Fitcher had immediately sent a letter to Agent Nok-Nok, a weapons expert, in Muse, but hadn't gotten a response yet. Now he was on his way to a major city, and could only hope that trouble didn't find them there, but that Nok-Nok did.
The wagon stopped at the gates of South Window. It, like Muse, was a walled-in city, bustling with activity. Fitcher was almost used to the quiet fishing towns after all this time away from any major cities. And though he had been to South Window before, he hadn't in a long time. He hopped off of the back of the cart, and helped Phanny down. Pearl gracefully jumped off, landing in a perfect pose on the ground. Fitcher thanked the farmer and they all walked into the city. South Window was a generally happy place, thanks to the friendly mayor, Granmeyer. Fitcher had met him once before on a business trip from Muse. Now he was on business again, but a different kind of business.
"Fitchums, why are we here again?" Pearl asked. "It would be quicker to take the northeast road to Radat....and then we can get to the border!"
...Fitchums?
"Uh, Pearl, I need to wait for something here, okay? Then we can move on to Radat." Fitcher replied, scratching his head. Fitchums? Where on earth had she gotten that?
"It's fine with me, dear." Phanny said. "You should probably get that...thing...checked out at a trading post or something..." She meant the gun, of course. Fitcher would gladly leave it underneath someone's bed or drop it in an alleyway somewhere, but if a Guild member showed up looking for it and he didn't have it....he shuddered to think what might happen.
"Okay..." Pearl said. "Well, if we have to wait, we might as well do something fun while we're here!" She clapped her hands in that way of hers.
"That sounds fine." Fitcher said, looking around. What would be something interesting to do? Then he spotted a blue tent over in a grassy corner near the city hall. That hadn't been there on his last visit, in fact, the locals looked quite surprised too, as if it had appeared overnight. It had the words "Psychic Guidance" in bright red letters on the outside. Fitcher could use some guidance, so he figured, why not?
"Let's check out that tent over there." he said, pointing.
"Psychic Guidance??" Phanny read skeptically. "Very well."
"Oh goody!" Pearl said. They walked over to the tent, where they could smell strange spices and candles from within. They stepped through the gauzy curtain in the doorway, and into the tent. It was lit to add a mysterious effect, and scented candles were indeed burning. At a table with a crystal ball on top sat a tall woman, heavily shrouded. Her face and hair were concealed beneath many cloaks, and she had a very mysterious air about her. To Fitcher she seemed almost familiar, but he couldn't place it.
"Come in, come in, my children...." she said in a mysterious voice. They took seats around the table and looked expectantly at the woman.
"Who needs guidance?" she asked. They looked around at each other. Pearl looked as if having her future delved into was the last thing she wanted, and shook her head. That was odd; Fitcher thought she had wanted to come here. Phanny shrugged.
"I'll go. Do me." she said. The woman nodded. She gazed into the crystal, her face getting closer and closer and closer. She looked alarmed.
"What is it?" Phanny asked worriedly. "Is my destiny cruel???"
"No, I can't see the damn thing." the woman snapped. "Too dusty!" She whipped out a rag and polished up the crystal, startling everyone with her abruptness. Satisfied, she looked at the crystal again. After a few moments, she looked up at Phanny.
"You do indeed have a future." she said brightly. "That will be seventy potch."
"WHAT?!" Phanny cried, outraged. "What kind of rip-off is this??" The woman looked extremely offended.
"This is quality crystal-gazing, you skeptic! Now fork over the cash." Phanny grumbled and moaned, but dug into her purse and reluctantly handed over the money.
"Who's next?" the woman asked cheerfully. Fitcher decided that it couldn't hurt. Besides, something about this woman was overly familiar, and he wanted to find out what it was.
"I'll do it." he said. Phanny scowled at him, probably thinking he was a fool to waste his money in such a way.
"Very well." the woman said, gazing into her crystal ball. She frowned.
