Maxim walked into the room and sat down across from Miria. "Zo. It is my turn, yez?"

Miria nodded. "Yes please. I apologize for the imposition, but..." She trails off awkwardly, and Maxim sighs.

"Yes, I understand. If you are to lead us, you must know vat you are working with. Very well." he said, and brought up his character sheet. Miria looked it over, then paused.

"Can you bring up the description for your Muscle and Toughness stats? And your abilities, please - thank you."

*Name*:
- Maxim Petrov

*Classes*:
- Bearfolk, Level 1 [14%]

*Resources*:
- 13/13 HP, 16 Regen per week.
- 10/10 FP, 10 Regen per day.
- 5/5 CP, 5 Regen per day.
- 8/8 MP, 8 Regen per day.
- 16 Essence.

*Stats*:
- Muscle 1 [56%]
- Dexterity 1 [58%]
- Constitution 1 [45%]
- Toughness 1 [38%]
- Perception 1 [62%]
- Wisdom 1 [59%]
- Spirit 1 [34%]

*Abilities*:
- Bearfolk Physiology 1 [46%]
- - Fur Coat 1 [23%]
- - Tooth & Nail 1 [23%]
- - Bearfolk Physique 1 [34%]
- - Hibernation 1 [22%]
- Bearfolk Mentality 1 [8%]
- Last Stand 1 [13%]

*Skills*:
- Metalworking 1 [55%]

Muscle
- Uncommon Stat (2 Star)
- +8% physical strength per level.
- +1 HP per level.
- +1 HP Regen per week per level.

Toughness
- Common Stat (1 Star)
- +2 HP per level.
- +5 HP Regen per week per level.
- +2 FP per level.
- +2 FP Regen per day per level.
- +0.5% reduced injury per level, multiplicative.
- Can go into negative HP up to 5 per level, which applies a penalty of up to 100% reduction in stats, based on how far negative you are.

Bearfolk Physiology
- Uncommon Ability (2 Star)
- Sub-Abilities:
- Fur Coat
- Tooth & Nail
- Bearfolk Physique
- Hibernation

Bearfolk Physiology - Fur Coat
- Uncommon Sub-Ability (2 Star)
- Gives protective coat of fur.
- +2% protection per level.

Bearfolk Physiology - Tooth & Nail
- Uncommon Sub-Ability (2 Star)
- Gives sharp teeth and claws.
- +2% effectiveness per level.

Bearfolk Physiology - Bearfolk Physique
- Uncommon Sub-Ability (2 Star)
- +3% increased physical strength per level.
- +3% increased physical toughness per level.

Bearfolk Physiology - Hibernation
- Common Ability (1 Star)
- Able to hibernate, sleeping for up to six months, and reducing physical needs by 99.99%, multiplicative.
- +200% cold resistance when hibernating.

Bearfolk Mentality
- Common Ability (1 Star)
- Stubborn
- Shorter Time Horizon
- Asocial

Last Stand
- Uncommon Ability (2 Star)
- Can go into negative HP up to 2 per level, which applies a penalty of up to 100% reduction in stats, based on how far negative you are.
- When at negative HP or FP, the strength and toughness penalties become bonuses instead.
- +2% increased bonuses to strength and toughness when at negative HP or FP.

Metalworking
- Common Skill (1 Star)
- +2% ability to craft metal per level.
- +1 CP per level.
- +1 CP Regen per day per level.

She tilted her head slightly. "You haven't leveled anything up? Or sought out essence... I suppose you were busy with other things."

Maxim snorted. "Yez, you could say that. I suppose there vas some time later in the afternoon I could have done that, but I did not think it vas vorth the trouble."

Miria nodded. "At some point you should do that, but I suppose we have plenty of mundane work that needs to be done, so it needn't be a priority. In the meantime, continue your work with Jack and Sarah, and we'll try and get you some essence eventually. Unless you have any suggestions or requests?"

He shrugged. "Vell, more und better tools vould be helpful. Und more salvage, generally, so ve have more to work with."

"You want more resources? Okay, we can do that. Write me up an itemized shopping list, along with some decent descriptions of what you need and where I should go looking for it. Me and Janet found a couple of houses already, we looted the obvious, but if you need we can go back and pull wiring out of the walls or whatever."

"...I vill take you up on zat, yes. I need to speak with Jack and Sarah, but ve vill write you that list." Maxim replied.

Miria nodded. "Oh, huh, I should ask about your mundane experience, too. I'd just been assuming you knew your way around a workshop, but..."

Maxim laughs softly. "I hav tventy years experience working in vorkshops, yez. Und many more vorking on other assorted jobs."

Miria purses her lips. "Impressive. Well, glad to hear you know what you're doing, then."

------------------

Miria raised her eyebrows as not one, but two figures walked into the room next. "Hallo! Sasha... And Alice, yes?" She says, and the cowgirl sighs, while the smaller wolfgirl in front of her steps forwards, teeth gritted.

