The gallery hall hums with white light and polished silence. Abby grips the bundled portfolio, and Arthur keeps pace beside her, shoulders tight, eyes fixed on the board room doors ahead.
Mina
There you are. Hand it over, now. They are already waiting.
Mina steps out from the doorway, tablet in hand, impatience sharpened into a practiced smile. Her gaze flicks from the portfolio to Arthur, then to Abby, weighing every second.
Arthur
If this lands badly, it follows me for months.
Arthur does not reach for the bundle. Instead, he glances at Abby, then squares himself toward the board room like he is choosing to stand in the open at last.
Arthur
Abby made sure it is ready. I am going in with her.
Mina pauses, just long enough to register the change. The portfolio is no longer just paperwork. It is proof that Abby is now part of the pressure, and part of the support, as Arthur takes the next step into his professional life.
✓ Quest Accepted
Deliver the portfolio to the board
“Take Arthur's hand firmly and walk with him toward the board room doors.”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +2)
Abby closes her fingers around Arthur’s hand and gives it a firm squeeze. He answers at once, stepping in beside her as if the decision finally has a shape.
Mina shifts aside, tablet lowering a fraction. The path to the board room opens, and Abby leads the way with the portfolio held steady between them.
Arthur matches her pace, shoulders still tight but no longer drifting. The unfinished portrait glimpsed through the workroom glass fades behind them as the doors loom ahead.
The board room doors swing inward under Mina’s push, spilling warmer light across the hall.
Mina steps through first, one brisk glance back checking that they follow. Arthur keeps his hand locked with Abby’s, breathing once through the pressure.
Abby crosses the threshold with him, the bundled portfolio secure against the moment. Inside, the waiting board room hushes around them.
Quest Complete
Deliver the portfolio to the board