The stairwell narrows above the parking structure, concrete steps damp underfoot. The group slows at the landing, the city noise reduced to a low hum below.
Marla glances at Thadeus, her shoulders easing for the first time in hours. Elias leans against the rail, breathing hard but steadying.
Marla
You keep showing up at the right moments. That has to mean something.
Thadeus reaches the landing beside her. The wooden sword hangs quiet at his side, more symbol than threat now.
Marla
What is Elias to you, really? Friend, chance meeting, or something heavier than that?
Elias the Shopkeeper
He trusts you fast. I think that is the only reason I am standing here at all.
Marla waits without pushing, one hand on the cold railing. For a beat, the stairwell feels almost safe, like the world has paused at the top of the steps.
“Explain that I just met Elias tonight due to the rioting from Detroit Lions game, and found out he needed help, much like Marla needs help getting home. I find it important to help those in need around me.”
SUCCESS (Great Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Thadeus Jovanović
I only met Elias tonight, because the riot hit hard after the Lions game. He needed help, and Marla does too, getting home safe. I help when people need it.
Marla
That is... painfully simple. And honest.
Marla lets that sit, eyes flicking from Thadeus to Elias, as if remeasuring both of them in the same breath.
Elias the Shopkeeper
He heard me out when I was rattled. That mattered more than he knows.
Elias pushes off the rail and straightens, a little less folded in on himself than before.
Marla
Then maybe I am not asking a stranger to explain himself. Maybe I am asking a decent man why he keeps finding the people who need him.
The stairwell holds quiet around them, city noise still distant below, while Marla waits for whatever answer Thadeus chooses to give next.
“Calmly reaching for her hands, I state "because it is the right thing to do. Now, we should get going and bring you back home."”
SUCCESS (Great Diplomacy, rolled -3)
Thadeus takes Marla’s hands gently, steadying them between his own. The stairwell seems to quiet around the small motion.
Thadeus Jovanović
Because it is the right thing to do. We should get you home.
Marla
She studies him for a beat, then her grip tightens, not fearful now, just thoughtful.
Marla
That answer keeps sounding simple. It is also starting to sound real.
Elias the Shopkeeper
Elias lets out a slow breath, looking between them like he is watching something settle back into place.
Elias the Shopkeeper
My car is two levels up. If you are both ready, I can lead the way.
Marla gives a small, relieved nod, still holding Thadeus’s hands for one more second before easing back.
“We follow Elias up the parking garage to his car”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Agility, rolled +2)
Elias turns and starts up the concrete steps, and Thadeus falls in beside him without a word. Marla follows close, her pace matching theirs.
Their shoes tap softly against the landing. The city’s distant roar stays muted behind the stairwell walls.
Elias the Shopkeeper
Second level, then a short walk across the deck. My car is still there.
Marla
He really is calmer now.
At the next turn, Elias slows just long enough to glance back and make sure both of them are with him.
Elias the Shopkeeper
You kept me steady. I am not forgetting that.
The upper landing comes into view, with gray daylight spilling in from the garage level above. A parked sedan waits beyond the exit, visible through the bars.
“Are there any visible threats near Elias's car?”
NO (Even, rolled 80)
The parking deck remains empty and silent, save for the distant hum of the city. No figures lurk near the sedan, and the surrounding concrete is undisturbed.
“Cautiously walk towards Elias's car”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Agility, rolled +1)
Thadeus moves carefully across the deck, his steps measured on the concrete. The sedan waits under the flat garage lights, untouched and still.
Elias the Shopkeeper
That’s it, right there. Thank you.
He reaches the driver’s side and stops at the door, close enough to touch the handle.
Thadeus Jovanović
The car is parked cleanly, with room on both sides.
Elias the Shopkeeper
He glances from Thadeus to the empty lanes, shoulders easing a little.
Elias lifts the keys, thumb hovering over the fob, his relief sharpened by caution.
Elias the Shopkeeper
Can you watch while I unlock it?
“Agreeing with Elias, I ask Marla to watch the parking structure exit while I walk around the car to look for any threats”
SUCCESS (Fair Perception, rolled +1)
Thadeus Jovanović
I can do that. Marla, watch the exit for me.
Thadeus takes the long way around the sedan, moving slow and quiet along the concrete lane.
He checks the blind side first, then the rows beyond it. No one steps out between the painted pillars.
A discarded cart sits crooked near the far wall, but nothing shifts around it. The deck stays still.
Marla posts herself by the stairwell rail, eyes on the exit lanes. Elias keeps the keys ready at the driver’s door.
Thadeus finishes his circuit and returns to the car with the clear sign he wants, the route around it empty.
Elias the Shopkeeper
All clear?
“I tell Elias we are all clear, and the three of us enter Elias's car. Elias gets in the driver seat, Marla sits in the front passenger seat, and Thadeus sits in the back seat behind Marla”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Agility, rolled +0)