Chapter 11
I didn’t notice when the lively sounds of the patrons downstairs tapered off to nothing as the night progressed. I did, however, notice the sounds of rapid footfalls as someone ran up the stairs. I stood up just as someone flung open the door and burst into the room. That someone was of course Koreo, who stopped very briefly to look around the room. She spotted me and basically lunged at me. I managed to open my arms and brace myself and all of a sudden I had an armful of best friend.
A lot had changed in the time I’d been gone: Rina had grown her hair out, Makkin and Souta weren’t kids any more, Sarien had grown a beard… but Koreo was just the same. Her hair was the same frost blue, she still wore it up in a bun, she still had the same soft yellow eyes, she didn’t look a day over sixteen even though she wasn’t that much younger than I was… Heck, even her clothes were familiar, the same crisp white and blue uniform she always wore in the bar.
“Spikora I missed you so much! What the heck took you so long to come visit?” she demanded, squeezing me tight. I squeezed her back and tucked my chin onto the top of her head, like old times. I started to respond, but she just kept going. “And the Astorian government is after you now? And you bought another person?!”
“...I’ve been busy,” I simply answered. I heard Sarien laugh, and spotted him standing near the door to the stairs, looking amused.
“Yeah, I’ll say,” he said. I grinned.
“C’mon Sarien, get over here, you know you want in on this hug,” I said. He answered my grin and made his way over, throwing his arms around both of us and lifting us off the ground, spinning us around before setting us back down. Just like old times. I used to hate it when he did that, but now it was nothing but nostalgic for me.
Koreo finally let go and we disengaged from the hug, and then she looked pointedly over at Rasha.
“I take it this is the person you bought?” she asked. I nodded.
“Koreo, Sarien, this is Rasha. I paid a large amount of money to rescue him from the Itagaria. Rasha, this is Koreo and Sarien, two of my oldest friends.”
“Nice to meet you,” Rasha said, with a quick bow.
“Likewise,” Sarien said. Koreo spent a few moments looking critically at Rasha before nodding.
“You seem like a decent person,” she said. “Or at least you have manners. Nice to meet you.” She turned to me with a stern look. “So, you owe us a big explanation, don’t you Spikora?”
“I sure do. But do you want it now or in the morning? I’m sure you’re tired,” I said. Koreo frowned at me, and I held up my hands. “I’m not trying to get out of the explanation. Really.”
“I don’t think I can wait until morning,” Koreo admitted. “I’m way too curious!”
“Well, would you like some coffee then?” I asked, gesturing to the set of cups I’d brought out earlier, all now arranged in a ring around the Flavorful Jar. She gave me the same perplexed look that Rina had given me earlier in the evening.
“I can just go downstairs and make my own,” she said, and I laughed.
“You’re gonna want to see this, Koreo,” Rina piped up from her seat. She was nursing her second cup of tea of the evening.
“More like, you’re gonna want to borrow it from me. Like my Infinity Flask,” I said. I gestured for Koreo and Sarien to follow, and we all sat down around the table between the various sofas and chairs. I demonstrated the Flavorful Jar for them, and both Koreo and Sarien were absolutely blown away by it.
“You are so right, Spikora, I definitely want to borrow it from you,” Koreo said. “Or better yet, maybe we can get Gilliam to come out here and make us an industrial-sized version of this bad boy. I would pay top bullion for that.”
“Yeah, but you know Gilliam, he only does things when he has the inspiration to. You’d have to catch him on a week when he’s working on enchanted stuff again,” I said. “Or maybe if we ask he’ll get inspired to work on enchanted industrial equipment. Who knows?”
I made everyone cups of tea and coffee, and then I sat back with my own coffee.
“Okay, so. Explanation time. Where do I begin…?”
I explained a little of what I’d been doing that had kept me from visiting for so long: research, research and more research. I’d done some jobs around Kiiren too, not necessarily for money but for information. I probably knew just about as much about curses as actual experts in the field did now. Same for magical pacts and Spectrum, too.
I then regaled them with the tale of what had happened to Rasha and I over the last couple of days. Spotting the auction in the paper, winning the bid war, fighting off goons, fighting off a Spectrum who had been after Don Kariya’s life, escaping by train… The whole thing took me a while to tell.
“And that brings us to tonight,” I said, finally.
“Wow,” was all Sarien could say. Koreo looked dumbstruck too, and Rina was in a similar state.
