291 lines
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291 lines
17 KiB
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<?xml version="1.0" ?>
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<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
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<channel>
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<atom:link href="https://tilde.town/~dozens/quest/rss.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
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<title>BASEMENT QWEST</title>
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<link>https://tilde.town/~dozens/quest/rss.xml</link>
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<description>Friends having ADVENTURES! Huzzah!</description>
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<item>
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<title>54</title>
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<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">54 - Tue, 03 Jan 2023 16:12:08
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-0700</guid>
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<pubDate>Wed, 04 Jan 2023 08:18:44 -0700</pubDate>
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<description>
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<![CDATA[
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<h3 id="00054">00054</h3>
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<blockquote>
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<p>Once back in the Milk Bar, with the airship safely anchored
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to the roof of the building, Alex finds himself amongst the
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old belongings of his former uncle.</p>
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<p><em>sigh</em> “Best get a request to HQ for this airship,
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maybe they’ll let us operate it for a bit, if not I suppose we
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have to impound it..”</p>
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<pre><code><- OP 2817 * LOC MB-A
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-> OP 25120 * LOC ESPER
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CLEARANCE: INFORMATIONAL
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REQUEST ENCLOSED.
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REQUESTING PERMISSION TO IMPOUND OR OPERATE.
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ONE CYBERPLASM AIRSHIP "The Rusty Maiden"</code></pre>
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<p>“There’s also the matter of this little hemogoblin..” Alex
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mutters to himself while said hemogoblin happily dances around
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the room, dripping little pools of blood hither and
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tither.</p>
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<pre><code><- OP 2817 * LOC MB-A
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-> OP 41154 * LOC ESPER
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CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET
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REQUEST ENCLOSED
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PACKET ENCLOSED
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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</code></pre>
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<p>“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
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gently carries him downstairs.”</p>
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<p>Striding into Enriques kitchen, and availing himself to the
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empanadas, ignoring an indignant Enrique’s protests that these
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were for paying customers until a small bag of coins is tossed
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careless over one shoulder. Alex stride through the kitchen
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and then out and away into the garden to enjoy their pilfered
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treats.</p>
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<p>“I suppose this is more interesting than being on the force
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at times”</p>
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</blockquote>
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<p>~</p>
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<blockquote>
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<p>Inky stepped into the toques’ cabin below deck with a tray
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of turmeric ginger tea and lavender biscuits. After checking
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on Bread’s bandages and offering the toque reclined on the
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berth the last bag of mango croutons — or at least the last
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one for the next two hours — Inky perched on a wooden barrel
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across from where Confidence sat on a creaking old chair next
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to the bunk and spoke. “We’ll be landing in about an hour and
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getting Bread to a medical facility. You can stay with him
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while he heals and rest up.”</p>
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<p>They paused to take a long sip from their cup, as if the
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liquid was being used to summon their next words. “On behalf
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of myself and the party, I apologise for the … disruption, and
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for what had befallen the hotelier. As you may have already
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noticed, we’re a fair distance away from the Peak and will be
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arriving in Vay’Nullar soon. This airship was taken over from
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the cyberplasms in the course of getting the crystal out and
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the injured to a safe location, and her new captain could
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hardly fly it back straight into the pirates’ hands now.</p>
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<p>What we propose is this: you and Bread may take as long as
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you need to recover. We can arrange for lodgings and new posts
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in the city. One of our party runs a Milk Market that could
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certainly use some hired help, and a garden in the back that
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would benefit from more attention. Pay will be double your
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current salary at the hotel. Master Alex may also recruit you
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for other tasks. You don’t need to have an answer just yet —
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think on it for a bit while you rest and let us know.
