****Author's Note***
Aji, the MajorDomo of Briar Rose. (Pronounced AH-Jee)
********************
Aji waved when he walked through the front gate. She stood knee-deep in the courtyard fountain, wearing a white sleeveless shirt and brown pants with the cuffs rolled up to her knees. In one hand, she carried a long pole with a scoop net attached. "Hi, QJ!"
QJ took note of the opened crate next to the fountain. "Putting gators in the fountain? I approve."
"Gators?" Aji shook her head. "Not sure what those are. These are fish."
QJ rubbed his hands together, peering into the clear depths. "Piranhas? Even better."
Aji laughed. "Regular fish; I went to the Maelstrom market today and handpicked them."
QJ smacked his lips together. "I love me some fish and chips." He pointed to one of the larger ones near the edge. "Cook that one; I'll be back later."
"You know they aren't for eating." Aji laughed at the expression he made.
QJ sighed heavily. "You went to the fish market and picked up fish... And we aren't going to eat them?"
Aji shook her head. "No."
"I see... We're raising them? Like a fish farm? We'll eat the offspring?"
Aji laughed loudly; her decorum prevented her from splashing QJ, but it was tempting. "We're just going to look at them."
"Well..." QJ paused for a handful of seconds, watching the fish dart through the water. "Okay, that was fun. Carry on, Aji."
QJ stepped through the front door, stopping suddenly to avoid a collision. "Chancellor Ivy..."
"Just Ivy," the blond stood before three massive trunks. "Could you give me a hand?"
QJ nodded. She'd stayed at Briar Rose since QJ rescued her from the chopping block. "Sure," he moved around to one side and grabbed a handle. "Moving in then?"
Ivy nodded. She wore a gold suit embroidered with the emblem of the royal family. "It's nice here, and you did invite me."
QJ waited for her to grab the other side, but she didn't. " Have you ever said anything just to be polite, not thinking the person would take you seriously?"
Ivy watched him drag the trunk into the bedroom. She understood that he was teasing her. "So, you weren't being sincere?"
QJ left the trunk next to the bed. "No, of course not. I promised this room to my mistress."
Ivy snorted. "Probably should push a few more beds in there then."
QJ bit his lip to keep from laughing. "One more word, and you're homeless."
"You saved my life; now you have to take responsibility."
QJ spent a few moments moving the rest of Ivy's things into the guest room. "When you asked for a hand, what you actually meant was, could I do everything?"
Ivy nodded. "Naturally." She dusted her hands off. "I'll take it from here."
"Take what? I did everything."
Ivy stopped him with a hand on his arm when he started for the doorway. "This is for you."
QJ accepted a rolled-up parchment [Property Deed]. He broke the seal and opened it.
[System Message] You have been registered as the new owner of Lake Ghalt, including the surrounding acreage. A map of the property will be sent to the housing office.
[System Message] The Maelstrom surveyor's office will visit Lake Ghalt and mark your property lines in the next few days.
[OP: QJ] Heya, guys!
[OP: Sato] Hey, QJ.
[OP: Lotte] Hi QJ.
[OP: Ringo] Crafting tonight or questing?
[OP: Breeze] Lotte and I are doing a quest.
[OP: Sato] Class quest.
[OP: QJ] Have to do some shopping in Maelstrom, then run some errands.
[OP: Ringo] I'll come with you. I need to pick up a few things.
[OP: QJ] Maelstrom General Store in half an hour.
QJ stowed the deed in his inventory. "I meant for OP to purchase this."
"Her Majesty is aware. I believe her exact words were, whatever QJ wants, he can have."
One of the benefits of having a larger estate like Briar Rose was that it came with its own portal. QJ stepped onto the Maelstrom main platform a few minutes later. He immediately spied Ringo window shopping in front of a hat shop.
QJ slipped on his [Dark Stranger] hat.
[System Message] Your features have become obscured, and your character details are set to anonymous.
Just as he was going to mess with Ringo, his hud buzzed. A moment later, Ced's face popped up in front of him.
