Erin Solstice stood over a sack of recently fermented\u2026cocoa beans. The very essence of the stuff that would become chocolate. She spoke to her audience.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a saying about chocolate. Chocolate waits for no one. Except when it does. Because it\u2019s sort of a pain to make, y\u2019know?\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a pause. Palt shuffled his hooves.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026I\u2019m going to say you\u2019re lying, Miss Erin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey. I said there\u2019s a saying. I said it. And I\u2019m mostly right, aren\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Centaur opened his mouth. Even for someone versed in Wistram politics and the Ullsinoi faction\u2019s tendency towards creative madness, that was a lot to parse. He looked at Lyonette.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s being dramatic. Or what she thinks is dramatic. Let her have this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
The [Princess] whispered. Palt nodded. Erin glared at them.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at it. Look at it!<\/em> It looks like cocoa beans!\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette and Palt stared at the sack that had just arrived after three days of fermentation. It was filled with dark, fat beans. Lyonette nodded slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cYes. Those are beans. They don\u2019t look like when we pulled them out of the seed pods, that\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin nodded proudly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a step closer to chocolate. <\/em>Actually, just so you know, I\u2019m not a huge fan of chocolate. I like it dark, but hey, that\u2019s because my parents do. But chocolate\u2019s okay. I mean, I\u2019m not into alcohol or coffee either.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Princess] and [Illusionist] stared askance at Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve been talking about chocolate nonstop for the last three days<\/em>, Erin! Every time someone asks you to do something you don\u2019t want, you say \u2018chocolate\u2019 until they leave!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, yeah. Because it works.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin smiled faintly. Lyonette threw up her hands.<\/p>\n It should have been pointed out before now that Erin, for all her sterling qualities in forgiveness, trust in the essential goodness and soul of people, and her ability to play chess and bring people together\u2014was not always easy to work with. As Lyonette would happily tell anyone who asked. In detail. But then\u2014no one was. Lyonette was bossy, thought Gnolls were overweight, and had a real avarice for gold. Like most Drakes, actually.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, chocolate\u2019s okay. And I really want to use it in cakes and stuff. Vanilla cake is a crime. It\u2019ll be great to share it with Relc, the Antinium\u2026Relc\u2026and see their faces. Okay, so what\u2019s the next step?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin rubbed her hands together. Indeed, chocolate to her was more about seeing people eat it. Lyonette consulted the recipe Lasica had written up for her.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to dry it. For\u2026ooh. You\u2019re not going to like this. It says for about a week or more.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Innkeeper]\u2019s face fell.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? No.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup. They\u2019re way too wet. See?\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette prodded some of the beans in the sack. They were indeed unduly moist. Erin threw up her hands.<\/p>\n \u201cI hate chocolate!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019ll allow me, I think I can deal with that.\u201d<\/p>\n Palt interrupted hurriedly. The Centaur had volunteered to help with the chocolate making. Just the other day he\u2019d been making more Balerosian dishes. He really was cooking his way into Erin and Lyonette\u2019s good graces. Now, he trotted around the sack of beans.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll handle drying. You don\u2019t need to wait a week; I can use magic. I\u2019ve done this before with other products.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin and Lyonette looked at Palt. He smugly put a cigarette-sized puffer in his mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cOh yes. Dreamleaf\u2019s just as bad with that. Drying spells and light spells do the trick if you know enough of them. [Light] isn\u2019t powerful enough, but if you\u2019ll give me some room and help me spread the beans out, I\u2019ll draw a little containment circle and dry them. It won\u2019t take more than an hour, tops.\u201d<\/p>\n He flicked a finger and a bit of flame shot from his fingertips\u2014and missed the cigarette as Erin snatched it out of his mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cNo smoking. It probably ruins the flavor.\u201d<\/p>\n Palt blew out his cheeks. But he gave up and switched to his vapor-less puffers. Erin and Lyonette found a table in the common room and dumped the beans onto it. Palt produced a piece of chalk\u2014it looked laced with some kind of clear material\u2014and drew a lazy ring around the beans as they were laid out.<\/p>\n Lyonette frowned at how many beans there were. Not a bad quantity, but Erin had only been able to harvest one tree.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re already spending a bit for this chocolate, Erin. It\u2014doesn\u2019t look like much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell\u2014it\u2019s a lot of beans. Chocolate isn\u2019t something you eat in quantity, Lyonette.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally? From the way you talked about it, it sounded like you put it in everything.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo! It\u2019s like sugar, or cookies!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cErin, is everything you know how to make bad for you? Hamburgers, your fries, which you submerge in oil, mayonnaise, milkshakes, cake\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin Solstice looked around. She leaned over and whispered to Palt and Lyonette.<\/p>\n \u201cHey! My country back on Earth has tons<\/em> of sweet stuff! It\u2019s not my fault that I don\u2019t know how to do other things! I never cooked before I came here! A lot of foods are premade, y\u2019know. Frozen, or preserved. Sort of like magic, but less nice. Also, you can order pizzas. But you\u2019ll get fat if you do that.\u201d<\/p>\n She leaned back over. Palt and Lyonette gave each other looks. Erin smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great I can tell people that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I never knew how to cook either. So I guess that\u2019s fair.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHm. Well, I like to cook.\u201d<\/p>\n Palt trotted around the cocoa beans on the table, flicking his wand at them. Erin saw a shimmering ball of light coalesce. It was bright\u2014<\/em>until Palt did something and the light angled downwards, bathing the table in a harsh glow. At the same time, Erin saw him point and murmur.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026And there we go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait, is it working?\u201d<\/p>\n Palt nodded as Erin craned her neck. She didn\u2019t see much besides the light pouring down. The Centaur pointed at the table.<\/p>\n \u201cPut your hand in there. Don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s not dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin put her hand over the crude chalk outline Palt had drawn. Instantly, she felt her hand drying<\/em> up. The outer layer of her skin felt like it was cracking and losing moisture in real time. She yanked her hand free.<\/p>\n \u201cWhoa! That\u2019s powerful!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you tend to learn for\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDreamleaf.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin and Lyonette chorused. Lyonette put her hand in there and exclaimed.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is powerful. You know, there are, um, scenarios where I could see using this spell to harass other people. Or rather, I know of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Palt grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, you\u2019ve heard of dramas between [Ladies] and nobility as well? Yes indeed, drying a competitor\u2019s skin the night before a ball and whatnot. Hilarious. Unless you kill them by accident.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Princess] coughed. Erin was fairly impressed that Palt didn\u2019t seem to need to actively maintain the spell. The [Illusionist] just shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cLetting a spell work in a confined boundary like this isn\u2019t simple\u2014unless you\u2019ve been taught the theory. Then it\u2019s simple. It\u2019s the kind of thing your friends from Wistram would have learned in oh, year five or so. I\u2019ll keep an eye on the beans.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin nodded. She wandered off as Lyonette managed the inn. It had been three days since her outing with Lasica to get the beans fermented. In that time, Erin had only had a few interesting incidents.<\/p>\n A Rock Crab trying to eat the Workers building the second floor, Ekirra learning bad words, oh, and another playground incident. Erin had been banned from Liscor\u2019s playgrounds after she\u2019d once rallied the children in a day-long siege against the adults.<\/p>\n This time, it had been Mrsha and her two little friends who\u2019d attacked anyone within throwing range with their balls. An entire army of Gnoll children pelting adults with leather balls was a sight Erin wished she could have seen.<\/p>\n Normal incidents. And as it so happened, Ekirra and Visma were coming again today. Erin greeted Visma\u2019s older brother, who was once again on child-escort duty.<\/p>\n \u201cHey! Um\u2014Feiss, right?\u201d<\/p>\n The young Drake boy stared up at the infamous Human. He nodded as Visma hid behind him and Ekirra stared up at Erin. She smiled at them.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were here just the other day. Hi Ekirra, hi Visma. Would you like some lemonade?\u201d<\/p>\n Lemonade was a cool thing for kids. Erin had drunk it and thus she associated that with summer and outdoors. Ekirra\u2019s ears perked up; he seemed oddly down, for some reason. Visma was excited as she chattered at ERin.<\/p>\n \u201cHello. Ekirra learned a bad word. His mom got mad when he said it.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s face fell a bit. Ekirra and Visma were Mrsha\u2019s best friends. New friends, but they were so close. Erin was trying to make these playdates a regular thing. And getting on the parent\u2019s good side helped.<\/p>\n The \u2018damn\u2019 incident had been a bad one. And frankly, getting any parents to let their kids come to the inn had been a hurdle and a half. The inn had a reputation. But the Garden of Sanctuary, along with some testimonials from Krshia, Elirr, and Selys, had really helped. Feiss left Erin with the two kids after a cup of lemonade himself. No one turned down Erin\u2019s free food, even if Lyonette said it was unhealthy.<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha!\u201d<\/p>\n The little Gnoll had been on the roof. She raced down, having smelled her two friends. Bird followed, with a bow. Erin stared at it and the Worker lifted his arms innocently.<\/p>\n \u201cI was letting Mrsha shoot the bow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very safe. She nearly hit a bird.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin paused for a second as she considered all the ways Mrsha could hurt herself and then weighed Bird\u2019s actions on a beratement scale. Eventually, she decided it was probably safe. Bird was<\/em> an expert at shooting things. And he had really gotten out of his\u2026shell, or rather, tower, since he\u2019d been banned from killing birds.<\/p>\n Heck, he was practically going on little trips with Numbtongue and sometimes Octavia every day. Erin suspected he was also hoping they\u2019d be attacked by Wyverns or something, but she appreciated that side of Bird.