A (mostly) cozy fantasy in which the rule of three is misused, the slow burn is glacial, and the cast of characters is twice as large as it needs to be. Also, there are monsters now.
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In a city unknowingly on the edge of chaos...
Since it was always everywhere, extremely busy with whatever it did, the chimera didn't have much thought dedicated to those it left gifts for. Did it even deliberate on who got what, and why? No one can say for certain except the beast.
As such, only one of the chimera's many appendages actually noticed or cared that, weeks after their delivery, none of its recent batch of gifts had been used properly, and it wasn't the appendage you'd want.
Still, that small flicker of awareness of unfulfilled potential was enough for the chimera to acknowledge the situation.
Just one hint, then. And if nothing continued to occur, there were a number of other possible courses of action: break the gifts. Take them away. Eat them. Or make them useless. Endless, endless, endless possibilities, one for every star that still hung in the sky.
So the chimera acquiesces, delivers a single hint to each recipient: a title to go with the gift.
For Jasper and his brass bell: Wanderer
On Taihei's vial of sand: Captain
By Zahara's golden amulet: Shield
Along the length of Giada's knife: Dragon
Against Fallon's leather-bound tome: Witch
With Kalila's skeleton key: Keeper
Atop Lionel's silver brooch: Courier
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