right.. He's always said that he spends mosts of his time outside the office.. but if that's true, why did the loser ever even get an office? {(if:$hascel is true)[ *"..Are you done cleaning? the little girl wants to say something."* and before you can react-]} You hear something get scrunched up behind you.. [[Look]]

player is sent back into the office and then given the chance to. go to town [[investigate]] [[research]] [[ignore]]

Celosi's office is stuffed with trash, the scent of wine seeping into the floorboards, tainting lots of things.. day plan: celosi and you talk, about resposibility as a witch hunter. he doesnt blame you but he blames himself for not acting sooner he brings lunch, you eat lunch, he forgets you are allergic to peanuts allergy ending good lunch ending possiblty clean up the office to work better? examining letters reveals more about town politics boring click mini game.. that gives the player a chance to play.. tic tac toe with celosi. loser indoors date with cel.

meeting Calliope. little child. Researching gives player more lore into witches and there will be a sort of scientific mini game to be played with calliope. player will follow her and help her with books. calliope's a researcher. she is learning alot and came from da cittyyy is a electrician/transmutation character. works with alot of pencils and charcoal, usually covered in some dark patches. minigames: give townsfolk their desired books science quiz/alchemy quiz. put together a weird robot with her

ama's route. she's worried so she wants to help as much as she can intterogation, talks to town people about a hooded figure, gets a better look at town people

*"Witches are.. [[cursed people.]]"* There is a twinge of melancholy in celosi's expression. *"The curse gives them an arcana, a specific brand of magic. The power of every witches is [[different.]]"* *"They're incredibly dangerous when left in major cities and communities, because their power matches with the amount of people it affects"* *"Our duties as witch hunters are to find, isolate, and neutralize. This used to be [[execution,]] but nowadays, we've resorted to branding someone with a mark and sending them out to exile."* *"is that clear?"* [["yes."->hook 2]] [["not really."]]

*"Yes, it's called arcana, like the cards. You could probably ask the little kid to give you help with that the next time you play."* You roll your eyes at Celosi's smirk. The children do the kidnapping around here, you didn't have much of a choice but to hang out. *"There are.. specific categories, because of how much they tend to vary."* "You remember, right? The most famous witches are.. Elementals, with their big fireballs.. Necromancy, for obvious reasons, and.. Fortunes, the ones that predict the future." "The most important thing is that no matter how flashy, or.. even, beneficial a witche's arcana may be. it cannot help the witch's struggle." You nod.. not all too sure what it meant. it's probably an experience thing. [[back->Witches..]]

*"By fire."* Whoof. You're starting to remember.. *"Yes. and then hunters were given the liscences to shoot, then to detain.. and eventually we figured out a way that let's them be.."* *"Witches are the most powerful when they're with other people, you see, so when left entirely alone, they're practically harmless."* Celosi takes out a napkin, drawing a shape of some flower on it.. Yeah, that's his mark. Witches detained by him are branded with iron on the back of their neck.. and cities, major cities know to check before letting someone in. You think you understand. [[back->Witches..]]

"That's just fine. I bought you those books, you can always check your notes over, too." You groan, nodding along.. fine, fine. you'll check your notes later. [[...->hook 2]]

*"Nnh. Why?"* Celosi shifted in the bed uncomfortably. You push back into the chair. You'd waken up some time before him, in the same room. [["..Well."]]

*"Hah. I gave you that mattress, I know it's basically a plank of wood."* Celosi shifted in the bed uncomfortably, despite how comfortable it is. You push back into the chair. You'd waken up some time before him, in the same room. *"Yeah, alright,(print:$name). How did we get here?"* ..Well. [["..Well."]]

*"Oooh no. I can't have that."* He threatens to roll out of bed again, and this time you have to push him back down. He laughs, a quiet bark. *"Don't joke, if you don't want me joking back."* You pout. Celosi shifted in the bed uncomfortably, despite how comfortable it is. You push back into the chair. You'd waken up some time before him, in the same room. [["..Well."]]

Yes.. *You* don't have a concussion, You know this because you felt that.. weird, sore feeling in your nose, instead of your head. You even checked with Ashiya, who held your eye open and perscribed you a healthy dose of prolonged eyecontact.. and then said you're all good. Despite that... You remember nothing after running out of the door. [[stop spacing out ->"..Well."]]

Did you? You stare at Celosi, very unimpressed. He catches your silent glare, and blinks, instead retorting of his usual, guilty chuckle. Weird. *"..Am I in trouble for somethin?"* "Yeah, (print:$name) found you face up in your office yesterday, limp and soaked in wine. Poor thing was so worried." [[You were. -> nextt]]

{(if:$ashiyainjured is true)[You open your mouth, sputtering out the anxiety you felt when you came downstairs after the crash and you saw him there, lying in a puddle of red.. but then, your though process comes to a halt. You don't remember much after that, besides scrambling out the door. ] (else:)[You sigh, explaining how you scrambled downstairs, to find that Celosi got ye ol' "bonked" over the head with a wine bottle.. You frown, wondering who could have attacked him.]} He stares, listening to the story, but looks just as confused as you, only less angry. Weird. *"..I don't remember any of that."* He spits out. You shrink back into yourself more, heart sinking. [[...->next2]]

{(if:$ashiyainjured is true)[You open your mouth, but.. recall nothing of importance. So you shrink back, and lie.. about how Ashiya actually did all the work, instead.] (else:)[You mumble some convoluted, clearly half-hearted rant about how Celosi slipped on his messy workspace and then passed out.. it gets him to chuckle a little.]} And so he rubs the back of his neck, brows knit together, thinking hard. *"..I don't remember any of that.. not just your insane story, but i can't remember what happened at all yesterday."* He spits out. You shrink back into yourself more, heart sinking. [[...->next]]

You call for Ashiya, throwing him a plead in a glance, and it's like he doesn't even need to look at you to know. "Yes, it's my job. I'll watch over this chump, you go.. clean the wine and the glass off the floor." Celosi rolls his eyes, slowly lowering himself into the bed in a heap. The doctor smiles, and you feel the anxiety leave you some.. "You're going to want some congee, before you leave, though." "He's right." Without much room for objection, you're strong-armed intto enjoying breakfast at the hospital with Shiya and Cel. It's good [[congee.]] [["I'm on my way, then."]]

⋆You call for Celosi, a stern look in your eyes. He does the guilty chuckle you know him to do, and softly turns, pushing himself off the soft bedding. You don't really have to convey what you mean, He seems to just know. "Whoa, whoa! You leaving already?" Ashiya held a hand infront of Celosi, keeping him from standing up too quickly. Celosi nods, and slowly brought his arms up to stretch. "Mhm. S'nice enough of you to host us like this, Shi." "Just say thank you." The doctor huffs, giving celosi a smack on the arm. You feel the anxiety leave you some.. "You're going to want some congee, before you leave, though." "Aw, You're right." Without much room for objection, you're strong-armed intto enjoying breakfast at the hospital with Shiya and Cel. It's good [[congee.]] [[head out]] {(set:$hascel to true)}

It's good congee! It's rice porrige with some.. century egg in it. It's a bit bitter.. Did Ashiya put tea in it? "Ah! You noticed. The Caffeine helps me wake up." (if: $ashiyahurt is true)[And also doesn't help with the headache... Even Ashiya seems to recognize that.] [[back-> nextt]]

You nod goodbye, Celosi scrambles out of bed behind you, as well. Weaving past the bead curtain and the apothecary before heading out through the yard.. where a small girl stands at it's dead center, locking eyecontact with you. "..Are you going to the office, newbie?" Ama asks. [["Yes."]] [["No."]] "..I'm following you either way." •{(if:$amaruns is true)[(live:2s)["..When you tackled me.. which hurt alot, by the way. I did see how scared you were. She shifts, shy. "I wanna help."]]}

"We're out then, thank you for the food." Celosi nodded. "Oh, don't mention it, just feed Ama the next time she sneaks over." You two wave goodbye, weaving past the beaded curtain and the pharmacy before heading out through the yard.. where a small girl stands at it's dead center, locking eyecontact with you. speak of the devil. "..Are you going to the office, newbie?" Ama asks. "Not (print:$name)'s problem, girl. You speak to me." {(if:$amaruns is true)["but I can help! I did yesterday!"]} Celosi walks ahead, and you follow, but ama clings onto your jacket. [[Let her follow.->"Yes."]] [[Send her back.->"No."]]

⋆{(set:$hasama to true)}[[Wordlessly,]] the little girl follows, all the way back to the office. {(if:$hascel is true)[Celosi doesn't mind her, but you do think the air is awkward. a little. ]} So here you were, at the beginning of your days, sun hanging high above your heads. "..What are you going to do, now?" {(if:$hascel is true)[ "Go home, Ama." "Nope! Newbie, does he push you around like this?"]} You sit on those words some, letting it bounce around a couple of times in your head. Well, theres really only one thing to do. •{(live:5s)["Oi, newbie- Did you fall asleep?"]} Right. You push the door open into the mess that is Celosi's office. [[Find the witch->mission]]

And reluctantly, Ama grumbles as she watches you walk away. You hear something bamboo hit the ground, and then you hear Ama scrambling up the yard wall. ..She's the trouble maker of the town, allright. You head to the office. So here you were, at the beginning of your day, sun hanging high above your head. You feel your shoulders tense as you reach for the door. {(if:$hascel is true)[Celosi pushes past you, opening the door for you instead.]} Well, theres really only one thing to do. [[Find the witch->mission]]

well.. no. Ama would not shut up the whole way here.. it was more so that you were the one being quiet. and it's happeneing again, right now. She's speaking at you.. shold probably pay attention. [[back->"Yes."]]

You are in the attic of the office. ..Whatever you were doing before slips you by, right now, that's not important. #You know what you have to do. [[Accuse->Endings]] (live:3s)[ Or. If you want to be anti-climatic. You don't. you actually have no idea. [[Investigate->invest home]] [[Interrogate->Investigate home]] ]

There is a large red, wick circle drawn in the town square, with unknown codes and letters surrounding it. ..Theres a circle put on the floor of the center by magical means, and it’s not yet activated, but can once the cast conditions are met. The wick cannot be lit, or moved. It’s not even really a nuisance, since attempts to touch it just have you pass clean through it. Wick circle: found here. [[footprints]]

Misc footprints: lead into houses and means it could be just about anyone. player can follow the kids into here to find evidence. **Chalk circles: incomplete circles** monster fight here! QTE's if player want to understand the chalk circles - [[library investigation]] if player thinks they match the wick circle - [[belltower investigation]] if player wants to ask around - [[robin]]

player must know calliope, robin AND ama Ama’s account: The circle showed up while she was here. She thinks it showed up yesterday Calliope’s account: she was up here with ama, she knows it happened exactly a month ago. The watch she was making says that much, but it must be broken, because she remembers it to be yesterday as well. Paper: a manic scrawl that seems to try to copy the wick circle.

describes a hooded figure that he doesnt really recall.

A travelling merchant that was kind enough to let you kitch a ride up the slope. "Kind" as in they asked you to act as human packaging, and prevent a pack of plates from chipping on the way up. you've never been on a more nerve wracking cart before. [[leodore]]

⋆(set: $knowswhi to true)"Whitley! She runs not just the farm sides the belltower, she also runs the bar, and makes really good comfort food. Her stuffs so good that mum sometimes just sends me over to pick up her bar food for dinner." "Mm. How good can grilled cheese be?" "Cal, how could you say that?! Isn't it about the astmosphere, too?" "Yeah, Melody performs there when they close up shop!" ......you pick up a card. "A-ah! sorry, I got distracted. Uhm.. 8 of hearts! 8 is a really lucky number, so you two will definetly bond. Positively!" "Whitley is like, nice to eeeeveryone though." re-assuring. [["wanna go again?"->who]] you can't exactly deny.

⋆(set: $knowslun to true)"She's a total witch." "A-ama.. what if she curses you?" Flipping the cardstock out of his sleeve, robin holds his deck for you to draw. And you draw a queen of clovers. "Oh, she's gonna boss you around, but it'll be in the name of true and real.. aqquaintance." How delightful. you cant wait to make.. aqquaintances with Lunian, "She's the gardener that takes care of alot of the difficult to raise plants! I think it's all very cool.. just that.." "She's so mean! I broke her door ONCE, and she's never stopped giving me the stink eye. Which sucks, cause she's like, right across the clinic!" "Still, She knows a lot about medicine. So sometime when people get sick, they go see her." [["wanna go again?"->who]] you can't exactly deny.

⋆(set: $knowscal to true) "Oh! You can ask her yourse- ow!" Calliope held something pokey in her hands, and chuckled as robin recoiled. "Draw the card.. if you wanna. But i'm not responsible if Callie pokes you." You draw.... reluctant, A jack of diamonds. "That's good! It means pursuit of monetary gain.. Callie's probably gonna be really rich. maybe more than you.. hunter. But she'll share, I think?" Calliope shook her head in a quiet laugh, piecing a small metalic thing together. --wh.. whats that mean? "I just read a bit more than the other two. My parents run the library in town, afterall. I'm not a different species or anything." [["wanna go again?"->who]] you can't exactly deny.

*"Yes. they are cursed.. From my personal experience, It's when they give up.. or fail, at something human."* That's a bit on the nose.. *"Though to learn more, you might want to ask someone from the capital. I'm just a hunter, I've never been smart with the books."* You make a mental note to check out the library.. or, ask someone from the capital. [[back->Witches..]]

You turn, catching the sight of Ama's downswing- Tonk. Ah, she just chucked a paper ball at you. L.(etter) "You still didn't answer me, newbie.. what are you going to do now?" {(if:$hascel is true)[*"Yes. You should get a move on. By the time you finish cleaning, the witch will have long died from old age."*]} ..She's right, you've spent enough time not making decisions.. So you waddle over to the witch-hunters chair, {(if:$hascel is true)[Celosi watches as you do, before softly smiling and standing up from it.]} and you sit. What will you do? [["Interrogate.."->"Interogate."]] [["Investigate.."]] •(live:15s)[God, how you wish you could just do nothing. You sit here, and your dreams come true. nothing happens.]

Ama cheers. Celosi raises a brow. *"You've done this before, then?"* ..huh. You tilt your head at him, clearly confused. *"..I haven't shown you how I interogate people, have i?"* Ama cheers again, Celosi lowers his brow at your expression. *"(print:$name), what's wrong?"* He doesn't remember.. [["Nothing..."]] [["..You have."]]

"...That might be from getting back slammed into your cabinet." *"Ah. That might do it."* Celosi groans into his hands, giving you a conflicted glance, before slowly sitting up. Ashiya pulls a chair aside, and sits down next to you. *"Doc. You think I'm outta the office for a while?"* "Not really. So long as you don't go heavy lifting or hiking, you'll be fine." *"Awh, damn. I'm still on duty, then."* "Aren't you gonna need someone to fix the cabinet?" *"I'll leave that to (print:$name)."* And like that, the two begin to converse, leaving you to wallow at the side, unsure where to cut in. [["Ashiya.."]] [["Celosi.."]] •(live:15s)[*"When am i discharged?"*] •(live:16s)["Now. actually, Just.. don't go hiking."] •(live:17s)[*"What do i owe you?"*] •(live:18s)[*"We can talk about that later."*]

"Jeez, you're a heart breaker, Verns. Atleast give (print:$name) a thank you." *"Sorry."* Ashiya's softens, a sad expression sneaking up onto his features as he pulls a chair aside and sits down besides you. "I hope that bottle of wine wasn't the one I brought you." "Probably was. I don't like wine." "You don't?" And like that, the two begin to converse, leaving you to wallow at the side, unsure where to cut in. [["Ashiya.."]] [["Celosi.."]] •(live:20s)[*"When am i discharged?"*] •(live:23s)["Now. actually, Just.. don't go hiking."] •(live:28s)[*"What do i owe you?"*] •(live:30s)[*"We can talk about that later."*]

{ (if:$ashiyainjured is true)[How did we get here? You had taken a hard hit, from the back of your head to the gravel path between the houses. Though narrowly avoiding a [[concussion]], there are some light scratches on the back of your head...] (else:)[You had fallen asleep by his bedside, in a chair.At somepoint, Ashiya just offered you the other patient bed. You said you weren't tired.. But when he left and you heard the door to the hospice lock, you did take a blanket. it was alot softer than the one in the office's attic.]} "You got into a fight, I think?" From behind you, a soft voice called out, upbeat, despite the tense atmosphere. "Scared your intern half to death, Verns." Ashiya breaks the quiet, like a bird call in the morning. *[["Did I?"]]* Celosi's eyes shot to the doctor.. Ashiya looks to you, with the 'Tell em' look. [[Truth]] [[Lie]]

"Did.. I get drunk?" Celosi gave his jacket a sniff. Ashiya's brows furrow, as he shakes his head no. "Thought so. I can hold wine." "Not the point." Ashiya sighed, exasporated, as you turned to look at him, pleading for an explaination. "..It might be from the concussion, but.. someone broke in, and smashed a bottle of wine over your head." And like that, a silence drapes over the air again. You sit there, not sure when to speak. [["Ashiya.."]] [["Celosi.."]] •(live:20s)[*"When am i discharged?"*] •(live:23s)["Now. actually, Just.. don't go hiking."] •(live:28s)[*"What do i owe you?"*] •(live:30s)[*"We can talk about that later."*]

*"..Oh, i did.."* His hands go to his pocket, then his head. "Ok! lets get going, then!" Ama blinked at you, not liking the uncomfortable energy in the room. With a groan, she gives celosi a shove. "Hey, Well, then we can handle ourselves! You should go actually hang out with shiya, before you get hit by another bottle of wine." Celosi looks at you.. *"..Then, Yes. I'll leave it to you."* Reluctanctly, he rests a hand on your shoulder, giving it a squeeze. *"Starting is the hardest part.. but, you have good people helping. Remember that I trust you."* "Grrross... can we get going already? theres a witch on the loose!" With that, Celosi let's you go. [[Go.]]

You give celosi an awkward smile, and he lowers his brow. *"..Oh, i did, didn't i? right."* His hands go to his pocket, then his head. "..You're a terrible liar." Ama blinked at you. She gives celosi a shove. "Well, then we can handle ourselves! You should go actually hang out with shiya, before you get hit by another bottle of wine." Celosi looks at you.. *"..Then, Yes. I'll leave it to you."* Reluctanctly, he rests a hand on your shoulder, giving it a squeeze. *"Come see me if you want help, again.. but you're in good hands. I trust you."* "Saaap, can we get going already? theres a witch on the loose!" With that, Celosi let's you go. [[Go.]]

