Scenes from Life in Meropide: A Raw Deal

Scenes from Life in Meropide: A Raw Deal is a World Quest in Administrative Area, Fontaine. This quest is unlocked during the .
==Start Location==
Start the quest by approaching Decembre in the Mail Room, opposite to the Infirmary in the north branch of Fortress of Meropide: Dormitory Block.
Scenes from Life in Meropide A Raw Deal Starting Location.png|Start location
Scenes from Life in Meropide A Raw Deal Starting Location Context.png|Additional context
==Steps==
# Leave the mail room
==Dialogue==
;(Approach Decembre)
:Decembre: Can anyone help me? Please! I'm begging you! Help this poor soul!
:Paimon: Are you alright?
:Decembre: Oh, thank goodness! Finally, some kind people! You see, it's my son's birthday tomorrow, and I'd like to send him a letter.
:Decembre: But to get a letter sent out of the Fortress of Meropide, you have to queue up here, and I don't have the time for that...
:Paimon: Huh? Why not?
:Decembre: There was a major safety incident in the production zone, so I have to get there immediately. I was hoping someone could stand in line for me, but...
:Decembre: *sigh* I know this is what I deserve. But my son is innocent. Why should he have to pay for my crimes too?
:Decembre: All I want is to send him a letter so he knows his father hasn't forgotten his birthday and loves him very much. But I can't even do that...
:Paimon: Poor guy... We'll help him, won't we, ?
:Decembre: You will? ...I don't have much in the way of money on me right now, but I'll be sure to pay you a fair price for your trouble based on the market average!
: ...The market average?
:Decembre: Yes. I've lined up for other people before, so I know the going rate.
:Paimon: It's alright, don't sweat it! We're happy to help.
:Decembre: Thank you so much! You're great people. Oh, I forgot to ask for your names. I'm Decembre, and you?
:Paimon: Paimon is Paimon and is . We're adventure buddies!
:Decembre: Well it's good to meet you, Paimon, . Here's the letter. Just hand it to Lutz over there. You're lifesavers!
:Paimon: Hehe, don't worry! We'll take care of it!
:
:Exhausted Man: Ugh, this is taking forever. And the air is so stuffy here! I can barely breathe...
:Upbeat Man: First time queueing here, huh, kid? Welcome to the infamous slowest queue in the Fortress of Meropide. Surprised you've never heard of it.
:Upbeat Man: Lutz has a tendency to slow things down by embellishing the letters as he types them out. Can't help himself! Then, of course, we have to check through them all over again to make sure we're happy with it, blah blah blah...
:Exhausted Man: Are you kidding me? Gods. I'm going weak at the knees...
:Upbeat Man: Haha, hang in there, buddy! If you pass out, you'll only have to start all over again tomorrow. It's happened before, you know. One guy's on his third visit and still hasn't managed to send his letter!
:Exhausted Man: Third visit? Geez... Sucks to be him...
:Upbeat Man: Haha, you bet it does! It takes a special kind of bad luck to fail three times in a row. He's a legend in the Meropide queueing community. We call him "Unlucky Decembre"!
:Upbeat Man: If you're interested, I can tell you more about him.
:Exhausted Man: To be honest, I'm not really in the mood.
:Upbeat Man: Ah c'mon, cheer up! Anyway... It all started the day before yesterday. It was sweltering hot that afternoon...
:Exhausted Man: I said I'm not... Ugh, whatever. Carry on.
:Upbeat Man: Decembre came to me that afternoon, saying he had to line up to send a letter the following day. He asked me if I could cover his shift as a porter in the Coupon Cafeteria.
:Upbeat Man: I was gonna say no, because it sounded like more trouble than it was worth. But he gave me the old puppy eyes, and said how he'd missed his chance the last time because he overslept, and how his son was still waiting for his letter...
:Upbeat Man: So I took pity on him, and agreed to help him out. But guess what I saw when I got off work yesterday? I saw him looking for someone else to cover his work, and the excuse was still the same — he needed to send a letter.
:Upbeat Man: So I went over and asked him what happened. He said he'd learned from his mistakes, and woke up early in the morning to queue up. But he still didn't manage to send the letter due to unforeseen complications.
:Exhausted Man: Don't tell me... he joined the wrong line?
:Upbeat Man: No, but that's almost as funny as what actually happened. He skipped breakfast to get in the line early, but by the afternoon he was running on empty and starting to lose it...
:Upbeat Man: He tried to push through, but suddenly everything went black, and there was a loud thud. He was out cold, and by the time he regained consciousness, they were closed for the day.
:Exhausted Man: Hahaha, what a loser! ...Wait, did I...? I don't think I had anything to eat either... Crumbs, now my stomach's starting to growl...
