I'm still running a bit long on these -- it reminds me of the Lord Derby days!
Playing the odds Admiral Dread arrived at Fabian's house just as the take-away delivery service knocked at the door carrying the pulled-pork, barbecue ribs and a couple of boxes of sides. The delivery-woman was dressed in Imperial white and green with the logo of the restaurant on the back in bright blue letters, so Fabian made no pretense at all of this all being an odd coincidence. He paid the woman, who smiled brightly at her tip and greeted Dread as she left. "I thought you were cooking," said Dread in response to Fabian's "Hello!". "I didn't know pulled pork took three hours to cook," said Fabian. "And that's before you get on to what you have to do to it after it comes out of the oven. The recipe probably needs all day to get right." "That might be why it tastes so good," said Dread. He looked at the take-away containers; silver boxes, foil-wrapped items and a couple of cardboard boxes with grease stains already spreading across the underside. "Though this is a passable second-best." "Come in," said Fabian, realising that the boxes and foil were getting hot in his arms and he had nowhere to put them down. "Since you know it's takeaway now I don't need to bother with the dishes." Dread raised an eyebrow: a delicate length of dark hair that looked as though it must be groomed daily. "Only your fancy guests get the fancy dishes?" "How long have we been friends now?" "Long enough that I think a plate isn't too much to ask." "Fine," said Fabian. He caught himself just in time not to sigh. "You can help me plate up then. Do you want the best china, or will the plates I use myself do?" "You have best china?" Fabian's sigh did escape him them. "Ah, no. Celine took that when she left." Dread clapped him on the shoulder, which sounded like a small gunshot. "Never mind, whatever plates you've got will do. I guess you've not heard much from her...?" "I wouldn't listen if she talked," said Fabian finally getting to put the food down. His arms tingled with the residual heat. "She's a poisonous toad and I wish her all the best in her new life. Short may it be." "Heh. Don't wish for things you might have to explain later," said Dread. He opened the cupboards and started taking plates and bowls out and setting them on the table; Fabian busied himself opening the food up and setting it out. For a few moments there was domestic activity, and then the two friends sat down and started eating.
"You were playing the odds with that call earlier," said Dread after a little while. "You know the Imperial apps are all subject to random recordings and checks." "Yes, but having just been through the Assessment I figured they wouldn't be interested in me. The Assessors would have found anything worth spying on already." "Still a risk." Dread chewed on a rib, tearing the meat off like a hungry dog. "You really think they stole something?" Fabian nodded, his mouth full of sausage. When he'd swallowed he said, "I know they did. I found the box in the bin, and they've deleted the item from the online catalogue. Lucky they don't know, or didn't think about, the paper one. The heart of an Umber Hulk." Dread wiped his hands on Fabian's only remaining kitchen towel and steepled his fingers together underneath his slightly-pointy chin. His eyes seemed unfocused for a moment, then his gaze snapped to Fabian. "Umber Hulks are reportedly extinct within the Empire," he said. "But I send out two ships a week on scouting expeditions that have official orders to look for certain kinds of things. If you were a suspicious type, and had arcane knowledge you just might think they were looking for Umber Hulks. Otherwise you'd probably think they were prospecting for ores and maybe gemstones." "Why?" Admiral Dread stared ahead of him. "I don't know, obviously," he said. "But I was curious about why someone might be secretly looking for Umber Hulks, and the Mages College do have a very extensive library. Umber Hulk hearts do have a couple of arcane uses and they all involve something powerful." Fabian set his burger down, half-eaten, and licked his fingers thoughfully. "The Assessors want to do something magical? Are they allowed to do that?" "Absolutely not," said Dread. "They're supposed to be neutral and objective so there's an entire book of rules they have to follow."
3 comments:
I'm still running a bit long on these -- it reminds me of the Lord Derby days!
Playing the odds
Admiral Dread arrived at Fabian's house just as the take-away delivery service knocked at the door carrying the pulled-pork, barbecue ribs and a couple of boxes of sides. The delivery-woman was dressed in Imperial white and green with the logo of the restaurant on the back in bright blue letters, so Fabian made no pretense at all of this all being an odd coincidence. He paid the woman, who smiled brightly at her tip and greeted Dread as she left.
"I thought you were cooking," said Dread in response to Fabian's "Hello!".
"I didn't know pulled pork took three hours to cook," said Fabian. "And that's before you get on to what you have to do to it after it comes out of the oven. The recipe probably needs all day to get right."
"That might be why it tastes so good," said Dread. He looked at the take-away containers; silver boxes, foil-wrapped items and a couple of cardboard boxes with grease stains already spreading across the underside. "Though this is a passable second-best."
"Come in," said Fabian, realising that the boxes and foil were getting hot in his arms and he had nowhere to put them down. "Since you know it's takeaway now I don't need to bother with the dishes."
Dread raised an eyebrow: a delicate length of dark hair that looked as though it must be groomed daily. "Only your fancy guests get the fancy dishes?"
"How long have we been friends now?"
"Long enough that I think a plate isn't too much to ask."
"Fine," said Fabian. He caught himself just in time not to sigh. "You can help me plate up then. Do you want the best china, or will the plates I use myself do?"
"You have best china?"
Fabian's sigh did escape him them. "Ah, no. Celine took that when she left."
Dread clapped him on the shoulder, which sounded like a small gunshot. "Never mind, whatever plates you've got will do. I guess you've not heard much from her...?"
"I wouldn't listen if she talked," said Fabian finally getting to put the food down. His arms tingled with the residual heat. "She's a poisonous toad and I wish her all the best in her new life. Short may it be."
"Heh. Don't wish for things you might have to explain later," said Dread. He opened the cupboards and started taking plates and bowls out and setting them on the table; Fabian busied himself opening the food up and setting it out. For a few moments there was domestic activity, and then the two friends sat down and started eating.
"You were playing the odds with that call earlier," said Dread after a little while. "You know the Imperial apps are all subject to random recordings and checks."
"Yes, but having just been through the Assessment I figured they wouldn't be interested in me. The Assessors would have found anything worth spying on already."
"Still a risk." Dread chewed on a rib, tearing the meat off like a hungry dog. "You really think they stole something?"
Fabian nodded, his mouth full of sausage. When he'd swallowed he said, "I know they did. I found the box in the bin, and they've deleted the item from the online catalogue. Lucky they don't know, or didn't think about, the paper one. The heart of an Umber Hulk."
Dread wiped his hands on Fabian's only remaining kitchen towel and steepled his fingers together underneath his slightly-pointy chin. His eyes seemed unfocused for a moment, then his gaze snapped to Fabian.
"Umber Hulks are reportedly extinct within the Empire," he said. "But I send out two ships a week on scouting expeditions that have official orders to look for certain kinds of things. If you were a suspicious type, and had arcane knowledge you just might think they were looking for Umber Hulks. Otherwise you'd probably think they were prospecting for ores and maybe gemstones."
"Why?"
Admiral Dread stared ahead of him. "I don't know, obviously," he said. "But I was curious about why someone might be secretly looking for Umber Hulks, and the Mages College do have a very extensive library. Umber Hulk hearts do have a couple of arcane uses and they all involve something powerful."
Fabian set his burger down, half-eaten, and licked his fingers thoughfully. "The Assessors want to do something magical? Are they allowed to do that?"
"Absolutely not," said Dread. "They're supposed to be neutral and objective so there's an entire book of rules they have to follow."
Greg - oh no, please no, nothing like the Lord Derby days, I hated those so much... dang it... *cough*
Not sure exactly why, but I love that they got take out for this get together.
I like this pair a lot. I think they're going to make an excellent team in the adventure that is unfolding before them.
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