You get out of the witch hunters chair, the new responsibility on your shoulders, you would stop to ruminate.. but... "Chop chop, newbie!" a certain little girl will *not* get off your back. Sigh.. The investigation starts right here, in this room. "So.. What are we working with?" *"We call them leads, little girl."* "Yeah, but what are we working with, *old man?*" The first thing to do in an investigation should be.. [[Examine the scene]]

The [[sheriff's office]] is a simple, small room. Wooden chairs sit at one side of the room, they're well worn, having seen many butts throughout the years. On the floor are piles of paper, full of assorted [[letters]] adressed to the hunter. all of them skimmed by Celosi, all of them deemed.. garbage. The wine stain is still on the floor, but the broken glass has been sweep- wait, where is the [[broken glass]]? ..In the room, are also.. [["Celosi."]] [["Ama."]]

A big, semi circle window that overlooks the neighbourhood where most of the townfolk live. The windowsill has dust and cup-stains on it.. but doesn't seem to have been disturbed. *"You think you could jump from here and get away with it?"* You shake your head no.. the office's view is nice, but the drop would atleast end with a broken ankle. *"..Thought so. The window's entirely untouched from how I remember it.. not that my memory is reliable anymore."* But this can only mean one thing.. whoever attacked Celosi, could only have entered through the front door. *"I must've known em."* That doesn't narrow the list down.. unfortunately.. You'll remember this, anyways. (Set: $lackofbreakF to true) [[sheriff's office]]

Yes, the old reliables of witch hunting.. miscellaneous textbooks. You touch at one, tracing the celosi shaped siloette on the spines.. yeah, without a doubt, he was pushed into this shelf. And now that you're looking at it.. there are less books here than before.. Noted.{(set: $lackofbookF to true)} [[sheriff's office]]

The stain still sits comfortably in the floor.. ugh, that must be a pain to get out. More worryingly- you glance to the dust pan that once held the shards of glass, and stare at Ama. "What?" she stares back. "This is evidence, so i'm bringing it with us! what if we can match something with it?" *"You'll cut your hand, young lady."* Celosi laughs, reaching for a small, leather pouch somewhere in his desk. You're the one who has to carry them, though.. The glass shards are gently tucked somewhere into your bag.{(set: $brokenglassF to true)} [[sheriff's office]]

*"Mhm."* Celosi was already keeping an eye on your little investigation.. so he responds softly when you approach him. *"I'm doing alright."* You huff. you havent even asked yet. *"Don't wanna slow you down, whatever you need, just ask."* Really, theres two things to ask about.. What the witch exactly did to the town, or how the witch is going to do it. [["What.."]] [["How..."]] [["..it's okay." ->Examine the scene]]

Ama shrinks a little as you turn to look at her, before crossing her arms to stare at you right back. "Whuh?" Now that you're thinking about it.. [["Why are you here?"]] [["What do you know?"]] [["Nothing."->Examine the scene]]

(if:visits is 1)[Celosi notices you staring, and something seems to come back to him. *"They're commemorative, leave em alone."* ..that's that, then.. Unless?? [[Take...?]] ] (else:)[There were coins here, now theres only the stare of a dissapointed mentor and the pity of a little girl staring at you. you should move on..] [[sheriff's office]]

Commemorative coins stuffed in pocket. (set: $coincount = $coincount + 4) *"Robbed right infront of my own face."* Celosi sighs. You wonder if they actually were commemorative.. "...Newbie.. does verns not pay you?" Ama is looking at you with pity. [[sheriff's office]]

Celosi looks disaprovingly, hey, who keeps commemorative coins in such a easily stealable place? *"(print: $name)..."* [[mama didn't raise no-]] [[go back now ->sheriff's office]]

You ask Celosi, on what he thinks will happen. *"I expect it to affect the whole town. There is no other reason why the arcana would be so.. big. The magic needs to affect a large amount of people to be that strong."* "Maybe we turn to frogs, maybe the whole town is wiped off the map." Celosi jokes, despite both of those options sounding pretty plausible. *"You should try and get more perspective on what the people in town have been experiencing, (print: $name)."* You probably should. [["...right"->Examine the scene]]

*"Through their arcana. There is a medium, which is the thread between goal and plan. Without their medium, they're harmless."* *"Which is why people get paranoid when they notice unlucky patterns."* Yes, all the complaints from the townsfolk certainly make it feel that way. "Well, We can just wait till the witch obviously curses someone, can't we?" Ama poked into the conversation, and you shake your head. "Then it'll be obvious on who did it.." *"...Our witch is real subtle, this time."* Ama groans. "Then what?" *"..We might want to look through our letters."* No... no..... anything but the pile on the floor... [[Go back ->Examine the scene]]

"T- to help!" Celosi's eyes shift ever so slightly over to the two of you.. Yeah, even you are suspicious of Ama. she's usually such a trouble maker. "Well- I.. I found newbie yesterday.. it's kind of my fault you guys didn't catch the witch." *"You don't want to be a hunter?"* "Ew, no! I.. I do want find them, cause it's someone from.. our town, right? and.. if we don't find them, then Verns will probably lose his job, then he would curse me, and I'd be the next hunter." *"Not how it works."* "-point is.. I want to know who it is. and I don't want more people to get hurt." ... *"That's very sweet, Ama."* Celosi gives Ama a grin, to her dismay. [[move on->Examine the scene]]

Thinking about it.. you ran into ama when chasing the assailant. "..Jeez, newbie. You're not writing me as a suspect, are you?" *"Witches can be young."* Celosi cuts in, joking. "They can be OLD, too!" Ama crosses her arms, a frustrated expression slowly crossing her face. "I saw the witch yesterday.. I know it's the person in the hood. Cause, they dissapeared.. like, infront of me." *"..They dissapeared?"* Ama might be onto something! "Not really- I mean, I just.. kinda lost em in the dark? And I don't remember where they went." Celosi chuckles. You sigh into your hands. (if: $ashiyahurt is true)["Hey! I was too busy picking newbie up somewhere outside the hospital.."] {(if: $ashiyahurt is true)[So.. that's where you got knocked out.. Right.. you recall it now, the palmstrike-- but you still don't remember the silloutte. ]} What a fruitful interrogation. [[back->Examine the scene]]

you think you've seen enough, so you head out the door, ama in close pursuit.. "Yesterday, we were.. about that way, when we saw the person in the hood." Ama points to the hospital.. almost, [[unsure..?]] It's a simple mystery, isn't it? Find out who jumped Celosi, fingers crossed hope that they're the witch... if not.. then... "Cheer up, newbie. Your face is so long it's gonna touch the ground soon." The girl shoves a terribly scribbled map of the town into your hands. With a sigh, you let the sun bake you a bit more.. [[Interogate->Investigate home]] [[Investigate->invest home]] (Live: 10s)["..Are you LOOKING to get sunburned..?"]

"Oh, shiya?" Ama crosses her arms, annoyance on her face. "I guess he coulda seen someone yesterday, ..But if we're going together.. you gotta hide me, he'll ground me again or something." Honestly, that might do Ama some good. "I break like, four windows! And all of a sudden I'm 'explosive' and a ball of 'trouble', he doesn't know what he's talking about.." Three is an alarming amount of cats to have.. let alone broken windows- that's no longer a co-incident, right? Tired, you walk ahead, heading into the pharmacy and hospital. "Oi.. remember to tell him I'm not causing any trouble! Else--" Was that a threat?

Common witch lore: book has been taken out by lunian once or twice Missing book: without the page, you cant tell what book was removed. Calliope’s account: Melody brought in a huge shipment of books that her parents ordered recently. [[About Calliope]] [[About Melody]] [[About Lunian]] [[Ripped page]]: removed from the bookkeep. [[Missing books]]: without the page, you cant tell what book was removed. [[Broken clock]]: the clock has repeatedly been out of time.

melody will only be available day 2, since day one they were sending ash's dad back. [[Hitch-hikers]] [[About Whitley]] [[Break and enter]] [[wine stain]]

*"Old cases."* Yes.. there in lies the recordings of famous witch hunters, and witch trials. You've read all of this before, of course.. but that was when you were back in the city. looking at the old, faded paper, you assume Celosi hasnt looked at them in a while either.

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You approach the desk, knocking on the counter for good measure, incase the doctor didnt hear you. very natural and cool. "...Yo." (if:$ashiyainjured is true)[It takes him a beat to look ap.. one arm holding the side of his rib lazily.] Ashiya wears a confused expression. "Are.. are you alright, (print: $name)?" You awkwardly nod yes, and Ashiya softly breaks eye contact, glancing towards the open doors to stare at a certain young lady. Oh, great job hiding, Ama. "Alright.." He shakes his head, amused, and closed the book in his hand. He leans on the counter, looking up at you. "How can I help?" ..Master of interrogation! you quickly think of something to ask. (set: $ashplus to true) [["Will Celosi be allright?"]] [["How are you?"]] [["So.. the witch. What's up with that?"]] [[Go back.->walk faster.]]

You try to walk behind the counter, and Ashiya snaps his head to stare.. "No. Do not actually come back here. Do you need me to get something for you?" Following your gaze, ashiya stares at the open drawer. "Oh. that's our tea drawer.. do you want some?" Ashiya, as a gesture of politeness, pours you a cup. You, as a gesture of politeness, take a sip of the tea. it is refreshing, but so.. so bitter. "Keeps you awake, don't it? Feel free to come by for more if you're also reading boring things, haha." [[..steal.]] [[back->walk faster.]]

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(if:$madama is true)[There are some questions that must be [[answered->Decision screen.]], before you can properly begin to understand this case. To curse, a medium or a focus must be used. You scribble this into your notebook.. In famous cases, This could be bloodied talismen that litter doors, straw dolls encased in the victim's hair.. There has to be something common across town that you can find. #You should start looking around for clues. [[Research at the Library.]] [[Search around for Arcana.]] •(Live:10s)[...Ama's not around to drag you place anymore. Go somewhere else..]] (else:)[There are some questions that must be [[answered->Decision screen.]], before you can properly begin to understand this case. To curse, a medium or a focus must be used. You scribble this into your notebook.. In famous cases, This could be bloodied talismen that litter doors, straw dolls encased in the victim's hair.. There has to be something common across town that you can find. #You should start looking around for clues. [[Research at the Library.]] [[Search around for Arcana.]] •(Live:10s)[[[...interogate, just a little.->Search for clues.]]]]{(if: $hascal is true)[ [[Find Ama->Follow?]] ]}

[[Chalk circles]]: incomplete circles, separated by one dot Puzzle: the circles actually wipe memories. [[Wick circle]]: Definetly the witches work, dyed red..? Some sort of chalk, sweet smelling dust is found on the string, even if it’s impossible to move. [[Misc footprints]]: matches lots of people in towns shoes, though it would only make sense. [[Scrunched up paper]]: fell out of someone's pocket.. Contains a drawing of the wicc circle left on the ground.

Noticing that you're staring, Ashiya glances around, before staring at you confused. "You could ask, you know." Caught. Flustered, you ask what ashiya's reading.. "A book." You drop to the floor, dead. dad jokes are your weakness. you're dead. That doesn't actually happen, but Ashiya does laugh at your dismay. "Hahaha, Gosh, I see why the kids like picking on you, sorry- This.. is about making red juice. real healthy red juice." Tapping on a glass constuct on the counter, he flips the book open and points to a page about a certain [[red]] herb. "I'm reviewing how to make it more potent. In the city, you might find apothecaries that sell these as health potions. right now, i'm just mixing it with tea and seeing if it kills me or not, haha." He's joking.. right? [["Sorry, Hi."->About Ashiya]]

You lean over ashiya.. and stare, the sheets of paper are scrawled over with point notes, laid out at his feet for easy access... something about cover some root plant.. the corner of the pages are stained with white dust. ginseng? "Whoa, hey there." Ashiya turns to stare up at you, gently pushing you back.. "Is this how you say hi? I'd like it if you just said hi, with your voice, instead of nearly kissing me, haha." Ama audible groans from outside.. "Those are my notes, Theres more room on the floor.. You studying?" maybe you need to do some research of your own too. [[back->walk faster.]]

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You settle down in the office. Celosi is here, waiting, which is weird, you're so used to waiting for him. How the tables turn.. or. get slammed hard enough to lose a investigation's worth of memories. #Do you have someone to hunt, now? [[Accuse... ->Endings]] [[Do more work->Decision screen.]]

And so, You pay Ashiya a visit. It's late, and the warm candle light inside the hospital is reflected in the clink of teacups being set on a counter. You mention the reason as yo why you're here, and Ashiya raises an eyebrow. "..You suspect me?" The same candle light reflects off the clink of a metal cuff closing over Ashiya's wrists. "..Oh dear. What did *I* do?" *"According to (print:$name), enough. This is all for formalities and practice, Elles."* "Oh.. okay." Laughing awkwardly, Ashiya sighs, and glances towards his coat. "..I'd like to be back before Ama notices." So you depart. (set: $hanged to true) [[...->Arcana check]]

Celosi freezes in place, not expecting this turn of events. "..Me?" He rubs the back of his neck, a soft sigh escaping him. "Alright. Let's start with my Arcana. What can I do that makes me a witch?" The witch, hased cursed the people of Leodore with.. (input-box:2bind $A,"=XX=") [[press.->celpress1]]

(set: $susname to "Melody") (set: $wheel to true) And so you make the decision. Celosi follows you. In the dark of night, (print: $susname) is taken into the office politely, with the intention of ending this as soon as possible. "Just a procedure. please treat (print: $name) kindly." ..You hope so, too. [[..->AC]]

(set: $susname to "Whitley") (set: $sun to true) And so you make the decision. Celosi follows you. [[..->AC]]

(set: $susname to "Robin") (set: $magician to true) And so you make the decision. Celosi follows you. [[..->AC]]

(set: $susname to "Lunian") (set: $priess to true) And so you make the decision. Celosi follows you. [[..->AC]]

You visit Ama. But she finds you half way, and she seems to understand. "..Let's just hurry this up." She's reasonably angry, but it seems.. she's had time to come to terms with it all. You look behind you, at the warm light in the hospital. *"...Ama?"* Amalin, aparrently. "...Tell Shiya I'm sorry." You will. (set: $emperor to true) [[...->ACama]]

(set: $susname to "Calliope") (set: $star to true) And so you make the decision. Celosi follows you. [[..->AC]]

(set: $susname to $name) (set: $fool to true) You're the witch. Celosi's eyes go wide. *"..I don't oft get confessions.. Especially not from hunters, (print: $name)."* You know.. You know this, yet here we are. Celosi.. almost doesn't believe you. He would take this as a twisted joke, but some part of him seems to understand. *"If anything, I don't think you're the witch."* *"If that alone can't help you believe yourself.. You can try to prove me wrong."* You pout, feeling strange you get special treatment.. where is your wristcuffs? ..Not the time for jokes? alright, then. Let's begin. [[..->ACMC]]

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Ama- is. A speedy little.. rascal.. You follow just barely, out of breath. The door is unlocked during the day. Wandering in under the stone arch, into the [[yard]], a few candles already lit.. You turn to see Ama walking back to follow you in, whistling super suspiciously.. You feel a brief moment of kinship. Ah, a fellow, terrible liar. The pharmacy.. is more like a hall. out of the two, one is an intimidating wall of drawers and jars, filled with different types and colours of dried plants, powders, and medicine. a [[drawer->Black tea]] rests ajar, slightly. There is a burner, boiling some [[red]] liquid in a glass beaker.. Tucked a bit behind him was sees a recently used Mortar and pestle.. Piles of [[paper->Paper]] are left scattered by Ashiya's feet, presumably notes of whatever he's [[studying->Ashiya's books]], at the time. [[Approach Ashiya.->About Ashiya]] [[Go somewhere else ->invest home]]

Ashiya chuckled, a light noise. "Well, hello to you too." oops. forgot that. "It's sweet you're so worried, but give your village doctor his trust, will ya? I never got a chance to strip him and check his back. But his bones felt fine." He reaches for a teapot sitting somewhere on his desk and pours you a cup. "Relax. his skull is a thick one, and It doesn't seem he was *hit* by the wine bottle. I'm no hunter, but he was probably slammed into the shelf, and it fell over." You, as a gesture of politeness, take a sip of the tea. it is refreshing, but so.. so bitter. [["..Thanks"->About Ashiya]]

"O-oh. Me?" Ashiya's shoulder droop, not expecting that. "I'm doing just dandy. I'm just studying more. To be honest, the medicine of this town is much more of Lunian's wheel house, and I don't wanna rely on her for everything back here." He taps at the formidable wall of medicine behind him.. "You're new, so I guess you wouldn't know. I'm not that much longer a resident here than.. verns is, honestly. I wanted to build some more trust here." "I got Ama to take care of, after all." [["Why are you taking care of Ama?"]] [["I'm done listening."->About Ashiya]]

"Oh, lots... For one, people have been coming in, complaining about getting cursed!" You chuckle, ah, that happens here, too. "Are you trying to get my two cents? I'm in good hands, is what I think. Unlike someone, I've got faith in you, but mostly Verns.. So, please don't make me point any fingers.." "Go bother Lunian, across the walk, She's been all paranoid about the case too. Though, she's not a fan of kids, by any means.. You might wanna lose an apprentice before you do." Yeesh. you grimace for Ama's sake. Ashiya picks up his book again, relaxed.. which is good for you, cause you don't have to defend Ama like she asked. "I can really only offer you medical [[advice]], from here on out.. Or medicine, if you're sick." [["This is enough."->About Ashiya]]

"Drink lots of water, and milk.." you're already zoning out. [["This is enough."->About Ashiya]]

⋆"Lions toungue. It grows farther up the mountain, but only when it's gets warm in the peak of summer. It's excellent for sleep and blood, and generally is a very important ingredient in healing salves." No, that's not what you're interested about. You stare at the diagram a bit more, and Ashiya notices. "Do you like that shade? I think It's also used as a pigment for paint. Lunian wears this red alot. sometimes, people make wine with it.. I always have loads of it stocked." ..Noted. (set: $lions to true) [[move on->About Ashiya]]

A motive.. a motive for setting up that big, red circle in town. If you were a witch, you wouldn't curse your friends for no reason. Even though you want to believe that the witch is some psycho who has no feelings.. having talked to the people in leodore.. it's hard to believe someone like that could walk among you. And also, it would make narrowing down the suspect list very hard. Might want to ask around, listen to people's troubles.

