Sleeping Tight

"So this is the Researchers Guild?"

"You sound impressed, Woman."

"I'm. . .not. I mean, just look at all the hallways in this place. What a mess. I swear these doors go on forever." She tried one knob, rattling it hard. "Geez, what d'ya think they're keepin' locked up in here - Dead bodies?"

"You're impressed."

"A'right, maybe just a li'l bit, Plum. But I still think the Explorers Guild is way cooler."

"The Researchers have fishtanks too. They had 'em first, even. In fact, I -"

Something cold and wet slammed into my nose as I rounded the next corner.

"What the - ? Archimedes?"

"Crest?" The Inkay dabbed at me with his tentacles. "Oh, happy day! What luck, what luck, finding you here just as I was searching for more assistants! Yes, assistants that can move things! Did you bring me more cookies?"

I dragged the Inkay from my face, suction cups slurping.

Woman frowned. "Did he just say 'More cookies'?"

Archimedes swiveled, looking Woman up and down though seeing her for the first time. "Oh, I see. I see. I was curious, you know, why you were so desperate to get your paws on some information on Chim-MFF!"

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing!" I wrapped my arms so tightly around the Inkay that he squeaked. "Absolutely nothing of any importance was said just now."

"What," she said again, saying it more like a statement than a question.

 "Archimedes," I said, "Why aren't you in your office?"

The Inkay stared up at me for a moment through half-closed eyes, apparently calculating the best way to wheedle cookies out of me. Tough luck for him - I was not in the freakin' mood today.

He shrugged and waved his arms and straightened his bowtie all at the same time. "Follow me and I will show you. Come along, come along. Places to go, things to do!"


"Oh," Woman said when she saw the Snorlax.

I said, "You have got to be kidding."

On the other side of the room, an Aipom and a Scraggy wrestled with an arm and a leg each. The claws ripped through the air, and the Scraggy hissed as one paw came too close to his head.

"You want us to fight that thing?"

"There is a back door," Archimedes told us helpfully. "It will be a tight squeeze, but I'm sure you can manage. I believe in you."

"We'll move it, then." I twitched my whiskers. "At least outside there won't be anything to break."

Woman upturned the collar of her vest and squared her shoulders. "This is gonna be fun."

It wasn't. For the next twenty minutes, I suffered through kicks to the stomach and blows to the head. It's a miracle I didn't end up as one of Archie's amnesia patients. Or worse - With broken ribs. Splinters of glass caught in my fur.

"Sorry about your door," Woman said. She didn't sound very sorry, just annoyed. "It's not my fault he Thunderbolt'd through the glass. Choo! Snff!"

For a moment, Archie seemed at a loss for words.

"Nice one, sis." The Aipom slapped a trio of high-fives - Hand, hand, tail. I was reminded of Theo back home.

"Well." Archimedes folded two pairs of arms. "I do hope you will all lend a hand in cleaning up this mess."

"Cleaning?" Woman's tail flared crimson. "Forget it! Kachoo! Look, Tentacles - I took care of your giant rat problem. I'm covered in ice, dirt, poison, and I don't even know what this gunk is. I don't freakin' do cleanin'. Ahchoo! Come on, Plum - Let's go find that Vibrava."

"But I gave you the key to my storage unit! A treasure trove of dreams and wonders! The least you could do is lend a helping hand or two or three or four."

Woman raised a hand back over her shoulder as she walked away. Archimedes bristled.

"Impudent Researcher newbies these days! Why, if I had my way, the whole lot of them would be copying old manuscripts for a month, with both hands tied behind their backs! They could use their mouths for all I cared. It'd be a well-deserved experience of humility - Don't you agree?"

"You are an expert in the field of being servile, Archimedes," I told him as I turned to leave.

"But. . .You'll stay, Crest. Won't you?"

The Inkay bobbed in mid-air, trailing his tentacles. His eyes glowed faintly pink with sad traces of Psychic powers.

"We could. . .We could have a nice chat, yes? Just like we did before. Exchange research, you and I. Knowledge is best gained when it is shared between friends, is it not?"

I looked around the room, all shattered flower pots and sprinkled bits of test tube. Green goop dripped from the windowsill.

"With the two of us working together, we should finish up in no time. I'll even put in a good word to Chelle, hm?"

I gritted my teeth. He had me there. After the incident with the fireworks, my good name needed all the help it could get.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~


"I'm helping!"


I wasn't going to do this Task, but then I decided to test out a different brush size. It was a terrible idea.

So! Have you guys seen Sixala's awesome comic yet?

+ Storage Key and 1 Merit to Team Plum Pudding.