301 lines
14 KiB
Markdown
301 lines
14 KiB
Markdown
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---
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title: 00054
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created: Tue, 03 Jan 2023 16:12:08 -0700
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updated: Wed, 04 Jan 2023 08:18:44 -0700
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public: yes
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syndicated: yes
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---
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### 00054 {#00054}
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> Once back in the Milk Bar, with the airship safely anchored to the
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> roof of the building, Alex finds himself amongst the old belongings
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> of his former uncle.
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>
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> *sigh* "Best get a request to HQ for this airship, maybe they'll
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> let us operate it for a bit, if not I suppose we have to impound
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> it.."
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>
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> ```
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> <- OP 2817 * LOC MB-A
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> -> OP 25120 * LOC ESPER
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>
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> CLEARANCE: INFORMATIONAL
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> REQUEST ENCLOSED.
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>
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> REQUESTING PERMISSION TO IMPOUND OR OPERATE.
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> ONE CYBERPLASM AIRSHIP "The Rusty Maiden"
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> ```
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>
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> "There's also the matter of this little hemogoblin.." Alex mutters
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> to himself while said hemogoblin happily dances around the room,
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> dripping little pools of blood hither and tither.
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>
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> ```
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> <- OP 2817 * LOC MB-A
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> -> OP 41154 * LOC ESPER
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>
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> CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET
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> REQUEST ENCLOSED
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> PACKET ENCLOSED
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>
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> REQUESTING ANALYSIS
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> ONE GDB @gdb-readout.dat
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> TWO BLOOD @blood-soaked-handkerchief
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> NOTE GDB INDICATES SOME ANOMALY
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> ```
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>
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> "Hey little guy, lets go get an empanade. Inky says they're
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> divine." Alex says as he scoops up the little goblin and gently
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> carries him downstairs."
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>
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> Striding into Enriques kitchen, and availing himself to the
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> empanadas, ignoring an indignant Enrique's protests that these were
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> for paying customers until a small bag of coins is tossed careless
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> over one shoulder. Alex stride through the kitchen and then out and
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> away into the garden to enjoy their pilfered treats.
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>
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> "I suppose this is more interesting than being on the force at
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> times"
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~
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> Inky stepped into the toques' cabin below deck with a tray of
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> turmeric ginger tea and lavender biscuits. After checking on
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> Bread's bandages and offering the toque reclined on the berth the
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> last bag of mango croutons — or at least the last one for the next
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> two hours — Inky perched on a wooden barrel across from where
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> Confidence sat on a creaking old chair next to the bunk and spoke.
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> "We'll be landing in about an hour and getting Bread to a medical
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> facility. You can stay with him while he heals and rest up."
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>
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> They paused to take a long sip from their cup, as if the liquid was
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> being used to summon their next words. "On behalf of myself and the
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> party, I apologise for the … disruption, and for what had befallen
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> the hotelier. As you may have already noticed, we're a fair
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> distance away from the Peak and will be arriving in Vay'Nullar
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> soon. This airship was taken over from the cyberplasms in the
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> course of getting the crystal out and the injured to a safe
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> location, and her new captain could hardly fly it back straight
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> into the pirates' hands now.
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>
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> What we propose is this: you and Bread may take as long as you need
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> to recover. We can arrange for lodgings and new posts in the city.
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> One of our party runs a Milk Market that could certainly use some
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> hired help, and a garden in the back that would benefit from more
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> attention. Pay will be double your current salary at the hotel.
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> Master Alex may also recruit you for other tasks. You don't need to
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> have an answer just yet — think on it for a bit while you rest and
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> let us know. Afterwards, if you find that you still wish to return
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> to Kelsun Peak, we will pay for travel."
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>
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> Inky winked at Bread conspiratorially. "You may be interested to
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> know there is a bakery on the Milk Market's first floor. If you
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> like the look of the place, perhaps we can convince the chef to
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> take on an assistant."
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>
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> ~
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>
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> Tess watched her adviser from her position on one end of the plush
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> chaise lounge in her office, who returned her stare impassively as
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> they sat in the adjoining armchair to her right. The ornate coffee
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> table before them had been laid out for tea, but the other cup
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> remained untouched, which was in itself unusual. Ink rarely turned
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> down tea when it was offered, which likely meant they were
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> preoccupied with something they were unwilling to discuss. This had
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> been happening more frequently since their plans to intercept the
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> Ginnarak Crystals, which was a little concerning, but she knew it
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> would be no use to question them directly. The missive she had
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> received this time through Piskin's people was brief, almost
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> annoyingly so, but they had returned earlier than expected with the
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> articles that production had requested, which had fortunately made
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> up for lost time from the previous delays.