[[A big window]] sits behind the sheriff's chair, looking over the town houses. A fancy shelf with leans on one wall of the office. in the open shelf, are heft history [[books]] and some decor. Below it in it's drawers are notes, assorted junk.. and ooh, a few [[coins]] are left in here. [[Back ->Examine the scene]]

As celosi watches you begin to dig through the pile, he sits down and starts reading through them with you, skimming them much faster than you are. Ama is also eating the gossip, right up. Eventually, you settle with a handful of leads that.. seem to line up with eachother. (link:"Whitley...")[Whitley... asked celosi for help fixing her doors, which have been locking and unlocking as without her looking.] (link:"Lunian...")[Lunian... has un-intelligble cursive writing, but apparently, half her garden was raided sometime.] (link:"Calliope...")[Calliope... reported books that have not been returned, more suspiciously, the library records have gone missing as well.] *"We've got a petty thief on our hands."* These all seem like solid leads to follow.. [[Follow a lead.->investigate start]]

"Mm. It was really dark. I sorta.. saw them, and then they just.. vanished, like, infront of me. or maybe they turned a corner." "I was too busy dealing with you, anyways.. not like I knew something was wrong with em." Sounds like. half a lead? You sigh, patting Ama on the head exactly once, thanks, little girl. "Hngn- Hey!" [[Think... ->investigate start]]

"I under- Huh?" Ashiya looked up, breathing out a shaky breath, clearly expecting something much worse. You lean down to look at him, eye to eye. Letting him speak his peace. "I don't.. I really am sorry." "I- I'm so. so sorry. I couldn't do anything.. and it's my fault we're all here. I deserve this, but, I can't leave her behind." Ashiya wears his regret on his sleeve, shaking like a leaf in the wind. `[[Hug him.]] [[Leave him be.]]

"I understand." Ashiya held his head low, and the doctor breathed out, in what seems to be relief. "Do with me as you will.. Ama.. is in good hands, with you." Despite taking deep breaths, you find it hard to believe he's alright with this. Even if he had a month to plan. [[Hug him.]] [[Leave him be.]]

"I.. I trust that you'll let Ama know as kindly as possible. I trust that she'll take it better than I expect her to." He swipes tears out of his eyes, and lets his head drop again. Taking a deep breath out. Celosi sets an arm on his shoulder, a soft squeeze. You see Ashiya barely hold himself together. *"(print:$name), the sentence."* "Yes." Ashiya looked down. "I'm ready." #"Ashiya will be.." [[Exhiled.]] [[Kept in detention in Leodore.]] •(Live:15s)[ ... [[Can't decide.]] ]

Ashiya stiffens at the warmth, trying to wriggle free before giving up with a soft laugh. "..This. Hunter, This is much worse than what I expected to get." He leans into your shoulder, taking a deep breath out. Celosi stares, letting you have your moment. *"(print:$name), the sentence."* "Yes." Ashiya pawed at your arm. "I'm ready." #"Ashiya will be.." [[Exhiled.]] [[Kept in detention in Leodore.]] •(Live:15s)[ ... [[Can't decide.]] ]

And like that, the decision is made. Ashiya accepts his fate, having the fight torn out of him. He's sent out with melody in the rain, a brand on the back the back of his neck. He gets a [[morning]] to speak to everyone under watch. The [[city]] returns your paperworks, grading your investigation as successful, and the certificate is tucked into the drawer among Celosi's cases. The [[town]] is different. For a while, everyone remains paranoid, and Ashiya's abscense means a tense atmosphere.. Like the grey, humid days after a storm. Eventually, The town [[moves on]].. And so do you. [[XII: Death.]]

And like that, the decision is made. Ashiya snaps up, eyes wide. but nods, accepting his sentence.. gratefully. Celosi groans, knowing he has to do more paperwork for your decision. The [[announcement]] was tense, leodore was angry, but mournful. It decided that the town can't lose it's doctor. The [[city]] returns your paperworks, grading your investigation as successful, and the certificate is tucked into the drawer among Celosi's cases. The town is different. For a while, everyone remains [[paranoid]], and Ashiya's confession brings resentment, and worry, that he might just follow through with his curse.. Like the grey, humid days after a storm. But Ashiya never does, not under the "careful" watch of Celosi, and not under the quiet resentment from Ama. ..But, Eventually, The town [[moves on]].. And so do you. [[XII: Death.]]

"You can't?" Ashiya laughs, a shaky, tired laugh. "Course not. I know exactly how that feels." *"It's alright, you don't have to make the decision right away."* "Except the longer you wait, the harder it gets, (print:$name)." *"You don't have the right to give advice anymore."* ..okay. You take a deep breath. #You will make the choice. [[Exhiled.]] [[Kept in detention in Leodore.]] •(live: 20s)[ ..It's hard. But you can *fix* this, can't you? You know that you can go back. Make these choices again.. This train of thought... You hear it, loud and clear. Your very own curse. [[Restart.->start]]]

A few kids pocked their head to look at the witch in the town square, but were hushed, and brought back home. Only Lunian showed up to mock him. It was... almost endearing. Ashiya, in the end, left with a note and some provisions provided by people he's helped, but he never got to say goodbye to Ama, who you remember accepted the truth. You comforted her through the worst of it, but she's not ready to talk to him yet. [[back->Exhiled.]]

The city returns your paperworks, grading your investigation as successful. Your work, though spanning a total of a month and a half (wow, ashiya took his time..), was succinct given the circumstances. The certificate of the end of your investigation is tucked into a familliar, dusty drawer in the hunters office. Celosi says he's proud of your resolve, but you wonder if he would have chose the same.. *"That's long past my concerns."* Celosi laughed, again with the mind reading... *"You made the decision, and i'm proud of you for it."* [[back->Exhiled.]]

The town is tense, with people relieved to have the witch gone, yet unsure if your call was correct. But soon enough, the town gets comfortable, the things that are strange, dissapear. Ama, is actually the first to bounce back into character. Breaking out of her depression with the help of her friends, she slowly picks up after the Ashiya shaped hole in the hospital. Lunian, begins to tutor her on medicine, and soon enough, takes over doctor duties. She's much more blunt and cold than Ashiya, but maybe it's for the better. The rest of the town become more cautious, but.. The trust between the people recover too, bit by bit. [[back->Exhiled.]]

Ama is the first to bounce back into character. Quickly picking up after that Ashiya shaped hole in the towns duties, she's keen on playing nurse.. which is quickly overseen by Lunian. Begrudgingly. People learn to trust again, and with Celosi casting a lazy eye over the town, people get sick of his rambles about it's importance. And.. maybe like Ashiya wants. The town forgets.. or at the very least, grieves. And heals. [[back->Exhiled.]]

Ashiya Elles is the Witch. This ending, brings change, transition, and wraps up the game. This story, like many, will continue out of sight. With the characters in it reaching for a better tomorrow, for you, it ends here. Despite the hardships, mediocore(?) writing, and seemingly impactless choices, every word you write, read, will continue to have their consequences. Like the characters, you will continue to make them. And there are no wrong turns in a world as big as yours. Sucker, Enjoy decision paralysis, and thank you for playing! (Live: 10s) [ -oh, and [[play again->start]], if you think you could do it better.]

Watched by angry villagers, It doesn't help that half way through the open trial, it began to pour buckets.. Lunian found it extremely funny.. and Ashiya, drenched, seemed not to mind the spite, for once. The children weren't watching at the square, but you glance over the the bell tower, and see the faintest hint of red ducking out of view. You told her earlier than anyone.. She took it about as well as a horse takes a torpedo. Ofcourse, you comforted her through the worst of it, but she's not ready to talk to him yet. Ashiya, in the end, was let off with a permanent ban with handling textiles and wax, and a brand on the back of his neck, in case he intended to leave town. [[back->Kept in detention in Leodore.]]

The town is tense, with people relieved to have the witch caught, but also, as they go to pick up their prescription, it's hard to trust someone with a mark on their neck. But soon enough, the town gets comfortable, as the things that are strange, dissapear. Ama, is actually the first to bounce back into character. Breaking out of her depression with the help of her friends, She starts to pick up after the broken pieces between her and Ashiya. Maybe he's not forgiven, but he remains her brother. At the behest of Lunian, Ama also starts to learn medicine. Eventually, she steps out of her glass house and starts to tutor the girl. The rest of the town become more cautious, but.. The trust between the people recover too, bit by bit. [[back->Exhiled.]]

{(if:$A is "Amalin")[ "-How did you--" Anger flashes across Ashiya's face, as he tensed in the office chair. "How much do you actually know?-"It shifts into fear. You think he deserves a little anger. Ashiya was faced with a dilemma he had no answer to, after all, in one witch hunt, he has to cover for two witches. [[...->Death]] ] (else-if:$A is "Shifa")[ "-How did you--" Anger flashes across Ashiya's face, as he tensed in the office chair. "I- Who-" He quickly tries to play it off, The cuffs around his wrist clacking. ..You wonder truly, just how long he's been doing this. Ashiya was faced with a dilemma he had no answer to, after all, in one witch hunt, he has to hide from three hunters. [[...->Death]] ] (else:)["Ah..? what.. would.. (print: $A) have anything to do with..?" Shaking his head in a soft laugh, he shrugs. "Don't scare me like that. Maybe you need more time on the case, newbie." But you know it's him. or--- no.. hm.. that's not it. [[Press again.->motive check]] [[Let it go..]]]}

You glance to Celosi, and shake your head no. With a sigh, (of relief? or dissapointment??) He unpockets a key and removes the cuff from your suspect's hands. *"It's late. Sorry to have kept ya. Let's try not to speak of this."* And you slowly, sneak upstairs in the process, to think.. If you should've followed through or not. ..Celosi allows you privacy, but you rest un-easy. [[Next day.]]

Ashiya takes a deep breath.. "I see. It's not the best look for me, then, is it?" Ashiya glances to Celosi, and shakes his head. "..It's a matter of trust then, that I wouldn't do these things.." "After all, I have no reason to." (if:$hasjournal is true)[You grip the old leather of your journal.] Staring down ashiya.. you take a beat to think of the right thing to say. The reason why Ashiya would curse a whole town has a name.. (input-box:2bind $A,"=XX=") [[press.]]

Ashiya, shifts in his chair, his expression shifting into a pout. "I'll.. admit that I could use that power. It'd.. benefit me." "..Right. But what makes you think that I'm cursing the town?" The witch, in his goal of cursing leodore has left something very hard to ignore behind. (input-box:2bind $A,"=XX=") [[press.->press2]]

{(if:$A is "Red wick")[ "..Red Wick?" Ashiya laughs, and Celosi seems to catch onto something. "I'm no candle maker, what would i do with it?" ..That would be a genuinely good arguement, But Ashiya was the one who taught you about the herb, and it's use as a dye... It's the same herb Ashiya stocked mass amounts of. And the wick that circles around the town, tying the case together.. Is red, just like the Lion's toungue. [[...->motive check]] ] (else-if:$A is "Lions toungue")[ "The.. flower?" Ashiya shifts in his place, fiddling with his sleeve in the cuffs. Celosi watches. "How does that tie into me?" ..And tie into him it does. Ashiya was the one who taught you about the herb in the first place, especially it's use as a dye... It's stocked in piles in the hospital.. And the exact same colour as the wick that circles around the town. [[...->motive check]] ] (else:)["Heheh, Does (print: $A) have anything to do with me?" ..Ashiya seems lax, even if you thought your arguement was really good. "I thought that was good, though." Ashiya gives you a warm, re-assuring smile. Eugh.. you're suddenly not so sure. [[Press again.->motive check]] [[Let it go..]] ]}

"..Hah. hahahah!" The laugh slowly spirals, into something close to a wail. "I. underestmated you. Not just you, (print:$name)." "..Her too." With that, Ashiyas slowly lowers his head into the table, as he slowly brings his shaking hands to his face. "I had a feeling. The first time Celosi invited me over, I'd known, then.. That I couldn't keep any of this up, anymore." "..There's nothing.. I can do.. is there? No matter what I do, the longer I wait, the worse it gets.. I should've just started with the right decision. I should've protected her from the get go." [["..What happened?"]]

Actually, It's the middle of the night. You sit up from your bed, not remembering exactly it was when you went to sleep. Your head is heavy, and so is a certain guilt of failure, looming heavy over your head. "You don't have to follow through.. You could let it be." Swearing you heard someone laugh, someone mock you, you stand up, and nearly topple, as even gravity itself felt.. slow.. wrong. The book that isn't yours sits on your desk, waiting. "You can stop." And here, half awake, with the moonlight illuminating your footfall.. #You will make the choice. [[Stop here.]] [[Carry on. ->Decision screen.]]

The lull pulls your wrist in.. and you follow, feeling things coming to a slow, slow halt. Let what be? Let *who* be, (if: $emperor is true)[Ama?] (else-if: $hanged is true)[Ashiya?] (else-if: $magician is true) [Robin?] (else-if: $priess is true) [Lunian?] (else-if: $star is true)[Calliope?] (else-if: $sun is true)[Whitley?] (else-if: $wheel is true) [Melody?] Is he really the witch? Are you still questioning that? Do you need more time, or are you sick of this hunt..? [[Stop.]] [[Keep going..->Decision screen.]]

And you do. You don't touch the book, but you feel it coo. And you wake up.. the sun way too bright in your face.. you should really get some blinds.. Scrambling out of bed, you stretch.. and yawn.. Yes, It's another day in Leodore. You hear the children calling for you, and you get a sick sense of de-ja vu. {(if: $emperor is true)[ [[IV: The Emperor.]] ] (else-if: $hanged is true)[ [[XII: The Hanged Man.]] ](else-if: $star is true)[ [[XVII: The Star.]] ](else-if: $magician is true)[ [[I: The Magician.]] ](else-if: $wheel is true)[ [[X: Wheel Of Fortune.]] ](else-if: $sun is true)[ [[XIX: The Sun.]] ](else-if: $priess is true)[ [[II: The High Priestess.]] ](else-if: $fool is true)[ [[O: The Fool.]] ]}

Ashiya Elles' accusation is never followed through. This decision, is a pause, surrendering to indecision. This story, like many, is rewound to it's first chapter, yet not everything will be exactly as you remember. Ashiya will return to his cycle, not knowing the wright of his indecision on the people he loves. The sister he works so hard to care for.. Despite the hardships, mediocore(?) writing, and seemingly impactless piece of dialouge, every word you write, read, will continue to have their consequences. You will continue to make your choices. And there are no wrong turns in a world as small as yours. Thank you for playing. And consider [[playing again->start]].

There are some questions that must be [[answered->Decision screen.]], before you can properly begin to understand this case. Ama is right. The witch lives in this town. They knew how to get away from you, and Celosi wasn't cautious around them. And if that's true, they must have a motive.. If you were a witch, you wouldn't curse your friends for no reason. Even though you want to believe that your mark is some psycho who has no feelings, having talked to the people in Leodore.. it's hard to believe someone like that could walk among you. "This isn't really an investigation then, is it?" Hush, Ama. #You should start checking people for motives. [[Ask around at the bar.]] [[Ask around at the square.]] •{(live:10s)[" Or.. you could.. [[Ask Lunian?]]]} •{(live:20s)[" ...Wow, you're indecisive." Thanks, Ama.]}

The bar.. You look to the child, that is Ama. and flick her on the forehead. "WH- hey! Whitley sells grilled cheese too! it's not just an old person joint!" You have a feeling Ama just really wants to tag along to the bar. [["When you're older."]] [["..Fine."]]

"Wait, isn't THIS an investigation?" You ruffle Ama's hair. She's asking toooo many questions. simply too many. The town square is quite an open space. A big, oak tree sits in the centre of the square, and the fringe of the neat brickwork are shops and stands, selling, trading handmade goods, and food.. like bread. The big, washed off chalk circle remains in the [[brickwork]], and people are trying very hard not to step over it.. It's hard to imagine anyone getting away with painting something this obvious and big on the floor of the town square. ..You spot a little Robin, feeding something out of his hand to the cats. [[Jump Robin.]] [[Ask around..]] [[Leave->Investigate home]]

(if: $madama is true)[You wander into the library, alone. Calliope trains her eyes on you, noting the absence of a certain Ama.. "..If you're looking for books, they're that way, If you're looking for her, she's not here." You know.. ugh. One thing to do, right now. [[Talk to calliope.]]] (else:)["Cal!" Ama seems excited to get to hang out with Calliope. You leave her be.. Ok, you know what you're looking for. The library is a small, two story building. The second floor is locked off with a [[reservation system]], one that a little girl mans.. with a cheque book that you're allowed to just read. The books are well organized, and the aesthetics of the building feels a bit disjointed from the rest of the town.. It feels like something from in the city.. A soft, constant [[ticking]] is present, from a giant clock sat behind the counter, along with other shapely, strange [[trinkets]]. Obviously, witch history is in here.. it sits neatly in it's own section.. But it seems someone has taken the section you needed out? [[leave->invest home]] [[Talk to calliope.]] ]

"She's my sister, duh." Ashiya laughs. "Ama's still quite young, so i'd rathern ot have her go through a lot of the boring things. She's been making friends, and they've been treating her well." Oh, you bring up a hand to explain that, she's actually been hauling you around places against your will. it's really a story related thing. "Be nice to her, kay?" ..With a smile like that, you don't have the heart to say anything else. so you nod, but.. will she ben nice to you?? especially after asking about her like this?? You look, and the girl is simply pouting. [[Talk to Ama.]] [[About Ashiya]]

Then theres no better place to start tha- wait, where do you start? You pace around the square, Ama rolling her eyes at you. "Oi, newbie. If you're gonna do boring reading stuff, I'm going home." ..Right, the hospital was the general area where Ama ran into the witch.. You offer to walk her home, She scoffs. "..only if you can keep up!" [[Keep up!->walk faster.]]

