//------------------------------// // Nightwatch: The Bravest of Champions // Story: Sigil of Souls, Stream of Memories // by Piccolo Sky //------------------------------// “Another cider…” The barkeep glanced over to the stools at the main bar, frowning slightly at a slumped figure splaying her entire upper body over the top of it. She looked away a moment later, smiling and nodding to the only other patron in the tiny, dimly lit, public house. “Thank you very much. Please tell your friends that we have coffee from the Southlands.” The patron smiled and nodded back, glancing to the figure at the bar to give her a dismissive look, then rose and departed. The barkeep was given a moment to take up the tab for the single cup of coffee that the patron had left behind, and frowned again on seeing there were only three cents in tip. “Hey,” the slumped patron at the bar sounded listlessly again. “Hey…can I get another cider?” She sighed as she cleaned the cup and saucer and walked back to the bar. She turned to a glass jar at one side and tossed the three cents into it before she went to the cash register to close the rest of the tab. As it gave a chime to the tune of the register opening, the patron lifted her head groggily. “Uh, hello? Another cider here?” She frowned once again as she shut the drawer. “Sorry, Dash. I’m cutting you off.” “Aw, come on…” she whined. “I’m not that drunk…yet…” “You also have an outstanding tab that’s over a hundred. And cider isn’t cheap. It’d be one thing if you just wanted beer…” “Hey, I’m a big-time soldier-of-fortune… Gotta keep trim…” she moaned back half-drunkenly as she shifted slightly. Aside from her rather unremarkable attire that looked like it was either a combination of secondhand work clothes and combat uniform or, far more likely, something she had scrounged from the trash, the biggest feature that stood out was her rainbow-colored hair. While many people had two tones or even three, there were few who had an entire set of seven for the full spectrum. “You know what it’d do to my line of work if I got a gut?” “I can’t afford any more credit. I’m sorry.” She walked past the rows of liquor mounted on the back of the bar to a rather odd-looking, large, brass machine emitting a bit of steam and pouring its contents into a smaller urn: a giant percolator. She removed the urn and looked into it, only to sigh and roll her eyes. “Just my luck…broken again. No wonder they didn’t want another cup…” “I can pay you tomorrow…” “You said that yesterday and the day before,” she called back as she carried the urn around to a cloth curtain. She passed through a moment later, leaving the patron alone in the bar. She sulked for a moment at the fact she wasn’t getting another drink. Bringing her empty glass to her lips, she sucked it a bit for some last droplets, but she had already drained it a while ago and frowned as she sat it down. She looked up again soon after, her eyes tracing over the bar, before they went to the tip jar. Aside from the three cents, there was a good quantity of change on the bottom and several bills on top. Most of them were propped upright and near the lid. She raised her eyelids a bit more. She glanced to the curtain and saw it still settling. She looked back to the jar. She moistened her lips a little, looked one way and another, and then began to let her hand drift over to the top of it. It just began to dip into the lid when she heard a cough. Paling, she quickly shot her hand back and turned to the opening to the back. The barkeep was standing there with arms crossed. “The landlord would kill me if they knew I was letting you run a tab, whether your name is Rainbow Dash or not. If you don’t want me to kick you out right now for adding theft to it, you’ll pay me something on it right now.” She grimaced. In spite of her half-drunk state, that was enough to command her attention and she nodded. She leaned up in her chair, slightly unbalanced, and began to feel in her pockets. She started on her vest and into the inner shirt, fishing through each pocket, before moving down to her pants. She produced half of an old train ticket, a bullet, a bent key, and a button. Finally, she slowly and unsteadily took off her shoes. The left one was empty, but the right one she shook over the bar. A single coin worth one dollar tinkled out. The barkeep sighed as she snatched it up, scattering the rest of the pocket filth along the way. She went over the register and quickly began to check it out. “Some days I think you purposely try not to have any dignity…” “Hey, safest place for it,” she shrugged as she replaced her shoe before leaning back down on the bartop. She finished up and shut the drawer. “Congratulations. You now only owe me 117. And you’re not going to make up that tab lying there at my counter.” “Eh, I’m saving myself,” she answered with a half-asleep hand wave. “There’ll be plenty of jobs soon enough. Always are. Especially for the ‘Sonic Rainboom’...” The barkeep didn't respond as she walked back to the tip jar and plucked it off the counter. Turning around, she looked up to the top shelf of the wall of liquors. She ended up reaching for a box of imported Cherries Jubilee Brandy. Taking it off and setting it down on the counter, she opened it