I'm back from the good old state of California, I've beaten SPM for the fourth time and I'm completely rejuvenated! I'm glad you guys stood by me… it makes me happy knowing I make other people happy.
"The Count's been gone an awful long time," said Mimi. She was lying on her back with her legs up against the wall, tossing a rock up at the ceiling and letting it fall back next to her. "I hope everything's going okay."
"I'm sure it is," said Nastasia. "The Count is a wonderful negotiator. I wouldn't be surprised if he was able to get that Nawrocki out of the castle for nothing but a dead fish."
"'E'd better get back soon," O'Chunks growled as he paced back and forth by the bars. "I can't take bein' cooped up in 'ere much longer. Ah tell yeh, I'll go stark crazy innere!"
"Excuse me," said Dimentio nonchalantly, "but aren't you going to use those powerful muscles of yours to pry open the bars like… something funny that you pry open."
"Out of ideas?"
"Yes, I believe that I am."
"Well, 'ahm sorry teh hear that."
The door to the dungeon opened and Nawrocki entered with Count Bleck and two Yaridoviches.
"Bonsoir, y'all," said Nawrocki cheerfully.
"Have you come to an agreement?" asked Nastasia hopefully.
"We're about to find out," he replied.
"What do you mean?"
"We had some real tough negotiations," said Nawrocki. "But he finally appealed to my sense of efficiency and my sense of chivalry."
"…What do you mean?"
"If you let me finish, I'll tell you."
"Sorry."
Nawrocki walked to the middle of the room and surveyed the two cells. "My production quotas are way, way down because it's only me, and I've got this other side project going on… and it pains me so much to think of you lovely ladies rotting down here in the dungeon."
Nastasia sneered.
"His words, not mine," said Count Bleck.
"I'd absolutely love to let all of you go free," Nawrocki continued, "as long as all of the men agree to stay here and work in my factory."
"What?" Mr. L jumped up. "No way! I'm not going to work for a two-bit scumbag with chloroplasts!"
"Don't you go dragging cellular structure into this!" Nawrocki shot back.
"You can't be serious, Count!"
"I'm afraid I am." He turned to Nawrocki. "May I please explain my reasoning to them?"
"Absolutely. I can't make this deal unless they all agree."
"Thank you." Count Bleck walked up to the cell. "My friends, my loyal minions, there is nothing that can be done as long as we are all trapped in here." He nodded to the bent bars. "And there is no way out from the inside. I believe the freedom of some of us is worth the imprisonment of others."
"But workin' in 'is factory?" O'Chunks was doubtful. "This ain't exactly what yeh 'ad in mind when yeh said yeh'd be buildin' a better world o' hope and such."
"I know that, but even so, we would be in a better position then than we are now."
"It's cute how he's so optimistic," said Nawrocki to the woman's cell.
"Don't talk to me," said Mimi.
"Blumiere, don't do this!" cried Tippi. "I can't bear to leave here knowing you'd be trapped in his awful death factory!"
"If I'm all right with imprisonment, you should be all right with freedom, replied Count Bleck confidently. Please accept this freedom and use it the best you can."
"Yeah, but Count—" began Nastasia.
"That is an order, Nastasia."
She stopped, and then swallowed. "Yeah. All right, Count."
"If Nassy's wantin' to go free, then I can't in good 'eart keep 'er from it by makin' waves. I'll stay too, Count." O'Chunks straightened up proudly. "It'd be an honor."
"That's good."
"I'm already outvoted, so I'll just agree anyway," said Mr. L.
"Good old spineless Mr. L," said Dimentio cheerfully. "We can always count on you to go with the flow."
"What about you, Dimentio?" asked Count Bleck. "Do you agree to these terms?"
"Why, of course I do. Far be it from me to deny any of my good friends the happiness this agreement would give them."
Count Bleck was suspicious, but he didn't say anything.
"Are we all in agreement, then?" asked Nawrocki. "Any stragglers? Miss Tippi?"
"… I guess I agree. Yes, I agree." Tippi's voice was shaky, but she spoke more firmly than expected.
There was a murmur of consensus.