****Author's Note*********
Cedric was the con-man QJ set free, along with Ugly Kate, Fat Alice, and Dave the Baker.
***********
"Hey Ced. What can I do for you?"
"Your guy at the prison is having some issues with his landlord."
"My guy at the prison? You mean Tuck?"
Ced nodded. "Rumor says he had to take out a large loan from his landlord, and now it's due."
QJ frowned at the news. Tucker wasn't his guy, but putting a prison guard on the payroll might be smart. "How much are we talking about? And what was the loan for?"
"Five thousand credits," Ced replied. "I don't know the details yet, but something stinks."
"Pay the loan, then I want a full report on everything that happened." QJ closed the hud and approached the hat shop.
"Good Afternoon, Miss. Shopping for a new hat?"
Ringo's expression was noncommittal. "Yes. That's why I'm standing in front of a hat store."
"I have an extensive hat collection at my place," QJ stated.
"I see, and your place is nearby?" Ringo asked.
"Very..." QJ replied. "We could go there."
Ringo laughed suddenly. "I was there when you bid on that [Dark Stranger] hat.
QJ returned her smile. "Thought I had you for a second."
Ringo wrinkled her nose at him. "Your acting is horrible."
"That's crazy talk; my acting is phenomenal." QJ fell in step beside her, their spurred boots jingled rhythmically on the boardwalk as they walked.
"QJ!" A voice shouted from across the street; the pair turned in time to watch a young woman run toward them, dodging a fast-moving wagon like it was second nature.
Ringo studied the girl, a level-five slinger with a name that made her chuckle. "Do we know a Mai Tai?"
"Maybe," QJ's tone was noncommital; he loved Mai Tai, a drink Nanna regularly made.
Mai Tai has joined One Problem.
Ringo glanced at QJ, unsure why he suddenly guilded someone she'd never heard of.
[OP: QJ] Welcome to OP, Mai Tai.
[OP: Breeze] TAI!
[OP: Lotte] Still need to return my t-shirt, Tai.
Mai Tai skidded to a stop before reaching the boardwalk. "Excellent! Thank you, QJ."
"You're welcome. Tai, this is Ringo, the Guild Leader of OP." QJ paused momentarily, giving the newest member of OP time to say something.
"Nice to meet you, Ringo. Just call me Tai." She smiled suddenly, and for a brief instant, the moody teen showed a glimmer of her mother's infamous charm.
Ringo nodded politely. "You as well, Tai."
"Tai is the daughter of Sinful Jinn, a TAP Illusionist and close friend of our family."
Ringo's smile widened considerably. "I know who Jinn is. We have a friends and family plan in OP, Tai. It gets you a ten-day trial period. That doesn't mean you get to do whatever you like.
Tai nodded. "Best behavior, boss!
QJ considered the issue for a moment before making a snap decision. "Take the OP Keep gate to Basara and report to Dessi. You'll be assigned to the Branch Guild as a regular member."
Tai nodded. "OP Branch Guild got it." She ran off without saying another word, leaving the two OP leaders in deep thought.
"Did you just pawn off a problem child on Dessi?"
QJ nodded shamelessly. "Despite having cool parents and a sweet sister, Tai lives under a dark cloud. She smiled at you; that's her stamp of approval."
"A dubious honor, no doubt," Ringo replied. "Any gaming talent?"
"Unsure," QJ admitted.
The pair stopped in front of a large building with glass windows displaying various shelved goods. A freshly painted wood sign hung over the entrance, Maelstrom's General Store.
A pleasant-sounding bell rang when QJ opened the door, ushering Ringo in before him.
A young man with dusky features and wavy black hair smiled at Ringo. After wiping his hands on the apron he was wearing, he approached. "Welcome, customers."
[OP: QJ] He said customers but hasn't even looked at me.
Ringo snorted but didn't comment. "Point me to the camping gear. My husband and I love the embrace of nature."