up, revealing a sizeable amount of cash in there, and dumped the jar's contents inside. Dash's half-lidded eyes raised a bit on seeing the money. “Y’know, you could hire me if you want that tab settled. You’re sure good for it…” “Not as good as you might think.” She shut the lid again, picking it up and replacing it on the shelf before restoring the tip jar to its former place. She got out a rag next and began to clean off the now-dirty counter. She succeeded until she got to Dash’s head and shoulders. However, as she pushed the rag in, she wouldn’t move it. She frowned again as she began to clean around her body instead. “Besides, it not like you need to do that kind of work. Any time a local comes in and sees you leaning on that counter, they say they got a job you can do…” “Eh…none of that’s for me. I’m a fighter…” The way she said that sounded far more like an excuse than a matter of principle, but there was nothing else for it. She finished cleaning up as best as she could, but at the end Dash still hadn’t moved. Sighing, the barkeep put the rag to one side and leaned over the bar. Her face grew more concerned. “Look…I’m serious. Forget the tab. You shouldn’t spend all your time here.” “Why not?” she idly answered with a yawn, waving her hand in the air again. “I love it here, Berry. Great atmosphere and cider…” She would have said more, but the door to the public house suddenly opened. While Dash went back to lazing on the counter, Berry looked up, and watched as three men walked in over the threshold. She immediately began to tense on seeing them. Based on their looks, they were travelers rather than locals, but that was neither here nor there in this part of the world. The town itself was nothing more than a crossroads or waystation for about a third of its residents at any point. What she didn’t like was the kind of travelers they appeared to be. All of their clothes were dark and subdued colors--perfect for doing things under the cover of darkness. They were various sizes but all were strong-looking. Guns were at their hips with brass cartridges for ammunition strapped alongside them, but the first one also sported a pair of knives on the opposite side, the second had a rifle slung over his back, and the third balanced a shotgun over one shoulder. Aside from waltzing in bearing weapons, the main thing she didn’t like was their faces. Their eyes were calculating, their faces set, and their lips curled into a bit of a smirk. Not the look of someone who just wanted a drink. “Public house is closed to non-guild members until 6 o’clock.” “Well, I guess we’re in luck then,” the lead one answered, reaching into his traveling coat at the same time as his companions. Moments later, they came out bearing small brass badges in the emblem of a pair of chamber-loaded single shots. She tensed a little on seeing them but didn't budge. “I thought the branch office wasn’t issuing those anymore.” “Well, I don’t know if you’ve looked around the world lately, but there’s a bigger need for licensed Huntsmen now than ever,” he half-chuckled, prompting his friends to do the same. The whole while, they drew closer to the bar, and reached it just as they finished laughing. “Besides,” He gestured to Dash. “Looks to me like you’re already letting the local drunks come in. Why not us?” “She happens to be a guild member too,” the barkeep answered with an exhale. “Alright, what can I get-” “Wait, wait, hang on,” the man cut off. He jabbed his thumb in Dash's direction. “She’s a Huntsman?” The smallest of the three snickered. “You’re kidding. Look at her. Looks like she washed up the river. And she’s half passed out already.” The third and largest one merely chuckled along; clearly not the “brains” of the group. “Man, they must really be desperate for membership if they’re handing them out to shrimps like her…” the first muttered before looking back to the barkeep. “Three of the hardest stuff you got. We’ve got to hit the road soon. Latest news is the Nighttouched are making another move and there’ll be a lot of folks who need protection when they head south.” The barkeep said no more but went behind the bar for some glasses. The second of the three moved over to Dash and looked her over as she lay there unmoving. He snickered a second later. “Aw man, I can practically hear her snoring. Who’d have thought some broad like this would be such a lech? She looks younger than my sister.” “Hey, check out her hair, Hoops,” the third spoke up. “How long you think it takes her to dye it like that?” “Pft, who cares. Looks like some little brat’s fingerpaint…” He trailed off, realization striking him. “Hold on a sec. There’s only one Hunstman out there that has rainbow hair…” As Dash didn’t react, he moved over to the side of her. Reaching out, he placed his hand on her head and pushed it up enough to reveal her face. Her eyes were closed and she let out a snore, before slowly cracking them open and seeing herself being stared at. Immediately, “Hoops” burst into a grin and snickered. “Heh, well look who we have here. It is her. A local legend right here in the flesh, boys. And looking every bit a national hero…smelling like a bar bathroom and covered with cider stains. If it isn’t ol’ Rainbow Crash!” The other two immediately