It was late afternoon before Ben could get everyone together to begin the discussion on how they would proceed. He was acutely aware he was dealing with many eccentric personalities and bloated egos. Luckily, he had a lot of experience dealing with such people. Flattery, threats, and pleading were all weapons he wouldn't hesitate to employ. He allowed Vladimir to stay on his brief honeymoon until the last minute. Everyone deserved time with their spouses after a hellishly long courtship, which meant one less person to track down. The Professors seemed to be underfoot constantly and then would disappear and have to be found again, either in the ACME building looking for alcohol and snacks or at the site of their proposed collegium.

Damien was like a puppy surrounded by squirrels. He couldn't wait to explore Gadobhra and was anxious to explore the Castle and the Dance, visit the ghouls, talk with the statue, and explore the sewers to look for a new laboratory. When he learned there was a coffee house, he cajoled Ben into a visit, and the Courier was forced to agree that it was a good idea. He needed the caffeine himself. Upon the first step into Hungry Town, Damien stiffened and looked around as if something worried him. Then he shrugged, and they walked to the nearby shop, where Damien acted extremely calm and polite. Damien hadn't had coffee in many years, and Ben wondered if that was what had changed his uncle's mood. That theory was blown out of the water on their walk back to the ACME building when Damien began talking about his plan for luring dragons with his flotilla of balloons. One helpful aspect of going to Mama Laveau's Brew House was meeting the leader of Clan Brindleberry there. Helpful as usual, when Rory heard about the meeting, he immediately volunteered his services and organized his clan to supply tea and coffee. He even ran to Hungry Town to buy more pies. Ben thanked him, escorted Damien back to the ACME building, and then went to round up the Professors once again.

Clan Brindleberry had been utterly delighted with Hungrytown when they arrived at the tavern and learned of the Brew House in Gadobhra. They had split the clan, and half of them had trekked to the ruined City to serve their Countess at her other holding. It was fortunate that they had, for not only was there a second establishment that appreciated their wares, but the amount of shoes that needed patching was endless. Brownies were the hardest working of all the lesser fae races, and much of their self-worth came from a job well done. They were determined to darn every sock, patch every worn sole in Hungrytown, sew torn pants, trim ragged hems, and replace lost buttons. A complication arose the first day when a young brownie spied a leaking bucket to fix it and ventured deeper into the town. She saw Mama Laveau rocking on her porch and smoking her pipe and was seen in return. Scared and shaking, she raced to find Rory, and within a quarter-hour, he was walking slowly, hat in hand, to visit with the old woman waiting for him on her porch.

"I see you, Rory of Clan Brindleberry. I see your people who are in my lands, and I can hear your goats munching in the pastures. Why have you come here, Rory of Clan Brindleberry? You are not in my service, nor do I invite you. Who do you serve, and who sent you to spy upon me."

"Ah...well, no, ma'am. We aren't spies. We serve another and came here to serve who as we do in the village. She didn't tell us to; we made that decision on our own. She's been awfully busy, and we didn't think anything of it."

"You thought nothing of trespassing on my lands without permission?"

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Rory was sweating now. He'd known the mortal lands were dangerous and confusing, but this was insanity! The lands around the City were nominally ruled by a Baron who owed allegiance both to the City and to an Emperor far away, but also to something called ACME. The Countess pretended to be the Baron's minion while she ran the smaller village as a Mayor, but also had lands in the City. The City was a patchwork of fifes with their own rulers. He'd heard about the Butcher of the Pit, Bishop Sartorius in the Crypts, The Nobles of the Endless Dance, and the shadowy guild in the sewers. But no one had mentioned the ancient power sitting on a rotting porch in a crumbling shanty town! How was a hardworking brownie to keep track of such madness?

"We didn't even know you were here!"

"Well, now you know. So tell me why I shouldn't throw your whole clan into my big cookpot?"

Rory scratched his head. "Nothing comes to mind, ma'am, about why you couldn't do that. We certainly wouldn't be up for stopping you. I'll run, get everyone, and tell them to line up in your kitchen and wash their feet first. But do you mind if I take a moment to let Countess Suzette know that we'll be late with her afternoon tea?"

The old woman raised an eyebrow, "Countess Suzette, is it? I smell a story that I haven't heard yet. Don't bother her just yet, but bring a mug of tea and honey. I want to hear this story."

Rory raced away and was back in a flash with a steaming mug. Then he sat on the lowest step and told the story of the mortals who rescued a Fae Prince and rid the land of an evil Duchess. He included every detail he knew, which was quite a lot and made for a long story. Brownies were adept at hearing small details. He finished long after the sun had gone down, describing their journey to the mortal lands and the discovery of the tavern and Brew House the Countess owned. No one in Sedgewick had warned them that the Brew House was in the lands claimed by Mama Laveau.

The old woman finished her tea. "This will do, and I forgive you the trespass. Your Countess is inexperienced in the ways of power, but she has time to learn and a decent heart. I may spare the time to teach her a few things. But for now, your clan can serve her by serving the poor of Hungry Town. I will look kindly upon your clan for your service here. And there is a small favor I might ask of you if your clan is willing?"

Rory's ears perked up, and his wits raced. A favor from this old woman wasn't a thing to pass up and a darn sight better than lining up for the cooking pot. "Certainly, ma'am, If we can."

She pointed to the ACME tower. "Lots of smart people talking up there, planning big things. That always makes me nervous. Especially the folks talking about building another college. Maybe you and your clan could keep your ears open and bring me news of what they say and what they plan. I don't trust them one bit, and I protect what's mine. And don't worry, I'm not asking you to betray Suzette; I'm sort of fond of her. You should tell her about what I've asked of you. You can be her eyes and ears as well as mine and serve her well."

Rory thought that was a good idea and agreed immediately, then took his leave of the scary old woman with the large cooking pot.

As she watched the brownie run off to find Suzette, the old woman chuckled about the story he'd told. "It warms my heart to hear that bitch got taken down by a pack of mortals. And little Suzette is a countess now? That will shake them up. I might have to visit the Fae Court on the day she takes her seat on the council. Be fun to watch."