Matou Shinji and the Broken Chains (HP/FSN CYOA)

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 169: [x] Apologize for his thoughtlessness - he truly did mess up

---

Lost in the dark spiral of his thoughts, Matou Shinji didn't notice when Luna returned, alighting on the balcony of the room soundlessly. He didn't notice as she walked over to him and sat down on the floor beside him. Nor did he notice when she called his name, or poked him, or anything else at all, until she began to hum a curious melody, one that resonated with something inside him, a coolness like bubbles borne on a river stream that brought him back to awareness.

'Sono te ga hiraku asu wa', he found himself thinking as Luna's voice shaped those very words, and the pendant about her neck glowed with an unearthly blue light, one that led him out of the darkness, back to the present.

Almost as if remembering he was a living thing, not a statue, the boy began to move, blinking slowly as he came to recognize his surroundings.

"L-Luna?" he asked, as if he wasn't entirely certain.

The petite blonde - his lover - nodded.

"...I'm sorry," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm sorry for not...for not thinking. For not thinking of you," he added, his body trembling. "I'm sorry..."

Luna was silent as the boy said this, the light from her pendant fading away.

"Luna..."

She wasn't saying anything.

Why wasn't she saying anything?

"Just remember this next time," the girl said lightly. "This time, you came back at least." She paused. "That is something, whatever else you did or didn't do."

"I...Luna, I promise that--"

"Don't make a promise if you know you won't keep it," she interrupted, with there being something utterly melancholic in her expression. "Oh, that's right. Sajyou-san and her mentor wanted to know if you could join them for dinner."

Choice 170: How does Shinji respond?

[ ] Say that he would love to
[ ] Ask if Luna can make it
[ ] Say that he would rather decline - he wants to spend time with her
[ ] (write-in)

[Malorius]

That went (not) well. Nothing is really discussed after Luna's initial outburst, and this resignation in her words is very worrying. Well, time will tell.

What was that trance exactly though? It was pretty unnatural, apparently.

[x] Write-in: Explain that you need to make a decision about the PoAP deal, and that's something Kaiduka can probably help with. Ask her opinion about it.

Hope it doesn't feel like [ ] All the choices! But even if throwing everything away and spending the evening with Luna is very inviting, it's also really short-sighted. PoAP will be an important issue in the future, we need to understand how to legally deal with the situation now. Despite all the relationship drama that comes with it.

[Dracueri]

[x]Explain that you need to make a decision about the PoAP deal, and that's something Kaiduka can probably help with. He also has to have body checked to see what changes occurred from merging with Cloak of the Lindworm. Ask her opinion about it.

[Skull Leader]

[X] Ask if Luna can make it

This write in smacks to me as the some more of what caused Luna being upset, maybe not at the same level but still. And yes it feels a bit like trying to ram in conversation with Luna ham fisted. Even if I know its not trying to be that extreme but it still seems a bit too much. We can't force stuff for Shinji to say but we can at least get him and Luna together so that both at least can talk and plan.

Just ask if she is going to be there. Don't make plans here. Involve her with Shinji so they can act as a couple and both be there, by asking if she will be there. All that other stuff is unimportant stuff that when it comes up in the meeting Shinji AND Luna can weigh in on then. It feels like ya jumping the gun a bit here. Not that you are not well meaning here. But talking is good, but not as important as making sure that both of them are together making deals. As a darn couple.

[Daiki]

[x] Ask if Luna can make it.
[x] Talk to Luna about the PoAP and if she can make it for the meeting with Kaiduka & Ayaka.

Dunno why we should not ask her opinion and invite her to tag along.

[Cysero]

[x] Talk to Luna about the PoAP and ask if she can make it for the meeting with Kaiduka & Ayaka.

If we're asking her to come with us, she'll appreciate it if we give her a heads-up and ask her opinion about some of the stuff we'll be discussing with them, instead of assuming she'll be fine with finding out about it mid-dinner. Not treating her like a partner is what got her angry in the first place.

[Malorius]

[X] Ask if Luna can make it

This write in smacks to me as the some more of what caused Luna being upset, maybe not at the same level but still. And yes it feels a bit like trying to ram in conversation with Luna ham fisted. Even if I know its not trying to be that extreme but it still seems a bit too much. We can't force stuff for Shinji to say but we can at least get him and Luna together so that both at least can talk and plan.

