Piper Meriman

## Status

Alive

> "Oh, I'm going to have fun with you."
>
>

Piper Merriman is a deuteragonist and potential love interest in When the Night Comes. She works directly under August as a high-ranking Hunter in Lunaris. She loves drinking, hunting, and pissing off August. She can be romanced solo.

## Appearance

Piper has long brown hair, sapphire-blue eyes, freckles, and tawny skin with vitiligo. Her hands are calloused from years of hunter training and work, and she typically wears a long silver chain looped four times around her neck. Her lips are described as plum-colored. She has a tattoo under and between her breasts that is only revealed in the romance route, as well as several scars.

## Background

Piper previously worked as a Hunter General alongside her Enforcer General, August. When her friend and fellow hunter, Aya, went missing, Piper started digging into the Enforcers, and came to August with a suspicion. Accused of being a conspiracy theorist after she's caught rifling through August's desk, Piper was demoted to Major, and the player is brought to Lunaris to replace her. Understandably, Piper is not particularly pleased with Enforcers as a whole after this debacle.

## Involvement

### When The Night Comes

Piper and the player first meet in the Wolf, the tavern above which the player is staying. After meeting with August, Piper is waiting outside their office, and the player speaks with her about the Enforcer. Despite the player arriving to fill Piper's newly vacated position as Hunter General, Piper is welcoming towards the player.

If you go to Piper at the Lunar Festival, you will find her scaring off a thief from a vendor's stall. She will discuss her feelings towards the Enforcers (negative); then Ezra will appear, and they will have a conversation revealing her feelings about Alkar (negative). She will also mention that Alkar broke into her house last night, and express concern to Ezra about him associating with the "creatures," especially Alkar. Lastly, Harry will appear for polite conversation, and after he departs, Piper confesses that she thinks he hates her.

Regardless of whether the player attends the Lunar Festival with Piper, Piper will find with the player in the forest outside the festival grounds to investigate the scream. A vampire fledgling will emerge from the woods, and the player can decide whether and how to battle it for a possible achievement. If the player chooses to fight, Piper will be at the player's side, and they take down the fledgling together. (For the achievement, select "Fight" then "Counter-attack".) Piper and the player will then briefly reconvene with Harry and August, before the player departs back to the Wolf.

In Chapter 5, once the plan to infiltrate the dungeon is in place, Piper will go with the player, escorted through the Catacombs by Finn, to investigate what happened to Aya and Fiero, a powerful Vampire empath and a member of Clan Kazimir who has gone missing. Once in the dungeons, Piper investigates the cells, finding a fae and a demon in different cells, but no Aya. She does, however, find Fiero. Fiero attests that he was framed for the attack on the Hunter for which he was supposedly imprisoned; he also reveals he's been starved, as well as having blood drawn from him. However, he doesn't know about Aya, as he is kept isolated from the other prisoners--but he had scented a very unusual creature. Piper presses him for information, but he has none to give other than to beware of the Enforcers, confirming Piper's suspicions. Moving on from Fiero's cell, Piper discovers two hidden, incomplete prisoner's manifestos in a warden's desk--one for Aya, and one for Azazel. Both prisoners were supposedly checked out over 24 hours ago, but have not been checked back in. At the risk of being caught, Piper and the player flee back through the Catacombs and into the woods. After updating Finn on what she found, Piper heads back to her house, leaving the player to explain to Finn about Fiero.

Later, in Chapter 6, Piper will stay behind in Lunaris while August and the player confront the creature, Azazel.

#### If the player condemns Harry

In Chapter 9, Piper will convene with the player, August, Finn, and Ezra in Finn's room to go over the plan to fight Harry. During the battle, Aya appears, but Piper engages her in combat, doing her friend the final service of putting her out of her misery as quickly and painlessly as Piper can manage.

Three months later, in Chapter 10, Piper and the player meet in August's office before the ceremony to decide the final details of what's to come, namely whether to keep the Hunter initiation and whether to strengthen relationships with the creatures of Lunaris. At the ceremony, Piper is reinstated as Hunter General, and the player is appointed Hunter Lieutenant-General, a new position created by August, the new Enforcer Lieutenant-General.

#### If the player sympathizes with Harry

If the player sympathizes with Harry, all NPCs, including Piper, will treat the player with contempt.

