Chapter 18: The Final Gambit/Supports

* **Mason**: Oh no. No, I'm not helping you.

* **Augustus**: Why not?

* **Mason**: You're just gonna use my gullibility to play unfunny tricks on me again! I'm sick of being your prank guinea pig!

* **Augustus**: Whoa there, dude. Simmer down. I do acknowledge that I've done that sort of thing in the past, and I'm sorry.

* **Mason**: You are?

* **Augustus**: Sure! Besides, it's not fun to dunk on someone so easy to deceive.

* **Mason**: ...Okay.

* **Augustus**: I want your help for something else.

* **Mason**: You do?

* **Augustus**: Yeah! I want you to help me play pranks on people.

* **Mason**: Really?

* **Augustus**: Yeah, of course. With my wit and your magic, we'll be unstoppable! And besides, I figured you'd want to be on the other end of a joke for once. Wanna give it a try?

* **Mason**: What would I do exactly?

* **Augustus**: We wouldn't be hurting anyone, I can promise you that right now.

* **Mason**: That's good.

* **Augustus**: I'm thinking we should start small. You cast a veeeeeery weak thunder spell on my hand and I'll got for a handshake with someone.

* **Mason**: Okay, that sounds harmless enough...

…

* **Mason**: That was the worst idea you've ever had!

* **Augustus**: I didn't know it'd go wrong!

* **Mason**: Why did you pick Danica of all people to do it on?

* **Augustus**: I thought she'd be chill with it!

* **Mason**: Well that backfired, didn't it?

* **Augustus**: I think you mean back-thundered.

* **Danica**: THERE YOU ARE!

* **Augustus**: Oh fuck, she found us!

* **Mason**: Run for your life!

## Harley and Mason

### B Support

* **Harley**: Whoa, Mason, you were killing it out there today.

* **Mason**: You think so? Thanks. I flexed my "trying to be more like Harley" muscles and I feel it paid off.

* **Harley**: Trying to be like me...?

* **Mason**: Yeah. Remember how you told me you don't worry about hope and whatnot because the right thing to do is more important?

* **Harley**: Oh right. It feels like we just had that conversation yesterday...

* **Mason**: So yeah. It made fighting so much easier! Thanks for the advice, Harley.

* **Harley**: Was it worth it, though?

* **Mason**: What do you mean?

* **Harley**: Because I don't think it's worth it. Sure I do better in battle, but that's only because...

* **Mason**: Because?

* **Harley**: If I didn't disregard hope, I'd be dead by now. Breaking down on the battlefield? Without any close-range weapons to protect myself? I'd be easy prey.

* **Mason**: Oh, I see.

* **Harley**: So no, I don't do what I do to be better in battle. I do it because I have no choice. You should hold on to your hope while you still have some.

* **Mason**: I guess so. My dad's alive, so I should draw my power from him being around rather than what you do.

* **Harley**: Exactly. Doing it like that, I think you'll be able to become stronger than me.

* **Mason**: Really?

* **Harley**: Absolutely. Give it a try next time.

* **Mason**: Okay!

* **Harley**: \*sigh\*

## Maggie and Kelsie

### B Support

* **Maggie**: Kelsie, where've you been?

* **Kelsie**: Been hanging around my friends a bit. Is that okay?

* **Maggie**: Oh of course! I was just wondering. I need to make sure you're alright. 'S what good moms do!

* **Kelsie**: You're right.

* **Maggie**: Kesh, is everything okay?

* **Kelsie**: What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine.

* **Maggie**: You sure? You seem a bit...distant?

* **Kelsie**: It's nothing.

* **Maggie**: Now Kesh, what kind of mom would I be if I let my daughter sulk around?

* **Kelsie**: Well...

* **Maggie**: Tell me! Please?

* **Kelsie**: Okay, okay... I just...feel like maybe I'm a disappointment.

* **Maggie**: A disappointment? But why? Is this because you're a healer before a fighter?

* **Kelsie**: No. Something you said last time got me thinking about it, and now I'm convinced you hate me.

* **Maggie**: I could never hate you!

* **Kelsie**: Really? Because last time we spoke about this, you said you wonder why future you didn't have a manakete child. I'm sure you'd be so much happier if I was a manakete like you.

* **Maggie**: Now don't talk like that. If we didn't want you, we wouldn't have adopted you.

* **Kelsie**: I'd believe you, but it's future you that adopted me! Present-you is probably just angry at your future-self for picking adoption over a donor.

* **Maggie**: Hey now, that's not true at all!

* **Kelsie**: Whatever. I'm sorry I'm such a bother to you.

* **Maggie**: Kelsie, wait! Don't make me use my dragon roar to get your attention! ...Oh man, she's gone. Did I do something wrong...?

## Kayla and Signele

### B Support

* **Kayla**: Eep! What are you doing?

* **Signele**: Just coming to say hi!

* **Kayla**: Normally you do that, uh, not as a giant rabbit.

* **Signele**: I figured this would be less terrifying than my normal appearance.

* **Kayla**: …No, giant rabbit is scarier. By far.

* **Signele**: Well don't be scared. That's just silly. Here, let me change back, I guess.

* **Kayla**: You're so weird, Signele.

* **Signele**: Thanks! I take that as a compliment coming from my small human friend!

