Don't Derail The Plot

7. Mission 1 - My Lady (2)

This chapter was only 2k words when I started editing it. Why is it 1k words longer when I publish it???

Chapter Title: I Hope This Counts

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[The female lead is approaching you on your left.]

"Feeling better?" Tanzu turned to face the worried-looking protagonist.

You need to give me more than a two second warning, Nine.

It may not have shown on her face, but Tanzu nearly jumped out of her skin when Emma suddenly popped up next to her.

"Yes, thank you, My Lady." Tanzu was once again hit by a compelling desire to appease the concerned protagonist. It made no sense since the only reason Menisa was suffering from this crippling seasickness was because of Emma's whims.

"Don't be so stuffy!" Emma hit Tanzu arm playfully. "Call me Emma, like you usually do." Tanzu wasn't sure if she was influenced by the knowledge that she was a primary character or not, but Emma's smile was quite charming. Tanzu felt herself smiling despite her annoyance.

What sorcery is this?

[That is probably Menisa's residual soul influencing you.]

Tanzu blinked hard in an attempt to snap out of her reverie. "It would not be proper to be so informal while in public, My Lady." Tanzu commended herself for not stuttering. Her sea sickness from earlier must have been preventing her from experiencing this foreign attraction she had for the female lead.

I'm not liking this residual soul thing. Tanzu complained to 909. It was much stronger than she thought.

[It is very helpful for staying in character and masking your foreign soul for when you visit more spiritually sensitive worlds.]

Emma pouted at Tanzu's stubbornness, but since Menisa's character was a stickler for etiquette, she relented. Tanzu was silently relieved, believing this reminder of the proper master-servant dynamic would keep a healthy distance between the two while she sorts out Menisa's distracting emotions. Tanzu underestimated Emma's casualness when she found her arm grabbed once again.

"You must be famished. Let's have an early tea time!" That was the only warning Emma gave out before manhandling Tanzu below deck, where her barely controlled seasickness began to act up again.

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There had not been much to do on the vessel; Menisa and Emma's activities were limited to long strolls on the deck, chatter with the occasional passenger above and below deck, and constantly reminding Emma not to interact with the male crew in dubious locations of the ship on her own. Tanzu could not believe how reckless the heroine was about her social standing and safety. It was no wonder Menise fussed so much. 909 said her character design called it being carefree.

The 'tea' Emma had insisted on was a pot of steeped black tea that was so strong, Tanzu worried her nausea would be replaced with full blown diarrhea. Still, Tanzu was civilized enough to take a few sips and use the rest to rehydrate the miserable biscuits that had been part of poor Menise's diet over the past three days.

It wasn't that Menise hadn't secured proper provisions for Emma to match her station, Emma was just too obsessed with having them experiencing the genuine life of a sailor. According to Menise's memories, it had taken everything just to dissuade Emma from replacing her drinks with liquor and her meals with the crewmen's mysterious gruel. Difficult as it was for Tanzu to stomach the snack, it was a worthwhile sacrifice. She learned quite a bit listening to conversations around her, including those Emma attracted with her outgoing personality.