ROLEPLAY

Some people have been asking for translation of something that is turning into a major player role play event on Aniro. The translation is going somewhat slowly because much has been reported on the forums regarding it (31 posts on three pages up to now).

Those posts people put on the forum are reporting stuff that happens during their game time.

I am being paid the reasonable sum of 1 dapper to translate this particular document...:P

#1 : Xiaomei.

A dagger firmly pressed against her back, Xiaomei was walking through the jungle.

– May I know where you're bringing me?
– Shut up and move! You will know soon enough.

The young Zoraï was terrified. She absolutely needed a mean to escape or, at least, to let somebody know.

– We've been walking for hours without a break, I can't take it anymore. I beg you, let me rest for a spell...
– True, I could use a drink. Ok, stop, now.

The Tryker took a red flask from his pouch.

– You see that, daughter of a Gibbai? It's Kraken, my own brew! It burns a hole right through your gut, you'd die from a sip of it.

Saying those words, he gulped down the entire flask.
Shivering, the Zorai could only contemplate her captor.

– I'll need to rain for a while, Kraken goes down down quickly. If you even move a horn, I'll spread your guts in the goo.

It was now or never. Xiaomei took up a parchment from her pouch and looked around for somethint with which to write on it... nothing. She couldn't lose a moment, so she bit her finger 'til the sap bled from it.

She wrote with a finger :

« If you find this message, let the Theocracy know as quickly as possible that I am a Tryker's prisonner. I think he wants to turn me into his sla »

She couldn't finish her text, the Tryker was coming back. She rumpled the message and threw it behind the log she was sitting on.

– What happened to your finger?
– A yubo bit me.

The Tryker exploded in laughters.

– If even yubos can hurt you, you sure as hell won't live long there. Let's walk.

#2 : Osquallo

Osquallo needed to get to his mektoub in Min-Cho. His mood was high and he decided he'd walk from Zora and have a good look at the scenery.

While playing with the yubos following him since the Still Waters, he noticed one of them was playing with something looking like a parchment.

The yubo wouldn't let go of his toy, so it became a race around a log and hide-and-seek among the messabs before the Matis managed to steal the parchment from the yubo who's decided he was having more fun trying to catch a tired izam than being chased around by that tall... thing.

After reading it, he let out a shout : « A tryker? Slaver?! The zoraï just can't do anything like the rest of the world! Ah! »

He got to Jen-Laï quickly, where the Assembly of the Awakened was meeting. He got there slightly winded and gave the message up to Fey-Lin.


#3 : Paolen

After following the Matis named Osquallo Velae 'til the place where he had found the parchment, south of the Still Waters, the investigators split the job between them and started on elaborating hypothesis. Pao-Len Seng proposed to publish a paper in every floating city, and spent the night preparing and distributing them.

On the morning of Dua Pluvia 20, 2e CA 2572, there were public notices on the walls of Zora, Jen-Laï, Hoï-Cho and Min-Cho.


To every awakened!
The Assembly of the Awakened discovered a homina has vanished. From the small information we've gathered, we think she's an Awakened from Zora or Jen-Laï. Indeed, she wrote a mesasge in which she was calling for help, and she did so in Jen-Laï's dialect, and adressed it to the Theocracy while she was brought against her will by at least one Tryker abductor.

Awakened, we need your help! If you have lost track of one of your kin or relatives, please let the Dynastic Authorities know of it as soon as possible.

Any Awakened who has in his or her possession any information the investigator may be interested in is strongly encouraged to share it with us ASAP.

#4 : Feylin

The assembly hadn't even begun and a Matis was there with, he said, an urgent message. Because of its content, they treated it in priority, before what was programmed for today. Once a decision was reached, actions were to be taken at the end of the Assembly.

When the Wise Supplice left the Assembly, volunteers gathered to start with the investigation.

Osquallo Velae, who had brought the news, guided them until the place where he had found the message.