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>
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> With this in mind, she settled on a lighter note as she picked up
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> her own teacup. "Salvia passed on the items to the production team.
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> Thank you for picking them up from the Runesocesius. I would send
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> my regular couriers but they are tied up with another event. One of
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> them had to care for their sick child and couldn't leave the city.
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> As usual, time and discretion are of the essence."
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>
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> When her adviser only nodded, she continued. "How is he? He
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> probably insisted on bringing the manuscripts out for you himself.
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> The man is cautious with valuables."
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>
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> "Quite dead but managing, or so I heard." Ink intoned drily.
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>
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> Tess caught on immediately. "Didn't you meet with him? The message
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> only mentioned the items had been obtained. Did something happen?"
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>
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> The imp shrugged. "We met, I delivered the letter and collected the
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> items. We didn't get a chance to talk."
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>
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> The hotel was slowly but steadily attracting visitors again,
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> especially after their last play had prominently featured the
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> Runesocesius Library as a research partner in the programme
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> credits, but Tess didn't think the hotelier was so busy as to
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> entrust this task to one of his underlings. The man was proud of
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> the first editions the library had amassed, and the notebooks of
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> Lucidieau that the playwright sought as a reference were no doubt
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> counted among the treasures, even if only an expensive commissioned
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> facsimile was permitted out of the library. Something had happened,
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> she was sure, but decided not to press further for the moment.
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>
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> "And the other matter?" she asked.
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>
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> "Someone already knew the crystal was at the hotel and retained a
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> crew of cyberplasmic pirates to storm the place." Ink replied
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> flatly. "And yes, your acquaintance is very much dead, shot by the
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> crew leader in the scuffle. As the rumour rags have it, his ghost
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> is now overseeing the building repairs."
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>
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> Tess was about to admonish the imp gently for the tasteless jest
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> when there was a knock at the door. At her response, the door
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> opened and her secretary entered with a box of pastries and two
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> sets of tableware, which she placed on the coffee table before
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> leaving and closing the door behind her.
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>
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> Noticing Ink's look of recognition, Tess smiled and ventured, "This
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> is the second time is as many months you awarded that empanada
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> place a glowing review in *The Tiny Toaster*. I can count the
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> ratings higher than a 10 you've ever given on one hand — of course
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> I had to try it. Why don't you have some as well?"
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>
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> Ink blinked. "I didn't write the latest review."
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>
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> Tess shot them an accusing mock-glare as she lifted a puffy golden
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> brown pastry onto a plate. "It has your inkprints all over it."
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>
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> "I don't know what you mean. Surely I'm allowed to treat a
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> colleague to lunch, and they are free to express their satisfaction
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> with a meal openly if they wish," Ink replied smoothly.
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>
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> Tess rolled her eyes. "There's a name for that. It's called
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> bribery."
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>
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> Ink smiled faintly. "Just so. However, the selection speaks for
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> itself."
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>
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> "Oh, absolutely! These mini ambrose apple empanadas are wonderful.
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> In fact," Tess prodded the open end of the pastry with her fork,
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> where a light yellow filling was visible, "they remind me a little
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> of the very crispy tortelli *someone* made several years ago just
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> for the opening reception of *The Two Genteelkin of Virdantha*."
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>
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> "Any resemblance is coincidental. The chef is very capable." Ink
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> said evenly.
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>
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> Tess sighed and returned her plate to the table. "We've talked
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> about this before, Ink. You don't have to hole up in some poor
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> scrub's excuse for a kitchen in a closet. If you need more room
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> downstairs then expand it. Just tell Salvia and she'll take care of
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> it."
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>
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> Ink lowered their gaze to the teacups. "I appreciate the offer, but
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> the answer is the same. There will be no rest until the crystals
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> are secured."
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Some time passes.
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The hemogoblin turns out to be a fine housemate and less of a problem
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than you thought it would be. Be it because its not in the excitement
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of battle onboard a pirate ship, or be it because it is maturing
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slightly, it seems in better control of its blood sacs. Barring a few
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small accidents, it doesn't make much of a mess. It has found and
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claimed as its own a few unused blankets, and has made a little
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burrow nest in an out of the way corner behind the furniture.
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Bread makes a full recovery and in fact is doing better than ever
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before. The blood goblin stays by their side during the first hours
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and days and keeps them pumped full of clean, synthetic blood.