“So, okay, let me see if I have this right,” Koreo said. “The screechy woman and the two guys are goons hired by that Byars guy, who was one of the runners up in the auction.”
“Right,” I said.
“The other guy that was a runner up in the auction may or may not also have people looking for you,” she continued.
“Yep,” I confirmed.
“And now the Astorian government has people looking for you, because they sold him to the Curadon and now they want him back?” she asked.
“Yes, sort of,” I said. “It’s not really clear whether they’re trying to capture him or if they’re just following us because they think he’ll lead them to what they’re after.”
“Yes, exactly,” Rasha confirmed.
“And because of a curse, you can’t say anything about it, right?” Koreo asked Rasha. He shrugged. She turned back to me. “So, what is your goal?”
“I figure we’ll rest up here for a few days, and then we’ll head off to see his sister, Obsidia,” I said. “Hopefully she’ll be able to tell me something about his tattoo.”
“Where in Astor is Obsidia?” Sarien asked.
“Xian,” Rasha answered. “In the capitol, Nixian.”
“That’s pretty far,” Koreo mused. “I don’t know the geography that well, but isn’t that really far northeast?”
“It is,” Rasha said.
“It shouldn’t be so bad to go by train, but it’ll still be a few days at least,” I replied. “So long as our disguises hold up, it should be fine.”
“Traveling by train through Astor when the government is actively looking for you? Sounds dangerous,” Koreo said. I nodded.
“And it would be, but lucky for us there’s a matter that’s bound to become a little bit more important than hunting us down,” I said. “Have you gotten any news about the Baron of Kmeer?”
“Oh, that assassination in the north!” Koreo said. “So many of our patrons have been talking about it. So, you think you’ll be able to travel without much difficulty because the Astorians will be focusing all their attention on that?”
“I hope so,” I replied. Koreo nodded.
“Okay,” she said. She leaned toward me, looking serious. “And what if Obsidia can’t give you the information you need?”
“Then I guess I’m out seven and a half million bullion and a little time spent away from work and research in Kiiren,” I said, with a sigh. “But at least I’ll know I saved someone else from being sold into slavery.”
“True,” Koreo said or, rather, yawned. “Oh, my goodness, I’m tired. I think I’ve heard all I need to hear for tonight.”
“Yeah, sorry, I’ve kept you up pretty late,” I apologized.
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” she said. “Wait, I forgot! You don’t know about the breakfast crew, do you?”
“No I don’t,” I said, intrigued. She grinned.
“I hired these five sisters to open the bar for me, so I don’t have to go downstairs until lunchtime usually,” she explained. Rina coughed, and Sarien laughed. Koreo shot them both a look.
“Don’t leave out the part where the five sisters are orphans and live next door,” Sarien said. I laughed.
“You collect orphans like Sarien collects books,” I said. Koreo sighed.
“No, Sarien has an addiction to buying books. I just like to help people,” she said. “And they aren’t actually orphans, their parents are just terrible people so I stole the girls from them.”
“My point stands!” I said, cheerfully. “And your addiction is at least helpful. I just buy lots of clothes all the time.”
“In any case, I’m going to bed,” Koreo announced. She rose from the couch and Sarien followed. “Good night.”
“Good night!” I replied. “Oh, before you go, is it okay for Rasha to sleep on one of the couches?”
“Sure, sure. There are blankets and pillows in the ottoman. Maki and Souta stay over a lot,” Koreo answered, ending her sentence with another yawn as she made her way to her bedroom, trailed by Sarien. Rina also stood, bidding us goodnight and going to her own room.
I retrieved the blankets and pillows and got Rasha settled, then I made my own way to the guest bedroom. I must have been exhausted, because I fell asleep on top of the covers, out like a light.
Sunlight poured through the window of the guest bedroom. I ignored it. The sounds of the bar opening and lively patrons arriving for breakfast filtered up through the floorboards. I ignored them. I could definitely still hear them, and I was more or less awake, but in that state between being fully awake and fully asleep. What did eventually wake me up was a knock on the door.
“Spikora, want some breakfast?” Koreo asked.
“Yes, please,” I called. I sat up in the bed but didn’t open my eyes quite yet. I was fully rested and felt great, but I was still clinging stubbornly to sleep nonetheless. “I’ll take whatever, I trust your judgment.”
