BANE: avenge

chapter 17

I ate breakfast, which Blanche prepared & when I had finished, Simply Edward returned to the table with two revolvers. I looked up & grasped one of them, weighing it in my hand. Feeling fine with the weight & grip on it, I slipped it in my pocket.

I nodded & handed Pippin the other one, seeing as he did not have a preference as to which one he preferred to take. After all, I had always been the better marks person out of us two, even though I had been shooting much less time than him due to how difficult it was to convince them to let me. I eventually reasoned that it would be an excellent defence for myself, & they let me learn how to shoot. Since then, I had improved so rapidly in my shooting, that I had surpassed Pippin's abilities & was able to shoot much better than him.

He grasped the revolver & put it in his pockets after a brief inspection of the gun, much like mine. Simply Edward nodded & said that if we were all ready, he had already prepared the float & it was currently waiting on the roof of the building.

I looked at Blanche, & then I heard a voice.

“Bring the maid-bot with you."

I looked around, hoping to find the voice's body, but saw nothing but a slightly colourful twinkle in Blanche's violet eyes. I shook off the slight shiver that went through me & turned to Simply Edward.

“Do you not think it would be useful to bring Blanche along, Simply Edward?"

“Who would take care of the flat, then? I do not see any particularly outstanding reason for bringing her along."

“I should think it would be a good idea so that she could use her geographical coordinated to guide us if we can-not find some-place, do you not think? What if we happen to not find one of the locations?"

“I suppose that is a viable reason, but I can-not accept it due to the rate of break-ins in this neighbourhood, Ara. Besides, it should be easy to find most of the locations because of the high number of children that live on the streets & consequently know their way around quite astoundingly well."

Pippin nodded.

"For a few bits, we should be able to find the way with ease, Ara."

“I see! I just thought it would be a good idea to bring her along, but I suppose she serves a better purpose here in the flat."

I felt an uncomfortable twinge at not being able to take Blanche, but I saw that it was definitely not the best idea to do so.

Despite everything, I think that perchance that voice in my head with the swirling rainbow was wrong this time. We could easily find our way with the help of one of the poor tramps in the city, & we could also help a few of them by paying them a bit for their services to us. Not only would it be more practical, it would be charitable as well.

Decided, I agreed to what the men had said & we went off to the roof to get in the float.

____

After we got in the float, I begged them to start with the second, but they refused. They said I was having impractical idea, & as thus, they ought not to listen to me in my current state of mind. Sadly, I relented, a feeling of foreboding at the double disobedience of the voice in my head, but gradually I forgot as I looked out the windows at the city roaring outside.

*******

We reached the first destination & climbed off the float, sending it to return to the roof, as we would spend the rest of the day walking & not in the float due to the risks of it being stolen while we checked out the sites, plus, it was due time I should get a little exercise, as I had not truly gone outside since Pippin & I went on our little picnick.

Looking up at the place, I saw the sign above the door & quickly decided that this could potentially be the place where the Oracle was located.

It looked considerably cleaner & well-maintained than the rest of the buildings on the street, & the sign was considerably new & clean, not being rusted from the years or yellowed by the sun, saying something of The Oracle's Fortunes.

We walked in, & immediately were accepted in by a maid. She said that the Oracle had been waiting for us, & that she should promptly show us in, for a small fee. At this, I was astounded & was ever more convinced that this was the true location of the Oracle.

She named the price, & my eyes widened, tempting me to haggle a bit & lower the price, but the maid would not budge the price. She kept it at 10 bits per person, & Simply Edward & Pippin refused to let me go alone. I handed her the 30 bits & she showed us in through a long hall-way that gradually became more & shabbier looking as we went. A few doors we passed had paint chips flaking off, & as we came to the end of the hall, the darkness increased & the floor was ragged & completely decrepit. As my vision adjusted, the door at the end of the hall came into view, & I gasped at the pieces of wood lying about the floor & the paint flakes from years lying about on the floor that looked like it has been scraped off. Oddly enough, there was a welcome mat before the door that looked considerably new. I almost laughed at the absurdity of it, but the maid gave me such a withering look that I held the laugh in.

From inside the room came a deep voice that could only have been female.

“Enter, Gadaranine! Only Gadaranine!”