Waking up to an unnecessary alarm.

(Pieter's POV)

The alarm he had set for work woke me up, no reason for it except the rhythm of my life. My shoulder recovered enough not to scream at Robin lazily resting their arm on it as they were cuddling me. A smile crept up my face two days, two partners sharing my bed. Sadly, this time this bed is not as comfortable as the old one I was used to. Or more likely, the comfort of it was less due to my stress. I didn't want to wake up Robin. Unlike yesterday, when Madelon was just on one side, Robin had placed themselves around me. I can't move too much, or Robin needs to be a deep sleeper. Do I gamble? Not yet, my alarm is set for 7, the stores open at 8, and I don't have food in the house anyway. I lie there waiting, and after 20 minutes, a face peers in, Madelon. Seeing her awake and likely bored, I decide to try to get out of bed, waking Robin. "Okay, now that everyone is awake, how about a walk through the neighbourhood? We can stop at a bakery and a few other stores on the way back for breakfast." Robin grumbles and turns around. Being a streamer and by no means a morning person didn't help them get up. Madelon and I, however, decide to go with our plan. As I am getting dressed, I decide to make a quest. Before I get started, I unmute her chat and notice the message saying the next quest should be something inward, something personal.

Madelon will receive the following quest:

• Start keeping a Journal to reflect on the actions you take and have taken.
• Review your actions and emotions up until now.
• Come up with a plan on how you are going to act in the future to reach your goals.

Select reward:

• Your journal is illegible to everyone.
• Reward based on your plan and conclusions.
• Perk [Planning I]

Wait, this is in line for a co-conspirator quest? Cool! Wait, obviously it is, it includes the three quests she has given, the suggestions she has made to me and any other things she will do to further my goals, or should I say our goals at this point. I didn't expect my sister to want me to have a harem, which included her. Nor did I expect myself to be so okay with it, even with the reward. Focus on the rewards before this takes too long. The first is maximum security for that journal, short-term great, long-term... Depends on whether it extends to all journals. The last one is a perk which I don't know what it does. The second is gambling. Madelon has had a decent amount of these gambling rewards and selects them more often than not. I feel like even if my brain screams no, I should probably pick that one.

As we head out, Madelon bumps my shoulder. "Good quest, but points one and two are the same."

"Emphasis was more my plan; it is not like I need to make a quest for you to do what I want now, do I?" I say with giving her side-eye. "We will get you a journal during this walk, and for both of us, writing implements, maybe some sticky notes. And there is always the option I get us more, but I need to check with the police today what I can salvage from my place and what not. Extra clothes for myself are as much a must as any at this point. Ohh, I should also call Jessica and inform her of the new hit on my, our personal life." I take a deep breath as I take in the new streets of what is the neighbourhood next door to where I used to live. "I can always tell her whilst dropping you off." This place is calmer, further from the city centre, and closer to work, all around an improvement. It is also the more pompous neighbourhood of Helemond. Closer to Nuenen, and the rest who all live closer to Eindhoven or straight up the other side of it.

"It reminds me of home; it is nice and calm here."

"Like home, this is the rich people's neighbourhood. Nuenen used to be that for Eindhoven functionally. The suburbs of Philips." I explain the history of our old town.

"Yeah, you are correct, and ASML has made the entire region its suburbs. But also the home to Vincent van Gogh for a significant part of his life. Where 'the potato eaters' was painted."

"Correct", I said, my smile ear to ear, the small bit of pride in my hometown. As we wander, places start to open up. A bookstore is the first one we see open its doors. I glance at their opening times, 8:30, we are early, but no shame in asking. "Hello, do you mind if we take a look even if it isn't your opening times yet?"

"No problem at all, I am here anyway." The elderly woman declares. "I have that time more so I can sleep a bit longer if I need to."

I chuckle. "Thank you anyway. Anything you recommend? My little sister wants to journal, and I need to rebuild my recipe book."

She guides us to the notebooks through the walls of books here and there, a chair set up in case she needs to take a break, the light was never to dim, and the bookcases not close enough to suffocate. It was cosy. As we arrive, hands me an old recipe book written in English and another in Dutch, even older. "Those books are the ones my husband gave to me while he was out looking for new books for the store. Never cared for them, though, except as old books. Not that I cared for him, I cared more that he left me alone and the books."

Jokingly, I say, "Care much for humans except for their opinions on books or just books."

She takes a long time to think about it. Longer than anyone who actually cares for their relationship with humanity takes. "Yes, if they wrote it. A famous author came from Helemond. Did you know? He signed books here once." The small joys of life. I give a nod in response. "I get your question after reading some of the newer literature focusing on what the nature of romance is, deep stuff. The marriage of convenience and stuff like that."

"Ever been on AO3 or any of the fanfic sites of the early internet?"

Shocked, she responds. "Young man, you should not ask a woman of my age such questions." A definite yes. She glances around and leans in close. "Maybe once, after an employee, after my husband had died, had looked it up on the computer."

"The heart wants what the heart wants. The internet caters to whatever thought you might have. Be careful when you look cause it might look back. And of course, with all self-published work, you should be careful because there are terrible writers out there."

"Even normally published work has those issues. " She responds with a smile.

Madelon, in the meantime, has picked a fancy-looking notebook, and I grab a black one. I also grab some pens, pencils and fineliners that rest well in my hand. "These will do," I say. She tells me the price I pay and offers a paper bag. I wave goodbye and leave the place, but before I do, I quickly say. "How about starting a book club? You might get more customers and have more people to talk to."

Leaving the cosy place behind, we wander into a local bakery for bread. A nearby supermarket for spreads, meats, cheese and butter as well as some fruit for snacks. Having bought what we wanted, we returned home.

We arrive back home with Robin still in bed. "We don't even have knives to butter our bread with." I realise out loud.

"No butter, no spreads, then just meat, cheese and bread. The laziest of sandwiches. Wait, this place has an oven. Lazy tosti (a grilled cheese sandwich-like dish)?" Robin thinks out loud as well.

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, we can do that, but we haven't got sauces if you want that." She gives me two thumbs up, takes a pen and the journal and leaves me alone to make them for both of us. I check her quest progress.

• Start keeping a Journal to reflect on the actions you take and have taken.
• Review your actions and emotions up until now. (Done)
• Come up with a plan on how you are going to act in the future to reach your goals. (Done)

Reward: Reward based on your plan and conclusions.

Yep, emphasis works. Actions are different from thoughts. This forces her to do the work twice if you can **** her to do actual work. But with thoughts, the suggestion can make you do the actions, the review, without needing to actually write them down. Writing them down is just the second or how manieth time you review it, but allows you to let go of it somewhat.

As the tostis are in the oven, Robin arises sleepy, asking what the smell is. "Tostis, we hardly have anything in the way of cutlery, so it is that or just slab some meat or cheese on dry bread as breakfast." This gets an approving nod. Somehow I manage to grab the hot slabs of bread, melted cheese and ham on the top of the stove to let them cool enough so we can eat them. This is great stuff, fatty maybe, but great stuff.

We leave, dropping off Madelon first. Followed by me talking to Jessica whilst I am there. She hugs me and hands me a stack of chipped plates and bent cutlery as a cheap way to restart if it is needed. Robin and I continue on to see what we can do with my apartment and with Robin's stuff, as well as insurance.