"Uh huh. So are we gonna fight the nazis? I wanna kill the lot of them." Alice says, and Sasha steps up behind her and puts a hand on her shoulder.

"Look, Alice..." She says, and the wolfgirl shrugs her hand off with a snarl, turning towards Sasha.

"After what they did to me, I have the right!" She growls, tears in her eyes.

"Alright, hold on." Miria says, standing up and holding her hands out. "Lets talk about this. So you want to attack the grocery and take revenge?" She says, and Alice nods, whining softly. "I understand where you're coming from... Please remember you're not the only person involved here, though. You don't want to get anyone innocent killed in the process, do you?" She asks, looking pointedly at Sasha, and Alice shakes her head. "Glad to hear it. Well, take a seat, and lets talk about what we can do." She says, gesturing to the chairs provided, and they both do as instructed.

"Good. Now, currently there are something like fifteen to twenty combat capable nazis that we know about, with a total population of fifty to sixty people. We currently only have the ten of us. Furthermore, they have guns, while we don't, which puts us at a further disadvantage. We do have some advantages of our own in the longer term though - we know where they live, while they don't know where we live, and we have magic, while to our knowledge they do not. Furthermore, we seem to have better knowledge and use of the system, so I think we can gain a significant advantage over them in the long run. I also expect them to have problems with internal cohesion and efficient utilization of resources that we, hopefully, will not have. We also have a way to get our numbers up, with my ability, which they do not..." She pauses as Alice's eyes widen and Sasha flinches. "I know, it's pretty weird. But I'm afraid we may need every advantage we can get, and Claire says she can handle it. So, here's what we're gonna do. We're going to gather our forces and hone our advantages, while keeping an eye on them. Once we're ready, we'll attack them to rescue their hostages and kill them or take them prisoner, and then we can hold them to trial. Sound good?" She says, and Alice nods eagerly, while Sasha nods hesitantly. "Perfect. Alright then, please show me your character sheets, and then tell me if you have any questions or comments."

Alice threw hers up immediately. "So I should start working to level up then? I saw Zach and Joey were working with Jack earlier."

*Name*:
- Alice

*Classes*:
- Wolffolk, Level 1 [8%]

*Resources*:
- 8/8 HP, 11 Regen per week.
- 10/10 FP, 10 Regen per day.
- 4/4 CP, 4 Regen per day.
- 7/7 MP, 7 Regen per day.
- 8 Essence.

*Stats*:
- Strength 1 [4%]
- Dexterity 1 [6%]
- Agility 1 [5%]
- Toughness 1 [3%]
- Perception 2 [3%]
- Instinct 1 [6%]
- Spirit 1 [2%]

*Abilities*:
- Wolffolk Physiology 1 [5%]
- - Fur Coat 1 [8%]
- - Tooth & Nail 1 [2%]
- - Wolf Nose 1 [9%]
- - Wolffolk Physique 1 [5%]
- Wolffolk Mentality 1 [6%]
- Swift Strike 1 [2%]

Wolffolk Physiology
- Uncommon Ability (2 Star)
- Sub-Abilities:
- Fur Coat
- Tooth & Nail
- Wolffolk Physique

Wolffolk Physiology - Fur Coat
- Uncommon Sub-Ability (2 Star)
- Gives protective coat of fur.
- +2% protection per level.

Wolffolk Physiology - Tooth & Nail
- Uncommon Sub-Ability (2 Star)
- Gives sharp teeth and claws.
- +2% effectiveness per level.

Wolffolk Physiology - Wolf Nose
- Uncommon Sub-Ability (2 Star)
- Gives improved sense of smell.
- Can smell the moods of others, and pick up other subtle cues.
- 5x as good smell as humans.
- +2% improved smell per level.

Wolffolk Physiology - Wolffolk Physique
- Uncommon Sub-Ability (2 Star)
- +2% increased physical strength per level.
- +2% increased physical toughness per level.
- +2% increased physical speed per level.

Wolffolk Mentality
- Common Ability (1 Star)
- Aggressive
- Shorter Time Horizon
- Territorial
- Pack-Oriented

Miria nodded. "Yeah, that's what I'll start you off with. Please do make sure to listen carefully, alright? We don't want you to get hurt."

Alice grumbles. "No duh, I'm not dumb. Hurt things before they can hurt me, no shit."

Miria laughs. "Rude, but okay, I'll hold you to that. Any other questions then?"

"Nah, we're good. I'll leave you with Sasha then? She's super embarrassed about her character sheet." Alice says, smirking at the cowgirl as she stands up."

"Go for it. I'll have Jack talk to you tonight or in the morning." Miria says, and then turns to Sasha as Alice walks out of the room. "So. You're really embarrassed to show off your sheet?" She asks, and Sasha nods, face burning. "Well. If it's not relevant to the rest of us, I suppose I don't really need to see it. I have an ability of my own I haven't shown off, but it's not relevant to anyone else as anything besides titillation. But if you have something that can contribute to the survival of the group, you should show us..."

