She decides to go check on Margaret

VOTING CLOSED! Thank you for voting!

[Please read the notes at the end of chapter.]

Cassandra yawned and stretched lazily before slowly getting off the bed. “Yes, I suppose we should clean up and get dressed.” She spoke as she moved to stand right in front of her mother. “And of course I'll keep what happened here a secret, no need to worry, mom.” Cassandra placed her hands on her mother's waist and pulled her closer, their bodies pressing against each other. Then her lips pressed against Adriana's in a passionate kiss. The older woman hesitated only a second before returning it.

After a few moments that seemed to stretch forever the two women separated, both of them a bit out of breath.

“We should stop here, dear, or else we'll end up back in bed...”

“...And as tempting as that may seem now is really not the time. I know.”

Afterwards mother and daughter finally focused on getting dressed and making themselves presentable. Nonnette's panties were put to good and the flimsy garment ended up in dire need of washing.

Once both were dressed and looking presentable Adriana opened the windows, letting some fresh air into the room, and the pair left.

???: 1d100 = 11

Once they were in the corridor Cassandra considered accompanying her mother for a bit longer, but decided against it. There would be enough time for it later. “Well, I'll see you later, mom.”

“Have fun with... whatever you plan to do, dear.” And with that mother and daughter separated, Adriana going down the stairs and out of sight while Cassandra went back to her room. Once inside the raven-haired noblewoman started examining herself in the mirror – thankfully her hair was not the mess she had feared it would be – and thinking about what to wear when going out.

Vote 1: What should Cassandra wear when going out?
I1) She goes out the way she is now, wearing the dress her mother chose for her and with no underwear (what could possibly go wrong?)
I2) She puts on some underwear, but otherwise remains the way she is now
I3) She changes her clothes (specify what she should wear – you can offer as much or as little detail as you want)
IX) Any further details you would like to add

Result: I1

Vote 2: What should Cassandra do with her Anal Pearl of Underwater Breathing?
1) Leave it at home
2) Take it with her but do not wear it
3) Wear it

Result: 2

[Addition based on the above votes]
Cassandra took off the dress Adriana had given her and put it on the bed. Then she stood naked in front of the full-length mirror on the wall and examined her naked body for a few moments. Satisfied with what she saw she took a small bottle of perfume – a gift she had received a few weeks ago and had used once so far – and put a few drops on her body, including on her breasts and her nether lips. The faint but pleasant aroma would cover and hide any leftover smells from her earlier activities. After that she put the perfume back in its place and started thinking about what to wear.

As she considered the possibilities she saw the dress her mother had given her. Maybe I don't need to change my dress after all... Cassandra thought about it and ultimately decided to keep wearing the dress. She put it on again, not bothering to put on any underwear first, then chose a different perfume – this one with a stronger smell – and put on some of it. After that she brushed her hair again and took another look in the full-length mirror.

I look great, if I do say so myself... Hmm, now that I look at this dress more closely... Cassandra finally examined the dress in more detail and noticed a few details she had overlooked so far. The dress was clearly meant for showing off her body and for seducing people. It showed off enough cleavage to tempt people but not too much to make her look like a slut. It also nicely emphasized her curves. It had only a few hidden pockets, but enough to hide the money and the small Anal Pearl Cassandra would take when going out. It wouldn't be any real help in combat, but she wasn't planning to fight anyone today (at least not if she could help it and definitely not fairly if she had a choice).

I should take my dagger before going out. Cassandra promptly did just that, taking the weapon in question and attaching it on her waist. Next she considered bringing along a rope, but quickly dismissed the idea – it would look out of place and would draw unwanted attention to her. Plus she likely wouldn't need it today... or so she hoped. She then took another look in the mirror and saw nothing wrong with the way she looked. The last thing she did before leaving the room was to decide to wear her Boots of Silent Walk – hidden under the dress' long skirt they would not attract any odd looks or unwanted attention.
[End addition]

With that out of the way Cassandra left her room and went down to the first floor, where she called the first maid she saw. “Is Margaret back yet?”

“No, my lady, she is still out.”

“Thank you, that is all.” The dismissed maid curtsied and left her alone.

I think I'll go to the Academy and see what Margaret is doing. Cassandra decided and without further delay left home.

