fandomtownies | The Magpie Emporium, Monday [18/11]

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The Magpie Emporium, Monday [18/11]

On the one hand Vi didn't have a strangely ominous feeling today.

On the other she was deeply confused why a dream about hugging it out with a mechanical werewolf while wearing bandages instead of a shirt hadn't left her with that strangely ominous feeling.

In her infinite wisdom Saffron could clearly see that this was all the dire result of not snuggling a kitty enough, and had helpfully sprawled out on the counter so Vi could self-medicate.

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Know who should have had an ominous feeling though? Steph, who came downstairs from the game lounge after the morning Pathfinder session she'd run ~~which had nothing to do with the one her player was in yesterday really~~, looking horrified.

"Oh my God I TPK'ed my players and I didn't even mean to."

Her expression a mix of sympathy and amusement Vi immediately opened her arms for a hug, ignoring Saffron's outraged mew.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Sorry, Saffron, Steph was here to ruin your day again.

"I didn't design this one," Steph declared as she immediately moved into Vi's arms for a hug. "Didn't really prep it as much as I usually like to --" which may or may not have had anything to do with them getting... distracted last night -- "so I didn't notice that the final combat scaling is bananas."

She waved one hand in frustration, accidentally intruding on Saffron's personal space.

"Eight haunts for a party of six level three to six players, in an encounter that happens on a bunch of piers and boats. Anyone who's in a 90 foot radius of any of them has to make a DC twenty-fucking-one will save for each one in range and attack themselves if they fail. That's like. Three or four saves per round for everybody. Oh, and fortitude saves against persistent bleed damage if they physically attack them? And I thought I was evil."

RIP Steph's players, victims of Vi's rizz.

Ribbing Steph's back, Vi's face definitely went on a journey as she described the encounter. "I thought you weren't supposed to actually be trying to kill them with math."

"They crit failed so much," Steph said in an incredulous tone, face half buried in Vi's shoulder. "And I've never rolled max damage that many times in my life."

It was entirely possible that previous sessions had gone slightly worse for players because Vi's rizz won out over Steph's prep time, but never so badly that she was guilt ridden about it.

"Ninety fucking feet!"

Excuse you, Food Human, the dramatics were Saffron's department.

Case in point, listen to her sad, little mews as she wasted away from neglect. It was a miracle she even had the strength!

Vi kept on patting Steph's back. "There are probably some lessons here."

About picking a different game, not about ignoring your girl. Obviously.

"I would have rebalanced that encounter if I'd noticed," said Steph, mortified in the way only someone with a degree in game design could be. "At least it was a one-shot? Ugh, next time I agree to fill in last minute I'm doing my prep here before coming home."

Look, she had some GM standards to live up to but also ignoring her girl was out of the question, okay?

Vi kissed her temple then leaned in to whisper in her ear "And when you get home you can sit on the couch and explain how you made the game better while I enjoy a late dinner."

Look, Vi didn't judge your kinks. Let her enjoy her girl talking nerdy to her.

Steph laughed and burrowed a little deeper into Vi's arms. "I guess I would owe you that for making you wait up for me."

You were just jealous that your girlfriend didn't think you rambling about homebrewing hybrid game mechanics was hot.

"Especially since I'd be starving by then," Vi told her, arms wrapped firmly around Steph.

Sorry your girl wasn't turned on by enthusiasm.

"Poor baby," Steph said, laughing. "Suffering for my craft. Good thing I know plenty of ways to make it up to you."

She considered herself extremely lucky that she was dating someone who thought it was hot when she geeked out about social encounter mechanics in various game systems.

"You do," Vi replied easily. "You're very creative."

That's because it was hot when Steph got into that kind of thing. It was everyone else's loss if they disagreed.

"You are the most supportive girlfriend," Steph told her, with another hug for emphasis. "Would you still love me even if I accidentally TPK'ed you?"

Vi had the best taste, if you asked her.

"I's still love you if you deliberately TPK'ed me." Though she'd probably get sad puppy eyes for a week after.

Well, Steph would definitely be the one to know that.

"I would never," Steph protested. Because she lived in fear of the sad puppy eyes. "Unless you specifically signed up to be part of a game where you just take one L after another and don't get a break." She was nicer than some canons, see.

Oh, she did. The narrative was speaking from experience.

"And I wouldn't." Because who would enjoy that. "So we're good."

"Somehow I didn't think so." Steph smiled up at her. "Damn, that threw me so off my game, I forgot all about ordering us lunch. Anything in mind that you want?"

And then, because she knew Vi:

"For the food part of lunch. I know what else you want."

Yeah yeah the thrill of random chance and all, but sometimes predictable was nice too.

"It's like you know me or something," Vi said, smiling back down at her. "I could murder some noodles." Word choice very deliberate, since now that Steph was in a better mood it was time to start giving her shit about it.

"Wow, okay. Rude," Steph said, laughing as she aimed the gentlest of shoves at Vi's shoulder before getting her phone out of her pocket and pulling up the order website for Taste of Thai. No matter what show she made of complaining, she wouldn't trade them constantly giving each other shit for the world. "But if my girl wants noodles, my girl gets noodles. And dessert, as usual."

She was just going to order like three different noodle dishes, and they'd be set for meals for the rest of the week.

Laughing, Vi pretended to stagger from the force of Steph's shove. "My favourite part of the meal."

"I am so shocked," Steph said with a bright grin that seemed to indicate she was definitely back to feeling like herself (although some poor GM forum was going to get a ranty essay later, probably). "Mine too, though."

"Never would've guessed with how sweet you already are." And Vi would go digging it up just to sigh over Steph's word choices. Dork.

"You're such a charmer," Steph said, fluttering her eyelashes in a ridiculous manner. "If you're trying to charm your way into my pants later, you already have."

Yeah, that was what Steph got for letting Vi have the password to her laptop, but look, who was she to deny Vi that pleasure?

And Vi did stare at her with such heart eyes when she ripped someone apart in a particularly inventive way.

"Never pays to relax and just count on that," Vi said, bopping her on the nose. "You might find some other girl if I do."

She did love being the subject of Vi's heart eyes, she wouldn't lie.

Steph snorted and practically tackled her when she went in for a kiss.

"Yeah, no. Not happening."

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