"It indicates trouble. Do you have some issue that's bothering you?" she asked. Fitcher thought for a moment, then pulled out the gun.
"Yes. I can't get rid of this." he said. Phanny looked even more surprised, and Pearl just stared blankly. Even so, she still managed to look hot.
"Hmmm...may I?" the woman said, taking the gun before Fitcher could answer her. She examined it, then nodded.
"I can fix this with my rune." she said confidently. Fitcher brightened, surprised.
"You can? Really? What kind of rune...." he said eagerly. The woman shrugged, and looked the gun over once more.
"Yes, it's a simple procedure." she said, blinking. "I think." Then she smiled confidently.
"Give me your hand, sir." she said. Fitcher was cautious, but obliged. What rune would rid him of the awful gun? Would she use a Blinking Rune to teleport it far away? Or would she just burn it up with a Rage Rune? Fitcher couldn't think of any rune that would solve the problem.
"Just what rune are you going to...?" Pearl said curiously.
"Quiet! I need to concentrate! .....I think." the woman said. She was becoming increasingly familiar. Had Fitcher seen her in a dream somewhere?
A soft light entered the room, as a bright blue rune symbol glowed in the air. Fitcher studied the symbol, but it wasn't any conventional runes he had seen before. Phanny was drawing a blank, but Pearl looked increasingly alarmed.
"...Fitcher..." she whispered, as he felt power surging from him to the woman to the gun, "That's the Rune of the Gate!!!"
"Yes, I kn---" Fitcher began, but he was interrupted by a "ribbit" sound from the woman's pocket.
"Quiet, Sparky!" the woman snapped. "I need to concentrate! ...I think."
"LEKNAAT!!!" Fitcher cried, recoiling.
"Where?!!" Leknaat screamed. A surge of energy ran through Fitcher's hand and the gun. Sparks flew everywhere in the tiny tent. Pearl screamed and flailed her arms and kicked her feet.
"Eeee---my scented candles! Run, Sparky, RUN!" Leknaat cried as the table caught fire.
"Douse it with something, like the rune!!" Fitcher cried. Leknaat looked startled.
"The Rune of the Gate!" she nodded. She raised her hand, and----
The tent exploded. Massive blue flames scorched the flammable materials, and sent the people in the tent flying outward. There was a loud boom, and many items sailed into the air.
Fitcher picked himself up off the ground, scorched as usual. Guards outside of the city hall ran over to see what had happened.
"What on earth is going on here?!" one demanded.
"Is everyone all right?" the second asked. They both looked spooked. Fitcher looked around. Phanny was picking herself off of the ground with some difficulty, and Leknaat seemed dazed as usual, as well as scorched. She didn't seem to notice that her hair was on fire. Pearl was up already and dusting herself off. But then, perhaps because of some chemical imbalance, as soon as the two masculine guards appeared, her legs stopped working. She fell daintily to the ground and lifted one dainty hand to her forehead. One of the buttons on her dress magically popped off. Perhaps it was the same chemical imbalance that caused the two guards' eyes to bulge out, and then they both ran to help the helpless maiden.
"Oh, thank you, you BIG strong MEN..." she cooed, as they helped her to her feet.
"No need to thank us, ma'am." one soldier said, beaming.
"Just doing our job." the second said, inspecting Pearl closely---to make sure if she was all right, of course. Phanny rolled her eyes. Everyone seemed fine---and that was when the crystal ball hit the ground, along with several broken scented candles. Everyone jumped, surprised. Leknaat looked around for her solitary toad.
"Sparkyyyy...where are ya?" she asked, not noticing that not only was her hair on fire, but the toad was in her pocket...which had also caught on fire.
"Uhhh...Leknaat..." Fitcher began. She turned her steely gaze on him.
"What?" she snapped. "You found Sparky????" Fitcher shook his head, and pointed at her hair with a sigh.
