[Random Event[Current Context[Create,Distraction]
“Sparky, I’d like you to meet P…”
“Paula Becker of all the bookstores in all the towns, in all the worlds, she walks into mine”
“Sparky I don’t recognize that quote.”
“You wouldn't, it's from a movie. Tell Doug to play Casablanca for you and you’ll understand.”
“It's a pleasure to meet you Grandmaster Brightspark.”
“You must call me, Spark”
“Look Spark, Burgomaster Valen came in after you left yesterday and asked..”
“Let me guess, he wants you to investigate the abduction of a little girl before it happens.”
“Yes, I told him you’d said no, he asked me to ask you again. Said that he’d send a guard to help, also to make it official.”
“What do you think, Paula?”
“Oh I offered to help Rose as soon as she told me what was going on.”
“That’s very noble of you Paula. Well of course Rose must investigate, we'll do anything to keep our community safe, I always say. Perhaps I could show you around the shop, Paula give you a real feel for the powerful magical tomes. And here’s the guardsman of the hour. Guardsman Dogberry thank you for your service.”
“Your welcome, Grandmaster, but I ain’t done nothing yet, good morning ma’am.”
“Good morning Dogberry, I think you and I will visit the school and see if having an official with me opens their gates.”
"That's my specialty ma’am, gates.”
“Yes, thank you Dogberry. Paula, do you want to wait here to maintain your cover, in case we need to surveil the school later on.”
“Look at you Rose, catching up on all the lingo.”
“Well I am a writer, Paula.”
“Writer humm, where’s the outline I asked you for?”
“In the trash, I couldn’t come up with a single decent idea, but this case might create a spark that flames a ten book series, best sellers all.”
“I’ll throw you a bone, you and Dogberry go investigate and I’ll keep your charming friend company.”
“Paula, can I speak with you outside for just a second, I’ll be right back Dogberry”
“Yes ma’am.”
Once we’re outside and out of earshot.
“Paula, are you alright staying here, it seems Sparky, may have a crush on you.”
“I’m fine Rose and like you said better to stay out of sight when you show up with a cop. That way I can watch the school from afar covertly if Dogberry can’t get you in.”
“Okay if you’re sure.”
“If I can handle a bus load of actors, I can handle one handsy wizard, guaranteed.”
“Okay, because I’m shipping Beckracken.”
“You too, I thought it was only Salome.”
“No, we're team Beckracken. I think Juliet is too and I’m sure Ivy is.”
“What about Lily?”
“She’s never said, why do you ask?”
“Just wondering.”
Dogberry and I walked down to Pinewood Academy, the two guards still blocked the gate.
“Gentlemen this is Guardsman Dogberry, he has been assigned by Burgomaster Valen to investigate the possible kidnapping of one of your students.”
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“Is Dogberry father to a student of the Academy?”
“No”
“Does Dogberry have an appointment?”
“No but this is now an official investigation, ordered by Burgomaster Valen, I demand to see the headmaster.”
“You will”
“It’s about time”
“Next Tuesday, 8 A.M. sharp”
Dogberry and I walked back to the tower, I was going to ask Daisy for help.
“Daisy would you mind if I took you for a walk through all the stables in Wyldwood. Lu had no excuse to enter, with Dogberry as the official, we can say we’re searching for a stolen horse. If you’d like to help prevent the crime just press my palm once for yes and twice for no. We’ll use the same code in the stables if you see one of the men press once, two for no.”
“Why not bring me, Rose.”
“Because, we can do it silently, and not alert a potential suspect we’re on to them. All we need is one then we can get Lu to follow by scent and we could possibly capture the entire gang at once. Oh and Sparky said to ask you about a movie called Casablanca, he said you’d show me.”
“Okay smart and the next time you and Lu have a couple hours in the evening I’ll show you.”
“Why does Lu have to be there?”
“Because it’s a date movie.”
“What’s a movie?”
“It’ll be easier to just show you, you’ll love it I promise.”
“Okay, let’s go, Dogberry.”
“So many books, have you read them all?”
“No, Dogberry, only some, would you like one?”
“No ma’am I can’t read.”
“My friend teaches adults to read. Would you like to learn? It’s hard at first but then it gradually becomes easier and you get to read stories anytime you want.”