* **Kayla**: I like the sound of that.

* **Signele**: But I thought you hated me calling you a small human.

* **Kayla**: I do, but—

* **Signele**: Does this give me permission to mommy the hell out of you?

* **Kayla**: No, please don—

* **Signele**: Best day ever! I love you, my smallest of human companions!

* **Kayla**: —and there she goes. Great. Now everyone's gonna…probably tease me for being babied by her and I didn't even ask for it.

## Mason and Green

### B Support

* **Green**: That's enough training for today. Good job, Mason.

* **Mason**: Thanks dad. I can really feel myself improving.

* **Green**: I can feel it too. I assume your mother taught you magic in your time?

* **Mason**: Yes sir. She was really patient with me and it works because I was a bit too scrawny to properly wield an axe.

* **Green**: Was I not patient with you?

* **Mason**: No. Recall the aforementioned scrawniness.

* **Green**: Ha ha, that makes sense.

* **Mason**: I tried though. Didn't exactly work very well. I much prefer tomes.

* **Green**: And what influenced your decision to be a dark mage?

* **Mason**: George. He was a good friend of aunt Bella's so I saw a lot of him when I was spending time in Tost.

* **Green**: Oh great. George taught you.

* **Mason**: He didn't teach me, he just explained to me that dark magic is stealthy, since with the other types, you have to cause an explosion almost all the time.

* **Green**: Oh, that makes sense! Leave it to my kid to be sensible and rational about his decision.

* **Mason**: I'm nothing if not rational. Most times.

* **Green**: Heh.

* **Mason**: Shall we continue training tomorrow? Same time?

* **Green**: Sounds good. Prepare yourself, because I won't hold back as much.

* **Mason**: Oh, I will. We'll be ready for the father-son olympics in no time.

* **Green**: That's not a thi...did you just crack a joke at me?

* **Mason**: Yessir.

* **Green**: I'm so proud.

## Bohl and Jayde

### A Support

* **Bohl**: To be clear as mud, you still do not like the Bohl, yes?

* **Jayde**: Yep, that hasn't changed.

* **Bohl**: Is there any way to make with the changing?

* **Jayde**: Nope, don't think so.

* **Bohl**: …No?

* **Jayde**: Come on, don't act like my opinion actually matters here.

* **Bohl**: But it does.

* **Jayde**: And why's that? Because I'm a girl who actually pays attention to you?

* **Bohl**: Because Bohl would very much like being liked, even by the giant rabbit.

* **Jayde**: You want me to like you?

* **Bohl**: It would be nice.

* **Jayde**: Normally it's me going up to people trying to get them to like me.

* **Bohl**: The turns have tabled, hm?

* **Jayde**: I guess so. And I guess that maaaaaaybe I could like you a bit. You can go from "no way" to "tolerable at best" on my list.

* **Bohl**: Most excellent of ideas. That makes Jayde go from not a friend to a friend on MY list!

* **Jayde**: You…er, have a list?

* **Bohl**: One of many things kept in this head, yes!

* **Jayde**: That's really interesting. What else do you have in there?

* **Bohl**: Lots. Maybe now as friends you can do some digging in the mind and find things of interest to the bunny brain you have!

* **Jayde**: Uh, sounds great, I guess?

## Danica and Augustus

### S Support

* **Danica**: Augustus. I've got something for you.

* **Augustus**: It's okay, whatever it is I don't need it. You probably stole it anyway.

* **Danica**: True, I did steal it, but I stole it to give to you. You better take it.

* **Augustus**: Is this a joke book?

* **Danica**: Sure is. It's not in any language I've ever seen, but apparently the jokes inside are real funny ones. Figured you'd appreciate it.

* **Augustus**: How am I supposed to appreciate humor I can't read?

* **Danica**: The lady at the store told me a manakete might be able to translate it. And then she told me to put it back because it's an ancient relic. But whatever.

* **Augustus**: Got it. I'll take it to Maggie when I get the time. Thanks for this, though. After that bad show, I've been a bit hesitant to crack jokes with anyone.

* **Danica**: Well, don't be scared anymore. In fact, if you want to shake off some of that rust, I'll hear you out on a joke.

* **Augustus**: No way, you've probably heard it a million times before anyway.

* **Danica**: You'd be surprised.

* **Augustus**: Well…okay, I guess. Here goes. I—

* **Danica**: Wait!

* **Augustus**: —wait?

* **Danica**: Before you start, there's something I want to say. I didn't risk getting my ass cursed off by a shopkeeping mage for only a friend.

* **Augustus**: You're interrupting me to tell me you stole something for your dad?

* **Danica**: No. I risked the integrity of my body for the guy I might kinda love.

* **Augustus**: Oh, what a fun joke! Let me get on that train too! I might kinda love you back!

* **Danica**: …that wasn't a joke.

* **Augustus**: And neither was what I said.

* **Danica**: Huh. Funny.

* **Augustus**: I really do love you back, though. Even before you stole this book for me.

* **Danica**: So I didn't need to steal it?

* **Augustus**: It sorta sealed the deal between us, so it was a good idea.

* **Danica**: If that sealed the deal, what do you say started it?

* **Augustus**: You putting your hand in my pants. Which, now that those pesky feelings we've got for each other are out in the air, you're welcome to do again any time.