Day 8: Paranoia and Panic RFR
Notes on another world day 8
Yesterday my spirit companion awoke from me bleeding on him. According to the Dimension Jumper's Primer, spirit companions are used to deal with anything arcane in the worlds we visit. Mine is a "helper" spirit, and is supposed to act as an assistant, at least according to him. He can fly, lift small things, read and write, but I shouldn't try to overload him if I can avoid it. The translation spell he casts is near perfect, but it fails to translate some words or phrases properly sometimes.
I jumped slightly when Purple brushed against me when he walked by me. Purple jumped back as well, surprised. "Are you alright?"
"Fine Purple, I'm fine." I said with a huff. "I'm just a little jumpy for some reason. I didn't sleep very well either."
"It's Dusk." He corrected. "And I was just about to ask you about that. You've got bags under your eyes like the time Applejack tried to handle his whole harvest by himself!”
"Right, Dusk." I nodded. "Sorry, I spent a week calling you all by color, it's a little hard to switch over." I looked over to where the little dragon, Barb, was playing with my spirit companion. I watched him dance around her as she carefully spat small tongues of flame near him, seeming to luxuriate in the excess heat.
"That's understandable given the limited communication we managed to get between us." Dusk said. "Here.” He lifted a cup of strong tea in his magical aura and floated it over to me. With shaky hands I managed to grab the cup, relaxing a bit when the aura around it faded.
What is wrong with me? I'm jumping at shadows today!
"Howdy!" Applejack called out as he walked in. I startled, barely managing not to spill the hot tea. I took a deep breath and then a long slow sip, trying to calm my nerves. It was lightly spiced, and smelled faintly of orange and vanilla.
Imp had decided to stop playing with Barb and floated over to settle on my shoulder, balancing on it like a tiny monkey.
"Oh, hello Applejack!" Dusk greeted his friend with a grin. "What brings you by so early?"
"Ah wanted to bring our friend here a gift." AJ said, pulling an overstuffed satchel off his back and laying it down on the floor. From within the bag he pulled a fresh baked apple pie and a dozen bright red apples. "I brought these As thanks for saving my little brother yesterday, and as a apology for the way my family treated ya."
I looked warily at the food before closing my eyes and shaking my head to clear it. There was no reason to suspect the food was drugged or poisoned now, I'd proven myself sentient and non-threatening. The only thing different between today and yesterday was clearer communication.
"Ya alright sugarcube?" Applejack asked. I opened my eyes and bit back a cry of alarm. The orange pony had moved over to where I was sitting on the floor and was barely an arm's reach away. Dusk managed to catch my tea as it slipped from my fingers.
"He's been jumpy all morning." Dusk said.
"Well, I don't think he's going to get much of relaxing day then." Applejack commented with a huff.
"What makes you say that?" I inquired.
"Cuz it wasn't just my brother that ya saved."
Rainbow Blitz grinned at the strange creature as it gawked at his creation. The cloud sculpture was only half again his size but it managed to capture most of his features.
"How did you do this?"
"What?" Blitz snapped back a little bit guarded. "A stallion can't have a creative hobby?"
"That's not what I meant." The man, Justin, waved a had at the sculpture. "How do you even shape clouds? I've seen you push them around before but never do anything like this."
"I wanted to give you something as thanks." Blitz said, leaning on the statue and polishing his hoof on his chest. "And I figured out an awesome way to do it."
"Ya mean you found a way to show off." Applejack commented, rolling his eyes at him .
"It is pretty impressive, boss." The little red winged creature said, as if fluttered around the statue.
It tried for a moment to settle on the shoulder before passing right through the cloud substance. It caught itself shortly and flew back over to Justin. Justin raised an eyebrow and stepped up to the statue. Extending a hand, he push a finger experimentally into the cloud and watched it pass through without disturbing the shape.
"It really is made of cloud." He said, frowning. "What should I do with this?"
"You can keep it of course." Blitz said.
"Rainbow, I can't move cloud. I can't even touch it."
Rainbow's grin faded. "Oh."