Fey-Lin : Osquallo kito, can you bring us to the place where you found that parchment?
Osquallo : Sil. Well... yes.
Pao-Len : Ari'Kami.
Fey-Lin : Let's go faster, can we?
***Pao-len admires the harmonious curves of the matis' body.***

***After a short run to Jen-Laï's exit...***

Os : The yubo was roaming around here.
Fey-Lin : The guards are barely in sight here, we can ask them... just in case. But if they noticed two people from afar, well, it won't help us much.
Pa-Len : Poor girl was taken so close to her people...
Os : The yubo could have run quite far with this parchment.
Laipoko : Or the wind could have blown it...
Os : Sil.
Fey : Yui.
Pao : Yui.
Fey : There are lots of different paths... Paï, they couldn't have passed through a city, or even close to one. The most likely is they were going towards the east.
Pao : Yui.
Fey : Which wouldn't keep them from getting to the Node of Demencia through the south, circumventing Jen_Laï. We should ask the travelers who are passing through the Cities, even Lenja. Paï, we need to think about her potion.
Os : Maybe the Shaddow Runners?
Pao : Ex-slaves becoming slavers?
Os : Well, they are weird Trykers.
Pao : It's true they're weird. I'll go to Zora, Min-Cho and Hoï-Cho to post public notices for the population to help us. If anybody has lost someone recently, we'll at least know who wrote that message.
Fey : Ukio.
Os : And the Trykers did become allies of their prosecutors of old. Or there's another explanation.
Fey : Yui?
Os : Why not the marauders?
Pao : Yes, I've thought about it. That wouldn't be the first time. Li'Laï-Ko, don't you have a mean of meeting with Vao?
Fey : Né, Paï, that shouldn't be to hard, finding a marauder.
***Pao shivers.***
Fey : But to get informations from him, though, would be an entirely different matter. Who will question the Zora Thorn, Eye of Intuition and Birds of Omen?
Laï : How to question them? They don't love me at all, you know?
Fey : Hit until they start talking. Everybody ends up talking when you hit them for long enough. Gunbra never taught you anything about Fyros culture and its advantages?
Laï : Ah, yui!
***Pao smiles***
Os : Hit first, question those who still can talk after. It works better if they're strong enough in front of you. Otherwise, there's nobody left to question.
Fey : Otherwise, there's the Tryker method : you offer them a drink. The Matis method... is there one?

Kaaon : Poisonned dagger?
Os : The Matis method is you pay a Tryker to avoid dirtying your hands.
Fey : Ah, yui, of course.
Os : Then you kill him to avoid being discovered and get back your money.
Fey : Ah, yes... it pays twice more than the Tryker method. Or there's the Zoraï method.
Os : Yes, I like it better too. You overwelm them with questions and rules 'til they break?
Fey : You think on the situation and choose the method which is the most efficient in that particular case. You wanna question the bandits, Lai?
Lai : I think I can do it.
***Pao leaves to prepare the notices.
Pao : Lao'lor!
Os unsheates his sword : I got a few well chosen arguments.
Pao : Mata fuuho.
Fey : Kaaon kito, you wanna go to the Shaddow Runners? I think you are the best to get informations from them -if they have any.
Kaaon : Oy, I can ask some questions. I'll go back to the lakes for now. Seelagan!
Fey : Go ask the Icon worshipers while you're at it. Use a different method, though.
Lai : Ukio, yui, those guys will talk more easily.
Os : Right. Hiting them may be a tad less efficient.
Fey : I'll ask the guards here, just in case, then I'll go find Lenja's potion before starting for the travelers' tour. Hunters Hawkers, prospectors, scouts... with a little luck, they've seen something.
Os : I can shuffle around to see if there are any other messages.
Fey : Kami bini, don't forget to ask the Kami welcomer. Mata népuké!
Lai : Mata népuké.

#5 Laipoko :

Laï-Poko, intent on doing something for that abducted homina, took the direction of the Zora Kovans, that she had attacked many times for Zora's corporals, with the firm intention to make them talk...


