Attempt to MAKE AMENDS with Kinzie. 4, 5. +2 BRAVERY, -1 consequence. Success: remove an ENEMY.

Your protests to Felice Collier that your brother is going to be running all of you ragged the next day go unheard, as she insists that you bunk up with her. Unfortunately, Hugh's cock giving her a good fucking was not nearly enough to satisfy her, and you end up getting coerced into the bathtub with Felice. She even makes a cute little calligraphic 'No boys allowed' paper sign to hang on the door so she can take her time 'making' sure you get clean'. And then after that she's groping and teasing you for hours in the bed afterwards.

Just to get her off you for a minute you suggest that since it might be a while, she ought to give that handsome guy Hugh a proper send-off and take care of his morning wood. And of course, Jerry was waiting for her to be lured away, and brings you breakfast and coffee in bed.

As your brother predicted, the coffee that these people drink is even more lackluster than their beer. But it's a nice gesture all the same, and it might be a while since you see him again.... so, since you were responsible for unintentionally CHARMing him, you give Jerry a quick blowjob. It makes quite a mess on the sheets, but that's nothing compared to how much damage you and the other girls have already caused to Ralph's house, and at least you avoid getting any on your hair.

You still have the niggling worry regarding the fact that you and your fellow students had unprotected sex with a bunch of mundanes. But perhaps if you can wrap this mission up quickly today and be back to Boarbristle by nightfall, it won't be too late to get some extra-strength anti-pregnancy potions. No point worrying about it right now... not when you have more immediate dangers to worry about like all these terrifying motorized carriages tearing their way up and down the streets.

The same 'van' that Aegidius was using for his dirty business last night is waiting there in the morning, with the same goblin wearing a black ski-mask and sunglasses assigned to driving you all... unsurprisingly, Aegidius is unwilling to directly operate a mechanical contraption like this with his own hands. Fortunately, he's sitting in the front seat, giving you and the other girls some privacy from him... not that it's a very comfortable ride.

Milly Cherrywood, who was otherwise in a good mood after having spent the night in bed with her new crush Ralph, really hates the vehicle. "Oooohhh! Ugghhh! I'm going to be sick, I'm really puking this time!" she wails the van takes another tight turn around a corner. You roll your eyes. Despite seeming like such a tomboy at first glance, she whines and complains worse than your pampered little sisters.

"Pampered fookin' princesses..." Kinzie, the skinny brown-haired girl wrinkles her nose at Milly. When she sees you trying to sidle closer to her, she gives you a withering glare.

"Miss MacMullins," you say to her, "I hope you got all your ill-feelings out last night. I hope you've at least finally realized that... ach, how does the English expression go.... Aegidius's bark is worst than his bite?"

"Oh, shut your puss." she shoves you away from her. "Truce until we get back to the school, aye. But then we're gonna have it out."

"Ach! For fuck's sake!" your own temper gets sparked. "I'm so sorry that I tricked you into consensually schtupping a satyr instead of mind-controlling that broom polo player you liked! I'm SO sorry that I ended up getting you a slap on the wrist instead of hauled off to jail like we BOTH would have been if I did what you asked me to!"

"Slap on the wrist? Yeeeeeeeew CUNT!" Kinzie snaps. "I'll be working my arse to a nub for the better part of my life paying off this shite! All because you had to go and lure arse-rapist elves out with that naff party of yours!"

You snort and roll your eyes. "Kinzie, you're not smart enough to properly play dumb like this. After what we've seen Aegidius getting up to in this mundane city, you think he is going to ask for any of that gold he bribed the headmistress with to be paid back? I saw very well that you recognized what he was doing. I don't really understand what he was helping Ralph and the others with, but it was clearly something, if Ralph was able to buy a fancy house and a motorized carriage with it. All that talk about 'markets' or somesuch? You love to brag how you know more about mundane society than the rest of us, you cannot claim ignorance now."

Kinzie doesn't seem to know what to say to that. "Hmph... it'd serve him right if I threatened to take this scummy business he's up to his oxters in all the way to the high-ups in the ministry. I doubt they'd approve of 'im using prophecy to help those gowks get rich playin' the stocks."

You blink in confusion. 'Stocks'? Like the things that law-breakers get put in for public humiliation? Oh well - she seems to know what she's talking about. "I agree." you say succintly.

"What?" Kinzie does a double-take. "Gerrout! You wouldn't object to me blackmailing yer own brother?"