"Also, Justin's living at the library right now." Dusk pointed out. "And there isn't really space for such a big statue there.
"Aw, but I really wanted to give him something." Dash said.
Justin flinched at something, and the little red thing spoke in some alien language for a moment.
"<Anchor>"
Justin nodded at it. "<I can ask, now turn the translation spell back on and warn me next time.>"
"What was that?" Dusk asked.
"A semi-private conversation." Justin replied. "There is something you could do for me, but I feel I should explain it more before asking."
"Sure." Dusk said. "Explain away, we've gotta get to Butterscotch's hut before noon so you can explain as we walk."
"Are you certain you can't use this?" Blitz asked, waving a wing at the cloud statute one last time.
"Yes." Justin said.
With a sigh, Blitz spun and bucked at the statue, dissipating it into a few floating parts that quickly faded. For some reason, Justin seemed unnerved by that and kept his distance during the walk.
"So, you want a what?" Applejack asked.
"A bit of jewelry." I replied. "Like a ring or necklace."
"That seems a bit frufru for you." Applejack commented.
"Yeah, I wouldn't think some critter who could take on a timberwoof with just a shovel would be interested in something so flashy." Blitz put in.
I ran a hand over my bandaged arm, trying not to think about how it still hurt. "A pendant then." I said. "Just something small like that, as a token of appreciation. I'll be able to carry it around a lot easier than a cloud statue."
"Geez, let it go." Blitz grumbled. "How was I to know? Besides, I don't know where to get those kinds of things."
"You could talk to Elusive." Applejack pointed out. "He's the king of frufru."
Dusk stifled a chuckle.
"Nuh-uh!" Blitz denied. "If I go asking Elusive for advice on jewelry, I'll never hear the end of it. You go ask him AJ, you owe Justin too after all."
"Nope!" Applejack said with a grin. "Ah already paid him back the Apple Family way!"
Blitz raised an eyebrow. "Food?"
"Food." I and Dusk responded.
The little imp giggled from his perch on my shoulder.
"Well, I'm going to go ask Barry." Blitz declared. "Elusive may be the King of frufru, but Barry is the Emperor of parties. If anyone knows gift giving, it's him." With that, Blitz lifted into the sky and zoomed off.
As he left I felt myself relax a bit more. I was jumpy around ponies today, and I felt as jittery as if I'd drunk way too much coffee. Everything clamored for my attention and I felt my eyes constantly flicking back and forth to all the ponies we passed.
What is WRONG with me today? I wondered, closing my eyes. The image of Blitz bucking my statue rocketed to the front of my mind, the sight of a silhouette of me falling to pieces and dissolving with a single strike. I opened my eyes wide and looked out at the beautiful day, trying to wipe the image from my mind. It really was a great day, and nothing was going to go wrong.
Everything was going wrong.
"Harriet!" Butterscotch fussed. "Put him down!"
The ten foot tall, brown bear glanced down at the butter yellow pegasus before it returned to glaring and growling at me. The thing had swept me up in it's claws as soon as I'd walked in and was letting me know what it thought of me in no uncertain terms.
"Now!" Butterscotch demanded, "Unless you want to find your own food for a week."
Harriet turned and looked surprised at the pegasus.
"I'm going to count, and if you don't put him down before three then you and I are going to have a very serious discussion." He tapped his hoof on the ground. "One!"
I landed hard on the floor and sat there staring up at the beast. It gave me one last warning growl before turning and stalking out of the house.
"I didn't know Harriet was so territorial." Applejack said.
"She's smelled Justin a couple of times after he visited." Butterscotch put in. "I guess she was just worried he was moving in. He is more like a bear than a pony."
"I thought it was because he resembled a minotaur." Dusk said. "Maybe Harriet was trying to stop another Iron Wilma event."
"You can get up now boss." Imp called to me as it fluttered down from where it had hidden in the rafters. "The bear's gone."
"I know it's gone." I said, "It's my legs I'm having trouble convincing. I nearly needed new pants."
