Acquisitions Specialists: Part Two

     "What is wrong with you?" she asked, a little concerned. Hanso always seemed so cheerful. Even when he was locked in a dungeon cell, even when the skies of Faerieland lit up in flames, he would still find it in him to crack a joke or two. But now?

     She missed cheerful Hanso.

     Hanso strode stiffly back into the Qasalan marketplace and did not stop or look back. "Nothing's wrong. I just want to find this Medallion thing for Fyora and then we can go back home and things will be great."

     Home. Yes, Brynn supposed that Faerieland was their home now.

     Well, her home, at least. She stayed for her duties as Captain of the Guard. She was still not entirely sure why Hanso stayed as well.

     Maybe he felt homesick, that was all.

     She tried to sound reassuring. "Don't worry, at least Jazan told us where to look for it, so we don't have to search the whole desert."

     "Yeah, good for Jazan." Hanso did not stop walking.

     "What's good for Jazan?"

     Brynn jumped at the new voice behind her. She turned to find a pretty pink Ixi staring curiously. "Uh..."

     "Oh, how rude of me." The Ixi stuck out a hand. "I'm Nabile."

     Brynn blinked. "Nabile? Er, that would make you..."

     "Queen?" Nabile looked amused. "Well, I suppose it does. Thought it would be nice to get out for a bit, was all." She gestured behind her shoulder at a red Lupe hovering protectively behind her. "And this is Tomos." The Lupe, Tomos, nodded politely and relaxed a little at the introduction.

     "I'm Brynn, and my friend is..." Brynn looked around, but Hanso was nowhere to be seen. "Er, well, I was with someone but he seems to have disappeared." She frowned. Where could he have gone?

     "What was that about Jazan, by the way?" Nabile asked. Her voice was pleasant and neutral, but with a hint of steel and protectiveness behind it.

     "Oh! Well, we were just consulting with him, actually." Brynn looked around and lowered her voice. "Queen Fyora sent us to retrieve a lost magical artifact called the Scarab Medallion, and we went to ask him about it. Have you heard of it?"

     Nabile thought for a moment. "Hmm, I think I've heard that name mentioned before, but I'm not sure where it could be. Certainly not in Qasala, we'd know if it was." She nodded at Tomos again, and Brynn wondered at who he was to the Queen of Qasala, exactly. But that was for another time.

     "Well, Jazan said it was most likely somewhere in the Sakhmet vaults."

     At that, Tomos winced a little. Nabile glanced at him and turned back to Brynn with an apologetic look. "It would be almost impossible to get it then, without Princess Amira's permission. Not many people even know where it is, exactly. Just that it's somewhere underneath the palace."

     "Jazan said as much, as well," Brynn sighed.

     "I could talk to Amira on your behalf, I suppose. She and I sort of became friends after... well, everything. But because of my connection to Jazan..."

     "Politics?" Brynn asked.

     "Politics," Nabile said, dryly. "Not something I like to deal with, but unfortunately it comes with the package. At least the rest of it is nice." She shrugged.

     "I suppose we will just have to speak with Amira if we can and hope for the best."

     "That is probably the easiest way," Nabile agreed. "But I did say it was almost impossible."

     Brynn looked up at that, and saw a glint of mischief in Nabile's eyes not so different from the usual look in the more familiar eyes of another Ixi. "Almost," she repeated. "So there is a way?"

     Nabile looked over at Tomos again before responding. "Well, I've never been in there myself, but a couple of years back a friend of ours said he had found a way into the vaults. We never got a chance to test it out, since the monsters came soon after that, but maybe you and your friend can try."

     "Monsters?" Brynn blurted, then shook her head. "Nevermind, actually. Had enough of those myself. What is this other way in, then? In case Amira won't help us."

     "I never got to hear the whole plan back then and I haven't asked about it since I moved to Qasala. It's probably best if you hear it straight from the source." Nabile wiggled a ring off her finger and held it out to Brynn. "Here, take this to the northwest corner of the marketplace, just past the food stall. There's a trapdoor there, knock four times and ask for Horace. He'll talk to you if you have this. He'll know it's from me."

     Brynn took the ring. "Who's Horace?"

     "An old friend," said Tomos, speaking for the first time since they met.

     Nabile just smiled. "You can trust Horace, he can help you two somehow, I'm sure of it."

     Brynn smiled back, gratefully. "Thank you for the help, really."

     "If Jazan wishes to help you, then I can only wish the same. Good luck!" With a wave, Nabile turned and effortlessly disappeared into the crowds of the Qasalan market, Tomos following close behind.

     Brynn stood and stared at the ring in her hand for a moment, musing over the tiny scarabs etched into the surface, before remembering that Hanso was still missing. Pocketing what could be their new key into the Sakhmet vaults, Brynn made her way towards the fruit cart.

