Chapter 37 - Curtain Call
I wasn't sure how to feel as I was losing consciousness. On one brutally cut and bleeding hand, I felt like I'd resolved a serious crisis. On the other five-fingered world of pain, I wasn't sure my new wife should be alone right now. It quickly became evident that how I felt wasn't going to stop me from going under. I think I managed a frustrated sigh before I felt the sensation of falling.
Karisa. I knew the name still bothered me on some level. But this was not going to be something I could just push under the rug by using a nickname with her for the rest of my life. It wouldn't be fair to either of us to pretend like she was someone else. But then...who was she, really?
The last thing she'd said was enough to confirm that Risa was certainly in there, but how far did that go? I made a decision that I wasn't going to speculate. It meant breaking my rule about never giving someone a chance to stab me in the back twice, but after climbing to the top of this ridiculously craggy mountain, I'd be damned if I was just going to lie down and die after just seeing the view once.
However strange this might have been, I was also going to hold off on diving into a crippling depression until I knew exactly what to expect from Karisa. Even though she'd agreed to it, I still couldn't force myself to feel right calling her "Risa". Maybe that would change in time, and at least I couldn't imagine a better time to start being hopeful than on the day of my own wedding.
What I actually knew was a pitiful shadow in the wake of what I didn't know. Even with so many questions answered, I felt like the larger secrets hadn't even been touched. After this last excursion into the strange, I wasn't even certain I wanted to go digging for the answers.
"Son of a bitch," I managed to spit out as my first classy words upon coming awake and finding that I couldn't see. About to will the entire world into a cinder, I was able to check my rage as a cloth was pulled from my eyes to reveal the light.
Looking down at me, as so often was the case in my apparent fainting goat life, were the two most comfortably familiar sets of eyes I'd ever encountered.
"I hate to ask this, but how long was I out?" I ventured, fully expecting to find that I'd been asleep an entire decade this time.
"Only about an hour. You merely fainted from blood loss," Del said as she examined me.
"Where am I?" I asked, seeing an unfamiliar ceiling and a sterile looking white room besides.
"This is the best apothecary Karisa was able to locate," Del added as she moved across the room to investigate a few medical texts that sat upon a nearby shelf.
Looking extremely guilty as she sat next to me on the bed, Karisa opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out as she looked away.
"Alright," I began as I slid myself up into a seated position, "We should talk."
Wiping away what might have been a renegade teardrop, Karisa turned back to me and started speaking, "I know you can't forgive me, that I'm not the woman you want, that you've had nothing but pain as a result of me, and I know that-"
I cut her off with a word, "Stop."
"O-okay?"
"Those are all really big choices to have made for me while I was out for a damn hour. There is, however, a far FAR more important thing that we need to handle before we get to any of that."
"This is about the-" she began again, looking flustered.
"I want food...and not oatmeal. I want a steak, some good wine, and...I don't know...some kind of green vegetable that isn't going to have me drooling for sex."
"But what about-" she started before I cut her off again, giggling to myself as I did so.
"I'm also going to need you to do something for me, Karisa," I said, trying out the name on my tongue.
"Anything," she answered.
"Don't bullshit me. You're still wearing that necklace and we both know you're not okay with just walking away from all of this," I said with a smirk as I gestured suggestively to my slight form, even paler than normal from the blood loss.
She finally smiled for just an instant before she almost tackled me in a hug. I was actually rather surprised at how composed she was compared to the hysterics in which she'd been wallowing before I passed out.
Returning her warm embrace, I finally saw that my hands had been well-bandaged and didn't seem to hurt at all. Far more interesting to me, however, was how very right this felt. Her scent, the perfect fit of her slender body against mine, and the endearing swish of her fluffy tail in response to running my unbandaged thumb over her sensitive ears, all felt like the girl I'd fallen for in the first place.
"So, really...is there some place we can go eat?" I asked.
Releasing her grip and sitting back, she thought for a moment before responding, "Well, there is a place where the nobles like to flaunt their men. They have an outworlder chef there that I've heard can make food that tastes exactly like the food from...the other world."
"Why am I just hearing about this now? You know how tired I am of oatmeal?!"