Applejack chuckled at that, and Dusk rolled his eyes.
Butterscotch helped me up. "Sorry about Harriet." He said.
"It's alright, she just caught me without a shovel is all." I joked. My hand went to my bandage and Butterscotch frowned.
"Does it hurt?"
"Dusk put some medicine on it, but he didn't want to do too much. He wasn't sure what might interact with me poorly."
"I might be able to help." Butterscotch offered with a smile. "I care for the animals here and help ponies find pets best suited for them. I know a bit about cuts and scratches and might be able to treat your wound a little better."
"Sounds good." I stand up. "Lead on doctor Butterscotch, I'll-" I was cut off when I tried to take a step and fell forward. There was a tearing sound and a sharp pain in my leg. Rolling over I saw where the coffee table corner had torn through my jumpsuit and scratched a red line on my thigh. Movement at my feet brought my eyes to a set of shoelaces tied together and a small white rabbit.
The rabbit glared at me and raised a paw, gesturing to it's eyes and then poking the paw at me. I hissed as I bent my leg and looked over the nasty scrape. It was bleeding a little in a couple of places, but my jumpsuit had taken the brunt of it.
"Oh dear." Butterscotch said, bringing my attention back around to him. He'd fetched what looked like a first aid kit from somewhere. "That is a bad scrape."
"You alright boss?" Imp asked, hovering over me.
"Do I look alright?" I asked. "Give me some help here."
I'd expected him to untie my shoes. I didn't expect him to zap my cut and make it close up.
"There you go boss, one quick healing blast."
"You can heal me?" I asked, sitting up a bit. "Why didn't you say anything before? I've been bleeding all night."
"You didn't ask." He replied with a shrug. "Anyway, I can only do quick healing like that once or twice a day, and only on little injuries. For something like your arm I'd have to do a more constant spell, like the translation."
"Well that's good to know." I said. "Would have been more useful to know sooner but lets just move forward." I kick my shoes off and stand up to inspect the damage. The leg on my jumpsuit is torn from the knee down, and will need a needle and thread to fix permanently. If this had happened in the shop, I'd have probably patched it with duct tape on both sides and chucked the suit after work.
"Ah bet Elusive could fix up your suit in a jiffy." Applejack offered. "He owes ya for saving Sweepy Bell anyway."
"Sounds like a good idea. The sooner I get patched up the better, and I can ask him about that bit of jewlery." In honesty I wanted to get away from Butterscotch's hut. Between the bear and the bunny I'd already been threatened and injured, I didn't really want to hang around and find out what else had it in for me. I've been here before, but everything seems so antagonistic now. Why? Is it because I can speak?
"I'll show you the way," Dusk offered, "Besides, I still had some questions for you."
"I've got questions too," Butterscotch chimed in, "But I need to stay here and look after my animals."
"Then we can split up." I waved at Imp. "He can stay here and answer questions and I and Applejack will head over to Elusive's."
"You're going to be alright?" I asked the imp as he hovered in the doorway.
"They want to ask questions, and you need to get your suit fixed." Imp said. "I figure Snapple Jack can get you there without too much trouble."
I was silently glad, as I was less jumpy around the farmer than I was around the librarian. I nodded at the imp. "Don't tell them anything that would jeopardize us."
"Got it." Imp nodded in return. "And you get us a you-know-what before we get into trouble." He paused for a moment. "Anything you want me to work on?"
"What do you mean?"
"In addition to the translation spell."
"Ah," I held up my wounded arm. "Healing."
The imp nodded and seemed to glow for a moment. The glow faded and he grinned. "There, some accelerated healing. You might feel a bit hungry since the spell needs to draw resources from somewhere." With that I turned and limped after the farmer. Imp had healed the surface scratch, but my leg hurt when I moved it.
"Crazy day, huh?" Applejack asked.
"It's not even noon yet." I groaned. "I'm gonna be in a full body cast in a week at this rate."
"Cheer up," Applejack said, nudging me gently. "Elusive will be a nice calm time after all this."