(if: $madama is true)[The square watches you chase after Ama, and you stand alone at it's center.. Yeah. you pace about, not exactly looking for anything as you try and think of what, or where to go.. When someone pokes you in the back. ..! It's- Robin. He holds a cat in his arms. "..Ah, hi, (print: $name).." "Where's..?" Ama? She's up there. "Ooh." Robin sighs, passing the cat into your arms.. "Well, She probably wants to be left alone." You know this, but it still worries you. You try to gesture, but you have an armful of cat, so you sort of wiggle, upset. Robin sits down by the foot of the oak tree and digs through his cards. "here." [[take a card..?]] ] (else:)["Ooh, then let's go find robin!" Ama bounced on her heels, excited to find the boy of the hour. you feel a little bad for the kid. It was a quick descent into the neighbourhood., a pale coloured, brick layout of a small town. Most [[buildings]] are single floor, and you doubt lots of doors here are locked. Some paths wind to nowhere, and some [[alleys]] lead right back into the square, the crevices of the neighbourhood a result of people taking shortcuts to get to the bustle. Despite Ama's tagging along being discouraged.. it does make you seem less suspicious and.. generally threatening. People go about their days, some teens mess about.. not your problem, you're deeply afraid of adolescence. tweens are enough to deal with. "Ama?" Speak of the devil. [[Approach Robin.]] ]

You nod at Ashiya, letting him return to his work. Ama is hovering just outside of his vicinity, generally looking.. annoyed. Boy, what did you get yourself into..? "What, you don't have questions for me?" You think, but before you could sputter something out, ama pouts, walking out into the yard. "Yeah, he's soo nice, he takes care of everything around here. Answers everything so I don't have to! What a cool, great, *brother.*" [["..Ama."]]

"-Oh, He didn't even tell you the truth, who said we're siblings? we're not even related. He just picked me off the side of the road. Nooo, he's the one everyone likes, because he works so hard, cares so much about me that he doesn't even spends time with me anymore!" Swatting at the candle stands in the yard, providing light, Ama knocks one over as she stared dead at Ashiya, who doesn't spare her a glance. He must be ignoring all this.. You start to usher the girl away from the courtyard, but she's still set on mocking her older.. brother, #"JGh- LET GO OF ME!" Ama explodes, and smacks your hand off of her, leaving a stinging.. burning pain behind. Her eyes widen, before she turns and scrambles up a ladder, over the short walls of the yard. "Go anywhere else, Newbie." That's what get Ashiya to look. He doesn't say anything... You don't, either. (set:$madama to true) [[Follow Ama.]] [[Go somplace else.->invest home]]

You trail after a angry ama, once again shaken up by the excersize.. Calling out after her only makes her run faster, so you slow down. Before you know it, you've chased a little girl across the town again, landing by.. the bell tower. Ama is not very sneaky, going in. [[Follow?]]

(if:$hascal is true)[Calliope lent you the key.. which is her. She's unlocking the door. The girl isn't in a rush, even if you are a bit antsy on your feet. Calliope unlocks the small gate at the back of the bell tower, and pushed them open infront of you. You thank her, she walks ahead. "Just be smaller and go through the windows like we do, next time." Physically impossible.. are the girls in this town all super sarcastic? You follow her upstairs. [[Up..]]] (else:)[...Problem is, Ama squeezed past a kiddie sized window on the front of the building that lets light into the tower.. You try to push past, and.. Nope. No. you don't fit. You call for her, but only a piece of [[scrunched up paper]] hits you in the nogin.. [[Go somewhere else.. for now. ->invest home]]]

The climb is really making you question how strong your legs are. You reach the top of the clean, white tower and sitting under the bell is a familliar little girl, who turns to you. "(print: $name)! I- no, Get out! This is not your place!" "Ama, Don't be lame, what's going on?" "I- I hurt- n..." She curls up, and Calliope non-chalantly wandered over besides her, plopping herself down. You approach, slowly. "I wanted to be alone.. I didn't wanna talk to anyone." Oh. You stop approaching. [[listen.]]

Calliope huddled over some old clock she was tinkering with. you find a seat where Ama doesn't see you, and listen. "Guys.." She whined, balling up a piece of paper in her hand. "..I.. I wanted to turn myself In. Not to verns.. to you. You're new. but.. I feel I've known you for a long time. So.. you have to know me, right?" You frown, making a quiet noise to let her know you're listening. "I--- UGHHH..." She shouts into the echoey top of the building, and slumps back. "I just! I know you, for some reason, and I thought you're here to hunt me after all these years, and I didn't want anyone else to know, or make anyone feel bad.." What do you say? [["..What do you mean?"]] [["That's a little lame."]]

Calliope chuckles, and ama goes beet red. "Well- You're a LOT lame, im- being serious here!" Picking up some trash on the floor, ama chucks the paperball at you, and it bounces off with a tonk. "I- you know what, You're lame! I'm not going to jail! I'm- im not the witch you're looking for!" "They don't jail witches." "NN! I dodged hunters once, I can do it again!" You stare in disbelief, but.. Ama's energy does make the situation a bit less.. serious as it really is. "I- i was just a kid, so.." She says, as if she's not still a kid. "Back then, I had to choose between my friends, and different cities.. but something told me I don't need to go anywhere. Don't need to think about what would happen to me..." Ama's hand shook, as her brow furrowed. "So I didn't. and.. then I blew up." Huh? [[... ->continue]]

..You pat ama on the head, and decide to call it a day, here. "..Newbie?? That's not an answer!" You'll refrain from asking Ama about anything more. Calliope sets something off in her hand, and a music box whirrs to life.. Witch! what is that? a light?? MAGIC! dark arts!! "NO! It's just me! and.. the other.. witch in town." "I wish. magic sounds easy." "It is so not, cal." ..Yeah. You spend some more time with the girls.. (set: $madama to false) [[Head back to the office. ->Accusation.]]

"Uggh. You're boring!" Yeah, isn't it nice to not be messed with for once? How the turns table. That being said, you really don't have anything to stop Ama from following, so she does. The doors into Whitleys' is unlocked, as it is in the morning. The sound of chatter and music pours from the inside. Ama is enchanted. ...You've seen cooler pubs in the city. "Oh, That girl yours, (print: $name)?" Whitley barks with laguhter, turning to you as you enter the small but lively little restuarant. You shake your head- but, you do reluctantly do the "She's with me" gesture. Ama seems like she's over the moon. [[Enter.]]

The retaurant is an interesting joint.. An inn rests on the second floor, though no one ever visits town, especially with the city so close. so it really is just the bathrooms, and such. The bar.. is equipped with a bar. A shelf of [[liquour]] sits ontop a few upright barrels, offering a wide array of coloured mixtures. At the back of the bar is a small stage, with a familliar figure sat ontop, plucking the strings to a weird [[instrument]].. it's got a crank..? The [[tables]] are rounded, except for the two that sit in the corners of the room. Patrons sit around the tables, chatting away and cheering as the music comes to a stop, holding either whiskey or wine in their hands.. strangely, [[no beer?]] You hover at the door.. Ama's egging you on silently. [[Say hi to Whitley->About whitley]] [[Go somewhere else ->Investigate home]]

"(print: $name), was it!? C'mon in!" Whitley leans over the counter, ushering you in. You don't remember last speaking to her- so it's strange that she knows your- "Caught it in a song, dear. I'm great with names! Get over here, don't be shy!" You are shy. But you do walk over.. Ama seems to be amused. (set: $whiplus to true) [["Grilled cheese, please."]] [["Busy day, huh?"]] [["I read the letter you sent.. a while ago."]]

"I was a witch- I.. I think I still am." Calliope must've heard this before.. "When I was like, 8.. My mum got sick, and then died, and then I had to leave for somewhere else, and I had to choose.. But I really really didnt wanna." "I knew it would.. change my whole life.. And i was just a kid, so.." She says, as if she's not still a kid. "Then. I heard it. Something told me I don't need to go anywhere. Don't need to think about who I would choose..." Ama's hand shook, as her brow furrowed. "So I didn't. and.. then I blew up." Huh? [[... ->continue]]

"Yeah.. my mom made candles.. Wherever there was anything that reminded me of her.. I would kinda.. catch on fire.. And then no one can touch me." "But uh.. Ashiya found me a little after I ran away.. Kinda hard to hide the witch thing if you're on fire." ..uh, pyromancy? how does that relate to dissapearing items and people? "Pie-huh? No, like.. if I had wax on me, I'd show you.." No, the dissapearing items thing! "That I have no idea.. I.. I don't think I did anything like that." You feel.. simultaneously relieved, and shocked. "..So, Do.. you not recognize me?" You shake your head. You really, really only met her when you first saw her in Leodore. "Wuh.. No? You don't know an Amalin?" (set: $amapower to true) ..Ama seems to be really upset she got this mad over.. very little. "Ugh.. I don't even know what i'm angry about!" [[Pat her on the back.]] [[Let her be.]]

You do. She leans into your arm, a little. "-You sure? You didn't ever hit your head wrong like Verns, did you?" Maybe it's Ama that's got the weird head. "My head is not weird! Point is.. I.. I know you! I swear I know you, Like you've been here for way longer than like, two days. I just.. wanted to figure you out." Calliope sets something in a soft click. The belltower is quiet again. Honestly, you feel that you've known Ama for a while, too. "..Ok, (print:$name).." #"What are you gonna do with me?" [[Think.. ->make a choice.]]

Ama takes a deep breath, before leaning back to lie on the cement floor and kicking her legs around in a thrash. GRrrhhghgh! Calliope sets a hand on hers, and they chuckle, just a little. "-You sure? You didn't ever hit your head wrong like Verns, did you?" Maybe it's Ama that's got the weird head. "My head is not weird! Point is.. I.. I know you! I swear I know you, Like you've been here for way longer than like, two days. I just.. wanted to figure you out." Calliope sets something in a soft click. The belltower is quiet again. Honestly, you feel that you've known Ama for a while, too. "..Ok, (print:$name).." #"What are you gonna do with me?" [[Think.. ->make a choice.]]

Some trash at the top of the bell tower... It contains a drawing of a strange machine, with strange symbols left in them.. More interestingly, A signature at the bottom says this piece of paper used to belong to the Library. Convienient. [[back->Follow?]]

"--what?! Just so you know, she's like, top sus! she's so evil!" Isn't that a reason to interogate her, then? "No! You'll get cursed! and die!" You doubt that's something the woman would do to you, plus, working in a glass house must mean she sees things, all the time. "Ugghh.. I'm not going! I'll wait right here!" You leave ama behind! Until she decides to follow, angrily. The walk over to the house is quite awkward, as she cataches your aproach through the house of glass.. on the positive side, you don't have to knock? [[..knock anyways.]]

"YEAH!" She cheers, and walks ahead, careful not to trip over the wick in the square. Well, not like you could have stopped Ama from following, if she really wanted to.. The doors into Whitleys' is unlocked, as it is in the morning. The sound of chatter and music pours from the inside. Ama is enchanted. ...You've seen cooler pubs in the city. "Oh, That girl yours, (print: $name)?" Whitley barks with laguhter, turning to you as you enter the small but lively little restuarant. You shake your head- but, you do reluctantly do the "She's with me" gesture. Ama seems like she's over the moon. [[Enter.]]

⋆You wander to the back of the counter, and Whitley's warm smile is enough to keep Ama out... huh, didn't know that girl had weaknesses. "Don't steal nothing, hear me?" Not like you can, really. You take a peek in the barrels, for some reason.. and.. The beer. it's empty. "..Ah! Almost forgot to tell ya, but yeah, we're out of the normal Ale. It must've been stolen then.. but I wrote the letter before I noticed. They stole quite a lotta beer.. Weird they left my barrel here." Did.. did the thief bring their own barrel? You note the stolen liquour down. (set: $stolenliqour to true) [[back->Enter.]]

Oh,. you think you know the name of this thing. it's a... [[Hurdy gurdy]] [[Hurly Burly]]

⋆"For you or the kiddie?" "Hey! Obviously for me!" (if: $coincount > 3)[You sigh.. and hand some coins over. Whitley chuckles, and heads to the back, bringing out a plate of a grilled cheese cut in half.. Guess you'll share with Ama. (set: $coincount to $coincount - 3) [[back->About whitley]] ] (else:)[No newcomers discount? You scratch the back of your neck, and Ama looks up at you sadly. "..Newbie, Does verns really not pay you?" "..Kid, don't you worry, I'll have a word with him." You roll your eyes. [[back->About whitley]] ]

⋆Whitley laughs. "No, hardly busy! Whole witch business has people pretty scared, though my regulars are still stickin here to hang out. Hearts'a steels, right?" Whitley calls out to the bar, who all respond with a shout or a laugh.. "I make food, They eat, Talk, Not alot else to do in a town as small as this, Dear.. Every one in here, I recognize." That's fair, You suppose if you were a professional, you could remember.. atleast 50 face. Pride sits on Whitleys face. "Can't tell ya what i had for lunch yesterday, But that's Jake over there, That's Terry!" "I even remember visitors. Every now and then, we get hunters passing through, doctors, and general travellers. I get em a free drink when they come in, just'a be hospitable. But I remember them next time. Otherwise, Folk like mel would run me dry!" "That's not fair, I'm unforgettable!" "Don't push it, Pretty face." ..That aside, you note down that Whitley see's visitors, and remembers all of them.. (set: $whimemory to true) [["Regulars?"]] [["Thanks.."->About whitley]]

⋆At that, Whitley chuckles, scratching the back of her head in a laugh. "Oh- Melody made me write that letter. My memory's just been spotty lately. Almost forgot to charge them for drinks, had to have em remind me!" She waved to melody, who waves back. "Ahhm, Yeah, Yesterday mornin, I came down to open up shop, but the front doors was proper kicked in.. Weird, cause nothing's really missing from my safe." So Whitley lives upstairs.. Then.. did she.. sleep through a break and enter? "Oh, I'm a light sleeper, I got a little alarm thingy-majig too, case someone wanted to rob the place." Did... did she sleep through a break and enter AND an alarm? "Dear, Stay out the games here.. you could use work on your poker face." (set: $whisleepy to true) Oops. [["Thanks."->About whitley]]

Yeah! Melody blinks at you, before leaning down from the stage. "..You know how to play, Doll?" No. No you don't. [["yES!"]] [["No, sorry."->Enter.]]

"Hahah!" Melody's name rings true. Though you feel yourself go red. "This is a hurdy gurdy, you were close.. Heres a song for you." Melody rolls up some.. circus music. You have no idea how they're doing it with a hurdy gurdy. Ama is wheezing. [[back.->Enter.]]

⋆"Oooh, Sides from the folk you see here right now, theres a handful of people that come by.. more than once when they can! I don't got a list, hunter. Sorry!" ..Man, it would've been much easier on the investigation if she did. But, back on track.. you're looking for a *motive.* You doubt happy, healthy people would wanna curse the town. "If you're asking about any.. angry patrons, I have em escorted out before anything escalates.. Melody's nice enough to handle em for me." "I just ferry them out of town after they're knocked out. You should see whitley pull a punch, it's pretty cool." "-You're gonna get me in trouble, Melody! Ah, they're few and far between. And, everyone in town plays nice with me." Well.. Judging by how nice Ama's been acting, That might be some supernatural power of Whitleys.. She would probably charm people through the sheer magic of her cooking. For investigation purposes, that was joke. (set: $escortacc to true) "Need somethin else?" [["That's all."->About whitley]] [["Actually.. Melody?"->About mel]]

⋆Sitting in the corners, are the tables farthest away from the hubbub. Above them are posters that marks them as the nap corner.. you assume it's for people that get blackout drunk. A bucket rests by the foot of them, incase people need to throw up? gross... You aproach the now empty tables, and notice a stain.. of a beer mug. And upon closer look, something red stains the table.. it dries chalky. "You feeling sick, newbie? Oooh, wanna take a nappy?" You gently smack ama.. No, you're collecting evidence! ..beer stain (?) added to your journal. (set: $beerstain to true) [[back->Enter.]]

"Oh!" Setting the instrument down, Melody hops off the stage and leans on the counter, their short, braided hair sweeping by Whitley's arm. "Yes.. I ferry people in exchange for keeping track of my wares.. but i take coin too, remember the plates, (print: $name)?" You do.. Melody actually ferried you up the hill with their cart, but you had to keep a pack of plates steady. You will simply pay, next time. "If you're going to ask about the folk I've dropped off at the capital, I've ferried a few drunk students.. but no one recently." "Sorry to dissapoint, but I don't remember anyone visiting Leodore other than me." Ama kept an eye on Melody, and the way she stares almost reminds you of Celosi.. when he's caught in thought. [["Can you show us your cart?"]] [["I see, thank you."->Enter.]]

Melody catches on, and you catch on that they caught you staring, so you ask. "Oh, we're fresh out. Sorry, did you want some?" No, but.. you should check.. [[back->Enter.]]

"Awesome, Come up here and give it a whirl." You do, robotically, awkwardly, and as you set the big machine in your lap.. You give it a whirl. Honestly, it's pretty intuitive, you feel the notes coming to you bit by bit.. this is C, that is.. A.. "Wow, that's garbage." Ama is giggling from stage left. Melody frowns, putting your hands on the right spot of the instrument. "You... you're holding it upside down, doll." WELP. THAT'S THAT. [[BACK. BACK GO BACK ->Enter.]]

"Ofcourse. You know where the passengers sit." You do.. Nodding goodbye and getting a pat on their arm, Melody stretched, and exited through the front door. You too, wave a goobye before you head out. You walk through the town, past the pharmacy, and stop at the barn, where the animals [[(horses)]] frolick in a fenced in pasture.. Inside the barn, there's a handful of stables and [[hay]] for the winter. "Storm." Melody walks in, and pats the head of the [[black horse]] that sleeps on it's side by their [[cart]].. You nearly assumed it was a- "Is it dead?!" "He's sleeping, kid." ..Anyways. [[Talk to melody->abmel]] [[Leave ->Investigate home]]

Theres only ever two or three in town, incase someone needed to rush someplace.. Though, that doesnt really happen, so the horses here have grown quite lazy. You reach out to pat on on it's nose, and it huffs out hot air onto your hand contentedly. (if: $hastea is true)[Actually, it's strange. The horses are much more comfortable around you, almost as if they're mistaking you for a long time friend.. Strange. You may be a horse charmer, but you're not THIS horse charming.. ...it must recognize you by smell, judging by how it keeps sniffing you.] "Oh! look, newbies in love!!" "Magical, isn't it? The power of nature herself.." ..Ama and Melody giggle in the back. They're just.,. jealous they're not friends with this horse. [[back->"Can you show us your cart?"]]

Ama follows you to the intimidating stack of haybales, opting to take a running jump into a pile. You don't try to stop her. "--OW!" She lands in a poof, before scrambling up from the pile. "-wh.. hey!" Ama struggles from in the hay, and you sigh. What did she expect when she belly flopped into that pile? Obviously she's going to get covered in hay. (you on the other hand was not tempted to do that same thing. not one bit.) "No, Newbie, look!" She wrangles something out from under the pile, and pulls out a cloak.. wrapped around.. Some books. [[Arcana]] records and studies.. ..what?