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Afterwards, if you find that you still wish to return to
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Kelsun Peak, we will pay for travel.”</p>
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<p>Inky winked at Bread conspiratorially. “You may be
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interested to know there is a bakery on the Milk Market’s
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first floor. If you like the look of the place, perhaps we can
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convince the chef to take on an assistant.”</p>
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<p>~</p>
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<p>Tess watched her adviser from her position on one end of
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the plush chaise lounge in her office, who returned her stare
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impassively as they sat in the adjoining armchair to her
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right. The ornate coffee table before them had been laid out
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for tea, but the other cup remained untouched, which was in
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itself unusual. Ink rarely turned down tea when it was
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offered, which likely meant they were preoccupied with
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something they were unwilling to discuss. This had been
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happening more frequently since their plans to intercept the
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Ginnarak Crystals, which was a little concerning, but she knew
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it would be no use to question them directly. The missive she
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had received this time through Piskin’s people was brief,
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almost annoyingly so, but they had returned earlier than
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expected with the articles that production had requested,
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which had fortunately made up for lost time from the previous
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delays.</p>
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<p>With this in mind, she settled on a lighter note as she
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picked up her own teacup. “Salvia passed on the items to the
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production team. Thank you for picking them up from the
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Runesocesius. I would send my regular couriers but they are
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tied up with another event. One of them had to care for their
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sick child and couldn’t leave the city. As usual, time and
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discretion are of the essence.”</p>
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<p>When her adviser only nodded, she continued. “How is he? He
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probably insisted on bringing the manuscripts out for you
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himself. The man is cautious with valuables.”</p>
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<p>“Quite dead but managing, or so I heard.” Ink intoned
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drily.</p>
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<p>Tess caught on immediately. “Didn’t you meet with him? The
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message only mentioned the items had been obtained. Did
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something happen?”</p>
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<p>The imp shrugged. “We met, I delivered the letter and
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collected the items. We didn’t get a chance to talk.”</p>
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<p>The hotel was slowly but steadily attracting visitors
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again, especially after their last play had prominently
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featured the Runesocesius Library as a research partner in the
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programme credits, but Tess didn’t think the hotelier was so
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busy as to entrust this task to one of his underlings. The man
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was proud of the first editions the library had amassed, and
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the notebooks of Lucidieau that the playwright sought as a
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reference were no doubt counted among the treasures, even if
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only an expensive commissioned facsimile was permitted out of
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the library. Something had happened, she was sure, but decided
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not to press further for the moment.</p>
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<p>“And the other matter?” she asked.</p>
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<p>“Someone already knew the crystal was at the hotel and
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retained a crew of cyberplasmic pirates to storm the place.”
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Ink replied flatly. “And yes, your acquaintance is very much
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dead, shot by the crew leader in the scuffle. As the rumour
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rags have it, his ghost is now overseeing the building
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repairs.”</p>
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<p>Tess was about to admonish the imp gently for the tasteless
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jest when there was a knock at the door. At her response, the
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door opened and her secretary entered with a box of pastries
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and two sets of tableware, which she placed on the coffee
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table before leaving and closing the door behind her.</p>
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<p>Noticing Ink’s look of recognition, Tess smiled and
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ventured, “This is the second time is as many months you
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awarded that empanada place a glowing review in <em>The Tiny
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Toaster</em>. I can count the ratings higher than a 10 you’ve
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ever given on one hand — of course I had to try it. Why don’t
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you have some as well?”</p>
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<p>Ink blinked. “I didn’t write the latest review.”</p>
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<p>Tess shot them an accusing mock-glare as she lifted a puffy
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golden brown pastry onto a plate. “It has your inkprints all
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over it.”</p>
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<p>“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
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satisfaction with a meal openly if they wish,” Ink replied
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smoothly.</p>
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<p>Tess rolled her eyes. “There’s a name for that. It’s called
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bribery.”</p>
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<p>Ink smiled faintly. “Just so. However, the selection speaks
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for itself.”</p>
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<p>“Oh, absolutely! These mini ambrose apple empanadas are
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wonderful. In fact,” Tess prodded the open end of the pastry
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with her fork, where a light yellow filling was visible, “they
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remind me a little of the very crispy tortelli
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<em>someone</em> made several years ago just for the opening
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reception of <em>The Two Genteelkin of Virdantha</em>.”</p>
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<p>“Any resemblance is coincidental. The chef is very
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capable.” Ink said evenly.</p>
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<p>Tess sighed and returned her plate to the table. “We’ve
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talked about this before, Ink. You don’t have to hole up in
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some poor scrub’s excuse for a kitchen in a closet. If you
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need more room downstairs then expand it. Just tell Salvia and
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she’ll take care of it.”</p>
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<p>Ink lowered their gaze to the teacups. “I appreciate the
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offer, but the answer is the same. There will be no rest until
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the crystals are secured.”</p>
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</blockquote>
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<p>Some time passes.</p>
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<p>The hemogoblin turns out to be a fine housemate and less of
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a problem than you thought it would be. Be it because its not
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in the excitement of battle onboard a pirate ship, or be it
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because it is maturing slightly, it seems in better control of
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its blood sacs. Barring a few small accidents, it doesn’t make
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much of a mess. It has found and claimed as its own a few
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unused blankets, and has made a little burrow nest in an out
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of the way corner behind the furniture.</p>
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<p>Bread makes a full recovery and in fact is doing better
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than ever before. The blood goblin stays by their side during
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the first hours and days and keeps them pumped full of clean,
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synthetic blood. Afterwards the toque is flushed a healthy
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pink and has new vigor. Enrique takes them under his tutelage.
