Harris
We got goin' after I went back and pocketed as many expensive-lookin' stones as I could find. I asked Jack-ce where we were goin' and he said somethin' about the Auburnian port nearest to the Auburnian-Effrostian border. Personally, I thought he was a *foolish rear* because, although the port used to be grand and worth visiting, it was reduced to nothin' more than a small stop for sailors bringin' goods to Effrost. You know, if it wasn't for Seiv, the Volcanolems probably wouldn't have been able to make a deal with the humans.
Anyways, we left for the coast, yeah? So, about halfway there, a bit after Jaze killed a man, I found this really expensive lookin'—
Alex
A-HEMMMMM. I hate to interrupt, but I find it rather... unseemly and deplorable to simply skim over the death of any individual. May you elaborate upon the circumstances around the death of the aforementioned individual?
Harris
Eh? Does it really matter that much?
Alex
...Well... yes? It does?
Harris
Oh, my bad.
So, that one guy... what was it, Kurt? Kyle? Kon? Meh, it definitely started with a K.
I was just flipping through Jace's notes and it mentions someone named "Cilligin"—
Harris
RIGHT! That's what it was! Cillogongle!
It's "Cilli—"
Harris
So, Jace killed Colloginglie after he had some sorta lovers' quarrel with him, and then I found thi—
James
What random *jibberish* are you spouting now? A lovers' quarrel? Really? I'm not even angry at this point; I’m just confused.
Jace's notes—
Harris
IT'S MY TURN TO TALK!!!!! Anyways, I found this fancy stick that Juice said would sell well. It had some weird rock on top that I'd never seen before—Jage called it "refined unnatrulum". Of course, after I heard the price such a small hunk of it'd sell for, I made sure to memorize every definin' trait of the rock, its name, and its market price.
Once we were at the outskirts of the port, Gace said he didn't wanna go into town and, looking at some random sheet of paper, tripped over a rock and fell on his face. It was very sad, and I didn't find it funny in the slightest. What? Guys, I didn't laugh! I didn't laugh...
...
...Okay, maybe I chuckled a little.
Jeke—
Alex
His name is Jace.
Harris
Yeah, so Jane—
Alex
J-A-C-E.
Harris
..."Jace" then got up, completely covered in ash, and continued walkin'.
When we reached the coast, Jace told Purple and me to not follow him.
I got a little curious, though, so I did take a quick peek at where he went. However, I only saw the vast ocean far below the cliffs surrounding the cove that Auburnian port was built between. To my knowledge, Jace just straight up vanished.
As the sun started to sink, stainin' the sky with various vibrant hues, Jace approached us from the direction he disappeared from. He was lookin'... upset? Confused? Angry? Somewhere in between? I couldn't really tell, but he did have one nasty scowl that tipped us off to his bad mood.
I was goin' to ask some of the various questions coursin' through my brain, but the thing in his hand stopped my ragin' thoughts in their tracks. Jace had, somehow, somewhere, acquired a golden rift, a platinum flam, and a diamond with the quality seal of frow. In but a single hand Jace clutched one of the most valuable coins in the Kingdom of Amity, one of the rarest coins in Auburn, and one of the most expensive gemstones that qualifies for recognition as official Effrostian currency. How could someone bearin' such immense wealth feel anythin' but absolute, endless happiness? Jace slid enough money to live a life of luxury in any country with its own currency on the continent into the folds of his cloak. I don't know why exactly, but no matter how long I looked at that thing, I could never see the cloak itself or even the reflections of any forms of light on its fabric. That cloak must've been made from somethin' that absorbs light, but the only thing I could think of was one of those sky voids that those people in the MoSS kept babblin' on about. Jim, do you know what his cloak was made of?
James
Please do remember to speak to me with respect and to refer to me as "James," not "Jim." We are not close enough to use nicknames. To be completely honest, I do know exactly what his cloak is made of. However, I really don't like you and I have no intention of sharing my friends' secrets without their explicit permission.
Harris
Jeez, I guess you're a lot less insightful than Jace said you were—I was expecting far more from you. Well, maybe you are simply not in the best state of mind due to... recent events, so I'll just gloss over this whole conversation and continue where I left off.
James
Wait, what do—
Harris
(.-_.-)
James
('o')
('-')
Harris
Anyways, I obviously did what must be done after seein' someone haulin' around a huge sum of money: "Hey Jace, those bags sure look heavy. Why don't you let your old pal Harris carry em' for you?"
And Jace said, "I am not carrying anything that is not contained within the many pockets of my cloak. Have you really become so deeply entranced by the allure of material wealth that you cannot even distinguish reality from fiction after seeing vast riches pass before you?"
After that inquiry, for the first time in a long, long time, I wasn't able to provide a snappy retort to another's accusations. In fact, I wasn't able to think of the right words to respond with even as the sun rose to greet the next day. It wasn't until everythin' had come to its sudden conclusion that I was able to admit that the answer to the question Jace had asked me back when it all began...
...was yes...
...and no.