“Sure thing,” she replied, and I heard her footsteps retreat from the door. I finally opened my eyes and let out a huge yawn. I took my time looking through the Infinity Bag to pick out my outfit for the day. Eventually in my leafing through the inventory book I heard another knock.
“May I come in?” Rasha asked.
“Sure,” I replied. The door opened and Rasha slipped inside the small room. I didn’t look up from the inventory book. I was having a hard time deciding on a color for the day. “You want a change of clothes, right?”
“Yeah. I’m rather fond of that green and brown outfit you bought for me at… what was that place, Seece Street?” he asked. I nodded and reached into the bag, pulling out the neatly bundled stack of clothes and handing them over. He nodded in thanks. “Erm, what should I do with these borrowed clothes?”
“There should be a laundry bin somewhere,” I said. “They used to keep it in the corner of the bathing room, but I don’t know if they’ve moved it.” He nodded and turned to leave. “Wait, Rasha. I’m having a hard time deciding. What color should I wear today?”
He turned to me and seemed to think for a moment, one hand coming up to frame his chin.
“You looked good in blue,” he said. I nodded and took the compliment.
“Thanks! I’ll be out in a few minutes. We can talk strategy,” I said. He nodded and left. I dug around in the bag for a bit. I could have gone with the blue outfit I’d worn to the auction two days ago, but it hadn’t been nearly long enough for me to repeat outfits.
I ended up finding a blue sweater made of soft agarium wool, a dark blue pair of shorts with an embroidered pattern of moons and stars, a pair of blue knitted stockings and the blue leather boots I’d worn to the auction. I pulled out the enchanted blue cloak as well but obviously didn’t pull it on. I contemplated a hat and also pulled one out of the bag but decided not to wear it. If we were leaving the bar I could always put one on or wear one of the hair changing necklaces.
Rasha, Rina, Koreo, Sarien, Maki and Souta were all sitting in the common area around the long, low wooden table in the center. Said table was piled with an assortment of breakfast foods. There were pots of probably coffee and tea, a big jug of milk, platters with pancakes and fruits, toasted slices of bread and smaller pots of what could only be jams, slices of cooked meats… And on one end was the box of pastries that I’d bought back in Spiti, opened and conspicuously missing quite a number of pastries, I discovered.
“Finally! We were starting to think you’d sleep through breakfast,” Rina said as she spotted me. Koreo looked up from her coffee and grinned. She scooted over in her seat, squishing into her husband and making room for me. I eagerly crossed the room and plopped down. Maki handed me a plate and Rina handed me a mug of coffee.
“I hope you haven’t changed how you drink coffee while you were away,” she said. I took a sip and grinned.
“Nope. Still perfect as ever,” I complimented. I gestured to the spread of breakfast. “Did you make all this? That’s seriously impressive, or maybe I was just asleep that long…”
“Wasn’t me,” Rina said with a grin. “I don’t do breakfast much any more now that we have the sisters around.”
“That’s right, you mentioned them, didn’t you?” I asked Koreo as I piled my plate high with as much as I could reach. Maki and Souta gleefully piled stuff on my plate from where I couldn’t reach.
“That’s right,” Koreo said. “Five sisters. The oldest three wait tables and the youngest two cook breakfast. Rina taught them well, we have a reputation of being one of the best breakfast places in town even though we’re a bar.”
“Doesn’t help that their shitty parents had them working at their shitty bar until Koreo rescued them,” Souta replied. I took a big drink of my coffee.
“They were shitty, how, if you don’t mind me asking?” I prompted. Souta frowned, but Maki spoke up.
“The easiest way to explain it is like this: not all five of them were born girls, but they are all sisters. Their parents refused to accept that, so we ran them out of business, ran them out of town, and kept all their daughters,” he said with a jovial laugh.
“We did not run them out of business,” Koreo protested. “They ran themselves out of business. We maybe just nudged them in that direction a little.”
“And now we have five wonderful ladies that open the bar for us and take care of breakfast,” Sarien said. “And they make some damn fine breakfast.” He leaned back against the couch and patted his evidently full stomach. The only people still eating were myself, Maki and, surprisingly, Rasha. He’d been quiet this whole time because he hadn’t stopped eating or drinking, in fact.
“They sure do make a damn fine breakfast,” I said around a mouthful of a pancake that I’d slathered with a bellberry jam. I swallowed. “Did they make all these jams too?”