Melody tosses you the keys, and it clatters in your hands as you unlock the front.. Yes, this is a familliar sight to everyone in town. Toys, trinkets, books, [[snacks]] and goods from the city rest neatly in the cart. You notice that the clocks are all somewhat out of time.. (if: $haswatch is true)[though at a different time than Celosi's.. ] "..Oh, They must have been jostled on the way here, See, I didn't find someone willing to hold them down for me." You take a step back from the cart, drawing a line in the sand. Not your job. Nothing seems off, initially, but you lean in to take a look at where you sat.. and find a stain.. something *[[red.]]* [[Back->"Can you show us your cart?"]]

Lunaian rolled her eyes under her hood. "..What?" [["Have you seen something suspicious, lately?"]] [["You wrote a letter about missing flowers.."]] [["I love your garden.. by the way."]] (set: $lunplus to true) [[The greenhouse!->Enter!]]

You sigh, tugging ama along. you let your shoulders drop in the sigh as you turn to head out, and as you do, You hear a clearing of her throat. "..Take care. Both you and the brat. Slow as you may work, You're making progress. By the time this is all over, I'll owe you some tea. Oh, and I make them much better than Elles does." "HEY!" ..You don't respond to that, not wanting to take sides until the decision. "Do take care, then." You leave, Ama is dragged out,, and dropped off at the pharmacy. She storms off like a wild little cat, up and over the walls to somewhere.. You sigh, and assume you'll be talking to her soon. [[Office.]]

The door shuts softly behind you. "Hey." You mirror Celosi, and make your way to the files drawer, mentioning the interrogation with Lunian. "..." Celosi nods. "... (print: $name). Do you care to hear a story?" You wouldn't mind. {(if: $haswatch is true)["..Right. Someone took my watch." ......You whistle, avoiding eyecontact with Celosi, who bumps you in the shoulder with a laugh. He's mad. You.. give it back. ]} "This is a keepsake.. It's worked well with me for as long as i've had it. It tells the time, and reminds me of one thing.. and it's that witches, are people as well, even if they make horrible decisions." [[...->cel1]]

⋆An empty flowerbed sandwiches (haha) the pathway leading up the tree. Ama pokes at the soil, knowing exactly what rested there before.. She opens her mouth to ask a question, but gets cut off by Lunian. "What happened to the li-" "..This exact mystery was already sorted out by Celosi, No one stole my Lions, I'd just forgot I sold them. And he has too, I assume?" Ama glares back at Lunian, who shakes her head. "I told him this too. What I find strange is that It's supposed to be blooming season for Lions tounge, but the ones up the hill are plucked, or wilted. They stay for a very specific amount of time." "I think we've all already been cursed, hunter." "What? What does that even mean? Did you do this?!" "How would I, Elles?" "I dont know! You and your plants.. I bet youre like.. secretly 100 years old!" (set: $lunsold to true) ... Ama just got ignored. [["Who did you sell them to?"]]

..You make a soft nod, listening as you look over your shoulder to check if these are witch hunter files.. Celosi nods. "..No one graduates being human, unfortunately. You know this already, but In my experience, witches are rarely subtle. They cut themselves away from their human relationships.. and fall apart, because they're human." Celosi's quite well known as a hunter. In recent years, he's settled down in Leodore, but before then, he'd worked through a lot of cases. "My mothers.. for as long as I can remember, Were merchants. We hunted animals for their pelts, and stopped at towns and cities to pick up specialties that we can't get on our own." He flipped the case open, examining the time inside.. Fast by a few hours. "to survive, we would hunt. They taught me how to wait, how to follow, and when to strike. I never fully expected that and I wouldn't live anywhere outside of a forest." You begin to skim through witch trial portfolio.. Looking for a familliar face.. [[..->cel2]]

Celosi tapped at your hand, taking half out of them, to help you sift through the contents. Theres.. years worth of stuff in here, afterall. "..I wasn't very old when they disappeared. I remember waking up in the middle of the night to find no one else at our camp." You try to imagine celosi without his scruffy facial hair, but it feels wrong.. so you softly nod along, and try not to think about it. "I remember waking up alone. I remember trying to look for footprints, but finding none. They dissapeared, plain and simple, but I remember seeing a pair of foxes. I think that was them. Or.. whatever took them." You pause, putting a hand on his shoulder to give him a squeeze. Celosi shakes his head softly. "Thank you, I'm fine." He snaps the watch closed. [[...->cel3]]

"That's why I became a hunter. I knew I wouldn't be able to hunt them the same way I hunt animals. I can't go after mom with a rifle, now." You grimace in a half laugh, not sure if you're allowed. Celosi.. became a witch hunter to see his mothers, again. "..Why did you become a witch hunter, (print: $name)?" You fidget with the page in your hands. flipping through the different trials in your hands, each so different, but all so simmilar. (set: $celplus to true) Yours.. [["I wanted to control people."]] [["I wanted to protect people."]] [["I wanted to impress people."]]

"Look where that got you." Celosi sets a piece of paper in your lap, giving you a noogie. Hey!! Where is the professionalism? "Each to their own, but I want you to understand that witches are people." You thumb over the article, noticing the portrait of one gruff, tired looking.. #"Shifa Elles. I found him this morning." Celosi spells it out. You skim the article, and find text written about the father-son hunter duo. "At the very least, Ashiya would know how witches function.. That's as much as I can add." You try to think of what this could mean.. You're not sure if this clears things up, or makes it more difficult. Do you really want to accuse someone yet? Do you have enough information? "I trust you." There it is with the stupid, mind reading again. "The decision is in your hands." (set: $shifa to true) [[Accusation.]]

"Noble.." Celosi rubs the back of his neck. "Almost makes me feel embarrassed." "Each to their own, but I want you to understand that witches are people." You thumb over the article, noticing the portrait of one gruff, tired looking.. #"Shifa Elles. I found him this morning." Celosi spells it out. You skim the article, and find text written about the father-son hunter duo. "At the very least, Ashiya would know how witches function.. That's as much as I can add." You try to think of what this could mean.. You're not sure if this clears things up, or makes it more difficult. Do you really want to accuse someone yet? Do you have enough information? "I trust you." There it is with the stupid, mind reading again. "The decision is in your hands." (set: $shifa to true) [[Accusation.]]

"Pahah!" Celosi laughs, smacking you on the back. "You became a hunter to woo people, is that it?" It's not working out very well for Celosi, obviously.. maybe it's time for a career change.. "Each to their own, but I want you to understand that witches are people." You thumb over the article, noticing the portrait of one gruff, tired looking.. #"Shifa Elles. I found him this morning." Celosi spells it out. You skim the article, and find text written about the father-son hunter duo. "At the very least, Ashiya would know how witches function.. That's as much as I can add." You try to think of what this could mean.. You're not sure if this clears things up, or makes it more difficult. Do you really want to accuse someone yet? Do you have enough information? "I trust you." There it is with the stupid, mind reading again. "The decision is in your hands." (set: $shifa to true) [[Accusation.]]

{(if:$A is "Mind reading" or "mind reading" or "mind reader")[ "Mind reading..?" Celosi takes a seat in the chair across from you, at the desk, and looks you in the eyes. "You flatter me, but how does this affect the town?" That.. you will figure out, bit by bit. Celosi reads minds-- [[...->MCcel]] ]] (else:)["(print: $A).. Me? I thought I would get something cooler." Celosi shifts in the chair, draping an arm over the it's back. "Witches thrive on uncertainty. Try again, be more sure of yourself." ..Celosi says that, but you're suddenly not so sure. [[Press again.->Celosi is the witch]] [[Let it go..->cel cancel]] ]}

The walk here is long, quiet. Ashiya wears his hood up, making small talk about what kind of gossip might arise from him being picked up like this. He regrets not even bringing some tea with him, Celosi finds it funny, but you still feel the weight in the air. You get to the office. (if:$hasjournal is true)[You shuffle through pages of your journal..] Celosi closes the door behind all of you. "Okay.." Taking a deep breath in, Ashiya co-operates. "Let's do this." "..What's my witch power?" He says with a grin, kind of looking forward to hearing what you think his.. super power is. You will oblige. Ashiya's curse is.. (input-box:2bind $A,"=XX=") [[press.->pressAsh]]

{(if:$A is "Memories" or "wiping memories" or "Wiping memories" or "memories" or "erasing memories" or "Erasing memories" or "Forgetting" or "forgetting")[ "I'm erasing memories?" He sounds a bit confused. "I.. suppose you can assume that.. I've been posioning people. You can get medicine from Lunian if you're paranoid." You get a bit of confidence, considering he's avoiding saying it out right, but the common thread remains. The clocks are out of time, everywhere you went. It was simply impossible to change the time for every one of them. Plus, only ashiya would want to forget.. [[...->opperi check]] ] (else:)["Aww.. (print: $A)?" He grins, a soft laugh bubbling up. "Thats.. almost endearing? I.. I'm flattered." ..Ashiya reaches up a hand to scratch at his face.. bwuh, damn. "It would make my life easier, If I did have that power. You.. can try again, if you'd like." Ashiya gives you a warm, re-assuring smile. Eugh.. you're suddenly not so sure. [[Press again.->Arcana check]] [[Let it go..]] ]}

Ashiya caves, setting his head down on the desk. He's quiet for some time, as if contemplating if he could keep this up again, for any longer. "My father and I departed on.. bad terms. I left him a note. I said I was done with witch hunting. And I stopped speaking to him." "..It was because of Ama. I found her with him, she wasn't even 10.. And, she was volatile- she burned people that tried to reason with her, but exhile would kill that girl." "I couldn't do it. I took her and ran." [[...->ash2]]

"And it.. it was a month ago when he found us." "The same situation. Years later. I couldn't choose then, and I can't choose now, except Ama isn't willing to run, not anymore. She'd grown out of running, but I didn't. She fought, and I couldn't do anything." Celosi shakes his head in a frown, as pieces and bits of his own investigation begins to return. "I did everything. I tied the string out to peoples houses, I took a chunk of chalk from lunian, tried to frame her.." "And from the get go... I knew what it would mean if I caved.. but I *needed* him to forget. I needed more time. But more people kept stumbling into the mess, so another hour turned to another day, to another week." "..And here we are." *"You took a month worth of ourselves- maybe even more, from us."* Celosi was dissapointed. you havent heard him sound this.. sad. with pity. "..I didn't know it would get like this. I'm.. I tunnel visioned. I was trying to protect Ama." "I'm sorry." [["It's not too late for that."]] [["We're long past forgiveness."]]

Celosi rolls his neck, taking a beat to look at you, and leans forward over the desk. "Then let's continue." His stare is cold, and solid. "What is my Arcana?" (if:$hasjournal is true)[You grip the old leather of your journal.] He was the one that worked you through the basics, but.. You've done.. some more thinking on your own. Celosi casts his curses using this as a medium.. (input-box:2bind $A,"=XX=") [[press.->celp2]]

Cel sighs, shaking his head at you. He gets up from the seat and sets a hand on your shoulders. *"Good work, Get some rest."* You can't help but feel a little patronized, but you do as he says, watching as the hunter walk out of the office. And you slowly, sneak upstairs in the process, to think.. If you should've followed through or not. You rest un-easy. [[Next day.->celcan]]

The lull pulls your wrist in.. and you follow, feeling things coming to a slow, slow halt. Let what be? Let *who* be, Celosi? Is he really the witch? Are you still questioning that? Do you need more time, or are you sick of this hunt..? [[Stop.->celst]] [[Keep going..->Decision screen.]]

{(if:$A is "silver" or "Silver")[ "What..?" Celosi leans back, and looks lost in thought.. you hear the coins in his pocket jingle as he thumbs them over. "...silver, that's.. a reasonable guess." "..Go on. Heres the final question.. What's my motive?" It's almost scary how non-chalant Celosi is reacting to your accusation.. [[...->OCcel]] ] (else:)["(print: $A). I.. Can't see the connection here. You'll have to elaborate." ..Something tells you he doesn't want you to elaborate, because that was a stretch. "..(print: $name). You might want to keep investigating.. Do you know what you're doing?" Ufh. It's rough hearing that from him. [[Press again.->MCcel]] [[Let it go..->cel cancel]] ]}

"Motive. Though, we've established that i'm reading minds of people..." Are.. are you in a pop quiz? This feels awfully like re-hashing over notes.. instead of accusing Celosi of being a witch.. "You've read witch trials. One of the first things a hunter learns is that no matter the witches intentions, they make things worse. So.. how have I made this town worse, and what am I trying to do?" You swallow, think, (print: $name).. Think. Celosi is cursing this town because of... (input-box:2bind $A,"=XX=") [[press.->celp3]]

{(if:$A is "mother" or "mothers" or "mom" or "your mom")[ "--Ph.. pahaha!" There is a certain anger in his laugh that chills you. "..That.. was the longest your mom joke anyone has ever pulled on me, (print: $name)." ..ough.. is he mad? "I.. have been considering it. I'm one of my own suspects, Because I can't quite understand what an arcana represents." You shift nervously.. "It is true that I'm looking for my mothers. I suppose.. trying to pry information out of your heads would have been something I would try.." Celosi knocked at the back of his head, and for once.. curls into himself some. [[...->Fcel]] ] (else:)["Nope." ..Shut down. "..This was actually quite re-assuring for me." He sighs, a soft smile creeping onto his face. "I'm not the witch." [[Press again.->MCcel]] [[Believe him.->cel cancel]] ]}

It's strange seeing him like this, and you reach out a reluctant hand, one that he doesn't take. "...disheartening. But.. let's organize your thoughts." You're getting sick of the mentor schtick.. This hurt to witness. "If I was the witch, it would give ample reason for people to attack me. And.. maybe I'd forgotten, because of that attack." "And i would be doing it to find my parents.. is that right?" It keeps getting more uncomfortable, more wrong. You can't look him in the eye. *"(print:$name), What am i?"* #"You're.." [[The witch.]] •(Live:15s)[ ... [[Can't decide.->celcur]] ]

"Why not?" Celosi's tired, you can see it. "...Take it a little at a time. If you truly believe it.. then I'll trust in you." *"you don't have to make the decision right away."* You hate this. ..okay. You take a deep breath. #You will make the choice. [[The witch.]] •(live: 20s)[ ..It's hard. But you can *fix* this, can't you? You know that you can go back. Make these choices again.. This train of thought... You hear it, loud and clear. Your very own curse. [[Restart.->start]]]

Blind resolve, delusion, whatever it is, it pushed the words out of your throat. And Celosi smiles. "This doesn't feel the greatest." The same goes for you. "Oh, but you'll have to deal with paperwork.. hahah, you might want my help with that before you turn me in." ...Maybe that's what will happen. You put your head down on the table, and Celosi softly sighs, a tired noise. pat pat. Everything will sort itself out tomorrow. [[XX: Judgment.]]

Celosi Verns' accusation is never followed through. This decison, right or wrong, is packed with compassion. This story, like many, is rewound to it's first chapter, yet not everything will be exactly as you remember. Please remember that there are no wrong turns in a world as small as yours. Thank you for playing. And consider [[playing again->start]].

Celosi Verns is turned in as the Witch. A decision made with absolution, with judgement. This story, like many, will continue out of sight. With the characters in it temporarily saddled with regret, as is the trial for every decision. Every word you write, read, will continue to have their consequences. Like the characters, you will continue to make them. Even if they might hurt, at the moment. Thank you for playing! •(Live: 10s) [ -oh, and [[play again->start]], if you think you could do it better.]

The walk here is long, quiet. Ama is quiet, the hood Celosi carried oversized on her form. She mutters about how it smells of dust.. and vaugely, wine. He laughs. You get to the office. Ama accepts the metal cuffs over her hands. (if:$hasjournal is true)[You shuffle through pages of your journal..] Celosi closes the door behind all of you. Ama, shakes her cuffs a little, to test it's strength, uncharacteristically shy at the staring from you.. no, Celosi. "Can he leave?" "No." "..ugh. then you tell verns my thing? I don't wanna say it again." You will oblige. Ama's curse is.. (input-box:2bind $A,"=XX=") [[press.->amap1]]

{(if:$A is "Fire" or "fire" or "exploding" or "explosion" or "boomboom" or "controlling fire")[ Celosi raises an eyebrow at the explaination, but doesn't interject. "yeah.." Ama nods. "Uhm.. I cast.. it with wax." You nod. Ama's power was generating fire, as a response to avoid contact. literally burning her bridges. In a sense, this is what she's doing right now. *"..Let's move on. What would be her motive?"* Ama shrugs. [[...->OCama]] ] (else-if: $A is "Pyromancy" or "pyromancy")["Pyromancy?" Celosi raises an eyebrow at the explaination, but doesn't interject. "What even is that?! the pie-ro-man thing again.." Ama pouts, jiggling the cuffs. "I control.. fire. I blow up, and then I can make fire. I cast.. it with wax." You nod. Ama's power was generating fire, as a response to avoid contact. literally burning her bridges. In a sense, this is what she's doing right now. *"..Let's move on. What would be her motive?"* Ama shrugs. [[...->OCama]] ] (else:)["What? no.. that- that wasn't it." Ama leans forward, but Celosi cuts her off. "..I see. You're lacking in evidence, if you can't even get this right." He's letting you off easy. [[Press again.->ACama]] [[Let it go..]] ]}

Ama takes a deep breath.. "Uhm. I don't know." Celosi, looks to you, his expression wavering. Even he's uncomfortable doing this.. Do you care to push through? "I.. I think.. I'm mad? Newbie, you handle this." You called her here, after all.. you'll figure it out. If she really is the witch of your case.. then.. you just have to think of the right thing to say. The reason why Ama would curse the town.. has a name. (input-box:2bind $A,"=XX=") [[press.->amap2]]

{(if:$A is "Ashiya" or "Shiya" or "shiya" or "ashiya" or "ashiya elles" or "elles" or "ashiya elles")[ "(print: $name). Do you know what you're-" "..ohhhh." Ama nods, and Celosi takes a step back, looking at you two in.. shock. that's not an expression he wears often. "..yeah. I am mad at him, he's.. not talking to me. And for some reason.. I just.. want him to talk to me, so so badly." "Is this your call..?" Celosi softens, looking to you. You shake your head. It's out of your hands.. yet you feel a certain guilt of leaving this decision to Ama. "...It's fine. I'm older now." [[...->amaA]] ] (else:)["M.. mm?" Ama blinks, looking up at you with a raised brow, "I.. is that the best you can do? Ahg. i'm not buying that!" "Me neither. It's best if you ended this here, (print:$name)." You.. consider letting go. [[Press again.->OCama]] [[Let it go..]] ]}

Ama leans back in the chair, some thoughts going through her little head. and Celosi shakes his head, reaching to unlock her cuffs. She lets him, in a silent exchance, before headbutting the poor hunter, discombulating him enough to hold him in a hug. "You knew." *"..I did."* You're sick. And quietly, Celosi pulled you into the hug. You don't protest, but the soft shaking from Ama makes your shoulders feel so, so heavy. "I was doing so good. I could've gotten away with it." She could've. "Shiya's gonna be so mad at me.. haha! maybe then he'll want to talk to me." And she stays like that for some time, before Celosi begins to scan through some papers. Ama returns to the chair, just a size bigger than her. "Newbie?" You look. "..Sorry. Thanks." You have to make the decision now. #Ama is... [[The witch.->amawitch]] •(Live:15s)[ ... [[Can't decide.->amacur]] ]

You don't ever say it, but the three of you, in the room, all knew what decision you had made. You waddle over to Celosi, and begin to sit down, sorting through the paperwork that is required. Ama starts smiling, eventually, bouncing back into her almost annoyingly energetic self. "Oh my god, you guys look like you've aged a hundred years!" *"Paperwork is a curse, Ama."* "Maybe you should just stop filling this out!" *"No.. we'll figure something out for you. Trust us. You're not going anywhere."* No.. There's just no way either Celosi or Ama will allow her to be exhiled. "I'm older now, I'll be fine if you send me into the wilds!" *"You'll get eaten in a day."* "By what?!" *"Horses."* You chuckle, wiping something out of your eye. Yes... Everything will sort itself out tomorrow. [[XX: Justice.]]

