Current Events > Teen Titans CYOA: Romance Resurrected Part 13.5

(+) Yeah! (+)

Cartridge88 posted...

B) Last names

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B then A
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B

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B

"I was thinking about last names," you say. "More yours than mine. I know you don't go by more than just 'Raven' publicly, but for the marriage license and legal things, there needs to be a last name."

"Marriage license?"

"Yes, a formal document proving we're married. Without those, anyone with a ring could claim to be married to anyone else with a ring."

"Oh, that's true," she says. "Don't know why I didn't think about that."

"So, Ms. Roth," you say. "Do you want to be the new Mrs. Null? Or perhaps hyphenate as Mrs. Roth-Null?"

"Hmm... Roth-Null sounds nice. Or Null-Roth. Sounds almost Lovecraft-ian."

"I suppose they do," you say as you pull yourself a slice.

"I might go with Null-Roth," she says. "Going from a soft sound like L into something harder like an R is very Lovercraft."

"And it moves better as a full name," you say. "Raven Null-Roth."

"That sounds nice," she says. "Mrs. Raven Null-Roth, wife of Rorek Null VII."

"I like how that last part sounds," you smirk.

She smiles at you while you take a bite of the pizza.

You look back at the game show and see the puzzle has more letters discovered.

E_E _F T_E T__ER
B_ S_R____R

"Oh, now I see it," you say. "Eye of the Tiger, by Survivor. From the Rocky films."

"I know the song just by knowing some things about pop culture," Raven says. "But I've never really watched the Rocky movies."

"Oh you should definitely watch those," you say. "Especially the first two. The story in the first one is very compelling."

You two eat your fill of pizza, and there are still slices left over for tomorrow's dinner. You then discuss tomorrow's lunch plans to meet Raven's mother in the mystical realm that is Azarath. She explains the basics of the dimensional travel spell she uses. As long as you stay close, you'll be able to go with her. For lunch itself, it's decided that...

A) You'll have something from Azarath
B) You'll bring something from Earth
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A
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A.

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A

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A

You'll have something from Azarath. It's easier than bringing something along with you, for one, and Raven isn't sure what her mother would like from Earth anymore.

As for tonight, you carefully pack the pizza itself away with tin foil and put them in your knapsack. Then you and Raven turn in for the night, you returning to your room now that Room 227 isn't full of angry shouting.

The next morning, you go out to get breakfast for you and Raven. You simply go with McDonald's and their hashbrowns.

"How should we dress?" you ask her. "It's one thing to have a 'meet the family' visit, but this is also to let your mother know about the engagement and the wedding."

"Um, I dunno," she says. "I was just going to wear my cloak and leotard."

A) Dress formally
B) Dress semi-formal
C) Dress semi-casual
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B.

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B
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B

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B

"Well, I'll treat it as semi-formal then," you say. "No tuxedo or blazer, but a nice button-up with long sleeves and a pair of slacks."

"That sounds nice," Raven says.

You bring out the black slacks and press them with some heat magic between your hands. You do the same for a crisp white dress shirt, as well as the simple white tee to go under it. Once dressed, Raven prepares the portal. You sit cross-legged with her in the center as she begins the incantation.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos... Carazon Rakashas Endere..."

Flecks of bluish light begin to pop from the ring of sand and form into a cylindrical barrier that reaches all the way to the ceiling. The two of you start to float off the ground and you do your best to keep calm.

"Vaserix Endrien Azarath..." Raven says as she opens her eyes, now glowing white. "Azarath, Azarath!"

A swirling vortex opens above you where the ceiling just was, and a gust of wind blows through the room. With a sudden rush, the two of you suddenly go up through the vortex! You try to look around but everything's moving so fast! The bottom is darkness and the top is light, but everything in between is just a blur!

Then you're suddenly in a city. The architecture is a cross between Persian, Arabian and somewhat futuristic. And there are others walking about in the same hooded cloaks as Raven wears. They notice you and Raven for having just arrived, and perhaps at you for being the only person not in a cloak.

"This way," Raven says as she leads you by the hand.

The two of you walk through the streets and under an overpass to a tower. Emblazoned on the front of the tower is a huge gold bird with wings spread toward the sky. There's a high balcony with doves perched on it. You can hear the cooing as they look about.

"Mother," Raven calls.

A woman looks over the edge of the balcony. She has a hood up, but you can see her hair is the same shade of purple as Raven's. She smiles when she sees Raven, and then has a look of surprise when she sees you. But then she smiles even brighter, and perhaps understands why you're here without even being told.

