Inch by Inch

Two days ago Jay had set off for the Dog track nervous and uncertain about what he would face. Now he knew the situation was worse than anything he could have thought of that day.

People were paying attention to him. They knew about the fight with the tailmouth. His Word was being discussed and not favorably. What else the rumors said about him, Jay didn’t know, but rumors were rarely kind or truthful.

He was in the middle of a war he hadn’t even noticed starting.

It was this understanding that occupied Jay’s mind while he prepared. Possible defenses were examined and dismissed while he tied his boots. Counterattacks were weighed and found wanting as he fastened his armor. His enemy was the empty air, the moments between action filled with gossip instead of boredom. The evil ego boost from belittlement. How could he fight that? A speech to the crowds waiting at the bureau would be a disaster, even if they listened. There was no one person to debate, to convince.

This was a battle of Words that he would lose. His only option was to stay silent.

Jay stood and rolled his shoulders.

No. Action would prove his point — if his funds lasted long enough. The sand was falling through the hourglass of his dreams again.

“We don’t need to run today.” Kane’s steady tone broke through Jay’s agitated contemplation. Jay’s teammate stood at the ready by the door. His kinky hair — longer than Jay had ever seen it after weeks since leaving Kavakar — was combed and oiled. The care had been extended to his armor, which Kane had cleaned and waxed last night.

On the other side of the room, Ana nodded vigorously in agreement. Like Kane she was already set to go, her matching armor fastened on top of a clean and undamaged set of breathable exercise clothes. She had tied her short hair up in an elaborate knot behind her head. It all made him wonder why he’d been so slow today.

Ana’s eyes focused on Jay, occasionally flicking to Kane for support. She watched him like one might a wounded animal. “It’s just a day. We could grab food, go to the bureau afterwards, when all the runners are... gone.”

Jay felt himself scowling even though he didn’t mean to be. “No, we need to go. Until we get more tasks, the dog track is our only source of income.” His voice was a little hoarse, and he coughed to clear it.

Ana and Kane shared a look.

“One day won’t hurt us. And tomorrow, now that we don’t have the task, I mean...”

“It will not change much,” Kane summarized for her.

“It’ll pay for a bread roll and a wash — breakfast for today,” Jay replied shortly. His voice was more even this time. He forced his features to match. “I’m fine. I just want to go out, complete the run.” There were even positives about this all. No one was going to call him barkface when Denier was available.

Confronting all of the team’s problems could wait until after breakfast. He had enough of his own issues to deal with until then.

“Sure,” Ana said. She shared another look with Kane.

Jay ignored that and focused on the last few bits of preparation.

| i i i ¦ i i i | i i i ¦ i i i |

“Peter and Taylor said they’d meet us by the pearl colored house,” Ana said as they entered the second to last street to the bureau.

Jay grunted, not sure of how to take the news. They hadn’t discussed their four friends, or what had happened in Peak tavern after he’d left. Neither Ana nor Kane had brought it up, and he hadn’t been in the mood for bad news. Perhaps there was more to it. His palms tingled. For all his psyching up, he was still on edge.

He wasn’t alone. Kane’s eyes tightened, his upper eyelid dropping one millimeter and his lower rising two. The athletic swordsman had reason to worry too. If the city could find out about Jay’s Word, then they could find out about Kane’s. Threads was as much of a hinterlands Word as Measure, that is, not at all. It helped calm Jay. He would never wish this on Kane, but they were united in this. The remaining two streets disappeared as if they were already running.

The dense, overcast clouds had not repelled any adventurers today, nor had the dampness and stuffy smell accompanying it. If anything, the crowds today carried a rare vigor. Feet tapped against the stone slabs and arms gestured wildly. Smiles sat on faces with perked ears. The street outside the bureau was boisterous and happy.

Those at the edge of the crowd didn’t stop to inspect the new arrivals. They were too caught up in their conversations. Snippets carried over the noise to Jay.