Amalin Elles is turned in as the Witch. This is a ending of cause and effect. Fairness, and justice. This story, like many, will continue out of sight. With the characters in it working for change, as is the hardship that comes with something new. Every word you write, read, will continue to have their consequences. Like the characters, you will continue to make them. Even if they might hurt, at the moment. Thank you for playing! •(Live: 10s) [ -oh, and [[play again->start]], if you think you could do it better.]

"fall asleep?" Ama hopped off her chair just to kick at your shins. You reel, even if it doesn hurt. *"...Too late to get decision paralysis."* But you can take your time to make this decision. "The longer you wait, the harder it gets, though!" You hate this. Thanks, ama. #You will make the choice. [[The witch.]] •(live: 20s)[ ..It's hard. But you can *fix* this, can't you? You know that you can go back. Make these choices again.. This train of thought... You hear it, loud and clear. Your very own curse. [[Restart.->start]]]

Amalin Elles' accusation is never followed through. This decision, is one influenced by authority, and structure. This story, like many, is rewound to it's first chapter, yet not everything will be exactly as you remember. Ama's internal struggle will once again, remain unresolved. But hopefully her dialouge is interesting enough to warrant another read. Despite the hardships, mediocore(?) writing, and seemingly impactless piece of dialouge, every word you write, read, will continue to have their consequences. You will continue to make your choices. And there are no wrong turns in a world as small as yours. Thank you for playing. And consider [[playing again->start]].

You do. tonk tonk. Lunian is already at the door. She doesn't speak, instead, she leaves the door open, and you walk in after her. Ama glares from outside, and opts to wait. "..What is this about, hunter?" You jump at the forwardness of the woman. No introductions, No formalities.. [["Can we come in?"]] [["This is about.. talking."->About lun]] [["I'll just.. leave."->Investigate home]]

"Let me think." .. "No." .... •(live: 5s)[Lunian sighs, stepping aside to give you two entry. Ama blows a rasperry, you smack her just the slightest. [[Enter!]]]

The glasshouse is well kept, and stepping into it's humid environment almost makes you feel like you've stepped into a foreign land. A large [[willow]] stands in the centre of the house, plants in pots, plants on shelves line the open space. Theres a [[walkway]] leading to the tree, and past it, is a tea table with just one chair, with leisure supplies resting in a box neatly under the table. Further past that is a [[kiln]] and a box for compost. It's nice. If.. Lunian wasn't glaring at you. Some record is currently playing. "..Feel free to take your leave whenever you'd like." [["..I actually wanted to ask.."->About lun]] [["We'll leave.. now.."->Investigate home]]

"Yes.. Depends why you're asking. Depends.. if someone's listening." She looked to Ama, with a tired glare. "Keep an eye on your child, will you?" She's not yours. but you don't wanna pick a fight with Lunian.. or Ama... "...Melody brought in another hunter. He looks quite like Ashiya." ..When? And why haven't you heard anything about it? "What?! Shiya doesn't even have any family! what are you even getting at?" Lunian glares at Ama, then you.. you just sort of straighten in place. "Hey! Don't just ignore me! Where did you see him!?" "..When you have the chance, You should ask that.. useless mentor of yours. He'll probably have the paperwork lying around. I know what I saw." ..Mean! "You have no more reason to be here, do you?" [["We'll look around some more."->About lun]] [["No.. Thank you."]]

"I did.. Celosi took care of it." eugh.. You grimace, waiting for her to continue, yet she.. doesn't, not really. "Just tell us what happened! we don't wanna be here either!" "..It's supposed to be Lions Tongue's season." "The ones in my garden have gone missing.. Stolen, I assumed.. But, Celosi asked if I keot a journal, I did. and apparently I sold them to Ashiya." "Here." She hands you a journal with the same, incomprehensible cursive. The part you can read, (only because she pointed it out) is copied into your journal. (set: $lunsold to true) [["Thanks.." ->About lun]]

"Ok." ..... ... .. •(if:visits is 2)["I heard you the first time."] =-=;; [[Back->About lun]]

There is a tree.. bed? a tree house but reallly small up there. Maybe if Lunian wanted to sleep in here.. A sundial is angled neatly in one of the branches.. (if: $haswatch is true)[..it's ahead a couple of hours, compared to celosi's watch.] You think of the baking experience you get at the attic of the office. You're not sure what type of person would want that.. x10. this is a green house, isnt it? ...Maybe you should put some potted plants in your room. [[Back->Enter!]]

It's late.. (print:$susname) is called in. A metal cuff, A single question, A set of right and wrong answers.. There's only so many ways this can go wrong.. What is (print:$susname)'s Arcana? (input-box:2bind $A,"=XX=") [[press.->p1]]

(print:$susname) Sighs a quick breath of relief. "I don't see how that relates to me." Celosi shakes his head no, as well. ..Rough. Okay, We can try again. [[Press again.->AC]] [[Let it go..]]

Storm.. is the horse's name. "He's sleeping." "I thought horses slept standing up!" "They do. They sleep lying down, too. Storm knows it's safe here." Ama poked at the mane of the beast, and ran her hands through its hair. "..it's got better hair than I do." "You would not believe the quality of the washes they have for him in the city." You reach to pat down your own hair. Maybe you should consider a career change... into a travelling merchant's horse. [[back->"Can you show us your cart?"]]

Melody's found a seat on their cart, twirling the key to it's wares in their hand. "I like storm and his friends, but I'd rather not spend all day in the barn.. Go on, ask. I'll tell you what I know." [["Suspicious orders?"]] [["Do you like our town?"]] [["Do you ever ferry people into Leodore?"]] (set: $melplus to true) [[Back->"Can you show us your cart?"]]

⋆The cloak smells faintly of wine, and the packages sits heavy in your hands. ..You don't have a great feeling about this. Unwrapping it, you find.. Celosi's books. More importantly, the ones about curses and how they were cast, historically. ... You tuck the books back into your bag.. Ama glances between you and peeks her head out at melody. You do too, cause now's a better time than any to ask. You let Melody know exactly what you just found. "..Ah. Well, that makes me look suspicious, doesn't it?" It does.. a little. "If I had to hide something, I'd keep it in the cart." ..You nod, letting Melody have a soft sigh of relief. But this piece of evidence is noted. (set: $lostbooks to true) [[back->"Can you show us your cart?"]]

You pick up a pack of candy. "No.. doll, don't tell me you wanted to see my cart just to get candy after I close?" Melody sighs, walking over. "It's two coin." (if: $coincount > 2)[ You hand them over, promptly. Ama is already snatching the bag out from your hands. You pout. It's a little retribution for the stress you were put under for taking care of those plates. (set: $coincount to $coincount - 2) [[back->cart]] ] (else:)[.. you dont have enough. "..doll. its- just take it." Melody tries to take you seriously, Ama does not. Through giggles, she goes through her own pockets and pays for the candy. "Oh, but you can't have any!" "Your sweet tooth's gonna have to wait.. untill Celosi pays for your work." You shrink.. these two get along quite well... you don't know if that's good for you. [[back->cart]] ]

⋆You scrape a piece of the dried stain off the cart. It seems to be some kind of paste.. smells like medicine. Maybe the last person who was ferried got.. hurt? You bring the idea up to melody, who shakes their head. "If someone was hurt, I'd probably tie them down like the fragile boxes.. If I had to do that, you'd hear about it." Melody does love complaining.. (set: $cartstain to true) You note this down. [["You really don't remember?"]] [[back->"Can you show us your cart?"]]

⋆"..No, not really. Celosi wanted textbooks.. for you." Yes, you know this. "I guess, Ashiya's a regular, and has been buying all of my tea, but that's cause he tries so hard to stay awake, you know?" "..Library girl ordered a ton of new books for the collection, recently..." They shrugged, nothing strikes them as suspicious, but you do mark this information down. "Ooh, Melody!?" "Yeah, sweetheart?" "What kinda books do you think Calliope likes? what.. kinds did she ask for for?" "She asked for encyclopedias." "..ooh." (set: $melorders to true) Poor Ama.. you don't even know what to get a girl like that. [[back->abmel]]

"No! not a bit. It gets mushy when it rains, the infrastructure is few and far between, really, The city is where I thrive." "Don't you come from the city, newbie? I live here, and I'm boredm like all the time." ...why did you even bother to ask? "But.. leodore houses some of the prettiest faces I've seen. It's home to prettier hearts." "Aaawh~! That's so nice!" Ama.. do not fall for it. These kinds of people will break your heart! "That includes your, doll. Though you really could use a haircut.. get that out of your eyes." "Yeah.. how do you even see through that, newbie?!" You won't let them get to you!! your hair is precious! [[back->abmel]]

⋆"Yes, Though not often do people have reason to make their way up here.. Some visit their family, some come for the mysterious beauty in the glass house and are sorely dissapointed." "Yeah, cause they get cursed!" "Lunian just hates children, sweetheart." "But I'm mature for my age!" "Still a child." You're amazed at how blunt Melody can be with Ama.. how are they so good with children?! "Eitherway.. Theres not alot of reasons for people to come up here if they're *not* a hunter, a med student, or just plain lonely." Has there been any recent suckers like that? (set: $melferry to true) "No, unfortunately, your case is probably isolated in this town." [[back->abmel]]

[[A big window->tutwin]] sits behind the sheriff's chair, looking over the town houses. A fancy shelf with leans on one wall of the office. in the open shelf, are heft history [[books->tutbook]] and some decor. A bottle of wine sits ontop of the shelf.. maybe for when you guys successfully bust the witch. Below it in it's [[drawers]] are notes, assorted junk.. [[back->investigate ]] [[Talk to celosi..]]

Celosi is thumbing through his paperwork.. "So, just letting you know, this is interrogation. You have different things you could ask me, as a hunter, and as a normal person." "Don't try to play to my personality, just talk alot, is my advice." Wow, what terrible advice, if you dislike talking.. [["That's kinda bad advice.."]] [["How.. are you?"]] [["Who's the witch?"]]

"Well, I'm not the best witch hunter." wow, so his pride only comes through when it's convienient to him.. "It's not as if you're a kid. Witch hunting is about understanding folk.. that skill you can build with good people." "You have lots of room to mess about. Don't worry, just start trying." ..Okay, now that's a little better advice. [[Talk to celosi..]]

"Oh, good. You?" ..... You pout. wheres the evidence in this?! "What, can't small talk?" No. [[Talk to celosi..]]

"...A bit too forward, but sure. The witch is.. someone in this town. I've got a list of suspects right here." He pats his pocket, smiling at you. "Though, Before we discuss that, I want to hear your thoughts, first." Here comes the mentor program.. [[Talk.->tutorial]]

A big, semi circle window that overlooks the neighbourhood where most of the townfolk live. The windowsill has dust and cup-stains on it... *"Nice view, isn't it?"* It is. "If you ever get locked out, this is always unlocked." ...the height of the window to the ground is enough to break atleast your ankles.. you don't think you can climb up that way. Celosi think's he's sooo funny. [[back ->office]]

Yes, the old reliables of witch hunting.. miscellaneous textbooks. They're dusty as hell, and some of these are much, much older editions than the ones Celosi got you.. That's interesting, but doesn't seem to be anything celosi wanted yout to- "Write it down, anyways." You freeze in place, rolling your eyes. Right.. note everything of interest, you suppose. [[back->office]]

⋆(if:visits is 1)[You open the drawers, digging through the files to find.. a handful of silver coins! Celosi smiles, ah, maybe that's what he wanted you to find.. what are you.. some kid? "Allowance. You've found the important piece of evidence." Hey! don't say that! You do pocket the coins, though. (set:$coincount to 3) "Investigation is hit or miss, but sometimes, red herrings are worth keeping.. so why don't you check things out, and then run them by me?" ..oh, so you have to interogate him, too. [[back->office]] ] (else:)[There were coins here, now theres not. "They're comemorative, by the way." Wh- now you don't wanna spend them! [[back->office]] ]

You hear it, the silence that follows the struggle much, much louder than your footsteps down the creaky wood stairs, or the clatter and thuds of books followed by a weak- unfished shout at your name. And you see that #Celosi is on the floor. A small puddle of red is seeping out from under him... You don't catch anything of the assailant but an open door. [[chase assailant]] [[help celosi]] [[panic]]

"Hi, if you're checking out books, sign here, if you're bothering me, then give me a minute." She leans over some book, setting a clock of some kind back in time. [["..What do you think about your friends?"]] [["Has anyone taken out any suspicious books?"]] [["What are you working on?"]] (if: $madama is true)[.. [[Can you get into the belltower?]] ] [[Let her work.->Research at the Library.]]

"Robin is a push over, Ama is a little dense." ..and it looks like Calliope is just straight up blunt.. "They'll both do really amazing things, if they had more time.. thats what my mom says. I think they'll just be okay." You wait for a beat, before realizing that you are not included in this list..? :( No, well, you suppose you're not really a kid. "I don't really make friends, I do my own thing, usually.. but those two stuck to me. It's cool of them." You can somewhat relate to being lugged around places. "You're not annoying. Melody is though." Cannot agree more. [[back->Talk to calliope.]]

"..Nah. No one took out how to curse people 101. Only people that came in recently was you, Ama and robin, And lunian. Melody brought in a shipment but they don't read." {(if:$madama is not true)[ Ama blinked at something in that account, something confusing her.]} ..Not alot of people in this town read, huh! "Melody's books are usually more interesting, so i guess they just read by the cart." Right.. this place is full of,, encyclopedia and history. Youd imagine there's not alot of witch fanatics in town. Wait, even Celosi doesn't come in to read? "Well, before he got bodyslammed, he did ask me about the same thing you did. Said if he brought any more books home, he'd have to change jobs." ..Is he joking...? anyways, this is noted. [[back->Talk to calliope.]]

"Code. It's a secret thing me, Ama and Robin are learning." She tapped absentmindedly at the table. "You can look, if you want." there is a smugness in there that you don't apreciate, what would she do if you actually did understand the code?? You pout at the little librarian. [[back->Talk to calliope.]]

"...the.. belltower? Uh, no." Calliope twirled a thin braid in her hair. You stare, and she looks back up at you, an "ugh" expression creeping up on her face. Fine, if she wants the context, she'll get it. You tell her of the whole thing with ama, and she doesn't seem to be too bothered by it. "Sounds like.. she doesn't want you to see her? or anyone, really." Yeah, You know! -still, you feel as if you- or she,.. one of you owes the other an apology. It's complicated. "Well. we don't need you to baby sit us.. but if you wanna get up, here." She kicks a drawer open, picking up a small.. key sized box with a lock picking hook of somekind. "Key's in there. go." You fumble with the box tossed your way, and you realize.. that this intricate design.. mean that this was a puzzle. What. [[...do the sidequest.]]