"Now, there's one more thing you should know before we agree on it," Nawrocki continued. "You see, an agreement with a magic user like me is completely binding. You will not be able to break it. Well, maybe you could, but you'd die if you succeeded. So don't go thinking you can lie to me, because you can't. And I don't mean bad-guy arrogance you can't. You just try and break my agreement and you'll see. And the agreement is this: I will allow the women to go free if the men stay behind to work in my factory under my command. Clear cut and dry. Will you shake on it?"
"Yes, said Count Bleck."
"Very well."
Nawrocki extended a large front leaf and Count Bleck took it in his glove. They shook hands, and a blue glow surrounded their forearm area until they let go. The doors of the cells swung open. The deal was made.
"I feel as if I've just made a deal with the devil," said Count Bleck.
"Yeah, I get that a lot."
Tippi flew out of her small cage up to Count Bleck. "Blumiere, I can't do this! I can't leave you!"
"You already agreed to it," he replied sadly.
"I know, but… I just can't bear it!"
"Timpani, my love, if we remain trapped here, we can never be together. Now we at least have a chance. Remember what I said, in order to be together we might have to be apart. Even when I thought you were lost from me forever, you were still in my heart and mind. Now that I know you're alive and even where you are, how can that be any harder than what we've already suffered?"
Tippi didn't answer as the words sunk in.
"Aw, dat's shooo shweet," said Nawrocki. "Dere in wuv." He wiped a tear from his eye.
O'Chunks walked up to Nastasia and nodded. "I know yeh don't feel that way 'bout me… but I'll do whatever I can teh protect yeh from in 'ere."
"Oh, O'Chunks…" Nastasia threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around him. "You're such a dear, sweet tank of a man. Thank you."
O'Chunks went red. "Uh… yeah, then… I'll just be, ah…"
Mimi scooped up Félicie and looked around. "Dimentio, can I give you a goodbye hug?" she asked.
"Oh, of course you can't," said Dimentio cheerfully.
"Can I have one?" asked Mr. L.
"Ew! No!" said Mimi. "No, you can't!"
"I'll give you one," said Dimentio.
"Touch me and I'll break your arms."
"You'll have to find them first. I'll give you a hint: they aren't holding up my hands."
Mr. L shuddered. "Everything about you is creepy, Dimentio."
"Then the illusion is complete."
Nawrocki clapped his hands, and all of the women disappeared, leaving him with just Count Bleck, O'Chunks, Dimentio, and Mr. L. "Are we ready for orientation?" asked Nawrocki happily.
"Can I say no?" asked Mr. L hopefully.
"Try it."
And, as it turned out, he couldn't. It was like Nawrocki said; a deal with him was binding.
Nawrocki put them to work on the production line, tending the machines that built his monstrosities. He was tinkering in another part of the improvised factory on a Yaridovich or other Machine Made that could to the job, but so far human labor was far better. Or, at least whatever kind of labor you get from a motley crew such as the one he'd just agreed to take on, since only one of them was actually a human.
O'Chunks was working an enormous press that shaped the raw material. His burly strength made him ideal for it, since he was the only one who could really do it easily. Count Bleck was nearby, sorting pieces onto different conveyer belts with a lever.
"You know," said Count Bleck, "I understand why you agreed to stay behind, and I understand why Mr. L agreed to stay behind… but why do you suppose Dimentio agreed so easily?"
"I don't wanna ponder what goes on innat crazy little mind o' 'is," said O'Chunks. "Prob'ly 'as some kinda evil plan worked out on 'is own."
"He is an odd one," said Count Bleck. "But I can't see what kind of evil he could work in a situation like this one."
"No 'fence, Count, but yeh din't see it before, either."
"Point well taken, O'Chunks. Keep an eye on him for me, would you please?"
"'Ey, I may be under some kinda witchcraft spell, but ah'll always take orders from you first, O Count o' mine."
"Thank you, O'Chunks. That means a lot to me."
Dimentio was floating nearby, keeping the machines fueled. He heard everything that the Count and O'Chunks said to each other. He knew perfectly well why he had agreed to stay behind, and would be dead and gone long before he admitted it to anybody else.
If he did what they did, he might finally understand this thing called happiness they all seemed to feel.