     Sometimes Hanso could be a mystery, but sometimes she knew him a little too well.

     ---

     Sure enough, Brynn found Hanso sitting against a wall not too far from the fruit cart, munching on some fruit that she was fairly certain he did not pay for.

     Brynn walked up so that her shadow landed on him, hands on her hips. "Aren't you afraid you'll get caught? You didn't even run very far."

     Hanso scoffed. "Please, don't insult me. Nobody saw. And you're blocking my sun."

     "Good. Don't get too comfortable, I may have found someone to help with the Sakhmet vaults just in case Princess Amira won't let us in."

     "Oh? And who would that be? Even the great and powerful Jazan couldn't help with that."

     Brynn glared. "Jazan couldn't help because of political constraints. Nabile, however, may have found another way." She took the ring out of her pocket and handed it to Hanso.

     "What's this?" he asked. "And who's Nabile?"

     "That is our key to finding inside help in Sakhmet. And Nabile is Jazan's queen. You should know that, I told you on the way when we were--"

     "Queen?" Hanso's head snapped up.

     "Yes, Hanso, queen. Weren't you listening on our way over from Faerieland?"

     "Er, yes? But I... forgot!"

     "Right, of course you did." Brynn rolled her eyes. "Well, since you forgot, Jazan met Nabile a few years back. Supposedly their true love freed Qasala from a terrible curse and saved Sakhmet, as well."

     "Love?" Hanso repeated.

     Brynn gave him a funny look. "Have you suddenly become hard of hearing? Yes, love. I know it's a scary concept for you but—"

     "Jazan... and Nabile."

     "Yes, Hanso! Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with you."

     Hanso sat still for a moment, no longer looking at Brynn but his gaze was unfocused. Brynn tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for him to snap out of it.

     Suddenly, Hanso jumped up, causing Brynn to jump back a step in surprise.

     "So, how does this ring help us, exactly?"

     Brynn's brain took a moment to process the change of topic. "Uh, the ring is from Nabile. She said if we went to some trapdoor in the Sakhmet market and show this to whoever is inside, one of them would tell us another way into the vaults."

     Hanso handed the ring back to Brynn. "That sounds... vague. But I guess it's the only chance we've got."

     "Well, not the only chance." Brynn countered. "We should try speaking with Princess Amira, first."

     "Why would we do that when we might have another way in? You think the Princess is just going to let us wander into her vaults and take it?" Hanso looked at Brynn like she was insane.

     "She might if we explain ourselves." Brynn raised a finger to stop Hanso from protesting. "We are doing this properly if we can. Without resorting to certain... methods. Unless we have to."

     "I thought the point of this trip was to utilize my expertise, which includes resorting to 'certain methods'?" Hanso made quotation marks in the air with his hands.

     Brynn had a disapproving look on her face. "No, Hanso, we are going to ask permission first," she said, firmly.

     "But... why?" Hanso looked genuinely confused.

     "Jazan was right about one thing. Objects like this do not pass through anywhere unnoticed. Sooner or later Amira will hear that the Medallion she had ended up in Faerieland somehow, and she would know Fyora was somehow involved."

     "...I am really sick of all the politics, you know."

     "Me too."

     "But, if we do ask and she says no, and then we end up having to steal the Medallion anyway?" Hanso pointed out.

     "Then at least the Medallion will be taken care of so it can't do any more harm. And at that point Fyora can sort it out. I hope. At least we will have tried."

     Hanso frowned. "So, we are walking up to the person we are trying to steal from, to tell them that we want something that they have, which, by the way, would make things a hundred times harder when we go to actually steal it... just so our conscience is clear?" He threw his arms up in the air. "You. Are. Insane!"

     "We're not going up to Amira and telling her we plan to steal it!" Brynn said, exasperated. "We just ask if she will let us take a look at it, since it is cursed and Fyora knows what to do. That's all."

     Hanso's expression clearly showed what he thought of her plan, but he said no more. Instead, he started walking towards the gates of Qasala, and the two of them moved to leave the city.

     "And by the way, we're stopping by the fruit cart to pay for that."

     "Insane!"

     ---

     I once asked my mother what love was.

     "Oh, Brynn. I want to tell you that it is something you just know, once you experience it," Mother said. "But, feelings are tricky things."

     "What does that mean, Mother?"

     "It means, my dear Brynn, that love could smack you right in the face and even then you might not notice it."

     "But, then how will I know?"

     "You'll know, when you are angry, hurt, annoyed, and confused, but you still can't stay away."

     "I don't think I understand."

     Mother smiled and scratched behind my ears. "One day you will. Now go to sleep."

To be continued...