Flor didn’t wait for Sparks before asking, “Is that it? I didn’t know what to expect, but it was more than that. Is it because you need a mechanic to fix the workings? Does it interact with anything else on the island?”

“Wow, you went from a one-hundred level to a three-hundred-level question quickly. Yes, that’s it. Yes, I need a mechanic to fix the workings. And no, it doesn’t interact with anything else, because it’s currently broken. You a mechanic?”

Flor considered a moment. “Not classically trained, but I have experience working with mechanical and electrical systems.”

“Fine. The pay is 100 coins, but I can’t offer it to you except between midnight and 1000. I know it’s strange, but it’s a limitation of the mechanical system. Also, if you don’t fix it by 11:00, it reverts to its normal state, you forfeit the pay, and there is nothing I can do about that.”

“If I solve it in the morning, will it be messed up the following day?”

Jacek looked around furtively. “Who told you? Him?!” He pointed to Sparks.

Sparks shook his head. He had moved forward, and Flor had unconsciously moved to keep him well within her periphery. Sparks waved. “Hi, call me Sparks. I’ve solved it in the past, but don’t feel up to doing so again, forever.”

“So, we’re at a standstill. Well, any other questions before I see shift change?”

Flor knew there were dozens, but didn’t think Jacek was the right person to answer them. She shook her head.

“Find me in the morning if you do. Ciao,” he said, walking off.

Sparkes remained a reasonable distance. “Want to talk now?”

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“I have a few questions.”

“And I do for you, also. Do you want to discuss now, or shall we postpone the dance?”

Flor narrowed her eyes. “That’s a strange thing to say. But how about this? One question each now, and if prudent, we meet after dinner.”

“I’ll raise you one. I’ll give you two answers, or a question and a follow-up, to my one.”

Flor nodded, “You start.”

Sparks looked contemplative. “You have better brawler gear than I do. You’re not a murderhobo, yet you’re still concerned about your in-game death, even from me. You’ve encountered Maelstrom, whom you’re frightened of. You’ve never been to this place before and seem focused on completing challenges, so you probably realize you’re in a playtest. So, my question is…do you want to find the cats?”

Each statement had been more aware than the last, but Flor’s eyes bulged at the final one. She wanted to question how many, where, and so forth, but then had two competing thoughts: first, Sparks was too nice and must be taking advantage of her, and second, what could I learn from him?

Finally, after considering, she said, “Yes, please show me the cats. I’ll answer your question before we do so, though.”

“Great!” Sparks lit up. “Will you show me some city cats tomorrow?”

“That’s your question?”

“Is that your follow-up question?”

Flor didn’t know what to say for a moment. “Fine. I gather you’re not like Maelstrom. You understand I’m skeptical and cautious, though.”

Sparks shrugged. “Yeah. I’ve been here alone for days outside of a one-two maelstrom beatdown, so this is a pleasant change for me.” He started walking toward the sea. “I’ve pet fifteen cats, but I have reason to believe there is a sixteenth I haven’t found yet. The first I pet was down this way.”

Sparks continued down the way from the monument to the sea. Eventually, the road ran into dunes and a few planks that transitioned directly to sand. The rain continued to drizzle around them but was almost calming. The sea opened up in front of them. Flor could see the outline of West Shilgrave to the south and the cliffs to the north. Sparks put a hand down in a motion Flor inherently understood as ‘be calm,’ then pointed toward the back of a dune.

Flor crept along the way Sparks had pointed, glancing behind her occasionally, then saw what was being pointed at. There, camouflaged in the sand, was a nest of three baby sand cats. Flor looked around quickly for a parent but didn’t see anything. She looked at Sparks.

Sparks whispered, “The mother saw us and fled. She’ll come back either if the babies are happy or dead. The father isn’t normal around here, but over toward the monument. Go on, pet them.”