“I’m not sure ma’am can I think about it.”
“Of course, Dogberry, of course.”
We walked to every stable I could think of in town, using the stolen horse excuse at each one so that Daisy could check all the workmen. We came up with zero suspects.
“Can you think of any stables we may have missed, Dogberry?”
“No ma’am, why did we check all those stables ma’am.”
“Because the suspects smelled like horse manure.”
“Farmers smell of horse manure ma’am.”
“Dogberry, you are a genius.”
“Let’s find Lu?”
A quick locate spell. Lu was at the Jack in the Green, working. We popped down to ask Lu to help. Of course she agreed, I have the best girlfriend in the world. She took Daisy and started trotting for the gate.
“Wait” I shouted, ”Paula might want to go and it’d look more natural two runners running out on the rural roads together.”
We headed to the bookstore, asked Paula if she wanted to go for a run with Lu. Soon the two trotted out the gate.
I told Dogberry, “we’re done for the day. Come back tomorrow morning and thank you for the valuable clue. It’s the only thing we accomplished today and it’s all thanks to you.”
“Thank you ma’am, and I think I would like to learn to read.”
“Excellent, I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.”
Back at the book store, Sparky was being snarky.
“So how was your morning with the intrepid Dogberry.”
“I’ll have you know Sparky, that it was Dogberry who came up with the one clue we did find.”
“What did he find, Rose, fingerprints, DNA?”
“No, that farmers smell like horse manure.”
“I could have told you that.”
“I could have told myself that too. The point is neither of us did, Dogberry did.”
“Well you know what they say. Every Dog Has His Day, even a Dogberry.”
“Argh, you are impossible. Are you over your little crush on Paula?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Paula, call me Spark.”
“I was simply trying to make her feel more welcome.”
“I could show you around the shop, give you a real Feel, admit it, you said that line and all you could think of was McCracken squeezing her butt. I half expected to see a slap mark on your face when I returned.”
“Rose, get your mind out of the gutter, when I said feel, I meant real understanding of the atmosphere of the place. Just because you want to squeeze her, don’t go projecting that onto me. Poor Lu, you're squeezing poor Paula. I’m aghast, Rose aghast. After all that Lu does for you, off right this very minute, trotting down a dusty road for you and all you can picture is another woman butt.”
“Alright Sparky, are you done teasing me now? I can see you don’t want to talk about your feelings for Paula. But know this I’m firmly shipping Beckracken, I’m not switching to Pautb, see you guys don’t even have a cute shipping name.”
“Gods for a writer you have no imagination, of course it’s Sparcker which is way cooler than Beckracken.”
“So you do like her I knew it but ick, you are too old for her.”
“Old, old, look at this red hair, I defy you find even one gray hair, you can’t, you won’t.”
As an aside. “Here’s your two main squeezes back again. Get it, get it.”
“I take back that statement I made about you being old, you are much more like a thirteen year old boy and I just thought up the best ship name Becken, that’s got Sparcker beat by a mile.”
“I admit defeat gracefully, Becken is indeed a superior name. You do have an imagination, I can even guess what you are imagining squeezing right now.”
The door opened and Lu, Paula and Daisy came in.
“Did you have any luck.”
“We sure did, second farm up the road, Daisy recognized three of the four, all out working in a field. The three of us should go there tonight for a closer look don’t you think?”
“Yes I do, our first real lead. Dogberry is a genius.”
“Now, there’s a statement I never expected uttered today.”
“Sparky, knowledge is more than just book learning there’s practical experience that teaches as well.”
“Well we better get going girls, we have to pick out all black outfits for tonight's raid. What’s the farm look like?”
“It’s more like a plantation than a farm, it’s got a huge mansion right in the middle of the property. So I’d assume that they also have lots of servants. We need to be very quiet.”
“Here allow me to assist your endeavors this evening with this wand. Just say solas and it glows a little, giving you enough light to see but not be terribly noticeable. If someone starts chasing you just point and say lux and you can temporarily blind them.”
“Thank you Sparky”
“Well I need to keep my apprentice safe, if I’m ever going to get any work out of her.”
“I should have known.”