"You adjust perceptions of reality?" Dusk asked, looking at the little creature with a raised eyebrow. The thing had shifted its form slightly over the course of the day, the red skin becoming a deep purple and the humanoid features in the face and hands shifting do a more draconic appearance.
"After a fashion." the imp said with a nod. "I allow my jumper to accept reality as real more easily than they might normally do."
"In what way?"
"Well, it's hard to explain." He waved his hands. "Imagine you were taken to a world full of talking, living, moving furniture. The tables have their own kingdom, the bookshelves and the sofas have a longstanding feud, and there is an intricate political structure around desk lamps. You might find the place somewhat baffling and perhaps even a little ridiculous."
"Sounds like something Eris would do for fun." Butterscotch commented.
"What you might NOT do is take it as seriously as you should." Imp said. "You wouldn't see the tables as threats until the safes are charging you or you've sat on some high chair noble and caused a war. In order to prevent that, I share part of my nature with my jumper. Each companion grants some innate abilities by doing so, even low powered ones like me."
"Are there any other effects of this binding?" Dusk ask, his quill scratching away.
"It depends on how much we are used. As you can see, I'm already adapting to the local magical nature of the world. By extension Justin is changing too, though only on a small level. There are also other things, like my translation spell, that can also augment Justin."
"How does the spell work?" Dusk asked. "I would think a normal spell would run out of power by now."
"Normally yes, but my spells work on a principle of balance. Justin has a small negative spell applied to him that balances out the power needed for the translation spell."
"What sort of negative?" Butterscotch asked "Is that why Justin's been jumpy all day?"
"He's probably been jumpy because he's realizing everything here is really real." Imp said. "He'll get over it as long as he doesn't get too many shocks or anything. No, the negative effect is a slight burn from water, something that's easy to avoid if I just cancel the spell while he showers."
I stood trembling as my eyes tried to follow the flat yellow garrote that floated over my arms and around my chest. I knew it was a tape measure. I knew White Elusive wouldn't hurt me.
He'd instantly offered to repair my jumpsuit upon seeing the tear, hardly waiting for me to climb out of it before assaulting it with needle and thread. He'd thanked me profusely for saving his little brother, remarking on how he and his friends often got into trouble. When he finished I'd thanked him for the repairs, telling him I was glad my only clothes were fixed. That had been a great error.
I was now standing in my second hour as an accomplished tailor worked to create a suit of clothes for me. He'd started by taking apart the jumpsuit to understand how it went together, then had me hold various poses while he worked out how to make things fold and flow properly. Elusive had almost as many questions about my clothes as Dusk had about everything else.
"Your jumpsuit seems a bit filthy. Is that why you wear it all the time? So you don't get as dirty?" He asked, hovering pins in and out of my peripheral vision.
"In part." I replied, trying not to move. "The suit provides a protective outer layer against a number of environmental factors including grime and dirt. It also helps me regulate body temperature and can protect me from cuts and scrapes."
"Ah'll say," Applejack chimed in. "That scratch on your leg looked a lot worse than it was."
"What about the undergarments?" Elusive asked, indicating the boxers he'd talked me out of. I'd asked him to generate a few more of those so I could swap out, as I was somewhat tired of washing my only set and going commando for short periods while they dried.
"They help hold parts of my body out of the way during strenuous activity and act as a buffer between sensitive areas." I was trying to be as technical as possible to get around the embarrassing situation. Elusive had asked me if I was aroused when I'd first disrobed and I had to explain that the difference in our biology meant I didn't have somewhere I could just tuck myself.
Elusive walked around me nodding before smiling. "I think I've got the basic form done. What do you think?"
Turning slowly, wincing at the few needles I felt pricking at my skin, I faced the mirror and gawked. Elusive had, from scratch, created something of beauty. He'd kept the bottoms as simple black pants, but once he'd gotten my lower half figured out he'd obviously gone insane. A lightweight black vest with white edging hung from my frame, and though unfinished, I could see where he'd pinned the first of four large silver clasps that held the shirt closed. A white shirt with a high collar peaked above the vest, the majority of it hidden beneath a fluffy cravat that held a hint of blue in the cloudy white. I looked like some french nobleman from about four hundred years ago.
