EXCOLO

It was such a gray kinda day outside, all I wanted to do was curl up someplace with a nice fire and a cuppa. The house was gettin' to be a tad close for my tastes, and so I ventured outside, putting up my favorite dark purple cloak to cover my braids, I'd just done 'em the night before while gettin' spruced up, it's my once a week treat to m'self. Nice soft mineral bath an' a glass or two of good scotch always puts me to rights after toilin' in the forge all day.

The Miskatonic Cafe seems like my kinda place. It looks all lovely and warm from the outside, and there's a cold, shivery wind on the road that I'm keen to get out of. I push open the door and glance around, noting a pretty young lady sitting by herself with a book. She looks like those ladies Grand-mama used to talk about, those geishas. Always thought it'd be a treat to meet one in person, they always seemed so elegant to my eye. 'Course, I'm a bit rough m'self, so's most anything would seem elegant.

I order a pot of jasmine tea (gotta see how they do it every place I go, it's a bit o' an obsession) and settle in to an armchair, wishing I'd brought a book m'self. It'd sure make me less conspicuous, I guess.

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I look up when the door opens, and a woman swathed in a rich purple cloak enters the cafe. I have not seen her before...of course, I only truly began moving about town on my own very recently, so if she is not a client there is every possibility I simply have not met her. Or she might be new in town...the Carnival, perhaps?

She orders tea...jasmine, ah!...and sits. For a moment, our eyes meet, and I nod to her, smiling.

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I notice her smiling slightly and feel a little braver, so I decide to go over. I smile at her as I approach. "Hello," I say, feeling a little awkward. "I'm Chantal Bodine, I just moved to town a few weeks back. Might as well not sit alone on an overcast day such as this if I can help it, eh? Mind if I take a sit?" I've brought my tea pot, and I stand there holding it, feeling a little like a fool.

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The woman returns my smile, and after a moment she rises and approaches my table. "Hello," she says, "I'm Chantal Bodine, I just moved to town a few weeks back. Might as well not sit alone on an overcast day such as this if I can help it, eh? Mind if I take a sit?"

Ah, so she is new to town. "Hello Chantal," I say to her, offering her my hand. "Please do sit. My name is Miao-Shan Lei, but please call me Miao." The scent of jasmine tea reaches my nose and makes my smile grow. "Company is always welcome, and I am very glad to meet new folk, especially those new to our little town."

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The lady welcomes me, says her name is Miao. My but she is a pretty little doll up close, and I return her smile, taking her hand. Her skin's smooth as silk next to my rough, calloused fingers and I silently sigh at m'self. Why didn't I put on extra lotion today? I sit down across from her after hanging up my cloak and fluffing my braids a bit.

"Have ya been here long, then? An' would ya care for some tea?" I lean closer and grin, murmuring, "Mine's better" in a mischief-filled undertone. Aye, but it's been too long since I shared a teapot with a lady friend. "But there's no way I can drink this whole pot by m'self, so feel free to share some."

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Her hand is rough with calluses, but warm, and her grip is both gentle and firm. She settles herself, throwing her cloak upon a hook and arranging her hair, which is done in a charming series of tiny braids. "Have ya been here long, then? An' would ya care for some tea?" she says before leaning forward, eyes twinkling, "Mine's better. But there's no way I can drink this whole pot by m'self, so feel free to share some."

"I would love some tea, thank you. Jasmine is a particular favourite of mine," I say, smiling as she fills my cup. "I have not been here long...I came here for breakfast. Have you eaten?" I am assuming that she meant here at the cafe, but perhaps she meant here in town? "Or did you mean in town?" I laugh some, "If that is so, I have been here for two years...almost three, now. I never did intend to stay for so long...but this town has a way of drawing folk. It is my home now." and forever, I suspect.

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I grin and pour some into her cup, letting the aroma hit the air. My secret weapon's a quick hit of vanilla at the end of the brewin' process, makes the tea sweet an' creamy and subtle.

"I came here for breakfast. Have you eaten?"</i/ she says, and I chuckle softly. Not what I meant, but t'was my fault for not makin' m'self crystal. "I haven't eaten, but a bit o' somethin' wouldn't go amiss. What would ya recommend?" She tells me she's been here for two, almost three years, and I make a small "Huh" noise. Sounds like this town's got a magic to 't, and I wouldn't be amiss if I said I could feel it a wee bit, just a shimmering to the place. 'Course I don't truck with that kind of magic no more, but it don't make the ability go away. "What do you do for work?" I ask. She's so elegant looking, I can't imagine what she must occupy her time doin'.

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She laughs quietly as the tea is poured. It does smell delicious...I think that she has added something to the simple jasmine. The smell is sweet and fresh and good. "I haven't eaten, but a bit o' somethin' wouldn't go amiss. What would ya recommend?" she asks.