“-messages, food-”

“Instantaneous transport in-”

“-sea theme makes n-”

Even the few that did look over as they got closer looked away. No one’s gaze settled on Jay. That feeling of being watched he had the previous day was gone. It was... forgotten.

Kane took over from Ana when they met the crowds, to her begrudging acceptance. As they pushed their way through, Jay realized most of the conversations were about the same thing.

“-didn’t stick it in the whole way, only half-”

“Yeah! Near the city-”

“Ultimate shell game! It’s foolproof!”

“Why is your first thought always to put your-”

But what?

Before Jay could figure it out, they left the crowd to stand under an awning in front of a nice mono-stone house. The building really was the color of pearls. It shined like the sea’s treasure as well.

It was a surprise that the stone had been used for construction and not to make replica jewelry. The small cream jewels of the sea were such a rarity — especially this far inland — that even fakes would command a high price. Transport costs across the continent were high, and the Oddities that guarded pearls were reluctant to let them go without a fight. It wasn’t impossible for a deep sea to appear on the borders of Lauchia, but no local adventurer would risk such uncertain waters for an indeterminate reward.

All of this made it likely that few in Lauchia had ever seen a pearl. Jay had only seen one when it came with his father over a decade before, destined for further inland still. Perhaps that was why. Few here knew of pearls beyond tales, but all knew of stone. Replica jewelry was of no use if it could not hide its nature.

“Peter and Taylor?” Jay asked, the thoughts of the locals bringing his mind back on track.

Kane’s eyes tightened again.

“After the dog track three days ago, Mark swore he’d never do another. His guild, his parents, they’ve all tried to convince him, but it’s his Obstinate cost again.”

“Ah.” Obstinate. Was that Mark’s Word? It fit with the clues and guesses that Jay had so far. But, for Ana to say it so matter-of-factly, so offhand… Had the messy haired adventurer who was fond of hooded cloaks revealed details two days ago? When he wasn’t there? Because he wasn’t there?

And what about Tema? Was that why Kane narrowed his eyes?

“What’s everyone in a fuss about?” Jay asked, eager to change the conversation.

Ana shrugged.

There was a moment where they all quieted and tried to listen out. Few snippets carried across the row of stalls that kept the house apart from the crowd.

“I think a miracle has been discovered,” Kane said eventually.

Jay’s eyes widened as the overheard scraps came together. “Some kind of ocean teleport?”

There were two miracles in Kavakar. He’d seen both, and felt they were good representatives for both kinds of positive Oddities. The more important miracle for his hometown was the drippy cup. Despite its name, the ‘cup’ was closer to a basin. It appeared to be made from a hardened clay mixture, and when let rest, it would fill with puddle water. The water flowed from every inch of the inside of the bowl, but never from the exterior. Occasionally, twigs and debris would form in the same way. If you turned the miracle over, that water would pour out forever. It was drinkable, but it tasted like it had been resting for a few days, and if you didn’t filter it first, you might need to pull a leaf out of your mouth.

The miracle earned the name of drippy cup, because it never wanted to rest perfectly flat. Even without being tilted, a steady drip fell from its side. The founders of Kavakar, Jay’s grandmother included, had bought and brought the miracle to the town. One reason the Big Bush had never been settled before then was a lack of water. The Wonder was greedy. Its roots were expansive, and traveled far under the ground, to the edges of its mana domain even. Early attempts to dig wells had been met with failure and rain did not fall frequently enough to support a population. The drippy cup kept the town alive.

Over time, Kavakar had dug deeper wells, and found other sources of water. Nowadays, the drippy cup was mostly used for irrigation. The miracle was part of the town’s history. When Jay turned nine, he took his first sip from the drippy cup, twigs and all. It was a tradition, or a lesson to be thankful for what they had.