“We buy most of them from the traveling market, but we do make some ourselves,” Koreo supplied. “We’ve got a bellberry bush in the backyard, that’s where that jam came from that you’re eating. The pia tree we planted is still back there and we harvest just a crazy amount of pia fruits every fall. It’s gotten really big, you should see it!”
“We planted some blue squash out by the chicken coop last year. That worked out really well, so hopefully the roots survive the winter,” Sarien continued.
“I’ve never tried blue squash. Does it really make a good jam?” I asked before shoving an entire slice of bacon in my mouth.
“Surprisingly, yes! Boiling it down brings out the sweetness quite a lot,” Rina explained.
“Spikora, once you’re done you should come downstairs and meet the sisters!” Maki exclaimed. “Err, in the kitchen, obviously. No telling when those weird people could show up.” Next to him, Souta rolled his eyes.
“You just want to brag about your girlfriend,” he said. Maki laughed.
“Yeah, duh! I have the best girlfriend ever, why shouldn’t I introduce her to Miss Spikora?” he challenged. Souta shrugged.
“Souta, you’re in an awfully dour mood,” Rina said. “Is everything all right?”
“He was up late worrying about the trouble Miss Spikora’s in,” Maki said. Souta smacked him on the arm, glaring. “Ow! What the heck, you were though!”
“I’m fine, really. Especially now that we’re here with all of you,” I said. Souta stood up with a huff.
“I’m going downstairs. Give me your plates and cups if you’re finished with them,” he said. There was a chorus of clinking as he gathered the used plates, cups and silverware from everyone. I grabbed a pastry out of the box. It was a nice, crispy, fluffy crescent that I was delighted to discover was filled with a bright orange pia cream.
“Oh, that’s right. Rasha told me that you bought those for us in Spiti, right Spikora?” Koreo asked. I nodded.
“It’s this great place called Spring Rabbit. They have a reputation for being the best bakery in Spiti,” I explained. “What do you think?”
“They’re amazing,” Koreo replied. Rina nodded, fiercely.
“I want to learn how to make pastries like this,” she admitted. “Baking stuff isn’t my strongest point. I wonder if they’d let me apprentice there for a little while?”
“If you did, we’d have to serve breakfast all day I think,” Sarien mused. “Now, isn’t that a thought? We could probably get away with it, to be honest.”
“I think their big secret is that they have cows,” I said. “Fresh milk that hasn’t been magically chilled really makes a huge difference.”
“Ours is fresh,” Koreo said. “We get a delivery every morning from a dairy farm in the south of the valley.” She emphasized this by pouring me a cup of the milk, which I gladly drank.
“That’s fresh, all right,” I said. “What a luxury. Now, I’m not saying that I’ll be able to right away, or even within the next few years, but you might have just convinced me to move here.”
“Really?!” Rina squealed.
“Not any time soon,” I reminded her. “I’ve gotta fix my magic first.”
“Oh, speaking of that!” Maki interrupted. I turned to him, eyebrow raised. “There’s a legend about a Witch that lives somewhere on the top of Mt. Mirike. Supposedly she can break curses but, you know, for a price of course.”
“Really?” I mused. Mt. Mirike was the second tallest mountain in the Arpasso range, and it wasn’t too much further westward. It may not have been as tall as Arpasso but it was still very tall and very dangerous. Even I’d heard the rumors of dragons and other terrible creatures that were routinely spotted up there.
“It’s just a tall and long tale,” Koreo said. “Who could live up there? They say the air gets thin, like you can’t even breathe it, and not to mention it’s always snowing.”
“A Witch could live there,” Maki protested. “Witches don’t have to breathe, and they don’t feel the cold.”
“That’s true,” I chimed in. Koreo had opened her mouth to argue with Maki, but closed it after a couple of seconds and turned to me, uncomfortable.
“I forgot you’ve met a Witch,” she admitted. I laughed.
“It’s fine, I wish I could forget I’ve met a Witch,” I replied. She looked wounded. “Hey, don’t worry about it.”
“Sorry,” she said. I shook my head.
“Seriously, it’s fine,” I told her. I turned to Maki. “And, anyway, thank you for the information. Now I know to stay away from Mt. Mirike, at least,” I answered. I drained the rest of my cup of milk and went back to furiously eating my breakfast.
