Operation story: AS-3

Operation

Story

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Characters
Anat Pepe Lazvar Narantuya Medjehtiqedti Zubayr Ajazi Ajani Aspasia Mio Jewel Construct Museum Staff Eager Woman Curious Girl Elegant Man Plainly-Dressed Woman Bejeweled Man Gathering Staff Choir Proud Woman Composed Man
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Before operation

Summary Zubayr tells Pepe that he needs three other gems to help her find the treasury, and the pair search the Menat-Ha'mait night. On the other side of the city, Lazvar, overseer of the gem trading post, instructs his pets to locate the gems.
<Background 1>
Anat	Titi...
Medjehtiqedti	Fetch!
Jewel Construct	(Fetches the ball) (Brings it back)
Medjehtiqedti	Who's the cutest little thing? You are!
Anat	Stop fooling around, Titi!
Medjehtiqedti	I've always wanted a pet, but my family wouldn't let me have one. Look how cute it is!
Anat	It's not a pet, its part of the museum's collection.
Medjehtiqedti	Tell that to Pepe. She's yelling at part of the museum's collection.
Pepe	SAY THAT AGAIN?
Zubayr	I apologize, Pepe Khanum, but I am unable to answer. My memories of the trove's location remain vague.
Medjehtiqedti	You sure you don't want to stop her? I'm starting to feel sorry for that corpse cowering in a corner.
<Background fades out and in>
Pepe	Well, try harder! Maybe you'll remember then.
Zubayr	I'm afraid that would be futile... They who split my memories distributed them evenly across all the gems, to ensure that the secret could not be easily accessed. There are five gems in total. You may have to find all of them before I can tell you the answer.
Pepe	Where are the rest of the gems? You must know that, right?
Zubayr	(Shakes head)
Pepe	You don't?
Zubayr	The army that defeated me consisted of many padishahs and lords ameer... They took the gems with them when they left.
Pepe	It's like looking for a needle in a haystack... There must be another way! Use that golden brain of yours!
Zubayr is forced into a corner by Pepe, even as the short girl doesn't come up to his chest. He feels a pressure so great, it threatens to buckle even his hardened metal kneecaps.
Zubayr	Please, hanimefendi... have patience...
Pepe	Then tell me something useful!
Zubayr	There is a faint resonance between the gems that I can sense if I am in their proximity.
Pepe	Are you kidding me? You want me to take you across all of Sargon? This city alone holds thousands of gems!
Zubayr	I think I sense one faintly...
Pepe	... Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!
<Background fades out and in>
Medjehtiqedti	Look, Anat, she's trying to remove part of the museum's collection!
Anat	... Pepe, Zubayr Effendi is a valued part of the museum's collection. We must ensure that he is stored under appropriate conditions, and I can't allow him to be exposed to the elements. Leave that thought and do your research here. Do NOT go out.
Pepe	Forty-percent increase in funding next year?
Anat	No.
Pepe	Double?
Anat	My staff will be watching you at all times. Senebty.
[Anat sulks off.]
Pepe	What's come over her?
Medjehtiqedti	Zubayr Effendi, I know it's not exactly polite to ask a man for his funeral effects, but I would be remiss... Can I borrow this for a couple of days?
Jewel Construct	(Spins rapidly)
Zubayr	... Of course, hanimefendi.
<Background 2>
[Pepe crawls outside.]
Pepe	You can come out now, Zubayr. There's no one here. How do you go through a hole like that at your size? It's like you turned liquid or something.
Zubayr	My body is extremely flexible, allowing me to pass through narrow spaces.
Pepe	I thought I would have to tear down the wall, if you couldn't get out.
Zubayr	There is no need.
Zubayr closes his eyes and shakes his sistrum. As the chimes ring, the wall around the hole slowly turns to sand, falling to the ground, leaving behind a much bigger hole. With eyes wide, Pepe walks back and forth through the hole, then picks up a handful of sand.
Pepe	Why didn't you use your Originium Arts? I almost hit my head crawling through the hole.
Zubayr	You didn't ask.
Pepe	Well... you should close it back up. Wouldn't want anyone else to see it.
Zubayr	As you wish.
