Steam rolls off the open-air ramen stand, turning the lantern light into a hazy glow. Young Dave. steps into the crowded heat with his big sword at his side, and the whole counter seems to tighten around the noise.
Gal Incognito
And that is exactly the insult of it, I cannot even be rendered properly without some unseen hand shrinking me into a milder lie!
Gal Incognito
I have a message for David Smith, if anyone in this miserable world still believes messages matter!
Gal hunches over the counter, trench coat clinging damply from the steam, one hand chopping the air. Rosa Lewis sits half-turned on her stool, her unfinished bowl cooling in front of her, ready to stand at the first opening.
Rosa Lewis
If this is about your portrait again, take it somewhere else. I am trying to eat before the broth goes cold.
The cook freezes behind the simmering pots and watches Young Dave. with a wary, hopeful look, as if he might be the only thing standing between this stall and a full-scale scene.
The Cook
You there, sword-man, do you settle her down, or do I start charging for the disturbance?
Gal swings toward Young Dave., eyes sharp under the old-man disguise, one finger stabbing the air as the steam thickens around all of them.
✓ Quest Accepted
Settle Gal Incognito down
“Tell Gal that I agree with her, especially because Rosa's right here functioning perfectly.”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled -1)
Young Dave. answers with a calm tilt of the head, steadying the blade at his side as he speaks up for Gal and, with a dry glance toward Rosa, points out she is still here and functioning just fine.
Gal Incognito
Finally, someone with eyes. Yes, she is right there, and yet I am the one being treated like a bad sketch!
Rosa Lewis
I am not the point of your complaint, and I am still trying to finish my bowl before this turns into a lecture.
The Cook
You do all this talking, and my customers do all the leaving.
Gal snorts, but the sound cracks into something less sharp. A few patrons at the edge of the stand glance over their shoulders and begin edging away from the counter.
Gal Incognito
Fine. I can lower my voice, but only because I am being understood at last.
The cook slides one steaming bowl aside and plants his ladle in the pot with a tired clack, watching Young Dave. like he has just been handed a fragile peace to keep alive.
Quest Complete
Settle Gal Incognito down