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And Bread ends up making a fine baker’s apprentice. Dough
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seems to rise more and quicker after he kneads it. “The lad
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has solar hands,” Enrique boasts of his new protegee.</p>
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<p>Confidence becomes enthralled with the semi-sentient
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Wandering Bazaar. The thirteen story building moves with
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glacial speed up and down the streets, vendors and stalls and
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shoppers following in its wake. But then also it will
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disappear in the blink of an eye only to reappear in a totally
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different part of the area known as the Wandering Bazaar
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District. Each floor of the tall, narrow tower is occupied
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entirely by a single shop. But which shop it is seems to vary
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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
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be days or weeks before one can once again buy hotlinks from
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Fedik’s. Where the shops go when they’re not here is one of
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Basmentaria’s great mysteries.</p>
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<p>The toque studies the Bazaar’s movements and are able to
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predict its route with more and more accuracy. They become a
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highly sought out guide. Tourists and visitors trust them to
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take them to the very spot the Bazaar will appear that day.
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Residents appreciate the heads up and not getting trapped in
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their houses when the Bazaar wedges its way into their narrow
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residential streets, blocking their front doors. And owners of
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traditional, less ambulatory shops are able to plan ahead for
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the crowds that will appear on “Bazaar Day”.</p>
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<p>~</p>
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<p>Members of the Retrieval Team who sleep in Milk Market HQ
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start having dreams of the same mysterious figure. Of course
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at first nobody knows their dreams are shared by the others.
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Not until they become more frequent, more regular. By the time
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the figure has visited you every night for nearly a week,
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somebody speaks up and you realize the coincidence.</p>
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<p>The figure is clad in voluminous robes of deep purple.
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Long, straight, blonde hair falls around their shoulders.
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Their soft features are boyish and womanly. They wear a golden
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circlet on their head and a golden eye in the middle of their
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forehead. Their passive, neutral face betrays no emotion the
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entire time.</p>
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<p>The dream is always the same. They reach out to you with
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one hand and turn their palm up. And because of dream logic,
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in the palm of their hand you can hear the jingling of coins,
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mirthful laughter, and hushed stories told around a campfire.
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They curl their fingers into a loose first and the sounds
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stop. They spread their arms wide and in the folds of their
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robes you can see three siblings fighting, squabbling over a
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broken loom.</p>
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<p>Then you’re standing next to them, and the two of you watch
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three friends, Snake, Owl, and Dolphin. Owl tells Snake that
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he is tired of flying and hooting, and doesn’t want to be an
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owl any more, he wants to be flowers. And Snake laughs and
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tells him that he is Owl, and an owl he must remain. And she
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leaves him to go eat rodents and bake in the sun. So Owl tells
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Dolphin that he is tired of flying and hooting, and doesn’t
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want to be an owl any more, he wants to be flowers. Dolphin
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doesn’t want to help Owl, because if he is flowers, they won’t
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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
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Owl. With all their strength, they create a great waterspout
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that will turn Owl into flowers. But the waterspout is too
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strong, and Dolphin is too weak to control it. It sprays Owl
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but does not turn him into flowers. Owl’s wing is broken and
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he falls to the ground in a heap of feathers. The waterspout
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shakes a great boulder from the earth and traps Snake under
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it. And Dolphin sinks to the bottom of the sea.</p>
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<p>And then you wake up.</p>
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<p>~</p>
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<p>Later you find a letter in the common area of Milk Market
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HQ. It is not addressed to anybody. When you open it up, it
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reads:</p>
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<blockquote>
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<p>Time is running out, Retrieval Team 43. Things are starting
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to draw to a close. We cannot delay our meeting any longer if
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we both are to achieve our goals. We have information that you
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are looking for. Meet us at the Harpoon Club next Selday. We
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will wear the sign.</p>
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</blockquote>
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<p>The letter is signed with a white iris and golden
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apple.</p>
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<p>Anyone in Vay’Nullar would be able to tell you that the
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Harpoon Club is a game room and fine dining club, and one of
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the rotating tenants of the Wandering Bazaar. But Confidence
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would tell you, were you to ask them, that the club won’t be
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there next Selday. (When the Bazaar will appear at East and
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Lowland.) It is in fact not scheduled to appear until a week
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and a half after next Selday, on Third Tensday. (When the
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Bazaar will appear at Cathedral and Pine.)</p>
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<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
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]]>
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