After leaving the mansion Cassandra started walking in the direction of the Academy... and almost immediately was interrupted by someone calling her name. Looking around she saw a familiar face – it was none other than Catherine, and she was walking quickly in her direction.

Today Catherine was wearing a white blouse that was a little too tight for her breasts, dark brown pants that were also rather tight, a sheathed longsword on her side, and a sheathed dagger on the other side. She had dyed her long hair dark brown.

“Hi, Catherine.”

“Hi, Cass, good to see I didn't miss you. Mom wasted some of my time with her nagging, so I was worried you might have gone out.”

“I was going to go out, but... I got delayed by something unexpected.” Cass answered without revealing anything about what had happened. “What can I do for you?” She asked as the two young noblewomen started walking slowly.

“Well... My family recently bought an old house. I think I mentioned that the last time we met.”

“Yes, I believe you did. Is something wrong with it?”

“No, nothing is wrong – at least not the way you might be thinking. You see, while exploring it, looking for anything of interest, I found an entrance to a secret underground area. It is old – much older than the rest of the place. Most likely it is part of the original house that was there. It seems the basement was a secret from the beginning and so when the old house was demolished and a new home was brought there the underground area remained locked away and forgotten – until now.”

“Wait, what do you mean the new house was brought there?”

“The house was owned by some sort of eccentric old wizard. He had it built elsewhere, and then brought it to Syrada via spells.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Anyway, let me get to the reason I am bothering you.”

“You plan to explore the basement, and you want me to help you with it?” Cassandra guessed.

“You know me well. Yes, that is exactly why – I'm not stupid enough to explore the place on my own, when I have no idea what sort of guardians and traps might be waiting for me there. I already spoke to a few people yesterday. Specifically, I asked Anna and Lirea, and both agreed to help. I also spoke to Evelyn and asked her to buy some supplies for us from the Market – I figured she is the best choice for that sort of thing. So if you are looking for her I'd try the market instead of her home. Anyway, you are the next person I decided to ask, and I have several more on my list – though I suspect at least a few of them will turn out to be 'busy' with something.” Catherine paused for a moment to catch her breath. “I plan to start exploring three days from now, if there are no unforseen delays. So take some time to think about it and when you have decided whether you want to help, or not, send a message to my place.”

“Sure, I'll do that.”

“Great! In that case I'll be going. Sorry I can't stay and talk some more, but I'm already late thanks to my mother, so I need to make up for the lost time. See you late, Cass.”

“Yes, see you later, Catherine.” Cassandra said and watched as her friend left, her eyes going to Catherine's ass on their own. Her pants are so tight... anyone behind her will get a very nice view when she bends over.

Once Catherine was lost from sight Cassandra resumed walking slowly as she considered what to do now.

Primary Vote: What should Cassandra do now?
A. Continue to her original destination and visit Margaret at the Academy
B. Change her mind and go someplace else:
B1. Visit Evelyn's home (she might get lucky and find Evelyn there, or she could do something else, such as speaking to Evelyn's mother)
B2. Visit Catherine's home (Catherine is not there, but other people are – at the very least Catherine's mother should be there)
B3. Visit the “Traveler's Rest” and see what Lisa is doing
B4. Visit the Market (you can specify whether to look for Evelyn, or just to look around the market, or to do something else there)
B5. Visit the Temple
B6. Visit the Academy but without looking for Margaret
B7. Visit the prison
B8. Walk around the city at random and look for anything of interest
C. Do something else (specify what)

X. Minor action(s)

Result: B3 (3 votes)

[After the voting is over I am going to edit this chapter and include the results of the first vote. At that time I will also include some of the minor actions that were voted for.

In case it's not clear, you guys could have used a Minor Action to make Cassandra search the corridor for evidence that anyone was eavesdropping while she was... talking... with her mother. Such an action would have given a bonus to the random roll. Just something to keep in mind for the future.

If anyone is wondering: Yes, if Cassandra had gone out earlier instead of staying home she would have missed meeting Catherine here. She might have learned about it later (for example by visiting Evelyn only to discover she's not home and speaking to her mother instead) or missed it completely, depending on choices made.]

VOTING CLOSED! Thank you for voting!