Just to be completely clear, this isn't a change in the numbers. Mei previously said there were fifteen legion officers and about a dozen others, so Vesper assumed it was twenty-seven. Mei since checked the exact number of others and found it was thirteen, so twenty-eight total.
"It will be done. I would be interested to see more of you, magistrate, should you find the time. Pray come before evening bell, or after midnight, or you will find me busy with the summoning of the demjen.
Having mildly impressed The Bane of Kadj, I hope we get an opportunity to communicate something along the lines of: "I know you're unbearably busy, but how much time would you need to be able to make enough silk for Rooster to make a dozen arbalest?"
Well, after he finishes his part of the ship:
It will take at least a day before I can turn my work over to the navy shipwrights and begin preparations for launch. Two days total, at the very shortest."
I totally forgot lol. Yeah. But I'm just throwing the idea out there in the hopes of reminding the thread for when the opportunity to raise the request arises.
We have to start crossing things off from our to-do list.
To do:
Get silk for Rooster to make arbalests
Kill the Scarlett Empress
Time to get out of here. The sorcerer said you should visit, and you should probably talk to him anyway, so why not now?
You leave the tent, blinking at sudden light. The sun seems to be doing its best to shine through the island's pervasive cloud cover.
It seems the Bane of Kadj has already departed as you were talking to Mei, but Coppersmith is waiting outside. Seeing you pause, she addresses you.
COPPERSMITH: "Afternoon, lady. All done in there?"
"Yeah. Mei will be out in a minute, she's just with the monks."
She nods, glancing inside the tent.
COPPERSMITH: "That's the Raigi leader you said you killed, right? What's going on?"
"It's complicated. Don't worry about it."
COPPERSMITH: "Is it an Anathema? I heard someone saying it's an Anathema."
"Nope. And you shouldn't say stuff like that, the monks'll hear."
COPPERSMITH: "Sorry, lady. Oh, that guy from third talon was looking for you, I think."
"What guy?"
COPPERSMITH: "Uh, fang rank, big square jaw, stubbly, winks at everyone."
"Toothsome. Wonder what he wants?"
COPPERSMITH: "He didn't say. Seemed shifty. I don't know where he got to." she shrugs. "Is that his real name?"
"I didn't ask. See you, Coppersmith."
COPPERSMITH: "Bye, lady!" she salutes.
Alright, now it's a simple matter of finding the cargo lift at the south edge of camp.
NAVIGATE: EASY
CHECK PASSED
NAVIGATE: Retrace our steps to the mess area, then go directly south following the cliff face, can't miss it.
Alright, good. How's everyone doing?
PHYSIQUE: Autopsies make me uncomfortable.
I guess that makes sense.
WAR: It was good to be of some use to the legion.
SAGACITY: I thought it was fascinating. We learned interesting things, for a change.
You skirt the edges of the training yard and arrive in the mess area. The second shift for mess seems to have arrived since you were here for lunch. The officer's table is empty, but you spot Colter with a small group of his talon, and Rochar with her bandieras. You pass through without attracting attention.
The cargo lift is ahead. It seems it's just being winched back into place. The sorcerer is nowhere in sight, so he must have gone down on the previous descent, or else went down to the beach by some other method.
A pair of engineers haul a pallet of supplies onto the elevator. There's enough space at the side, so you climb on, next to one of the engineers.
"Going down?"
It is then that you realize that the engineer is Feathers, the unfortunate engineer who gave you a hammer under dubious circumstances yesterday.
FEATHERS: "Uh, yeah."
The elevator begins winching slowly downwards. You are left with a very long uncomfortable silence, punctuated only by the squeaks of the winch mechanism. Feathers checks and rechecks the pallet, then resorts to pretending to retie her boots.
It seems to last forever.
[ ] "Come here often?"
[ ] "So, about your hammer..."
[ ] Clear your throat.
[ ] Start whistling.
[ ] Search for means of escape.
At first, Feathers does her best to pretend you didn't say anything and tries to look like she's checking the winch wheel of the lift.
Then she takes a deep breath and glances vaguely in your direction.
FEATHERS: "Yeah?"
The elevator is still descending, very slowly.
[ ] "Do you want it back?"
[ ] "I used it to smash someone's head off."
[ ] "Nothing, never mind."
[ ] Pretend you didn't hear her, tie your boots.
[ ] Try to escape.
She releases the deep breath she took in a measured exhalation.
FEATHERS: "Okay. Alright."
"I mean, he had it coming."
She nods shallowly, staring straight ahead, enough to indicate that she agrees with your point without making any sudden moves.
You feel like you're getting the upper hand in this conversation.
[ ] "Do you want it back?"
[ ] "Come here often?"
[ ] "How's engineering going?"
[ ] "What's in these boxes?"
[ ] Leap off the platform to avoid further awkwardness.
FEATHERS: "Nope." she clears her throat. "No. No thank you."
"Are you sure? It's a pretty good hammer."
FEATHERS: "No. I mean, yes, I'm sure, no. Thank you."
"Okay, suit yourself."
You have passed the halfway point of the descent.
"So, uh..."
She screws her eyes shut in anticipation.
[ ] "Come here often?"
[ ] "How's engineering going?"
[ ] "What kind of name is Feathers, anyway?"
[ ] "What's in these boxes?"
[ ] "What do you think of the ship/boat controversy?"
[ ] Start whistling.
[ ] Dive off the platform to the embrace of sweet oblivion.
Feathers is an engineer Vesper met yesterday while trying to break into the storehouse. Vesper failed several checks to lie to her about what she was doing and ended up shouting her down, stealing her mason hammer and making things so awkward that Feathers just left.
Vesper later used the hammer along with the hawk sword to behead White Coal in her battle with him.