The chimes ring again, and sand flows back into the hole. Soon, there is no sign that the hole was ever there.
Zubayr	Centuries ago, there was nothing but sand. Now, tall buildings line the streets. Such prosperity. Lamps line the banks of the river flowing gently through the city. It reminds me of Shar-Cheshmeh, built upon an oasis.
Pepe	Shahr-Cheshmeh, the City of Springs? I thought it was just a legend. No one has found it in centuries.
Zubayr	No, it was very real. Its padishah was a despot who challenged the Shah's authority on multiple occasions. I had to pay him a personal visit.
Pepe	And then?
Zubayr	And then it was no more.
Pepe	Did... the whole city have to pay for the sins of a single padishah?
Zubayr	I did nothing but cut the padishah's head off and throw it into a spring. It was the chained slaves who burned the city to the ground. If you visited yourself, you would be shocked by the filth and stink. They made sacrifices in the water, but the water system was... primitive.
Pepe	Please, stop. I can almost smell it.
Zubayr	I see. Can we go to the river?
Pepe	No, not that way! It's early. The banks of the river are still brightly lit. Anat would kill me if someone saw the museum's collection walking the streets. I know a place. Follow me.
<Background 3>
Museum Staff	Curator Anat, we've taken inventory of the collection. Here it is... ...Medjehtiqedti Khanum? What are you doing here?
Medjehtiqedti	Anat went to meet a guest, so I'm taking over some of the documents.
[Paper flips]
Medjehtiqedti	"The Padishah's statue wasn't damaged in an accident; it was missing one eyeball to begin with! Who wrote this?"
Museum Staff	Ha...
Medjehtiqedti	How's my impression? But it's true that the statue's records are wrong. Be careful next time.
Museum Staff	R-Really? Let me see who was in charge. Izaja and Inaja. I think they were under your...
Medjehtiqedti	Ahem... here, Age of Shadow exhibits counted twice. Make sure you double-check.
<Background 4>
[Footsteps]
Zubayr	This is...?
Pepe	My favorite place in the city.
Zubayr	You like empty streets.
Pepe	It's not like this during the day. Everything in Menat-Ha'mait goes through here. Merchants from all across the country come here to trade gems, furs, spices, crafts... people come from other countries too, often making large transactions. If we're going to find a gem somewhere, this would be it. Deep in the Grand Bazaar is a trading post dedicated to gems. Virtually every gem in the city passes through it. Do you sense the gem we're looking for?
Zubayr	...
Pepe	Are you listening?
Zubayr	Forgive me... I am curious about the crafts being sold here. In my time, animal sculptures like these were guardians of tombs, companions for the dead. Now, though, they are being peddled on the streets as everyday items.
Pepe	Well... it's a decorative sculpture for home use. Twenty-five dinars.
Zubayr	From the murals on the walls, to the hieroglyphs all around... many things feel so familiar, yet so strange at the same time.
Pepe	Perhaps we should go and see a few more places?
<Background 3>
Museum Staff	Medjehtiqedti Hanimefendi, the great families have sent inquiries. The padishahs take the solemnity of Sargonian history so seriously. How do we explain this incident to them?
Medjehtiqedti	Just tell them it was an intern's mistake and we'll deal with it accordingly.
Museum Staff	Deal with whom?
Medjehtiqedti	The acting curator, perhaps?
Museum Staff	...Huh?
[Footsteps approach]
Anat	Is it really true, Titi? There was unexplained access made using your pass both last night and this morning... what if someone investigates?
Medjehtiqedti	That can't be! I wiped all the records clean.
Anat	So you've finally admitted it.
Medjehtiqedti	I didn't... I...
Anat	Well, this I can cover up... but the mummy coming back to life, on the eve of the Flood Festival, is another matter.
Medjehtiqedti	What's your plan?
Anat	To keep the museum closed until things blow over.
Medjehtiqedti	No way!
<Background 2>
[Footsteps]
Zubayr	Look at that badgir!
Pepe	A windcatcher, yes, the most common type of tower here. Those openings catch the cool, high winds and guide them into the building through vents.
Zubayr	Cool air flows into the space below, pushing the hot air out the opposite side.
Pepe	I didn't know you were an architect.
Zubayr	I'm not. But I met the talented architect who invented the badgir.