"Well, it's expensive! And you never complained before…"
Jumping up from the bed, and almost instantly regretting the speed with which I had done so, I wobbled on my feet a bit before catching myself on Karisa's shoulder.
"So what are we waiting for?" I asked, no longer feeling like I was going to black out.
"With the three of us...um...there's one catch," Karisa said as she lowered her eyes.
"There is no problem," Del said as she walked back over to us, "I shall have something waiting for you back at your childhood home-I assume you still own it?"
"Wait, are you sure, Del?" Karisa asked.
"Yes, I am certain. I need to get some things ready before I depart."
Not entirely convinced I'd heard her correctly, I looked at Del to see her avoiding my gaze.
"Wait, what do you mean 'before I depart'?" I asked.
"There are dangerous things to which I must attend, and I have delayed too long already."
"Hold up, why are you just mentioning this now? Did something happen?" I asked.
"It would put you in danger to explain, Joe."
"Damn it, Del! You said you'd start explaining things after the wedding...not that you'd leave."
Seeing my anger, Del simply kept her eyes averted, "I...should not be gone long. You two have much to discuss as well, and I'd simply be a hindrance-"
As Del said that, I felt Karisa press something into the palm of my hand. Looking to her face for confirmation of what I was seeing, she simply smiled and gave me a light shove in Del's direction, interrupting the lich as she was forced to catch my weakened form.
"The 'catch', Del, is that you aren't properly dressed to come with us," Karisa said with a grin.
"I see, you expect me to wear that horrid dress that-"
Looking down again at what Karisa had handed me, I saw a necklace that looked identical to the one that Karisa now wore. Interrupting Del's coming exposition on how much she hated that dress, I took a deep breath before I reached up and snapped the necklace on her, the clasp locking tightly with a satisfying 'click'. I left my hands on her shoulders as I looked at her shifting expression, hoping for a smile.
"Okay, so...technically, I lied," Karisa said with a sheepish grin before continuing, "I wanted to be sure, so a few days ago I did some digging. I found that there is a precedent within the labyrinthine Alnor bureaucratic by-laws for two-and possibly more-monsters sharing the same husband if one, or more, is...unable to bear offspring."
Seemingly in shock at this turn, Del responded, "But I signed the document as a witness! You couldn't have forged my mark upon a mystical document!"
"And...maybe that document didn't technically say 'witness' on the line you signed...perhaps your eyes were...playing tricks on you?"
"This is...you tricked me...again. This is…" Del's voice trailed off as she simply pressed herself against me in silence.
"I'm sorry, Del. If I'm being completely honest, even now it's like I've been losing chunks of time and I...didn't think I'd make it through that ceremony, so I drew up the marriage contract to make sure that at least nobody could take him from you…Isn't this better?"
Seemingly hesitant to speak, Del finally replied, her words coming across almost as a mumble as she said them with her face pressed against my chest, "Oh, this-Yes, this...is better. I continue to misjudge you, Karisa. I promise that it will not happen again."
Feeling like my stomach was going to turn itself inside-out from hunger, and determined to somehow squeeze some happiness out of this day for my TWO new wives, I spoke up, "So maybe we all go check out this eatery, and we can talk things over before any of us go off on dangerous quests alone?"
"I feel like I haven't eaten in ages," Karisa replied as she took a step towards the door.
"I will accompany the two of you if-" she paused before continuing in a whisper colored with an edge of disbelief, "-if my husband wishes it."
"He totally does," I said with certainty as I grabbed her hand and pulled her with me.
As the two of them damn near carried me across town to a very fine area of the city, not far from the Lord's dwelling, I finally got a chance to really take in the beauty of the town, well...part of it. Apparently it is almost impossible to get anywhere in Alnor without somehow navigating through the (in)famous brothel district. That...was certainly a new experience.
A garishly dressed man, naked from the waist down, was the first to call out to us, "Good day, ladies! Why not bring those clearly underused bodies just inside? We guarantee a...filling experience!"
"Hey, fuck you, pal!" I shouted defensively.
"Gasp! (yes, he actually said "gasp") Such language. Why don't you lose that portal rat in the gutter in which you found him and we'll show you how a man truly uses his mouth."
