The Fool’s Path: A Hildebrand Style Adventure (part 2)
(Before reading, please play Agent of Inquiry on loop for proper mood setting ^^)
Last time, my robotic assistant and I made our way to the Gold Saucer, gleaming beacon of gambling and hope for those who would seek jobs in the current Ul’dahn job market. Seriously, finding ANY kind of meaningful employment that actually paid in Ul’dah was harder to find than Raubahn’s left arm. I mean, what did Teledji do with the thing, eat it?
Morbid humor aside, Kikiyo and I parked our mounts at the Saucer Stables and I decided to ask the nearest employee about odd things happening. Kikiyo, meanwhile, was doing her best to solve the logic puzzle that was a hacked together Tetris program that I somehow put onto a tomestone for her. Still discovering all the odd things I made for her/in her/with her, but that’s 100+ hours of my memory that is nothing but a blur of work, home-brewed energy drinks and the dying screams of roughly thirty Allagan Nodes that were sacrificed for the greater good.
“Hello Miss, Joe Okeya, wandering Fortune Teller and freelance Inspector of all things mysterious and odd. Have you seen anything off recently?” I asked, slipping the lass a few silver Allagan pieces that were more discrete than simply handing a sack full of gil.
Taking a look at my totally above board tip, she carefully accepted it with a smile and bow. “Welcome to the Gold Saucer! I’m sorry to say that even if there were odd things happening about the Saucer, I cannot talk of such things to complete strangers. Especially shady individuals attempting to play at being an investigator in Master Manderville’s own Saucer.” With a bright smile and a bow, she simply waved me off. Not wanting to cause a scene, I left, a few silver pieces poorer and shocked to all hell that someone actually wasn;t forthcoming with information for once. Did someone hold a seminar about operational security when I wasn’t looking?
“Master Okeya” My loyal assistant called out to me. Walking towards her, she motioned to one of the other employees who did his level best to ignore her. “I have inquired with this employee about mysterious happenings occurring within the confines of the vicinity and he has not been forthcoming in either an positive or negative manner. Further questioning has only caused him to insist on his silent treatment.” Curious, Kikiyo and I began to wave at him, but he wasn’t going to stop his cold shoulder routine anytime soon. Finding no way of breaking him without crude psychological torture that has been banned in several countries involving ear worms or annoying sounds that should NOT be (or violence), Kikiyo and I moved off to a spot to speak quietly.
“If nothing was happening, they wouldn’t be acting odd.” I say as I try to work through my thoughts. “Generally, employees won’t want to talk with guests or strangers about stuff like this...”
“Aha! So if we dress up as employees, we can slip into their confidence and they will tell us what we want to know!”
“As good a plan as any, Master Okeya.” My brilliance obviously awed my unemotive companion.
“Where shall we procure the uniforms required?”
Cackling, I pull two glamour plates from my sleeve and hand one to Kikiyo. “Luckily, I came prepared! Now, activate the plate and let’s go!” A bright flash of light engulfs us both... and eventually leaves our current outfits transformed in a reflection of the outfits contained within the plates.
“Hmm... this isn’t right...”
“I make this look good, Master Okeya.”
Will I figure out the best fix for this fashion disaster? Will we learn what oddity plagues the Gold Saucer? And more importantly... do these fishnets make my Lalafell butt look big? These questions and more may or may not be answered in the next amusing episode of The Fool’s Path! A Hildebrand Style Adventure!
