A soft splash distracted her and she glanced over the lake and grinned. Tagg was having the time of his weird little life, playing in the gently glowing water. He’d be perfectly happy to stay there while she talked to the Merchant. A quick glance over everything revealed that she’d artfully arranged old lamps and candles to provide plenty of light. She’d even found old vents for the little bit of smoke produced to escape through without troubling anyone and cleaned them out. She had a pot of coffee warming on a brazier, snacks on a tray and plenty of cushions for them to sit on while they talked. The box with the scroll was half hidden under a draped silk throw beside Nis’ seat. Really, everything was as bright and tidy as she could reasonably make it. Was there really any good reason to keep putting things off?
Reaching into subspace, she pulled out the two little cards that she’d kept safe and studied them. She wasn’t in need of a favor… Yet, anyway. Stowing the white card away, she held onto the black and nodded. Then, she grabbed a little needle that she’d cleaned and headed up into the tunnel that would take her out into the woods. She’d even managed to find little battery powered tealights to light the way. She had tried to experiment with the flowers growing in the lake, but they’d all died upon being removed from the water. So, replaceable tealights had been the next logical step. She’d worry about sconces for them later. Moving at a brisk pace, she was soon through the tunnel and stepping out into the misty half light of the woods. The cool air carried a spicy, mossy scent that she rather enjoyed and she could hear the chirps and trills of bird and bug. It was... peaceful. Relaxing.
By the time she reached the bridge, some of her nervous energy had burned itself up through walking. She knew better than to touch the bridge, though. It wasn’t her time yet to deal with it. Well, she thought, setting the card between her teeth and holding up the pin, let’s get this show on the road. Nis moved quickly, stabbing the ball of her thumb with the pin, her only audible reaction a slight hiss. Fumbling for a moment, she dropped the pin and fumbled with the card. Then, she pressed her bleeding thumb firmly into the little red circle on the card.
“I really ******** hope you’re not in the middle of a shower,” she muttered, wondering how long it would take him to arrive. “Or things are going to be super weird for a few minutes…”
The Space Cauldron