Pepe	Do you sense the gems yet?
Zubayr	I'm sorry... I can't sense any nearby. Maybe I could tell you something else. Are you not curious how the gems retain one's memory and consciousness?
Pepe	Well... I AM curious. I figured it was some kind of Sarkaz witchcraft related to the Zhayedan.
Zubayr	People in my time believed that life consists of three parts: Body, Name, and Soul. Body is the physical vessel, and Name is the identity known to others. The Soul, however, is what truly makes us human; it is the emotions and experiences that form our character. All three parts must be preserved together, in order for life to be eternal. The Body can be replaced with something more durable. The Name can retain its meaning by being passed on through generations.
Pepe	I know. That's the genesis of Sargonian noble heritage.
Zubayr	The Soul, however, is the frailest of the three. During the Age of Shadow, it was discovered that part of the Soul can be preserved, in a manner of speaking, by etching it upon a pure gem with Originium circuits.
Pepe	Like the gem in your chest...
Zubayr	Yes.
Pepe	I've only ever read about it in ancient texts... Scholars call it superstition, borne out of a lack of understanding of the nature of life.
Zubayr	That is a misinterpretation. However, the true mystery, the method by which a life's journey is engraved, has long since been lost to time.
Pepe	Or, it might exist, to some degree... gems with engraved Originium circuits can still be found in this city. Last year, a gem with Originium circuits that could change the ambient temperature in a small area was sold at auction for an incredible price.
Zubayr	Some things survive the test of time, only to become barely recognizable.
Pepe	The sun's about to rise. We should get back before the museum opens. Let's go.
[Footsteps]
<Background fades out and in>
Pepe	The museum is just ahead. I don't want to crawl through another hole. Why don't we use your Arts to make a shortcut?
Zubayr	One moment, Pepe.
Pepe	Have you sensed the gem?
Zubayr	No... I would like to see the sunrise. The one thing that the passage of time cannot change.
Pepe	... Okay. Just for a bit.
<Background 5>
Zubayr	How lucky. It is still bright, glorious, brilliant. It still brings warmth. Inudi harek, Horakhet.
Zubayr slumbered for centuries beneath the sands, with only darkness for company. He squints straight at the sun rising in the east, the brilliant wheel of flame. Sunlight shines upon him for the first time in a very long while, illuminating his golden body. Pepe can barely open her eyes, so bright it is.
Zubayr	Is it time to go back?
Pepe	You can stay a while longer, if you like being in the sun. We have a little bit of time.
<Background fades out and in>
Ajazi	The sun is up. Four days... no, five, since Narantuya went missing.
Ajani	Focus, Ajazi! This work requires attention to detail! You're sure that the communicator fell into this drainage outlet when we left the museum, right?
Ajazi	I'm sure.
Ajani	Well, we've been dredging through it every day, but we haven't found a shadow of it.
Ajazi	We can't reach Narantuya if we don't find it. if we can't reach Narantuya... what will we do?
Ajani	...I remember Narantuya saying we should find a way to get money when she's not around.
Ajazi	You're right, Ajani! We need to pull a big job. That way, we can buy a new communicator and get in touch with the boss! Let's go. We've got work to do at the museum.
Ajani	Alright... Huh? Hey, Ajazi, I think I hooked something!
<Background 6>
Eager Woman	What do you think, Lazvar? A hue like the night sky, and the wavy patterns it like lava gently flowing across it... It was dug up from the deep Obsidian veins decades ago. It's a rare treasure today, given the state of Mount Siesta. The gem vendors in town dare not give a hasty quote for it, and you've been away from the post these past few days...
Lazvar	There is no Originium circuit on this gem. I'm afraid I cannot give you a high price for it.
The blue fowlbeast that was perched on the overseer's staff flies up, grabs the Obsidian, and places it gently on the scale. The scale comes to a halt, and the young overseer looks at the reading.
Lazvar	Three hundred and seventy dinars.
Eager Woman	B-But a Siestan collector offered a much higher price for it! The equivalent of thirty-seven thousand dinars! Could you perhaps be mistaken?
Lazvar	You could always go back to that collector.
