IWUAaDNW: Exploit 4.10

Korra Tongueburn. That was a Khannite name if I’d ever heard one. The girl had had blue hair and fair skin, so odds were pretty good that she wasn’t Tongueburn.

Shit.

I spared a moment to hope Tallcliff hadn’t stuck around, because if this girl sounded the alarm, then he was going to get spotted. I couldn’t let her sound the alarm. I told my pixie to shoot a stun bolt at her. That would give us some time to react. But, just in case, I told it to also drop the message. One more scroll hidden in a bookshelf in a vault full of books and scrolls wasn’t going to be noticed quickly.

My pixie obeyed nervously, gaining in determination as it untied the rope that held the message in place, then flew out with purpose. It traced its steps (wingbeats?) back to the ventilation shaft, then turned toward the bluette and prepared to fire––

Large green eyes and a voluminous mane of sky-blue hair. A pair of square-rimmed glasses that were a few sizes too large for her face. A fancy frilly dress, a very small figure, very young looks, sitting with her back against a bookshelf. Her hand against her head.

She was just a kid. She had to be less than ten years old, staring at my pixie with awe and wonder.

I had a flash of a memory.

“I’m sorry.”

“Did you––Nevermind. Sorry for asking,”

“STOP!” I told it.

And, to my surprise, it did, immediately dropping its stun bolt. Its light flared, instead. The girl covered her eyes a bit, then blinked and smiled.