The last shop lights glow over buckets of trimmed stems as Gi finishes wiping the counter. Outside, a man pauses beneath the window and stares in.
He is a young adult man in a dark work jacket, his face briefly reflected in the glass. After a moment, he turns and hurries down the sidewalk.
Mia watches from the register, sunglasses still perched in her white hair. She waits until the footsteps fade and the quiet settles over the locked shop.
Mia Gordain
Well, sugar, that was either incredibly rude or incredibly nervous. And before you brush it off, no, I don't think it's unrelated to Samantha.
She comes around the counter, biker vest creaking softly, and plants both hands on the polished wood between them.
Mia Gordain
Has anyone else been giving you trouble lately? I want the truth, Gi. What exactly is Samantha telling people now?
✓ Quest Accepted
Give Mia an honest account of Samantha's behavior.
“*I look at her and say* "Well, do you want me to say it unfiltered or kinda sugar coated?"”
SUCCESS (Good Conversation, rolled +1)
Gi William
Well, do you want me to say it unfiltered or kinda sugar coated?
Mia Gordain
Unfiltered, sugar. I have survived three husbands, two bad business partners, and a bar fight in Toledo. I can handle words.
Mia Gordain folds her arms, but her mouth softens at one corner. The locked shop feels smaller around the question, full of roses, damp stems, and evening traffic fading outside.
Mia Gordain
And I mean the whole truth. Names, dates, ugly little comments, and whether that nervous young man has been part of it.
Gi William
The stranger was watching the shop, not just passing by.
Mia Gordain
Start with Samantha. What has she said, and what has anyone done because they believed her?
She reaches across the counter and turns the sign fully to CLOSED, then leaves her hand near Gi's, steady and available without crowding him.
“*I say* "welp, in short, she started a rumor that I'm a huge slut and suducing straight men."”
SUCCESS (Good Conversation, rolled +2)
Gi William
Welp, in short, she started a rumor that I'm a huge slut and seducing straight men.
The words settle between the buckets of roses and the locked front door. Mia's expression goes still, then sharpens with a familiar, protective irritation.
Mia Gordain
That is not a rumor, sugar. That is a smear, and a particularly stupid one.
She taps one red-painted fingernail against the counter, thinking through the town's familiar faces and the damage those whispers can do.
Mia Gordain
Who heard it directly from Samantha? And what did that nervous young man do after he started watching this place?
Outside, a car rolls past and washes the shop windows in pale headlights. Mia keeps her gaze on Gi, giving the questions weight without pressing him for more than he has offered.
Quest Complete
Give Mia an honest account of Samantha's behavior.
Skill Upgrade: Conversation Good→Great