Mercedes comes back to the orphanage just in time to catch the tension. Evan stands rigid by the shimmering barrier, and a woman in sleek Freelancers gear watches him with sharp, appraising eyes.
Evan Liecht
Merc, good. You are back. She says she is here for you.
Porsche Machina
About time. You always did like making people wait, Mercedes.
Mercedes Machina
Porsche. Of course it is Porsche.
Porsche flicks a glance over Mercedes, then toward the barrier, her mouth curling like she has already decided how the room should go.
Porsche Machina
I am not here to start trouble. I am here because blood ties get messy, and I would rather speak before someone does something stupid.
Evan Liecht
That depends on who you are calling stupid.
The barrier hums softly between them, and the orphanage windows glow warm behind Evan, as if the whole place is holding its breath.
“Tell Porshe furiously, "You're the only stupid person here. Take a hike before I do something we both regret." Merc draws her daggers, unsure if she is doing this to protect Sakura or just because Porshe frustrates her so much.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Mercedes Machina
You're the only stupid person here. Take a hike before I do something we both regret.
Mercedes snaps her daggers free with a bright, insulting flash. The point of one blade lifts under Porsche's chin, and the barrier's glow shivers across the metal.
Porsche Machina
There you are. Still dramatic, still impossible to corner.
Porsche's confident curl falters just enough to reveal recognition, not surprise. Her eyes cut past Mercedes, toward the orphanage door, then back again, as if confirming what she already knows.
Evan Liecht
Porsche. If you came for a fight, choose another night.
Porsche Machina
I came for a conversation, Evan. And for the record, I know exactly who she is.
That lands cleanly. Porsche eases one step back from the blade, shoulders loose but alert, and the torn sleeve snagged on the nail flutters in the cold draft from the lower market lanes.
Porsche Machina
If you want me gone, Merc, say it plain. If you want answers, ask while I am still here.
“Merc walks over to Sakura, comforting her reassuringly while still protecting her from a potential trap set by Allison. Merc reluctantly asks Allison, "Fine, spill. What the hell do you know, mother?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Charm, rolled +1)
Mercedes eases between Sakura and the lane, placing herself where the cold draft has to pass her first. Her daggers stay low, but her body turns into a wall, sheltering the girl while her gaze locks on Porsche.
Sakura’s breath catches, then slows. The tension in her shoulders loosens by a fraction as she looks up at Mercedes instead of the shadows beyond the orphanage wall.
Mercedes Machina
Fine. Spill. What the hell is going on, mother?
Porsche Machina
On this side of the family, that is usually the part where everyone pretends they are not scared. I like that you are skipping the theater.
Porsche reaches into her coat and draws out a thin strip of dark cloth. She does not offer it right away, just lets Mercedes see the familiar stitching, the careful repair, the old family work.
Porsche Machina
Allison was here first. She left that for you, then vanished down toward the lower market lanes.
The words land hard and clean. Sakura shifts closer to Mercedes’ side, and Porsche’s expression softens into something almost apologetic as she finally extends the cloth across the gap.
“I ask what Allison left behind”
SUCCESS (Legendary Charm, rolled +0)
Mercedes takes the cloth, and the stitched seam catches the last light. A narrow fold slips open in her hand, revealing a second layer hiding inside it.
Porsche Machina
Your mother used to hide messages like that. She called it being cautious. I called it being impossible.
Porsche watches Mercedes read the tiny seam. Her mouth tightens, then eases, as if she has already decided not to dodge the next answer.
Porsche Machina
Allison left more than a note. She left a route, and a warning. She said if you came looking, I was to make sure you did not go alone.
Mercedes Machina
And the shadowed figure?
Porsche Machina
Not a stranger. Someone Allison expected. Someone she trusted enough to name only in code.
Sakura leans out from behind Mercedes’ shoulder, eyes fixed on the cloth. The torn sleeve fragment on the nail flutters once in the draft, then stills.
Porsche Machina
If you want the rest, we start with what she hid in the lower market lanes. I can tell you where she would have gone, if you let me walk with you.
“I hold Sakura tightly under one arm, worried about her safety around Porshe. I reluctantly agree to follow Porshe on the route into the lower market lanes.”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled +0)