:Paimon: Did they say Mr. Decembre? Paimon didn't realize what we'd lined up for... Good thing we always have food with us for emergencies!
: Yup! And Paimon, too!
::Paimon: ...Hmm. That nice, but Paimon can't put her finger on why...
: And because you're always hungry...
::Paimon: Hehe, nothing's more important in life than a full stomach!
:
:Exhausted Man: I'm feeling lightheaded... Man, I really hope I don't have to do this all over again tomorrow.
:Upbeat Man: Eat this. You need something in your stomach. Next time, remember to bring food and water when you go on a long queue.
:Exhausted Man: Thank you. But it's crazy that you're talking about this queue like it's a marathon...
:Upbeat Man: Hah. Listen up, maggot! This is the most brutal, god-forsaken slice of hell in the whole Fortress of Meropide. It makes Pankration look like a walk in the park!
:Exhausted Man: But... but it's just—
:Upbeat Man: Every queuer worth their salt knows to plan properly before committing to join the line. Some people bring a stool for rest breaks. And some of the more hardcore folks have even been known to camp outside the entrance the night before!
:Exhausted Man: ...But it's just a queue...
:Upbeat Man: This is no ordinary queue, rookie. This is war! Everyone is expected to give a hundred and ten percent! Even Unlucky Decembre has multiple contingency plans!
:Exhausted Man: ...
:Upbeat Man: Sadly, the best-laid plans are no match for fate. On my way back from the production zone earlier, I saw him leaving the line and heading in the direction of the Coupon Cafeteria.
:Upbeat Man: So I asked him, "Hey! Aren't you supposed to be in the queue?" And do you know what his answer was?
:Upbeat Man: He'd gotten so fixated on queueing that he forgot the most important thing of all: He didn't bring his letter with him! So he had to leave and come back.
:Exhausted Man: ...I really have to meet this guy. Sounds like quite a character.
:Paimon: What!? He forgot his letter!? Man... Decembre's luck really is terrible...
: Wait, then what did he give us?
: Didn't he give us his letter?
:Paimon: Right! He handed it right to us... Paimon is getting to get pretty confused...
: Let's take a peek at it...
:Paimon: Yeah, let's see what he wrote... Whoa! What the heck is all this? Paimon about a birthday or Mr. Decembre anywhere...
::"Beautifully-Written Letter"
::To my love, my dearest Monsieur Neuvillette,
::I know not how many days and nights have passed since our previous trial. My dreams have been filled with longing for your face, so kind, so handsome. It excites me, agitates me to know that I shall be leaving this place, and that I shall see you once more. As I said, I will do anything, anything to see you again! And I can wait no longer — indeed, not one moment more — for you to castigate me, your humble "defendant."
::And this time, I promise, I swear, you will remember my name!
::Your admirer, White Lily.
: (None of this information adds up.)
: (I'll have to ask him about it later...)
:Paimon: It's almost our turn, ! Shall we hand in the letter?
:
;(Leave the mail room)
:Decembre: Hey, it's me! Phew...! I made it, just in time!
:Paimon: Why are you so out of breath?
:Decembre: I just finished up at the abandoned production zone and ran all the way here.
:Decembre: So it's done? The letter's been sent? Great!
: It was signed "White Lily."
: You're White Lily?
:Decembre: Oh? So that's the name she gave herself...
:Decembre: Alright, to tell you the truth, a young woman asked me to send this letter for her. She looked really sick to me, so I agreed, and I didn't even take a single Mora! I'm paying for your compensation out of my own pocket...
:Paimon: Huh!?
: Looking at the contents of the letter, she does seem very sick indeed.
: Seriously...?
:Decembre: I guess I must've grabbed the wrong letter on my way out... Fiddlesticks! The birthday letter will never get there in time now...
:Paimon: ...Wait, really? So you finally got your letter posted, but it was the wrong one? Wow. You're really living up to your nickname, Decembre.
:Decembre: Fate is a cruel mistress. *sigh*... I'd love to stay and chat, but I gotta rush home and get the right letter now. I hope there's still time...
:Decembre: Here's your compensation, pleasure queueing business with you... Now to post that blasted letter to my son. See you!
:Paimon: But, but, but... Ugh, why'd he have to leave? Paimon still has a ton of questions for him...
:Paimon: Never mind, at least we got some Coupons, hehe... heh... huh? Is this all!? It's not even one meal's worth!
: Guess we're going hungry tonight.
::Paimon: Noooo! Paimon's so hungry, waaaah!
: We could take another queueing commission?
::Paimon: ...Starvation suddenly sounds like a great option.
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