Just ask if she is going to be there. Don't make plans here. Involve her with Shinji so they can act as a couple and both be there, by asking if she will be there. All that other stuff is unimportant stuff that when it comes up in the meeting Shinji AND Luna can weigh in on then. It feels like ya jumping the gun a bit here. Not that you are not well meaning here. But talking is good, but not as important as making sure that both of them are together making deals. As a darn couple.

Well, that's one way to look at it. Your vote is even worse in that regard though.

I'm trying to show Luna that her opinion is more important to Shinji than Kaiduka's. Even if I, as a reader, objectively do treat the spirit's knowledge as more valuable, Shinji, subjectively, should prioritize Luna's from now on. And that's why he has to frame this meeting not as a done deal, which she may come to participate in, if she wants - but as something they can go through together, with a common approach. And that requires a serious discussion before the meeting.

At the very least, we have to explain why it's so important that we have to postpone our romantic evening.

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 470: [x] Ask if Luna can make it + [x] Talk to Luna about the PoAP and if she can make it for the meeting with Kaiduka & Ayaka.

---

"I see," the boy responded, a sigh escaping his lips. "I guess that would be helpful, given..." He shook his head, recalling the various legalities and complication regarding his participation in the Championship and such - especially now that he was something of a public figure. Well, more of one anyway, though he'd never really cared about the fame or fortune that being Champion could allegedly give him, so long as he could do well enough in the eyes of Sokaris.

'Do your best...' was what she'd told him, and he'd done his best not to disappoint. Though he had disappointed someone...Luna, because he hadn't done his best by her.

...and really, if he thought about it, he really, really hadn't.

Even now, he'd apparently become so lost in his thoughts that the very world had fallen away, and all that had saved him was the vestiges of some old magic. Magic which had restored his form to one that was more human, at least temporarily, along with that song...

"Actually," he noted, looking closely at his girlfriend and the concern so clearly written on her face. "What do you think? Should I go? And if so, can you make it?"

"Why would you go?" she asked reasonably.

"Because it would be a good thing to discuss some of the aftermath of the Championship with them," Shinji pointed out, "especially since I'm not a British citizen, and I don't know how that will affect things. I...I didn't win, obviously. I lost the Book of Potions. I've said things..." Things that those arseholes deserve..." Things that could get me in trouble. Things that..." He paused, hesitating. "...it's not actually treason if I was never loyal to Britain to begin with, is it?"

"No, but there are other crimes," Luna murmured.

"...of that I'm all too aware," Shinji grumbled, shaking his head. "I've...let's just say people have talked to me about that."

"But...?"

"I think I should talk to Kaiduka all the same, since I know he's on my side - as much as anyone in power is," he reasoned. "I'm...I'm in over my head when it comes to that, and I'm not sure if Master will tell me much. Like..." he paused again, recalling the events of this morning. "...the Americans want to buy the rights to the Potion of All Potential from me. They made what I think is a pretty generous offer too, but I'm not sure..."

"Oh?"

"I mean, what I'm wearing now - the reason I was able to get as far as I did was because of the Americans," he explained. "And so given that, and how polite their representative was, I feel like I should sell it. Because I don't trust Britain with it, and I don't want them to use it - to use something I made - as a weapon in their wars." He shook his head. "I...I don't know...I could be wrong. I could just be thinking things are worse than they are. It could be that Potter hasn't betrayed me for power, that the Ministry actually means well, that..." But his lips set in a grim line. "But then I remember how they declared how the Hufflepuffs who tried to murder Fleur as heroes, and I can't help but think of them all as monsters. As the very worst sort of villains. And...I'm afraid."

There was a reason he passed the ring of Saint Quartz and his samples of Thaumatagoria to his former master to deliver to Sokaris, after all.

"I don't know...what do you think, Luna?"

"I think we should go and see what Lord Kaiduka has to say."

"...thank you."

Choice 471: Due to your excellent work in the Tournament, Kaiduka congratulates you and offers you a boon. What would you like? (choose one)

[ ] Access to the next level of ofuda materials and teachings
[ ] Some sort of OWL-equivalent certification, in case the British Ministry is not understanding of his position
[ ] Some sort of Mystic Code or item that might be beneficial to him
[ ] Access to an instructor who can help him in his current state
[ ] A goody amount of legal advice, as he figures he'll be needing it in the future
[ ] (write-in)

[Skull Leader]

[X] Access to an instructor who can help him in his current state

First I like to state that like normal I am not against the others per say but...