started to snicker at her as well. While her eyes were still glazed, she frowned. “Rainbow Dash…” The barkeep winced at the exchange as she quickly got out a bottle and poured the drinks, but they went ignored now that focus was on Dash. “Well, well…you’ve certainly gone up in the world, haven’t you? Passed out in this hole in the wall, Little Miss Ace Flyer? And in the Huntsman Guild too? I guess you fit right in with the jobs chasing after crying chickens, eh?” The three shared another laugh. Dash kept frowning at them, but simply turned her head face down again. “Hey, don’t be like that,” Hoops snickered, reaching for his own drink. “Here’s a toast to the Last Wonderbolt! Have a drink on me!” At once, he reached over and dumped out the contents on her head. She immediately snapped up in alarm and sputtered while they laughed again. “Oops. Guess it’s a drink on you.” Berry frowned as she went for a towel, while Dash slowly pushed herself up the rest of the way off the counter. She didn’t even look at Hoops as she slowly wiped at her eyes and hair. “Heh, you really are all washed up, aren’t you? I heard there was a time you’d pick a fight with anyone for even looking at you the wrong way. Now look at you.” “So you’re not only gutless, you’re just a has-been too,” his friend joined in mocking. “Look at her. She probably couldn’t even put on a set of Steam Wings, let alone fly ‘em. Maybe they gave her that award because they felt sorry for the little sot.” The third one laughed a bit at the jokes, then blinked and looked between the two men. “So, uh…who’s Rainbow Crash again?” The second one rolled his eyes and glared at him. Hoops groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Dash began to ring out her hair. “Alright, listen up,” Hoops finally spoke up. “I’m only gonna explain this once.” Smiling darkly at Dash again, he walked closer to her. She didn’t even seem to notice as she kept wringing her hair out, and as a result was off guard when he kicked out beneath her for the stool post. The chair was knocked right out underneath her, and she was knocked free and sent to the ground; smacking her chin painfully against the bar edge as she did. The pain on her face was evident as she landed on her rear end and the two laughed again. “This dirty drunk on the floor here used to be Rainbow Crash. She was one of Cloudsdale’s Steam Wing Air Corp: the Wonderbolts. Their big time elite forces. Once upon a time, they even say she was somehow one of the best if not the best. You ask me?” At this point, she had slowly begun to rise from the ground again, and Hoops took the moment to lash out and kick behind her leg. At once, she fell on the floor again, sprawling out this time. “I think she just got lucky. Shouldn’t a Wonderbolt be able to see a little kick coming?” She didn’t answer, just paused a moment before slowly pushing her way up again. “Anyway, I’m sure you all remember the Farmland War a little while back, right guys? Fillydelphia ended up trashing Cloudsdale good. Real good. They say there’s only a couple hundred of them left in the world now. All of them civilians. That last big push, they got all of the military. Every last Wonderbolt? They gave everything they got and fought right down to the end until they dropped… All except Crash right here.” She had pushed up by now and slowly began to rise. “Couple days later, after all his dirty work was done, the President of Fillydelphia decides to be a magnanimous butcher and grants amnesty to all the survivors, and even goes so far as to give a special award to Crash right here and honorary citizenship. How about that, boys? Crash here…” She was standing by now, and Hoops reached out to “pat” her in the form of a rough shove, sending her back and slamming against the wall before falling onto a side stool. “Hey!” Berry finally interjected. “…ran away and hid until all her comrades were feeding worms, leaving them to die to save her own skin, and then she got an award for all of it! How does that sound?” Dash remained seated there, stunned from the shove, but kept her head bowed. However, hearing this made her jaw clench. She muttered. “Huh?” Hoops grinned, putting a hand to his ear. “Something to say, Crash? Care to set the record straight for some adoring fans? Don’t want any tarnish on your hero record?” “I said…” she quietly muttered, “I never ran away.” He sneered. “Yeah right. All the rest of the Wonderbolts got massacred but you weren’t even hurt from what I hear. The whole Cloudsdale army went up in smoke but you came out smelling like a rose. If that wasn’t running off like a gutless coward, I don’t know what is. I say you’re a yellow has-been…and looking at you now I think you’re more like a never-was.” He stepped forward, grinning and puffing out his chest, until he stood and towered over her. “Unless you wanna get up and change my mind?” Dash raised her head slightly, but after a moment lowered it again. She remained in the seat. “Thought so. You are gutless. You’re not even worth the time. There’s only one thing you are good for…” A solid sound of flesh on flesh rang out as Hoops slugged Dash across the face with enough power to knock her out of the chair and to the floor. His friends laughed again, hooting and hollering, as