"Joe, just ignore them," Karisa whispered to me as she and Del continued to drag me down the street.
"But, he's-!"
"A merchant," Karisa interrupted, adding, "nobody actually listens to them."
Del looked, to my suddenly jealous eyes, like she was considering some of the shouted propositions, prompting me to make the wisest decision I'd made in at least four minutes. Taking a deep breath, I shouted back at one of the whores, "These are MY wives, and they'll be busy with ME for the next two days!"
I was already breaking that statement down into pieces to illustrate to myself just what went wrong before the words had even finished leaving my mouth. I imagined a dry-erase board with John Madden detailing just how, exactly, the whole thing had fallen apart, with lines and exclamations of "boom!" at various intervals.
"That's a rather ambitious claim, Joe," Del said as she looked up at me with an obvious smirk.
"Two days, with both of us?" Karisa asked.
Not about to let sense take the wheel back from the stupidity that had fought so hard to seize it, I doubled down, loudly enough that the nearby whores could hear me "Fine! How about three days? Shouldn't be a problem if you keep me fed!"
With a giggle that grew and expanded into a full body laugh, Karisa tried to respond but fell back into a fit each time she tried to speak.
Del was able to remain a bit more composed, as she said with a devious smile, "As you wish, my love. However much hilarity is to be had from just how far your reach exceeds your grasp, and your grasp exceeds your nerve, I will make certain that you are given the full measure of our attention to deliver on that boast."
Well, shit. There goes three days. Awesome.
"At least I'll get a chance to eat soon," I thought to myself a short while later as we walked into a very fancy-looking building.
Greeting us at the door, a very small elfin-looking girl dressed in a shimmering gown, with bright purple hair, rapidly fluttering wings, and an absolutely radiant smile, gave a polite bow as she hovered at eye level. "Welcome to the Winter Court Bistro. I assume you have made a reservation?"
Taking a quick look into the crowded dining area, Karisa replied, "We have not, young miss. I do have fifty-"
The faerie-looking girl started shaking her head before Karisa had even finished.
"A hundred-"
Stopping Karisa again with a shake of her head, the hostess spoke up, "Miss, this is a high class establishment…"
Leaning over to Del I whispered, "Yeah, this is where she tries to paint sucking me off in the corner as just the sort of thing a high-class establishment like this demands…"
Scowling at me slightly as she heard my too-loud whispering, the fairy replied, "While that might have been an acceptable payment, you'll have to show me something more...interesting for your rudeness."
"Cuir mo leithscéal botún" I said, taking a shot in the dark, as I called on all seventeen wasted hours with my Irish Gaelic Rosetta Stone program, to attempt an apology in a way that I hoped might pique her interest.
Her face brightened immediately as it seemed she had picked up on what I'd said, even through the translation spell (and what was probably horribly incorrect pronunciation as well). Turning away slightly as she chewed a finger in thought, she finally came back around with a wide smile. Now acting like an overly shy child, she lowered her chin and looked up at me through fluttering eyelashes, "I can't get you a table just because you speak the old high tongue," she began before looking directly at me and adding, "But there's one tiny thing you could do for me."
I was starting to feel warm, not unlike how I'd felt in that church when the ringleader of the imps had been around. There was simply no way that this fairy was this cute when I walked in here.
Feeling in a bit of a daze, I responded, "What's that?"
"Could you…" she began before stopping with an embarrassed giggle, "Would you let me touch it just once?"
"You little-!" Karisa began before I cut her off.
Inexplicably drawn forward, I answered, "Just once."
I couldn't believe I'd just said that. I laughed inwardly at what must have been some magical effect working me over, and again as I pictured my headstone, engraved, as a final slap in the face, to say, "Just once."
To my unexpectedly overwhelming delight, she let out a loud giggle that drew looks from some of the other patrons as she seductively floated over to me and then...began rubbing her face on the cloth and scales that adorned my shoulder.
"Oooh, it's like there's love in every single stitch," she said with a slight shudder, adding, "to be wrapped in something so beautifully crafted...Heee."