#6 : Nammeho

Because of the caravan of the road of water, Nammeho could start her travels on the bark. She had troubles getting to Pyr but at least, she was alive.
Very soon, she realised that the desert wasn't her cup of tea, so she decided to get back to Avendale without much ado.

Since she didn't know of another path, she decided to trace back her steps through the road they took to get there. Without all the warriors of the caravan, Nammeho realised quickly that coming back wouldn't be all that much fun.

As soon as she got into the Mines, Kipestas befell her. She woke up in Thesos, raised back to life by... who knows. She got through the vortex to the Matis country, but cuttlers weren't any better to her... and she woke up near another vortex, that she crossed to the Lakes.

Nammeho breathed deeply, happy to be back home. She heard a homin, speaking harshly, to someone, pretty far from where she stood. Nammeho walked towards the voice, hidden among the plants. She saw a small homin, walking behind a tall, blue homina. He was shouting down on the Zoraï, but Nammeho couldn't understand much of what he was saying from such a distance. She could, though, hear the desperate cries of the homina who waas with him. Affraid, she decided she couldn't stay there for too long. The creatures from around here were dangerous enough without that Tryker after her. She looked at them one last time as they were crossing the vortex to the forest.

She got home and decided just to stay there for a while. A couple of beers later, she decided she should finish her run around the bark. She still had to get to the Witherings. Unfortunately, the Road of Water didn't get there, so she'd need to do it alone...

Her recent bad experiences had thought her she'd better be patient and wait 'til the creatures leave by themselves instead of hoping to outrun them. The poor girl took quite a while to get through the Bounty Beaches -not even speaking about the Trench of Trials, where she had to wait for many days before seeing a gap wide enough for her to pass. But eventually, she set foot in Jen-Laï.

She had a look at the public notices... one of which was Pao's.

It was moderatly upsetting... What if those people were the strange ones she's seen a few days earlier?

She answered the text with another one :

I've seen a strange, small homin shouting down on a Zoraï for her to walk in the Lagoons of Loria, going towards the matis country. I don't know if it has anything to do with that abducted Zoraï.

#7 : Feylin

Laï had told Fey as quick as she could : She and Pao had received an answer, hinting that they could trace the abductor and his prisonner to Loria, and then, the Heretics Hovel. The investigators were now meeting to share their opinions.

No news was available, except that answer from a Tryker who had vanished quickly after.
« Already in Loria... » Fey was inconsolable.
« The abductor probably took her to the Grove of Umbra to get to the Lakes and from there, the Forest », Pao said.
« Sil » agreed Os.
« We'll need to move our search to the Verdants Heights, said Fey. The good news is it's hard to hide in the Magestic Garden. If they passed through there, the tribes will have seen them. Otherwise, it means they're still in the Hovel.
Os : « If they moved north in the Forest, they will have been seen. »
« We have to start questioning the tribes in the Fleeting Garden. »
« And the Upper Bog, too. I don't know the tribes there much, though, I wonder if the Firebrands are slavers... »

Nobody could answer that. Pao's suggested road made her think of the path the Goo Heads used for their foul drugs. They decided Pao would stay and question people in the Witherings, look for new volunteers and write what was happening, while the others would go to the Fleeting Garden to try and get some answers. Pao thought of asking the Amazones, and Zendae came in quickly with Thanlys, a novice. Except for Pao, they all departed for the Fleeting Garden to meet with the tribes.

thanks so much for bringing this tale to us, If i read about one more boring meeting or constitution im going to die. this is beautiful writing and quite engaging,

i will try to finish reading soon and even run over to the original posting site to see if I may be of some assistance, before too much time has elapsed and it is too late. granted i am not a full awakened yet and do not seek to be, I am a defender of the theocracy and lover of hominas!

