The diner glows amber around their booth, steam on the windows and the low murmur of late-night voices all around them. The portfolio sits forgotten at the edge of the table.
Arthur
This feels real. We are not rushing anymore.
Arthur curls one hand around his mug, glancing up at Abby with careful hope. His shoulders ease a little in the booth.
Arthur
I keep thinking about that, building something away from all of this. A place that feels like ours.
Abby
The coffee is still hot.
Abby sits across from him, close enough to reach for his hand if she wants. The noise of the diner softens around their corner like a curtain.
Arthur
Do you mean someday, or soon? Either way, I want to hear what you picture.
He gives her an earnest, nervous smile, waiting without crowding her.
Arthur
I am serious about us, Abby. I want the future, not just the next appointment.
✓ Quest Accepted
Define what kind of future Abby and Arthur will build
✓ Quest Accepted
Talk through having a family together
“I lean in close and take his hand, smiling as I tell him about the quiet, sunlit house I have always wanted for us and the children i imagined we'd have.”
SUCCESS (Great Charm, rolled +1)
Abby leans in, fingers finding Arthur’s across the chrome tabletop. The diner noise thins to a hush around them.
Abby
I want a quiet house, sunlight in the kitchen, and room for children to run through it.
Arthur’s smile holds for a second, then softens into something thoughtful. His thumb shifts against her knuckles.
Arthur
That sounds beautiful. I think I want the same warmth, the same peace.
He glances toward the forgotten portfolio, then back to her, careful and honest.
Arthur
I do not know if I see children in my future, Abby. I have always pictured a life with space for us, work, and art, but not necessarily that.
The words settle between them, gentle but unmistakable, while the diner’s amber light glints off their joined hands.
Quest Complete
Talk through having a family together
“I ask Arthur what future he does want”
FAILURE (Good Conversation, rolled -2)
Abby
What future do you want, Arthur?
Arthur goes still. His fingers tighten once around hers, then ease, like he is measuring the weight of the question.
Arthur
A small apartment. A studio that stays messy. Quiet mornings, deadlines, and someone who understands when I go silent.
Arthur
I want a life that can hold my work and not ask me to become someone else for it.
He glances at the forgotten portfolio near the booth edge, then back to Abby, conflicted but steady.
Arthur
I want us, but I do not know how to make that fit children the way you mean it.
The diner hum slips back in around them, and their joined hands stay locked, even as the difference between them sits plainly on the table.
“Does Arthur want a life without children?”
NO (Likely, rolled 87)
Arthur shakes his head slowly, his gaze dropping to the table as he searches for the right words to bridge the gap between them.
Arthur
It is not that I do not want them, Abby. I am just terrified that I would not know how to be the father you deserve.
“I tell Arthur that all he'll need to do to be a good parent is be himself”
SUCCESS (Good Empathy, rolled +3)
Abby
Then be Arthur. The one who draws, overthinks, forgets meals, and shows up anyway. That is enough for a kid who needs you.
Arthur
His shoulders ease a fraction, like the words have found somewhere soft to land.
Arthur
You make it sound so simple.
He lifts his head at last, searching her face across the narrow booth. The coffee sits between them like a small, ordinary anchor.
Arthur
I want a home that is quiet enough to work in, and warm enough that you never have to leave it to feel safe.
Abby
That sounds like a future I can live in.
Arthur
Then I can say this honestly. I do not know yet if I want children, but I do know I want you in my life, and I do not want to lie to you about either thing.
The honesty lands cleanly. He reaches for her hand again, steadier now, while the unfinished portrait in his mind seems to wait somewhere back at the studio.
“"Then thats the future we'll have. One where we're together until the end" i say as i get out of the booth and get down on one knee as i jold Arthur's hands in mine, asking him to marry me do our future can be official”
SUCCESS (Great Charm, rolled +0)
Abby
Then that is the future we have. Together, until the end... marry me, Arthur, so our life is official.
Abby slides out of the booth and lowers herself to one knee beside the table, keeping both of his hands in hers. The coffee mug trembles once as the tabletop shifts under her weight.
Arthur
Her hands are warm. Real. This is really happening.
Arthur
Abby... yes. Yes, of course.
His answer breaks through the hush, soft but certain. A beat later, his thumb catches on her knuckles, and the tension in his shoulders gives way.
Arthur
I want that future with you. All of it.
The diner stays quiet around them, but the booth feels suddenly smaller, brighter, like the air itself has leaned in to listen. Abby's knee presses hard against the tile, a sharp reminder of the cost of the moment.
Quest Complete
Define what kind of future Abby and Arthur will build
Skill Upgrade: Empathy Great→Superb