"Oh, this? I rather like what I've---" Leknaat paused. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
A few minutes later, when all fires had been put out and everyone was settled (the soldiers had shooed away the many citizens who had gathered there) they were ready to talk. Mostly about what the hell had gone wrong, and what the HELL Leknaat had done. If Fitcher had known who she was from the start, he never would have trusted her.
"So....." the first soldier said, brushing his hair out of his face, "Can you tell us what the heck is going on here???"
"Yes, but introductions first." Phanny said. "I'm Phanny, from Lakewest."
"I'm Fitcher, from Muse. I'm escorting these two women to their destinations." The soldiers looked as if they very much would like to escort Pearl somewhere, and then she spoke.
"I'm Pearl Lione..." she said softly. As she spoke, her eyes filled with tears and a mysterious melody of angst floated in from somewhere unknown. "I'm from the Scarlet Moon Empire, but precious cargo was stolen from me in Muse. Now, I must use all my powers to Save My People!" She looked as if it was too much for her, but regained her composure. "I don't know what I would have done without you three Big Strong Men to help me around..." She blushed with maidenly innocence. The two soldiers looked like they couldn't decide between catching her if she fainted or leaping into her lap.
"Uh...I'm Dak." the first soldier said.
"And I'm Jace. We work for Granmeyer." They all looked at Leknaat, who was absorbed in her own little world. She looked up, startled.
"Oh, my turn. I'll take three toads, lightly glazed. And that's shaken, not stirred. No onions please." she specified. "When I lick toads, I want flavor."
"They want your NAME, not your food order!" Phanny snapped.
"Oh, oopsy! I'm....hmm..." she began, thinking deep thoughts.
"Leknaat." Fitcher prompted.
"That's right!" she agreed cheerfully.
"Leknaat the Seer?" Jace asked, blinking. "From the Scarlet Moon Empire?? Don't you have one of the True Runes?" Leknaat smiled, then realized she had been asked a question. She looked around then whispered into her pocket.
"Do I, Spark?" she asked, listening for a moment, then nodding.
"Yep. Rune 'o the Gate. This," she said triumphantly, whipping a startled toad out of her pocket, "Is Sparky. The Wonder-Toad. He's all alone...." She looked sad and wistful, but no maidenly melody of sadness floated in, and neither soldier looked at all ready to hop into her lap. The Leknaat suffered a surge of conherentness. "Have any of you seen someone from OMINOUS? They took my toads, the bastards."
"Ummm....nope, no one like that around here!" Jace said.
"So feel free to vanish into thin air any time." Dak hinted, sweatdropping.
"No, wait," Fitcher said. "Leknaat, first, tell me what you did to my..." He eyed the soldiers, who were watching him with interest, then decided it was all right. "My gun, Leknaat. What'd you do?" Everyone was curious now, especially those who had not been in the tent.
"You have a gun?" Dak asked nervously. Even for young soldiers, they weren't stupid. Guns just weren't common, everyday weapons.
"By accident, I do." Fitcher explained. "I was trying to get rid of it, but I have no idea what Leknaat just did with that rune of hers!" Leknaat sprang into action, jumping up and walking over to where Fitcher sat. She squinted, looking him over.
"Hmm...did I dispel, or maybe a sealing...?" she mumbled. Finally she nodded. "Well, I might have boo-booed a bit. Now the gun is fused and bound to your soul. You'll never be able to ditch it now." It took a moment for Fitcher to fully grasp the meaning of her words.
"WHAT???!!!!!!" he raged, leaping up, trying to choke Leknaat. She moved out of his way.
"Calm down!" Pearl said, worried.
"What do you mean the gun is fused to my soul you stupid Seer how could you do this what on earth possessed you to do this I can't believe it what the hell were you thinking?!!!!!" Fitcher rambled.
"Well," Leknaat said. "...Umm...." Fitcher looked her in the eye.
"Undo it, now." he said. Leknaat smiled winningly.