"Of course not!" you say, putting up your nose. "Did you get fucked so hard by that big black cock last night that you lost your hearing? I was so mad at Aeddy for his rudeness and lack of concern that I challenged him to a duel last night! He refused to accept of course, the coward." Without alcohol and anger bolstering your courage, you know, of course, that a real fight between you and Aegidius would've been over in a matter of seconds. He could probably defeat you, Kinzie, Milly and Felice all at once with one hand tied behind his back. But you'll be damned if that's going to stop you from holding it over him.

You realize that expecting an apology out of a rude, crude, violent girl like Kinzie is unrealistic. So, when you see her huff and give the slightest hint of a smile, and mutter "He'd better not come lookin for any more favors from me or I'll tell him to shove that fancy staff up his arse...", you're satisfied that the conflict is mostly defused, for now.

"And come on, my dear," Felice swoops in from out of your frame of vision and hugs both you and Kinzie together, "you cannot tell me that that thick, bestial satyr cock was ALL bad, non? I think that furry cloven-hooved fellow is going to be getting an invitation to the next House Draconis salon!"

You get a much needed fit of the giggles as Kinzie pushes Felice away. Felice getting up when she did turns out to be fortuitous, as Milly wasn't bluffing regarding her earlier warning - you all hear a nasty "HORFFFF!" as a particularly tight turn causes the poor redhead to lose her breakfast all over the seat where Felice had been sitting mere moments ago.

"Verdamnt!" you clap your fingers over your nose. "And I thought that mundane coffee smelled bad on the way in!"

....

Mercifully you at last arrive where you were going. Your eyes widen as you step out of the van. Compared to the strange yet generally fancy appearance of 'The House of Neiman Marcus' or Ralph's house, this place you are in looks absolutely filthy and has trash strewn everywhere. A whole array of unpleasant smells assaults your nose and you see a giant, featureless, blocky building with no windows in front of you.

And the smells and the bleak surroundings aren't all. You are sensing an intensely malignant aura from this place. You can't pinpoint exactly what, but your magical senses are shouting at you that this is a bad place where bad things happen.

"Aegidius!" you say shrilly in your squeaky voice. "Where have you brought us NOW?"

"It is a warehouse controlled by mundane criminals." Aegidius says succinctly. "Our purpose is the same as at the house of commerce yesterday, and you should approach it with the same caution and seriousness." he pauses for a beat. "If possible, a bit more caution and seriousness. Miss Collier."

Felice sticks her tongue out at Aegidius childishly and does that rude gesture where she flicks her fingers over her neck once again.

"What kind of reekie place did you bring us to, wankstain?" Kinzie puts her hands on her hips. "There isn't gonna be any Father Christmas an' toddlers making wish-lists in there! Or I should certainly fuckin' hope!"

Aegidius steps closer to Kinzie... and closer. He looms over her and stares down at her with quiet, silent menace. In spite of herself, Kinzie ducks her head and shrinks away from him.

"Is fulfilling your promise going to be a problem now, Miss MacMullins? I can find them time to send you straight back to the ministry to face the full consequences of your actions, if you insist."

"N-no. I mean, yes! I mean... let's just get it over with already!" she stammers.

"Ser gut." Aegidius says, turning back around. He's changed his robes to resemble a mundane business suit once again, and he has a leather knapsack containing something heavy slung over his shoulder. "I expect you all to be polite, quiet, and efficient in executing your duties. With luck our task will soon be complete. I've come to an arrangement with the parties in control of this place. But if there is any aggression from any quarter, use any and all spells necessary to neutralize the threat."

Your brother lowers his voice and looks intently at each of you. "Do you understand my meaning? I will repeat myself to be sure you do: ANY and ALL spells necessary, without exception. Do you understand?"

You flinch back and give him a quizzical look. It certainly seems like Aegidius is giving you all borderline-explicit permission to use the Forbidden Spells that got you in so much trouble in the first place. What the hell is going on here?

"This seems like such unpleasant business." Felice says with a pout. "Are you sure you don't have some more handsome acquaintances we could fuck to make good our debt instead?"

"You would be very, VERY well served to keep that sort of humor to yourself for the next few hours, Miss Collier." Aegidius says, his voice a dark, humorless rumble. "No matter how rotten a girl you are, I consider your brother a friend, and I would hate to have to explain to him that something terrible had happened to you."