i am surely not the only one interested in the details so please don't feel that the lack of reply is a lack of interest. personally eruv is a little shy to be the first replier but someone has to =)

on a genuine note i do not know what a fair amount is but will insist on raising your pay at least 100 times over, this is good and important work

[OOC : *spoiler warning* We won't have time to translate enough to see you catch up, so any people who wish to help can meet at the Towerbridge Road at 21h30 GMT+2 this evening - 14/04/2013 - we will search for the missing Zoraï girl, and probably end this at the Marauder Camp]

[OOC :D Eruv is all caught up, went to the french forum and tried with french and english-translated versions, mostly follow, will attend if I am awake]

First before pursuing this, I wish to apologise; I didn’t think any of those impaired your understanding of what’s written, but I should have taken a look at what I wrote before sending it. Most of them are typos, some just a plain lack of focus while I was translating. I’ll try to avoid those in what’s left of the text.


#8 Myashka

Silan, on the morning, just before the hunt…

The camp could have seemed inappropriate to a Matis from the mainland, but Myashka had there the greatest of luxuries: safety.
For the first time of her young life, every single night, she could sleep without fear. The rangers, the weapon masters and the other refugees made out a protective circle around the tower, and the Kami and Karavan gave the whole place some sort of a feeling of invincibility… fake invincibility, as she was to discover that morning.
Since she got there, every day, she went to the campfires before starting on the hardships of her training. Very often, those hardships continued through part of the night.
Between two bowls of hot Klah, news from the mainland were coming through to them, sometimes whispered like a shameful secret. Others made as much noise as a rock thrown in a pond. Just like that one, about the abducted Zoraï girl. The young Matis felt a shiver pass through her spine, thinking of some… invitations she received by some homin who was very insisting, not so long ago.
She felt amused at it, at first, even flattered, to be honest, but she soon felt embarrassed by the familiar tone he used in the messages delivered by the Izam. When he started talking about the goo, his ravings came very close to scaring her, but he swas far and there were lots of people around her. She stoped thinking about it, sure that he wasn’t serious when talking about slaves.
She kept it off her mind until izams came to her from someone she didn’t know, someone claiming to be the property of her mad suitor.
From a lonely little place on Silan, she was wondering how to politely, but firmly reject him. Politely because he was still proposing to join her and help her. Firmly because, if he was linked to the mad marauder by some goo-drug, she didn’t want anything to do with him.

“He sends me to serve you, I only follow his orders, mistress. Let me join you and protect you. Where can I find you? If you don’t let me serve you, he’ll punish me. Please, understand my plea; he’s a cruel master and doesn’t tolerate any failure.”

In what kitin’s lair did I get myself…

“Yeah, well, you could still flee, no? And regain some measure of dignity, too?”

“To flee would be worse. If I fail, he may kill me. If I betray him… I won’t have the luxury of a clean death. My master can find anything. He’ll hunt me down, by daylight or without it, until he finds me. He’s got spies everywhere. He’ll find me.”

“Why fail? Why not get back to civilisation? We could ambush him with the rangers and take him. Don’t be afraid. He makes you believe you can’t escape, but it’s your fear that makes him strong. That is what really chains you to him.”

She ran home fast, like a torbak was on her heels. She felt relief when she saw the encampment, feeling slightly embarrassed of having been so easily scared, now that she was among the refugees. She went to the armorer to do a bit of work… but then…

“Mistress! I’ve found you!”

A shiver took her again… then she turned back to face a very tall Zoraï.
Something in his attitude moved her. There was no violence in him or his words, but something else, something that made her feel like this one couldn’t be denied.
Those words stunned Myashka. A moment later, she greeted him, but his reverence went low enough that he could kiss the ground.