Eager Woman	Ah, er, well, it's not that I don't trust the overseer's eyes and scales... But if we were in Londinium, Lungmen, or Siesta...
Lazvar	We're in Menat-Ha'mait. There are treasures here beyond reckoning. The sand beneath your feet was perhaps at one time gems brighter than the stars. That is why we value the power of a gem far more than its appearance. Three hundred and seventy dinars is the most I can give for an ordinary Obsidian, with no Originium circuits or special powers.
<Background 7>
[Footsteps]
Ajazi	Can we really sell a rock that we reeled in from the sewers?
Ajani	Even the roads in this city are paved with gems. Try holding it under the sun.
Ajazi	What am I supposed to see?
Ajani	Nothing. It's like the plastic handle of my toothbrush.
Ajazi	Well, don't be discouraged, Ajani. It could help Narantuya's great endeavor, even if it's not worth much. Like, she could enjoy ice water for an entire week once she comes back. Added with lemon slices and dried dates for sure.
[Footsteps]
<Background 6>
Ajani	Hey, you! Yeah, you, behind the counter.
Lazvar	Me?
Ajani	Yeah. You're the receptionist, right?
Lazvar	Receptionist? No—
Ajani	It's our first time here. We want to... to... what do we want to do, Ajazi?
Ajazi	To get this gem appraised and sell it for good money!
Ajani	Yeah, that's right. Do you know where the queue for gem appraisals is?
Lazvar	...Give it to me. I can appraise it.
Ajazi	Wow, even the receptionist at the gem trading post knows how to appraise gems!
<Background fades out and in>
Lazvar	At first glance, it is a pale sapphire of low-purity.
Ajani	Low-purity? Sounds like dried dates are off the menu.
Ajazi	Well, the lemon slices still have a chance.
Lazvar	The Originium circuits are clearly visible. Hm? This is...
Ajazi	What is it? Is there something wrong with the circuits?
Ajani	Meh, never mind, Ajazi. The gem probably doesn't do anything, judging by his reaction.
Lazvar	...No, it does. The Originium circuits on this gem can induce excitement in small animals.
Ajazi	It makes small animals excited...?
[Ajani leaves.]
Ajazi	Where are you going, Ajani?
Ajani	Back to work at the museum, of course! You know how much money we're making per hour carrying boxes? Forget that blue toothbrush handle! Can't afford to waste our time here!
Ajazi	Hey, wait for me!
[Ajazi follows her.]
Lazvar	Wait, your gem— I was going to say I could offer fifty thousand dinars for it...
Mio	Meow...
Lazvar	Mio? You're back early.
Mio	(Dejected) Meow...
Lazvar	...It's okay, you tried. It's not easy to see him, is it? ... Hey, Mio, try this.
Mio	(Touches the pale blue gem with a paw) (Sniffs) (Purrs excitedly) (Rolls in ecstasy)
Lazvar	Glad you like it... what's that? You found your motivation again? Alright, then, go with Woof to find the gems. They've finally converged upon this city.

After operation

Summary At the Harvest Gathering, Pepe realizes that the second-place prize is the gem she is looking for and comes up with a plan to win it. Aspasia recognizes the third-place prize as the other goblet that belonged to her family.
<Background 8>
[Grass rustling]
Pepe	Shh, stay in the grass and don't come out. I had to be real careful to get you out during the day.
Zubayr	The grass is too short. It can't hide my ears.
Pepe	Then get lower!
[Grass rustling]
Zubayr	Uh...
<Background fades out and in>
Curious Girl	Father, that girl is rummaging in the grass.
Elegant Man	Shh, it's not polite to point. She must be drunk.
Pepe	No! I can still see them!
[Grass rustling]
Curious Girl	She's about to fall into the grass. Should we help?
Elegant Man	Shh, pretend not to see her. A little fall never hurt anyone. It's being seen falling that's really embarrassing. This is where the events leading up to the Flood Festival are held, and all the competitors are here today to sign up. It would be very awkward to run into her during the competition.
[The two leave.]
<Background fades out and in>
Pepe	It's a Menat-Ha'mait tradition to sink various items into the river as a sacrifice to the river god ahead of the Flood Festival, praying for good luck. Guess where we can find the rarest gems in the city.
