Beep Bop Boop, "You look pretty Isobel, though perhaps the Commodore can help with maintenance. They do have a lot of automata there though not as advanced as you." She looks to Renata then back to Isobel, "Sometimes one needs to work with others to achieve greater goals."

"Oh ho, oh ho!" Isobel waggles a finger at Xan like oh, you're so smart!

"My name Isobel! I can achieve many things! But sometimes others can do things in other ways that one cannot do oneself, oneself. Many raindrops are much stronger than one, than one." Isobel thinks. "Maybe I do not care about this goal. But maybe there is something I want, that this man could do, maybe? Or maybe I think of one someday? Or maybe deal could let me know more about him? You are clever! But sometimes deals are sticky! Some make deals they regret! But not me! Not me! Not so far! Who knows if this deal is sticky, or too sticky, or not sticky?!"

She turns back to Telric. "What say you? Deal is good? Or deal is no good?"

In reply to Isobel (msg # 855):

"Despite what my large friend here says, the 'stick' may not be needed. We do require the deal to go forward. The question is-what do you require to make that happen?" Telric says in his typical merchantlike manner.

"I see! You are a negotiator, a trader! But were you promised more if I agreed to the deal? Or were you only told that you'd be rewarded if you delivered the message and my reply?"

In reply to Isobel (msg # 857):

"You will have to decide that for yourself..." Telric said, and produces the magical speaking horn as requested by their 'client'.

At noting Isobel's pleasure in her honesty, Renata's lips curled up at the sides and she found her gaze unable to look at anyone else's directly. To her, her guilt at coming here steamed off of her.



"If I remember correctly, it was only to deliver the horn thing and stay here for whatever negotiations or parlay the guy was gonna try. I hope they'll still help out, even if you say no..." Renata swallowed the steamed guilt coursing around her, raising her head to meet Isobel's. "But I think they'd be less likely to go back on that if you agree."

Beep Bop Boop, "I think it would be good for you since we all need friends and it gets so lonely being on your own. Also communicating with people will help spark your own creativity because you can observe others." Xan ends with a smile.



12:19, Today: Xan rolled 8 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 4,3.  Charming Bot to bot.

Isobel thinks, looking up at the ceiling like this is an entirely new line of ideas for her. "...I will... I will..." Thinking... She smiles. It's unsettling. "I need do nothing... You will do something. Go and tell this Commodore that I agree to his request. That I will be his ally in keeping the peace. That will lead to violence from those who do not agree, and that will be exciting. I can always betray him later if I feel like it. Do not tell him that part. Instead, ask him to tell you more about this Scroll he is interested in. If it is so important to him... I am curious why. Tell him I only want to talk to you about it. And then you come and tell me what he says about it... Not here... Perhaps... Where do you think we should meet again?"

(Options:
--Tell Isobel you will meet her at

--The Pinnacle, an old public park up on the north side of town near the barbarian tribes' territory
--The Ghoul Trading Caravan local headquarters to the west
--The Old Adventurers' Guild headquarters
--Anywhere else you want that's not the Tower of Steel nor the Naval Base nor Vault 365 (too far))

Xan looks to the others as to choosing a location.

Renata looked back at Xan, shrugging. She honestly didn't really know enough about anywhere close enough to hold such a meeting and, frankly, felt a little intimidated at the prospect of picking somewhere. A park might be nice, she thought, but she was hardly confident enough to put that idea forward.

In reply to Isobel (msg # 861):

"The Trading Caravan to the west. I might know a few people there to make the trip worthwhile for us." He says, nodding at her.

Beep Bop Boop, "That will be the place then."

Isobel sort of slowly pirouettes on one foot...

"When you go there, I will arrive soon after."

She spins, spins, slowly... So slowly she should fall over, really, but she doesn't.

"Do we need to speak about anything else...?"

"I don't believe so?" Renata looked between the others. She didn't really feel like there was much else to go over, but that likely had more to do with her not really getting this whole 'diplomacy' thing than actually having nothing else to discuss.

Well. There was one thing.

"But, thank you, Isobel. We... We appreciate this a lot."

As little as others really grasped the finer points of Diplomacy, the whole topic just fell through Big Eye's equally large hands like sand.  That didn't stop him from being helpful, even useful sometimes, but it did make him content to end this discussion quickly.

Bobbles her head and walks over to Renata.

Beep Bop Boop, "Take care Isobel!" Waves.

"Oh ho! You feel glad! That is good! But we have forged a deal! Remember that there will be no going back on it for you..."



Isobel cocks her head to the side. "Take care? Oh yes. I will be very careful... I will do things very carefully. That is good. You should take great care, as well."

So... back to the naval base first, to report back...?

Renata Medb rolled 7 using 2d6+3 with rolls of 1,3.  Insightful +1.

Partial Success, at least! Dang, I'm glad for the extra +1.

You all head back the way you came...

There are what look like raiders at the side of the big crater that the giant came out of... about 5 of them, it looks like?

That's the bad news, though. The good news is, you've seen them first. So you'll have an advantage if you decide to mess with them... or you could just work on going around them... That wouldn't be hard at this point... except that it'd mean that you'd be detouring into city blocks you haven't already explored...

"Well, great..." Telric said, annoyed once the raiders are pointed out by Renata. "Still, those guys are as good as dead once the smell of dead giant attracts every bottom feeder in the wasteland." He shrugs. "Like...ghouls for example." He exhales. "Not me of course, but the less refined version of my charming self. Do we deal with them or go around?"

Big Eye stops when Telric starts talking about threats, having clearly seen none himself, looking around doesn't help as he clearly isn't yet in line of sight to whatever the sneaky people out front discovered.  None the less the look he gives Telric is focused and intent.

"Always through."

The answer was clear as day: the big one was right. Take out the heathens before they had a chance to...

She... She. She squinted and shook her head — the answer was decidedly not clear, no matter how much the blood thundered around her brain.

"I say we go around." Renata took a measured breath. "Like you said, they're as good as dead. We shouldn't get caught up in it."

(Renata: Xan kind of looks up to you-- I expect she would agree with whatever you say.

Telric: do YOU have a position? With Xan's player's absence right now, that might help decide this in a more satisfying way...)

In reply to The GM (msg # 876):

"As much as I dislike leaving Raiders free to roam the wasteland, I still believe that much rotting meat is going to attract many predators. However, because we can't count on when that happens, we need to go around. One of those raiders may get a lucky shot off, and its not worth the risk."

(3 to 1! We're goin' around!

Probably to the south, since you arrived from the south-- you're all slightly more familiar with the city's south side.

Either way... one of you give me a new Insightful roll, please.

I'll let whoever rolls for it add an extra +1 to the result of this new roll...)