Arc 2, chapter 7: Read the Documentation

The next morning started peacefully enough. Maxie didn’t particularly feel like having a hearty breakfast, so the berry sandwiches he brought would have to suffice, which he ended up sharing with Wally.

 

“Today’s going to be our last day of travel, right?” Maxie asked. “How long will we be on the road today?”

 

“I estimate that getting to the city will take nearly the whole day,” Blaise replied once he was awake. “We’re not going to have much time today for investigating. Wally, conserve your strength today just in case. If you find scanning large areas tiring, then you will need it.”

 

“Don’t need to tell me twice…” Wally replied.

 

“We are going through that dungeon, right?” Maxie asked. “Petalworth Woods?”

 

“Indeed. It’s relatively challenging, but it should be much easier overall than a place like Root Path. We’ll probably get in a scrape or two with a feral, but it’s not going to be anything we can’t manage, especially with Joshua here to assist us.”

 

Once they were on the road, it became apparent very quickly that Wally and Joshua were going to spend most of their time practicing scanning techniques in silence. Maxie didn’t really know how else to fill the time, so he resorted to a game of I Spy with Blaise.

 

“I spy with my little red eye… something… dark blue.”

 

“You don’t have to say the rhyme every time, Maxie,” Blaise pointed out. “It sounds a bit childish.”

 

“There’s four of us here,” Maxie complained. “Hurry up and answer.”

 

“Hm… the sky.”

 

“No.”

 

“The ocean.”

 

“Nope.”

 

Blaise looked around for a while. “The fringes on those awful sunglasses you’re wearing.”

 

“No, and they’re stylish.” They also hide my eyes when I use my blessing, but there’s no reason to tell him that.

 

Blaise was quiet for a while as he craned his neck around, trying to find something dark blue, until he finally answered. “That run-down looking shack.”

 

“Correct.”

 

“You haven’t stumped me in a while. You have to step up your game, Maxie.”

 

“There isn’t much to see other than the beaches nearby and the grass out here,” Maxie replied. “You can’t really blame me.”

 

“You’re the one who suggested this game,” Blaise reminded him.

 

“What else did you want me to suggest?”

 

“Anything other than I Spy of all things?” Blaise replied.

 

“What, like slam poetry?” Maxie mockingly asked.

 

“You could have picked trivia,” Blaise pointed out. “Or rock paper scissors, or marbles, or an actual conversation.”

 

“Children, please,” Joshua said, interrupting them. “Don’t start an argument over being bored. We’re trying to concentrate over here.”

 

“Emphasis on trying,” Wally added.

 

“All of you woke up on the wrong side of bed today…” Blaise bemoaned. “I did ask Wally to conserve his strength.”

 

“And he is doing that,” Joshua replied. “He is also practicing techniques to help him do that.”

 

“Very well then…” Blaise muttered. “Maxie. Have you considered what comes next?”

 

“What do you mean?” Maxie asked.

 

“I’m talking about what you do in a month once this whole ordeal is over. You must’ve had some plans for your future before all of this.”

 

“I don’t really know…” Maxie admitted. “In my heart, I feel a need to act, but I don’t really have a direction to point it. I suppose I could work with the Guild like Mom did, but then I’d just be doubling down on what my sister is doing.”

 

“There’s nothing wrong with doing the same thing as someone else. If anything, it’s the logical course of action to continue down the path your mother laid for you.”

 

“I’m not convinced,” Maxie replied. “I feel the need to really accomplish something, you know?”

 

“I feel the same. I’ve learned that ambition tends to cloud my connection to reality. I’m not going to give up on something just because it’s hard, but you must be reasonable with what you can achieve.”

 

“Aren’t you pursuing a lofty goal?”

 

“Long term? Yes. In the here and now? I do what I can.”

 

Maxie was silent for a while, as he digested all of this. “Well, progress isn’t a bad thing, is it?”

 

“Progress takes many forms. Sometimes you’re making some when you don’t even realize it. Sometimes what you think is progress is quite the opposite. Recognizing which is which is a useful skill.” Blaise sighed. “That veered into matters of philosophy rather quickly.”

 

“You do seem to like playing the savvy mentor type,” Maxie commented.

 

Blaise laughed. “What am I to you, an actor?” he asked jokingly.

 

I guess I’ve been subconsciously treating everyone around me like characters, huh? Jacob thought. I mean, I guess it hasn’t caused any problems yet. “I guess it does sound pretty bad when you put it that way.”