Once we finished eating, we all started helping clean up. Everybody grabbed a pot or a platter and we carted everything except the box of pastries downstairs to the kitchen. Two young girls were busy frying eggs and making toasted bread, moving absolutely flawlessly from task to task like they were already experts in the art of breakfast. They were dressed identically in very cute café uniforms that were absolutely decked out in ribbons and frills, one in a rich lilac and the other in a dark berry color. Their hair color matched their uniforms, which I felt was a nice touch but couldn’t help wondering if they dyed it or were wearing wigs or using necklaces. The youngest was sporting a pair of braided pigtails, while the older had her hair cut just at her shoulders. The younger of the two couldn’t have possibly been older than ten, and the other looked to be only a little older than that, maybe eleven or twelve.
“Girls, if you’ve got a moment I want to introduce you to a very special guest,” Koreo said. They instantly snapped to attention, looking up at Koreo with big, excited eyes. I put the trays I was holding in the sink and strode over to stand next to Koreo. “This is Miss Spikora. I’ve told you a lot about her, remember?”
“Wait, you’re the Spikora?” the younger of the two asked, mouth dropping open. “The Spikora that helped build this bar? The Spikora that saved Miss Koreo from being sold as a slave?”
“The one and only,” I said with a wink. “And who might you two be?”
“Oh, sorry, that was rude, wasn’t it?” the younger girl said, looking embarrassed. The older of the two cleared her throat.
“Um, I’m Kiri and this is my younger sister, Meri,” she said.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, with a nod. “Now, don’t let me keep you from your work! Don’t let that bread burn!”
“Ah, oh no, is it burning?!” the younger girl, Meri, cried out as she turned back to the griddle. Fortunately she managed to catch it in time. Kiri nodded at me and went to help her sister.
“These two are prodigies in the kitchen, just like Rina. The other girls come in to help them when it gets too busy, and of course if they need extra help we’re all right upstairs,” Koreo explained. “But they really don’t need it, nowadays. I’m so proud of them.”
“Speaking of the other girls, let me go get them. I’ll make sure the coast is clear, too,” Maki offered. He disappeared through the door that led to the bar area, and a few minutes later a pair of girls walked in looking confused. There was no mistaking that they were the older sisters of Kiri and Meri. The shorter one had dark green hair that was cut short and was wearing a green uniform. The taller one had long, long wheat blonde hair in a ponytail and was wearing a yellow uniform. I was starting to sense a theme here.
“Hey, Koreo, what’s up? Why did Maki want us to come back here? We don’t have any orders,” the taller one asked. Koreo gestured to me.
“I wanted you to meet an old friend. Girls, this is Spikora. I’ve told you about her,” she said. They looked at me with similar surprise and awe as their two younger sisters. I grinned at them.
“Whoa, the famous Spikora finally came to visit?” the taller sister asked. The shorter one elbowed her. “Ow! What was that for, Jiri?”
“You’re being rude,” the shorter sister said, frowning up at her sister. She turned to me.
“Sorry, it’s just that all five of us have been wanting to meet you. You’re kind of a legend around here…” she explained.
“Don’t worry about it, I’m not gonna get offended by something like that,” I assured them. “I really should have come by sooner…”
“Well, all that matters is that we get to meet you now!” the shorter sister said. “Oh, where are my manners? I’m Jiri. I’m the third oldest, I take care of the chickens, and my specialty is pancakes.”
“And I’m Ari, the second oldest,” the taller sister said. “And our oldest sis should be here any minute now, she was just finishing up with three weirdos.”
“Were they a very loud woman, a short guy and a really big man, by any chance?” I asked. The two of them blinked, almost in unison. They looked at each-other, and then turned back to me.
“Yes,” Jiri said.
“Ohhh, are you in trouble with them?” Ari asked, sounding quite interested.
“You could say that,” I answered. “So don’t mention that I’m here, okay?”
“Can do!” Ari answered, and Jiri nodded.
As predicted, the eldest sister came through the door at about that time. I had suspected that she would probably be a redhead dressed in red, and I was right. She was tall, though Ari had her by a few inches, and had red hair in a braid. She was, naturally, wearing a red cafe uniform.
“Sorry, there were these three strange people here from Kiiren asking weird questions,” she said.
“Yeah, sorry about them,” I said. She looked at me, puzzled.
