Sunday night a well-dressed gentleman with beady eyes and a foreign air about him sat in ‘Cuffs among the regulars and inquired as to the whereabouts of a man of the Church. He did not even know his name, but wanted to simply meet with him. After confessing he was being paid well for his errand, the man shared the only other details he had about his quarry: the man had a military record and liked the company of women.
The regulars did not give away any specific information other than Scottie pointing the gentleman towards Clockhaven for the Church. As the man quickly walked in the wrong direction as given, Scottie sent Brother Lapis the note of forewarning.
Then the speculations began: What did this man really want with Lapis? He did not travel all of that way and be paid handsomely for a simple conversation. Possibilities were listed off and discussed. A few called for a new page in the wager book be opened.
Late that night the Melniks opened the wager book to a new page where Sky wrote in slanted hand: What does the foreigner want with Brother Lapis?
*begins to wonder if Lapis is some kind of Man of Mystery secret agent* He does seem to always have something on his plate.
*thanks the skinny lapine girl who brought him the message still curled from the p-mail cannister without so much as looking up*
Foreigner by name of Aluveaux asking questions that lead to you. Sent him on wild goose chase.
-S. M.
*an entry in the wager book, written in a fine boilerplate hand*
In the matter of Br. Lapis
50 qt Illegitimate child
25 qt Outstanding debt
25 qt Scorned lover
300 Qt. Bastard Child.
*Thinks about it some more…*
What Ianone said.
*Hand hovers a moment, considering whether or not to cross out the word Child, then lets it go and goes back to polishing the glassware. *
*Adds a wager entry*
50 qt – Br. Lapis has been named in a court of Chancery.
100 qt – angry father
100 qt – process server
5 qt – long lost brother
150 qt – This is not the droid he’s looking for.
*goes about her business and moves along*
50 qt – A demand to return the lawn-care implement he borrowed.
20 qt – Overdue library book.
40 qt – “Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.”
29 qt – Foreign military is in need of a calculating General.
100 qt. Inheritance. m.t.
500 qt: Your Wager Could Be Seen By Millions If You Rented This Billboard. Serious Inquiries Only.
100qt – Conscription to a foreign army
50qt – had an affair with a woman and vengeance is being sought
*taps her chin with the end of the pen, not realizing she’s getting ink on her face, then scribbles artfully*
100 qt. Foreign dignitary in need of assistance with a particularly challenging game of Sudoku
300 qt. Hungarians
— Juniper
Puts his finger on the word “Hungarians” and thinks he may have found his man.
Oops.
50 qt. You killed his father. Prepare to die.
2000 qt. – Lapis and Lighthouse are wanted by the Bolivian Government for bank robbery.
Think you used enough dynamite there Butch?
40 qt. stay out
Last night as the crowd grew thick in ‘Cuffs and Brother Lapis sat to discuss the stranger, Sky artfully covered up the open wager book with some nearby papers and got herself some more cocoa. Scottie grinned as he watched over Lapis’ shoulder. The Melniks believed they had a right to run business as they did, but if they could spare Lapis getting upset, all the better. He was their friend, after all.
50 qt. High-end AP Calculus coach for MIT hopeful.
50 qt. military recruitment
50 qt. military advisement
100 qt. child support
*notices someone writing in a book on the side table and goes to leaf through it after he is finished*
Lapis.
*leafs through deeper to glean what he may*
*makes a note about blind squirrels and broken clocks*