You approach the holy city the same way everyone always has, the only way to approach, one step at a time.

You come to the Gate of Answers and see before you a mendicant saint begging alms from their golden lotus throne.

“Just, like, accept things. Take me, I started from the bottom and now I’m here, in the top 5% of mendicant saints in the holy city. My golden lotus throne has an automatic back massager. Just join me and stop looking, that works for me.”

You enter the holy city through the Gate of Answers, walking streets alive with old dreams, your question still upon your lips.

You walk the streets like a memory, climb the hill to the summit of the city. Your shoulder hits that of a bull-knight, lowing his great head, shaking his horns, blade red with blood.

“Oh, I think I’m probably from the revenge path, but you can fight me anyway if you want.”

“Oh! Like I said I think I’m the second encounter on the revenge path, there to be more sympathetic than the first and challenge the reader, but, uhhh, well, I get through my life with copious amounts of drugs, raves, and largely anonymous sex? That makes it sound bad. I have friends, partners, family, people I love! People like me! I work out and occasionally I fight someone. I’m going to a party right now if you want to come with?”

You approach the holy city the same way everyone always has, the only way to approach, one step at a time.

You come to the Gate of Answers and see before you a mendicant saint begging alms from their golden lotus throne.

“Just, like, accept things. Take me, I started from the bottom and now I’m here, in the top 5% of mendicant saints in the holy city. My golden lotus throne has an automatic back massager. Just join me and stop looking, that works for me.”

You enter the holy city through the Gate of Answers, walking streets alive with old dreams, your question still upon your lips.

You walk the streets like a memory, climb the hill to the summit of the city. Your shoulder hits that of a bull-knight, lowing his great head, shaking his horns, blade red with blood.

“Oh, I think I’m probably from the revenge path, but you can fight me anyway if you want.”

YOUNG WOMAN - Actually, detective, I'm a woman.

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - She says it so insistently, as if arguing with you. You may have upset her.

COMPOSURE [Formidable: Failure] - You feel a pit in your stomach. You did something wrong, but you don't know what.

LOGIC [Trivial: Success] - Her way of dressing, the feminine name, yet deep voice - it should have been clear to you sooner. She's transgender.

ESPIRIT DE CORPS [Formidable: Success] - Almost imperceptible, the lieutenant anxiously twitches his eyebrow.

DAMAGED MORALE - 1

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Trivial: Success] - A transgender person is someone who does not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. Oftentimes they will dress conforming to their desired gender roles, change their names, and seek medical intervention to, "transition."

RHETORIC [Medium: Success] - Just as Mazov dared to challenge the established order of capitalism, so too do others challenge the order of things such as sex and gender.

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Trivial: Success] - IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE WE'VE FELT THE TOUCH OF A WOMAN. WHO CARES IF SHE USED TO BE A MAN? HAVE SEX WITH HER NOW! ITS WHAT A REAL MAN WOULD DO!

EMPATHY - [Trivial: Success] - Don't do that. It's clear now, you upset her for accidentally calling her a man. Just apologize.

COMPOSURE [Medium: Failure] - Profusely.

ESPIRIT DE CORPS [Medium: Success] - It's important to be a good ally.

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - Make a real show of it, sire!

CHECK FAILURE

YOU - You try and come up with the words to convey your apology to the young woman, but you come up blank. It's hard to fit, "transgender" into iambic pentameter, as it turns out.

DRAMA - I'm sorry, sire. I have failed you.

KIM KITSURAGI - "Detective? You've been standing there for a whole minute. Are you okay?"

ESPIRIT DE CORPS - Shit, the lieutenant is onto us. We have to say something soon, or we could lose him.

COMPOSURE [Trivial: Success] - Don't worry, we can still salvage this. Anyone have any ideas?

VOLITION [Heroic: Failure] - Let me handle this.

You - "I'm so sorry, I'm so fucking sorry. I'm such a fucking failure. Do you want me to kill myself?"

So far of there is anywhere the story could retroactively take a new metastatic branch it’d be if “toss a coin” gets a lot of votes I think. Also, who actually voted to accept the mendicant saints answer???

come ooooooon scholar-mystics, we're neck and neck now, who even needs the holy city, don't go further in, further in is lame and dumb

You approach the holy city the same way everyone always has, the only way to approach, one step at a time.

You come to the Gate of Answers and see before you a mendicant saint begging alms from their golden lotus throne.

“Just, like, accept things. Take me, I started from the bottom and now I’m here, in the top 5% of mendicant saints in the holy city. My golden lotus throne has an automatic back massager. Just join me and stop looking, that works for me.”

You enter the holy city through the Gate of Answers, walking streets alive with old dreams, your question still upon your lips.

You approach the holy city the same way everyone always has, the only way to approach, one step at a time.

You come to the Gate of Answers and see before you a mendicant saint begging alms from their golden lotus throne.

“Just, like, accept things. Take me, I started from the bottom and now I’m here, in the top 5% of mendicant saints in the holy city. My golden lotus throne has an automatic back massager. Just join me and stop looking, that works for me.”

You approach the holy city the same way everyone always has, the only way to approach, one step at a time.

You come to the Gate of Answers and see before you a mendicant saint begging alms from their golden lotus throne.

You approach the holy city the same way everyone always has, the only way to approach, one step at a time.

they are finally giving me a magnificent gilded cup for all of the folding chairs ive helped put away at various events and functions

the wedding ring stays ON during sex with other people.