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Afterwards the toque is flushed a healthy pink and has new vigor.
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Enrique takes them under his tutelage. And Bread ends up making a
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fine baker's apprentice. Dough seems to rise more and quicker after
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he kneads it. "The lad has solar hands," Enrique boasts of his new
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protegee.
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Confidence becomes enthralled with the semi-sentient Wandering
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Bazaar. The thirteen story building moves with glacial speed up and
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down the streets, vendors and stalls and shoppers following in its
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wake. But then also it will disappear in the blink of an eye only to
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reappear in a totally different part of the area known as the
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Wandering Bazaar District. Each floor of the tall, narrow tower is
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occupied entirely by a single shop. But which shop it is seems to
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vary from day to day. One day the seventh level will be occupied by
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Fedik's Butcher shop. And the next, Lario's Bakery. It might be days
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or weeks before one can once again buy hotlinks from Fedik's. Where
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the shops go when they're not here is one of Basmentaria's great
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mysteries.
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The toque studies the Bazaar's movements and are able to predict its
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route with more and more accuracy. They become a highly sought out
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guide. Tourists and visitors trust them to take them to the very spot
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the Bazaar will appear that day. Residents appreciate the heads up
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and not getting trapped in their houses when the Bazaar wedges its
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way into their narrow residential streets, blocking their front
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doors. And owners of traditional, less ambulatory shops are able to
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plan ahead for the crowds that will appear on "Bazaar Day".
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~
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Members of the Retrieval Team who sleep in Milk Market HQ start
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having dreams of the same mysterious figure. Of course at first
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nobody knows their dreams are shared by the others. Not until they
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become more frequent, more regular. By the time the figure has
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visited you every night for nearly a week, somebody speaks up and you
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realize the coincidence.
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The figure is clad in voluminous robes of deep purple. Long,
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straight, blonde hair falls around their shoulders. Their soft
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features are boyish and womanly. They wear a golden circlet on their
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head and a golden eye in the middle of their forehead. Their passive,
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neutral face betrays no emotion the entire time.
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The dream is always the same. They reach out to you with one hand and
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turn their palm up. And because of dream logic, in the palm of their
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hand you can hear the jingling of coins, mirthful laughter, and
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hushed stories told around a campfire. They curl their fingers into a
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loose first and the sounds stop. They spread their arms wide and in
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the folds of their robes you can see three siblings fighting,
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squabbling over a broken loom.
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Then you're standing next to them, and the two of you watch three
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friends, Snake, Owl, and Dolphin. Owl tells Snake that he is tired of
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flying and hooting, and doesn't want to be an owl any more, he wants
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to be flowers. And Snake laughs and tells him that he is Owl, and an
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owl he must remain. And she leaves him to go eat rodents and bake in
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the sun. So Owl tells Dolphin that he is tired of flying and hooting,
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and doesn't want to be an owl any more, he wants to be flowers.
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Dolphin doesn't want to help Owl, because if he is flowers, they
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won't be able to be together any longer. But Dolphin finally agrees
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to help even though they don't want to, because Dolphin loves Owl.
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With all their strength, they create a great waterspout that will
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turn Owl into flowers. But the waterspout is too strong, and Dolphin
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is too weak to control it. It sprays Owl but does not turn him into
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flowers. Owl's wing is broken and he falls to the ground in a heap of
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feathers. The waterspout shakes a great boulder from the earth and
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traps Snake under it. And Dolphin sinks to the bottom of the sea.
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And then you wake up.
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~
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Later you find a letter in the common area of Milk Market HQ. It is
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not addressed to anybody. When you open it up, it reads:
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> Time is running out, Retrieval Team 43. Things are starting to draw
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> to a close. We cannot delay our meeting any longer if we both are
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> to achieve our goals. We have information that you are looking for.
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> Meet us at the Harpoon Club next Selday. We will wear the sign.
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The letter is signed with a white iris and golden apple.
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Anyone in Vay'Nullar would be able to tell you that the Harpoon Club
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is a game room and fine dining club, and one of the rotating tenants
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of the Wandering Bazaar. But Confidence would tell you, were you to
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ask them, that the club won't be there next Selday. (When the Bazaar
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will appear at East and Lowland.) It is in fact not scheduled to
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appear until a week and a half after next Selday, on Third Tensday.
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(When the Bazaar will appear at Cathedral and Pine.)
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WHAT DO YOU DO
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