At the Yuna residence entrance, Hirana dismisses the waiting attendants with a small gesture. The group withdraws, leaving the doorway and its sunlit steps quiet behind Tau and her.
Hirana Yuna
That will be all. No interruptions, no helpful ears, and certainly no reports carried back to my family.
She leads Tau into a quiet receiving room and turns him toward a broad table. From a lacquered case, she unfolds a palace seating plan marked with colored pins and fine ink.
Hirana Yuna
Blue pins are cautious allies. White pins are useful only when watched. The gold marks are people who can make a promise sound like shelter while measuring what you cost them.
Hirana places one finger beside the royal dais, then another near the training courts. Her lesson is precise, but her hand remains tense whenever the competition is mentioned.
Hirana Yuna
And these are the people most likely to pull you away from us once you win. I should teach you how to resist them, not how to become one of them.
Hirana Yuna
If he becomes a Royal Guard, every lesson may become a farewell. I cannot let him see how much I dread that.
✓ Quest Accepted
Have an honest conversation with Hirana about his future
Director's note
If Hirana answers, she will try to answer in a teasing tone to hide her feelings
““I greatly appreciate you doing this for me princess,” I say as I look at her. Then, noticing how tense she is, I ask, “is there anything troubling you, if I may ask?”.”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +2)
Tau Heathsburough
I greatly appreciate you doing this for me, princess. Is there anything troubling you, if I may ask?
Tau’s keen senses catch the pause in Hirana’s breathing and the slight tension in her fingers against the seating plan. Her eyes remain on the colored pins, but her attention has turned fully toward him.
Hirana Yuna
Troubling me? How dramatic. I am merely deciding whether your gratitude is sincere or another polished attempt to win favor before the Competition.
She taps the pin beside the training courts, then withdraws her hand. The gesture is small, yet her guarded smile cannot quite conceal the strain around her eyes.
Hirana Yuna
But since you ask so courteously, yes, there is something. You may win your place among the Royal Guards and discover that success carries you somewhere I cannot follow.
Hirana Yuna
There, I have answered you. Do not look so pleased with yourself, champion. One honest question does not make you a master of courtly mysteries.
Hirana turns the seating plan toward Tau, leaving the colored pins visible between them. Her teasing tone returns, but she does not withdraw the admission.
Quest Complete
Have an honest conversation with Hirana about his future