“Where do we go?”
“I’m here to learn tailoring”, she answered.
“Mistress, let me come with you.”
Gathering her wits, she decided she’d better argue a bit.
“Tell me Zoraï, they say your people are very proud –albeit maybe slightly mad.”
“They are right.”
“Then how could that homin scare you that way?”
“I am not a Zoraï anymore. I’ve been turned into a slave and I can’t have my freedom back.”
“The laws of the homins are the same everywhere and your people would be happy to help you. And you could help them too, I’m sure.”
“I only serve my master.”
“You probably learnt lots of things from him, you are clever, you could be a lot of help to the Zoraïs.”
“The marauders do not abide the laws, it’s useless to them.”
“But you wouldn’t need to be live in shame. You could be proud again and be of use to the homins.”
“If I try to escape, others will pay the price. I don’t want others to suffer.”
“My shoulders are wide; I can bear the wait of that sin.”
“That is unfair, and any injustice is a stain on Atys.” Answered Myashka.
“I know.”
How could she bring back pride to one who was stepping on his pride because he was too proud to stop doing it?
“Follow me to the merchant, please, that way, you won’t fail your mission. But do it like a free homin, at my side.”
“Yes, mistress.”
“No. You’re free, so never call me that. I am just Mya. Please?”
“I…”
“I won’t be anybody’s slaver. I befriend, I don’t threaten or beat or scare… please?”
“Yes… mistress… Mya.”
The young Matis got back to her feet, answering:
“Just Mya. Come, let’s go the merchant. Maybe you and I will see each other again, later, yes?”
“I don’t know, mistress Mya.”
“Just Mya, my friend. I’ll remember.”
“I can’t, mistress. The cost of familiarity is dire to me.”

In front of the shop, Mya genuflected to her new friend… the one who would have followed her to hell and back without even knowing her.
“Well, let’s keep some distance then, Master Zoraï. I know manners count for a lot to Zoraïs. We, Matis, are different.”
“Don’t call me that, please. It hurts too much. I have to leave, mistress Mya.”
He genuflected too before leaving.
“Do you by chance have a name, as a memory of your past? I would hope to call you as befits you next time Master Zoraï. The one who sacrifices his honner in the eye of others has a truly noble heart.”

She spoke those words without knowing if he could hear them, saying them so they would ring to her own ears.

She remembered her hesitation. Should she talk about that slaver to the rangers? No… it would have endangered the Zoraï?
But tonight, when they told her of that Zorai homina’s abduction, she wondered. Were the Trykers really worthy of their freedom? She chose to get to Chiang. She’d try to help the Zoraï… not the Marauder.

#9 : Enotacim

[Report to the leaders of the Federation]

On a quiet winter afternoon, Dwane MacFay and I were patrolling the cities of the lakes, making sure nobody broke the peace of the area.

Fair Haven seemed agitated these days, between diplomatic uncertainties rising and rumors of dark deeds, such as that strange abduction story implying a Tryker abductor and a Zoraï victim.

Once in Fair Haven, we we’ve met with a fearsome… thing, one of the fiercest highwaymen of Atys, Kitane, from the Black Sap’s clan (Clan de la Sève Noire). We observed him for a while; he noticed very quickly.

He seemed to be with a young Tryker. We quickly understood she was bearing and selling water for this bandit. Slavery is a deed that can’t go unpunished.

The federation has to prevent this kind of acts. We did not hesitate to correct this malefactor. He kept us at bay once, but we managed to capture him and remind him of the sanction incurred by obvious slavers.

“So, bandit, did you forget slavery is punishable by death here?”
“Slavery? You sheep are slave, she’s not a slave. She’s been freed from your cruel dogmas and demonic cults!”
“Freed? Ah! By the look of it, she’s just as drugged as you are! I’m not even sure she can be saved! That evil substance of yours is too deeply soaked in her sap! Since I got my knife at your throat, Matis viper, tell me a bit about what you know of that… abduction we’ve been hearing about everywhere.”
“Abduction? Never heard about it.” He seemed surprised. I thought it was… strange.
“Yes” I said, “a Tryker took up a Zoraï. That wouldn’t be some plot of your infamous clan? It’s not like our fellow citizens to do such a thing. Even the most drunk of us wouldn’t sink that low.”
“Zoraï? There’s nothing to be down with those weirdos, no reason to keep them as hostages. Even if I know anything, you know as well as I wouldn’t tell insects like you anything about it, even less under threat of your torture. I’ve got a poison here that will kill me in an instant before I can answer your first question.”