"Do you like it?" Elusive asked hopefully.
"It's amazing." I whispered in awe. I shifted in it slowly, careful not to move the pins or marks. As I moved, something caught my notice. Reaching carefully I felt under the edge of the vest. Less than a quarter inch below the vest joined the pants. Checking the top I found the same true with the shirt. I shifted the cravat and silver buckle and found a zipper pinned in place down the center. "It's a jumpsuit?"
"Of course." Elusive replied. "Isn't that what you wear?"
"Normally each piece would be separate, the pants shirt and vest all interchangeable." I smiled. "But for me this is perfect. If I need to meet anyone important, this is what I want to be wearing."
"I thought you might like it." Elusive nodded. "Now let's get you out of it so I can finish the details. Carefully now." He said when I started moving too fast. "You don't want to pull anything free."
"SURPRISE!" a bright pink thing suddenly screamed at me as I pulled the suit down. I ripped my arm free, pulling a portion of the new suit apart and smacked the attacker as I fell off the fitting podium. A soft cool something coated my face and chest and it took a moment to realize it smelled sweet and a little like lemons.
"BARRY!" Applejack roared. "What in harmony's name are you doing? You scared him half to death!"
"Aw, I'm sorry." Barry said, reaching down to haul me upright. He definitely wasn't there before.
"Sorry isn't going to cut it this time Barry!" Elusive yelled, not affected by his sudden appearance.
"You've nearly ruined the new suit I was making for him! And look at him, he's covered in frosting." The tailor shook his head and sighed, lighting his horn to remove the rest of my outfit from me.
"Take him to the bathroom upstairs and help him clean up at least."
"I'm really sorry about that." Barry said as he pulled me along. "I thought a sugar lemon cake with raspberry cream would be the perfect 'thanks for saving our little friends from monsters' gift. I didn't think you'd react like that."
"Yeah, I've been jumpy all day." I muttered following the pink pony upstairs to the bathroom. "Wish I knew why."
"You're probably just nervous is all." Barry said with a smile. "I mean, you went from not understanding us and us not understanding you to full comprehension in an instant." He chuckled. "I'd probably have had a little fun with that, saying things without worrying about someone misunderstanding. But now you have to watch what you say, and you can understand everything said around you." He'd started drawing a bath.
"Yeah, the other way around too. I remember a couple of little colts calling me an abomination," I'd struggled to say the word in their language, even as the spell translated it back, "And I've heard that same term whispered as we passed through town today."
"Ponies have seen you, but they don't know you yet." Barry said, turning off the bath faucet with a flick of is tail. He'd found bubble bath somewhere and the tub was near overflowing with off-white bubbles. "They just need to see you as more than an oddity and they'll come around."
"You think?" I asked with a half smile.
Barry reared up and put a hoof on my shoulder. "Of course. As my grammy told me 'the ones that matter won't mind and the ones that mind won't matter!' Now come on, let's get you clean for your new suit."
Barry shoved me over the lip of the bathtub.
And into a pool of acid.
Rainbow Blitz flew through the air, scanning the streets of Ponyville for the distinctive pink coat of his friend Barry. He'd found the party pony earlier, and gotten a wonderful suggestion for a gift.
Blitz had thought back to Scoot's tale of timberwolves and shovels, and recalled that Justin had been cooking fish. His old griffon pal Gil had eaten fish a couple of times, and Blitz had even tried it once on a dare. Thinking a fishy feast would be a better thanks, especially since Justin had lost his first try, Blitz had gone out to Whitetail Woods and caught some.
Now a slimy cold bag squirmed oddly on his back as he soared over the town. He needed Barry to help him, since his own cooking skills were somewhat limited. But Barry wasn't at Sugarcube Corner, and the Cakes only knew he'd left with a cake a short while ago. Since it was a Barry Bubble Surprise Cake and not one normally ordered at Sugarcube Corner, the Cakes had no idea where the pink stallion had run off to.