Zubayr	In the river.
Pepe	Wait here while I go get one of the bush trimming carts. You can sit in the bin for collecting fallen leaves. That way, we can get you to the river without anyone finding out!
Zubayr	Are you sure this is a good idea?
Pepe	Come on, stop tugging at my shirt and act your age! Stay hidden and stay put! I'll be back soon!
[Pepe runs off.]
Zubayr	...
[Grass rustling]
Mio	Meow... meooow...
Zubayr	A... creature?
Mio	(Lifts tail elegantly)
Zubayr	Ah, many statues here were carved in your likeness.
Mio	(Wags tail proudly)
Zubayr	Beautiful. No wonder the people here love you so much.
Mio	(Holds up backside with dignity)
Zubayr	Do you want me to pet you? But you're too far, and Pepe told me not to move from here.
Mio	(Makes a deliberate display)
Zubayr	Can you come closer?
Mio	(Shakes tail irritably)
Zubayr	Please don't be angry. Perhaps I can move forward a little.
Mio	Meow...
[A cart rushes over.]
Mio	Meow!
Zubayr	Wait!
[The cat flees.]
Pepe	Hey, Zubayr, stop gawking at cloudbeasts. Look what I've found!
Zubayr	...
Pepe	...Why do you look so dour?
Zubayr	I am not dour.
Pepe	Then get in here. I've measured it, it should fit you with room to spare.
Zubayr	It's a little dirty...
Pepe	Dirty? Just some fallen leaves and a piece of scrap paper. You were dug out of a hole filled with sand and dirt!
Zubayr	...I respectfully decline.
Pepe	Alright, alright, I'll clean it. Fallen leaves... scrap paper... it's a leaflet. It's not even that dirty.
Pepe spreads open the rolled-up ball of paper. She freezes on the spot.
Zubayr	Harvest Gathering? What is that?
Pepe	Part of the local festivities... competitors display their most valued possessions, and the winners get prizes from the sponsors.
Zubayr	Many of the prizes are familiar. The second-place prize, in particular, brings back memories.
Pepe	Of course it does, Zubayr.
Zubayr	Do I still have to go into the bin?
Pepe	Of course. I cleaned it for you.
Narantuya	Mmh... (Mumbles in sleep) This way... the mummy won't... ...Whoa!
[Narantuya falls off the couch.]
<Background 9>
Aspasia	Is she finally awake?
Narantuya	—Damn. I'm glad that was just a dream. I don't want to be haunted by the dead this young.
Aspasia	Please don't throw the vessel. Even if it is your own, you may not harm others while using it.
Narantuya	Sorry. I thought it was my knife I was throwing.
Aspasia	Apology accepted. Good morning.
Narantuya	... Wait, morning?
In the silence, Narantuya sizes up the stranger before her, who gives off the aura of a seasoned warrior. She slowly moves her hand to her belt, while carefully taking in her surroundings. Her coin purse is still tied to her belt, but her weapons are gone. Her knives are lying on the tea table, on the other side of this unfamiliar room. The room itself seems unremarkable, but this is a city where even the manhole covers are laid with gems. Narantuya knows that even the most unremarkable thing here can command a remarkable price.
Narantuya	Oh... it was you who saved my life? Thank you so much, kind soul! Once I get out of here, I'll have all my subordinates remember your name! So... How much do you want?
Aspasia	I'm sorry? If you mean the bread and fruit that I brought back from my morning jog, these were gift from others that should not be valued in terms of money.
Narantuya	I wasn't asking about that, or why I don't get good stuff like that when I walk the streets. —Wait, you mean it's free? Good. The sun is my witness, no taking back your word. I appreciate the kindness.
Aspasia	How are you feeling? Based on my medical knowledge, I do not believe you're injured, but you had been unconscious for a long time...
Narantuya	Oh, I'd forgotten to sleep for a while. Guess I was making up for it. No worries. Consider it a... bad hereditary habit.
Aspasia	Hereditary? As long as it's nothing serious. Feeling unwell anywhere?
Narantuya	...
She reaches for her neck instinctively. The needle wound has healed, but the memories from before the long nightmare begin to float to the surface. The pass that never arrived, the failed kidnapping, the terrifying mummy, the feeling of freefall, the faint sound of wind.