Dwane lost his patience and killed him. Courtixa started crying on her master’s dead body. “Monsters! What have you done!”
Her mind was already lost to the black sap that ran into her veins…

We finished our patrol. I thought a lot on that conversation. He didn’t seem to know anything, but… how could we ever be sure?

#10 : Krokwai

Krokwai rubbed his fingers on his ravaged mask.
“ A Zoraï slave? I don’t see anything strange to that. They are all slaves to the Kami. Or is that Tryker a Kami? Maybe we can find a way to deal with that guy if he frees the Zoraï.
Krokwai wasn’t sure he understood all that well what Ylao had told him. Well, that conversation had been cut when he had kicked her and sent her back to the kitchen. He didn’t kicked her that hard… just enough for… well, just enough.
He went through the jungle for a while, looking for the Zoraï, before thinking that, after all, he didn’t even know what she looked like. He took note of it in his mind, so he could kick Ylao again for not giving him a detailed description. She was with a Tryker, it was all that he knew. He decided to get to Maiden’s Grove, to meet with the Tryker tribe there.
On his way, he discovered some Amazons bathing in a lake and lost some time, hidden among the bushes, then some more after they saw him and ran him down. All he did was to whistle his… admiration, they shouldn’t have taken it all that bad. Damn, hominas are strange.
Some distance from the Tryker camp, just in case there were some aggressive hominas there too, he threw a piece of bark with some words written on it.
“Dat’s kool, freeing Kamy slave. Me to I do dat. Wi kan elp eech oder. Krokwai, leeder of de Hante-Kamy Kazes.”
Then he left very quickly, followed by some torbaks on the way.

#11 : Paolen

On the next evening, in Jen-Laï’s bar, Fey-Lin Liang the Awakened told Pao-Len Seng about her expedition in the Fleeting Garden and to the Heretic’s Hovel. With the help of initiate Laï-Poko, Osquallo Velae and their allies from the Matis Amazons, she’s sought hints about the passing of the taker and the taken. They had talked to the Sacred Saps and the Sibblings of the Weeds. They had also looked the Darkening Saps from afar. Despite all the efforts, their search was leading them nowhere. Pao-Len made a suggestion. She wanted to ask questions to the tribe managing the transporting of the Goo towards the Forest, the Black Circle. They were hated by everybody in the Witherings. She was… slightly fearful of their reaction to a potential inquiry. What reward would they require for anything they told them? But the road the homina and her captor were following was strangely similar to the one followed by the goo convoys. The Awakened decided to follow Pao-Len there. While they were preparing to go, initiate Laï-Poko found them and offered to join them.

The first leg of their trip brought them to Maiden’s Grove, at the Matis Amazons’ encampment where Pao-Len was hoping to find help. The hominas talked with Phao-Zhu, a Kwaï who was particularily close to the Amazons. She immediately accepted to help them on their quest. With the help of a wonderful magical artifact, Pha-Zhu guided them without any hesitation to the Black Circle’s encampment.

The first contact they had with a member of the tribe was awfully cold. Fey-Lin asked them about the passing of the Tryker and the Zoraï, but received no answer. Pao-Len then pretended to seek informations about traffic in the area and they pointed her to where Ba’Wity Codgan, the Black Circle’s leader, was seated. While Fey, Laï and Phao were struck dumb by the horror of the researches practiced by the tribe, Pao got close to the old Tryker. Ba’Wity gave her a friendly smile, but looked at her rather circumspectedly.

Laï: That is just awful…
Fey: What are those carcasses? You force the animals to… Né, no experimentation, no knowledge can justify that.
Lai: If you wish to change your ways, I can help you!

