Saph didn’t really know if work was progressing well or not. Plenty of people were doing shit that was for sure, so she guessed so. Yldril had been camped a ways away from the keep to rest after she had been unloaded, and Glira had been loaded up for her scouting run now that she wasn’t strictly needed to guard the black dragon anymore. Their oldest blue hadn’t seemed to mind that it would be well past dark by the time she got to Hylsdal, so once both she and Arch were loaded, the three blues wished each other good luck (and a speedy recovery in Jarix’s case) and set off on their respective missions. Jarix’s belly was mostly healed, and he certainly didn’t shy away from helping out with the digging work, even if it came with a few nasty comments directed at a certain someone who should probably have been doing it in his stead.

Project Talk to the Unicorn had been a hot topic. Rachuck had wanted to rely on what they knew worked and just send Tom on the quadbike with the chainsaw. As for the dragons, they had Baron and Galaxer left who could fly. The two inquisitorial reds were busy on vault duty, at least for now, but they would be back soon.

Galaxer wanted absolutely nothing to do with this stupid idea, pointing out that technically they didn’t need to strike any deal whatsoever. Kalestine had to give up the wood without a fight, such were the terms of their agreement. It wasn’t even like it was a large amount of wood compared to the size of the forest. Hardly a drop in the bucket. Hell, most inner keeps likely took several times more wood for the same amount of forest every single year.

Kulinger had of course been vehemently against invoking the unicorn's wrath by not informing her of what was going to happen. He wanted to strike a deal with her, and Rachuck and Dakota had agreed, though Tom suspected they were both hoping for the unicorn’s assistance rather than just her consent. It would be quite a lot easier if they had her on their side after all. Kalestine wasn’t used to her forest getting ‘exploited’ as Kulinger so eloquently put it.

In the end they had agreed that not sending a dragon was an acceptable risk. They were fairly confident that the island was clear of all hostiles, save for the two brigands on the run. And they knew Kalestine did not like dragons in the slightest, so sending one on a diplomatic mission didn’t sound overly smart.

Victoria had volunteered to come. She was well-versed in the intricacies of the various laws and agreements between the unicorns and the kingdom. Plus, this would not be her first time negotiating with one of the wardens of their forests. Rachuck was going too, to represent the keep if a deal was to be struck. Apuma had apparently really wanted to come along, but the old man still had a wife to tend to and Linkosta had more work to handle than she had time to even catalog, so that left her out.

They had also wanted to send some people whom Kalestine knew. Tom was considered, but everyone knew he was needed back at the keep, and Jacky refused to leave him just yet. Wiperna and Raulf were considered, but in the end dismissed since they were at least quite skilled in woodworking. And since Kulinger would definitely be going if they wanted to keep him sweet, the two farmers were the next best option they had to keep people moving on the warehouse project. They had also wanted Fengi since she clearly knew the unicorn better than anyone else in her own unique way, but that had been vetoed by both Nunuk and Paulin. So they went for the second, third or whatever best option, Saph and Unkai.

Saph had looked rather distraught at the idea of going on a trip with some of the least fun people at the keep to look for a not-so-kind unicorn in a cold dark forest while she really had better places to be. Not to mention taking Unkai away from what he really should be dealing with. At least Paulin hadn’t been able to go since she had an inquisitor to tend to, and as a closing note Victoria had wanted Maiko for his ‘people skills’ as she put it.

‘Well at least he’s coming too…thank the gods for that I guess.’

Getting ready to depart had taken a bit. Kulinger had needed to go through some things with Tom before they got underway, Victoria had gone to procure some supplies, equipment, and documents of her own from Baron and Rachuck likewise from his father. That had left the rest of them with the task of gearing up for a night in the woods. It was already early afternoon, and Saph was far from optimistic that Kalestine would just show up right away to hear what they had to say.

She had brought hot rocks, fire-starting supplies —namely kindling— and the lighter they had gotten as a sign of gratitude from the crafters guild in the capital. And one of Tom’s, just in case the guilds was shit. Tom’s nice tent was also light enough for her to carry as opposed to the heavy canvas affairs they had at the keep. She had considered some nice warm pelts for the night, but the fact they actually had to carry it dissuaded her in the end. She was wearing her winter coat though, even if she didn’t have it filled with warm rocks out the gate.

On the wing the heat she made would be more than enough to keep her warm with the extra insulation, but if or when it was a cold night the inner rock pockets might come in handy yet.