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, just so long as Mrsha\u2019s very safe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe is very safe. I did not even let her climb out onto the roof.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrsha gave Erin a wide-eyed, innocent look as Erin turned to look at her. She tugged at Visma and Ekirra\u2019s arms and they ran over to the door.<\/p>\n \u201cJust remember, you stay inside the inn and garden! And if I catch you trying to use it to sneak into the kitchen\u2014<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s injunction sent all three children fleeing, giggling. Erin crossed her arms and closed her eyes. It had been quiet. Pleasantly so, of late. She hadn\u2019t seen Pawn or the other Antinium yet, and she was beginning to be a bit\u2026worried about them. Or rather, Klbkch. Erin needed to have a chat, when she figured out what they were going to chat about.<\/p>\n But Erin hadn\u2019t been inactive either. She had yet to really dive into experimenting with her fire\u2014it was all about the Sage\u2019s Grass field and her magical garden at the moment. Already, part of the meadow had been uprooted and all the lovely flowers replanted so Wailant could plant his grass.<\/p>\n And with Ekirra and Visma popping in, and after the [Pirate] had so effectively beaten Erin\u2019s aura with a drink to the face, she\u2019d been\u2026practicing.<\/p>\n Now, Erin closed her eyes. She concentrated, spreading out an awareness she hadn't known she had. If people had six senses, this was like a seventh sense that sort of felt like the sixth. Erin hadn\u2019t even known she could feel with her inn-sense until recently.<\/p>\n \u201cHm. Garden. Pond.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin opened her eyes. She headed towards a wall and the door to the garden appeared.<\/p>\n \u201cHey! <\/em>Remember towels, you three! Rolling in the grass doesn\u2019t count and it makes you dirty! Towels before you come into the inn, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Mrsha, Visma, and Ekirra jumped<\/em> as Erin appeared in the doorway. She smiled, pleased with herself. They nodded obediently as Mrsha did a breaststroke through the water and grabbed Ekirra\u2019s tail. Apista buzzed around the garden as Erin closed the door.<\/p>\n \u201cIt must be a relief, having that garden. When I was a colt, I\u2019d run off and my parents would find me miles from our village.\u201d<\/p>\n Palt commented as Erin wandered over. She looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t imagine that. I was a kid and I used to get in trouble for wandering off while looking at chess notations. Uh\u2026that\u2019s sort of normal. The wandering off part. What are Centaur kids like?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Illusionist] grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cProne to running about a lot. And we get spooked easily. Centaurs are actually fairly nervous as a people. We do not<\/em> like loud noises, so thunderstorms have us up all night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?<\/em> Well, Humans\u2026uh\u2026uh\u2026.we have a thing about eating sugar.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo does most of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin paused.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2026like sitting around and eating?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMany a time I\u2019ve done that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, Humans are really unique. Because we have this unique feature of\u2026gossiping about people behind their backs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHaving lived around the Lizardfolk, I cannot imagine<\/em> what that\u2019s like.\u201d<\/p>\n Palt grinned as Erin glared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry. Humans are unique. Well, your people have inbred with a lot of species. You\u2019re like the common clay of a lot of people. Centaurs have Human torsos, after all. Or as my people would put it, Humans have odd legs and Centaur torsos.\u201d<\/p>\n The young woman had to smile at that.<\/p>\n \u201cSounds familiar. So\u2014what do Humans have?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAn obsession with climbing things. You people see a mountain and you climb it. Centaurs, Lizardfolk, Dullahans\u2014we leave it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh. But you never wonder\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n After about an hour, the beans were done drying. It surprised Erin, but Palt\u2019s spell was powerful and air-drying was, well, air-drying. Palt assured Erin his little trick could dry wet clothing, and Erin knew from experience how long a pile of wet clothing could take.<\/p>\n She prodded the beans in the tray, pulling a few out with tongs.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they\u2019re dry! Yup! That\u2019s dry! Know it anywhere. Lyonette, we\u2019ve got dry beans! What\u2019s next?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Princess] indicated the recipe lying next to the table. Erin sighed. She had to read it herself? She checked the neat Drake script and frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cHuh. Roasting \u2018em. Like coffee! Which I assume you roast. I mean, that\u2019s all I hear about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomething not in my garden. But it\u2019s another bean. Wakes you up. I never really saw the point. I\u2019ll do a tea if I need to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHm. You know, the Elusive Lot\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re already getting chocolate, buddy. Don\u2019t pretend that you\u2019re not memorizing this.\u201d<\/p>\n Palt jumped and to Erin\u2019s gratification, blushed. She smiled. Old Erin wasn\u2019t that<\/em> oblivious! Or that old!<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I can do the roasting too. How hot should I make them? I even have the boundary set up\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n The Centaur cleared his throat. Erin shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cHot as an oven? But not super<\/em> hot. Let\u2019s see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n Palt did just that. Erin walked off to say hi to Relc, who\u2019d come in with his daughter on their weekly father-daughter get-togethers.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Relc. What\u2019s happening? Hi, Embria.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Solstice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey Erin. I just got paid, and I heard you have something to eat. Will it be done by tonight? Also\u2014I got two new puzzles from the [Traders] so this week\u2019s great.<\/em> See? See?\u201d<\/p>\n Relc was excitedly showing Erin a\u2026lock. Well, it looked like a lock, but apparently you could take it apart and put it back together without picking the lock. As she fiddled with it and Relc gave her hints, Embria turned to her father.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 4th is getting restless, you know. We haven\u2019t gotten word we\u2019re going back to the rest of the army. We might stay here on semi-permanent duty.\u201d<\/p>\n Her face said she was torn on the issue. Relc paused as he reached for his drink of blue fruit juice.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, if that\u2019s what High Command says, the [Captains] and [Lieutenants] can tell the regular idiots to shut up. No use yanking your tail. And\u2014well, you\u2019re not fighting<\/em>, but this is Liscor. Another group of Raskghar emerge, or the Crelers\u2014they saw action.\u201d<\/p>\n His words were unusually careful. The [Innkeeper] glanced up as Embria nodded. Her shoulders firmed.<\/p>\n \u201cRight, right. Obviously. Those idiots are complaining when we nearly went up against an Adult Creler.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot to mention the dungeon. Heck, I bet the Council will start ordering your company to kill threats, like extra Rock Crabs or something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou think so?\u201d<\/p>\n Relc shrugged as Erin blew on the lock and shook it.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. I mean, maybe if you offer? Back when I was in 4th, we sometimes did that when we were on guard duty. Slay a monster here and there. But our [Wing Commander], old Splinterscale, had to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight. Well, the Council hasn\u2019t offered, but maybe they haven\u2019t considered it. Only a matter of time.\u201d<\/p>\n Wing Commander Embria\u2019s eyes flickered. She nodded at her father. And Erin gave Relc an approving look. She turned back to the lock. What was this new, helpful Relc? It was almost like he was listening to her advice when he sometimes came in to chat about issues, Embria being one of them.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Relc. How do you solve this thing? Give me a first step.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe there\u2019s something on the lock you can use, Erin. Like\u2026a long pointy thing?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin had just figured out there was a camouflaged pin in the lock and was trying to get it out when Palt called her back. She waved at Relc and Embria, and trotted over.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re nearly done. Take a sniff.\u201d<\/p>\n The Centaur waved at the beans. Erin leaned forwards.<\/p>\n \u201cOoh!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n They had begun to smell nice<\/em>. And as Palt carefully picked out a bean and offered it to her with a warning that it was hot, Erin inhaled something like\u2026chocolate<\/em>. Then she saw one of the beans jump a bit.<\/p>\n \u201cOh! They\u2019re beginning to crack! Lasica said that\u2019s nearly done!\u201d<\/p>\n Excitedly, Erin waved at Lyonette. The [Princess] came over and sniffed approvingly. She checked the list\u2014and Erin groaned again at the look at her face.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat now?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRemember those [Millers] that Lasica introduced us to? I\u2019ll have them winnow the beans now. The husks are apparently good for something, but the inside\u2014the \u2018nibs\u2019 are what we want.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin glared. Lyonette calmly helped Palt push the beans back into a sack. Then she called for Ishkr.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll probably be done within an hour or two. They have a Skill. But we\u2019ll process the nibs ourselves since that\u2019s apparently when you add sugar. Or nali-<\/em>sticks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOoh! I saw some in the garden! You do that! I\u2019ll find them!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin ran into the garden. Mrsha, Ekirra, and Visma all started as they saw Erin appear. They had been creeping up the hill towards a [Farmer] with tattoos who was carefully replanting glowing, crimson Sage\u2019s Grass into the ready earth.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Solstice! Can you keep your kids off my back? They keep bothering me!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Wailant hollered at Erin. She paused.<\/p>\n \u201cBothering how?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPelting me with mud balls, stealing my crops\u2014the next time one of them does it, I\u2019ll tan their backsides!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin pointed at the kids.<\/p>\n \u201cHe means it. Also, Wailant, if you smack their bottoms, I\u2019ll smack you!\u201d<\/p>\n The [Pirate] gave her a grin. Then he grunted.<\/p>\n \u201cViceria here yet?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe said she\u2019s selling stuff to a guest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMust be some [Trader] stopping by. Won\u2019t they be surprised? Prices on Sage\u2019s Grass just went up since we have a seller\u2019s market.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Farmer] had a [Pirate]\u2019s smile. Erin sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha! I\u2019m going to find those nali-sticks!<\/em> Wanna come? They\u2019re really sweet!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin had tried nali<\/em>-sticks before. Then, they had been very thin pieces of what she assumed sugarcane looked like on the inside. Of course, she\u2019d seen sugarcane too\u2014bamboo-like sticks. But in her jungle biome, the nali-sticks were actually really hard to find.