(Vol 2) Chapter 34: Taking It Personally

Sammy and the little council shared what remainder of the information there was left to relate. A rundown on the events saving the Innkeeper’s daughter. Potential for loot. Tidbits.

Tashome showed an interest in magical items and so forth, asking that she keep as much as she could for his perusal, particularly potions and charged items. When he heard about Devero’s unusual tricks, he was further fascinated. While the powers of Traesh weren’t something he understood specifically, and there was some sort of literal class that specialized, he was certain he could learn them in principle.

When she mentioned the stupid staff, he asked for specific details, then told her to let him take it off her hands with a glint in his eye. Sammy just shrugged and agreed. When he was ready to explain, he would.

That Alchemy skill of his is going to be some serious shit, isn’t it? I think he already has an assistant in Bast, too. Oh man, those two putting their heads together…

Orswyth and Tashome departed after hugs and thanking her for the experience. Orswyth seemed particularly tickled and refreshed by it all. And it reminded her about the train. She could probably stick one somewhere in the city. Another time, though.

Then it was just her and the yellow-clad Azure staring at her. Before Sammy could ‘welp’ her way up to go, Azure said, “A word, please? Before we move on to whatever else we need to do.”

Sammy felt her lip twist, but she nodded once. Azure got up and moved into the seat closest, as her goddess watched her a bit like a dangerous viper. Which maybe was silly, but Azure was looking particularly heart-stopping in the dress with her perfectly shaped, glistening legs showing, eye makeup tantalizingly on-point…

That heavy, dark outline, it's so pretty on her…

Azure sat with the chair facing Sammy, legs crossing, one hand on the table close to hers. She met Sammy’s eyes and stated adamantly, “I will not sleep with him.”

As happened so many times, Sammy froze like ice had encrusted her. Staring back at that intense gaze, Sammy finally managed to open her mouth. “Azure-”

“I know you were watching us and wondering about it. Somehow, I just know. And you did mention him once. But I wanted to be clear. Perhaps it seems natural, but it wouldn’t work for me. I’ll trade teases all day, I do enjoy such banter, and tying him in knots would be exceptionally amusing, but that is all.”

Sammy shook her head, still on her back foot. “It’s… none of my business…”

Azure’s head canted at her, a look of patient tolerance, eyes shifting in studying the other’s face. “Of course, Samantha. But as my goddess and intimate friend, I would prefer you to know my intentions. Everything else about me that you care to, as well.”

Sammy’s eyes slid over to their hands, close on the table. Azure’s moved in a little sway, idly, while her own were still frozen. Hand’s interlaced together, in a bed-

“Then I guess I should ask why,” Sammy replied, eyes returning to meet the Naugite’s mesmerizing purples again. “Because there’s the… the implication.”

“And what’s that? The implication.”

Sammy blinked. “That you might be trying to wait for me.”

Azure smiled slightly. “To answer your question, it’s because I can only see a younger him. It’s unfair, of course. He isn’t. But I can’t shake the emotional reality in my gut.”

“Perhaps you’re just sabotaging yourself.”

“Perhaps. But what can I do? Should I just… try it anyway? Force it to see?”

“No.” It annoyed Sammy how easily and preferably she told Azure not to bang someone else. But obviously, she shouldn’t do something she didn’t feel like doing. That was the main thing. Yeah. “Of course not.”

Azure nodded slowly. “Then I suppose it’s no one, for now.”

“I guess so, then.” Samantha eyed her and felt a bit like a bumpkin maneuvered by a queen, somehow. Conversationally outplayed, giving away things and admittances she did not intend to, and they weren’t forced at all. Meanwhile, Azure hadn’t budged at all.

I still have a lot to learn from her. But I have to stop seeing her as super hot and letting it get to me. I’ll get used to it eventually! Definitely. Sister zone! It just takes time.

✦•············•✦•···········•✦

Azure planned to rest only a little, otherwise dedicating the entire day to prayer, which would level her in [Priestess] to join her peers in level 1 access. Meanwhile, the Strippin' Josephine would come into the port of Geirkos sometime in the evening, before dark at least.

Sammy flipped over to her throne so she could design another Resemblant. This time, she broke from the butler themes to try and make a more specialized persona. Someone honed in on seeking out others, shadowing them, spying. A sleuth. The penultimate Private Eye even in personality, with the special skill Investigation to support.

Servitor created. Dick is born.

The shadow popped into existence, and a mirror came down. A man in an overcoat and hat sat at a shoddy desk in a shoddy office, smoking with his feet up. He brought them down as he eyed Samantha with a shrewd, piercing gaze as if she were walking up.

A gruff voiceover resounded from nowhere in particular. “She sculpted me into existence like an old Chinese potter making a vase — like she’d done it ten thousand times before. She probably had. She looked at me like a majestic snowy owl spotting a lemming — or maybe she already had me in her claws — but it didn’t matter and I didn’t care. She was Bad News written on the bottom of a tall whiskey glass and damned if I didn’t need a drink. Also, it was raining outside.”

Samantha was grinning through it all. “Wow, so many metaphors. Very impressive. Are you ready to dig into Geirkos, Dick? Find out about Mr. Smile?”

Dick puffed on his cigarette, nodding as if he were listening to a story. The voiceover continued, “To say the job was risky would be an understatement — if it was anyone else, I’d laugh them right out of my dingy dive and life right there. But for that face and those eyes, a man would slip into hell itself and steal the Devil’s horns. Under that gaze, a man was just a man dreaming of her rescue. Amazingly enough, under the tar layers, grime, and the cloak of the city’s betrayals, I might’ve still been one, because I accepted.

