>Continued from the first bit of >>5722705"...um... hold on." You set the pistol down and fumble around for The Sword. "I just need to..."
There it goes, <span class="mu-i">shing</span>ing out of its sheath with rather more drama than you were looking for. Henry gazes down at its crackling flames as you attempt to take a nick off the gold mask. "That's not Wyrmbite, is it?"
"Uh..." The mask nicks, but there's just more gold underneath. Does that mean it's the genuine article? But shouldn't pure gold scratch with just a fingernail? Maybe it's a mix, or—
"It's not real, Charlie, so that's probably it. Did I mention that earlier?"
No! He didn't! Thanks a lot, Richard. You stow The Sword before Henry can ask any more obtrusive questions and toss the mask back onto the empty bundle. Worthless.
"For the purposes of sale, maybe, but do you think—"
That it could be some manner of clue? For a forthcoming mystery in need of your detectivess prowess? Perhaps pertaining to the unlawful theft of your Crown?
Richard pauses. "Well... yes."
Okay, because you already thought about that. You recognized the mask right off the bat, of course, but there was a possibility (however slim) that the similarity was a big coincidence. The mask factory, etcetera. But now you see the token with a big double-bladed axe on it, like the Person's axe? And a woman wearing a <span class="mu-i">crown?</span> And this dagger isn't a dagger, not really, just a long pointy crystal. Like the type <span class="mu-i">in</span> the Crown. You're not saying it's actually a tine from it, but isn't the resemblance striking? Not to mention, you know full well what these crystals do: they capture Law. Of the sort that, e.g., might be pouring out from a hole that leads straight to God? Or that might, in a moment of desperation, be found inside the living body of a bitchy fish?
It was nice of Richard to prompt you, because you didn't really have it all congealed until now. But you didn't need his <span class="mu-i">help.</span> This mask here isn't the Person's mask, and it's also not Monty's mask— because he had an identical-looking one too! The one that made you hallucinate dying a billion times. The mask you have now can't do that, because it's just a dumb replica, and what do you need that for? You have the token as proof. Good enough.
"Goodness gracious, primrose. You had this all sorted, didn't you?" Richard ruffles your hair. "I'm really very proud of you. You've become such a bright young women."
It doesn't mean anything, him saying that. He never would've said it before, and probably didn't even believe it before, and if he believes it now that's fake. It does feel good, a little bit, though.
>[+2 ID: 13/14]You clear your throat. "Um, I'll take the dagger and this pistol. You can keep the mask and the other guns."
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