### Romance

To romance Piper, go to her in Chapter 4 after the confrontation with the creature. This will unlock her romance achievement. After fleeing through Lunaris to arrive at Piper's home, the player pounds on Piper's door. Piper answers the door aggressively, but softens when she sees the player, and lets them in immediately. After comforting them, Piper admits she feels a spark for the player, and the player can choose whether to kiss her here.

In Chapter 5, while Piper and the player are moving through the catacombs to infiltrate the dungeon, Piper will give the player a fierce kiss, "for luck". After the infiltration is complete, Piper assures the player that she will find them later, and gives them a hug and a kiss on the cheek before departing for her house. Piper is true to her word, and walks the player home from the center of Lunaris. Piper comes up to the player's room with them, and there is an opportunity to kiss her. She turns to leave for the night, but an injured and bloodied Aurora stands in the doorway.

In Chapter 6, Piper's distaste for Aurora is quickly made clear, and the Hunter Major is furious to hear that Aurora sustained her injuries from trying to visit the loose creature terrorizing Lunaris. Despite the hostility between the two women, the player convinces them to relocate to August's home while Piper distracts the tavern. The next day, the player meets with Piper in her home to discuss the questioning, and the player can choose whether to mention their theory about Fiero's blood to her. Later that night, August volunteers to keep Lunaris calm, and Piper goes with the player to fight the first creature. Before the battle, the player can choose whether to kiss her. They fight together, and Piper saves the player's life when they are distracted by the revelation that the creature fights like a Hunter--that this is Azazel. After it is dead, the player has a choice to kiss her again, before passing out due to blood loss and whatever the hell was on the creature's claws.

In Chapter 7, the player awakens in Piper's room after being unconscious for two days. Piper is asleep in the chair across the room, and the player awakens her gently. The player can then choose whether to kiss her. Piper will then explain how Ezra healed the player to full health, and the player tells her about the weird-ass dream they had with Harry and James... as well as the truth of the Hunter initiation. Piper takes the news hard, but admits she had an inkling. As for James, he was her mentor at the Academy and after; she misses him dearly. After resolving to face whatever comes next together and confessing their love, the player can choose to either sleep with Piper or spend a non-sexual, romantic night with her.

In Chapter 8, the player again awakens in Piper's bed, this time with Piper beside them. The player can again choose whether to sleep with her... but if they do, they're interrupted by August bursting into the room. Piper is far from embarrassed at being caught, and instead seems to get a kick out of both the player and August being flustered by the situation. A few days later, the player finds Piper in the woods, and spars with her while they discuss what's to come. Piper pins the player, but the player can distract her by telling her she's beautiful. The player then tells Piper whether they are going to condemn or sympathize with Harry.

#### If the player condemns Harry

In Chapter 9, the player and August meet up with Piper after the initial confrontation with Harry. Augusts excuses themselves to their home, while the player fills Piper in on what was discussed--that Harry is knowingly experimenting on Hunters, turning them into creatures in an attempt to make super-weapons, and that he doesn't plan to stop. Piper understandably takes it hard, and though she initially tries to distance herself, she ultimately invites the player home with her, admitting she doesn't want to be alone. Together, the two Hunters mourn the spiritual loss of their mentor, and the confrontation ahead.

During the battle with Harry, Aya appears, but Piper engages her in combat, doing her friend the final service of putting her out of her misery as quickly and painlessly as Piper can manage. After seeing Harry to the dungeons and discussing things in August's office, the player is brought into a crushing hug by Piper as soon as the player is outside of headquarters. She is crying, streaked with dirt and blood like the player is, but they embrace, sharing their love and relief. The player can choose whether to kiss her, and then boldly suggests that they move in with Piper--who happily accepts.

Three months later, in Chapter 10, Piper wakes the player up with tea in bed on the morning of the ceremony. She had also attempted to make pancakes, but they burnt. The player looks at Piper, their "right-hand woman," and the two talk about whether they are afraid of the ceremony, and what comes after. The player chooses whether to kiss her, and makes plans with Piper for after the ceremony.

At the ceremony, Piper is reinstated as Hunter General, and the player is appointed Hunter Lieutenant-General, a new position created by August, the new Enforcer Lieutenant-General. Afterwards, Piper tugs the player away from the crowd, down the street, and into the Wolf. Edna, the barmaid, has a round of drinks for the two of you ready, on the house. Piper is impressed the player has managed to win Edna over. After talking about August for a little while, the player can choose whether to kiss her a final time.

#### If the player sympathizes with Harry

If the player sympathizes with Harry, all NPCs, including Piper, will treat the player with contempt.

