The Ballad of Adler Young, Canto 2.5

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>Adler: Quickly! Try and salvage the situation so you look cool instead of like a doofus!

I tried to make a suave, nonchalant quip, like "time to catch up on my reading," but all I could manage was "MMFFF!" as I realized I couldn't breathe. I tried to struggle free from the pile of books but all I could do was wiggle my feet.

>Vernier: Oh dear, he's flailing around like he's trapped. Help him out of there.
>Rebecca: You try to help too, but quickly become distracted by a book on elvish fashion. You wonder if they have any witchy outfits.

"Oh dear," Vernier sighed. "I think he's trapped under there. Books are quite heavy, you know. Help me dig him out."

The two femmes began chucking books off of the pile.

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"Oh hey, this one's about elvish fashion," Rebecca observed. "I wonder if they have any cool witchy styles."

"Are you all right, Sir?" Vernier asked as she continued moving books.

"What's a slingkini?" Rebecca murmured distractedly.

>Vernier: Once Adler is out of the book pile, you begin fussing over him. How long was he gone over there? Has he been eating? Did she try to starve him? Did that horrible woman hurt him in any way? Gasp! She didn't... force herself on him, did she? By Fuma, if she did- there's a special place in hell for people like that!
>Adler: As she's fussing over you, your eyes glaze over and you start doing the dazed goo-goo eyes again.

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"Are you all right, Sir?" Vernier repeated after she had extracted me from the book pile. She grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me gently. "How long were you gone? It's been a few weeks here, but I understand time is different in Faerie. Have you been eating? Did that interloper, that enemy agent try to starve you? Did she hurt you? The Ixies told me there was a fight! They also said she was a ... a floozy! Did she force herself on you?"

Vernier was touching me! She was concerned for my welfare! She was perhaps a bit jealous to think that Lana Lynne might have had her way with me! I could feel myself slipping into a fog of love-besotted bliss!

You have to fight it! You need to express gratitude and commend her like a sane adult! You also need to get on with your plan so you can avenge your brother and save Faerie! Remember, Vernier said she likes Focused, Business-oriented men. Focus... Focus!

NO! I had to fight it! I had to stay in control! My mother didn't raise me to fall victim to some femme's Wiles! I couldn't look like some sort of lovestruck simpleton in front of Vernier! She said she liked mels who could FOCUS and stick to business! And besides, my Ixies probably had a lot of aphids riding on this!

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"I am very grateful for your concern," I stated with utmost clarity, "but I assure you that I am well in mind, body, and spirit. I was able to overcome Lana - that's the evil Sisterhood agent. She is now allegedly working for me and shouldn't be a problem again for some time. Right now, we've more pressing business to attend to."