Narantuya	That was the tenth floor... I didn't think I would ever wake up from that. Wow, is that what dying feels like? It's terrible! Thank you for saving my life. They say that one can never truly die, if her name continues to be spoken after her death. But if eternal life means an eternal nightmare of being chased by mummies to the ends of the sands... then I must reconsider whether it's worth it to have my name known all across Sargon.
Aspasia	You jumped from the window because you wanted to have your name known all across Sargon?
Narantuya	Hm? I suppose.
Aspasia	I fail to understand the Sargonian obsession with such tradition... I sympathize. Had things not been going well for you in life?
Narantuya	Racked up a debt. It's been a pretty big headache. Say, I want to ask you... You saved my life, and I ought to repay you. Do you want to work for me? I'm planning something of a great endeavor.
Aspasia	What?
Narantuya	I remember now. I made a wish when I fell from the building. I guess you're that "competent subordinate" granted by fate.
Aspasia	... Very well. I'm happy to be of help, if it alleviates your stress and gives you the will to live.
<Background 3>
[Excited footsteps]
Pepe	Anat! Anat! Look what I found!
Anat	I don't know what you found, but I found that you've been sneaking away with the museum's collection again. And putting him in a dirty... leaf bin.
Pepe	Sorry, I just couldn't bear to watch him waste away in the museum, so I took him out to get some fresh air.
Anat	Is that so?
Zubayr	Er... yes, Anat Hanim, I was interested in seeing the outside.
Pepe	See? Let's drop this and talk about the good stuff I found.
Anat	Hm... a creased leaflet?
Pepe	Look what it says!
Anat	The typical pre-festival events. Wait, is that...?
Pepe	The third gem that Zubayr and I have been looking for!
Anat	Didn't you say you took Zubayr out because he was wasting away in the museum?
Pepe	Kill two fowlbeasts with one stone, as they say.
Anat	Did you think about how to get the gem? Second-place is not exactly easy to get. The Harvest Gathering attracts the rich and noble, eager to show off their treasures. I know of at least two padishahs who are visiting anonymously.
Zubayr	I can help you appraise ancient artifacts, or volunteer myself as the entry...
Pepe	No worries, that's the easy part. The hard part is finishing second. The entry has to be extraordinary, but not unique. It must represent an era, but not symbolize it.
Anat	You need finish exactly second to get the 'large gem with unique characteristics and Shah-era markings'.
Pepe	How to finish second...? That is the question.
Anat	...
Pepe	Heheh.
Anat	Do you have an idea?
Pepe does not answer. She looks up at the skylight, squinting. It is past noon, and sunlight spills through the round skylight, casting an oval of light on the ground. Standing in the middle of the oval, Pepe grins from ear to ear, pointing at the sun outside.
Pepe	Heknu, Horakhet.
Anat	Entering with a Horakhet statue? Not a bad choice.
Pepe	No, I'm just expressing my gratitude for His inspiration. I'm not entering an item associated with Him. Look at the circle He's casting on the ground. Doesn't it look like...?
Zubayr	I see. You plan to enter with a talisman engraved with a royal name. The cartouche is the symbol of good fortune and warding against evil. Perhaps that will catch the attention of the judges...
Pepe	What are you people talking about? Isn't this oval of light just like a golden slipper?
Zubayr	Slipper?
Pepe	Yes. I'm winning that gem with a golden slipper that's been passed down through my family for generations!
<Background 10>
[Crowd chatters]
[Footsteps]
Zubayr	I don't want to keep crouching behind this wall. Can I go in with you?
Pepe	Stop complaining. I got you your ice cream. Can you actually taste it though?
Zubayr	No... I'm just curious what all those people were queuing for.
Pepe	Is your curiosity satisfied? Eat up, or your head is going to melt in the sun.
Zubayr	Ice treat created in my image... I'm surprised how popular I am here. Hm...
Pepe	You may not be able to taste it, but you can feel the coolness, right?
Zubayr	Not so much a sensation as an impulse... An impulse to jump into the river, allow the water to flow over me, and have a good swim.
Pepe	That's just how we normally spend the summer, isn't it? Oh right... gold sinks in water.
