Innovator: Adventure by Association the Everternia Saga by DiPietro Zen

Author:DiPietro, Zen [DiPietro, Zen]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Parallel Worlds Press
Published: 2019-12-02T16:00:00+00:00

7

Sally had a lot to think about. Jin had provided her a great deal of food for thought, but she also had Sujan to consider. Was he awake or wasn’t he? He still refused to leave his store, but every time she decided he wasn’t awake, he’d do something that made her wonder again.

But life went on. She could think while she lived. She still had a store to run and friends to look after.

“I’ll work on this and let you know what I figure out,” he said, reaching for the magpie mechie.

“No!” she rushed over and blocked it with her body, putting herself between it and him.

She found herself almost chest to chest with him, with his arms around her.

Around-ish. Sort of.

Fine, he was still just reaching for the mechie, but he could have stepped back if he wanted to and he hadn’t, so it still counted.

His arms fell to his sides and he straightened. “What?”

“Don’t work on it without me here. I want to see it all, and help.”

“I’ll just examine it, then,” he said.

“Not even that! Just wait for me.”

He looked like he was about to argue, so she asked, “Do I need to take it with me, or can you control yourself?”

“Of course I can control myself,” he retorted.

“Good. Then you do that.”

“Fine,” he said in a tone that indicated he didn’t think it was really very fine at all.

“Fine,” she agreed, in a much more agreeable way.

Well, agreeable-ish. She was still a bit peeved.

She stayed where she was in front of the magpie for a moment longer, trying to decide if he would follow her instructions. He was an honorable guy, even if he was starchy. The annoyed look on his face indicated that he would comply.

She moved toward the door. “Good. I’ll come back as soon as I can. But no touching! Leave it right there.”

He let out a long-suffering sigh. “Fine, I won’t touch it. But you can’t stop me from thinking about it. And I’m going to think about it lots.”

His quarrelsome expression indicated that he intended to do a whole lot of spiteful thinking.

Since it would be unreasonable to tell him what he could think about, she let him have that one.

Back at her store, the sporadic trickle of customers soothed her and gave her a feeling of normalcy. She had a lot to think about in regard to Jin’s revelations, but she felt like the world would keep going just like it was supposed to for as long as she maintained her little corner of it—specifically, her store. Sujan would say she was being superstitious and illogical, but maybe comfort just wasn’t a thing that behaved according to logic.

“Can I buy two premium torchlamps, please?” a thug asked.

Sally smiled. Word had gotten out that speaking to her politely would get an adventurer better service and better prices. She liked this change.

“Of course.” Sally retrieved the items from a cabinet at the back of the store.

No one asked for a puzzle, but Sally didn’t mind the basic transactions.

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