#rqg 106

[morphokal]

“Has a wanted fugitive gone to my village in Kenya?” Oh, Azu.

[hgb94]

Barrett: Where’s Sasha? I kind of figured she’d still be with you. Grizzop: Dunno. Hamid: Oh, don’t worry, I’m sure she’ll find you if she wants to. Barrett: I’ll be honest, I was expecting to be delivered to her, not to you, but there we go, so what now? Hamid: You were still telling us about the weird squid people with the cowls. Barrett: If I tell you who they are, would you help me avoid them? Hamid: Probably. But it will really depend on your answers. Grizzop: We can hand you into, like, custody. Barrett: I sort of meant, can you protect me from them, rather than you know, basically just give me straight to them. Hamid: It’ll depend heavily on your answers and your increasing willingness to do what is right and make up for all the horrible things you’ve done. Grizzop: Also, if you tell us who they are, we’ll know who to hand or not hand you over to. Barrett: I’ll make you a deal. I’ll tell Sasha. She never could lie, if she says that you’ll do something, you probably will. Besides, it would be nice to see her. Grizzop: Well, as Hamid said, if she wants to talk to you, she’ll arrive. Lydia: All this time, Sasha is crouched down and basically is biting her fingers, like, there’s too much going on. She’ll walk slowly towards him and sort of sink down and so the first that he might be aware of her is a knife blade next to his neck. Barrett: Oh, hi Sasha. Hamid: Told you she’d find you if she wanted to. Barrett: Sort of walked into that one didn’t I? What do you know about the Cult of Hades? Azu: Oh dear.

[hgb94]

Sasha: Azu has the camel. You should put Barrett on the camel. Take him to...there’s, there’s no...there’s no justice for him, there’s no one that will… Grizzop: I could put an arrow in him if you want.  Or wake him up. Hang on a minute, should I just wake him up? Hamid: Yeah! If that’s okay with you, Sasha. Sasha: Alright. She stands back where Barrett can’t see her. ... Alex: He looks up and you see wide eyes at everyone you can see. And he is gagged but he doesn’t move or struggle or say anything, just big wide eyes. Hamid: Well, well, well, isn’t this an interesting predicament, Mr. Rackett? Hamid reaches over and slowly take the gag out of his mouth. Azu pokes him: What’s been happening? Barrett: Hello… Azu: We don’t know each other, but I think you’re a bad person. ... Barrett: Hey Hamid. How are you doing? Hamid: A lot better than you! Barrett: So it would seem. Funny how things shake out. Hamid: I assume someone in your organization has wrested control from you. Barrett: Where are we? Hamid: Middle of nowhere. Grizzop: Wotcher. Oh, by the way, if you don’t tell us what we need to know, I’m gonna shoot an arrow through your eyeballs, so... Azu: He will do that. Hamid: These are my new associates Barrett. I didn’t know them last time we met. Barrett: You’ve traded up. Hamid: Yup!

[hgb94]

I figured Barrett would turn up again, but I always viewed him from Sasha’s perspective. A dangerous figure, a force of power, a threat that was definitely going to come back and bite them someday. I never expected to meet him unconscious, bound, gagged, and beaten.

Lydia: She’s gonna go and reach for the note, realize it’s him and just freeze. She’s just frozen, she’s just not doing anything, just at the point of grabbing it. Grizzop: You alright? Azu: Sasha? Grizzop: Is it, should we get close, is it? Sasha: It...uh, he’s not gonna explode. Alex: Azu and Grizzop, as you approach a late-middle aged mad, maybe a little bit portly, with what is clearly a few days growth of facial hair, who appears to have been very badly beaten, is tied up and dropped in the dirt with an envelope on them. Grizzop: Wow, someone’s done a number on him. Azu: This poor man. Sasha: He’s, um...don’t heal him Grizzop: Okay. Wait, why? Who is he? Sasha: It’s uhhhh...it’s my uncle. Hamid hearing this: Oh my god! What?! Grizzop: Wait, you know her uncle? Hamid: He kidnapped us one time! He’s like the worst crime boss in London! ... Alex: The envelope has L.O.L.O.M.G. written on it. You open it and it seems to be a very short, very hastily written note by someone who has very very fine cursive. It just says, “Apologies for startling. Here’s a little present. We’ll chat later. Apologies again.