Zubayr	That's why I described it as an impulse.
Pepe	Alright, alright, be patient, and I'll take you to the largest artificial lake in town once the sun goes down and the competition has ended. I'll be going. See you later.
[Pepe walks off.]
Zubayr	... (Pulls up cape)
<Background fades out and in>
Choir	♪The papyrus reeds sway by the river, its waters of purest lazurite♪ ♪It wends its way by the golden dunes, fed by our gifts of gems♪
Plainly-Dressed Woman	I knew you were here when I smelled synthesized courmarin. My watch tells me the competition doesn't start for another thirty minutes. I thought it was unfashionable in the new city to arrive on time.
Bejeweled Man	Twenty-seven minutes and fifty seconds, to be precise. My watch is more accurate. After all, its mechanism is based on the machine that the Shah of Past and Future invented after he discovered the artifact that gave mastery over time. Your idea of time is as vague as that sundial in the museum. You do not understand that the every grain of sand passing through the hourglass is a gold coin, when one arrives too early and has to wait.
Plainly-Dressed Woman	True, I believe this antique was last calibrated when the sundial was dug up. I wonder where your ancestors were, at the time.
<Background fades out and in>
Aspasia	Perhaps I should inform them that it's actually 11:25, and both of them should adjust their watches. This sports watch is waterproof and dustproof, and has a compass on it. I wear it on my monthly climb of the Heria Mountains, and I can recommend it to them based on firsthand experience.
Narantuya	Don't bother them. You got some free time, go try some other drinks. I like this iced guava juice more than the herbal tea.
Aspasia	I'll get a few more cups if you want.
Narantuya	I'm fine, I'm no padishah, I know how to use my hands.
Aspasia	So... you're not contemplating suicide?
Narantuya	No. Why would I, when you can get all sorts of free drinks just walking through a city garden like this—
[Burdenbeast galloping]
Proud Woman	If I may say so, my hundred-thousand dinar burdenbeast pulls the carriage faster. It could knock a grown man down with its wake.
Composed Man	If I may say so, stability is the most important thing, and that's what the burdenbeasts of my ranch offer.
[Burdenbeast galloping]
Narantuya	Oh!—Pizda! My cup!
Composed Man	Unlike you, I don't have to pull down the curtains to stop sand sent flying by a carriage, or juice spilled by passersby.
Narantuya	What are these people doing here? This place is for drinks!
Aspasia	Don't worry, I caught it. Not a single drop of guava juice was spilled. Let's find a place to sit by the roadside.
Narantuya	... (Mutters) She's the competent subordinate I've been wishing for alright... but am I even the boss, at this rate? (Mutters) I should introduce her to Ajazi and Ajani.
Aspasia	Did you say something?
Narantuya	No, I was just thinking I would take a trip to the museum after I've tried all the drinks here.
Aspasia	You're going there too?
Narantuya	Yeah, but I'm not as interested as you in the artifacts. I just lost something and I need to start searching from the last place I saw it. Not a single beep from my communicator after all this time? Not one call?
Aspasia	Unfortunately, the museum has remained closed ever since the incident, and I doubt the management would promptly contact the owners of lost items as promised. Whenever I close my eyes, I think back to the day when I glimpsed a fragment of the lost glory of ancient Minos, and the disarray within that grand museum. Setting everything aside, it is unbelievable that the staff could not recall the locations of the exhibit halls and the routes to them. Leading dozens of panicking tourists to the Northeast... to the Minoan exhibit, where there were no exits. I must strongly express my dissatisfaction when I have a chance to meet with museum management.
Narantuya	Ha... I changed my mind. Let's not go to the museum today.
Gathering Staff	Excuse me. I see you're enjoying the drinks we have on offer today. The two of you have lingered here for a while. Perhaps you are interested in participating in the Harvest Gathering? You appear to be tourists. This pamphlet will give you details about this key event leading up to the Flood Festival.
Narantuya	Not interested. Let's go, Aspasia... Aspasia?
Aspasia	... Fate has smiled on me at last. Narantuya, you say you have visited the museum. Perhaps you know what this is.
Narantuya	No idea... isn't it just a simple old cup?
Aspasia	This is my family goblet! The other goblet, to be precise.