I was more confused than anything else as the strange mental effect seemed to break the moment she touched me. Was she really getting turned on by the outfit Selvirin had made for me? As I tried to figure out how that could possibly be arousing, she abruptly broke off and regained her dignified demeanor.
"This way please, I believe a table has just opened up."
"See?" I said to the scowls of my companions as we were seated near the edge of the large, open dining area, "It was totally fine."
While Karisa just seemed to be understandably pissed at the exchange, Del seemed more interested as she remarked, "I had heard that such beings existed, but this is my first time actually seeing one."
"So she's more special than just...'special'?"
"I believe she takes some form of sustenance from works of art."
"Sounds like an unseelie-wait. What did she say this place was called?"
"The Winter Court Bistro!" a very jovial man interjected as he came up to the table.
Looking up to the source of the voice, I saw an extremely attractive, well-toned, golden-haired man looking down at me with a smile. He was dressed in an outfit that would strain credibility to see him called anything other than "chef".
"Yeah, I thought so...are you the chef?" I asked, suddenly worried how relevant my knowledge on old folk tales might be.
"That I am, and you are the first guests to successfully get Aeval off my back. This whole meal is on me-whatever you and your ladies would like."
"You're serious? All I did was apologize in some broken-ass Gaelic and let her rub herself on my outfit."
"I don't know, man...she's weird," he answered as he looked away nervously, adding, "She's out back taking care of herself for a change, not to mention she's not at all my type…"
"Oh? She seemed cute enough. You don't like your mates in travel size?" I asked.
"Or female," he added with a grimace, "So...welcome to my hell, I suppose. But enough bitching-what are you fine folks in the mood for?"
"Well, my wife tells me that you can almost perfectly cater to the...outworlder palate."
"Oh ho!" he said in response, his smile returning, "I can do exactly that. Something I have to actually thank Aeval for...she managed to get me into pursuing my passion, which makes the...rest easier to deal with. I own two wine cellars, and I've personally mixed over a dozen different blends that'll perfectly pair perfectly with whatever you might be in the mood to eat. And as for the food, well...I've been doing this for almost ten years so you'll just have to trust me that if you close your eyes, you'll think you're back home."
"So what CAN you make?" I asked, probably already drooling at the thought of jamming down anything edible."
"Try me," he said as he crossed his arms.
I didn't even have to think, nearly jumping out of my chair to ask, "How close can you get to a bone-in ribeye?"
"Close enough you'll still hear the moo. How you want that cooked?" He said with a smirk, almost as if he was testing me.
"Run it through a warm room."
"I knew I liked you," he said as he adjusted his apron, "And for the beautiful young Danuki?" he said with a slight bow in Karisa's direction.
Knocked from what looked like a self-conscious reverie, Karisa answered, "The same...and some wine."
"Splendid. And…" he hesitated as he looked down at Del.
"I...am not certain. It should not be a problem to consume food, but I have not done so in several hundred years."
"Do you remember liking anything from...before?" I asked, not entirely sure how to phrase that question.
"The last thing I can remember enjoying was roasted goat, with dates and barley paste."
Making a friendly nod, the chef smiled and replied, "I should be able to get pretty damn close, just give me a bit. I'll bring out some wine in the meantime. I'm Patrick, by the way. Give me a shout if you need anything," he said as he disappeared for a moment, returning with two bottles of wine and some glasses before vanishing towards the kitchen.
"Through pain comes art," I thought as I took my first tentative sip of the wine, realizing the moment it touched my tongue that it was easily the best wine I'd ever tasted. I smiled to see Karisa light up with a smile as she seemed to have a similar reaction.
"Okay," I began between sips of the wine, "One thing at a time. Del, what's going on?"
"I had hoped I would never need speak of this again, but I no longer feel comfortable keeping this from you entirely," Del said as she locked her eyes on me, possibly to ascertain that I truly wanted to hear what she was about to say.
With a nod, I met her gaze in the hope of reassuring her that she didn't have anything about which she need worry.
"This began about 4,400 years ago when an inspired visionary dreamed of a utopia for human and mamono alike. That dream was Blacksky. I was called in to advise and assist on the construction of a technomagical marvel that would act as the core of the city. You've actually seen the broken remains of that project within the Elysian Valley."