"Come on up," she calls back to the two of you.

Raven smiles as she leads you through the doorway and you go upstairs. A door inside the tower opens, and Raven's mother welcomes you into her home.

"Mother," Raven says. "This is Rorek Null VII. He and I are... engaged."

"Oh~!" her mother says as she gives you both a big hug.

"And Rorek," Raven says, doing her best to breathe. "This is my mother, Arella of Azarath, formerly Angela Roth."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Arella," you say.

"Have you had lunch?" both Arella and Raven ask the other.

Mother and daughter giggle.

"We haven't," Raven says.

"Well, I haven't either," she says. "I could make you either a stew, or have some Azarathian poultry."

A) Stew
B) Poultry
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B
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Cartridge88 posted...

B) Poultry

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B)

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B

"I'm curious about the poultry," you say. "How about we have that?"

"Certainly," Arella says.

"Oh, you should have Rorek help," Raven says as her mother heads for what must be the kitchen. "He's an amazing cook."

"Amazing, huh?" you say. "Since when did you feel that way?"

"Well it's a bit obvious seeing you at work," Raven says. "In fact, Mother, Rorek wants to open a restaurant in the Bay Area."

"Oh really?" Arella asks as you and Raven enter the kitchen. "Is it the family business?"

"Uh, no, my family are the Nulls of secret magic fame and public business fame. Null Co. produces many items across various industries, and a few of those are magically enhanced. But after traveling the world for a few years, I've gotten rather skilled as a chef and I think opening a restaurant would be a way for me to have a public standing outside of being the heir to a family fortune."

"I see," Arella says. "Well then, let's see what you can do to liven up this puecotan. Oh, that's the name of the bird, by the way."

Arella goes to the pantry and pulls meat from an ice chest. It is definitely poultry with the drumsticks and wing pieces.

"Lovely," you say. "How gamey is it?"

"Not all that much, actually," Arella says. "It's a domesticated bird just like chicken, so recipes can be very versatile."

"Let's see," you say as you think. "How about we try..."

A) Hainanese Chicken Rice
B) "Mouth Watering" Chicken Dumplings
C) Kozuyu Chicken Ramen
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B
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Alakazamtrainer posted...

B

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B

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B

"Mouth Watering Chicken Dumplings. Or in this case, Puecotan Dumplings."

"Is 'mouth watering' really what they're called?" Raven asks.

"Well, that's what the young man I learned it from called it," you say. "But I'm sure you'll understand why when you have it."

"And being dumplings, what do you need?" Arella asks.

"The equivalents of scallions, sesame seeds and a soy-chili sauce blend. And of course, water. Water is the same here, isn't it?"

"Of course," Arella says with a laugh. "What size pot do you need?"

"A good sized pot," you say. "Big enough for breasts."

"You mean the puecotan, obviously," Raven says.

"Obviously," you immediately add.

Raven sorts out the pieces of puecotan while her mother opens a cupboard and brings out a very big pot with two handles.

"We can use this," she says. "I was planning on using it for the stew, so boiling poultry inside will be just as good."

"Dumplings need some kind of dough for breading, though, right?" Raven asks.

"Yes, that's true," you say. "So then, we'll make the dumpling dough while removing meat from bone."

Arella gathers the flour, baking powder, pepper and salt to make the bread, with a bit of Azarathian butter and milk she assures comes from a domestic livestock creature closely resembling a goat, which is fine by you.

"Here are the breasts," Raven says as she hands you a platter.

"Thank you," you say, ignoring how she surely put it that way on purpose.

You chop up the meat a bit and start on the soy-chili sauce. It isn't actually soy but you manage to recreate it with Azarathian beans, and water you turn into vinegar with Alchemy. The chili sauce is definitely similar without touching it up, though. That blend is made and used as part of the broth. You sprinkle the "wulina" seeds like you would the sesame seeds into both the dough and then the broth.

The substitute for scallions are "tisea" shellfish, though they smell closer to an oyster. You pop the meat out of the shells and dice it up. You mix that with the chicken meat and start balling them up in the dough. The dumplings go right into the boiling water and you chop up the Azarathian equivalent of green onions to then sprinkle all over, too.

"Now, for side dishes," you say, "I hope Azarath has something similar to rice."

"Of course," Arella says. "It was also going to be part of the stew."

She brings out bags of a grain very much like rice and has that start cooking in another pot.