 

“I do suppose the world can seem a little surreal at times…” Blaise commented. “Still, you shouldn’t forget what’s in front of you.”

 

“Ah, you managed to circle back around to what you were saying earlier.”

 

“Hm… I suppose I have,” Blaise admitted, before spotting something. “Ah, I believe that’s Petalworth Woods off in the distance. Are you two prepared back there?” he asked.

 

“Ah, is it time?” Joshua asked. “Wally, just remember what I taught you.”

 

“Will do,” Wally replied.

 

“You said this one’s going to be harder, right?” Maxie asked.

 

“Not so hard that it would slow us down considerably, but still relatively difficult. We should be fine as long as we pace ourselves.”

 

“Honestly, I think this dungeon is one of the easier ones,” Joshua added. “I don’t think I’ve ever had trouble with this place.”

 

“That’s probably because you’re substantially more powerful than most,” Blaise replied. “Alright, everyone, let’s be close together for entry.”

 

The first thing Maxie noticed upon entering the dungeon was how cramped the place felt. Practically speaking, it wasn’t much tighter than most other dungeons, but the trees were rather low to the ground, and surprisingly little light made it through them, giving the whole place an almost permanent dusk-like feel.

 

“Be on the lookout for movement in the shade,” Blaise advised. “The ferals like to use the darkness as cover.”

 

Feeling compelled to get a better view of the situation, Maxie took off his sunglasses. “I need all of the light I can get…” he muttered.

 

“Why did you bring those, anyway?” Wally asked. “I know you like wearing them from time to time, but I figured that you just liked how they looked. I didn’t think you’d actually wear them on a trip.”

 

“They make it harder to see where I’m looking,” Maxie replied.

 

“That’s not as much of a benefit as you think,” Blaise replied. “People don’t tend to pay attention to that sort of thing.”

 

Maxie sighed. “Well, I might as well try to use them.”

 

Several ferals later, the mood hadn’t changed much. None of them had managed to surprise the group much, and most had just been handled by either Blaise or Joshua. Eventually, Maxie and Wally started engaging in idle chatter as the adults walked in front.

 

“Do you think we’re actually going to find the mastermind or killer in Rusty Boroughs?” Wally asked quietly. “Blaise seems confident, but what are the chances they’ll be in the city?”

 

“Most of the nobility will be in the city for the next few weeks anyway,” Maxie replied. “It’s just very convenient timing.”

 

“That’s true, but that doesn’t guarantee we’ll get much.”

 

“We have to start looking somewhere,” Maxie replied.

 

“If I was you and didn’t have a business trip like I did, I’d convince Blaise to only be in the city for the least amount of time possible. You gotta keep moving, you know?”

 

“I’m pretty sure Blaise doesn’t think like that,” Maxie replied. “He probably wants to be thorough.”

 

“It’d be more thorough to look all over the place if you ask me…” Wally replied. “Maybe I’m just complaining because I know I’m gonna get a rough headache again.”

 

“Joshua showed you some tricks, right?”

 

“Just some time savers and efficiency boosters,” Wally replied. “Nothing that’s really game-changing.”

 

“Hey, you two,” Blaise called out. “We’re nearly through.”

 

“Oh, already?” Wally asked. “I feel like we just got here.”

 

“Your expectations have probably been warped by Root Path,” Blaise replied. “We should be leaving any second now.”

 

True to Blaise’s word, they were out less than a minute later. Not long after that, Rusty Boroughs itself came into view. This time, Maxie didn’t feel inclined to compare it to Root City.

 

Jacob felt that it was more like New York.

 

The city itself stretched for miles. Factories dotted the surrounding landscape, and with the backdrop of the sun low in the sky, it looked like it didn’t belong with every other city he’d seen in this world. It was massive, simply put.

 

Wally, for his part, looked devastated, as if it just hit him what he’d signed up for. “You want me to scan that whole thing?”

 

“Well, it was always going to take much longer than a day,” Blaise admitted. “You did sign up for this, you know.”

 

“I… yeah… huh…” Wally said, seemingly unable to think of anything coherent to reply with.

 

“I wouldn’t try to scan too large an area at once if I was you,” Joshua advised. “You’ll wear yourself out more slowly if you keep it to a smaller area.”

 

“Well, I guess I’d better get started, then…” Wally said. “I’ll say something if I find anything.”

 

Maxie watched as Wally’s eyes squinted, and he started staring off in the distance. I guess he wants to see where he’s walking, huh? “So where are we headed first?”