he beamed over her. “Now I’m famous for knocking out the big hot-shot Wonderbolt hero, ain’t I?” Dash wasn’t, in fact, knocked out, but she remained sprawled on the floor barely moving. Scoffing at her one last time, Hoops turned away as if she wasn’t worth his attention. The barkeep, however, had enough. “That does it. Guild members or not, I don’t need you coming in here and attacking my customers.” “Don’t tell me that pile of apple cider puke on the floor actually had two bits to rub together, let alone pay you,” the second chuckled. “You should thank us for taking out the trash.” “Just pay your tab and get out of here.” “Well, you see,” Hoops answered, smiling as he leaned forward and put his elbow on the bar, “that there’s the thing. Like I said, we’re all on business. We’re headed up northeast. Lots of money there to be made. But getting there is a bit of an issue. One of those classic ‘you gotta spend money to make money’ deals. So we had kind of a business proposition for you. How’s about you lend us some cash and we’ll give you 25 percent of the fees and bounties we get, just like you were an equal partner. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?” “I think it sounds like you can’t pay your tab. In that case, get lost now.” “Hey now,” the second spoke up, smiling as well and moving in closer, “don’t knock that deal. 25 percent is more than you’ll make here in a week. We’re doing you a favor, really. Won’t you reconsider?” Berry hesitated, noticing that the tone among the men was changing. As well as the fact that all three of them were moving to the bar to face her now. She swallowed a little. “I think you three need to leave before the local magistrate stops by for his hourly visit. I’m not interested in your business proposition.” “Well, that’s a real shame…” At once, Hoops and the second pulled out their firearms and aimed them at her, while the third lowered his shotgun and aimed it. “Because now that you’ve been so rude, it’s more of a business transaction.” She swallowed, realizing they had seen right through her bluff. In that part of the country, you never went without having a firearm of your own, but hers was well under the counter and from the looks of the three men they were just itching for her to make a move toward it. Her hands slowly went up and her palms opened. “Now how about opening the cash register?” Swallowing, she kept her hands up as she slowly inched over to it and away from her concealed weapon. The big one of the three moved around as she did so that he was behind the bar with her, and he quickly took note of her own weapon and how far it was from her before pressing his gun into her ribs. Once at the register, she lowered her hand just long enough to punch “No Sale” and it popped open. The third man immediately dug inside and began to pull out the bills, only to frown. “Aw Hell, Hoops.” “What’s the matter?” He held it up to him. “This is all she’s got. There ain’t even sixty here.” “Yeah right,” the second spoke up. “I cased this place before we walked in. She had a tip jar set out with more than that, and I don’t think there’s any banks around here she could have stuffed it in.” Hoops wheeled back to Berry. “Alright, you heard him. Where’d you stash it?” She hesitated nervously for a moment. “I…I don’t have any…” She winced as a gunshot rang out, shattering one of the bottles behind her. “These brass cartridges can get real expensive, lady. I can’t afford to take many warning shots. Where?” Berry was shaking now. “Look…I…I don’t have much…I’m having to use everything in tips just to pay my landlord… After the last time the Nighttouched advanced traffic almost dried up…” “Well that’s your problem, not ours.” The gun barrel moved up to her head. “This is the last time I’m asking…where is it? Or would you like to have to pay for a busted-up bar too after we have a look around?” “Hoops…Hoops…oh yeah…” The three men turned to the floor. Dash was still lying there, still in the same position, with only one change. Her head was to one side and she was grinning a little. “Yeah, I remember a Hoops… Way back when I joined the Wonderbolts, there was this brown mop-top in the group. Thought he was pretty hot stuff… Talked a lot of trash about the newer recruits… Had two friends with him too. A little one who always talked big but couldn’t stay on a set of Steam Wings if he was bolted to ‘em…and a big one who was too dumb to know which end was up…” Hoops’ smile faded, as did that of his companions. The second, in particular, began to frown while the third seemed to be too dense to realize what the comment was about. “And here I thought you had enough…” Dash turned her head up and opened her eyes, still grinning as she started to push up slowly. She seemed considerably more sober than she had a little while ago. “Now how I remember all that going down is, sure enough, the big one took off and landed right on his thick head while the little one got ten feet in the air before he tossed his lunch. And as for Hoops? Well, he thought he was pretty tough stuff, and I imagine he was back in whatever corner of Fillydelphia he came from…which meant he must have felt pretty bad when he came in dead last in every evaluation.” Now Hoops was frowning as well. He