Fey and Laï were openly indignated by the Black Circle’s experimentations they didn’t notice the signs Pao was addressing them. She joked a while with Ba’Wity to keep his attention from the outraged Zoraïs. She posed as a commerce student willing to learn stuff regarding the logistical apparatus of the convoys and tractations with the forest. Surprised, Ba’Wity ended up speaking a lot, avoiding some questions and spending words and time on points of detail. Pao learnt a Tryker had recently had dealings with the tribe and had acquired some objects he was planning on bringing trough the Heretics’ Hovel using the commercial road to the Goo Heads. Pao’s attempts to know that Tryker’s name failed, but she learnt some tricks regarding the optimisation of the use of pack animals and the advantages of dispatching small orders to private transporters. In exchange for a slaveni-ka bottle to Ba’Wity, gained the authorisation to ask questions to some officers of the tribe, those charged with the expedition of certain objects.

Osquallo Velae then joined the ladies. To her friends, Pao could only speak covertly to avoid giving any hints to the Black Circle.

Pao says loudly: This tribe knows a lot about the traffic going on between the various regions.
Fey wonders what the Matis guard wants of her.
Laï looks at Pao inquisitively.
Pao: They usually don’t deal with individuals but, when there is an occasion, they won’t let it pass.
Laï: Deal?
Pao (even louder): Well, trade, my dear partner. One of those came by recently.
Osquallo: They aren’t as unworldly as some others.
Pao: A Tryker going to the Goo Heads.
Phao: What did he sell?
Pao: Ba’ Wity Codgan didn’t tell me. The Tryker was only an intermediary there.
Laï watches the carcasses and hopes the thought she has is impossible.
Fey: Néla…
Pao (loudly): I would have liked to know more regarding commercial intermediaries.
Pao: Seems he’s followed the usual road to the Goo Heads, at the Hovel.
Fey: Was he alone?
Pao: Ba didn’t mention it. I’ll ask his officers.

The detectives were starting to suffocate in the middle of the Goo. Fey and Laï got back to Jen-Laï while Phao and Os took some distance from the toxic vapors. Pao held her breath for a moment. While approaching one of the tents, she heard a raucous laughter. One of the officers was telling one of his colleagues about a Tryker customer’s “merchandise”. The description of the fearful Zoraï’s mask was the cause of some hilarity. The officers eventually realised she was there and she clumsily apologised before leaving in a hurry. She was now sure of it; the captive and her captor had been there.

She got to Phao and Os outside the encampment and told them about her discovery. Each time a member of the tribe came by, she started talking about merchandises and dappers.

Pao: I think we’re on the right track. It’s definitely him.
Os: Oh?
Phao pointed at Be’Marrel, close by.
Pao: Our creditor. Definitely our creditor!
Pao whispered: I heard a conversation; he was with a Zoraï
Phao: And about his identity?
Os: They saw his… colleague with him?
Pao: They didn’t tell me and I didn’t ask, but they were talking about her terrified mask, making jokes and talking about her as a merchandise.
Os looked at the patrol suspiciously.
Os: I see.
Pao, loudly: It’s just normal. Everything’s got a price.
Os: Sil, even the silence.
Pao whispering: the Goo Heads.
Os: Well… they let Zendae and I close by. Maybe we should have a look.
Pao: Another day.
Os: Yes, it’s getting late.
Pao: Yui. The worst is to come.
Os: If he went to the Goo Heads, yes…
Phao: Nu taki, the slavers of the other day. Nu wasn’t so far.
Pao: Yui. I’ll go home… the goo’s giving me headaches.

Pao left her friends to get to Jen-Laï. While walking, lost in her thoughts, the full realisation of her meeting with the Black Circle hit her. Shivering, she thought back on the officers’ laughters, the decaying contaminated animals, the strange smile of Ba’Wity Codgan. The shadows of the Jungle suddenly seemed more threatening. Pao brok a kamist pearl and quickly went downtown without looking back.