 

“We’re headed to my place, and then we start looking for Prince Noland. Assuming Wally comes with. Were your parents expecting you?”

 

“Ah, they wanted me to be in their hotel by tonight,” he responded after a slight hesitation. “Heading to your place first should be fine.”

 

“Alright,” Blaise said, sounding satisfied. “Let’s go.”

 

The city itself was noticeably less crowded than Maxie was expecting. There were people, sure, but not many more than he’d seen in a place like Root City, and they were spread out as well. The size of the city made it feel almost like a ghost town.

 

“For a city, it’s pretty quiet…” Maxie commented.

 

“That’s because most are working the factories during the day,” Blaise explained. “It’s much busier a few hours from now. There isn’t much happening in the city center otherwise.”

 

Maxie noted the looming pillars of smoke dotting the skyline. “It’s just the fires of industry, huh?”

 

“That’s a rather poetic way of putting it, but yes. That’s exactly what it is.”

 

“…Should I even bother scanning right now?” Wally asked.

 

“If it makes your decision easier, the type you’d be looking for probably wouldn’t be working the factories.”

 

Silence followed that. As the group veered towards the alleys, Maxie couldn’t help but notice how dingy the whole place was. He’d been in dark alleyways before—there were some in Root City, after all—but he hadn’t seen so many, and so frequently. It was almost like the place was built to be uninviting.

 

“Alright, here we are,” Blaise said, opening up a seemingly random door that led to a stairwell.

 

“Down there?” Maxie asked.

 

“Yes, down there. What, were you expecting a palace? I’m not that wealthy. I assure you that it’s quite nice down there.”

 

“Alrighty then…” Wally commented, descending the stairs with clear apprehension.

 

Once they arrived at the bottom, Blaise flicked on a nearby light switch. In the harsh electric lighting, the place didn’t actually seem so bad; the floors were clean, the space itself was fairly large, and there were several adjacent rooms which appeared to be guest rooms.

 

“Huh, this is pretty nice…” Maxie admitted.

 

“Feel free to dump your bags in one of the guest rooms,” Blaise commented. “I probably won’t be having any other guests, so as far as I’m concerned, they’re yours.”

 

“He means you, Maxie,” Wally added helpfully.

 

“I gathered that,” Maxie replied. “This is pretty big for living in a basement.”

 

“I got it dirt cheap,” Blaise replied. “It’s more than enough for my needs. Although having so little natural light is definitely off-putting.”

 

“I can live with that,” Maxie replied, heading straight for one of the bedrooms, and placing his bags next to the desk. “How long before we head out?”

 

“Whenever you’re ready,” Blaise replied from what Maxie assumed was the living room. “Don’t get too overzealous with unpacking right now.”

 

“Got it.” Maxie closed the door behind himself, and flicked on the desk lamp. The soft, warm glow it gave off helped offset the distinct lack of natural light provided by the single, tiny window near the ceiling. The whole place must’ve been built out of a cellar or something. I’m honestly impressed with how homely Blaise managed to make it feel. Maxie decided to just tuck his journal in a drawer for now, and put a handful of his other personal belongings on the table for now.

 

That bed looks pretty comfy, Jacob thought to himself, walking over to test it out. As far as he could tell, the blankets were just thick. Figuring he’d overheat at night, he decided to gently take the comforter off, fold it up, and then place it down in the corner of the room.

 

How long was that? Five minutes? Jacob wondered. I could probably make them wait a little bit longer… Jacob then noticed a door off to the side, and opened it. Inside was a fairly clean-looking bathroom, complete with a shower, toilet, and cleaning supplies under the sink. This is one hell of a place for what should be a dingy cellar.

 

After poking around the bathroom for a bit, Maxie decided that he’d kept the others waiting around for long enough, and returned to the living room.

 

“So, my parents wanted me to—” Wally began, before spotting Maxie. “Oh, hey.”

 

“So what’s the gameplan for dealing with Noland?” Maxie asked. “We do have one, right?”

 

“We approach him, and ask him a few questions under the veneer of a casual conversation. Joshua’ll be quietly scanning his mind the whole time. The key will be to not behave too suspiciously. We don’t want him realizing what we’re up to.”

 

“And I’m probably going to meet up with my parents in the surrounding area, escorted by Joshua while all of this is happening. They, uh, found my mind while you were in there, and asked to meet up.”

 

“That fast?” Maxie asked. “Are your parents legends or something?”