<\/p>\n \u201cDarn! I thought they\u2019d be obvious. Hey, you three find them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Visma called out and Mrsha shook her head. Ekirra sniffed around.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone pooed here.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. It sucks. You have a garden and someone poos in it, y\u2019know? Hey! Was it you?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed at Ekirra. The young Gnoll looked up, alarmed. Then he saw Erin\u2019s expression of mock fury and giggled.<\/p>\n \u201cNo! Not me! Uh\u2014Visma did it!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLiar!\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake girl shrieked. Erin whirled.<\/p>\n \u201cAha! Punishment for the pooers! Get over here! No, wait, was it you<\/em>, Mrsha?\u201d<\/p>\n She chased the kids around, yelling scatological questions as they giggled and fled. Erin was smiling and panting after a few minutes, but the kids were very pleased. She gave up on looking for the nali-<\/em>sticks\u2014and just then saw the thin, brown tube growing in the soil.<\/p>\n It was rather like a stick, only\u2014when you pulled it out, you noticed the brown casing was just an exterior, hiding a terribly sweet, sweet<\/em>, white interior.<\/p>\n \u201cWoo!<\/em> Sugar! No, wait. This is super sweet!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin tasted the fresh nali-<\/em>stick and her mouth nearly went numb with that much sweet. In fact, it was so scarily sweet she was afraid you could get addicted to it. She only let the kids have a little piece before she harvested a few and headed back into the inn.<\/p>\n The kids could play. Erin sat at a table with Relc, Embria, and Palt, sampling the sweet nali <\/em>and speculating how best to use it. Relc was happy enough to eat a fresh nali<\/em>-stick raw, but according to Palt, they were<\/em> addictive.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you say smoking\u2019s bad. There are people who can\u2019t live without a nali\u00ad-<\/em>stick a day. Fresh ones are far sweeter than dry, by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can see why. This stuff is great.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Relc was subtly vibrating. Embria\u2019s eyes widened as she sampled hers.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is good.<\/em> Say, Miss Erin, you wouldn\u2019t mind if I took the rest of this back to share at the barracks? A pity they only grow in Baleros; I could see using these in our field rations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, take these. I\u2019ve got more growing there and I can always plant more.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin smiled and offered Embria eight. The Wing Commander nodded a bit stiffly at Erin, but managed a smile.<\/p>\n \u201cSee? I told you coming here has perks.\u201d<\/p>\n Relc grinned at her. Palt nodded as he puffed away.<\/p>\n \u201cFunny you thought of them for combat, Wing Commander. [Soldiers] like using them for the rush they give you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n Embria looked pleased. Palt was good at being part of the table. He nodded and began telling everyone about Balerosian armies and fighting. And Erin experienced her first pleasant conversation with Embria. That was the first time, right?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The processed cocoa beans arrived at last. Erin threw up her hands and danced around as she saw the sack of shells, and the glorious little nibs that would become chocolate. Then she paused.<\/p>\n \u201cUh oh. That\u2019s not a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, cocoa beans were the inner part of the cacao fruit, and they shrunk during fermentation. And during drying\u2026and the nibs themselves were, um\u2026small. The dried beans were mostly shell.<\/p>\n Still, there was a decently large sack Ishkr had brought back and Erin was all-in so far. Lyonette was prepared too. She had a stone bowl and a new device she\u2019d bought for this very occasion.<\/p>\n \u201cA stone grinder from Pallass. See? You put the nibs in the bowl and you just rotate this handle and the stone wheel spins.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh hey, that\u2019s like a big grinder [Alchemists] use. I was thinking of buying one. Mind if I borrow it from time to time?\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia had come out of her room at last. The [Alchemist] had been going mining with Numbtongue from time to time, but she\u2019d also been supervising her new shop. But mainly, she was just lazing about; Erin gathered it was a new experience for Octavia. She certainly ate a lot whenever it was time for food. Apparently she sometimes missed breakfast, lunch, and dinner.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can buy your own. I\u2019m not having bugs in my<\/em> grinder.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette stared at Octavia. The [Alchemist] opened her mouth, and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cRight. Er, I do mulch roaches and stuff. So\u2014how\u2019s this chocolate being made?\u201d<\/p>\n The last step of chocolate was simple. And hard. What you did with the little nibs you\u2019d acquired after all that work was\u2026grind them up. Grind them up, add some sugar, cinnamon, other stuff to give chocolate that taste and you had chocolate.<\/p>\n But even this single process out of all the steps was labor-intensive. Erin and Lyonette began rotating the stone grinder, pulverizing the little nibs in the bowl. They had a wooden handle they took turns rotating\u2014but it was tiring and they soon began calling in the staff to help.<\/p>\n \u201cWow, this is hard work! And we paid for fermentation, winnowing, and we\u2019d have had to have dried it and roasted it without Palt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHappy to help.\u201d<\/p>\n The Centaur was idly pointing at the wheel and making it spin as Ishkr took a break. Erin stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you do that all the time? Or make a spell?\u201d<\/p>\n Palt pursed his lips.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Give me a table\u2019s worth of space for a magical diagram and I could probably make it work. Although you\u2019d have to have a trigger mechanism to make it stop spinning if it\u2019s drawing in ambient mana. And if you moved the bowl at all, it would break my circuit. Now, an [Enchanter] could reduce the diagram down, make it smoother\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr I could pay Ishkr to grind it. Gotcha.\u201d<\/p>\n Palt nodded. Erin watched as the nibs began to become\u2026chocolate.<\/p>\n First it was a mash, a semi-solid pulp of the ground mixture. But it was already chocolate, just rough, not yet purely one thing.<\/em> But with each run through the grinder\u2014and it was a slow process\u2014the chocolate kept getting more and more smooth as it blended.<\/p>\n \u201cLook! It\u2019s getting liquidy! Chocolate! We have chocolate!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin danced about excitedly. Lyonette smiled. She took a bit of chocolate from the edge of the bowl and tasted it. She made a face.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s fairly bitter.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, yeah, it\u2019s dark. We need to add sugar. Keep grinding, Ishkr! Switch out with someone else in uh, ten minutes?\u201d<\/p>\n The three [Cooks], that was to say, Erin, Lyonette, and Palt, began adding in sugar and the other ingredients Erin had been given. Butter and milk powder too! They weren\u2019t making a dark chocolate, even if Erin liked it more than milk chocolate. Also, Erin realized it was definitely necessary to thicken the chocolate they had. Because it was a lot of work to make and darn it, Erin wanted as much for her money as possible!<\/p>\n And with effort, and time, the liquid chocolate began to develop the proper taste. Erin was just about to pour it into some molds to be frozen via Palt when she heard a disturbance.<\/p>\n Not everything had gone as smoothly as the chocolate. Visma appeared in the garden. She stomped through with tears in her eyes and shouted.<\/p>\n \u201cI hate Mrsha!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? What happened? Oh no! You have a bloody\u2026nostril!\u201d<\/p>\n Visma was indeed bleeding a bit. She cried as Erin saw Mrsha, tail and ears lowered, appear in the doorway, holding Apista. It took a few minutes to get the story out of the neutral party\u2014Ekirra, but the event was simple. Erin summed it up.<\/p>\n \u201cShe pulled Apista\u2019s wings, so Mrsha hit her. Which was bad, even if Apista was in pain, Mrsha!\u201d<\/p>\n She looked sternly at Mrsha. The Gnoll child turned away. Visma refused to look at Mrsha. Erin modulated her tone.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Visma, Apista is also a living thing. And she gets hurt too. Violence is not the answer\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes it\u2019s the answer. I mean, let\u2019s be fair.\u201d<\/p>\n Relc waved from his corner. Erin glared at the unwanted dad-parenting, especially since Embria was nodding. She turned back to Mrsha.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014Violence is okay against Crelers.<\/em> But you\u2019re friends, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd friends sometimes hurt each other. But they should say sorry. And you\u2019re sorry, right Mrsha?\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette gave Mrsha a cuddle. The Gnoll hugged her, and then went over to Visma. The Drake refused to look at her.<\/p>\n \u201cGo away. I hate you.\u201d<\/p>\n It was a little fight. But\u2014it mattered. Erin and Lyonette watched anxiously as Mrsha recoiled. She tried to go around and sign her apology to Visma, but the little Drake kept turning around. Ekirra kept watching them, pacing around them anxiously. But Visma refused to accept the apology.<\/p>\n In the end, Mrsha curled up into a ball of misery. Only then did Visma look at her. She saw how sad Mrsha was and she began to cry. Mrsha looked up, saw Visma crying, and started crying as well.<\/p>\n With both of them crying, Ekirra joined in because his two friends were upset. Erin hugged them all.<\/p>\n \u201cNo punching each other! And we have chocolate! Okay? Let\u2019s say sorry and make up.\u201d<\/p>\n Sorry.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n Visma and Mrsha looked at each other. Mrsha nuzzled Visma\u2019s face and the Drake girl copied the gesture. Erin quickly brought down some of the flash-frozen chocolate.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t as\u2026perfect<\/em> as a chocolate bar from her world. And Erin couldn\u2019t make those fancy patterns in the chocolate; she\u2019d just used a quick mold in the shape of a bar. But she broke it into three little pieces now. Visma stared at her chocolate and Ekirra and Mrsha sniffed theirs.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it\u2019s okay for Gnolls?\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette looked anxious. Erin had told her chocolate was bad for dogs, and the [Princess] had objected to giving it to Mrsha on that ground. But Erin was calm.<\/p>\n \u201cRufelt told me Gnolls have no problem. He eats it, and so does Lasica. It\u2019s fine<\/em>, Lyonette. Lasica\u2019s a [Chef].\u201d<\/p>\n The [Princess] nodded, a bit relieved. Mrsha was the first to bite into her chocolate, with Visma. Ekirra was more cautious; Erin suspected he<\/em> thought it was poo after their silly game.<\/p>\n Visma\u2019s eyes went wide as she tasted her first bite of chocolate. It was properly sweet; not overpoweringly so since the point of this chocolate was to be chocolate first, sugar second, but it was a taste<\/em>. Like ice cream for the first time. The Drake girl began to gobble her small bite.<\/p>\n \u201cCareful! It\u2019s a treat! Eat it slow! Mrsha, what do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n The little Gnoll was chewing her bite with her eyes closed. She smiled up at Erin and Lyonette\u2014and then her face grew confused. Mrsha paused, and then began coughing in the throat.<\/p>\n She froze. So did Erin and Lyonette.<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha? What\u2019s wrong? If it\u2019s bad, spit it out.