The main issue that not helping Shinji at this very moment is the disconnect with Dragon and himself. The Dragon mindset is leaching over to Shinji and its making already bad choices worse. It is compounding issues that he already has, like how he sees Rin, Lestrange and how he interacts with Luna. The dragon can be and is a benefit, but like how it took Fusion a long time to get going, Dragon Shinji needs a lot of time and effort to reduce its downsides.

I think that it is more important to make sure this is handled as soon as possible. I will of course missing upgrading Ofuda or having legal advice but I know that I do not want a mentally compromised Shinji if I can do something about it. Thought I could see arguments for some of the others especially the OWLs since it takes no time or effort on Shinji's part and makes things a bit simpler. But I can see Shinji earning them next year if Lockhart wins.

But barring Kaiduka and Japan faction, who else is equipped to help solve the mental issues from his dragon half?

[alfheimwanderer]

I have been asked to talk about the ofuda upgrades. You'd get access to higher quality paper, allowing you to pack more powerful/complex effects into a single ofuda, as well as allowing elemental imbues.

Effectively, this means you could change an earth-aligned ofuda into a razor sharp slip of stone, which could slice people open and then petrify them from within, or turn a fire-aligned ofuda​ into an actual fireball, which can deploy further spells.

[Daiki]

Well, that's a difficult vote.

On one hand, I think the ofuda upgrade is overdue (having wanted that for a while)

On another I see how OWLs equivalent would be helpful.

On an extra one, I can see how benefitial fixing his current emotional issue would be welcome.

However, looking at Shinji's immediate future (the whole conflict in Britain), it's necessary to take in consideration that any of these choices will probably not come up until we're done or have mainly dealt with the troubles back there.

As such, a teacher who can fix Shinji is not likely to help him out anytime soon, and thus if Shinji is capable of making it until that point in time where he receives instruction from them, he probably will have mostly learned to cope with his emotional issue that turns him into a dragon back and forth + more primal compulsions. The only way this option is viable here is if Shinji is instructed by someone like Kohaku (who will be around in Britain but not openly there under Japan's flag).

Upgrade to gear would be welcome if it can be obtained before the civil war but I doubt it's going to happen. In the same way, as above, teachings related to new materials would not come into play until later anyway.

The certificate can be obtained later and in another location. Even if Shinji ended up without OWLs equivalent, he could still attend another school (or a rebuilt Hogwarts) until he can get NEWTs equivalent. He still has his PC championship qualifications after all.

Legal advice could be of use since people want to push a little more for the PoAP.

Another Mystic Code isn't really needed and given the average gear lifespan streak we have...

Thus, as of now, I have no idea which choice to go for. In order to pick, I would like to learn when the mentoring (dragon issue / ofuda upgrade special teachings) choices would actually become relevant / effective.

Probably will shoot for legal advice if those aren't going to come up soon.

[alfheimwanderer]

Mystic Code could be something that helps stabilize the mind and soul, not simply increasing his power. Some of these types of items can even be merged with Shinji's body, so he doesn't lose them - this can be given to him as soon as Kaiduka has a chance.

Mentoring would indeed be under someone like Kohaku, who is very good with dealing with mind stuff, including compartmentalization of personalities. On the island, Ayaka could start with giving him some pointers, as even she has to be careful about losing her temper and...inadvertently causing great destruction.

Certificate is useful in case he is expelled from Hogwarts, etc, so there's no chance they can snap his wand for being a danger to himself and society.

Most things can be used in Britain in one way or another.

[Malorius]

The problem of legal advice is in the details. What exactly is considered "goody amount": 3 separate favors, a year period of answering any kind of questions, forever? How often can we contact Kaiduka, and through what means? Will he have the ability to answer us every time we need his expertise, despite his supernatural duties? Technicalities, basically.

I'll be honest, I prefer this option the most. We lack the in-depth knowledge of legal practice in Magical societies, and that's definitely not going to change in the future. The ability to handwave all problems on that front to "I'll just ask Kaiduka!" sounds pretty great. Our other contacts have their own problems and agenda, so we can't always rely on them to solve these riddles for us - especially if we seriously consider pushing Luna to be a CEO. This approach will save us a whole load of embarrassment (and a bankruptcy or two).