The weather had at least been kind to them as they flew aside from the slight biting cold gnawing at her wings as her body kept warm inside the coat. It was clear and not overly windy as they flew, reaching the forest in good time and starting to scan for a good spot to set up camp. They didn’t want to just sit by the outskirts where they would be easier to ignore.

Saph led them to a suitable clearing they had used many times before when out hunting, it had a small waterhole that cleared a opening in the massive heaven oak trees which stood all around. The massive crowns of the ancient trees had started slowly turning yellow, but coming down between the trees they were greeted with a sea of green, almost like autumn had yet to set in, the giants shielding their smaller brethren down below.

‘Fingers crossed it’s a bit warmer in there too,’ Saph mused to herself, smiling at the sight. She knew it would at least be shielded from the wind, and the pond was crystal clear, the bottom mostly lined with moss. It was one of the few places Dakota dared to set foot in water since the bottom could be seen from above across the whole waterhole, making it quite obvious that nothing was hiding down below.

The small group came in to land along the edge of the water, all of them soon down safe and sound, looking around at their surroundings. Saph took a second to take in the rather empty forest. A group of dragonettes tended to have that effect, white and blue was rather easy to spot once on the ground after all and Saph very much doubted a deer could tell the difference between them and a hunting party.

“So then, what’s the plan?” She tried a little brazenly strutting around the clearing letting her claws sink into the soft leaf-covered ground.

"We make our wishes known,” Kulinger replied as he confidently strode forth into the forest, leaving the rest of them behind all probably wondering just how he planned on doing that.

She was pretty sure he was just playing for dramatic effect and didn’t actually have that much clue either, but hey, better he make an arse of it than her.

Victoria didn’t seem to have any input yet as she unslung her pack of camping supplies and leaned it against a small shrub, head swiveling around as she surveyed the area. Saph decided to follow suit. What was the point in carrying a heavy pack of stuff now anyway? If they were camping, they were camping here.

“Warden of the forest! We have come to seek your aid in honoring our alliance with you!” Kulinger shouted out, arms spread wide as if venerating the ancient forest.

“Think the trees have ears, or are you hoping there is a squirrel left hiding somewhere?” Saph jested, rather confident this wouldn’t work. If it were this simple, their carpenter would spend more time in the forest than doing his job. He did often go on the logging trips, at least back when Tom wasn’t around —or even worse, Tom’s noisy equipment.

To her total lack of surprise there was no response as they waited in silence.

“So then? Take a walk or make camp for a bit? She might notice a fire in a hurry?”

“As long as it is a campfire and not a forest fire,” Victoria added in with a huff, continuing to look around at the empty forest. “Give it a minute and the birds should at least come back. Then you can try to get her attention again.”

“Shouldn’t do us any harm to wait a little. I am sure she already knows we are here,” Kulinger replied with a sagely nod like everything was going according to his plan or something as they set about unpacking.

“Question is, does she care?” Saph sighed as she started scratching away wet grass with a foot from what looked to her like the best place for a fire.

“She will care,” Rachuck added in a calmer, more diplomatic tone. “It has been a while since last we tried to hold an actual meeting, even if we have had a few unconventional ones this year.”

“Right, sorry,” Saph replied, trying not to show that she did not particularly want to be here, heretical as that might be to say. She had been so excited to meet Kalestine the first time. She was more than a little worried this wouldn’t go well though.

__________________________________________________________________________________

It had been smooth sailing all the way until dinner for Tom. He didn’t feel sick or exhausted, even after putting in just a little bit of actual work. Jacky had soon put a stop to it of course, relegating Tom to watching and talking for now. They were gonna stick with just the one extra bunker, but they might need more next year by the sounds of it. The warehouse was gonna be big though. Not as big as what they would probably be looking at for the factory, but still big.

Tom thought they were mad for even trying to get it done before winter, but that was the plan. He guessed they were envisioning something like what happened when the Amish decided they needed a new barn and just whipped it together in a day or two. He didn’t actually know how the hell they did that, but he was guessing a lot of prep work, none of which they had done.

If they didn’t get it done they would have to finish it in spring before the next shipment of toys arrived, which sounded like it could be a cold affair. The warehouse, or large barn depending on how you wanted to look at it, would be about two stories tall but with no actual second floor inside. The idea was apparently to use Jarix as an improvised crane to get up to the higher boxes that would be stored inside. It sorta made sense to Tom. Jarix wouldn’t even be able to get in there if it wasn’t two stories tall without ducking his head and getting low to the ground after all. But the planned size meant he would be able to reach all the way to the roof if he stretched a bit.

