Moth Stalking

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iuDsLw3PxshvL8yYUkOeiJr6DSJ7zpjaeGvumF65l_I/

//Stalking; bog encounter that auto-triggers once at 50 affection.
You've been wandering through the bog for some time in another deep exploration attempt, but everything's been eerily quiet. You aren't upset about not being assaulted, but the complete lack of danger is much more unnerving than some monster jumping out at you would be. Every once in a while, you think you can catch a glimpse of something white flit through the trees, but it could just be your imagination. Despite the foreboding atmosphere, you press on through the swamp.

After a few more tense minutes, you hear something up ahead. You ready your [weapon] and advance slowly in an effort to remain undetected by whatever's causing the commotion further on. Trudging through the muck, you step out into a clearing and see a terrified frog-girl cowering in the center. She lets out a gasp when she sees you but quickly returns to scanning the treeline, obviously scared of something else.

Still somewhat cautious, you step forward and start asking her about what's happening, but before you can finish, she shrieks and hides her face in her trembling hands. "<i>N-Noooo,</i>" she wails, "<i>She's coming... Oh sweet Marae, somebody help me!</i>" She suddenly falls silent, dropping to her knees. Her eyes are as wide as saucers and completely focused on something behind you. You whirl around, but the swamp is as still as ever.

You turn back around to see the frog-girl fleeing the clearing. She hops away as fast as she can, and you're once again left without any answers. Unsettled by this encounter, you decide to make your way out of the bog. You start walking back, but a shiver runs down your spine when you remember that the frog-girl was running in the opposite direction.

You continue your trek back to camp, and the oppressive silence is once again your only companion. As you push through the hindering mud, a single distant, indistinct sound which could almost be a scream is the only interruption to this ominous monotony. A growing sense of dread pushes you to move faster and faster through the swamp. Your unease is so great that you don't even notice the drider blocking your path until you almost bump into it. You stumble back, surprised to see one so far away from their usual territory.

You don't think the drider was the source of the frog-girl's fear, and, judging by her lack of concern, she isn't even aware of the situation. You're still distracted by the potential threat lurking somewhere nearby, allowing the drider to land a cheap shot on your side just as you look away. You reel backwards, refocusing on your current opponent, who haughtily sneers at you before saying, "My, my, what easy prey you are." Just as you pull out your [weapon], a white blur barrels past you into the drider.

Your mysterious savior zooms off into the bog with incredible speed, too fast to make it out clearly. You hear the drider's scream trail off into the distance until it ends abruptly with a bloodcurdling snap. Somewhat perturbed, you stand at the ready just in case something comes back for you. You keep yourself alert for a few tense minutes, prepared to fight for your life. However, you know that you can't stay like this forever, so you eventually decide to head on your way, glad that whatever that thing was, it doesn't seem to be interested in you.

[Next]

Your return home is suddenly interrupted by a pale phantom shooting down from above and landing in front of you. Understandably on edge, you scramble backwards in a panic. Your heart rate returns to a normal level when you realize that it's just Sylvia. You manage to stutter out a greeting, to which she responds simply, "<i>Hello.</i>" The moth-girl's casual demeanor does a lot towards helping you calm down, but you can't help being skeptical of her sudden arrival.

The moth steps forward to hug you, but as she stretches out her arms, you notice that her hands are covered in dark red blotches. Shuffling back a few steps, you ask her about the rusty stain, which happens to looks suspiciously like blood. "<i>Hmm? Oh, this? Nothing to worry about, dear. I just ran into a... problem on the way.</i>"

You aren't sure that you'll get a more specific answer than that, so you accept her embrace. As she's nuzzling [if player's height>hers:your chest; else:you into her bosom], you can't help but think about your relationship. You look [if same thing:down; else:up] at her and are mildly surprised to find her piercing eyes locked to yours. While this does make you hesitate, you feel compelled to ask Sylvia if she's been following you.

The expression on her face seems to shift back and forth between mellow nonchalance and manic intensity with worrying speed before finally settling on remorse. "<i>I just can't stay away from you...</i>" she mutters, turning her head away. You aren't exactly sure how you should respond to her confession, so you just keep holding her awkwardly. She seems troubled by your lack of an answer, pulling herself out of the hug and asking, "Is... is that a problem? You don't mind, right?"

