The Secluded Box

Blaedy remains trapped in the courtesy catechism, now facing its true villain: a dozen nearly identical answers and the suspicion that one misplaced shade of meaning will condemn her to five more minutes of penance. Reasonable terror, honestly.

Meho volunteered for an enchanted back-walking at the hands of Xal’atath, which is how we arrived at the void package: relief for every knot, followed by a debt no sensible spine would incur. Blaedy approved the wording, which is as close to a seal of safety as any of us were getting.

Then came one of the little illustrated cautionary tales: an older fellow, a woman, and a storeroom aisle. Arrowyy fixed upon asparagus secrecy; Blaedy and Meho immediately improved the fellow’s invitation to the loading dock and a secluded box. The catechism may yet teach them something, though not what its authors intended.