 

“My dad’s pretty good,” Wally admitted. “They didn’t bother teaching me much, though.”

 

“Honestly, I was impressed,” Joshua commented. “His old man managed to pick us out from halfway across the city.”

 

“In any case, you’re with me, Maxie. We’ll approach Noland ourselves. Just follow along with me, and be careful not to ask anything that sounds too suspicious. Joshua and Wally will be tailing us until we actually find Noland.”

 

The first few minutes of walking were uneventful enough. Maxie didn’t really know what to expect, but he was pretty sure that they wouldn’t find him immediately.

 

“Where are we headed, anyway?” he asked in a hushed tone.

 

“The courthouse. That’s probably where most of the nobility planned to meet, given the trial going on.”

 

“Got it,” Maxie replied. “You don’t think there’s a chance that I’ll be asked to stay there, do you?”

 

“It’s possible, but unlikely. You didn’t get questioned much by the authorities yourself, did you? They need ‘evidence’ to frame the one they found, which needs to be stronger than an eyewitness.”

 

“Isn’t most of the basis for that circumstantial anyway?”

 

“That’s probably true. But they’re going to want to minimize the potential ways out the accused has.”

 

“I see…” Maxie muttered. “Honestly, I don’t know how Noland might react to seeing me.”

 

“I don’t really know how he might react to seeing me, either,” Blaise admitted. “Although, the worst I can imagine is him being unwilling to talk to us altogether.”

 

“Is it really?” Maxie asked.

 

“Knowing him, he’s either going to behave extremely suspicious or be very up-front. He lacks subtlety.”

 

The two continued talking for a while, until they finally reached the courthouse. Conveniently enough, one Prince Noland, flanked by two guards, seemed to be smoking a cigar in the courtyard.

 

“Bleh, I hate cigars…” Maxie muttered. “How does the smell not make him gag?”

 

“That’s neither here nor there,” Blaise replied. “Let’s pretend we don’t notice him at first.”

 

Slowly, the duo approached the courtyard, sitting down on the bench across from Noland, pretending to make small talk. After about forty seconds—Maxie kept count—Noland noticed them.

 

“Well,” he started. “I didn’t expect to see you two of all people, here today. Honestly, I should’ve. I don’t suppose your sister is back home, tending to the Manor?”

 

“That she is,” Maxie replied.

 

“Seriously…” Noland continued. “Your mother shouldn’t have associated with those easterners. Look where it got her!”

 

“It was an unrelated group of thieves, Noland. Do you seriously know that little of the circumstances?” Blaise asked, potentially lying.

 

“Well… no. I just assumed that that’s what did her in.” Noland took another drag of his cigar. “It just seemed obvious to me,” he said with a shrug.

 

“If you knew so little, then how did you even hear about it?” Maxie asked. “You must’ve heard it from somewhere. What were you even doing that day?”

 

“I was in the spa when one of my butlers informed me of the news, and asked if I wanted to attend. In case it’s not obvious, I said yes.”

 

“I suppose that’s like you…” Blaise commented. “We’re not really here for the trial, if you’re curious. We’re just in the city to talk with the nobility.”

 

“I suppose you of all people couldn’t resist this type of gathering, eh, Blaise? Always making shady deals behind closed doors. Yeah, I know your type. Heheh…”

“Aren’t you observant?” Blaise commented, voice laced with sarcasm. “In any case, I hope you have a good day.”

 

He didn’t even bother asking how we felt about someone we were directly related to dying. What a callous guy, Jacob thought.

 

“I’d better be going, I suppose,” Noland said with a shrug. “The hearings are going to start soon. Wouldn’t want to miss those if I cared about the truth.” The Infernape then walked off, motioning for his guards to follow. Maxie waited until he was comfortably out of earshot to open his mouth again.

 

“Well, that was pretty damn cold,” he commented.

 

“Many of us are used to it by now, unfortunately,” Blaise replied. “But that’s not relevant right now.”

 

“So what now?” Maxie asked. “That conversation didn’t give away very much, did it?”

 

“We wait to hear back from Joshua. Hopefully, we managed to jog the parts of his memories that would expose him if a psychic was watching. If he’s clean, then we move on.”

 

“How are we gonna fill the time?” Maxie asked. “He’s probably not going to show up for a while.”

 

“With small talk,” Blaise replied. “It’s important that we be patient. If we’re too hasty, any number of bad things could happen.”