(if:visits is 1)[You take a seat down infront of calliope, for spite.. and also for hints, just.. incase you need it. you probably wont.] The box is made of intricate metal, so you probably can't crack it open, and also, you think that would lose you vibe points with the children. So.. you examine the puzzle.. it's simple enough. There are three slots that a triangle knob can slide into. #"You need to use 4 moves to get to the right slot." Thanks, Calliope. You really are developing a fear of teenage girls now.. In a four by four grid, the knob can only move horizontally and vertically. (hotdog and hamburger style).. If the knob starts on the first row, last column, A4, and takes 4 moves minimum to get to.. then the solution is.. ..{(live:60s)[So.. wait.. if the grid looks like.. . . . V . x . . . x . . . x . . ] ..(live: 90s)[and.. you.. . . . V . v v v . x . . . x . . ...that's three... ]} [[B2]] [[C2]] [[D2]]

Calliope laughs a little. "nope. not that one. that's the trick solution." She isn't even looking at you! she's counting the amount of clicks it took you to get to the slot, and apparently, this one isn't it. Now you're stuck here.. you pass the box over to calliope, and she shrugs. "Oh, it's locked. gotta wait.. a minute." What. "Yeah. you can't wait 60 seconds?" It better start now. like right now, right now. ..(live: 10s)["It's probably better this way. give you and Ama some time to chill. sometimes she gets all pissy about things.. you have to give someone space." You cannot believe a child is lecturing you.] ..(live: 30s)["Though she's hanging out with you a lot. So she probably doesn't hate you.. if you were worried about that." ... this is hell. You hope it's halfway through, atleast. ] ..(live: 50s)["When you talk to her later, thank her for the lock mech. She tried brute strengthing my puzzle, so I put in an anti-cheat." ..you check your non-existant watch, Calliope chuckles. "Sorry to keep you here, hunter. But Ama's stronger than you think.. you could leave her alone for a little." ] (live:60s)[ [[..retry.->...do the sidequest.]] ]

A click sounds through the box, revealing.. ..nothing but intracate gears and cogs. It pops open with a little music box jaunt. You stare at Calliope, worried that this is another part of a puzzle to unlocking the belltower, but she grins as you crack it open. "Okay.. hold on." Reaching for a keyring just hung under the desk, she circles around the reception and walks ahead. "Let's go talk to her.. unless you have something else you want to do." You facepalm.. (set: $hascal to true) [[..go check on Ama.->Follow?]] [[go someplace else.->invest home]]

Calliope laughs a little. "nope. not that one." She isn't even looking at you! she's counting the amount of clicks it took you to get to the slot, and apparently, this one isn't it. Now you're stuck here.. you pass the box over to calliope, and she shrugs. "can't reset it. you gotta wait for a minute." What. "Yeah. you can't wait 60 seconds?" It better start now. like right now, right now. ..(live: 10s)["If you're bad at puzzles, then you'll have to give someone space." You cannot believe a child is lecturing you.] ..(live: 30s)["Though she's hanging out with you a lot. So she probably doesn't hate you.. if you were worried about that." ... this is hell. You hope it's halfway through, atleast. ] ..(live: 50s)["When you talk to her later, thank her for the lock mech. She tried brute strengthing my puzzle, so I put in an anti-cheat." ..you check your non-existant watch, Calliope chuckles. "Sorry to keep you here, hunter. But Ama's stronger than you think.. you could leave her alone for a little." ] (live:60s)[ [[..retry.->...do the sidequest.]] ]

⋆More like a thick, phone book styled journal that Calliope writes into.. Ah. you run a hand along the newer pages, and it seems someone ripped out a good few pages of it's contents. You can't tell who took out what.. for the past month..! "..Yeah, someone ripped it all out, but I could get atleast the week after that's list. Read how to do this in a novel. here." Passing you a piece of paper.. just absouloutely COVERED in soot- or.. charcoal, Calliope grinned. Ama tilts her head, not sure what she's so proud of. You have an idea. ..the indents where the pen met the paper doesn't have charcoal.. and.. It seems, Lunian and Robin took out books. Robin with stage magic 101.. Lunian with witch lore.. but just one out of the sets. "Though, Lunian's book isn't late yet.. I don't know who took the other one." (set: $reservation to true) ..interesting. noted. [[back->Research at the Library.]]

A pile of glass and metal and cogs rests somewhere under the clock, either cannibalized, or just in the same sort of aesthetic sphere. There is a cog dog in there, and some sort of mechanical cog thing with a set of lightbulbs on it. "..My projects." Calliope picks up the lightbulb set, and leaves one on the table infront of you. Ama seems excited to hear the story, again. "Oh, it's actually really, really cool, newbie!" You raise an eyebrow, letting the girls pitch this idea to you. "So.. this wire sends the data collected from here.. and this side of the plate receives that data and inks it into this strip of paper." "Cal says she can probably make it like, electrical!" "It's limited, and I can't fit the whole alphabet onto here, but binary is more than enough to spell things out.. it's just a bit more complicated." Pressing a stylus onto a copper plate, the lightbulbs flash.. .... .. / .- -- .- (set: $calplus) [[...what?!]]

A big clock sits behind Calliope, who held a set of professional, metal.. tweezy things.. "-Yeah, The tension must be wrong somewhere, I'm guessing one of the springs snapped, so it's a miracle this thing is even running." "S..so it's- tension..?" "It got old. kinda like how you can bust your back." "Oooh!" ..you feel a bit weird for eaves dropping, but you do poke at the clock some. (if: $haswatch is true)[..Oddly.. the time matches Celosi's stopwatch.] noted. [[back->Research at the Library.]]

Ama nods along, giggling at their secret code, before passing the sheet over to you. "I can understand that, so I think it's really cool. If we had a reeeeally long wire, this could like, let us talk even if we're not next to eachother!" ??you can't understand it. "I'm still working on making it better, It's been spitting out a lot of junk that I don't remember writing. Probably messed up some input from Ama's end." "Haha, hey!" You.. you can try to crack the conversations between these girls. you guess? [[pile of code]] [[back->Research at the Library.]]

.... . ... / --. --- .. -. --. / .-- .... . .-. . / .... --- -- . / --- / -. --- / .... .- .... .- / .-- .- -. - . -.. / - --- / - .- .-.. -.- / -- --- .-. . / .-- . / -.-. .- -. / - --- -- --- .-. .-. --- .-- / ... .- -.. / ..-. .- -.-. . / .-- .- .. - / .... . ... / -.-. --- -- .. -. --. / -... .- -.-. -.- / ... .. --. -. . -.. / -- .. --. .... - / -.-. --- -- . / - --- -- --- .-. / .... . .-.. .-.. --- / -.. .. -.. / .. - / -... .-. . .- -.- / -.-. .- .-.. / .- .- .- .- .- .- .- .- .- .- / -.-. .- .-.. / -.-. .- .- .- .- .- .- .- .- .- / .- .- .- .- .- .- .- .- .- .- / .- .- .- .- .- .- .- .- .- .- / -.-- .- / ..- / --- -.- / -.-- .- / .- .-.. ... --- / .... . ... / --. --- .. -. --. / .-- .... . .-. . / .... --- -- . / --- / -. --- / .... .- .... .- ...wow. what a pile of nonsense. you ask to keep the print. Ama is violently against this idea. Calliope doesn't mind. (set: $morse to true) Notes wrangled from ama, put into journal. [[back->Research at the Library.]]

The alleys are mysterious and winding, with clothelines and forgotton stuffs strewn about them, usually. If you're lucky, you can find a [[cat]]. In your walking around, you begin to notice something strange.. Specific types of graffiti, and red bracelets of.. wick? tied around doorknobs and left on windowsills. "Actually-" Following you two as you walked about the neighbourhood.. Robin speaks up, tugging your sleeve. "I found.. this weird circle somewhere by the back of your office." "When?!" Ama jumps. "-oh, last week." "Gggraah!" Ama punches the air. ...so. it is outside the time period where Celosi got.. jumped. Still, that might be an interesting thread you'd like to follow. [[back->look around more..]] [[Circle]]

"Ah.. I have chores to do!" Robin sighed, pushing the laundry basket in your direction. "..Magician's duties." With a nod, he tries to escape you two, but Ama cuts him off, and you give him a pleading look. "-I'd really like to help, but I don't really know anything.. oh, unless you're thinking about my cards? My cards couldn't actually help you, A lot of fortune telling is just projecting-" "Robin!!! Rule number one, dude, a magician-" "Never shares his secretes.. Oops... I- If you want, I can still.. try?" You briefly consider the look Celosi might give you if you told him your evidence came from a kid's cards. Well.. it can't hurt to have some hints.. as leads, even. [["Who do you think is the witch?"]] [["Why.. is this happening?"]] [["What kind of magic does the witch use?"]] [["We'll look around a bit."->Search around for Arcana.]]

^-^ (owo). . . . Like that one. [[back->look around more..]]

Robin seems perks up at your interest, and quickly shuffle some laundry out of his hands. "--right- uh, It is a little ridiculous, though.." "Confidence, rob! You're onto something!" "-Yes ma'am." Leading you and ama down a path, the three of you end up at a dead end somewhere under the office. Here, little trenches are dug under the buildings.. Otherwise, when it rains, it tends to flood. And Robin ushers you under the building.. "..You might wanna un-roll your sleeves. theres cats down here.." "Eugh.. Newbie, you're going in there?" "Ama get's antsy when it gets dark, heheh." Robin teased, knowing Ama can't reach him. "Newbie, smack him!" "Please don't!" ..You are also a bit too big for the trench.. but here goes nothing. [[Trench!]]

"I'll give you a card, but don't.. accuse someone just because of it, allright?!" "I'll make sure Newbie doesn't jump to conclusions like that!" ..Ama sure thinks she has an awful lot of authority over you! Not even setting his basket down, Robin reaches towards his card deck in his pocket, and flips something out from in his sleeves. "..King of hearts." It sure is that card. "..A king reigns alone, and a king reigns stubbornly. Hearts represent love and relationships.. Or you could read it literally.. and assume they're very charming.. or healthy! This card is.. also red..?" "..You can go a bit more specific than that, can't you?" "I don't know who the witch is, Ama.." [["..thanks, robin."->Approach Robin.]]

"I dunno.." "What a heavy handed question to ask a kid. newbie." Ama is making an impression of Celosi. It's bad.. Not even setting his basket down, Robin reaches towards his card deck in his pocket, and flips something out from in his sleeves. "..Ace of spades." It sure is that card. "..Aces represent pursuit and power.. Spades represent the strange and irregular, and the.. magical. So.. you're looking for something you once knew, yet strange.. In your pursuit, you'll encounter setbacks, many, many times.. As is the trial of an Ace." "-We *are* looking for something, Robin. That's a really obvious reading." "Oops! I-I forgot I was supposed to read for the witch! ..let me reword that!" "No- no.. we get it." [["..thanks, robin."->Approach Robin.]]

"Okay.. Gimme a sec." shutting his eyes, Robin mutters a series of adjectives and adverbs to describe mysterious things. You suddenly lose some faith in the legitamacy of this. "Let him focus." Not even setting his basket down, Robin reaches towards his card deck in his pocket, and flips something out from in his sleeves. "..5 of clovers." It sure is that card. "..5 is.. half of 10!" "....and???" Robin stuffs the card back into his pocket, taking a beat. "Uneven, hard to split, but easy to multiply. Clovers represent truth and history.. When I think of 5.. i think of it as half of 10. So.. I think the witch's power might have to do with removing something.." "That was.. really good!" Ama cheers! ..yeah, if only that came a bit more smoothely. [["..thanks, robin."->Approach Robin.]]

Leodore is a mountainside villa. Despite that, the slope is gentle and long, and minor dips in elevation can make for floods.. So, usually buildings have a little trench under them, so the water has a place to drain to. And also, stray cats have a place to rest. [[back->look around more..]]

It's.. dark, obviously. This place also seems to lead to an alley back into the square, as you hear the cats scamper into some folk back upstairs. The sunlight streaming in dies off quickly, and in the shadows, a few hisses and scampering paws sound away from you, leaving you to do your research. A line of [[wick]], forms a circle on the ground, about man sized.. with scrawls of writing on the floor, in the dirt. "..I hope, that was helpful." Robin shifted in place, following the wick absentmindedly. "I'm not as brave as Ama, or nearly as smart as Calliope.. but, I come here to feed the strays... and.. I found this." You sigh, patting Robin on his head. less as a gesture of kindness (he is apreciated, but-) more so cause theres more to this. Evidence noted. (set: $robplus to true) [[get outta here. -> out!]]

Scampering back up, Ama grimaces at the two of you being covered in dust and dirt. "Wow. You guys got into more dirt than even I usually do!" That was surprisingly more useful than you'd thought.. "..I'm glad." "Dude, you're a huge help! Like verns jr!" "I'm pretty sure Mr.Verns can actually read minds.." "So can you!" ..You leave the kids to it, as you sweep dirt off your outfit.. what next? [[look around more..]] [[go somewhere else->invest home]]

The neighbourhood is composed mostly of a pale coloured, brick [[buildings]]. Most are single floor, and you doubt lots of doors here are locked. Some paths lead to nowhere, and some [[alleys]] lead right back into the square, the crevices of the neighbourhood a result of people taking shortcuts to get to the bustle. stray [[cats->cat]] also love to hang around here. Robin and Ama are talking about basic magic tricks.. Robin is.. showing Ama a card trick with just one hand.. he has a laundry basket. It's kinda impressive. [[leave->invest home]] [[About Robin..->Approach Robin.]]

You squat and examine the string for some time, but figuring the whole bundle would be too much to take with you. Instead, what's more interesting is the writing in the dirt around the circle. A lot of it is scratched out, and rushed.. but it's not alien. It's script you recognize. ...Robin grimaces, and walks along the circle with you. And you two start reading the letters out, with you recording them in your journal. #Li ---- zloo qrw uhzlqg #wkhq ohw wklv ursh sxoo wkhp wkuhh vwhsv edfnzdugv #dqg ---- wkhvh zdnlqj qljkwpduhv d--- "..the cats must've scratched up some of the words." Robin shrunk, trying again to trace over the letters on the ground. You think this is more than enough to work with.. "Is.. is this related to the witch?" ...yes. It likely is. (set: $wick to true) [[head back->Trench!]]

⋆"..No, doll." Melody didn't seem to expect you to press, but they shake their head. "Not proud to say it, but my memory's been shoddy this past week.." You nod, not pressing anymore. Not like you'll get it out of them that way. "But I suppose you've seen enough of me today? I should be on my way back, Whitley needs a bard." Ama chuckles, and you sigh, nodding. You'll know where to find them, if you do need to. "I'll be heading back to the city tonight, and I'll come in tomorrow. So, if you have news for me, make it this afternoon." noted. (set: $melschedule to true) With a quiet thanks, and a louder thanks from Ama, you head off. [[..next plan. ->Investigate home]]

#Leodore's Witch Hunt. (text-colour:(hsl:0,1,0.8294,0.5))[[[content warnings: SPOILERS!]] [[Gamer notes.]] ] This white space contorts, beckoning. (text-colour:(hsl:0,1,0.8294,0.5))[[[Start.->Start!]] ]

! Highlight the text to read ! (text-colour:black)+(bg:black)[Parental death, Parental Neglect, Bluntforce trauma, Head Injury, Memory loss] [[back->Dream Sequence]]

This page is advice on how to proceed and play this interactive game! 1) When you see this -> ⋆ <- there is a variable being saved! If there is a [[back->Dream Sequence]] button, use it! This saves the variables! if you use the undo button, on the top left of the screen, you'll lose the evidence you just found! 2) Check your journal! Check it all the time and compare notes! ^^ This is also good practice for making sure you actually got evidence you were supposed to! 3) Use grammar!!! Even if the author's grammar is scattered, when there comes a command prompt, I will assume you capitalize the keywords! 4) The save/load game function only contains one save slot, but you can quit, and replay the game, so long as you don't clear your browser cache, it should have saved where you left off. If you want it, remember to pick up the cursed book! 5)When you see this -> • <- feel free to wait at, or revisit this passage! i might have left something there ;) And finally: ?) Go easy on me plz: this is my first proper game, and it'll see more care when i have the time to detail it out more! Please enjoy! [[back->Dream Sequence]]

A voice. Or maybe something different. You wake up in the middle of the night, a heavy weight pressing down on you.. And in your mess of a room, you see it call out to you. Your journal. But it's not *yours,* is it? It's heavier than you remember, even if you've never even picked it up. [[touch]]

(print:$name).. that's you. Recently cursed by a book, you believe.. unsure what that means for me, or if you should search about it at all. (if: $haswatch is true)[Right now, you have ashiya's watch. It's out of time, behind by about.. 3 hours?] (if: $coincount > 0)[ You have coins in your pocket. You wonder how they got there.] •(live: 30s)[You don't tell anyone, but you do really like bitter foods.]

Ama's friend. Little magician. •(if: $knowsrob is true)[Ama and Calliope's friend. He's a bit shy, but once he gets into an act, begins to loosen up and can be quite convinving in reading people, or telling fortunes.] •(if: $robplus is true)[He's a sweet boy, who's a bit self-conscious about himself, but his kindness carries him a long way. He's been feeding the strays. They would probably kill for him.]

Ama's other friend. ..She's pretty quiet. •(if: $knowscal is true)[Ama and Robin's friend. Smart, and works at the library. Family business of some sorts.] •(if: $calplus is true)[Little genius, that makes light appear with the touch of a button. She tinkers her own puzzles and honestly scares you. Teenagers are insane.. Seems to be very close with Ama. The two trust eachother.]

......"charming." They're a travelling merchant that seems to like leodore. •(if: $knowsmel is true)[Merchant that the kids like. You think of them as someone whos a bit egotistical.. But, They don't let their confidence bother other people.. so it is the mildest bit endearing.] •(if: $melplus is true)[They care for their horse. And they're somehow really, really good with children. Ama and them got along swimmingly.. They're quite out there with the dolls and darlins, but you got used to nicknames on your ride here. ]

Mentor. Used to look up to him, I heard about his busts while I was in school. Despite our mimimal age difference, he was doing a lot more than i was. He was also famous. •(if: $knowscel is true)[A lazy cat type of character in town.. Honestly, he just walks around, makes conversation, and then goes "I've actually solved it last week". It's infuriating... You wanna be like that someday.] •(if: $celplus is true)[Celosi is actually just.. slow to work. You can tell he's really been brought down by the recent development. Maybe he doesn't like losing progress... ] •(if: $celpp is true)[His mothers either became witches or were killed by the, Celosi was left alone, and so he trained to become a hunter, in order to find them. He has a pocket watch to remember them by. You hope grieving is easier for him.]

Doctor. •(if:$knowsashiya is true)[Ama's brother. Not too surprised, just that they don't look too similar. Nice to everyone, but strict on Ama. is what they say.] •(if: $ashplus is true)[An easy going, older brother figure. Not that you see him as one, but you get the feeling he wants to be relied on, but not too much. Studying medicine currently, and likes black tea.]

Gardener. •(if: $knowslun is true)[Mean woman.. Would guess that she just hates kids, though. The children call her a witch, which.. you find to be a bit harsh.] •(if: $lunplus is true)[Wow, nevermind. That woman is actually very snarky and outwardly mean. It might be because Ama was with you, but the whole interaction had you sweating. She seems to know alot about plants and medicine.]

Chef. •(if: $knowswhi is true)[Farmer, and the bar owner! Big lady who makes good grilled cheese, and apparently had melody head over heels. that's what the kids are saying. you don't know.] •(if: $whiplus)[The kids are riiight. Damn it. Whitley is a really strong woman and quite outgoing. You like her energy, and she's very postive. You.. will hold her to a free drink someday.]

Double-click this passage to edit it.

⋆You squat down to get a better look at the brick, and noticing something red within the cracks of the brick.. String? it's impossible to fish out from the cracks of the bricks, and you would need to uproot the whole layer of brick to get it out.. The strange thing is that it seems to form a circle around the whole square. There's a *lot* of wick, here. Maybe it's for a town festival coming up..? (set: $redstring to true) noted. [[back->Ask around at the square.]]