[It's fine] [No way in hell]

//It's fine; tooltip- It seems like she means well.; SYLVIA_STALKING = 2; +affection
While her methods might be somewhat unusual, you think the moth has your best interests at heart, so you suppose you don't mind her following you from time to time. When you relate this to her, her gloomy look immediately brightens up. She throws her arms around you and buries her face in your [if player height>hers:chest; else:hair]. Her quiet voice is normally a bit hard to understand, but muffled as it is you can barely make out any of her words.

Laughing, you [if player height>hers:tilt her chin up; else:pull your head back] to get a better look at her. Smiling gently, she closes her eyes and lets out a sweet sigh, seeming for all the world like a normal girl. You don't know why you were even worried in the first place. "<i>Besides, those spider vermin don't deserve to breathe the same air as you. [if (player=spider) Not that there's anything wrong with being a spider, of course.]</i>" Her big, baleful eyes bore into yours, and a shiver shoots up your spine.

You laugh again, more nervously this time, and change the subject. You don't know if it's just nerves, but eventually you run completely out of things to say. Sylvia just stands there with the same saccharine smile as always. You make up an excuse about needing to do something back at camp and take your leave. As you're walking away you hear a whisper from behind you. "<i>Be seeing you...</i>" You look back, but she's already gone.

//It's not okay; tooltip- This is a bit too much for you.; SYLVIA_STALKING = 1
While the moth may have your best interests at heart, this definitely crosses a line for you. When you relate this to her, she seems to deflate. You're worried you may have hurt her feelings, but she seems more upset with herself than you. With a great deal on contrition, she manages to stutter out, "<i>I'm so sorry. I just thought...</i>" The despondent moth-girl is unable to finish her sentence as sobs start to slip out of her.

She may be the one in the wrong here, but this reaction was a bit more than you expected, and you start to feel bad for the moth-girl. You explain that you never intended to hurt her feelings, just to draw some clear boundaries. "<i>So, you're not mad at me?</i>" she whispers almost too quietly to hear. You respond that you won't be mad so long as she doesn't do it again. She nods in understanding and makes a flimsy excuse before flying away. You head back to camp, still bothered by this entire ordeal.
==
//First encounter; all of these increment the stalking flag
It's been a miserable hour. You've been trudging through the thick mud of the swamp for far too long without anything happening. However, rather than being bored, you're tense. Pricking your ears, you try to find some sign of life. There's nothing here. There's nothing here, but still... You're on edge. A creeping chill starts at the base of your spine and slowly spreads throughout your body. You don't know why, but you have the distinct feeling that something bad is about to happen.

Wanting to investigate further, you start to inspect the trees more closely as you pass through the rotting forest. It greatly hampers your progress, but you're determined to get to the bottom of this. Still, the swamp is silent. You strain your senses to their limit, and, just as you start to consider giving up, you catch a faint rustle at the edge of your hearing. Turning towards it, you catch a glimpse of something pale off in the distance.

Suddenly, everything clicks into place as you remember giving Sylvia permission to follow you. You let out a nervous chuckle and shake your head, mildly embarrassed to have gotten all worked up over nothing. You consider calling out to her, but when you look back up, you're unable to spot the white speck again. Well that's odd. You could've sworn it was the moth-girl stalking you. Is the silence just getting to you? Mildly perturbed, you clear your head and move on.

[Next] //rerolls from list of non-Sylvia/stalking bog encounters.
==
//Second encounter

While exploring the bog, a now familiar sense of solitude strikes you. You realize that you haven't seen anyone, or anything, else on your trip so far, despite having made decent progress through the woods. Unsure of the exact situation, you carefully continue onward, scanning the depths of the swamp for your probable pursuer. To your surprise, you're able to spot her with no great difficulty. Sylvia is hovering some distance away, staring at you but saying nothing.

You approach the moth slowly, cautiously. You don't have any particular reason to be worried, but something about her complete lack of a reaction to your presence is putting you off. As you finally draw close enough to get a good look at her, you're alarmed at her appearance. While she can sometimes be quite intense, you don't know if you've seen her like this before. Her deep black eyes are hollow, almost dead, and completely focused on you, but the rest of her is hauntingly still. You can't fathom what emotion she's feeling right now. Nonetheless, you tentatively start greeting her.

As soon as the first word leaves your mouth, she shoots off like a bolt. You call out her name, but it seems she won't heed you. Somewhat confused, you try to run after her, but the sucking mud and whipping branches hinder your movement much more than hers, and it's not long before she's completely out of sight. You stumble to a halt, breathing heavily and quite perplexed at her behavior.