\u201d<\/p>\n The little Gnoll clutched at her throat. Erin looked at Lyonette.<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha, honey, spit it out\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The Gnoll began to shake. Then, all of a sudden, and Lyonette tried to pry her mouth open, her eyes went wide. She fell onto her back and rolled over.<\/p>\n She wasn\u2019t breathing.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOctavia!<\/em> Get over here!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin shouted. Octavia came running as Relc and Embria shot to their feet. The [Princess] yanked open Mrsha\u2019s mouth, shouting for a potion. Erin spun, desperately. Rufelt had said\u2014<\/em>were there antihistamines in this world? Healing potions? Something\u2014<\/p>\n As the entire inn converged on Mrsha, the Gnoll\u2019s open eyes swiveled around. She paused, and then waved all four paws urgently. She sat up.<\/p>\n Kidding! Joke!<\/em><\/p>\n She signed worriedly. Erin turned around. Lyonette fell back, the color returning to her face.<\/p>\n \u201cA prank?\u201d<\/p>\n Palt had knocked over a trio of chairs. He stared at Mrsha. Erin\u2019s jaw dropped. Mrsha looked around worriedly. She hadn\u2019t expected the adult\u2019s reaction.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t do that!<\/em> You scared us so much!\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette was so furious she was shouting and hugging Mrsha. The Gnoll child nearly cried again as she saw how worried everyone had been. But\u2014not everyone was angry.<\/p>\n Relc was laughing his tail off. So was Palt, and Wailant, who\u2019d come running at the shouting. They<\/em> had a twisted sense of humor.<\/p>\n The [Innkeeper] herself was well and truly shaken. Rufelt had indeed told her that chocolate was fine for Gnolls; they were not<\/em> dogs and could process it. In theory they might get sicker than Humans if they ate it like, for breakfast and lunch in quantities, but everyone did.<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha\u2019s the best. Embria used to pull stuff like that all the time. Kids do it. Stop scolding her, Lyonette!\u201d<\/p>\n The Senior Guardsman advised Lyonette as she scolded Mrsha about bad pranks. Wailant was grinning too. The older adults began reminiscing about their children\u2019s escapades. Embria looked like she wanted to leave.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was sorta funny. But don\u2019t scare us, Mrsha!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin conceded as she hugged Mrsha. Lyonette scowled at her.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t funny at all!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s lips quirked. Mrsha was much chastised, but Erin had to admit\u2014it had worked.<\/p>\n \u201cSorta funny. I did the same kind of thing when I was a kid. Like\u2014hiding in a closet all day. Um, my parents thought I was kidnapped. They called the poli\u2014I mean, the Watch.\u201d<\/p>\n She scratched the back of her head, embarrassed. Now she<\/em> knew what that felt like. Mrsha brightened up as Relc chortled. Lyonette pulled both Mrsha and Erin over and hissed at them.<\/p>\n \u201cI<\/em> ran away from home. Don\u2019t talk to me about pranks.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin blinked at her. Mrsha looked up. Oh. Right. They stared at Lyonette. When it came to biggest child renegades, there was one clear victor.<\/p>\n A sideways look at Palt confirmed he was occupied, but Erin sidled into the Garden with Lyonette, pretending she was having an adult-talk for a second. Then she turned to Lyonette.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t they miss you, Lyonette? Shouldn\u2019t you let your parents know you\u2019re okay? I mean, if we were this worried about Mrsha\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n It was a thought Erin had never had before now. She\u2019d been so busy on everything else, she sometimes forgot about stuff like Lyonette running away. It was not<\/em> a priority when people were in danger or big events were taking place. But now, Erin wondered.<\/p>\n Lyonette only shrugged slowly. She didn\u2019t have a fond expression on her face. Or even a terribly guilty one. Just\u2026melancholy.<\/p>\n \u201cFrankly? Calanfer can live without me or half of its [Princesses]. We\u2019re just assets. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if my family has one of my doubles standing in for me all the time. And I don\u2019t think my father cares beyond that. Or my mother, really.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s heart sank. Mrsha looked up at Lyonette and gave her a hug. The [Princess] smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Mrsha. My sisters are better. Well, some of them. But sending a [Message] would just be trouble, believe me, Erin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo they don\u2019t even know you\u2019re gone? Wait, you have a body double? Like, a literal clone?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin was shocked. Lyonette raised her eyebrows.<\/p>\n \u201cNot a [Clone Person] spell. How do you know about\u2026oh, one of your Earth terms. Anyways, why wouldn\u2019t royalty have a body double, Erin? Public events, even receptions at state events, and especially security.\u201d<\/p>\n The young woman from Michigan opened and closed her mouth. She<\/em> had never been to a state event, unless you counted, like, attending a New Year\u2019s Eve celebration or something. Some chess tournaments had been important, but that had been as a kid.<\/p>\n \u201cPoint taken. Um\u2026let\u2019s go back inside the inn. So\u2026does this double look exactly <\/em>like you, Lyonette?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s got the class, Erin. If she didn\u2019t look like me, what\u2019s the point?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut how much like\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n After the chocolate scare, Erin and Lyonette went back to analyzing the fruits, or rather, chocolate of their labor. There were\u2026problems, even as Erin poured the rest of the chocolate out for use later.<\/p>\n Not just that it wasn\u2019t perfect; that was fine. Chocolate was chocolate and Erin wasn\u2019t going to sell it in bar form. Actually, that was also the problem.<\/p>\n \u201cThere really isn\u2019t a lot, Erin.\u201d<\/p>\n For how much work they\u2019d put in, and so many cacao pods, it was true that the amount of actual chocolate harvested was disappointingly low. Erin hesitated. She felt guilty as she turned to Lyonette, trying to put a good face on it.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. I\u2026guess we need more trees, huh? We only had one. But\u2014we can use this. Not for chocolate pieces, but we\u2019ll make a cake. And cookies! Chocolate chip cookies, chocolate milk\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The [Princess] nodded, flipping out a piece of paper to do some sums on.<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose we can up the prices and attract people tonight. But we\u2019ll have to charge a bit more for them, even more than the sugary foods. I don\u2019t doubt we\u2019ll sell out; I\u2019d love to see anyone copy the recipes without chocolate. But\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n They weren\u2019t going to earn much of a return on it, even with higher prices. Erin bit her lip.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, Lyonette. I thought we\u2019d get more out of it. And I didn\u2019t realize how hard it was to make.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Princess] raised her brows and shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry about that, Erin. We figured out the process and that\u2019s what matters. And this is<\/em> worth the effort\u2014so long as we\u2019re not doing it. And this will pull in a larger crowd tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin smiled and nodded, relieved. Lyonette went on, frowning at the chocolate they\u2019d made.<\/p>\n \u201cThe expenses are worth it, if we have a large enough supply to do it in bulk. We should have kept some of the seeds so we could grow\u2026well, a dozen trees at least. Mrsha can help. It\u2019ll just take a while.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin licked her fingers and agreed. The rest of her guests were having little bites of chocolate, but the majority of it was now in solid form, ready to be stored.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s save the rest. We\u2019ll have this much for chocolate milk\u2014we can make at least a few gallons. And this much for the cake\u2014four of them? It\u2019s strong<\/em>, so we don\u2019t need much. Chocolate cookies will take this much\u2014and I\u2019ll need this much. I\u2019m gonna cut them up into pieces. Can I get a bag, Lyonette? With a ribbon or something?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Princess] frowned. All of Erin\u2019s other uses for the chocolate were fine, but she narrowed her eyes as Erin looked around for a suitable container for a good amount of chocolate she\u2019d chopped up\u2014enough to fill a hand-sized bag to the brim.<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019re you giving it to? The Halfseekers? Relc? The Antinium? They can pay for it, Erin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope. I\u2019m not giving it to any of them. It\u2019s a bribe.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette paused. Her expression cleared and she pointed.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, well then. Here you are. Let me know if you need more.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin Solstice blinked as she took the bag. Sometimes she wondered about Lyonette\u2019s values and what she was teaching Mrsha about the world. But then\u2014Mrsha\u2019s other teachers included Bird, and Numbtongue. Erin was the sane, guiding influence.<\/p>\n It was hard being the responsible parent, sometimes.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHalt! You\u2019re not authorized to come through at this time! Identify yourself!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey! I own this door! Don\u2019t tell me I can\u2019t come through! You know who I am!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHands in the air! Don\u2019t move! What\u2019s in that bag?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate! Hey! Hey, that\u2019s a br\u2014that\u2019s a gift! It\u2019s food! Not poo! Eat one, go on! Don\u2019t give me that look! And don\u2019t you dare throw me in jail! I\u2019ve been there! It sucks!\u201d<\/p>\n The checkpoint that now held the door from Pallass to Liscor had gotten a lot harder to bluster through these days. There was no Guardsman Kel that Erin could walk past. Instead, there was a gate, [Guards] who got really<\/em> mad if you came through unannounced, and other levels of security.<\/p>\n Even so, Erin got through with her new magic catchphrase.<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate. You take. Chocolate. Chocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n Each time a [Guard] protested, she reminded them they knew who she was, she wasn\u2019t bringing Bird in the little sack of treats, and she gave them a bit of chocolate and told them she was selling it at the inn tonight.<\/p>\n It worked. Erin fought her way out of the checkpoint and realized it was still on the eighth floor. Only, it was located closer to the Watch House on the floor, and Pallass had repurposed a building to act as the new containment for the inn.<\/p>\n \u201cHuh. Wow. They cleaned this place up.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stared about the city. It was indeed restored to how she remembered it, before the Wyvern attack. People were walking about\u2014it seemed like Pallass had gotten back to normal.<\/p>\n Well, aside from that very large poster tacked onto a wall. Erin stared at it. Noass and Sir Relz grinned down at the pedestrians.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Presenting Noass and Sir Relz! Pallass\u2019 [Commentators]! Have an issue worthy of <\/em>worldwide discussion? Write in now! Now accepting applications for assistant positions and other staffing opportunities! Inquire on the 3<\/em>rd<\/em> Floor!<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Noass.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin chuckled to herself. But the poster made her vaguely uneasy for various reasons. What she objected to was how proud people seemed to be of it, and the two [Commentators]. Erin still remembered them commentating over the moth attack.