“Or maybe rent was due and I just needed a job.”

Laughing, Sammy waved her hand. “Alright, alright! I can’t take it! Be sure to confer with Jeeves first. Otherwise, get to work, Dick. This Femme Fatale has some other suckers to charm and so forth.”

The next two Servitors are effectively free due to the rebate on the quest for seven of them, and I’ll level up to boot! Two more when I come back, then. I’ve got to poke around in the real world a bit first. And get the Identifies out of the way.

She materialized back into her Avatar and quietly exited, because Azure was sleeping. She had Dart latch the door behind her and further instructed him to be more attentive than a sleepy, useless cat. As such, he transformed into a German Shepherd.

“Arf.”

“Well said, Dart.”

“Still offended I didn’t get to meet people.”

“You will, you will — don’t get your collar in a twist. How about a treat?! Who’s a good boy?!” She added some mental kissy noises.

A shaggy tail wagged furiously. “Yeah-yeah-yeah-me-me!! Wait- H-hey! No fair. That’s foul play, damn it.”

Grinning to herself, Sammy made her way downstairs. Alecto was in his office, and the girl at the front immediately ushered her through the backdoor into it, saying she was always welcome to, per the innkeeper himself.

It was small and stacked with shelves and cabinets, with a central, messy desk and numerous chairs more or less filling practically all the spare space. The floor had two huge, colorful rugs covering it to every corner. It was a central room, so had no windows, instead being lit by three magical lanterns — glowing orbs encased in adjustable shutters.

The innkeeper was at his desk, speaking with a haggard Janius across from him. They both rose as she entered. Alecto bowed his head. “Welcome, Lady Dym.” So that was really going around, then. “What can I do for you? Care to have a seat?”

She accepted, so that they all sat back down. Before she said anything more, Alecto picked up a sealed letter and held it out to her across the desk.

Taking it, she saw no addressee or anything, just the wax seal, a simple shape of a crossbow. She looked up at the innkeeper, beginning to feel a bit nervous. “Devero?”

Alecto nodded. “He left. Said he’d be back, and to hold his loot share.”

Janius snorted. “We’re so very honored he trusts us with that.”

Samantha was not happy at all with the news. She broke the seal and took out the letter to read it hurriedly. The script was downright beautiful, nearly calligraphy, despite the simple words.

Madam Dymonei,

This is personal. Like a lot is.

Nothing to do with you. I’ll be back. Probably. I have no idea if you’ll be there when I return, but I feel like we’ll meet again. Maybe we’ll talk. I’m not sure what happened with you, who you really are, or what you’re doing around these parts, but I remain curious.

Be mindful of spies in Brackenhome. Interest is growing there. Too much for my tastes. I’d rather it like it was.

— Dev

Sammy read the letter three times in rapid succession, puzzling over it. ‘This is personal’… ‘like a lot is’… is he trying to tell me the deaths were personal without directly admitting it?

That made some degree of sense with his deliberate personal killing of each one. But her prisoner in the Maze didn’t know him at all. Did Bagatta, then? Sadly, she might never know, unless from Devero himself.

“His handwriting is so fucking pretty,” she murmured out loud.

Alecto barked a laugh. “It is at that, isn’t it? Even most lords would be envious.”

“I hear he has a huge dong, too,” Janius offered with dark sarcasm. “And he farts rainbows.”

“Alright already, Janius,” Sammy admonished, exasperated with him. “You don’t like him. We get it, yeesh.”

“You realize he almost certainly stole more than his share while we weren’t looking? I already know there isn’t a soul alive that can see everything he does, even when they watch him like a hawk. It’s like he can be in two fucking places at once.”

“And do you have any evidence of this, or are you just going off of your hater instincts?”

He smiled smugly. “Even though we religiously watched Bagatta, he still died. And there is a clear sign he had a ring on his pinky that’s missing. I just checked him over.”

“Could have been someone else. Maybe you.” She didn’t bother voicing her suspicions generated from the letter. It would just be more ammo for Janius.

Janius scowled, offended. “I wouldn’t pull that kind of shit! An honest man is an honest man, and a thief is a thief!”

Alecto cut in with a cleared throat. “Alright, Janius, she’s just saying we don’t know. I’ve never known Devero to steal here, but some ring off a bandit isn’t worth getting worked up about. Maybe he had a good reason if he did. Maybe someone else swiped it, or it fell off. It hardly matters. There’s still plenty of loot.”

“Alecto, how long have you known Devero?” Samantha asked. “What does he do here? Do you think he has aliases elsewhere?”

“A long time. Over a decade, when the inn was still its old, small but busy self and I was in the process of taking over for my father. He just comes and goes. Often in the summer. Loves the strawberry wine and the food. He watches and learns the people coming and going. Figure he’s an opportunist. Sometimes takes jobs. He’ll leave with caravans as an extra guard and things like that, with me vouching.”

“You bet your ass he has aliases,” Janius added as soon as his father left a pause. “That wizard I mentioned said he was called Helkaeus up in Traesh. Some random rogue running around with Nega Ith training? Yeah right. Suspicious. And too damn good. You saw him waste people with ease, didn’t you? The man is an assassin, untrustworthy, and spooky. I’d rather he stay gone.”

Sammy found she was half agreeing with the spiteful Janius, for his reasons and her own special brand of misgivings. Unfortunately, her other half was too intrigued. And ‘Devero’ was right. They’d meet again, one way or another.

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« (Vol 2) Chapter 33 | Table of Contents | (Vol 2) Chapter 35: Let's Go, Level Time! »

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Note: Level 3 next chappy! Don't expect the next Resemblant to top Dick, though. :P