Sasha sighs. "Ugh, fine. But, don't get any ideas, alright?"

*Name*:
- Sasha

*Classes*:
- Holstaur, Level 1 [8%]

*Resources*:
- 8/8 HP, 11 Regen per week.
- 10/10 FP, 10 Regen per day.
- 4/4 CP, 4 Regen per day.
- 3/3 MP, 3 Regen per day.
- 21 Essence.

*Stats*:
- Strength 1 [4%]
- Dexterity 1 [5%]
- Constitution 1 [6%]
- Vitality 1 [7%]
- Perception 1 [8%]
- Wisdom 1 [4%]
- Charisma 1 [5%]

*Abilities*:
- Holstaur Physiology 1 [5%]
- - Cosmetic Features 1 [2%]
- - Holstaur Physique 1 [5%]
- - Holstaur Fertility 1 [5%]
- Holstaur Mentality 1 [6%]
- Nourishing Milk 1 [18%]

Holstaur Physiology
- Uncommon Ability (2 Star)
- Sub-Abilities:
- Cosmetic Features
- Holstaur Physique
- Holstaur Fertility

Holstaur Physiology - Cosmetic Features
- Uncommon Sub-Ability (2 Star)
- Gives small, sharp horns, cow ears, and a cow tail
- +1% improved hearing per level.
- +0.5% improved balance per level.
- +1% sharper horns per level.
- +2% improved visual appeal per level.

Holstaur Physiology - Holstaur Physique
- Uncommon Sub-Ability (2 Star)
- +1.5% increased physical strength per level.
- +1.5% increased physical toughness per level.

Holstaur Physiology - Holstaur Fertility
- Rare Sub-Ability (3 Star)
- +0.25% reduced cost of all procreative abilities per level.
- +0.5% improved effect for all procreative abilities per level.

Holstaur Mentality
- Common Ability (1 Star)
- Passive
- Supportive
- Protective
- Herd-Oriented

Nourishing Milk
- Rare Ability (3 Star)
- Produce extremely nutritionally dense milk with restorative properties.
- Cannot milk self, due to mental block.
- Milk caloric and nutritional cost to user is reduced by 95%.
- Milk improves resource regen by 5% per level when drank, for a duration depending on how much is drunk.
- +5% milk production per level.

Miria read over it, here eyebrows rising. "Ah. Okay, I see what you were concerned about now..."

Sasha puts her face in her hands. "I don't want to be a milk cow! This is bullshit, I shouldn't have to put up with this...!"

Miria pats her gently on the shoulder. "I know. I was pretty freaked out by the egg thing too. Only reason I came around on it is Claire, honestly, if not for her I don't know how long it would have taken me to touch it." She looks Sasha over. "You seem to be handling it pretty well, honestly. It doesn't make you start leaking or anything?"

Sasha moans. "It doooes. Janet and Sarah have been helping me... It's been humiliating."

Miria nods. "Ah, well, sorry to hear that, but I'm glad you've already got support for it at least. It seems like you have things under control, honestly... Though. I suppose you don't want to level the ability up or actively try and take advantage of it?" She says, and Sasha shakes her head.

"Nooo! I, look, I know it would be useful, but...!" She gives Miria a pleading look.

"Mmm. I get it." She looks Sasha over. "Think about it this way - even if you help us in this way, it doesn't define you. It would be a shame to let all the other things you're capable of go to waste, after all." She grins. "So, we wouldn't want to let you just be a milk cow even if you wanted to be. Too much other stuff that needs doing, eh?"

Sasha sighs again. "I suppose. And you're not going to want to put eggs in me...? You saw my 'Holstaur Fertility' ability, right?" She asks uncertainly.

Miria laughs. "I meant what I said earlier about needing to be talked into putting eggs in anyone besides Claire. And anyway, I don't want to base my survival off of making people unhappy. I don't think it's good strategy in the long run, either, for that matter." She shakes her head. "For now, keep on as you have, I guess. We have plenty of domestic labor that needs to be done - laundry is going to be a hassle, unfortunately. Are you willing to help with that?" She asks, and Sasha nods. "Excellent. You don't have to level up your milk ability, or make use of it any more than is necessary to avoid leaking or the like, but I'd like if you'd consider the idea? And in the long run, we should find you things to do that are satisfying to you." She looks over Sasha's character sheet. "Honestly, you could be a scout if you wanted, we need more, and you have decent stats for it... No?" She says, as Sasha vigorously shakes her head. "Ah, alright, fair enough. Well, do you have any requests?"

Sasha shrugs. "...I like cooking, I guess. I know it's not much, but..."

Miria grins. "Hey, food is important! I'll talk to the others, but I think it's reasonable to put you in charge of that. Maybe see if you can get a cooking skill, hmm? Go ahead and make a list of anything else you need for that - cookware, spices, ingredients, whatever - and I'll see if I can get it for you, yeah?" She said, and Sasha nodded. "Perfect. Anything else?" She asks, and Sasha shakes her head.