<\/p>\n But she wasn\u2019t here to bribe them<\/em>. No, Erin had loftier goals. So she stopped the first person she saw on the street, a Drake.<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me, can you tell me where I can find an [Alchemist]? Saliss of Lights?\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake gave Erin a tired look, the kind of look anyone in a big city gave to the tourist who had<\/em> to ask you a question they were too stupid not to know the obvious answer to.<\/p>\n \u201c9th Floor, Miss Human. Wait. Did you say Saliss of Lights? What do you want with him? <\/em>If it\u2019s a potion you want, you\u2019re out of luck. He doesn\u2019t sell directly. And he\u2019s insane. A good adventurer, but insane. Er\u2014a credit to the city, but totally mad.\u201d<\/p>\n It seemed Saliss hadn\u2019t lost his goodwill from the battle with the Wyverns, although it was clearly a bit faded. Erin nodded, smiling.<\/p>\n \u201c9th? Sorry, I thought he had a house somewhere else. And I know he doesn\u2019t sell. But I need to find him.\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake clarified himself.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, all the alchemist buildings are on the 9th. He probably has a house lower. But the 9th is the place to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n He paused as he peered at Erin. And then his eyes widened.<\/p>\n \u201cAncestors, it\u2019s you! <\/em>The Human with the Antinium!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho, me?\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake stared. Some of the other pedestrians were looking over at Erin and recognizing her as well.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw you! You were in the scrying orb\u2014and that Antinium, Bird the Hunter\u2014do you know it? And Magus Grimalkin? Wait, you have an inn\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin looked around. A crowd was forming and this was not<\/em> the moment for an Erin-scenario. She waved and shouted urgently.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, everyone, the door to Liscor will soon be allowing more than two people a day! Visit The Wandering Inn! We have chocolate tonight, if you can get there! Gotta run!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n She made tracks for the nearest elevator. In it, the attendant gave her the same look. Erin panted.<\/p>\n \u201c9th Floor! And yes, I\u2019m that Human. Hi. Erin Solstice. What\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSikay.\u201d<\/p>\n The attendant was a Garuda. Erin smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cHey. So, do you do this job all day?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Talking to people got you places. Sometimes they thought you were flirting with them when you really wanted just to chat. But that was a guy thing, in Erin\u2019s experience. And talking to people got you directions.<\/p>\n Saliss\u2019 shop on the 9th Floor was a rather large building. Erin gathered that he had<\/em> a private home and even a workshop on another floor, but this was where he had most of his most expensive ingredients. A rather noxious<\/em>-smelling [Alchemist] had told her that Saliss would probably be there.<\/p>\n The building was large, and, surprisingly, worn down. Erin stared up at it. For the best [Alchemist] in Pallass, or a Named Adventurer, she\u2019d expected Saliss would have a fancy lab. But this looked like a dump.<\/p>\n An old dump. Something had blown out a window three times, in one case so hard that the brickwork had to be boarded up along with the window. The door looked cheap, old, and the entire place stank to Erin more of what she imagined some illicit drug lab would smell like.<\/p>\n It was even in a poorer section of the 9th, away from the high-end [Alchemists] with their fancy shops and glass windows and multicolored smoke coming out of the chimneys. Erin hesitated, but she assumed the directions were good. So she walked up and knocked.<\/p>\n No one replied. Erin knocked again after a beat, and then pounded on the door.<\/p>\n \u201cHello? Saliss? Anyone home?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n No reply. But Erin was sure the place was occupied. She could see some smoke coming out of the chimney. She narrowed her eyes.<\/p>\n And perhaps it was Relc\u2019s puzzle-solving skills that rubbed off on Erin. Because she noticed the tiny little bell hidden around the side of the large doorway. Literally, to the side\u2014she had to walk off the steps to see it. Erin eyed the little silver bell and gingerly rang it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not interested!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n A voice instantly bellowed back at Erin. It was quite, quite<\/em> familiar. And disturbingly clear. Erin jumped. She hurried around to the main door.<\/p>\n \u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n The door was decrepit. Old wood, flaking in places\u2014heck, Erin even thought she could see through it into a dark interior in spots. It looked awful. But the angry voice kept speaking, as clear as if Saliss was right in front of her.<\/p>\n \u201cIs this Xif? Go away! I\u2019m not sharing my flame! If you\u2019re a [Merchant], I\u2019ll hit you. With a rock or something!\u201d<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t coming from the actual door itself. Erin\u2019s eyes narrowed as she turned. She walked around to where she\u2019d found the bell again and stared.<\/p>\n Down low against the dirty wall was a little\u2026Erin bent and scuffed at a patch of dirt. It revealed a shining opal, shimmering multiple colors. It swirled as Saliss\u2019 voice projected from it.<\/p>\n \u201cHello? Hello? Darn, if it\u2019s kids I\u2019ll melt their tails off. Where\u2019s the seeing stone? Argh! No! Don\u2019t go out, little flame! Happy flame! Happy flame!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin heard some panicked crashing in the background. She narrowed her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cSaliss?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Hello?<\/em> Is that a familiar voice I hear?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUm. Hi. It\u2019s me, Erin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cErin?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Human?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh! The one with the flame! Did Xif send you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChaldion?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Look, I just came by because\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSay no more! Literally, don\u2019t! This sounds great! I\u2019ll be out in a second!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin heard more rapid movement, some clinking<\/em> in the background, an oath\u2014then running feet. She stared at the door to the house and looked around.<\/p>\n There was even a bad garden, with some dried up bushes. The small walkway towards the main door had a gate, but it had been open when Erin had walked through. This really did look like a terrible place. But that stone in the wall and concealed bell. Maybe\u2014<\/p>\n The main door did not swing open. But the hidden, concealed section of wall <\/em>did. The grimy brickwork swung open and Saliss appeared, inches from Erin. The [Innkeeper] nearly jumped out of her boots.<\/p>\n \u201cAah!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, hey. Sorry. I thought someone told you about the bell. It\u2019s you! Come in, come in, before someone sees!\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss grinned and spread his arms wide. He was, of course, naked. Erin stared at him, and then the fake door.<\/p>\n \u201cBut that\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFake door. Fake house, really. The door\u2019s rigged. I don\u2019t remember with what, but it does something if you bust on through. And the rest of the house is spelled. People kept trying to break into the old place and this is more fun than a fancy house. It\u2019s a secret laboratory.<\/em> Cool, right? Come on in!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin Solstice paused. Her first instincts, in order, were to ask Saliss to put something on. Not<\/em> to stare at his nudity. And third, to say that yes, a secret laboratory was awesome. But she didn\u2019t. It disturbed her, mildly, that people kept comparing her to Saliss. They were not alike. Not at all.<\/p>\n For one thing, the Drake was a nudist. And Erin was not. He was also an [Alchemist] and hurried Erin into a rather comfy<\/em> laboratory. It even had a carpet, a fireplace\u2014shelves filled with books all around the walls\u2014Erin realized this was more like a research room. The real place where the alchemy happened was through an enchanted magic door.<\/p>\n And that room was built like a testing area. Saliss had metal barricades, stands with glassware out\u2014but very little equipment was on display. Erin saw cupboards made of steel, shining with what looked like various protective runes. One was open and she saw it was filled with any number of ingredients, ordered with neat little notes.<\/p>\n The rest of the doors were closed. And some looked\u2014scorched. Others were dented, but the room itself was unnaturally clean and spartan. Erin gazed about.<\/p>\n \u201cWhoa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGets them every time. Can I get you a chair? Sorry, I don\u2019t have a chair in here. They tend to get destroyed. Well, everything does. Oop! My mixture\u2019s nearly ready! One second!\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss dashed back to the few objects on a steel counter. Erin saw a glowing liquid swirling under a purple flame\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cHey! Is that my fire?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup! Happy fire! Don\u2019t go out! Don\u2019t go out! I just need a bit <\/em>of heat!\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss urgently prodded more tiny bits of charcoal into the purple flame. It was bubbling the flask on a stand. Erin looked about as Saliss thrust open a cupboard.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s my Wyvern eyes? Where are they? I have jars<\/em> of them now, and there\u2019s not one\u2014aha! Gotcha!\u201d<\/p>\n He yanked out a jar of\u2026well, preserved Wyvern eyes. Erin watched, rapt, as Saliss slammed the cupboard shut.<\/p>\n \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be easier to have it all out in the open?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou think that, but no!\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss pointed at Erin as he pulled an eye out of the jar. He grabbed a pair of tweezers and before Erin could process what he was doing, ripped the irises out<\/em>. Erin made a sound as Saliss repeated the process.<\/p>\n \u201cOops, sorry. Might want to look away. It\u2019s going to get gooey. I need a jar for the stuff. Can you open that cupboard\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin did. Saliss took the jar and poured the rest of the eyes into it. Then he began to mash the irises up. Just the Wyvern irises. He swiftly added that to the glowing flask. Rather than change colors, Erin saw the liquid steam<\/em> and begin to reduce at an alarming rate. Saliss cleaned the rest of the eyes up and returned to staring at the mixture. He was like a blur around Erin, never missing a beat even when juggling slippery eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere was I? Oh yeah. Got to keep everything contained. When something explodes or turns into poison gas\u2014and it does\u2014anything that can react also does the same. I keep everything sorted and take out what I need. Don\u2019t worry; this room could survive even that Wyvern Lord blasting it with frost! Probably! It can definitely<\/em> withstand a [Siege Fireball], no problem. I had that tested.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about us?\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss glanced up.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin threw her hands up, alarmed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about me?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry. This mixture won\u2019t ever explode. The worst that\u2019ll happen is that I have to toss it out. I wouldn\u2019t put you at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n That actually sounded reassuring. Erin relaxed as Saliss gestured to the shrinking liquid.