[Next] //rerolls from list of non-Sylvia/stalking bog encounters.
==
//Third encounter; was thinking about making it auto trigger as Sylvia's next scene after stalking #2

Once again, the bog has gone deathly quiet. The trees creak and groan in the chilling wind blowing through, but no other noise troubles the sleeping forest. Your footsteps, splashing in puddles and snapping twigs, echo in the silence of this deserted thicket. Very few things break the monotony. The unnerving feeling of being watched. The faint sound of buzzing. In the far distance, a flash of white. You're starting to sense a pattern here.

With a great deal of exasperation, you start calling out for Sylvia. Where once this eerie silence would have caused you no small distress, now it's irritating. You start to tromp in the direction you think you last glimpsed her, but you're mainly hoping she'll come to you. Not hearing an answer, you increase the volume of your shouts. You're a bit upset with her for making you go through all of this fuss.

Your annoyed absentmindedness leads you right into an exposed root, which snags your foot and sends you spiraling to the ground. You slide down a short embankment, getting covered in mud and twisting something in the process. Distracted by the pain of your fall, you don't notice the spiderwebs you've tumbled into until you try to stand up. You swear and struggle, but you're barely able to move. It seems the sticky strands have entangled your limbs. You thrash your way free of the most burdensome webbing, allowing you some freedom of motion[if (player has wings) , but your wings remain tangled up, preventing you from flying away]. Panic doesn't set in until you see the red, glowing eyes peering at you from the nearby shadows.

A drider. Well, nothing you can't deal with. You struggle forwards towards your foe, [weapon] ready, but, oddly enough, she retreats back into the shadows, giggling. The tremor running through your body is an ill omen, but still you force your shuddering form onward. However, you stop dead in your tracks when a second voice joins the giggling. Your face blanches, and you whirl around, looking for its source. There! A second set of eyes, and, as they advance towards you, the rest of the body: pale, elegant beauty contrasted with the primal horror of her skittering legs. You draw in a shaky breath, aware that you're in dire straits, but your hope is still alive. It only dies when a third set appears, then a fourth, and then too many eyes to count begin to creep closer, the giggling now coming from all directions.

You shiver, surrounded by your tormentors, unable to process what's happening. [if (player is spider) It seems your shared features will do nothing to dissuade them.] The cruel cackling closes in around you until you don't even have enough space to breathe. You threaten the spiders with your [weapon], but your attempts at intimidation only make them laugh harder. Your brain is running a mile a minute trying to concoct some kind of escape plan, but nothing seems plausible. Your fevered thinking is interrupted by the sensation of something cool and slender tapping you on the shoulder. You scramble forwards and turn around to see a particularly malicious drider retracting her leg. The others seem quite amused by your reaction, but suddenly, they fall silent in unison.

They all seem to be looking in the same direction for some reason, so you follow their gaze, not understanding what's drawn their attention. You don't have to wonder very long, as an almost imperceptible buzzing graces your ears for a few seconds before you recognize a beautiful white blur speeding towards you. In a burst of quick thinking, you drive the closest driders away with your [weapon], clearing a path for your savior. Your plan works, and you're swiftly swept up by four strong arms and spirited away. Looking up, you confirm that it is indeed Sylvia who's rescued you.

The moth-girl flies for some distance, until you can no longer hear the jeering spiders behind you, before setting you down in a clearing. Before you can even start to thank her, she rushes over to hug you, sobbing quietly [if(player height>hers) into your chest | into your hair]. You pat her on the back reassuringly, but you're not exactly sure how to react yourself. You've gone through so many different emotions in such a short period of time that you just feel shell-shocked. Eventually, the moth's comforting embrace calms you down, and you finally feel at ease.

Sylvia is the first to break the silence. She steps back and says, [say: You scared me! Please don't ever do anything like that again...] You point out that you only acted the way you did because of her, but she seems adamant, her hands planted firmly on her hips. You say that you'll promise to be more careful if she explains why she's acting so strange. She considers this for a moment before responding, [say: Well... When I hunt something, I just get into a certain... mindset. I get so focused that it's hard to think about anything else.] Her voice is as soft and sweet as ever, but her explanation doesn't quite sit right with you.

Rubbing the back of your head, you thank her for the assistance, and she smiles in response. It seems that, however strange her behavior might be, she really does care for you. Before you leave, Sylvia helps you remove the last remaining bits of webbing stuck to your body, speeding up the process quite significantly. After you're completely free, you wave goodbye to the cheerful moth-girl and head home.