“And you might be…?” she asked.
“The apparently famous Spikora Mori,” I answered. I’ll admit, being called a ‘legend’ had inflated my ego just a tiny bit.
“Oh, I have heard of you,” she turned to Koreo. “She’s one of your oldest friends, right? The one that helped build the bar?”
“That’s right,” she said. She turned to me. “Spikora, this is Tori, the oldest sister.”
“I had a hunch,” I replied, with a grin. While Ari and Jiri looked to be only a year apart or so, Tori was definitely older than them. They appeared to be teenagers, while Tori was clearly at least in her early twenties. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same to you,” she answered. “So, those three weirdos are here because of you, then? Some of the stuff they asked makes more sense now.”
“How so?” I asked. She frowned.
“They were asking if anyone from Kiiren came through, specifically they were asking about a purple haired woman and a black haired man… or that they could have a lot of different colors of hair, and when I asked what she meant by that the lady just broke down crying,” Tori answered. I couldn’t help laughing in response. I laughed so hard that I doubled over, actually.
“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh, it’s just that those three have given us a little trouble, her specifically, and she kind of deserves it,” I answered.
“Yeah, well, they asked if I would keep a look out for two people fitting those descriptions, and even tried to bribe me with extra coin,” Tori said.
“Did you take it?” I asked.
“You bet I did,” she answered with a grin. “And since you’re Koreo’s best friend, I won’t say a word about you to them.”
“I wonder if they’ll be here all day,” I mused. I turned to Koreo. “Odd question, but do you have any extra cafe uniforms? Maybe in my size?”
“Oh no, what are you planning?” Koreo asked, alarm in her eyes.
“I’ve got magical makeup brushes that will make me look totally different, and I’ve got the hair color changing necklaces,” I explained. “I think I might try interrogating them myself. See how much of the beans they’ll spill.”
“That’s pretty risky,” Rasha spoke up for the first time since we’d come downstairs. The three oldest sisters all turned to him, looking surprised. I guessed that they’d totally ignored him in their excitement at finally meeting a ‘legend’...
“Sorry, I forgot about you,” Koreo told him with a guilty laugh. “Girls, this is Rasha, please be nice to him. He’s Spikora’s latest investment, if you get my meaning.”
“Huh?” Tori and Jiri asked. Ari started to laugh.
“You bought him in an auction like you did with Koreo, right?” Ari asked me. I sighed but nodded. She grinned. “What, do you buy people like Sarien collects books?”
“Or like Koreo collects orphans?” Rina piped up.
“I don’t,” I answered, only to realize that Koreo and I had said that in exact unison. We both looked at each-other in surprise and then laughed.
“So are you the reason those three weird people are here?” Ari asked Rasha. He nodded. “Got it. I won’t say a word about you either.”
“Me too!” Jiri said.
“Yep,” Tori echoed.
“Thank you, ladies,” Rasha said. Jiri looked very pleased by that, while Ari just shrugged.
“It’s the least we can do for Spikora,” Ari said. “If not for her, Koreo wouldn’t be here and we wouldn’t have our jobs and our lives.”
“Oh, speaking of jobs,” Tori said, turning to see that Maki had stuck his head in through the door.
“Ladies, we just got a pretty big group of the Guard, so I’ll need your help,” he announced.
“Be right there!” Tori chirped, and basically dashed over to the door. Ari and Jiri turned to me and nodded, and then they went to join their sister.
“So, what do you think?” Koreo asked. I grinned.
“I like ‘em, they’re a good bunch of kids. You really lucked out,” I answered.
“Good,” she replied. “By the way, it just so happens that I do have a couple of uniforms that might fit you. If they’re too big I have a lady in town that can alter them super fast.”
“I’m just going to guess that one is orange and one is pink?” I asked.
“Close. The two that will fit you are orange and black,” Koreo answered.
“I still think it’s a risky idea,” Rasha said. I smirked.
“You could always come with me. Do you want orange or black?” I asked. Rasha’s eyes widened a little.
“I haven’t known you long enough to tell if you’re kidding or not yet, Spikora,” he replied, sounding nervous. I laughed.
“I’m kidding,” I said. “But if you want to wear one of the uniforms I’m not going to stop you.”
“I’ll pass,” he answered.
“They’re in the storage closet,” Koreo answered. “Let me check on how it’s going out in the bar and I’ll go get them.”