"Anything that Tulzcha makes is wonderful. But the crepes are particularly delicious, I think," I smile. "She makes them with fresh fruit and milk and butter. They are quite exquisite. That is what I will be having, I think. And the tea should complement them perfectly."

"What do you do for work?" Chantal says, with a quick glance at my clothes and my hands. I suppose she must wonder, since she must have visited most of the shops and I do not look as though I do manual labour of any kind.

I take a sip of tea before I respond. "I own Follow Me Boy," I say to her. I understand well that she may avoid me after this, but I will not hide my profession from any. "I am a courtesan."

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My stomach growls at the mention of crepes. Been too long since I had those little wonders, an' they sound delicious. "D'ya think they'll have pumpkin, seein' as it's autumn?" I ask. Pumpkin's my favorite thing about autumn, and pumpkin crepes, 'specially as good as Miao seems to think they are, would be right proper.

I blink at her slowly as she mentions her profession. 'Course it's none of my business what she does for a living, but she seems so kind that I can't 'magine her bein' a common whore. And she did say "courtesan." Seems my very own grand-mama had an acquaintance who plied that trade, an' she was as elegant and honest about it as the lady sittin' before me now. Miao's honesty's impressive, sure enough. I smile at her, showin' her I mean no ill will. "Well, s'not for me to be sayin' what ya should be doin' with your life, an' if'n it makes ya happy, then so much the better. Now let's get some grub, eh?"

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{continued below}

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Trying to stay cheerful, honestly I am. It's just all been getting to me a bit, tiny bit. Try and carry on, and it's not like I'm avoiding her, and I'm glad she's happy, I really really am. But I've been distracting myself with tiny detailed work as much as I can, and I know I've been distracting myself, so today after a morning with the cogs'n gears I stuffed them in my pocket and headed down to the Miskatonic. I love that place, all pipes and steam running down and through the green green undersea walls, lacing them together and holding them bright, and the music like a church from long ago. Also killer coffee. So I put on my bright new-old scarf and the usual jeans-jacket-socks-shoes with an old Alice Cooper T-shirt and head down and into town.

See Miss Miao at one of the tables with a woman I don't recognize but who smells a little of hot metal when I draw close, kind of like Hux when she's been hammering out an engine all day. "Hey," I say cheerfully to Miao. "How've you been? Just figured I'd stop by and say hi. I'm Zann, Teriexa Zann, just Zann is fine," I add to the other woman, holding out my hand.

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Chantal asks if perhaps there are pumpkin crepes, and I smile at her eagerness, "There are indeed pumpkin crepes, I believe...the harvest came in recently, so they should be available. I myself enjoy the apple crepes. Tulzcha serves them with cinnamon and cream, and they are most delicious."

I see the way that her face changes when I tell her my profession. It is something that I am well used to. If she should choose to leave now, I would bear her no ill-will. But she does not leave, and after a moment her smile returns, "Well, s'not for me to be sayin' what ya should be doin' with your life, an' if'n it makes ya happy, then so much the better. Now let's get some grub, eh?"

I am about to smile and agree when I see a familiar figure making her way over to us. "Hey, how've you been? Just figured I'd stop by and say hi. I'm Zann, Teriexa Zann, just Zann is fine,"

"Hello Zann!" I say, pleased to see her. It has been entirely too long since she and I last met. "I am very well, and how are you?" She is animated as usual, but there is a sadness in her eyes that was not there at our last meeting, and it makes me worry some. "This is Chantal Bodine, she is new to town. Chantal, this is Zann. She works at the Carnival."

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I smile at the new lady come to join our party. "Pleased to meet ya, Zann," I say. "An' what's your trade at the Carnival? Haven't made my way over there yet, but it did look like a fun time. How do you two know each other? An' pardon the bevy of questions, but would ya like some tea? There's 'nough here for one more cup, methinks." I quickly shake her hand, finding it to be not as smooth as Miao's, but not near as rough as mine, neither. She looks like a girl I used t' know back in my old digs, a little rocky on the edges but ya could tell she was sweet as cream on the innards. Maybe this one's not so sweet, but as I said, the two girls looked mighty similar.

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"I am very well, and how are you?" and I grin and run my hand back through my hair, shrugging a bit.

"Ah, you know. Winter coming in, work piling up, life basically good." And it is, it really really is. Grin at her introduction to Chantal--nice hands, rougher than mine, and that says something right there.

"An' what's your trade at the Carnival? Haven't made my way over there yet, but it did look like a fun time. How do you two know each other? An' pardon the bevy of questions, but would ya like some tea? There's 'nough here for one more cup, methinks."

Oh, I think I like her.