The other miracle in Kavakar was much less storied and useful. It was a fang that sparkled when you shook it. A hunter had found it a few years back, discovering the ivory tooth in the wilds. The entire town had been devastated when news broke that the miracle's properties ended there. It was mostly used for pranks now, available to rent from the hunter who held onto it for reasons unknown. Hunters were like that.

Miracles took all forms. They had all kinds of effects. Some were useful, some… were. A miracle that transported goods instantly was definitely of the former kind.

“I heard someone say there were two. Do you think they’re selling one?” Ana began tapping her fingers against her crossed arms.

“Why would you sell one?” Jay asked. He stepped away from the wall as if the forty-two centimeters would make it easier to learn more from the surrounding conversations.

“Why would you need two?” Ana snarked back.

It was a fair point.

“Hey!”

Peter and Taylor’s arrival took Jay by surprise only because they came from the side street by the house, and not through the crowd. He hadn’t been that focused on the miracle or Ana.

Peter led the way in his usual long Bedrock tunic. Behind him was Taylor, and she... looked very different outside the tavern. Her usually scattered ringlet hair was tied in a tight ponytail. Like Peter, she wore a black and gray tunic, but hers stopped just below the waist. Under it she wore creamy white pants. Exercise or comfort, Taylor seemed to like form fitting clothing.

It was a very different look. Eye-catching. Jay had to hide his surprise and pull his gaze away to Peter. They came to a stop between Jay and Kane.

“How’ve you been?” Peter asked. He seemed a bit twitchy, but doing better than he had two days ago.

“Not good,” Jay answered, before backtracking quickly to explain as Peter winced. “We got bumped from our task. The repeat one with the... oddity.”

Taylor’s eyes widened, and she turned on Kane to badger him for details. Stoic Kane, who was as reluctant as ever to speak. Jay’s eyebrows rose and his mouth opened a little.

Oooh, so that’s what Ana was talking about.

He met his teammate’s eyes, and she jutted out her chin and smirked.

“I’m sorry about the other night,” Peter said. He shifted so he had an ear towards Kane and Taylor, and also blocked the way a little. It was a hedged move. It was clear that Peter was interested and trying to listen to Kane’s interrogation, but grabbing the distraction to speak to Jay in semi-private.

Jay stiffened despite himself. “It’s fine. Nothing you can do.”

Peter’s mouth widened and twisted. It wasn’t a good look on the friendly man. “Not yet. Look, a senior in Bedrock was one of those behind the list at Peak. They have- I don’t have the ability to countermand it.”

Jay felt his own mouth curl in distaste. He’d always known someone had done it, but... he’d thought better of adventurers. Of Bedrock guild and its members.

Then he remembered Runninghoods and the bump. If a middling, no-name guild could bump them, what could one of the top guilds in the city do?

“Is it going to be a problem?”

Peter shook his head. “They’re just a wood tag. They don’t speak for the guild or anything.” His eyes went wide. “Wait, the bump, that wasn’t-”

“No, Runninghoods.”

Peter’s shoulders fell in relief. “It’s just idiocy. Nothing more. They can’t do anything outside of Peak.”

“That’s a relief,” Jay said, not really feeling any. That was still the only tavern in the city that he knew. It was where they went for drinks. “We’ll have to find another tavern then.”

He didn’t like how Peter’s face changed in response.

A commotion on the street put both conversations on halt. The run was starting.

“Ugh, they’re early today. It’s that miracle, I swear. Training’s going to be twice as bad today.” Taylor complained. She scanned the group. “Let’s talk later at-” She winced. “We’ll figure it out.”

Peter groaned — Jay was going to have to get the details of this training off of them. From the way they were reacting, it had to be difficult, yet effective. He was always interested in more ideas.

As they went, Ana sidled up to Kane with a disturbing smile on her face.

Jay watched Peter and Taylor leave and pondered the meeting. It was good to see the two of them, half the group though they were, yet something still stung.

Peter said he was on Jay’s side, but they had met up out of sight in an alley.