### WTNC Mini Stories

#### Possibly a Chimera, Probably a Big Fucking Cat

The player and Piper return to their shared bedroom at her house after a long day of work. The player can choose whether to kiss or embrace her, but before things go much further, they're interrupted by August. Piper swears colorfully upon hearing that there's been another few reports. On the walk back to headquarters, Piper continues to swear with increasing creativity, attempting to make a number of high-stakes bets with the player that the requests will all be stupid and fruitless. In August's office, they tell Piper and the player that sure enough, a few more Chimera sightings have come in. The player accepts, and drags Piper out of the office despite her threats towards August. Piper and the player investigate the first sighting, strange activity in the woods. But it's only Alkar, restless on the night before the full moon, which gives Piper a good laugh. Piper and the player head to the graveyard next, but find nothing. The player suggests they split up, and Piper begrudgingly agrees. The player can choose whether to kiss her before she goes to investigate the final report while the player keeps poking around the graveyard. After investigating a few more dead ends, the player finally returns home to Piper. The player can choose whether to sleep with her, just kiss her, or fall asleep beside her.

#### Til Death

Piper and the player are in the woods, investigating evidence of an abandoned youngling nearby. Piper muses that it's only right for Hunters to take over managing rogue younglings, since it doesn't seem right for the Kazimirs to kill their own kind. Sure enough, two feral vampires shortly emerge to rush the two Hunters. Piper makes an affectionate noise, reminiscing about the first time she fought with the player to take down the youngling. The two fight side by side to dispatch these two, just like the first. Piper tugs the player down into the grass, and the player can choose whether to fool around or lie beside her. Afterwards, the player proposes, and Piper accepts. The next day, the player awakens to a pillow in the face from an already-dressed piper, finding themselves on her couch. Apparently the two of them had passed out on the couch last night, and are running late. After Piper confirms that the player meant it when they proposed last night, the two rush to headquarters, where Piper proceeds to write last night's mission report in front of August, which does not impress them. The player takes credit for the lack of report, explaining they proposed. August crushes Piper and the player in a hug, and says how happy they are that the player was able to mend the rift between them and Piper--how proud of her they are. August agrees to give them vacation time for the event, provided Piper rewrites the atrocious report. One month later, the player stops by Ezra's shop to pick up the rings he forged for Piper and the player. He used a magic dagger given to him by the player to forge them, and the rings are imbued with enough magic for Piper and the player to sense when the other is near. That night, the ceremony is held in the forest where Piper and the player first met.

#### Halloween

On the night before Halloween, Piper and the player are take down a many-limbed monster in the woods outside Lunaris. The next morning, the player stops by Ezra's shop to pick up a cutlass from him for Piper's costume, and that night, Piper puts it to good use as a pirate. They attend the party at the Wolf, and by the time the player arrives, Piper is half-through a bottle of rum. August has been unmanageable for most of the party... and when the player asks why, Piper drags Finn into the conversation. He only mentions that he pissed off the Lieutenant, and then Ezra slides over. Evidently, August came to the party cosplaying the main character from their favorite smutty book series, The Wizard's Staff. A series that Finn just so happens to write under a pseudonym. Which he evidently felt the need to inform August of on this precise evening. A little while later, Piper and the player leave the Wolf to cross the street and head home, but run into Alkar and Omen on the way. Alkar and Piper banter, and then Piper and the player slip home. In front of the fire, Piper cracks open the first book in The Wizard's Staff, determined to see what all the fuss is about. Then she tosses it to the side, saying she's definitely not drunk enough. Then she crawls over to you, and the player can choose to either say or do something creative.

## Quotes

* "I think I'll keep you around." -To the player
* "Besides, it has its eye on you, and that's enough to piss me off. You're *mine*. Now, let's dance." -To the player before fighting Azazel
* "Let's go save this idiot town from itself." -To the player
* "This what you use to practice your flirting every night?" -To Finn, while holding a skull in his room

## Relevant Codex entries

* Hunters ("The Hunter Academy")

## Trivia

* She sometimes snorts when she laughs.
* Piper loves hot chocolate with extra marshmallows and a dash of rum.
* Piper is a dedicated weapons collector and has many displayed throughout her home.
* She smells like peppermint and clean cotton--unless she's just come back from a hunt.
* According to the player, Piper tastes like mint and a hint of spiced rum.
* She's a great cook, as long as it's not breakfast (due to her foggy morning brain).