"Ah, no pardons, and yeah, I'd love some," I say, dropping happily into one of the chairs. "I'm keep the rides running sweet down at the Carnavale, and you should absolutely make it down if you get the chance. Heart-stopping entertainment, miracles and magic, witchery and wire-acts. Come by the Carousel, she's my baby and she runs like a dream. Older than the Apocalypse, if you go on the whole grandfather's axe theory." I pause to take a sip of tea and glance to Miao, trying to remember--

Oh, right, the elevator! Don't know if Chantal knows what Miao does yet, so I leave that out. "I ran into this guy--name of Larry, he's the priest of the new church, but he was street preaching back then--and we were talking, and he said Miss Miao's home had an elevator, so I wrangled an introduction outta him. Nice guy, seems a bit shaky sometimes, but nice." I grin. "Also the Doc used to be with us, and he mentioned her to me."

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Ahhh, so she's a tinkerer, a mender, that 'splains the bubbly, bright as brass grin and shiny personality. I pour her a cup of the tea, listening to her jabber about the Carnavale. Girl's got a powerful way with words, trippin' over 'em but still keepin' up. I grin at her mention of a priest called Larry.

"I've not met the Doc yet, but he seems like the kind of man I'd warrant being' introduced to at some point." I sip my tea, t'inking of flagging down a waitress to order my crepes. "I'm a blacksmith m'self. I make all kinds o' things, but I specialize in daggers and shiny things, jewellery and such. I never could figure out the complications of a gummed up motor, though, so credit to ya for bein' that smart." I like her happy attitude, and she's right pretty in a kinda brass way.

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Chantal invites Zann to join us, which makes me very happy, and it seems to brighten Zann some. She drops into one of the free chairs, and the two of them begin to cheerfully discuss their machines. Zann eventually reaches how she and I met, "I ran into this guy--name of Larry, he's the priest of the new church, but he was street preaching back then--and we were talking, and he said Miss Miao's home had an elevator, so I wrangled an introduction outta him. Nice guy, seems a bit shaky sometimes, but nice. Also the Doc used to be with us, and he mentioned her to me."

I smile, remembering the day that Zann and I met, but the mention of Lucien causes a quick stab of pain in my heart. "The elevator is a thing of wonder. My life would not have been near so easy without it. And we also saw each other at Wanda's party, Zann, remember?" Such a wondrous night...oh, Lucien, why?

Chantal speaks of her work as a smith and a jewelsmith, and I smile, "Perhaps I can see your work sometime, Chantal. I am always interested in seeing new pieces." Chantal beckons the waitress over, and she and I both order crepes. I glance at Zann, "Would you like to have breakfast with us, Zann?"

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I nod at Miao. "'Course you can have a look at my pretties," I say. "I also do custom pieces, so if you don't see anything what strikes yer fancy, just draw somethin' up for me an' give me what you want it to be made of, and I'll set about makin' it real." I hope Zann stays for breakfast, an' I chuckle to m'self, an' drain my cup, mourning the loss of the taste o' the tea. "What else is good to drink here? I feel somethin' like guilt bringin' in my own teapot to a cafe."

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Blacksmith, then, and whitesmith too, and I'm glad to hear about it, and I think Hux'll be happy too. "Oh, that's really neat--hey, I can introduced you to Cain Dl'adam, too, unless you've met him already. He's got the place with the junked cars out back, and he's sweet about letting people look through for scrap metal, he really really is. I guess a lot of it'd be too rough--" not the right word, but I figure she'll get it-- "for jewelry, but I bet you could find some steel in there."

And Miao's talking, all poise and subtle shine, but there's a quick pang in her eyes, sharp and gone like the quick snap of a spring breaking. God, I hope the Doc's okay, and Karina too. "The elevator is a thing of wonder. My life would not have been near so easy without it. And we also saw each other at Wanda's party, Zann, remember?"

"I remember," I say, smiling, and then to Chantal, gesturing with the tea cup, "Wanda owns the Dormouse--the tea shop? She's a really nice lady, and the way she sings--oh, hey, it's something else." Gesture towards the jukebox playing church music, all the deep slow orchestra of meaning, up against one wall. "This town's amazing for music, you know. Two jukes, and an organ in the Abbey."

Miao and Chantal are talking about her jewelry, and I grin, and then the waitress comes over and Miao asks me to join them and oh, hey, so not turning that down. I'm really getting zero grief over the carnie thing from Chantal and I like Miao, I really really do. "Oh, that'd be great," I say, smiling. "Can I get--oh, it's breakfast. Omelette, I guess? And toast, and coffee."

"What else is good to drink here?" Chantal says finishing her tea. "I feel somethin' like guilt bringin' in my own teapot to a cafe."

"I swear by the coffee," I say cheerfully. "I know she's got juice, too--apple and pear and things like that--and milk... I don't drink a lot besides coffee and water, usually," I explain.

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