"Can't, bozo. Damn...guess YOU'RE screwed. See ya!" she said matter-of-factly, and faded out, her soft blue light and assorted toad accessories going with her.
"W-w-w-w-w-w-what????????" Fitcher babbled, dumbfounded. He sank back down onto the ground, stunned. If the gun was bound to his soul, he could never be rid of it---or the Guild! He put his head in his hands, and just sat there. Pearl scooted over next to him, and put her arm around him consolingly.
"It's okay....maybe Nok-Nok will know what to do..." she murmured in an almost regular voice, quite unlike her normal cutesy one or her seductive one. Phanny exchanged a nervous glance with the soldiers.
"Um..." Dak said. "We have to go report to Granmeyer now..." He stood up, and so did Jace.
"You guys can have a free stay at the Inn, it's on us, okay?" Jace said. "Good luck..." They both walked away into the darkening streets.
"It's almost nightfall, Fitcher," Phanny whispered gently. "We can think about this later, right now let's go to the inn."
So, they all walked past the burnt rubble to the inn, charged their stay to Jace and Dak's tab, and went up to the room. They all changed and slipped into bed, but Fitcher sat awake, thinking. The Howling Voice Guild of Harmonia was a tough organization, filled with gunfighters and expert assassins. They would be hard to avoid. Pearl's comforting words floated back to him---Maybe Nok-Nok will know what to do. That's right, maybe he would---after all, he was a weapons expert. Fitcher had a twinge of doubt, but he had confidence in MSSA's best, so he relaxed.
It was just before he drifted off to sleep that he remembered that he hadn't told Pearl that he had contacted Nok-Nok...
********
The next day, everyone rose cheerfully enough and went to eat breakfast. Fitcher tried to smooth out his messy hair, and straighten his bandana, which now had a scorched shade to it. He still wore his makeshift outfit from his mother, the black pants and heavy white cloak. He frowned, the cloak now reminded him even more forcefully of Leknaat. His hands involuntarily clenched---he figured it was fortunate that Leknaat had left when she did, because he wasn't sure that Jace and Dak would have been able to restrain him from being overly violent with her. Finally deciding that he had done all he could to help his appearance, he turned to the others. Phanny looked mostly normal; Fitcher figured that he and Lekkie had taken the brunt of the explosion. Pearl looked disheveled for a split second, then she shook her head in slow motion, and suddenly her hair was lustrous again and she was buxom and beautiful as ever. Fitcher sure wished he could change his appearance so effortlessly, but evidently it was a skill that took maidens years to master. Phanny glanced enviously at Pearl, but shrugged it off.
"Where shall we eat for breakfast?" she asked.
"I don't know any good places in South Window..." Fitcher said.
"We'll figure out something!" Pearl said brightly. "Let's go!!" She walked out of the room, and the others followed her.
Outside the Inn, they looked up and down the street, but saw no restaurants or good places to eat. To their surprise, Jace was waiting for them outside as well.
"Hey, you guys!" he said cheerfully. "Are you hungry? Dak thought that if we put in a good report yesterday, we could get the morning off to come eat with you guys!" Phanny smiled.
"Wonderful!" she said. "Where's Dak?"
"He's already at the tavern, waiting for us." Jace said. He saw the look on Phanny's face and smiled. "Don't worry, it's a tavern but it's still a really nice place. And the food is great!" That was enough for Fitcher, who eagerly walked after the young guard down the street. Phanny went after them, followed by Pearl, who seemed to be drawing stares from all sides. Strangely, all the people staring were men. Privately, he couldn't blame them.
The four of them walked into the tavern, "Dragon's Stomach". They saw Dak waving from a booth in the corner. They hurried over and sat down. Phanny and Fitcher scooted in beside Dak, and Pearl and Jace sat on the other side. Jace seemed very pleased for obvious reasons. After a while, a young waitress came over to take their order.
"Oh, Dak...and Jace too. I see you found some friends." the waitress said coyly, casting strange glanes at both Pearl and Phanny.