Kulinger had been doing the first rough drafts on what they would be building here. He was their carpenter after all. He’d kept the keep in good shape for decades, so he knew his way around construction work, even if this was quite a bit bigger scale. His excitement was palpable though. Tom hadn’t seen the guy this excited about anything before. ‘Guy really loves his wood I guess, or maybe it’s about going to see the unicorn that has him all cheery.’

The group that had headed out to see said unicorn hadn’t made it back for dinner, but that was hardly surprising really. They had packed for a night in the woods after all. At dinner Tom had sat down with Jacky at the huntress table. Saph might be missing but Fengi was back so it didn’t feel overly different. Bo and Pho had for once agreed on complaining about something together rather than bickering with each other. That being how for the foreseeable future they would be placed under Kulinger’s tutelage along with most of the guard.

They both had their own unique style of complaining of course. Bo argued rather adeptly while Pho mostly flung accusations around and generally acted like a bit of a bitch. Tom could sorta see how a pair of racers who had expected to be out here hunting down critters would be a little miffed about getting reassigned as carpenters, but he did have a feeling it would be good for them. Especially Pho.

Edita had of course also taken a seat at their table, but there was no outpouring of questions towards Tom. In fact it was Essy and Fengi who had most of her attention. Tom had picked up on the artificer being… a bit out of touch with normal people. But he had not noticed just how bad it was. She had almost started reminding him of Linkosta as she lapped up all the girl’s gossip at the table, even taking a few notes. The mood was much improved today, even Tom could feel that. According to Jacky things had been rather bleak while he was out. Dakota had even gone so far as to ready them for a fight just in case Joelina’s delusions got the better of her.

After the meeting that morning things had loosened up somewhat though. Nunuk’s chair was still empty, Tom hoping she was at least in her own room as opposed to the infirmary, resting after her ordeal this morning. The inquisitor for her part was nowhere to be seen either. Tom guessed she was busy unraveling the mysteries of the human condition. He wished her good luck on that one.

As they had all finished and started collecting plates Dakota had made her way over, clearing her throat behind him. “Could I perhaps bother you for a bit?”

“I believe so,” Tom replied, turning around to face her, still sitting on the bench.

“Things are moving quickly and with the inquisitor departing. I would rather we went over our finances, at least roughly. Especially with the opportunity to make one last round of orders before winter.”

“Sure. I guess you want a damage report for my ideas for the future?”

“More or less,” Dakota admitted with a slight chuckle.

“Is my loyal bodyguard allowed to come along too?”

“Sure. Come on then,” she agreed, waving the two of them along. Jacky had dropped the halberd, at least for now, but she still had her favorite piece of jewelry with her. It honestly made Tom wonder if he could somehow get her a set of revolver earrings or something. She would love that he was sure.

Dakota led them up to her room on the top floor where, much as Tom had expected, everything was meticulously organized except for the desk which was dominated by a very large tome and scraps of paper flung randomly around the place. To his surprise though, Lothal was there sitting on a chair next to the table, clearly waiting for them.

“Well hello there,” Tom greeted as they all stepped inside, Jacky giving a curt nod.

“Hello, glad you could make it,” Lothal responded, far too smoothly for a kid his age. It was clearly a well-practiced greeting, though it seemed to come naturally to the teen.

“On the mend so I thought why not,” Tom tried to respond a bit more jokingly, the young man replying with a kind smile as they all got comfortable.

“Yes. Lothal has been taking part in my work as of late, I’m sure you know,” Dakota explained as she started running a finger down the page of the tome.

“I will have to see to the finances of my keep in the near future. Or at the bare minimum know them well enough to determine if I am being taken for a fool.”

“You are a wise one,” was the best reply Tom had as Dakota apparently found the line she was looking for.

“Very. Right, so, firstly, it has been a rather odd year to say the least. We have not actually made much on hunting at all, which is normally the backbone of what we do here. But, the sugar sold well. Very well. And we won’t be paying tax on any of it, which is a relief. That leaves us looking rather good indeed. Now of course the more we spend leading up to winter the less people get in the way of their own money. I would also rather see that we pay people before we have to give Archeon the word on what we want.”

“Do you think Galaxer will keep flying throughout winter?” Jacky questioned, tilting her head. “Maybe the Inquisition would be willing to pay him?”