<\/p>\n \u201cGive me one second and I can bottle this. I just have to\u2014yes! It\u2019s doing it! You stupid little potion! Reduce! Reduce!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n He danced about, waving his arms and shouting at the potion. He looked\u2014tired. For all he was dancing. And relieved, too. As the potion reduced, it stopped changing colors and became a bright silver. Like mercury, but translucent, and with a faint aquamarine trace of color to it.<\/p>\n \u201cWonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss had a little vial ready. He poured the liquid into it, stoppered it, and wiped at his brow. Without a word, he put the vial on the counter. And then he snatched it up and hurled<\/em> it at one of the enchanted drawers.<\/p>\n \u201cTake that! You do not get the best of me!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stared as he ran over. The vial had landed, undamaged, and now the Drake began stomping on it. It didn\u2019t shatter, despite his blows, and Saliss threw it a few more times across the laboratory until he was satisfied. Then he picked up the enchanted glass vial and turned to Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, I\u2019m done. Let\u2019s chat in the study room. I have a chair there.\u201d<\/p>\n He ushered Erin out of the laboratory. Erin found herself sitting in a chair as Saliss lay on his back on the carpeted floor. Only then did she find her voice.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlchemy. I know, I know. It\u2019s a complex process. I don\u2019t expect you to get the nuance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThrowing it against the wall? Stomping on it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was mad. Also, shouting at your potions helps. That\u2019s obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss sat up and grinned at Erin. She eyed him. The [Alchemist] shook his head wearily.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been working on that potion for eight hours.<\/em> And I failed six times. I get to be mad! Hi. You\u2019re Erin. I\u2019m Saliss. How can I help you? Also\u2014how did you find my bell? Did Xif tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I saw it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? But no one ever looks<\/em>. Ooh. Clever. So what did you come here for, Miss Erin Solstice with the interesting inn?\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake grinned at her. Now he was done, he seemed to be returning to his normal self. He\u2019d always been, well, Saliss, but Erin had seen him focused like a laser on the potion. Now, he was relaxed and cheerful. She only remembered the bag of chocolate when he began sniffing.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that food? I haven\u2019t eaten in\u2026day\u2026days.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin slowly held out the bag. It was time to engage obfuscation mode.<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHm?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stared at Saliss. He stared back. For a second she thought she saw him frown, then he gave her the same look. He stared at the bag, and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin hesitated. That wasn\u2019t what he was supposed to do. She tried again.<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate-chocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlright, fine, it\u2019s chocolate. It\u2019s a food! I brought it to you. I was sort of hoping we could talk.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin threw her hands up. Saliss grinned. He sprang to his feet from the ground with incredible athleticism.<\/p>\n \u201cGreat! I was just about to visit you, actually! I\u2019d like more fire, or the flowers. Or just entertainment. Can I get all three?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin blinked at him. She opened her mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cWait, I came to you to get help! I mean, this is a bribe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOoh. Can I have some? Hey, this looks like poo! No, wait, I tell a lie. Not what comes out of me.<\/em> Sugary.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss closed his eyes. He savored one piece, gobbled three more in quick succession. Erin began to have regrets.<\/p>\n First, coming here. Second, how this conversation had begun. Third\u2014she was wondering what Saliss of Lights would look like on a sugar-high.<\/em><\/p>\n Erin caught the Drake looking at her sidelong. Saliss grinned on his fourth piece of chocolate, biting it in half. Then he offered Erin the bag.<\/p>\n \u201cWant a piece yourself? This is really good. I don\u2019t remember having this. Is it completely new?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSort of. It\u2019s from Baleros. But I have a tree in my garden\u2014I\u2019m fine, thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure. This is really good, but I\u2019ll save it. So this is a bribe?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin hesitated. That had slipped out. She nodded slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. I\u2019m bribing you. Uh\u2026can I have some of your potions?\u201d<\/p>\n She gave him a big smile. Saliss paused.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy? You want to blow someone up? Trust me, you could just hire a Gold-rank adventurer to do that for less than what my potions cost.\u201d<\/p>\n The young woman squirmed in her seat. And she realized Saliss had sat in this very spot buck-naked probably thousands of times. She wondered if that was actually horrible. Seats were seats.<\/p>\n \u201cUh, well, I was hoping I\u2019d get some for free.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause\u2026I asked nicely? And because I\u2019ll give you more chocolate?\u201d<\/p>\n The Named Adventurer paused. He looked at the chocolate. Erin was ready for him to ask if a potion was worth a bag of chocolate. But he just grinned at her.<\/p>\n \u201cOoh, then, can I have some flowers? Please?\u201d<\/p>\n He fluttered his eyes at Erin. She glared.<\/p>\n \u201cWell played.\u201d<\/p>\n The two took another measure of each other. This was not<\/em> how Erin\u2019s plan had been supposed to go. She\u2019d been wavering between using the chocolate on Chaldion, Grimalkin, and Saliss, but she\u2019d settled on Saliss because he seemed like he had the most of what Erin wanted\/needed. But she\u2019d forgotten what Saliss was like, incredible as it was.<\/p>\n Or perhaps, she\u2019d underestimated him. Erin nodded at the vial in his claws.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you make? Some new exploding potion? And why do you need my fire? I know Xif wants to experiment, but is my fire that<\/em> useful?\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a youth potion, actually. And your fire is helping cut one of my processes and save me, oh, a good amount of gold. The happy flame, you see? The heat isn\u2019t just physical. It makes you feel all warm inside, and that works on an alchemical level too\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s mouth dropped. She barely caught the rest of his explanation.<\/p>\n \u201cYouth potion? You mean\u2014it makes you younger? As in, eternal youth?\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss blinked. He waved a claw, laughing.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? No, no\u2026just for like, a week. Anti-aging potions are the other thing and they\u2019re a pain<\/em> to make.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut for a week? Wait, go back. You can make anti-aging potions? Really?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Alchemist] grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t need one. And the best I can do is about two years. And trust me\u2014those are harder to make than these. But this infernal brew\u2014which I can make one in ten times on a good day\u2014will sell for more gold than you can imagine. All the old people scramble for it. Who wouldn\u2019t want to be young for a day, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin could just imagine. She looked at Saliss and felt\u2014unprepared. She knew he was good, but a youth potion? He flipped it up into the air and caught it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to run it down to the Merchant\u2019s Guild after this. They\u2019ll auction it off and stuff. Don\u2019t tell anyone I can make them. Or if you do\u2014tell rich people. But I hate being bothered about it.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded casually at Erin. She just looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy can you make one of those potions? Wait\u2014is it that easy?\u201d<\/p>\n He paused.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. It\u2019s not. But I can make them because I\u2019m one of the best in the world at my job. Old Xif goes wide. But I do battle mixes and the kind of stuff that earns real money. And you came to get my potions because you want to blow something up. What, exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at Erin, grinning. And Erin\u2014hesitated. She could pretend, or she could trust the instinct that said he was onto her.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what I\u2019m blowing up. It could be monsters. Or just something nasty. An Adult Creler, for instance. I have these um, acid jars. Made out of acid fly acid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNasty! Wait, do you have a source? I\u2019d love to buy that. You can intensify the effects, although containing the substance is hard. Okay, for monsters. And what were you going to pay me with?\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake sat cross-legged. Erin pointed at the bag.<\/p>\n \u201cUm. I have chocolate? And I can make more. Like\u2014cakes. Ice cream. Chocolate milk. I was going to invite you to my inn for food if you want?\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss\u2019 eyes widened. He shot to his feet.<\/p>\n \u201cFood? You had me at food! I\u2019m starving<\/em>. Let\u2019s go. I\u2019ll leave this here.\u201d<\/p>\n He tossed the vial onto the carpet, turned, and then ran back to stomp on it again. He really seemed to be holding a grudge over the precious liquid. But then again\u2014did he say eight hours and six failures? Erin hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t pay you much. But if I could get a few potions\u2026uh\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n She was embarrassed by the way she was asking. She had a different vision of how this would go, hopefully with Saliss having a huge sweet tooth. Which he clearly had, but this was different. To her surprise though, Saliss turned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Oh, no, food\u2019s different. I pay for food. As for the chocolate\u2014I accept your offer. And I\u2019ll trade you for this.\u201d<\/p>\n He reached for his bag of holding and produced something. Erin blinked as a swirling mixture of separate bands of color appeared in her palms. Saliss pointed at it.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a Potion of Speed. You need to get away fast? Drink that. You can probably outrun most people. Take an Invisibility Potion too. You can split it several ways; it\u2019ll just last a minute or two if you do.\u201d<\/p>\n He handed another bottle of\u2026nothing. It didn\u2019t even look full, but something<\/em> sloshed about when Erin took it. She stared at Saliss.<\/p>\n \u201cWait. What?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n He winked at her and lifted the bag. Erin\u2019s jaw dropped. Saliss of Lights shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m rich. I\u2019ll trade you more for chocolate. Or buy it. I\u2019ll buy all of it. Do<\/em> you have more?\u201d<\/p>\n And he winked at Erin. And something in her said that he was serious. And lying to her as well. Part of Erin calmly looked at Saliss.<\/p>\n If she had come with nothing, he might have given her the potions anyways.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Saliss and Erin made a strange pair going back to the door to Pallass. The [Guards] certainly didn\u2019t stop him, although they gave Erin a strange look for associating with him. But Erin was too busy focusing on Saliss, or rather, inspecting him.