Portland’s lunchtime noise is soft through the restaurant windows, rain ticking at the glass while Sally, The Rose, and Amilia settle into a booth with their drinks and a stack of papers between them.
Amilia Jacobs
I have to say, this is a far better conference table than the prison one. And these transport logs keep getting uglier.
Amilia taps a line with one polished finger, legal pad open, reading the chain of signatures as if she can pin the whole conspiracy down with enough notes.
The Rose
Ugly is right. But we have it now. Paper trails, names, routes, all of it. That matters.
The Rose keeps one eye on the room, but her shoulders ease a little as she lifts her glass. The city outside feels far away for once.
Amilia Jacobs
To surviving another impossible week, then. And to Sally, for making us useful instead of helpless.
The three of them drink. The ice clinks, the papers shift, and for a moment the case is only a case, not a cage. Amilia looks up with a small, steady smile.
“I ask Amilia if her and the Rose ever worked together back in her hero days.”
SUCCESS (Superb Persuasion, rolled -2)
Sally
Did you two ever work together back when you were still in the field?
Amilia Jacobs
A little, yes. Different sides of the fight, same mess. The Rose and I crossed paths on injunctions, rescues, and one very ugly warehouse injunction that turned into a rescue.
The Rose
She is being modest. We did not exactly share a payroll, but we shared more than one aftermath.
Amilia Jacobs
She means I kept showing up with paper, and she kept showing up with bruises and answers.
The Rose
And you kept people from disappearing into systems that said they were helping. That mattered then. It matters now.
Amilia’s smile thins into something quieter, more honest. She slides one page of the logs toward Sally, and the stamped code on the scan strip catches the light beside her pen.
Amilia Jacobs
We were never a team in the official sense. But when the Department’s reach showed up, we learned to trust each other fast.
The Rose gives a small nod, then glances past Sally toward the corridor as if the room itself might be listening. The noise in the hallway stays faint, but present.
Quest Complete
Meet The Rose and Amilia for lunch
Skill Upgrade: Persuasion Superb→Legendary
“Sally decides to ask an embarrassing question. "Did you guys ever date?" She giggles after asking.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -1)
Sally
Did you two ever date?
Sally’s giggle slips out before she can bury it, and the booth goes still for half a breath.
Amilia Jacobs
No. We were never that organized.
The Rose
It never got that far. We kept ending up on the same side after the wreckage.
Amilia Jacobs
She means I was usually in court, and she was usually somewhere illegal.
The Rose
And you were usually the one with the file that made the whole thing stick.
Amilia lets out a small laugh, then taps the stamped scan code with one finger, like she is reminding herself why they are here.
The Rose
We trust each other because we had to. That is not romance, Sally. That is survival.
✓ Quest Accepted
Have a drinking contest with Amilia and The Rose
“Challenge them both to see who can hold their liquor best.”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled -3)
Sally
Then let’s make it a contest. Whoever folds first loses.
The Rose’s mouth twitches, and Amilia actually leans back, surprised into a grin. The booth feels warmer for it, the logs forgotten for one clean second.
Amilia Jacobs
That is a terrible idea. I accept immediately.
The Rose
You are both going to regret this in about five minutes.
Amilia signals the server for three more drinks, then slides the stamped scan strip aside before it can get splashed. The corridor noise stays far off, just a reminder that the world is still waiting.
Amilia Jacobs
Rules. No stalling, no swapping glasses, and no pretending legal training counts as a superpower.
The Rose
Fine. But when I win, I want it on record that you started this.
The first round lands in front of them, amber and bright under the restaurant lights. The court papers stay pinned under one of Amilia’s fingers, the scan code still visible beside her hand, like the case itself is listening.
“I take the first drink and keep pace. Only buzzed so far.”
SUCCESS (Good Health, rolled +1)
Sally lifts her glass and drinks first, steady enough that the contest feels real instead of reckless. The first swallow lands warm, and she keeps her face composed as the others watch for any sign she is slipping.
The Rose
Not bad. I was expecting a grimace.
Amilia Jacobs
She is going to be irritatingly difficult to beat.
The Rose takes her own drink and goes for a measured pace, eyes bright over the rim. Amilia follows, tapping one finger against the legal pad like she is timing a deposition instead of a round at a booth.
Amilia Jacobs
The code on the strip is still sitting there. I am not letting this night become only paperwork.
The Rose
You know, I used to think all strategy happened in briefing rooms. This is much worse.
Sally stays with their pace, buzzed but controlled, while the booth loosens around the edges. The stamped scan strip catches the light beside Amilia’s hand, and the logs sit untouched for the moment, as if they understand they are outnumbered.
Amilia Jacobs
All right, Sally. If you are still standing after this round, I want to hear what you think a real victory looks like.
“I keep pace and win the next round. Deffinetly starting to feel tipsy.”
SUCCESS (Good Health, rolled +1)
Sally keeps her drink moving and outpaces them by a fraction, just enough to turn the round her way. The warmth in her head deepens, but her hand still finds the glass without wavering.
The Rose
There it is. I knew you were going to make this inconvenient.
Amilia Jacobs
Annoyingly disciplined. That is a legal term now.
The Rose lowers her glass with a small laugh, while Amilia checks Sally over the rim of hers like she is confirming a witness is still coherent. The scan strip sits off to the side, stamped code catching the booth light near Amilia’s hand.
The Rose
All right, winner gets one honest answer, no dodging.
Amilia Jacobs
Agreed. And if Sally keeps this up, I am filing a complaint against her constitution.
Sally
The room feels a little softer than before.
For a beat, the booth holds on that easy truce, drinks on the table and evidence waiting in the margins. Outside, Portland keeps moving, but inside the circle has narrowed to the three of them and the next question.
“I cash in my win and press them for the details on a friend of theirs they could set me up with for a date.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Sally
All right, my prize. Name me somebody decent for a date.
The Rose
That is a dangerous win to spend on me. But, yes, I know someone who can keep up with you and still survive the conversation.
Amilia Jacobs
I am listening very carefully now, because this sounds like a misuse of legal leverage.
The Rose
Her name is Juniper Vale, no, not that kind of vale. She is a volunteer medic, sharp, kind, and she does not flinch at odd hours or worse stories.
Amilia Jacobs
That is annoyingly specific, which means you have already thought this through.
The Rose
I have. And Sally deserves someone who asks questions without making them feel like a deposition.
Amilia Jacobs
Then consider this my endorsement. Juniper sounds safer than half the city, and far more interesting.
The Rose
If you want, I can make the introduction after this. On my honor, no ambushes, no audience.
“I ask about Juniper Vale”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -2)
Sally
Tell me what Juniper is like when she is not on duty.
The Rose
Patient. Dry sense of humor. She notices everything, even when she pretends not to.
The Rose rotates her empty glass, then taps the rim once against the table as if sorting the answer into neat little facts.
Amilia Jacobs
That sounds less like a blind date and more like a quality reference.
The Rose
She keeps odd hours at a community clinic near the river. If she says she will show, she shows.
Amilia slides the stamped scan strip farther aside, and the tiny code catches the booth light near her hand.
The Rose
Her one flaw is that she will ask why you look like you have not slept in days.
A faint smile moves across the booth, and the contest money, the logs, and the pressure outside the window all briefly feel farther away.
Quest Complete
Have a drinking contest with Amilia and The Rose
Attribute Upgrade: Health Good→Great