"They're just visiting. We're showing them a good time this morning." Dak explained.
"You two and your noble deeds! I tell you, you should have been Matilda Knights!" she said with a smirk.
"Perhaps we should have..." Jace said.
"I agree." Dak said.
"What'll it be?" the waitress asked. They ordered some food from the menu, but the two guards just ordered some drinks---Jace ordered water, Dak ordered beer. Fitcher glanced questioningly at this, but figured maybe some people just didn't like to drink---he was one of them. Dak took the liberty of explaining.
"He can't drink yet. He's not old enough, but I am." Dak said, grinning. Jace scowled at his friend but then made a discreet gesture at Pearl sitting beside him, and returned the smug grin. Jace eased his arm around Pearl.
"So, Pearl..." he said. "How are you after last night? No outstanding injuries??" She turned to him, smiling brightly.
"No, I'm peachy!!" she said happily.
"Oh, well, you know," Jace said, "If you need a trained guard..." The waitress came and gave them their food. Phanny looked at Jace and raised an eyebrow, and the waitress just rolled her eyes. She walked away.
"Need a trained guard for what?" Pearl asked coyly. Jace grinned.
"Protection. The Empire's a long way yet." he said smoothly.
"Fitcher's more than capable," Pearl said, sipping her drink, watching his reaction out of the corner of her eye. He blushed.
"I didn't say he wasn't..." Jace said. Fitcher felt a twinge of guilty pleasure. She thought he was "more than capable"! Score one for the secret agent!
"I'm just kidding around, Jace." Pearl said, nodding at Fitcher. "You're both so strong, and thoughtful too!" She kissed Jace and tousled his hair, sliding out of the seat and standing.
"I have to go to the little girl's room." she said, blowing a kiss at Fitcher and walking seductively towards the back of the tavern. Jace was flushed and looked stunned. Phanny exchanged a glance with Dak and smirked. Dak looked wistfully at his beer, and then to Jace.
"Dammit." he muttered. "You get all the chicks."
Suddenly there was a violent flash of white light from beside them, followed by a loud bang. Dak and Jace ducked as if a bomb had gone off, Fitcher looked wildly around to see who was shooting at him, and the customers let out startled shrieks. Phanny nonchalantly chewed on her roll, barely blinking as the flash came.
"GOTCHA!" yelled an excited voice. Fitcher finally worked up the nerve to look up, and found himself staring at Nok-Nok, who was grinning happily. Beside him was a tall, lanky man, with messy brown hair, and wild eyes, wearing a baggy orange jumpsuit, and a pointed cap adorned with strange objects like seashells, padlocks, talismans, bangles, and a sticker that said "Support Your Local Hermit" on it. He blinked.
"Flaming Duck!" Nok-Nok said cheerfully. Fitcher looked at him, and blinked. Absent were his normal tuxedo and top hat; he was dressed in what he evidently thought was casual civilian wear. He wore what Fitcher was sure was a green bathrobe, brightly colored sandals, an old woman's shawl, tinted glasses, and a wide-brimmed straw hat. He grinned.
"Uh, hi Nok-Nok..." Fitcher said. "You...surprised us." Nok-Nok nodded, then noticed Dak, Jace, and Phanny.
"Where's Pearl?" he asked. Fitcher gestured to the restroom. Nok-Nok glanced at the people at the table, suspicious.
"Do they know about....?" he asked in a low whisper. Fitcher shook his head quickly. Out of his current companions, only Pearl knew about his MSSA mission. Nok-Nok nodded discreetly. He turned to the others and smiled congenially.
"Will you please excuse us for a moment? We have to talk in private." he announced. Then he turned and led Fitcher and the strange man with the pointed hat to a secluded booth. They sat down, and Nok-Nok's smiles faded.
"Well, Duckie," he said to Fitcher, "Where is it?" Fitcher blinked.
"Where's what?" he asked numbly. Nok-Nok frowned.