forgot about Berry and turned fully to her. “If you don’t want another trip to the floor, you washout, you better keep quiet.” “You know,” she went on as she got her feet tucked underneath her, “I heard he and his buds ended up joining the infantry instead. After all, they weren’t bad. Even the big one could act as a meat shield if nothing else. And the little one was so loud he’d draw fire real easy. Yet something just doesn’t seem to add up about that… You see, it’s just like you said. During the Farmland War, the whole military got wiped out. All of them. Anyone in a uniform and holding a rifle. But somehow, you three are here.” Hoops began to bristle as Dash finished slowly pushing herself up, wavering a little, but still grinning. “So the way I figure it, the only way there’s three fine young men from Fillydelphia still standing in front of me is that you three had to have deserted. Dropped your guns, lost your uniforms, and then ran off with your tails right between your legs. And since the line was already unbreakable a good month before the hammer fell, that meant you have to have deserted before things got out of hand. And between your duds and your guns, I'm guessing the only kind of jobs you can get at the guild are ones where you escort some dumb banker or businessman across the country to safety, and you wait until you got them in the middle of nowhere before you take 'em for every cent they have while never coming within 20 miles of a Nighttouched. It’d explain why you look so clean.” She smirked and chuckled. “That’s funny…you called me ‘gutless’.” By now, even the third one had picked up on the insinuation, and all three were beginning to look angry although only Hoops had turned fully to her. He was now glaring. Before he only had fun at her expense; now he was clearly irritated. “Well, you got one thing in common with the ol’ Rainbow Crash… She never knew when to keep her big mouth shut either.” “And you got one big thing in common with the Hoops I remember. At the end of the day, the only thing he ever really was good at was pushing other people around. Guess you just stuck with what you were best at, eh?” He cracked a sneer across his lips. “Alright, that did it. I was willing to let you go with just smashing your face in,” He began to raise his weapon to her. “But if you’re gonna-” He got no farther. At once, Dash’s remaining inebriation and sluggishness vanished. In an instant, all of the muscles in her body tightened like steel cords. Her foot lashed out while Hoops was still talking, hooked upward, and kicked the gun right up and out of his hands. As the firearm sailed into the air, his face tightened from the pain of his finger being wrenched out of the trigger lock, but he soon had far worse when Dash finished extending her foot only to bring out the heel and swing it down; nailing him right in the carpels and breaking the first two. Crying out now, he yanked his hand back just as his gun descended again; at which point Dash nimbly cocked her leg back and thrust it forward. It was knocked right out of the air, turned into a projectile, and sent flying into Hoops’ forehead butt-first. His head snapped up as he staggered backward. The second caught this and took his gun off of the barkeep to wheel it on her, but he was far too slow. The woman moved like a blur as she seemed to simply vault across the bar area. His eyes widened before she brought her knee up and smashed him in the throat. She was still throwing herself at him in the process, causing him to not only gag in pain but shove him backward. He idly dropped his gun and seized his neck with his free hand as he staggered, and Dash used the moment to plant her feet, seize his extended gun arm, twist it up, and then drive a fist into the pressure point under his arm. Half of his body went flaccid from the pain, leaving him helpless as she twisted around and smashed her opposite elbow into his face. The rest of him went limp after that, letting her easily wrap an arm around him, hoist him up, and drive him head first into the floor. It wasn’t enough to break anything, but the impact left him down for the count. The third one finally reacted here; snapping his shotgun around and aiming it right at Dash before squeezing the trigger. However, she was already on the move twisting to one side by the time the shot was fired. From that distance, a couple of shells from a shotgun should have had the same result either way, but, almost impossibly, she was still able to dodge to one side to evade it. Immediately she went in, taking advantage of how the recoil of that gun would stun even a man of that size and leapt into the air. Her leg came forward and, in a rapid blur, lashed out and slammed his head one way and the other. That wasn’t enough to stop someone that big, but it did hurt him enough to anger him into dropping his gun and lunging at Dash himself. One of his arms swung out for her head but she simply ducked under it before delivering two rapid punches into his gut, both aimed for the pressure point, before following it up with a bone-jarring uppercut. Somehow, in spite of the blows both staggering him and leaving him in pain, he let out a grunt before he managed to surge toward her and swing again. This time she