The air is thick with the scent of freshly baked bread. You find yourself blushing as your stomach loudly protests the fact that you skipped breakfast earlier today. In order to silence the infernal thing, you rush straight to the Meria bakery. Marina greets you warmly when you enter.
"Hello Lilka, what brings you to Meria?"
"Lunch, of course!" you respond, laughing, "And I'm here to visit everyone."
Marina joins in your laughter and pulls a metal tray from behind the counter where she is standing. She sets the tray, filled with assorted baked goods, before you.
"What would you like?"
"Oh, there's so many..."
There are donuts with pink frosting, slices of cake, pumpkin bread, different types of cookies, a bunch of items you don't know the names of and your favorite, jelly rolls.
"I'll take five jelly rolls and a piece of chocolate cake please!"
"That'll be 200 gella," Marina states matter-of-factly, putting your order into a neat paper bag.
"200 gella?" you whine, hoping to gain the baker's sympathy, "But I don't have that much money..."
"Didn't all of you guys have a fortune saved up when you saved the world?"
"They raised the tuition fees at school..."
"I see." Marina's tone has gone neutral.
"I'm sure Ashley's tab will cover me," you assure her, holding out your hands for your bag of treats.
"I suppose," Marina replies, frowning slightly. She hands you the bag, which you take gratefully. "Oh, and if you see Ashley, please tell him his tab is now at 4,000,200 and that he has to come in every day for the rest of his life to work it off."
"What?"
Marina shrugs. "He shouldn't have let Tony, Scott, and Tim use his tab."
You finger your fire rod as you are about to leave the bakery. Marina certainly liked to keep Ashley to herself whenever possible. You figure she must've not learned how to share in school. If she was to somehow disappear... Your chances with Ashley would surely increase, right? But then who would bake those jelly rolls you like so much?
Decisions, decisions.
Do you:
a) Set her on fire... (go to chapter 9)
b) Thank her for the food and go to Valeria Chateau now (go to chapter 6)