"And let's also have..."

A) Mapo Doufu
B) Stir-fried spinach
C) Hachis Parmentier
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Cartridge88 posted...

A) Mapo Doufu

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A
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B)

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Cartridge88 posted...

A) Mapo Doufu

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A

"Mapo Doufu. It's a tofu dish, almost a soup or stew in its own right."

"Then I'll get out my other stew pot," Arella smiles.

She goes back into the cupboards while you and Raven check the pantry. You find more shellfish to take the place of the scallions, and more Azarathian beans to use in the substitute for soy beans. Those not only go into the new batch of soy sauce, but also into being the tofu itself now. You also use some beans for the chili bean paste, and find a meat as close to pork as possible to also include.

"Do we have any wine?" you ask.

"Wine?" Arella asks. "I'm pretty sure neither of you are old enough to drink."

"It's for the broth of the tofu," you say. "Just for a bit of richness."

"Well, I suppose it's alright," she says.

Arella goes to a different cupboard in the pantry and brings out a bottle that definitely resembles wine.

"Thank you," you say.

A) Stick to regular Mapo Doufu
B) Upgrade to Extra Spicy
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Cartridge88 posted...

A) Stick to regular Mapo Doufu

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A
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B

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A

As much as you want to, you forego making this batch an extra spicy Mapo Doufu.

You grind and roast black pepper on low heat. It enriches the fragrance as it gets darker. The tofu is chopped into chunks before it simmers in salted water. You heat up a pot as close to a wok as you can find and spread vegetable oil all over it. You saute the minced meat on the wok while you remove the meat from the shellfish. Shellfish mixes with minced meat and you stir fry it in the wok. You mix puecotan broth with the wine, the chili paste, bean sauces, chili powder and the Azarathian equivalent of garlic. This becomes the soup stock that you mix into the wok.

As things start to boil, you add soy sauce and Azarathian sugar, then thicken things up with a water-starch slurry. Then you sprinkle sesame oil, more green onion approximate, and even more pepper and shellfish onto it all.

"The mouth watering puecotan dumplings look golden brown," Raven says.

"Good, good," you say. "Lower the heat so it can simmer. The Mapo Doufu and rice will only take a moment more and then we can let them all cool off together."

This isn't a gas or electric stove, but Raven weakens the fire with a little bit of water. The poultry doesn't boil quite as strongly now. After just a minute more, you put out the fire for all three dishes and move them from the stove.

"Lunch is served," you say.

Raven and her mother bring out bowls and silverware, and the three of you sit at a dining table. It's low to the ground so it reminds you of your time in Asia. You set the pots on place mats and everyone serves themselves a portion of everything.

"Oooh," Arella says as she scoops the Mapo Doufu. "There's a lot of spice in this."

"Oh, trust me, there's an even spicier take," you say.

"R-Really?" Raven asks, apparently having had some already. "This is... This is pretty strong right here."

Arella pours Raven a glass of Azarathian goat milk and Raven chugs it.

"Thank you," she says.

You transform your fork into metal chopsticks with some Transmutation, because the young man you learned these recipes from would be aghast otherwise. You pick up a mouth watering puecotan dumpling and take a hardy bite.

"Is it close to how it'd be with chicken?" Raven asks.

"More or less," you say. "It almost has flavor qualities closer to turkey. But how about you? Is it still 'mouth watering' as promised?"

"It's very, very good, yes," Arella says. "If this veritable feast is lunch, then you definitely have what it takes to open a restaurant."

"Thank you," you say.

"So, oh, you're engaged," Arella says, getting a bit teary eyed already. "Oh, Raven, dear, that's wonderful."

Mother and daughter smile and you see where Raven gets hers.

"So have you chosen a date?" Arella asks.

"Yes," you say. "Raven's birthday in February."

"Oh how lovely," Arella says.

"I know," Raven says. "Now I'll have a reason to celebrate my birthday."

"But obviously I'd like for our families to meet sometime before the wedding," you say to them both. "I was thinking..."

A) Your (Rorek's) Birthday
B) Christmas
C) New Year's
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A
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Cartridge88 posted...

A) Your (Rorek's) Birthday

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A

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A

"My birthday. It's very close now, actually."

"We will have to go back to London for it?" Raven asks. "We haven't finished our road trip."

"That's alright," you say. "We'll have them join us in the States. We don't necessarily have to end our road trip, we'll just have them meet us somewhere."

"It won't be everyone, will it?" Raven asks.

