One summer night, Deidre Weichert was walking up and down the streets of the business district of the city in search of not another frilly, dark-colored dress to add to her frilly, dark-colored dress collection, but for her close friend and personal bag carrier whom she searched for with all the concern of a parent. A parent who goes, Oh, I left the kid in the carriage, an hour after running errands, but a parent nonetheless.8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmhZ3Zq5zC 維尼
That dolts, she thought. She took her eyes off him for five seconds and he went and disappeared. Couldn't take him anywhere. The next time they went out, she'd have to keep him on a leash.8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68BJrkGkAZ 維尼
She was hot on his trail, but before she found him, another fellow found her. He was tall, moderately handsome, and had a great smile. Or so he thought. Looks are subjective.8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qzLr8YfzM 維尼
“Hello, miss. How are you this fine evening?”8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSkV37DJS2 維尼
“Can't talk. Busy looking for idiot friend.”8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9I9YwP6ul 維尼
“Do you need help looking for them?”8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOXCpLjWj2 維尼
“No. I know where he is.”8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXagXtHjMU 維尼
“Gut feeling?”8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRa4Pkt1ZA 維尼
“Tracking magic.”8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNd7xvncjj 維尼
“Oh! So you're a magus, too!”8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbCNorcIpn 維尼
“I suppose knowing a little magic does make me one.”8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡkP09Zf0D8Z 維尼
“That's cool. I'm trying to become the First Hand myself.”8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7fAbHi4eV 維尼
“That's quite the lofty goal,” she said with the interest of someone watching another someone apply butter to a slice of bread.8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZhl51zfdX 維尼
“It is, but I've been practicing magic since I was in high school, and I've been using Dohsoon since I was twelve, so I've got some experience under my belt.” Dohsoon was the oversized sledgehammer on his back. Not that Deirdre cared to look and see that he was referring to a weapon and not, say, an inflatable doll that substituted for the friends he lacked.8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7F3eEBhSG 維尼
“Uh-huh.” Of all the women on the streets, why'd he have to select her to chat up, she wondered. Screw her friend, she needed an escape route ASAP.8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zX0xZPTiR 維尼
“Do you have any idea how much the First Hand gets paid? It's not chump change, that's for sure,” he said. “And when I become the next First Hand, I'm going to found my own charity. Not sure what for, though. I'm leaning toward helping orphans find families.”8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXnxMZE5z4 維尼
“How noble of you.” Seriously, where was an obscure alleyway when a young woman needed one?8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWfYHya2v7 維尼
“It's no big deal. I used to befriend the kids at the orphanage down the street from where from I grew up, so I've seen what it's like to have your friends come and go while no one adopts you.”8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rItMa0yJ2 維尼
“Mm.” There! Escape at last! She made a beeline.8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0B0pCo1ly 維尼
“I think I might adopt one or two, but I'd also really like to, um—How should I word this?—make them? No, when I say it like that, it sounds like I'm manufacturing goods.” He followed Deirdre into the alleyway. “What's a better way to word it?”8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡUk2ww5X6Rg 維尼
Deidre didn't answer him, because Deirdre GTFOed on out of there.8964 copyright protection304ＰＥＮＡＮＡXb6k7xZdBM 維尼
He looked around, not sure where she had gone or how she went from being there to not being there. “Where'd she go?”308Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzK14mXftM
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