[b]Birsi![/b]

The Thief-Queen very much does not want to be fighting you. Not out of fear, mind you; rather, you are stubbornly placing yourself between her and the Host clambering up the side of a building towards one of her compatriots. More than that, she expected to defeat you with a flourish of her sword, and now that it is very much not happening, she’s let her (metaphorical) mask slip just a little, just an inch.

“Get out of my [i]way,[/i]” she hisses, a sliver of real fear leaking into her voice as the sound of a furious Host behind you echoes through the close quarters. “You’re just as bad as [i]them,[/i] you [i]dog—[/i]”

And then the world explodes into purple-and-silver smoke, and starts to tilt on its axis. You take a deep breath before you can stop yourself, and the ground pulls itself out from under you. You land hard on your rear, and tip over onto your side, the street shaking like a plate underneath you, even as your body starts to get sweaty and extremely aware of how the cobblestones have lost the last of the heat they trapped during the day, how your stupid outfit is riding up in the back, and how the rubbing of your thighs against each other is sending shivers up and down your spine.

Someone close by giggles maniacally, and it’s not the Thief Queen.

Go ahead and Stagger.

[hr]

[b]Soot![/b]

Here’s the thing. You’re not going to make it off the roof in time. The sheer terror of seeing Silsila Om’s fury unleashed is going to lock your legs up, make you teeter back onto your rump, and feebly try to crawl away as she crests the roof.

And if you agree, there’s a shiny XP in it for you. If not, roll to Defy Disaster, but be aware that the consequences will likely be even worse.

[hr]

[b]Silsila Om![/b]

Strength surges through you. You are power, you are might, you are the will that impresses itself upon the world, and whoever is laughing about you still being glittery will face the consequences.

The Thief-Queen is racing after you, but even though she’s nimble and good at jumps, she’s having to dodge falling debris and she’s nowhere as strong as you are. You’ll have a beat where it’s just you and that paint-flinging hooligan, and just enough time to do something about them before she catches up.

Unless you intend to hold them hostage?

[hr]

[b]”Iris!”[/b]

The giddy noise that comes out of Gími suggests that you’ve flattened her. Just absolutely obliterated her ability to think. She has no idea how to handle such a pretty, graceful woman making such suggestions to her, and she’s obviously got it bad. Which, well, means she’s got some power over you, too. Because if you don’t live up to the dream you’ve waved before her eyes, it would be like punting an abandoned kitten.

That’s actually a good way to think of the girl. An abandoned alleycat all gangly and scrawny and purring the minute you’ve started showing her affection, not caring at all about how she smells.

“Yeah right so it’s just over this way if you’d like to come with me ladies usually I’d make you pay just a little Gími fee but for you it’s absolutely free don’t even think about it it’s my pleasure to help though if you really want to repay me later maybe I could think of a few lips I mean a few mouths I mean a few things!!” She takes your hand while she nervously babbles and slides her fingers between yours, squeezing possessively tight, her palm clammy and gross, her heartbeat pounding so hard you can feel it.

The way in, as it turns out, is scrabbling up one of those great, imposing horse pillars. You can try to climb it alone (which would be Defying Disaster)… or you can let Gími help you up. The process will involve a lot of Gími pushing, tugging, and otherwise helping you up by touching you a lot— and you’ll even have to give her [i]another[/i] String in the process!