"No, we'll keep it to just immediate family," you say. "My father, mother, sisters and grandparents."

"Oh, okay," she says.

"Now, let's see," you say as you review your road trip plan. "We basically just arrived in Natchez, though I suppose we could leave early. My birthday's about two weeks away now, so I think we can make it to..."

A) Las Vegas
B) Mt. Hood Timberline Lodge
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B.

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B
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B

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B

"Mt. Hood. We can even see if the Timberline Lodge will host us all."

"Oh, I'd love that," Raven says. "But that's pretty far. Will we make it in time for your birthday?"

"Well, we can be late by a day or so," you say. "But you're right, we'd need to speed things up. Or, perhaps we'll have to give up on some destinations."

"Like where?" she asks.

"Well, I suppose I can give up on seeing a baseball game," you say with a bit of a smirk. "We can skip Denver, Colorado. But we'll also have to skip..."

You review the list of destinations as best as you can remember in your head.

"I think it'll have to be our trip down to Mexico," you say. "And perhaps a stop in Yuma."

"That's fair. We can always go there some other time."

"Where else were you planning on going in this little road trip you seem to be on?" Arella asks.

"Our next stop was going to be Jackson, Mississippi," Raven says. "Which can probably be more a passing-through rather than a full stop now. Then we would spend a night or two in the Arlington Hotel in Arkansas before seeing Fort Washita in Oklahoma. Then we were going to see Four Corners on the way to the Grand Canyon. Maybe we don't need to go to Vegas now?"

A) Yes, pass through
B) No, at least spend a day
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B.

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A
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B)

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b

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B

"No, we can still spend a day there," you say. "We should see a show, see the city lit up at night."

"I guess that's fine," Raven says. "But just the one night then."

"Just the one night," you say. "But we'll make it the best night possible."

"If you're going from Vegas to Oregon, perhaps I could join you on that stretch of your trip?" Arella asks.

"Well, we're riding around on Rorek's motorcycle," Raven says. "There's only so much room, unless you want to be stuck in a sidecar."

"Oh. Well, isn't that very cozy," Arella teases. "The two of you on the back of a bike."

"Yes, it's pretty snug on Shadowfax," you say.

"Shadowfax?"

"That's the name of his motorcycle," Raven says. "That can also transform into a metal horse."

"What?" Arella says in surprise. "It can transform?"

"Yes," you say. "That was a special modification my grandfather put into it, but it can only be used sparingly."

"I see."

The three of you continue eating your lunch, and you personally enjoy the bit of spice in the Mapo Doufu. The rice mixes in well with both that and the puecotan.

"That was delicious," Arella says.

"Thank you," you say.

"Before you go," she says. "Would Rorek like to see Raven's old room?"

"Oh yes, please," you say.

"Oh..." Raven sighs as you help gather up the dishes. "Just no baby pictures..."

"Baby pictures?" you say. "How many?"

"Quite a few," Arella says as Raven says, "Too many."

A) Look at all
B) Look at one
C) Look at none
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Cartridge88 posted...

B) Look at one

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A
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A

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A

"Oh well I'm going to need to see them all then," you say with a chuckle.

Raven grumbles while her mother giggles. The three of you put things away in the kitchen and you quickly rinse them down with water before following the ladies to a back room.

"Here we are," Arella says as she opens a door.

She walks in, followed by Raven. You go in last, and see this room is not too different aesthetically from Raven's room at Titan Tower. The bed is considerably smaller but has a similar canopy resembling the hood of the Azarathian cloak.

"Just how you left it," Arella says to Raven.

"It definitely is," Raven says as she goes to the bed.

Raven sits down while Arella brings out a book from a shelf. You walk over to sit with Raven on the foot of the bed and Arella brings the book over. She sits on your other side and sets the book on your lap. You open it and see a little baby Raven swaddled in a blue blanket while in her mother's arms.

"Aww," you say with a little chuckle.

Raven blushes a little as you continue through. There's toddler Raven, perhaps no older than five years, having her height measured against a wall, and apparently learning to eat with utensils and not her hands. There are many others as she grows up, from her first use of her powers to just a sweet smile in the sunlight. Then there's Raven at about 10 years old wearing her first cloak and leotard, which were also pure white.

"Adorable," you say. "Are those still around? It'd be surreal to see something from when Raven was so small."

"Oh, I suppose Raven wouldn't have told you," Arella says while Raven starts to blush again. "The materials used in the cloak and the leotard are Azarathian 'soul fuse' fabrics. They grow and change with the person they were made for."