<\/p>\n When the Drake appeared in the inn, it was a busy time, heading towards evening. Chocolate-mania was in full swing, but the entire inn still stopped when Saliss strode into the common room and posed.<\/p>\n \u201cGah! What is that?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n A Gnoll choked on his food. Saliss turned, waving his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cHello, everyone! What a lovely crowd!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPut some clothes on, you freak!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA pervert! Relc, get him!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHold on, isn\u2019t that\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Amid the chaos, Lyonette pushed forwards. She had the finger of authority, twice as angry because Ekirra and Visma\u2019s family were here and staring.<\/p>\n \u201cNo clothes, no service!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I heard you have chocolate. I have gold.\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss had spotted the chocolate cake, cookies, and other treats on display. He reached out and started dropping gold coins onto the counter. Lyonette stared at him. The Named Adventurer grinned. Lyonette looked at Erin. The [Innkeeper] shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got gold. You gonna kick him out?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss leaned on the counter. He grinned and looked sideways at Erin. Lyonette spluttered.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy to serve you, um, Mister Oliwing. But could you at least wear a towel? We\u2019ll provide the towel. But\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin echoed Saliss, solemnly.<\/p>\n \u201cChocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Octavia Cotton emerged from her room late to dinner. Like usual, she obeyed her stomach, which was wondering why it was so empty and hungry. She\u2019d been doing a bit of experimenting in her room since it was fairly blast proof.<\/p>\n She was lightheaded with hunger, so she went to the first spot at the bar. The staff knew her, so Octavia soon had a plate of beef stroganoff in front of her. She ate hungrily\u2014and only noticed the naked Drake after a few minutes.<\/p>\n He was naked. Completely. Octavia paused mid-chew and stared at Saliss. The Named Adventurer was eating a blue fruit salad; he\u2019d already had a bit of pizza.<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t mind me. Just grabbing some pepper. Adds to the taste, you know? The tongue gets old after tasting ingredients.\u201d<\/p>\n He tossed a few flakes onto his salad. Octavia blinked at him. She eyed the Drake and caught on to the last word.<\/p>\n \u201cWait, you do [Alchemy]?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n Instantly, he made sense to Octavia and she relaxed. She was wondering why Erin would have let someone like this in here, but [Alchemists] were a different kind of mad. Some were legitimately addled from what they inhaled or touched, but others were just insane. It was a quirk of the job. Octavia glanced around for Erin, but the [Innkeeper] was rushing about with chocolate foods. It was a busy night. So Octavia just nodded at him.<\/p>\n \u201cI am an [Alchemist].\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, hey, that\u2019s excellent! Saliss Oliwing. How long have you been in the alchemy game?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbout a decade, if you count apprenticing young. Less than half that if you don\u2019t. Octavia Cotton, owner, [Alchemist] of Stitchworks. I\u2019m from Chandrar. Are you new in Liscor, or a resident? Sorry, I just got here.\u201d<\/p>\n His name was somewhat familiar, but Octavia found herself shaking the Drake\u2019s claw. She supposed Erin had mentioned him? She was so hungry she went back to eating as the two spoke. Like many who shared the same class, they had an instant camaraderie.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been at it, oh, a bit. But I\u2019m definitely new to Liscor. Would you say you\u2019re the best in the city? Also, anything interesting I should know about? I could use pointers.\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake grinned. Octavia nodded. Ah, an immigrating [Alchemist]. Not uncommon given how you could wear out your welcome even without gang wars. One bad accident was enough. She eyed him up and down. Competition? Well, he certainly had at least a decade on her.<\/p>\n \u201cActually, I\u2019m from Celum. I\u2019m new to Liscor too, but I hear there\u2019s good materials here. Shield Spiders, acid flies\u2026say, where\u2019d you learn your trade?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, everywhere. But I was born and raised in Pallass. That\u2019s where I work, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPallass?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia paused. That was the big leagues. When she\u2019d come from Chandrar, she\u2019d considered settling in Pallass. Even submitted an application, but she\u2019d been glad when it never got accepted.<\/p>\n Competing with all the good [Alchemists] there? No way. She had somewhat regretted it in hindsight; Pallass might have been competitive, but it had a good market and a thriving economy. Celum had been a fight to be the biggest fish in a puddle.<\/p>\n \u201cWow. Pallass. I\u2019m uh, from Nerrhavia Fallen myself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh really? I\u2019ve been there! How\u2019s Nerrhavia doing? Still having honor-duels between [Alchemists] in the streets? Good times, that. I tried practicing it in Pallass, but no one would accept. Old Xif\u2019s no fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Xif.<\/em> Octavia stiffened, recalling the name of Pallass\u2019 best\u2026and then Saliss\u2019 name hit her again. It was familiar. Even starved as she was, she knew it. And\u2014he\u2019d been to Nerrhavia? If he knew about the duels [Alchemists] got into\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cHey Octavia! Have you met Saliss? I should\u2019ve known you\u2019d meet. Hey Saliss. Do you need more food? Are you sure I can keep\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss waved as Erin stopped at their table. Octavia looked at Erin as the Drake replied.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all fine. Keep \u2018em! I got a lot of chocolate. Boy, it\u2019ll be fun eating it.\u201d<\/p>\n He grinned with pure delight. Octavia caught Erin\u2019s sleeve.<\/p>\n \u201cErin\u2014who is that?\u201d<\/p>\n She gestured at Saliss. The Drake was grinning ahead, but she had the feeling he was looking at her out of the corner of her eyes. Erin paused. She looked Octavia up and down.<\/p>\n \u201cUm, Saliss Oliwing? Also\u2014Saliss of Lights?\u201d<\/p>\n The copper penny dropped. Octavia nearly bolted out of her chair. Saliss, laughing, waved her back over.<\/p>\n \u201cHi! I\u2019m Saliss!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am a huge<\/em> admirer. I am so sorry I did not recognize you, Honored Saliss. No wait, Sir Saliss\u2014I was hungry, and I was just working on something upstairs and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia stumbled over her words. Saliss winked at her.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fine. Hey, so you\u2019re an [Alchemist]? Erin said she had one. What\u2019s your specialty?\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia gulped. But Erin had already run off. In awe, shaking with nerves, Octavia sat at the bar and tried to answer Saliss\u2019 questions.<\/p>\n Of course she knew him, now she\u2019d remembered. He was a legend<\/em>. Xif, now, Xif was famous. But Saliss was a Named Adventurer<\/em>. He\u2019d fought his way into the ranks of the best with only alchemy. She found herself stammering replies and realizing she was far too rattled to hold up a conversation.<\/p>\n It would have been better if she\u2019d been in ignorance of who he was. Octavia kept biting her lip, hearing her incoherent replies. Saliss was clearly being patient, but he kept glancing about, and she realized she was boring him. Of course she was.<\/p>\n \u201cGreat to meet you, Miss Cotton. But I\u2019m gonna go turn that little Gnoll invisible. Or something. Good luck with your potions!\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss winked at Octavia. The Stitch-Girl gulped. She had to say it.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWait! Master Saliss\u2014is there anything I can do? Anything to\u2014to apprentice under you? I\u2019d settle for cleaning your shop, doing errands! Without even instruction!\u201d<\/p>\n It would be worth it just to see what his shop was like. Saliss paused. He had a familiar look to Xif\u2019s on his face instantly. Octavia knew it was a long shot.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t take apprentices, sorry! The last ones died horribly! So horribly I can\u2019t even tell you how they died! Besides, you\u2019re clothed. I can\u2019t work with that.\u201d<\/p>\n He gestured at Octavia\u2019s clothing, grinning. The Stitch-Girl looked down at herself.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll take my clothes off. Anything you want.\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss blinked.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat, now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia put her fingers under her shirt. She was incredibly serious. Relc\u2019s head slowly swiveled around. Embria looked disgusted as she stomped on her father\u2019s tail.<\/p>\n Some of the other people who\u2019d heard were staring Octavia\u2019s way. But she would absolutely do it. Saliss gave her a long look. Then he grinned and flapped an airy claw.<\/p>\n \u201cNah, I\u2019m fine. Nakedness is a way of life, not a bargaining chip! And I\u2019m naked enough for everyone!\u201d<\/p>\n The Stitch-Girl sagged. But she\u2019d known how that would go. A real master would get every male or female [Alchemist] to strip in a heartbeat to learn from them. Well, Octavia would have hesitated at sexual favors, like some of Nerrhavia\u2019s masters demanded. That was one of the reasons why she\u2019d left. But Saliss of Lights\u2026<\/p>\n The Drake was looking at her in a kindly way, as if he could read her mind. Then he glanced around at the inn.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you came from Celum? Erin caught me up on being banned. What got you going with her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2014well, I owe Erin a lot. She and her friends helped me with my own breakthroughs. I\u2019m not a good [Alchemist]\u2014I owe most of my big discoveries to her.\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia was so deflated she managed a coherent reply. Saliss eyed her. And something lit up in his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cReally? What did you discover?\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia looked up. She thought of her matches and baking soda. But Xif hadn\u2019t been that impressed. Even so\u2014Saliss was looking at her. To prolong that moment she dashed upstairs to her room where her things were stored.<\/p>\n \u201cOoh. What\u2019s this?<\/em> And that?\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss exclaimed as he stared at the match and baking soda. When Octavia lit one he clapped his claws together.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, like a flint! And this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cErin made the bread out of it, actually. It makes it rise.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss had to eat the bread himself. He ate it with some butter, happily, and then investigated the white baking soda. He took a pinch and smacked his lips as he tasted.<\/p>\n \u201cHm. Oh, I know what this is. Trona ore. You\u2019ve cleansed it and done something with it\u2014something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia\u2019s jaw had dropped. In a moment Saliss had found the ingredient it had taken her so long to synthesize from Erin\u2019s description. But then he looked at the matches.<\/p>\n \u201cInteresting. Phosphorus molded with\u2026something. Can I eat this too?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s flammable\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, no. I just want to know if it\u2019s alright with you. I\u2019m just tasting it, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia had to nod. Saliss tasted it.<\/p>\n \u201cCharcoal, obviously. And\u2014I see. You\u2019ve also pasted it on the box. Neat! Hey, these two things aren\u2019t bad!