Wheeling around his gaze settled on Carousel Boutique. Well, if I can't find Barry I might as well drop in on Elusive, he thought. Maybe I can gross mister prissy pony out with some of these fish!
Suddenly the cry of pain and surprise reached him eup in the clouds. He could see a flash of motion in the upstairs window, followed by the sounds of something breaking.
"Somepony is in trouble!" He cried, changing from a controlled descent into an all out dive. He crashed through the window, rolling from the experience of a hundred such crashes and coming upright in Elusive's upstairs bedroom.
Barry, eyes wide with fear and his coat and forelegs covered in some dark red substance, surged out of the bathroom and past Blitz towards the stairs. A nightmare followed the Party Pony close behind, long grasping fingers reaching out for him. Barry slammed the door in the things face, and it smashed against it with a meaty smack before sliding down to the floor. A metallic, coppery scent hit Blitz full in the face, and he saw the smear on the door and the dark red footprints from the bathroom. The monster turned to him, and Blitz fell back in horror.
The pale thing was covered in burns and sores, blood oozing from popped blisters, grey hairs stuck up in clumps on its head where the burns were less. A good portion of the face was covered in scar tissue, and the eyes seemed to glow a dull red. There was a hunger in those eyes, and bloody drool fell from its lips as the monster lurched towards him, reaching out with long claws.
Blitz hit it with the bag of fish and scampered towards the window. With a cry the creature jumped after him, and Blitz felt a slimy claw clamp around a hind hoof. On instinct he bucked with his other hoof, feeling as much as hearing the wet impact where his kick met flesh. The creature cried out and hauled back on the captured leg. It’s other claw gripped Blitz's wing and spun him around, holding the terrified pegasi nearly nose to nose with it.
"Get..... Dusk" The thing hissed.
Blitz stopped struggling for a moment. "Wha- what?"
With obvious strain, the creature spoke again, it's voice barely a whisper that held pain and hunger.
"Get.... Dusk..." It repeated.
Then Justin, bloodied and bruised and kicked by the very stallion who had come here to thank him for being so brave, shoved Equestria's Fastest Flyer out the broken window.
"RAINBOW!" a familiar drawl called from below. Blitz looked down to see Applejack beneath him. "SOMETHING HAPPENED TO JUSTIN! GO GET DUSK FROM BUTTERS-"
Blitz couldn't hear the rest, he was already flying as fast as he could.
"A full bathtub?" Imp asked the shaking Barry who nodded in response. The pink pony had been nearly inconsolable since fleeing downstairs. Elusive had done his best to clean the blood from Barry's coat, but there was only so much one could do with just cloth.
"He screamed and I thought he'd been hurt and I tried to pull himoutandhewassoslipperyandthenhestartedtodisolveandIdidn'tknowwhattodoandItippedthetuboverandtherewasSOMUCHBLOODAN-" Barry was only stopped by Dusk placing a hoof on his lips and shushing him.
"It's alright," Dusk said calmly. "You couldn't have known." He turned calmly to Imp. "If he's badly hurt we might need to take him to the hospital. Are there any problems with medicine or anything we should know about?"
"He's alive." Imp said, "Or I wouldn't be here. Jumpers and their companions are connected on a deep level, like I said before. He'd asked for healing before he came here, so that ability should be in effect too. He might need some help, a bit of cleaning up, but he shouldn't need a hospital."
"Not- not need a hospital!?" Blitz stammered in disbelief. "He was like seventy percent burns and scars! Maybe more!”
"Justin," Elusive called softly at the bedroom door, knocking politely. "Please let us in, we are worried about you." He rattled the knob but found it still locked. “It's ok if you don't want to come out”.
"If he gets some rest, some food, and maybe even a little spare magical energy the healing ability I activated should have him up and about in no time."
"Didn't you say all of your abilities had a cost?" Dusk asked.
"What do you mean sugarcube?” Applejack asked, all this talk of magic going over her head.