sidestepped and brought her knee up and into his stomach while reaching over and seizing him by his shoulders. Not only did she drive a blow into him but she flung him forward, narrowly making him skid by the tables before dumping him face first into the floor. Cracking her neck a little, she advanced up to his upper body at a more casual pace just as he began to raise his dazed head. A quick iron palm to the back of his skull that sent it colliding with the tile again was enough to drop him as well. She rose and turned around just as Hoops, bruised and advancing on her in rage, drew one of his knives with his good hand and slashed for her head. One of her arms snapped up like a bar of steel and intercepted him at the wrist, and the moment she stopped him she seized him by the palm with the other hand and quickly twisted. He cried out as his hand snapped open and dropped the knife, and she proceeded to reach up with her original blocking arm, seize his trigger finger and middle finger, and twist again. Two more cracks went out as they bent the wrong way, but he hardly had time to scream before Dash bent that arm behind his back and seized him by the back of the head. She twisted him over and curled up her leg at the same time, essentially throwing him head first into her own foot. Half-throwing him back up onto his feet, she let him stand there dazed only a moment before making her hands into cups, swinging them around, and boxing him on the sides of his head with so much force his eyes nearly rolled back in his head. Dazed, in pain, and beaten, he began to fall to the floor. He only got halfway before Dash reached out and seized him by the collar. “By the way, only one person in the world gets to call me ‘Rainbow Crash’.” She punctuated that by driving her head into his skull, instantly causing him to go limp. She let him collapse a moment later. Two teeth toppled out of his hung-open mouth on landing. “What do you know? Now the Tooth Fairy will spot you for your trip,” she chuckled. That done, she immediately began to look lethargic again. She took a deep breath as she held her arms over her head in a stretch, lacing her fingers together and cracking her knuckles. “Man, now I really wish I had some cider…” She turned to Berry soon after. “Sorry about the bullet holes. At least I kept from smashing them into any tables or chairs though, eh?” She was honestly dumbfounded at what Rainbow Dash had just shown off. “Oh…uh…um…yeah.” She hesitated momentarily before she finally calmed enough to nod to her. “Th…thank you.” “Heh, no problem. But I’d keep your gun on them until I get the magistrate. Not sure how long that thick-headed one will stay down, although Hoops here won’t be using his guns again for another couple months.” Snapping out of it, the barkeep quickly went to the opposite end of the bar to fetch her own rifle. As soon as she had it out and began to check it, however, she spotted that Dash was already turned around and headed for the front door. She hesitated a moment, swallowing. “Hold on.” She turned back. Berry exhaled once before she turned around, reached up for the Cherries Jubilee Brandy case, and set it down on the counter. “If they had busted up my bar, I would have been in the hole a lot more than just the cash register and what I’ve got in here. I know guild members normally work for fees, and…well…I know you’re broke, so…” She ruefully opened the lid and pushed it forward. “And…and your tab’s clear.” For a moment, a gleam lit up her eyes at the sight of the wads of bills. She smiled a bit more and took a half-step forward. However, she stopped there and looked to the barkeep…how she was already wincing at the thought of losing the contents of that box…how the already barely-clean bar now had fresh damage to it…how her mind was struggling to think how she was going to make the next end meet… It made the smile on Dash’s face fade all together, but only for a moment. She smirked before she scoffed at the gesture. “Aw, come on. Like I could take money from a friend. This one was a freebie.” The barkeep looked up in surprise. “R…Really?” “In fact,” she smirked, “I think as soon as I’ve dunked my head under the pump out there and gotten sobered up, I’m gonna go on and head northeast myself. I’ll collect a big wad of cash and not only will I come back and settle my tab the right way, I’ll take care of your payment problems on top of it. Consider it a ‘thank you’ for spotting me all that cider.” Now the barkeep really was stunned, nearly dropping her impromptu cash box. “Are…are you serious? I…I mean, I can’t…I don’t…” She grinned. “Heh, I’ve been hoping for weeks to get you tongue-tied, Berry Punch. Keeps your lectures to a minimum.” “I really…I mean…are you sure? You don’t have a cent to your name. How are you going to get there?” She shrugged. “Same as always. I’ll improvise.” “Well at least let me spot you a train ticket for handling these three…” “Pft…these guys?” she snorted dismissively, turning around and resuming her walk to the door. “They were hardly worth a fee to begin with.” As she walked along, she held up her left hand and glanced over the hexagonal symbol etched on the back of it, with one point standing out more than the other five. “Didn’t even have to use this…”