 

Maxie looked up to the sky. Somehow, the city didn’t feel all too dangerous yet. That would change very soon.

 

---

 

 

As Wally walked down the road, accompanied by Joshua, he couldn’t help but feel a little bit stressed. The fact that this was an allegedly dangerous situation certainly contributed to that, but it was hardly the only reason.

 

No, the real thing putting a strain on him was the colossal effort of constantly scanning everywhere he walked.

 

He wasn’t pushing himself that hard—he was feeling out maybe six blocks—but he’d been doing it the entire day, and he was starting to push up against his limit.

 

“Are you doing alright over there?” Joshua asked.

 

“I’m holding on,” Wally replied. “I think I might not be able to do this for much longer.”

 

“We’re getting close to the address you told me,” Joshua pointed out. “It’s probably not a bad idea to stop now.”

 

“Are you sure?” Wally asked. “If I stop now, I probably won’t be able to start again.”

 

“If you haven’t seen them by now, the extra half-block you’re going to travel probably won’t be when you see them. There’s still a whole city out there. You can’t exhaust yourself for a single block.”

 

“Alright…” Wally said with a sigh, bracing himself for a pounding headache, as the pain suppression that using his psychic side this way caused receded.

 

It was somehow worse than he expected. He immediately felt a throbbing pain in his head, and fell over, landing on his behind, clutching his head.

 

“Ow…” he muttered. It was a little hard to concentrate through the pain, and he couldn’t hear anything with the brand-new ringing in his ears, so he just sat there for an indeterminate amount of time. Realistically, it wasn’t very long, but it felt like forever.

 

Eventually, the ringing and the throbbing in his head dampened enough that he could actually open his eyes somewhat.

 

“Are you alright?” Joshua asked.

 

“M-maybe I pushed myself a little bit too hard…” Wally admitted.

 

“Ask your parents for some headache medicine. You clearly need some.”

 

“No kidding,” Wally said, rising to his feet. The headache was bearable now, but he was in serious need of rest the second he got to the hotel room. Cautiously, he looked around, and saw the hotel in question just down the block. It’s that close, huh?

 

The hotel itself was nothing Wally hadn’t stayed at before, and there was a reason for that: it was owned by his parents. They’d built several similar ones all across the Isles, and it went part and parcel with their real estate business, making their family fabulously wealthy off of making the Isles seem like a premier tourist destination. For their part, it worked; they’d gained considerable power, and all without dirtying their hands as much as most who had power like it.

 

“You should tell your parents to open fewer of these things,” Joshua grumbled. “They’re killing local businesses.”

 

“Even if I agreed with that, I wouldn’t be listened to,” Wally replied. “I can handle myself from here, despite the headache.”

 

“Alright,” Joshua said. “Don’t push yourself as hard tomorrow. Headaches like that tend to get worse if they happen on consecutive days.”

 

“I’ll keep it in mind, pun not intended,” Wally replied, slowly walking towards the hotel.

 

The lobby of the hotel seemed unusually quiet for a city of Rusty Boroughs’ size. I know this isn’t exactly peak vacation season, but this is way quieter than I thought it would be. Oh well. I’m not complaining. Wally walked straight up to the receptionist desk, hoping that they’d been told he was coming.

 

“Hey, this is Wally. Just wanted to know what room I’m in. Could you tell my parents I’m here too?”

 

“Who are you?” the receptionist asked. “Are you the owner’s son?”

 

“Y-yes, that’s me,” Wally answered, a sudden jolt of pain flashing through his head. “Could you please just tell—”

 

“That won’t be necessary,” a rather imposing voice said.

 

On instinct, Wally turned his head to the side, and spotted his father, Preston Gallade, striding towards him, book in hand. “I thought you were being escorted here, Wally.”

 

“I sent him away once I was outside the building,” Wally explained. “I figured that he didn’t need to be with me.”

 

“Ah, I was hoping to meet him, and the man he was working for as well. I should’ve made that clear. No matter. You can tell me all about the trip on the way to our room.”

 

“Y-yeah…”

 

It didn’t take long for Preston to figure out that Wally was tired. “That’s a much worse headache than I’ve seen you get before.”

 

“I, uh, tried to help.”

 

“And went too far, clearly. You need to know your limits better. There’s such a thing as diminishing returns, you know. And don’t lose sight of why I asked you to accompany them, either. Recite it for me.”

 

“Uh… Blaise has more dirt on everyone than anyone in the Eyelash Isles, so if we have him on our payroll, we’ll be much stronger.”