“Perhaps,” Dakota admitted, rubbing her chin a little. “I do not think we should be betting on it. It was my understanding that our next shipments of inquisitorial goods would not arrive til spring. Now I have been over this with mum after she decided against better judgment to get up this morning. As well as dad and Rachuck, of course. As it stands, we have just shy of 6,000 gold in profits this year.”

“Holy fuck man!” Jacky spat out, seeming quite taken aback by the news. Lothal seemed rather taken aback by the outburst, looking at her and blinking a few times before returning to his previous posture. Jacky didn’t seem to notice; she seemed too busy with trying to rack her brain for an answer on what that number meant Tom guessed.

“Indeed. We normally turn over for 1,000 gold a year total, and most of that we spend on what we need. Supplies, equipment, raw materials. There’s not much profit left usually. The sugar alone sold for nearly 12,000. We have spent a lot of money this year too though.”

“We spent 6,000 gold?!” Jacky exclaimed, disbelief rising in her voice. Tom just stood there trying to remember how much that roughly was. He remembered that they had been expecting to sell the sugar for it’s weight in silver and it was 10 silver to a gold.

“More actually,” Dakota interrupted. “There is also the 2400 from the Flaxens to consider. About 150 from our own produce, which is the lowest we have ever had on record. And nearly 300 from our royalties. Not bad for a side venture,” Dakota went with a somber nod, looking at the book.

“How much sugar did we make in the end?” Tom asked curiously. He couldn’t actually remember what the final tally was. It had been a fucking lot though.

“A bit over half a ton,” Dakota replied. “ And Arch managed to sell it much better than we had thought. Apparently, some noble family decided to corner the market in a hurry and were willing to pay for a monopoly. Good for them, I guess. We were afraid he would struggle to sell this much quickly without having to lower the price substantially. Instead we sold it for nearly one and a half times the cost of honey,” Dakota replied with a nod. “In short, we Are rich, Tom. Just like you said we would be,” Dakota finished, turning to look at Tom with an unusually crooked smile for the woman. She seemed downright mischievous if he was being brutally honest.

“Why thank you very much,” Tom replied snarkily, giving a little bow.

“Now the question is: Do we apply normal shares to this? It’s an awful lot of money.”

“Well we did also work rather hard this year. And nearly got killed a few too many times,” Jacky interjected, clearly doing her best to be very convincing right now.

“What would it work out to per share?” Tom questioned. He knew Jacky got 4 shares. He only got two though. Didn’t quite seem fair. ‘Wait, do I get paid for being both a hunter, a guard, and a crafter? Hmmm….’

“Well that’s the thing now, isn’t it. How many shares do we even have? Do we pay Jarix? What about Edita? Sounds like she will be staying for quite some time.”

“What about Ray? She’s just a greenhorn, right?” Tom questioned, trying to work out what that would equate to.

“She is indeed. There is also the question of you. I have no idea where to even start with you,” Dakota sighed, pointing at Tom.

“He is, an atypical situation,” Lothal added, his tone prim and proper but a smile showing on his face.

“I mean, I think I’m a silver, copper, and greenhorn depending on who you ask?” Tom jested, trying to work out if he could get away with calling himself a silvered craftsman. Gold was out of the question, Shiva would beat him senseless, but he felt he at least deserved silver.

“Oh please, let’s not forget why we have these lovely sugar beats in the first place now shall we,” Dakota chuckled in reply. “How about this? You get a full 8 shares just like me. So does Jarix ‘cause the gods know he’s earned them and gold doesn’t go far for a dragon. We get Zarko 4 and Radexi 1. I have Tink down as coppered so 2. Junior gets greenhorn so 1, that way the boys don’t think one is worth more than the other and get into a fight. That and we have Bo and Pho to think about. I don’t think they would be happy if the boys got more than them. Ray is just a greenhorn. The contract says so; not much to do there. I was thinking maybe we get her a little something on the side though,” Dakota continued, looking around at them, clearly trying to gauge if they agreed about Ray.

“She deserves it more than most,” Tom agreed. “Even if she would probably be very happy with what she gets just from the one share.”

“Might be more money that she has made in the last decade… or two,” Jacky added, Lothal nodding his agreement. “If it was that long she was on the street.”

“Several times over,” Dakota added with a solemn sigh. “Maybe some nice things then instead. Think she would accept them?”

