Perhaps she thought that if she was confident and indignant enough, she could pass it off as that.
And from the looks of it, she is actually managing to trade the paperwork for the meeting. I imagine the new favor is going to look something like this:
– You’ll give us the paperwork for this meeting.
– We’ll help you get the artifact if you help us get rid of the old ghost in our cellar.
Ah… in what way is Rue Lily getting the paperwork when Roxy is walking out with it? No, Roxy very much called them on their nonsense and made it clear it was unacceptable, so to save face, Rue’s assistant Alyssa is the one suggesting a “renegotiation”…
They used that walk out move like one minute ago. Do you really think it’ll just keep working? Do you really think Alyssa is just encouraging Rue to make concessions instead of doing anything underhanded?
As long as Roxy appears willing to do it, and the price for stopping it is not too high. Given Rue scorned barbarism and the lack of culture outside, such byzantine maneuvering probably strikes them as civilized.
I just think Alyssa is probably more conniving than people are giving her credit for right now. I mean, we’ve seen that she’s a petty jerk and a bureaucrat. That’s not a reassuring combination. I don’t think she’s specifying a -new- favor just to save face.
As long as Roxy has something that Rue Lily really wants, I imagine it’ll keep working. That said, Rue Lily may be trying a ‘big ask’ here, starting with an extreme position so she seems more reasonable when negotiating down to what she actually wants.
Or Lily could just be that arrogant. She strikes me as the sort used to getting her way and isn’t used to being told ‘no’. I give it 50/50 odds.
Then, it’s her job. Yes, they really disapprove of Roxy, but they are probably prone to internal conflict, too. Low-ranking elves get to do the courtesy stuff.
“Moving parts in rubbing contact require lubrication to avoid excessive wear. Honorifics and formal politeness provide lubrication where people rub together. Often the very young, the untraveled, the naïve, the unsophisticated deplore these formalities as ’empty,’ ‘meaningless,’ or ‘dishonest,’ and scorn to use them. No matter how pure their motives, they thereby throw sand into machinery that does not work too well at best.”
— Robert A. Heinlein
Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors… and miss.
— Robert Heinlein
I always thought it was a Mark Twain saying, but the attributions I found say Heinlein, he seems to have had even less use for politicians than Twain did. 😉
Basically, you have to admire how accurately Mike reflects the attitude of many a NPC/ Questgiver in my TTRPGs. The problem: it drives me frigging mad. What are these pompous busybodies actually thinking? THEY want something from ME and they treat me like dirt?! Don’t get me started on this! I could ramble on for hours…
It’s not illogical. What works on farmers will not work on a noble, but if the bureaucrat is on autopilot it will be the first thing they try on someone they look down upon. Plus it is how the DM lets the players know that the powers in charge are desperate. Often a DM’s acting skill is not Tony quality. Therefore they have to start pompous and then try to save face. If they start out cooperative, you miss the loathing.
Nah, I will never miss the loathing. I could very well do without it alltogether. Fantasyworld is hard enough with all the monsters and whatnots, so obnoxious behavior (or even rudeness) is as much needed as a hole in the head (an additional one, to be clear).
No, Scarlet Knight doesn’t mean you’ll “miss the loathing” as in “boy, I wish there was some loathing here, I miss it”, they mean “you won;t realize hos little the nobles care about you and how much they despise you and consider you beneath notice”. So for a GM who isn’t an award winning actor/voice actor, if they can’t make every word drip with smug arrogance, they have to resort to this level of nonsense, the “show crudely” rather than ‘show subtly” method.
Aah, I see! That makes sense. So in my case I DO want to miss the loathing in order to avoid going postal (or, like a much more civilized Roxy, walking out) on my questgiver of dubious character?! They can loathe me as much as they want, as long as the pay is right and they keep a modicum of civility?!
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Hmmm…
How much for a bet that before this arc ends, certain tall erufu will sit on Mimic.
And he won’t like it.
Someone is smarter than they gave her credit for.
Did she really think that meeting her in person was such a great favor?
Perhaps she thought that if she was confident and indignant enough, she could pass it off as that.