"The gun, of course. The Voicers' gun." he said. Fitcher nodded, and reached into his robes. He pulled out the shining silver abomination. He handed it to Nok-Nok.
"Well, this isn't too bad," he said appraisingly. "Thank goodness it wasn't a larger model, those long-barreled guns can be a pain sometimes..." Fitcher was amazed at how much Nok-Nok knew. He was a weapons expert, but he knew far more about guns than Fitcher had given him credit for. The strange man nodded.
"I've seen models like that, I think they're pretty common among Voicers." he said. Fitcher looked at him.
"Who are you, anyway?" he asked. The man chuckled.
"I'm an MSSA agent. I'm Clinker, the top teleportation expert in the league, no one's better than me!" he said proudly. He elbowed Fitcher slyly. "I hear you're not too bad at this agent thing either. I was away on a mission in Harmonia when you were recruited, but I've heard all about your fabulous exploits." He winked. Fitcher frowned---who told him?
"Who..." he began.
"Nora, of course." Nok-Nok said, exchanging a glance with Clinker. "She talks about you all the time!"
"She....does?" Fitcher said, surprised. Nora?
"Yeah....she was sort of disappointed when your letter ended up being to me, but now she just wants to know if you're okay...." Nok-Nok explained, adding, "Maybe you should write her a real letter sometime, eh?" Fitcher nodded slowly. He would try to remember to do that. Nora was nice and deserved a genuine letter.
"I...I've been busy lately..." he said, rationalizing. Nok-Nok winked.
"Busy. With Pearl. Right." he said slyly. Fitcher shook his head.
"Not that way! Just with my mission." he said. Nok-Nok gave him a look that clearly said "Yeah Right".
"So who is this Pearl woman I've heard so much about?" Clinker asked. "If your first mission takes you clear to the Empire, she must a be a knock-out."
"Second mission." Fitcher corrected, and then grinned guiltily. "And yeah, she's a knock-out all right. Wait till you see her." This time it was Clinker who looked skeptical.
"You guys are exaggerating." he insisted, his hat jingling as he shook his head.
"Fitchums!" came a sugary-sweet voice. Fitcher waved at Pearl, who was waving happily from over at the other table. She walked over to Nok-Nok's booth, and Clinker's jaw dropped.
"Oh, is there food on my dress?" Pearl gasped, curving around in amazing ways, checking to see if she had spilled anything.
"N-no..." Clinker said numbly. He discreetly handed Nok-Nok some potch.
"You bet on it??" Fitcher asked incredulously.
"Yeah, we bet on everything." Nok-Nok said.
"And he always wins..." Clinker said miserably.
"Betting on what?" Pearl asked, inhaling.
"N-n-nothing..." Clinker said, his eyes bugging out for a moment. Pearl sat down beside him, much to his delight.
"Anyway, Fitch, about the gun." Nok-Nok said, returning the subject to the original matter. "It won't be too difficult to get rid of. I'll have T or Clinker contact the Guild in Harmonia and have them pick it up, all right?" It was then that Fitcher paled.
"Uh, Nok-Nok......that's not going to work out. You see, yesterday, we encountered some...unexpected problems. I'll just have to keep the gun..." he said. Nok-Nok looked alarmed.
"Did the Guild already find you?" he asked. Fitcher shook his head.
"I...I...ran into...Leknaat, the Seer. She's a little crazy, and---" Fitcher started.
"Leknaat the Seer?!!" Clinker exclaimed. "I thought she never left Magician's Island!"
"She does." Fitcher said sourly. "I never told anyone this, but she visited me in my home in Muse the night after I became an MSSA agent. And yesterday we saw her here, but she was disguised. I found out who it was too late....and..." Fitcher took a deep breath, and continued. "She bound the gun to my soul with the Rune of the Gate." Nok-Nok and Clinker gasped, and Pearl almost screamed before she realized that she had already known that.