“Not without a fight,” Tom replied, Jacky nodding her agreement. “But I’m sure she would love it afterwards.”

“Might even teach that bitch Yldril a lesson or two about what we do with nice folk around here,” Jacky added with a grumble, crossing her arms.

“Indeed,” Dakota concurred, not seeming thrilled. “Though that dragon is not getting a penny yet, that is for certain. That leaves Edita undecided… hmm…”

Jacky grumbled a little before she reluctantly spoke up. “I think she should get something… Make her feel welcome. It’s bad enough as is.”

“Bad?” Tom questioned, looking to Jacky, suddenly worried something nasty had happened while he was out. It hadn’t seemed like it to him though. In fact, she seemed extremely happy.

“She is strange, Tom. Essy had to tell her about what loving someone meant. She’s not even on par with a five year old when it comes to dealing with people.”

“Oh,” was all Tom could say in response to Jacky’s little outburst. He guessed her arriving at that conclusion at least somewhat explained why she had seemed more okay now than she was before the whole ordeal.

“I believe giving her a rank such as greenhorn or coppered would only make it seem like we do not value her. She is highly skilled and her skills are rare too.” Lothal interjected helpfully.

“Aye, I guess,” Tom agreed, looking to Dakota as she thought on it some more.

“I concur. Besides there would be the matter of swearing her to our keep and questions of loyalty from the Inquisition. I would rather not poke that bee’s nest more than absolutely necessary right now,” Dakota concluded. “Besides, looking at what she has brought us, I find it hard to believe simple gold would hold much value to her.”

“They probably pay her too,” Tom tried, not actually sure if that would be true or not. “Or if they don’t, perhaps we can get her a little spending cash so she can feel included. I don’t know if she wants a personal thing or perhaps she would want to buy a gift for someone or something,” Tom backpedaled, thinking back to his little chat about Christmas with Maiko.

‘Edita the elf in Santa’s workshop… wouldn’t that be an upgrade from weapons factory, heh.’

“Agreed,” Dakota responded with a quick nod, going back to her tome and writing something down. “I guess that is the matter of shares sorted. Let’s see what we have then…”

Dakota had ended up scribbling away in her tome for some time, Tom considering if he should bring out his phone when she produced his trusty old Ti-84 calculator from a drawer in her desk and started punching in numbers.

‘Ooohhh. I forgot that’s where that went… I’d been looking for that,’ Tom grumbled to himself as Daktoa finished up on her math.

“Also I tried to work out what the Inquisition has brought us,” she then spoke up, still running numbers. “They have been acting like petulant children at times, but it is hard to be mad at someone who brought us tens of thousands of gold in materials alone. Did you know back in those crates we got nearly fifty kilos of mithril. Of mithril!” Dakota repeated. “I know they probably didn’t buy it as such, but that is still of considerable value. Thousands I would guess just in metals.”

“And what about what we turn it into? Is that ours?” Tom had to question as he pondered just what the ownership rights were gonna be on this.

“Not quite. The factory comes first, and it will be them dictating what is to be made. But we will be paid handsomely, of that there can be no doubt. And anything you may convince them is worth making I would see us simply being allowed to make.”

“So convince Paulina?”

“Or perhaps Edita, I do not know how rank works between the two of them,” Dakota countered, seeming more confident in the second option. Tom had to agree there, Edita certainly seemed the more excitable of the two. Not to mention less scrupulous.

“Okay this could actually be quite good.”

“Quite… so anyway, that comes to 93 shares total. Half the profits go to the shares normally. There is no tax man this year, but considering it may be a bit until our next big payday, I propose we hide away a lot of it. Not likely anyone will be hurting for money, and we may need substantial reserves for…”

“Unforseen expenses of abnormal magnitude,” Lothal finished with a slight nod to Dakota. She cracked a smile and nodded in reply before turning to Jacky and Tom expectantly.

“Yup,” Tom just agreed with a nod. “What were we paying for cast iron by the way?”

“Not terribly much, why?”

“Oh I might just need a rather large amount for an idea. Gonna need a lot of pipes”

“I see… I believe around 3 silver pr kilo. But we do have a considerable amount in storage now, at least a few dozen kilos I am sure more could be brought by our new friends if they find this idea of yours interesting.”

“Not so sure on that one, but might be worth the try. anyway sounds like we can afford it.”

“Indeed. This will still be quite some payday.”

“yeah, I remember when I made a whole gold for the first time. I was ecstatic.”