On the other hand, there is the Dragon issue. It seems dire at a times, true, but... It's pretty interesting to read. I'm sure it's going to be an unpopular opinion, but I'll be disappointed if the inhuman angle is suppressed so soon. We are finally a Dark Knight now, guys, embrace the edge!

The others, hm?

We have received our Potions qualifications, not as good as OWL-equivalent, but it will do.

Mystic Codes break, fast - we can't count on it to protect Shinji's soul/mind in any reasonable timeframe.

Ofuda upgrade is so captivating - but not unique. I hope. We intend to focus on getting more ofuda skills this year anyway, right? But, if the legal advice proves to be less extenseve than the choice presents, I would seriously consider choosing this one. Where legal advice and inhuman instructor present ways to fix our current and future problems, Ofuda is our main road to improvement and success (so it looks better by default), thanks to Shinji's extended prana reserves.

Currently, my priorities look something like: Legal>Ofuda>Dragon>OWL>Mystic Code. May change due to discussion, I guess. Tentatively...

[x] A goody amount of legal advice, as he figures he'll be needing it in the future

[Dracueri]

[x]Access to the next level of ofuda materials and teachings

[Cysero]

Daiki raises a fair concern about the usefulness of each option given our timeline.

Even though the ofuda upgrade is long overdue, there are more pressing matters right now.

A mystic code could be immediately useful, but we can probably get a superior one from Atlas in the summer, if we need it.

About the certification, either we win the war and it becomes a non-issue or we leave Britain and get it from another source.

Ideally I'd say pick legal advice as a boon and consult with Kaiduka and Ayaka about fixing his mindscape as a separate issue, they ARE his mentor and senpai after all. They won't leave him broken after seeing how badly he's doing on his own.

[x] Legal advice for all his endeavours

[Skull Leader]

Ideally I'd say pick legal advice as a boon and consult with Kaiduka and Ayaka about fixing his mindscape as a separate issue, they ARE his mentor and senpai after all. They won't leave him broken after seeing how badly he's doing on his own.

You are trying for a cake and eat it moment here. I doubt it will work out like you are hoping it will. Best to assume you can only do one thing and be proven otherwise then shooting for two things to happen.

And to me we need to Shinji to be able to come to terms with what he has become so that he can think correctly. Legal advice is good and all but he will never make good choices if he is being influenced by his dragon nature on top of his normal issues that he has. Moving towards fixing that is the best thing we can do for Shinji as well as for Luna.

He almost lost himself, going deep into his mind just now. He was barely taken out of it by Luna and a powerful item she has. That might not be available or work next time this happens. We need to address this ASAP.

[alfheimwanderer]

The problem of legal advice is in the details. What exactly is considered "goody amount": 3 separate favors, a year period of answering any kind of questions, forever? How often can we contact Kaiduka, and through what means? Will he have the ability to answer us every time we need his expertise, despite his supernatural duties? Technicalities, basically.

Consultation on up to 3 large scale matters over the course of a year, though this can translate into a large scale matter and some amount of general background questions. Basically, if Kaiduka (or representative) is required to actually represent him for a proceeding, that fully consumes one. Otherwise, he fully expects to field things like corporate law questions while Shinji is getting a company set up, or citizenship matters if Shinji say...needs advice on what country he should get married in or whether he can give his lover a Japanese passport, or other things like that.

Generally, you'd be given something like a notebook tied to another notebook in his possession, which you would then write your query on, and he would reply, or refer you to a legal representative whose services would be paid for.

[Desann]

[X] Access to an instructor who can help him in his current state

[Malorius]

Generally, you'd be given something like a notebook tied to another notebook in his possession, which you would then write your query on, and he would reply, or refer you to a legal representative whose services would be paid for.

Huh, that's really neat. But, I guess, that's magic for you.

One year though? A lot can happen in a year's time, especially since we intend to set up another business, get expelled and banished from Britain, called an outlaw and participate in a Civil War - which might as well spill over all Europe. But at the same time, it's only a year, and legal advice won't be very helpful when our friends start to get killed.

Choices, choices.

[Malgos]

Instructor that can help him with his dragon issues.