Despite her trepidation, Del seemed to be almost relieved to be telling us this story. As the wine started to relax my muscles, I leaned forward with an intense interest in Del's tale.
"You mean that church?" I asked.
"Yes, that was the topside focusing mechanism with a larger component below ground. The city was built to exist simultaneously above and below ground. The system we designed was made to greatly lessen the flow of demonic energy below ground and channel it to the areas on the surface."
"Why would you do something like that?" Karisa asked, suddenly interested as well.
"The goal was to create a city within which even demons could live comfortably. And despite what you might assume, it was working. Within only fifty years there were nearly a thousand residents and the city was growing extremely quickly."
"Del, this...is actually totally awesome, and I want to hear the whole story later, but what does this have to do with you leaving?" I asked, too worried about Del to be interested in the history lesson.
"It should suffice to say that a great cataclysm was unleashed within the city. The rest of the small council and I sealed the doorway to the undercity in the hope that it would remain buried forever. But just as I told Miranda, destruction is far easier than creation. The barrier was shattered by someone ignorant of the danger that dwells within."
"What does your sister have to do with this?"
With a sigh, Del shifted uncomfortably in her seat before replying, "She had nothing to do with it until she found my simulacrum as I was investigating the broken seal. When that barrier was broken, it was as if the entire land took a deep breath and exhaled death. Any practiced necromancer on the island would have felt it, and it's impossible to say how many others would be interested in trying to plumb the depths of the broken city for the wealth of magical knowledge that remains in the archives."
"There has to be something you aren't telling me. If you were just trying to reseal it, you would have just told me. It feels like you must have something else hidden down there."
"Many things. Aside from the potential horde of interested parties heading for the ruins, the two most troubling things are that it is where the rest of me remains sealed, and that someone will now be looking to...meet with me."
"Wait...what do you mean 'the rest of you'"? I asked.
"Joe. You told me that your feelings about me would not change no matter what you learned of me."
"And I meant it," I said without flinching.
"I...want you to forget you ever said such a foolish thing. Even if you truly believe it in this moment, my soul could not bear the weight of discovering that you had been mistaken."
I was silent a moment. I looked at Karisa and realized with shame that I still hadn't settled my feelings on her particular matter. I couldn't know what I'd really find in Del's past if I dug deeply enough, or even if she'd be the same person once this matter was put to rest.
Seeing my hesitation, Del actually smiled in relief, "I am pleased to see your oversold bluster of the day starts and ends with the misguided attempt at one upmanship with a whore in the street."
"But Del, I really-"
"I have a compromise," she said, gracefully cutting my statement short. "Too many things have lined up to bring this event to pass that I believe a hand must be guiding it, of fate or something more corporeal, I can't be certain. If my prediction is correct, you will have your chance to decide if your feelings remain once the truth has been revealed to you. I ask only that you wait until such time to make your decision."
"You make it sound so grave. What if-and this is a big 'if'-I can't handle it?"
"I will go or stay as you please."
"Del...I don't own you."
"You are free to believe that, Joe."
Did she really feel that way? That made less than no sense to me. What's so special about me? I guess, on some level, that meant that I could have pressed her for more information. Thankfully, however, I was saved from any of the thousands of inglorious things I could have said in response to that by the timely arrival of the chef personally bringing our our food.
I wanted to cry to see the feast that had been laid before me. I was so hungry that I would have thrown myself at the plate even if the chef had told me that it was soylent green. This, however, looked like the largest piece of steak I'd ever seen served. I tore into the succulent flesh like a man possessed, getting some notion of the taste somewhere around the tenth bite. The chef did not disappoint.
"I take it that you enjoy it?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"Mmmf narfn. Urh uhn," I said, barely acknowledging his presence.
"Sure thing, and anything else for you fine ladies?"
Del just shook her head as she very carefully took tiny bites, seeming to take her time to savor the flavor. This was the first time I'd ever seen her eat anything that wasn't...well...me, and I actually enjoyed seeing her analyze every bite.
"This is really good, and just...unlike anything I've ever had before," Karisa said, looking dumbfounded at the mix of spices Patrick had used as some kind of rub.