“Well you are about to make a whole lot more, Dragonslayer,” Dakota smirked as she glanced at the calculator again. “Even if we spend half of what we have on savings and more winter supplies, this still comes to 32 gold 2 silver a share. Some copper too, but who’s counting?” Dakota half laughed as she shook her head, clearly not quite believing what she was saying.

“I’m gonna make, what. Over 120 gold?” Jacky just asked, dumbfounded.

“256 for me,” Tom chuckled, giving her a little poke in the side. “Booyah.”

“Holy shit man!”

“A regular trader’s escort may make 25 gold in a year, perhaps double for someone like Sergeant Tyborg. We may be the highest paid keep on the entire frontier.”

“Frontier?” Jacky questioned. “I’ve heard plenty of stories. We might be the best paid keep in the world!”

“Numbers can get quite high in the inner keeps for upper positions,” Lothal countered, though he didn’t seem overly convinced by his own argument.

“Yeah, but they would have me labeled a copper, and I doubt even then they would give me one-fourth what a gilded makes.”

“Also true… Benefits of the frontier, aye?” Lothal replied with a big smile on, Dakota shaking her head just a little, seeming quite bemused.

“Oh, so shares are different further in?”

“Oh yes,” Dakota replied with an over-exaggerated nod. “Such keeps may employ hundreds or thousands of people. If we are talking inner keeps at the very least. The higher-ups tend to want a larger slice of the pie when commanding a hundred huntresses as opposed to five or six.”

“Some things change, others stay the same,” Tom chuckled, pondering what life would be like in a keep like where Saph grew up. He had a feeling paychecks wouldn’t have been great in a place like that.

“All the more reason to celebrate what we made this year. Let’s do it again next year. We’ll be the richest keep in the world in no time!” Jacky broke out, seeming on the verge of jumping up and down, likely hugging Tom and shaking him like a toy all the while.

‘We are soo having a sweet christmas,’ Tom just chuckled to himself as he pondered just what one could do with nearly 250 gold. Counting what he already had he probably was well over 270.

‘Oh shit, right.’ “What about Maiko?” Tom then went as he realized. “He’s working around the keep I guess. At least sorta.”

“Gods know he’s done plenty of Saph’s chores,” Jacky grumbled in agreement, sounding maybe just a little jealous, though it soon burned away as she went back to pondering what to do with her new paycheck.

‘Hey, I’m not doing your dishes for you,’ Tom just chuckled to himself as Dakota thought about it.

“He is paid by Victoria. And once more a pledge of loyalty would be a problem. Perhaps a little something under the table. I don’t want three whole dragon crews wanting a piece of us too. We made a lot of money, but not quite that much. I am also quite sure Rachuck will be looking to hire more guards next year. We have found ourselves constantly outnumbered within our own walls for the last several months now.”

“How many more beds have we even got?” Tom questioned. “And with construction crews and who knows what coming next year?”

“They will not be staying inside our walls. Even reaching parity on numbers would be close to impossible. But maybe it could help a little.”

“I say you put Jarix down as the added security. I have a feeling we might just be able to make him a permanent resident if we try. And don’t forget Yldril.”

“A frontier keep able to call on two combat-trained dragons… now there is something you don’t hear every day,” Dakota chuckled. “Would it be a good idea to give her a crew though?”

“Eeeh. Maybe leave that one for next year,” Tom tried. It was pretty clear Dakota was just pondering right now, but still. It may be best not to try out Yldril in battle till they knew how this all worked at least a bit better.

“I’m not fighting from her back,” Jacky declared, shaking her head. “No way.”

“You sure? She could carry such a big gun though. She’s larger than Glira you know,” Tom tried teasingly, receiving a rather unamused look from Jacky as she crossed her arms and raised her snout.

“Not in a million years. No way.”

“From what I heard Glira may be swayed too with the right promises.”

“Eeeh… maybe,” Tom admitted reluctantly. “Not really my first choice though.”

“Quite,” Dakota echoed. “Well I do believe we have our affairs in order then. I will run it all by mother and father one final time, do try to keep quiet for now. I think we will let everyone know at dinner after Joelina has departed. I have a feeling there might be some celebrating to be had.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jacky replied promptly, Tom taking a second and receiving a slight poke in the side from Jacky for his pondering. In his defence, he was busy trying to work out how bad things would have to get before he would consider giving in to Glira’s demands.

“Oh right, sure.”

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