 

“Correct. And there’s also the deal that was going on in Root City before Courtney’s death. If we have a good working relationship with whoever controls that city, then that land is as good as ours.” Preston sighed. “I figured you might overwork yourself, so I got a little present for you,” he continued, handing Wally a box.

 

Gently, Wally opened the box to reveal a purple and pink scarf inside. “…An ugly scarf?”

 

“It’s a Persim Band,” Preston corrected. “It’s meant to help with headaches. Put it on and it’ll increase the workload you can take substantially.”

 

Carefully, Wally put on the scarf, and almost immediately, he felt his headache starting to subside. “Oh, wow. That’s effective.”

 

“It’s quite a wonder of an item, isn’t it?” Preston asked. “Now you’ll be able to scan for much longer periods of time without breaks. Perfect for a city of this size.”

 

When they finally got to the room several floors up, Wally made a beeline for the bedroom, and laid down on the bed. The softness of the sheets was heavenly compared to the ground he’d slept on nights before, and he almost wanted to pass out then and there. He’d have to talk to his mother now, though.

 

“Wally? Sweetie? How was the trip?” a Gothitelle who happened to be sitting down on a chair nearby asked him. Farah wasn’t nearly as one-track minded as Preston was, but she was just as business oriented.

 

“I did a lot of walking,” Wally replied. “And I did a lot of scanning today. Also, I went through a really hard mystery dungeon. It was twenty-something floors, or something like that.”

 

“Oh my. Are you really sure about helping them? You might just drag them down.”

 

And there it is, Wally thought to himself. “Mom, I’m fine. I’m not in any danger at all.”

 

“I never said you were in danger,” Farah replied. “There isn’t any danger, is there?”

 

“That’s not—” Wally collected himself. Snapping at his mother would end badly. “I’m not holding anyone back.”

 

“I’m just looking out for you. You know, you tend to get an idea in your head, and it doesn’t really change.”

 

“I will be fine, mom.”

 

“That’s right,” Preston said, walking into the room. “He has been assigned a task that is well within his abilities. All he needs to do is walk around the city, and scan. There’s no way for him to do it incorrectly, and failure is an acceptable outcome given that it’s unlikely he’ll find the ones he’s looking for anyway. It’s perfectly safe.”

 

“But he’s pushing himself so hard. What if he makes a rash decision and drags someone else down with him? He is a teenager, you know.”

 

At this point, Wally just assumed that he wasn’t a participant in this conversation and shut his mouth.

 

“We’ve had this discussion before. There isn’t much to screw up, and he knows how to follow instructions. Besides, it’s doubtful he’ll even have an opportunity to make a rash decision.”

 

“This isn’t exactly the safest city on the continent, you know. People can and do get killed here.”

 

“And he will be escorted by another, far more powerful psychic type at all times. If he is in danger, there will be someone to protect him.”

 

Farah sighed. “I just don’t think he’s ready to handle an adult responsibility like this, you know?”

 

“He will inherit our business someday. He must learn how to handle some responsibilities.” Preston turned to Wally. “Wally, this is the bed your mother and I will be sleeping in. Please place your things in the bedroom on the other side of the living room.”

 

“Got it…” Wally said, appreciating any excuse to leave the room. As he closed the door behind him, muffling the sounds of his parent’s bickering, he sighed. They’re always gonna be like this, huh?

 

Slowly, he unpacked in the other bedroom, going through his things and wondering what him from a couple of days ago was thinking for each one. He hadn’t really planned for this—his father sent him off the second he smelled an opportunity, and Wally just packed what he could. In the very least, he managed to bring a toothbrush and a pillow. I really should bring a sleeping bag next time I travel.

 

As Wally brushed his teeth for the night, not particularly partial to any one discussion, he wondered if there was any point to what he was doing. He obviously needed to be making himself useful somehow, but it just felt like he was banging his head against a wall for no reason.

 

Just as he was about to lie down for bed that night…

 

“Wally,” his father said, walking into the room.

 

“Y-yes?” Wally asked.

 

“I got in touch with that Joshua fellow again. Please get up no later than eight in the morning so we can talk to him and Blaise around nine. It’s likely that your friend will show up as well. Understand?”

 

“Yes, father…” Wally replied.

 

“Good. Now get some rest, you sorely need it.”

 

With that, his father left the room, finally leaving Wally alone for the night. Wally, for his part, was more than happy to get some shut-eye.

 

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