"It's a bit too complex for most of you folk, honestly. Mamono, I mean. I think your tastes are more sensitive. Most of the nobles only eat here because we're considered a high-class establishment. No offense to you two ladies, but you don't fit the profile of our normal guests."
"This is a special occasion. We were just...married earlier today," Karisa said as her eyes seemed to shift about nervously.
"Congratulations! Now I feel even...better about this meal being on the house. Well, I'd better get back to the kitchen before someone burns the place down. Let me know if you need anything else," Patrick said as he left, hesitating a moment as he did so.
After I'd finished the majority of the meal, I took a long pull from my wine glass and looked at Karisa. I'd been avoiding this, but it was time to get some answers.
"Karisa," I began.
Taking several large gulps of wine, she refilled her glass to the brim before answering with a nervous sigh, "I'm ready...what do you want to know?"
"There are a lot of things I don't get and, to be honest, I have a lot of really weird questions."
"I'll answer everything I can. But...there are some things that aren't making sense to me too."
We'd already finished both bottles of wine, and before I could even think about imposing on Patrick for another, he deftly passed by on his way to another table leaving two more bottles. This was going to be an interesting evening.
"Alright, so...tell me what happened after that first wedding."
"I don't honestly remember, exactly. I was seeing the whole world in grey from the moment I walked into the hall. It wasn't supposed to happen like that at all," she said as she looked at her wine with a frustrated stare.
"What do you mean?"
"I know what you saw me with my sisters and...it wasn't as bad as it seemed. Well...I guess...I mean that I'd gotten so used to it that they were the last thing on my mind when I went to the wedding. It's going to sound really immature, and it was, but I went there just to make a big scene. I wanted to make trouble for lady Ajora in front of all her noble guests. That scene in the bar before the wedding? The only thing I really processed was that they were going to get rid of Gabriel…"
"So, about Gabriel," I started again.
"Gabriel Michael Weathersby, he said. He'd been in my life almost as far back as I could remember. But we're getting off track here," she paused for a moment in thought before continuing with a small nod, "But, anyway, that's where everything got fuzzy. What you saw is what I remember but...I didn't feel like I was in control at all."
"That makes me feel a bit better," I said with a little smile, "But how did nobody else notice while everything was going on? Can you use glamour to affect so many people at once?"
"Not a chance," she said with certainty, "The most I'd ever been able to get to that point was 8, I could maybe get 12 or so now if I really pushed it. A glamour of that scale would take someone of phenomenal power or a group of people working in tandem. I know she was powerful, but I don't think even someone as powerful as Ajora could have pulled that off."
"Is it possible that everything you saw and experienced was the illusion?" Del asked.
Turning to look at Del angrily, her looked changed to one of serenity as Karisa truly considered that thought for what seemed to be the first time.
"I...don't think that's right. I'm not sure why. I feel like...I should feel guilty for what happened there," Karisa said as a strange mix of emotions seemed to come over her in waves.
This was just getting more confusing, and I was already getting away from the reason I wanted to ask my questions in the first place. Absentmindedly taking a few more bites of food, I went back to my investigation.
"So what's the first thing you remember after the event?"
"I was purchasing my cart and provisions for a trading trip to Kioko. Thinking on it now, it didn't make a lick of sense, but I just didn't see it. I don't know where he came from, but I had 'Mike' with me at that point. I remember that I met him on the road...but...I don't actually remember meeting him on the road. It was like I'd read it in a book. I wasn't in a position to doubt my own thoughts...and he just felt so comfortably familiar...so…" she started to tear up at this point.
"It's okay if you want to stop-"
"No. I need to accept all of this. I took him with me and I...had him as though he had always been mine. A lot of it is a blur...I know what I told you before about MY wedding is completely false. It was like I was starting to slowly realize what I was doing or that I wasn't the only person in my head...so after about 6 months on the road, we made it back to Alnor and I knew I had to hide him."
"So then…" I began, not sure what I was even going to ask.
No longer fighting tears, Karisa continued, "Even though I know I hid him-told him to run if he ever saw me again, I...felt like he'd been stolen from me. That was when I started seeing my sisters again, but after the first meeting...they seemed completely different."