"So, you've been wearing the same leotard since you were a child?" you ask Raven.

"Leotards," she defends. "Plural. But yes. They aren't one-size-fits-all, but more... all-you-will-ever-need."

"Impressive enchantment magic," you say. "Is that also the power behind changing color like a mood ring?"

"Yes, actually," Arella says. "Which is part of why I knew them returning to all white was sign of something wonderful between you two."

Arella smiles at you and Raven, and the two of you smile at each other.

"However, the belts are a bit different," Arella says as she looks at her daughter's waist. "Oh, and what's this?"

She reaches across you to touch Raven's belt and observe the new gems in the light.

"Rorek put these in for me," Raven says with a proud smile. "Jewelcrafting and enchantment for some passively active magic."

"That's impressive, too," Arella says.

"Thank you," you say.

"Oh, you should share some of the photos we have," Raven says.

"Oh, yes, I would love to see those," Arella says.

"Well they're only on my phone, but I suppose I could."

You bring out your phone and project the photos for everyone to see.

"How lovely," Arella says as she sees Raven with the wind blowing and the shining sea behind her.

"Wow..." Raven says. "Rorek, that looks incredible. I don't think I'd seen these back since you took them."

Raven rests her head on your shoulder as you move through the slideshow.

"Aww," Arella says as she sees the selfie. "How cute. When and where were these taken?"

"Southern California," you say. "Over a month ago, actually."

"We weren't officially a couple then, but we were quite literally on the road to it," Raven says.

"Wait, you've only known each other a few months and you're wanting to get married?"

Arella sits up and has a very serious and disapproving look on her face.

"Well, yes," you say, suddenly feeling guilty. "But it's felt like much longer."

"Mother, it's not that big of a concern," Raven says.

"Are you sure?" Arella says. "What could possibly make getting engaged after only a month of being together 'not that big of a concern'?"

"Because of everything that's happened in that same month," Raven says. "Just the other day, Rorek and I slayed a dragon. This same dragon basically seduced me into freeing him!"

"What? Why didn't I know about this dragon?"

"Well, we don't exactly have an interdimensional telephone or mailing system," Raven says. "And... I felt really stupid for being so naive and gullible, and vulnerable... Plus, in the grand scheme of things, being catfish'd didn't compare to how I still feared my father using me to conquer the universe."

"Catfish'd?"

"It's slang for a situation like that," you explain. "A person pretends to be someone completely different, sometimes to the literal sense where they create a fake identity to hide behind."

"Oh. Raven, you could've visited and told me about this catfish dragon. Honestly, it feels almost like a 'like mother, like daughter' situation."

You stay quiet as that sinks in.

"Well, this may be very fast," Raven speaks up. "But my life has never been normal. I don't want to upset you, but I'm not changing my mind."

"If you're not changing your mind, then can't you at least be more patient?" Arella asks as she stands up. "It doesn't have to be your very next birthday. You could wait an extra year, to see if this relationship of yours is built to last."

"I think we should also mention how you and I fought through my family's situation," you tell Raven.

"Your family?" Arella asks.

"Right," Raven says. "Rorek's family is basically magic royalty, and he had a very long list of young women ready to be engaged as soon as he turned 18. I literally had duels with some of them to deny them his hand in marriage. He's mine one way or another at this point, so why wait?"

"Or more logically," Arella counters, "why rush it?"

Raven and her mother both grumble and frown at each other, and you also see a resemblance.

A) Side with Raven
B) Side with Arella
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Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

A) Side with Raven

But acknowledge Arella's concerns with reassurance.

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A)

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A

"I'm with Raven on this one," you say. "I know this is sudden, but that's why waiting until Raven's birthday is a fitting date to have the wedding. We'll have the next few months to grow our relationship before the marriage."

"Then why do it at this time?" Arella asks. "Why not wait another year?"

"Because I'm as confident as Raven is about this," you say. "We aren't going to be broken up so easily."

Raven smiles and takes your hand in hers. Arella sighs, but with a smile.

"Well, at least I know you'll support her decisions," she says. "Just try not to rush any other major life decisions. I am far too young to be a grandmother."

"M-Mom...!" Raven says, blushing redder than ever.

Arella giggles at her daughter's embarrassment, but even you are feeling flustered.

"Well, do you two have anything else to do today?" Arella asks. "Or can you stay and talk a bit more?"

A) Stay
B) Go
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