act17mini

Need anything else, Crownie?

My thanks, Mostima. You must have been through a lot, coming all this way.

Nah, just doing my job.

As for further work, I would like some fabric from Sargon. I presume I will need to give full payment in advance, just as before?

I mean, sure, but I don't think you'll be needing my services much longer.

What ever do you mean? Is your company changing its modus operandi?

No, don't get the wrong idea here.

What I mean is—

This sort of stuff will be sold in Kazdel soon enough, so you won't need Penguin Logistics.

Is that so...?

The number of caravans going in and out of Kazdel has doubled several times over. The folks at Rhodes Island have also helped set up a few connections for the city.

You'll probably have a place you can get imported goods before long.

So you're saying... I will be able to sell my Kazdelian souvenirs?

Your what?

Crystal balls, cups... You know, souvenirs you'd get on a trip. Not that different to the ones you see in other countries, they're just Kazdel-themed.

But who would want to go on vacation to Kazdel? We don't really have any good sightseeing spots.

I wouldn't mind, to be honest. Walk around, see your Soul Furnace, roam the streets, and there's that 'Temple of Knowledge'... That's in Kazdel, right?

*sigh* Shame I won't get the chance. Your idea's not bad, though. You should talk to the merchants. They might want to buy some souvenirs to show off back home.

I'll bear it in mind. My thanks. As for you, young Djall...

Call me Nymph.

Let us go, Madam Nymph. We should hurry on home.

Okay. Well, see you, Sankta Messenger lady!

Ciao. If you ever need anything, remember to call Penguin Logistics. Crownie's got our contact.

Phew... Shouldn't you have popped out too, 'Suffering'? Or is it 'Mad Bomber' these days?

Have you lost your mind? Coming to Kazdel just for a delivery?

If you get caught by the Sarkaz, there's no way you're making it out alive.

She's an old customer. Not wise to refuse a request.

What, worried about me?

Supervising you is my job. We're going back right now. Immediately.

Alright, alright. Not like there's anywhere to run in this wasteland anyway. Say, why don't we go have some fun in Kazdel for a day?

(Raises weapon) ...Start walking.

*sigh* It's so hard to get through to you.

Welcome to my humble abode.

After an entire day of walking, Nymph and Crownie are back in front of the warehouse where they first spoke.

The place that Nymph assumed the revenant compelled Crownie to go to avoid the crowd.

(She really does live here.)

(There's a bed, a workbench, some clothes hung up, a corner full of junk. She's missing a lot of basic furniture.)

When you look at her, well, you're seeing everything she's got, in a way.

Please, make yourself at home.

Sure...

Do you need help, Crownie?

No. I can handle things on my own.

That cloth you bought is really expensive.

A mere several months' worth of food, hardly important.

Hmm, this place is ill-suited for a brooch. If I use this cloth to make a matching necktie or cravat...

Madam Nymph.

What is it?

You wanted this brooch, did you not?

Eh? Yeah.

But didn't you—

Take it. I no longer have need of it.

A heavy stillness emanates from the brooch, and Nymph cannot stop herself from shivering. She quickly throws the fragment-embedded jewelry into her box.

This whole time, the revenant fragment seems to have done nothing other than latch onto the brooch.

No commanding strange creations, no instigating arguments in a crowd.

When he was in the palm of her hand, she even felt some fury and frustration coming from him, like...

...Talking to a burdenbeast?

Pardon?

Oh, no, it's nothing, just a funny idea that popped into my head... Are you feeling alright, Crownie?

Thank you for your concern, but I've been fit as a fiddle this entire time.

(She doesn't sound any different from earlier. Has she really recovered from it?)

If there's anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask.

Hmm... As it were, Madam Nymph, I do have a presumptuous request.

Just Nymph is fine, no need to be so formal.

Very well then, Nymph. Could you come here for a moment?

Nymph looks at the clothes atop Crownie's workbench. They appear to be a suit, but not in Crownie's size.

Could you try this on?

Me?

Crownie whips out a tape measure, rapidly taking Nymph's measurements while muttering strings of numbers to herself.

It should fit you. Give it a try.

Aren't these clothes really expensive? I'm scared I'll—

Don't worry. It's not finished yet.

Alright, then.

H-How do I look?

Beautiful.

How is the fit? Are the cuffs too tight? Too loose? Anywhere that feels particularly awkward?

No, it's a perfect fit...

Are you making these clothes for a friend?

No. It is a gift to myself.

This outfit's creation is my dream, but alas, I am still unable to realize it.

I think it's pretty much perfect already.

Far from it, I'm afraid. The cuffs still need embellishment, the accessories still need matching. All in all, still rather crude...

You may take it off now, Nymph. My thanks.

Oh, okay.

But why would you make an outfit you can't wear?

Because its revelation gave my life direction.

I wanted to distinguish my life from those of others, but I too love this city. And so, I called attention to myself through a multitude of methods, old Sarkaz tricks all. I'm sure you'll understand where I'm coming from.

In the end, I was driven away from Kazdel, set adrift in the wilds.

I was offered menial work in Ursus. At first, it was only my survival instinct that spurred me to accept.

But I found myself rather suited to deft needlework. More importantly, I obtained a designer's manuscript.

A Sarkaz designer from Kazdel. Kazdel, designer. Never had I thought those two words could fit together.

Were these clothes in that manuscript?

They were. It was a heavily damaged book, and much information was lost, save for a note reading 'for AM' and the framework of this suit. Naught else remained.

Despite the damage, it provoked an emotion I had never felt before.

In order to understand it, I took up tailoring, alongside the crafting of many other knick-knacks.

As it happened, Kazdel had forgotten me by that point. And so I returned, under a new identity.

Kazdel has changed, just as I have. It's a more tolerant city these days. Even a stuck-out nail such as I can find a stage here.

Is that why you made stuff you can't sell?

They are souvenirs. There will come a day that Kazdel will entertain visitors from all across Terra. This, I do believe.

Though I am merely testing the waters on a whim, if other places can enjoy something, then why not Kazdel? We are not so different from them.

It could be a suit of fashionable clothes, a set of baubles for tourists, or even... a way of life. The pursuit of beauty.