tegerio

"What did he give you?"

Added 2021-09-30 02:13:33 +0000 UTC

I demanded. "If that villain has harmed you, by Fuma, I'll -"

"He was a perfect gentleman," Vernier insisted. "I am fine, and the thing he gave me I think will be very useful. Oh, some of your bug servants are here. I am going to put the orb away and I'll see you in a few minutes."

The orb went dark and I spent a few seconds pondering where she might have stowed it, when suddenly my stomach rumbled. That was odd. Hadn't I eaten recently? I made a pot of stew, and I gave bowls of it to several characters who visited, and I ate some too ... didn't I? How long ago was that?

"Is there any stew left?" I asked as I turned toward the others. Nobody paid any attention to me. Rebecca was arguing with some Ixies about the merits of witchy fashion. Some other Ixies were watching Burnside and placing bets. (Burnside herself continued to stand motionless with a horrified expression frozen on her face.) I noticed other Ixies who seemed to be betting on falling leaves, and another group who were racing snails. When did betting become sacred to them? I did not remember it being this bad. I needed to instill some discipline in this unruly gang of Ixies, to keep them focused on their primary duty, which was - of course - to do my bidding.

I also realized it had been a while since I last saw Angela, that poor unfortunate deformed Ixie whom I tried to help by transmogrifying her. I briefly wondered if she was okay, until Vernier emerged from the bushes.

"Are you all right?" I exclaimed. "Are you sure Ash didn't hurt you?"

"Ash did not hurt me," Vernier reiterated. "And here is the gift he sent. It is an enchanted communication device. To use it, you must pull the string taut and speak into the mug - or, conversely, place your ear against the mug to listen."

"I told you!" Rebecca exclaimed. "That's how it works!"

Blast that fox! I inwardly swore I would get him for this.