Ama catches on. And is already several steps ahead of you. Blending into the hustle and bustle, Ama leers over Robin, raising her arms.. and goes.. "RUWGHAWHGHWHGH!" "Oh, hey Ama!" Robin grins, scooting to the side. The cats go wild.. and Ama gets quite a few stares from passerby's. "Hi, (print: $name)! Ah.. I.. Is there something you want?" Ama rolls her eyes, and squats down by robin, getting her hands on a shellshocked cat, who is still reeling from that show of dominance. Well, now that the clarvoyant child is here.. might as well ask for some hints. [["We're asking if anyone was acting suspicious."]] [["We're looking around for clues.. definitive evidence."]] [["Nothing. just wanted to say hi."]]

You try to catch people's attention, but you end up wandering around aimlessly, and getting complimented by aunties and housewives. It's a weird investigation. "About a person in a hood? I don't remember any of that, I wasn't out here yesterday, witches and all. id hate to be cursed!" "Hun, Most of us in the town live down by the houses. The square's mostly where we set up shop." "Oh, except that Lunian, I don't think she was home yesterday!" Ofcourse, since Ama with you, you also found that.. "Oh, That Ashiya is all too nice, isn't he? He made some sweet congee for me the other day! said it'll help my back." "Oh, he's grown so much.. Remember when he was just a boy? Now he's a proper gentle man.. A doctor, no less! i remember when we used to have to go into the city... Or rely on Lunian.." "He's just such a sweetheart, he works so hard for him and little Ama, you know how lucky you are, little girl?" Ashiya is pretty popular with the old ladies... [[back->Ask around at the square.]]

"Huhm.. Well--" "Lunian is aaalways suspicious." "That, and.. honestly, Ashiya's been out a lot more.. right?" Robin lets a kitty nibble at his finger, passing some fish to Ama. "..Yeah, he has. whatever, he probably got sick of dealing with me all the time." "Mn.. It is.. what's it called? The season where all the red flowers pop up. maybe he's trying to get a leg up on Lunian." Ah.. red flowers.. Maybe you should go ask about that. [["Thanks, robin."->Jump Robin.]]

"Ahw..." Robin lets a kitty nibble at his finger, before reaching somewhere into his pockets.. and then he beckons you over. "hold this." He stuffs a coin into your hand, and then.. boom! it appears from behind your ear. "..Here you go!" Robin gives you one coin. You feel.. pitied. While you're staring at the coin in your open pal, Ama snatches it away, and Robin grins from ear to ear, magically holding the coin in his palm. ....This is somehow worse than getting pitied. "I think.. you're asking the wrong person.. I don't live out here, unlike these ladies." He says, scratching a tabby behind the ears. "..You should ask a different lady that does.. maybe?" Ama doesn't seem to catch on.. Oh, but she's not exactly gonna be pleased to go to that glass house. [["Thanks, robin."->Jump Robin.]]

"..Hi." Robin grins at you. The kitties also wave. or writhe under Ama's relently ruffle. It's nice. •(live: 8s)["Oh! Ama, guess what? you should see my new trick."] •(live: 9s)["..Another one? What do you have up your sleeve now?"] •(live: 11s)["Ahaheh.. hold on, he's got a temper."] •(live: 11s)[Robin picks up a piece of fish he was feeding to the cats, and does a trick, one where he pretends to shape it in his hand.. and when he pulls them apart-] •(live:16s)["UWGH!-"] •(live:17s)[Ama jumps, and you turn, immediately doing the same thing. Yeah. there is..] •(live: 20s)[a whole rat.] •(live: 20s)["IMMEDIATELY PUT HIM BACK!"] •(live: 22s)["Hey! He doesnt bite...!"] •(live: 23s)["HE IS A RAT!!"] •(live:26s)[...maybe you've seen enough.] [[leave->Ask around at the square.]]

⋆"Ashiya. No one else has use for these. They're great for longevity and bloodflow, but you'll need a distiller to work it into anything useful, medicinally speaking." "How did you just *forget* you sold it to Shiya?! You're wasting our time!!" "Child, You make it sound as if I hate you more than I hate anyone else in this town. And this is already sorted, isn't it? If you have a problem, take it up with whoever bashed Vern's head in." You put a hand on Ama's shirt collar, holding her back like an angry chihuahua. ..and what happens to the rest of the plant? "..You were listening? Well, it becomes mulch. I usually burn them.. But some people use the remaining liquid as dye. Some make wine. or paper, or dye fabric. It's a pretty hue, no?" Yeah.. it's a very specific shade of red. (set: $lionsupdate to true) [[Back->Enter!]]

The kiln is warm, the dark metal soaking up the warmth of the sun. It reminds you of the attic,, and how you should really start sleeping with the windows open. Looking in, there certainly is a lot of ash in there. Besides the kiln is a chair, a white crystal like pillar seated in the velvet cushion. Under it are containers, respectively of salt, water.. and limestone. Ama pouts, putting her grubby hands on just about every surface she can, untill she comes away the crystal thing with.. dust on her hand. Fine, white grain that feels awfully like... "Are you making *chalk?!*" "Oh, yes. I was." "--You- you're the witch!" "Ugh." Lunian puts a hand to her forhead. You take a step infront of Ama, a resolve on your shoulders. Whatever happened to celosi, is not happening again. You would like to avoid jumping to conclusions, also. [["Explain, please."]]

⋆Lunian walks past you, to Ama's alarm, and softly takes a seat by her tea table. The woman lets out a long, tired sigh. "For one. That chalk is not for writing, it is for my plants." ..Ama lets her speak, arms crossed. "Call it magic, if you'd like. Lime is an earthen element that grounds my soil. Leodore's dirt leans towards the water element, which can be harsh on my flowers, especially the ones in pots." "Check with Whitley, or your little girlfriend, if you'd like." "I! Hey!-" That makes Ama go red... with either embaressment, or rage. Whichever. ..Even if that may be a good defense.. you touch at the pillar of chalk, chipping off a piece to put in your bag. "Do as you will." You might. (set: $lunchalk to true) [[back->Enter!]]

⋆Ama paced here, probably with no obvious end goal in mind. so you tailed her, and taking this as a competition, the girl speeds up, and suddenly, you're chasing eachother through the courtyard. "TH-eheheh! stop! what is this?!" Ama scrambles up ladder over the wall, where you can't get her... damn! "If you wanna catch me, you'll have to age backwards, you're past your prime, newbie!" how incredibly rude. "Can't get me! you'd break your old old bones if you fell over!" As you aproach the ladder to climb up the wall, you notice a red splatter against it. huh.. Candle wax. easily reaching a hand to grab Ama's ankle, you get a screechy giggle as she wiggles out of your evil grasp, hopping off and away. You hear her jogging back around the wall, but you keep looking the the wax splatter. Was there a fight here? (set: $waxstain to true) [[back->walk faster.]]

#Li ---- zloo qrw uhzlqg #wkhq ohw wklv ursh sxoo wkhp wkuhh vwhsv edfnzdugv #dqg ---- wkhvh zdnlqj qljkwpduhv d---

Waht?? it's bitter! it does not! taste good! why would you want this? Ashiya is staring. You need to go. now! [[Take... a handful...]] [[act normal again->walk faster.]]

Ashiya doesn't really make a move to stop you, as if he's genuinely puzzled by your thought process. "(print: $name)... You.. maybe you did hit your head." [[handful. into pocket.]] [[still time to be normal! ->walk faster.]]

(if:visits is 1)[You pocket the handful of really bitter tea. Something is incorrect with you. "D.. do you want a pouch for that?" Your pride will not let you take the pouch. But it's red, and pretty. Reluctantly, you put the handful of tealeaves in the pouch. (set: $hastea to true) Ashiya laughs, heartily, as he puts his head back into his studies.. [[go back now ->walk faster.]]] (else:)[ AGAIN!?!?!!?!?!?!?!? YOU DONT GET A POUCH THIS TIME! "The tea is special import, don't burn through it, alright?" Ashiya chuckles again. [[go back now ->walk faster.]] ]

The town's rowdy, angry little trouble maker. Friends with Robin and Calliope, Will not leave you alone. Feel kinda like a long lost sibling. hell if you'll ever let her know, though. •(if: $knowsama is true)[Ashiya's a bit strict on Ama, but really you feel she's just really rowdy, and he's setting boundaries.] •(if: $amapower is true)[Ama was a witch, when she was incredibly young, she ran away from her town and ashiya found her. Since then, the two lived off of eachother. She's trusted you enough to relay this information to you. You're a little proud, or sad about it.]

It's the Ace of hearts. ..Oh, now that's depressing. You sigh, and hold the card close, the cat in your arm swatting at it playfully. "Ama gets mad sometimes.. but she rarely blows up. And she needs some time to calm down, and it's okay for you to.. take a breather too." "This is flea.. Uh, she doesn't actually have fleas, she just jumps really high." "Yeah.. so.. stay right here.. play cards with Flea, and I'll go check on Ama, I'll be back in just a minute or two!" ...So departs little Robin, who has burdened you with a cat. (live: 5s)[(text-style:"fade-in-out")[ ^ - ^ ( oo )-- ]] (live: 15s)[(text-style:"fade-in-out")[ ^ - ^ --( oo ) ]] (live: 30s)["Hey!" "Yeah, she's okay.. just, if you go see her, you should bring. Calliope." Why isn't robin tagging along? "I'm afraid of heights, and I really don't like that tower, hahah." ...Okay. You thank the boy. [[Go to the library->Research at the Library.]] ]

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What are you going to look at? [[People]] [[Witches]] [[Investigation]]

Arcana is a witche's super power. Though history has shown that, use of the arcana only lead to worse results. For example, if a witch is cursed with the power to stop time, eventually the witch would stop the world from moving forward. There are different subclasses.. Abjuration: Banishment, Protective, Blocking magic. Enchantment: Mental, manipulative magic. Divination: Future prediction. Transmutation: The editing, shifting, and manipulating of material. Connjuration: Summoning, and creating out of thin air.

Cursing is the act of using magic to affect other human beings. To cast, A witch uses a Medium, usually an object or substance of sentimental value. This means that when a witch has access to their medium, some expamples: hair, wood, ash.. AND they are within touch range to their subject, they may curse someone. Mass scale curses have been done before, for one, a witches medium can be water, and the witch, if so chose to, has the ability to curse a whole city, if it's surrounded by water.

Witches were always a part of human history.. In recent years, a new movement of exhiling witches instead of executing them has been spearheaded by a handful of hunters.. atleast in your country. In the day and age where any ordinary person can creat light with a switch, and any modern hunter can kill with a gun, and steam engine supported carts are slowly integrated to every major city.. witchery kinda becomes less useful, than actually relying on skills and inventions.

Witchery is to theorized to have links to demonic influe Oh. you fell asleep during this class. oops.

It's so clear. Celosi stares at you, wided eyed, but you know exactly what he's going to say. Because you've been here before. countless times. The thing that drives you, that pushes you and stops you, every turn, every word.. making you wonder when was the last time they truly, truly belonged to you. What's your Arcana? (input-box:2bind $A,"=XX=") [[press.->mcp1]]

(if:$A is "time" or "Time" or "time control" or "Time travel" or "time travel")[ Celosi finally caves.. Leaning with one arm on the desk, he lowers himself into the chair across from you. And he's serious, now. Like you are. "You.. you can travel through time?" Forwards, backwards, doesn't matter, the cycles repeats, and at somepoint.. you reach the limit. Pulling a hand to his eyes, Celosi rumbles, a deep sigh. "So.. what's your medium?" This weighs heavy on him. You're almost sorry. [[...->OCMC]] ] (else:)["..Are you messing with me?" Celosi laughs, weakly, though his expression wavers. You take a breath in.. not sure if you want to carry through with this anymore.. but then again. when was the last time, that the choice was yours to make? [[Press again.->ACMC]] [[Let them go.]] ]

"What's your motive?" You shake your head.. sometime, you're not sure what you're trying to do. This town.. that you barely know but feel like have known forever. Your motive to curse it, motive to be.. would be- "Motive for *this* case (print: $name)." Celosi was practically begging. For answers, right or wrong. He stares at you, and you look clean past him. You want to say something, but the words aren't there for you to choose. You're uncomfortable, he's uncomfortable.. and there's little to do, now. Your mortive to curse this town is simple enough. (force-input-box:"=XX=","For more time.") [[press.->mcp2]]

A sigh of relied, a breath you didn't know you were holding leaves you. You feel the weight lighten. *"You're not Leodore's witch, are you?"* You shake your head.. knowing you're not the witch for this case. So why are you still here? Celosi sets a hand on your shoulder, a warm smile on his face. "..As hunters, we make tough decisions, and sometimes we don't understand how we come to conclusions." "Instead of worrying if you've become what you hunted, worry about who you'll affect with your decisions. And so long as you can keep making them.." "You'll be free from the curse. This mantra.. It's served me well." You nod.. "Why don't you get some rest, dork?" You pout.. before agreeing, going upstairs. [[Next day.]]

".." Ashiya shrinks in his place, the cuffs around his wrist clacking as he took another deep breath.. "I.. I never meant.." He begins to fray at the seams, retreating into himself.. Celosi takes a step forward and keeps a steady eye on him, his hands. "She'll be fine, right? Ama?" *"She will."* [[...->then..]]

For.. more time. Yes. Anything for more time. A morbid curiosity or a drive to seek and protect. To see, and know more about this town, to follow this mystery to it's last passages, chapters. You wanted to be here more. Even if it means locking (print: $name) here in a cycle. Celosi has no words to say. Given enough time, he eventually shakily, reaches for the cuffs and puts them around your hands. "..What is your medium?" [[Tell him the truth.]] [[Let them go.]]

It's that journal of yours. He promptly unhoods it from your body, leaving it on the desk. "..This thing." It appeared sometime while you were in leodore.. during this case. And honestly, the reason it remains unsolved.. was because you're bringing time back. it would explain the out of sync clocks, it would explain people's disjointed memories.. wouldn't it? Celosi sighs into the table, knowing that now, the decision rests on him. #"You are.. you really are.." [["A witch.."->"A witch. Our witch."]] •(live:20s)[You wait for him to make the call, and it seems like he can't just do it. And you feel the pull, here. ..the decision is still with you. [[Celosi can't choose.]] ]

You say it. And (print: $name) looks up at you, an emotion, paradoxical on their face. Grief? Joy? For once, It's hard to read. Afterall, they were never the greatest liar. ... But you hear it, feel it. The clock's ticking in your pocket, whirring softly. For you, like for them, for the witches of this town, has stopped. "..I'm sorry." They seem to realize what they did to you. You shake your head in a rumble of a chuckle, the anger quickly dissipating. Next comes bargaining.. and then the inevetable. You've been left behind before, and you won't let it happen again. "*It's alright. You're forgiven,*" You reply, the decision too easy for you to make. And the world begins to spin, once more. ..As you take (print: $name) out of it's hands. [[XXI:The World]]

Your

(print: $name) is turned in as the Witch. This is a decision. one of finality and completion.. (link: "-")[I hope you saved this very meta, interesting ending for the last of your playthroughs...] This story, like many, will continue out of sight. With the characters in it taking a brief stopping point, before they begin to change, again. Every word you write, read, will continue to have their consequences. Like the characters, you will continue to make them. Even if sometimes, they may not be yours. Thank you for playing! •(Live: 10s) [ -oh, and [[play again->start]], if you think you could do it better.]

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And the perspective once again, changes hands. *"..(print: $name)? What's going on?"* If he can't make the choice. you will. You know that you can go back. Make these choices again.. This train of thought... You hear it, loud and clear. Your very own curse. [[Restart.->start]]]

Calliope Kell's accusation is never followed through. This ending, is ultimately decided with faith, purpose.. and hope. This story, like many, is rewound to it's first chapter, yet not everything will be exactly as you remember. Calliope will still be working on her project. It may never actually get finished.. Despite the hardships, mediocore(?) writing, and seemingly impactless piece of dialouge, every word you write, read, will continue to have their consequences. You will continue to make your choices. And there are no wrong turns in a world as small as yours. Thank you for playing. And consider [[playing again->start]].

Robin Stern's accusation is never followed through. This decision, is one influenced by a magic trick. An action, of inspiration. This story, like many, is rewound to it's first chapter, yet not everything will be exactly as you remember. Robin will have to develop his magic tricks again. Despite the hardships, mediocore(?) writing, and seemingly impactless piece of dialouge, every word you write, read, will continue to have their consequences. You will continue to make your choices. And there are no wrong turns in a world as small as yours. Thank you for playing. And consider [[playing again->start]].

Melody's accusation is never followed through. The ending is one of good luck, cycles, and karma. The wheel continues to turn. This story, like many, is rewound to it's first chapter, yet not everything will be exactly as you remember. Melody will return to their schedule, and spend more time with Whitley. Despite the hardships, mediocore(?) writing, and seemingly impactless piece of dialouge, every word you write, read, will continue to have their consequences. You will continue to make your choices. And there are no wrong turns in a world as small as yours. Thank you for playing. And consider [[playing again->start]].

Whitley March's accusation is never followed through. Hard to accuse someone full of Warmth and Vitality. It influences your decision. This story, like many, is rewound to it's first chapter, yet not everything will be exactly as you remember. Whitley will remain the same, warm, energetic person she is. Despite the hardships, mediocore(?) writing, and seemingly impactless piece of dialouge, every word you write, read, will continue to have their consequences. You will continue to make your choices. And there are no wrong turns in a world as small as yours. Thank you for playing. And consider [[playing again->start]].

Lunian Pythe's accusation is never followed through. This decision, is one made relying on intuition. Knowledge is who writes this ending. This story, like many, is rewound to it's first chapter, yet not everything will be exactly as you remember. Lunian will return to her glass home, and continue to watch, quietly collecting stories to tell, accounts to give, and she will, continue to dislike children. Despite the hardships, mediocore(?) writing, and seemingly impactless piece of dialouge, every word you write, read, will continue to have their consequences. You will continue to make your choices. And there are no wrong turns in a world as small as yours. Thank you for playing. And consider [[playing again->start]].

Your own accusation is never followed through. The ending is one of beginnings, innocence, and spontanaity. You get to wake up in the attic, start anew. This story, like many, is rewound to it's first chapter, yet not everything will be exactly as you remember. Melody will return to their schedule, and spend more time with Whitley. Despite the hardships, mediocore(?) writing, and seemingly impactless piece of dialouge, every word you write, read, will continue to have their consequences. You will continue to make your choices. And there are no wrong turns in a world as small as yours. Thank you for playing. And consider [[playing again->start]].