"Wait wait, what do you mean 'first meeting'? Did something change?"
Closing her eyes for a moment as if she was trying to remember something, she continued, "It...felt wrong before, but when I think about it now...Okay, so I was restocking for another trip, and I'd made enough to buy a warehouse of sorts. I'd made some amazing profits, but then there was a fire and…"
I realized something in that moment, spitting it out before the thought escaped, "Risa, you still have your ledgers, right? Pull them out."
"Oh, okay," she said, almost shocked when I'd used that name.
As she reached down into her bag, the look on her face seemed to morph back and forth through a dozen different emotions. With an almost growing desperation, she threw the first ledger open and started running her eyes down the page, scanning the many entries. I slid myself over next to her to watch as she went through the items again as she seemed to be silently mouthing each item to herself as she read it and tried to remember each transaction.
"No...this isn't right," she said as she ran her hands through her hair, scratching at her head in confusion.
"What do you see?"
"I told you before that these prices just kept going up...that isn't true at all. These prices are absolutely fine...but these items are all wrong. This is-"
I cut her off, asking, "Where did I fall into your cart?"
"It's here," she said pointing to an item on the list.
"Prisoner Fruit (ruined by asshole) - 2200g loss"
"What the fuck is this?" I asked.
"I'm sorry, I was...just really pissed about-"
"No no no, I was an asshole. That's the only loss you recorded, but I know damn well I was covered in something black."
"Kraken ink," Del added with a slight smile, "You still had the stains on what was left of your clothes when I found you."
"You...you're right. I wouldn't have had any prisoner fruit yet, I normally bought it in Charisse because the potency was always better, but I hadn't gone into the desert yet on that trip. And I wouldn't have paid that much for prisoner fruit even if I'd been drugged to desire nothing but prisoner fruit. What's...going on here?"
Karisa started looking like she might lose her nerve again-certainly the last thing we needed to happen in a crowded restaurant. Del placed a calming hand on her shoulder and smiled.
"There is no need to be upset, Karisa. I see," Del said as she leaned towards the ledger, getting a clear look at the inside for the first time, "We should leave before you two get any more inebriated."
"Wait Del, I think we're on to-"
"We're leaving. Now," Del said with a frightening authority.
"I feel a little strange leaving without paying," Karisa said sheepishly, back to herself.
"We aren't. Leave a gold piece," I said.
"That almost seems like an insult."
"Well, I'm not taking any chances on receiving a 'gift' from a place run, at least in part, by a faerie."
As we made our way out, I heard an angry female voice shout something I couldn't quite make out followed by Patrick's response, "Ha! I told you, you bitch."
Looking back I saw him smile and wave as he seemed to happily toss and catch the coin we'd left him.
Allowing the copious amounts of wine coursing through my system to efficiently destroy any associated worries about what that exchange could have meant, Karisa and I were nearly dragged by Del into a nearby alleyway.
"Del, what's going on?" I asked.
"I find it comical that Risa's false threat outside of the Elysian Valley to burn this ledger to ash would have saved us many months of grief."
"I'm completely lost here."
"You don't remember? She said that those ledgers are almost as much a part of her as my phylactery is a part of me. I never considered that she might have been being honest in that declaration. It also seems that we've found one of the missing pieces of this little puzzle. Turn to the final page in that ledger, Karisa," Del commanded.
Holding the ledger up for Del's inspection, Karisa answered, "It's completely blank...I normally leave the last page...wait, do I?"
"Joe, hold on to her. She is going to find this to be exceptionally painful," Del said as she reached out to the ledger and violently tore the blank page from the book.
As Del grabbed the page, Karisa started to struggle in my grasp. I wasn't going to be able to hold her for long, but Del didn't even hesitate. Almost moving in slow-motion, the tear in the parchment drew down the page until the sound of tearing parchment transformed into a scream that was echoed in Karisa.
There was a bright blue flash and I was thrown to the ground, temporarily dazed. After a moment, I heard an unfamiliar voice ask in a whining tone, "Oh come on! You couldn't have waited until after the three-day romp?"