"She...WHAT?!" Nok-Nok exclaimed.
"The Rune of the Gate..." Clinker breathed in awe.
"I know." Fitcher said. "So now I'm in big trouble. What do I do?" Nok-Nok shrugged and looked at him grimly.
"There's only one thing you can do." the weapons expert declared.
"And that is...?" Fitcher asked eagerly.
"Name your weapon." Nok-Nok said. "There's no way to get rid of it if it's bound to your soul. You're going to have to stick with it..." Fitcher's heart sank. He was doomed, absolutely doomed.
"Are you sure...?" Fitcher asked. "Hasn't anything like this ever happened before?"
"Not likely. Leknaat doesn't get out much, from what I hear. Weapons are hard to bind with any rune, except perhaps in the Guild, but we aren't privy to their secrets. Besides, a True Rune is another matter. I hope you have a good name picked." Nok-Nok explained, smiling gravely.
"Uhhh......" Fitcher said. "I guess I'll name it Bill. That way I can refer to it with less suspicion."
"The Howling Voice Guild will be after you, you know." Clinker said. "I suggest you learn how to use that thing, and fast." Fitcher nodded.
"Swords are more reliable." Pearl stated absentmindedly. Then she noticed their stares. "By my observations, that is."
"I can stay with you long enough to give you basic training, but it will have to be outside the city, and I can't stay long. I have to get back to Muse, there's rumors of a new weapon in development." Nok-Nok offered.
"Weapon?" Pearl asked.
"It's top secret, my dear." he said. "Even I don't know that much about it. Something about fire-breathing spears or some such nonsense. I'm very curious..." he explained.
"Well, okay then...." Fitcher said. "If you can train me, it'll be easier."
"Yes, but it's very BASIC training, I hardly have the knowledge of a Voicer!" Nok-Nok said. Fitcher nodded. Grimly, they all walked back over to where Phanny, Dak and Jace were finishing their meals.
"Okay," Fitcher said, and they looked up from their conversation. "This is Nok-Nok, and Clinker. You guys, this is Phanny, who I'm escorting to Radat, and Dak and Jace, guards of Granmeyer." They all exchanged greetings.
"We should go for now." Fitcher suggested, "We've attracted enough attention here..." Jace gave him a quizzical look.
"You aren't finished eating." he pointed out.
"I'm not very hungry..." Fitcher said. Dak nodded, and they all stood up, paid the bartender and filed out of the "Dragon's Stomach".
Outside, they looked at each other, wondering what to do.
"We're going to stay with Fitcher for a little while." Clinker said to Phanny. She nodded, knowing full well that they weren't just innocent friends who had decided to drop by, but still didn't know exactly what they were doing. Pearl bounced up and down, clapping her hands in delight.
"Oh, goody! More Big Strong Men to help me along!!" Dak and Jace looked as if leaving was the hardest thing they would ever have to do.
"We should go..." Dak said. "Our break is almost over, and then we have to get back to work."
"Yeah....the mayor needs protection." Jace said with a wink.
"Oh, you're leaving?" Pearl asked. "I wish you could have stayed longer! You were both so helpful!!!" She flew into Jace's arms and planted a kiss on his cheek. Then she turned to Dak.
"You didn't get one earlier, so I'll make up for it!" she said brightly, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a kiss he wouldn't soon forget. Both young men stumbled back, looking dazed. Pearl winked and blew them both more kisses, and then whirled around and pranced away. They waved and said goodbye to the others, who then followed Pearl down the street.
"What's next, folks?" Clinker asked.
"Tomorrow I'll train Fitcher how to use Bill." Nok-Nok said. Phanny gave him a strange look.
"The gun." Fitcher clarified, and she nodded.
"But for now, let's just relax....it's going to be a hard day tomorrow." Nok-Nok said. Fitcher nodded.
Hard for Nok-Nok or hard for him? He found himself thinking that tomorrow would not be an easy day!!