"Well, this water as acid is apparently a side effect of the translation spell." Dusk replied.
"He should be fine." Imp reiterated, though everypony could tell he was a little nervous about what had happened to Justin.
There was a soft click, and Elusive fell back a step as the bedroom door swung open. Everypony was on their feet as Justin descended the stairs wrapped and hooded in Elusive's sheets and blankets. The soft blues in the fabric were stained with smeared and dried blood, and Elusive cringed at the sight of such fine cloth being ruined. At the bottom of the stairs Justin crouched down and sat on the floor.
"Imp." He whispered.
The little creature flapped it's wings and flew over closer to him. "Yes boss?"
A hand, pale as moonlight, snapped out from beneath the fabric and grabbed the imp in mid air. Justin shrugged the hood of back, revealing long black hair and an equally pale skinned face. He glared with silver eyes down at the squirming companion. "You have a LOT of explaining to do."
"So I can't touch water?" I asked, "Unless you disable the translation spell?"
"Once the other companion is active, they can counterbalance my abilities." Imp imposed. "They will make it so the water doesn't burn you, and the healing spell doesn't, um." He settled back on a pile of books Dusk had been shelving.
"Leave me looking like I've never seen the sun?" I offered. Imp nodded. "From this point on, you are to inform me of each and every side effect of any ability granted BEFORE you cast the spell."
"That's going to be tricky boss," Imp replied. "I don't even know the side effects of some of the spells until it happens, and sometimes the spell will have an effect with something provided by your other companion."
"A 'try it and see' approach does not appeal to me after having a good portion of my skin melt off." I remarked.
"It doesn't appeal to me either." Dusk chipped in. "If either of you burst into flames in the library it would be catastrophic."
"You've already got a dragon wondering around your library, do you really think I'm going to cause trouble?" Imp asked.
"Good question, let's go ask Elusive." I snarked.
Imp sighed in resignation. "Look, I'm sorry for all of that. Once we get your other companion opened things will be much better."
"Any luck on that?"I asked.
Imp poked the small metal egg. "I'd say it's at about four percent charge. It can't even activate shy of ten percent, but It's charging faster now that I'm up and moving."
"Here," Dusk said, dropping a pile of books next to me. "You should read these, or skim through them at least. I glanced at the titles, all history texts or books on politics and law. "What, am I going to trial for damaging Elusive’s bed?"
Dusk shook his head. "We have some representatives from overseas coming soon. If you want to represent ARCO in any political sense, you'd best be able to act the part."
"I... don't know if I'm ready to be meeting foreign diplomats just yet. I haven't even met the local nobility yet”.
"That's the other reason to study." Dusk added another two books to the pile. "Our princes are visiting on the same day and I really want to introduce you to Lord Solaris."
I felt a tinge of unease pass through me, causing me to shiver. "LORD Solaris?"
Dusk shook his head and smiled. "Don't worry, he's very kind and I'm sure you'll get along famously."
Blitz dumped another dust pan full of glass and splinters into the trash can and looked back over the room. He'd managed to mop up most of the remaining blood and even cleaned the bathroom, though he was sure it wouldn't meet Elusive's very exacting standards. Still, he had helped to make the mess and he could certainly help to clean it up. He wasn't going to leave his friend with all this icky stuff in their bathroom. Looking around he his eye caught the glint of glass near the bed.
"Darn, did some of it get knocked under?" He stuffed the broom underneath and pulled it towards him. Out came a few tiny shards of glass, a half dozen dust bunnies, and a scrap of ripped up rough fabric. Blitz looked over the cloth in curiosity. It was too rugged to be something Elusive treasured, and the thing looked like it had been pulled apart. He turned it over a few times before he recognize it as the bag he'd brought the fish in.
"But-" His brows furrowed as he looked up and scanned the cleaned room. "But if this is the bag, where are all the fish?"
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You forgot to mention me as doing some editing...
8255934
Added it to the title card. Do you want chapter by chapter credit as well or is that good?
8257388
Sure? I suppose?