And from the looks of it, she is actually managing to trade the paperwork for the meeting. I imagine the new favor is going to look something like this:
– You’ll give us the paperwork for this meeting.
– We’ll help you get the artifact if you help us get rid of the old ghost in our cellar.
Ah… in what way is Rue Lily getting the paperwork when Roxy is walking out with it? No, Roxy very much called them on their nonsense and made it clear it was unacceptable, so to save face, Rue’s assistant Alyssa is the one suggesting a “renegotiation”…
They used that walk out move like one minute ago. Do you really think it’ll just keep working? Do you really think Alyssa is just encouraging Rue to make concessions instead of doing anything underhanded?
As long as Roxy appears willing to do it, and the price for stopping it is not too high. Given Rue scorned barbarism and the lack of culture outside, such byzantine maneuvering probably strikes them as civilized.
I just think Alyssa is probably more conniving than people are giving her credit for right now. I mean, we’ve seen that she’s a petty jerk and a bureaucrat. That’s not a reassuring combination. I don’t think she’s specifying a -new- favor just to save face.
As long as Roxy has something that Rue Lily really wants, I imagine it’ll keep working. That said, Rue Lily may be trying a ‘big ask’ here, starting with an extreme position so she seems more reasonable when negotiating down to what she actually wants.
Or Lily could just be that arrogant. She strikes me as the sort used to getting her way and isn’t used to being told ‘no’. I give it 50/50 odds.
Watch Rusty or Cube be the next one to call for a walk out.
It does appear to be Alyssa’s idea.
Then, it’s her job. Yes, they really disapprove of Roxy, but they are probably prone to internal conflict, too. Low-ranking elves get to do the courtesy stuff.
“Moving parts in rubbing contact require lubrication to avoid excessive wear. Honorifics and formal politeness provide lubrication where people rub together. Often the very young, the untraveled, the naïve, the unsophisticated deplore these formalities as ’empty,’ ‘meaningless,’ or ‘dishonest,’ and scorn to use them. No matter how pure their motives, they thereby throw sand into machinery that does not work too well at best.”
— Robert A. Heinlein
Thank you Heinlein, for these deep thoughts.
Also…
Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors… and miss.
— Robert Heinlein
I always thought it was a Mark Twain saying, but the attributions I found say Heinlein, he seems to have had even less use for politicians than Twain did. 😉
There are old sayings in that vein, but the precise quote is Heinlein.
“If you can stop being underfoot” – My brain froze reading that panel 🙂
The price of the papers just went up.
Basically, you have to admire how accurately Mike reflects the attitude of many a NPC/ Questgiver in my TTRPGs. The problem: it drives me frigging mad. What are these pompous busybodies actually thinking? THEY want something from ME and they treat me like dirt?! Don’t get me started on this! I could ramble on for hours…
It’s not illogical. What works on farmers will not work on a noble, but if the bureaucrat is on autopilot it will be the first thing they try on someone they look down upon. Plus it is how the DM lets the players know that the powers in charge are desperate. Often a DM’s acting skill is not Tony quality. Therefore they have to start pompous and then try to save face. If they start out cooperative, you miss the loathing.
Nah, I will never miss the loathing. I could very well do without it alltogether. Fantasyworld is hard enough with all the monsters and whatnots, so obnoxious behavior (or even rudeness) is as much needed as a hole in the head (an additional one, to be clear).
No, Scarlet Knight doesn’t mean you’ll “miss the loathing” as in “boy, I wish there was some loathing here, I miss it”, they mean “you won;t realize hos little the nobles care about you and how much they despise you and consider you beneath notice”. So for a GM who isn’t an award winning actor/voice actor, if they can’t make every word drip with smug arrogance, they have to resort to this level of nonsense, the “show crudely” rather than ‘show subtly” method.
Aah, I see! That makes sense. So in my case I DO want to miss the loathing in order to avoid going postal (or, like a much more civilized Roxy, walking out) on my questgiver of dubious character?! They can loathe me as much as they want, as long as the pay is right and they keep a modicum of civility?!
Nah. Still don’t like it!
Miss Lily is going to have to learn that being elfish only gets you so far.