\u201d<\/p>\n The [Alchemist] tried not to glow under Saliss\u2019 praise. But she was also deflated. Saliss could instantly tell what her creations were made of by tasting<\/em> it? The Drake was talking about selling it, now.<\/p>\n \u201cRight, I can see making some of those. The [Engineers] will love the match-thing, and if it makes fluffy bread, the younger [Alchemists] will be making this all day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, if you\u2019d like to, I uh\u2014it would be an honor, coming from your shop, Master Saliss.\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia mumbled. There went her big sales. She\u2019d have to rely on Numbtongue\u2019s findings. And he had to fight monsters to get his jewels.<\/p>\n The Drake, who\u2019d been smiling, paused as he looked sideways at Octavia. And his eyes flickered.<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Hey. You think I\u2019m going to walk off with the recipes?\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia jumped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? No! That is, if a master like you were to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss\u2019 smiled faded. His playful tone vanished. He leaned over and grasped Octavia\u2019s arms, just above the stitching on her elbow. She saw him smile at her, without the teeth.<\/p>\n \u201cCalm down, Miss Octavia. I\u2019m not stealing anything. I don\u2019t steal. This isn\u2019t Nerrhavia. Also, I don\u2019t really need either creation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course. I didn\u2019t mean to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey. I\u2019m not done. And I\u2019m not being mean. Did old Xif come by? Bet he did. Did he try to walk off with the recipes? Don\u2019t answer that. Listen, I\u2019m not stealing it. I\u2019m telling you to sell it.\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia shut up. She looked at Saliss. He nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cSell it to Pallass\u2019 [Alchemists].\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut how\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have<\/em> a Guild. I never attend. Those go \u2018boom\u2019, and most of the good [Alchemists] don\u2019t bother with regular meet ups anyways. But we pass along information and such. We\u2019ll buy the recipe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBuy it?\u201d<\/p>\n Buying a recipe? Octavia had heard of it being done, but [Alchemists] preferred to usually steal each other\u2019s work. That was how it worked in Nerrhavia and Celum. But Saliss was nodding.<\/p>\n \u201cFair\u2019s fair in Pallass. The [Engineers] used to have the same problem, but the Assembly of Crafts passed a law. Original inventions need to be credited\u2014there\u2019s actually a registry of who made what. But in practice, we\u2019ll just pay you once to let us use your recipe and you give us your notes. I\u2019ll run it by Xif and the other [Alchemists] I know; they\u2019ll do the guild paperwork. We like it, we\u2019ll all chip in and the younger ones can get the recipe. Well, we might make them work for it.\u201d<\/p>\n He winked at Octavia. She felt something warm returning to her cloth heart, currently flesh and beating in her chest. Saliss eyed the matches and baking soda.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you say Miss Erin helped you make it? Interesting. Do you have anything else like that? If you do, I\u2019d love to see. Not stealing, again! Just as one [Alchemist] to another.\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia Cotton looked at Saliss. He was the kindliest master of alchemy she\u2019d met. And Octavia Cotton, who had missed friendship for gold and had made bad mistakes before, saw an opportunity. So her mouth took over for her shocked brain.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a room upstairs. With stuff in it!\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cInteresting. Not bad. That\u2019s awful. That\u2019s worse. Nice molds. Are you using them?\u201d<\/p>\n A little while later, Saliss inspected the mess in Octavia\u2019s room. Most of her non-volatile ingredients were piled up, ready to be put into the shop. He was staring at her molds, which had still failed to produce the mysterious penicillin Ryoka and Erin wanted so badly. They were in many colors, and the [Alchemist] poked at a few.<\/p>\n \u201cYou study molds too, Master Saliss?\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia hovered behind him, trying to both not get in the way and instantly provide anything the Drake wanted. The nudist shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I make poisons. You know that one\u2019s really toxic? You should probably keep that away from the kitchens.\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed at a fluffy spore mold. Octavia winced. She had not known. She made a note to never tell Lyonette and dispose of that one.<\/p>\n \u201cSaliss? Octavia? Lyonette said you were up here. Hey.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin appeared as Octavia began telling Saliss about her various mold cultures. That was almost a relief. Erin could take some of the Drake\u2019s attention from Octavia; she felt like her threads were coming undone just talking to him. Erin didn\u2019t seem to realize what a legend<\/em> Saliss was.<\/p>\n But she had some notion. She eyed Saliss and Octavia.<\/p>\n \u201cHey. Um, I just wanted to say thanks, Saliss. For the potions.\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia\u2019s head swiveled around. Potions? Saliss had given Erin potions?<\/em> You couldn\u2019t buy potions made by Saliss of Lights on the open market! When he sold, it was to an exclusive clientele who bid on his goods!<\/p>\n Erin seemed to get all that from Octavia\u2019s bug-eyed stare. And the fact that the Stitch-Girl was resewing an ear onto her head to make sure everything was right. She shuffled her feet as she looked at the Drake.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks for doing it. I know I was bothering you, and uh\u2014I\u2019m being pushy. But I just need things to protect the inn, so I bug people and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, sure, lay it on me. I\u2019m not Xif<\/em>. And I\u2019m currying favor.\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss stretched, yawning. Erin and Octavia looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n The Named Adventurer grinned at Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m currying favor.<\/em> How much do I have? How am I doing? I get points for helping with Mrsha, right? And giving you that ring?\u201d<\/p>\n He indicated the ring on Erin\u2019s fingers. The [Innkeeper] started.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. You did do that. And it\u2019s\u2014expensive?\u201d<\/p>\n She saw Octavia\u2019s expression. Erin looked at Saliss.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Very expensive? Why are you doing this?\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss of Lights went for a shrug. Then he eyed Erin and smiled. And it was an enigmatic smile, different from all his grins and taunting smirks.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause you have something I want. And this place looks really entertaining. Say, I\u2019ll trade you a really nice potion for a faerie flower.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin blinked at the sudden offer. She bit her lip, staring at the ring.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I\u2014sorry. Look, I can think about\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay. How about four potions? Of invisibility?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin froze.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss spoke over her.<\/p>\n \u201cEight potions.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin and Octavia traded glances. The Drake pursed his lips.<\/p>\n \u201cSixteen? Blast potions, poison gas clouds. The arsenal I use. How about it?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin hesitated. She looked at Saliss. And Octavia saw her mind racing. She was screaming \u2018yes, give him the flowers for that!\u2019<\/em> But Erin hesitated.<\/p>\n She could be incredibly stubborn, Octavia knew. Beyond stubborn. And Saliss\u2014knew it. Because he laughed and slapped Octavia on the shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not working. See, Miss Cotton? I knew it wouldn\u2019t work. I\u2019ll have to try another way. Maybe begging. I\u2019m good at that.\u201d<\/p>\n He winked at her. Erin looked at Saliss. He returned her gaze.<\/p>\n \u201cBear in mind it\u2019s not that expensive for me, Miss Erin. And I just gave you the ring to bother old Chaldion and Grimalkin. Chocolate for the potions. You don\u2019t owe me. Yet. But I hope you\u2019ll look kindly on an impoverished [Alchemist]\u2014wait, I\u2019m rich. Well, I hope you keep entertaining me and giving me the occasional nice thing.\u201d<\/p>\n He winked at Erin. And the [Innkeeper] nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI uh\u2014no. No, you really did\u2014thank you. I\u2019m\u2026no, thanks. There\u2019s just this thing with the flowers and\u2014I\u2019m sorry. But also, thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n She looked\u2026embarrassed. Which was a new look for her. Octavia stared as Erin backed away, turning red. And Saliss just laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fine! Uh oh, she\u2019s running.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned back to Octavia, as if vanquishing Erin Solstice was nothing in particular. She stared at him in awe as he leaned against her wall.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a heck of an inn, isn\u2019t it? I knew that the instant I saw Erin Solstice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia was certain of that. The Drake nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cA magical garden. The door. A white Gnoll, oh, a few more interesting things here and there\u2026and she wonders why I take an interest. Well, I like it. And she also has stuff that really interests me. Why shouldn\u2019t I appear?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at Octavia, but the soliloquy had been meant for more than just her, she felt. Then he nodded, slowly. And his eyes were sharp on the Stitch-Girl\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me give you some advice, Octavia. There\u2019s no real secret to success that I figured out. I experiment, blow stuff up, nearly die, and count my gold pieces like every other [Alchemist]. But the key to alchemy is new ingredients. Rare things. And when you find something rare? Something unique? You go after it.\u201d<\/p>\n He paused. Octavia\u2019s heart was beating fast as Saliss looked around Octavia\u2019s room. He smiled again.<\/p>\n \u201cXif came here. I know he did. But that old Gnoll made one mistake. He thought Erin only had one special thing. And he\u2019s hung around Drakes too long. He\u2019s a bit greedy; looks at costs and gains. He\u2019s better at being a Drake than I am. Well\u2014so are most people. Your [Princess], for one.\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled and winked. Octavia was nodding, then she paused.<\/p>\n \u201cMy what?\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss paused. His calm smile flickered, and then reappeared.<\/p>\n \u201c[Princess]? You know, your\u2026slightly stuck up Human who loves gold and bossing people about? Sorry, Drake joke about Humans.\u201d<\/p>\n He laughed, lightly, and Octavia laughed too, embarrassed.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, right. Sorry. I\u2019m from Chandrar; we have royalty too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight, right.\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake relaxed slightly as Octavia nodded, her expression clearing. He sighed, and then fixed Octavia with a sudden, quick look.<\/p>\n \u201cTell you what, Miss Octavia. I have a recipe for an invisibility potion, which always<\/em> sells. It eats ruby dust like nothing else, but I see you have access to gemstones. And I\u2019ve got other gem-based recipes. I\u2019ll share my notes if you match it. Deal?\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia\u2019s eyes went wide. Saliss went on, looking at her.<\/p>\n \u201cI like to gamble. And I just bet Xif played his paw far too early. If Erin\u2019s got a flower