The young shopkeeper visibly deflated before pointing to the back of the store. "Most of our camping gear is on the back wall."
[OP: Ringo] Looking for anything in particular?
[OP: QJ] Ever see those guys on the city bridges? The ones dragging the canal bottom for junk?
[OP: Ringo] The magnet fisher guys?
[OP: QJ] Yeah. We need magnets; the bigger, the better.
QJ walked down the central aisle, scanning for the equipment he needed.
"Over there, on the endcap." Ringo pointed at the object in question. "They don't sell these in the Exodus market?"
"Nope," QJ replied.
The magnets were sold separately, but the rest of the gear needed for dragging the canal bottoms was on an adjacent shelf. This suited QJ's purpose since he had no intention of going anywhere near the water.
"That big enough?" Ringo watched QJ as he examined the plate-sized magnet. "Looking to catch something big?"
QJ shrugged slightly. "Would you consider a train big?"
Ringo favored him with a deadpan expression. "Suppose so."
"Then yes." QJ led her back to the front of the store, where he placed the magnet on the countertop. "How many of these do you have in stock?"
The shopkeeper must have put on his nametag after the OP duo entered; the name HAL was spelled out in big, bright letters, all caps. "If I may, sir, that one might be a bit bigger than you need."
"Oh?" QJ smiled pleasantly. "How much weight will it hold."
"Easily six hundred pounds on something heavily corroded or caked with mud," Hal replied.
"What if was something fairly flat and clean?" QJ asked.
"At least eight hundred pounds."
QJ pursed his lips while doing the math in his head. "At 100KPH, our landing weight will be more than that. Still, if we keep the trajectory angle down and minimize our time outside the slipstream... Might be okay."
Ringo ignored QJ's muttering. "How many do you have in stock? We'll need thirty."
"Thirty?" Hal scratched his head before activating the counter hud. After scanning a few pages of inventory, he nodded to himself. "It will take me three days to get that many."
"Should we get them, dear?" Ringo smiled sweetly. "How much are we willing to pay?"
"They are 500 credits per magnet, but if you buy thirty, I can cut that to 450 credits." Hal's big smile faltered when QJ opened the door with the magnet in hand. "Sir? You haven't paid for that."
QJ paused in the doorway, staring at the large metal sign across the street. Two rusty chains hung it, but more importantly, it faced an alleyway where another group of buildings was located. "Field test! You can keep my wife as collateral."
QJ stashed the magnet in his inventory before crossing the street at a trot. It took him a minute to scale the two-story structure.
[OP: Ringo] This looks fun. Going to stream it.
QJ estimated the distance to be slightly less than the Venture quest would require. Additionally, the object was verticle and below him rather than horizontal and level. "Just a field test. It doesn't have to simulate everything exactly."
The back of the magnet had a large handle where a rope could be fed through. QJ backed up what he estimated would be the width of the train and gripped the handle with both hands.
He sprinted for the roof's edge and leaped into the air without further thought. QJ extended the magnet an instant before contact and was rewarded with a solid strike before his momentum collapsed his arms, driving him forcefully into the sign. The sign swayed a meter before slamming into the wall from which it hung with a bone-jarring impact that loosened QJ's grip.
Instead of falling off, QJ clung stubbornly to the magnet while the sign reversed course, swaying in the opposite direction. Like an out-of-control pendulum, it swung high toward the alleyway before returning to the wall. This time, the protest of rusted metal and wood cracking preceded the impact. The chains, sign and QJ dropped to the street with a loud bang.
OP's Vice Leader was driven face-first into the dirt while the sign landed upright, its edge digging into the ground. A moment later, it tipped over, further flattening QJ.
[OP: Ringo] HAHAHAHAHA... OH GOD! HAHAHAHA
QJ groaned in pain, shoving the sign to one side. In the sudden silence of the marketplace, he could hear Ringo's loud laughter.
[OP: Ringo] Are y..... HAHAHAHAA
QJ spit out some dirt, slowly climbing to his feet with a large portion of his health missing.
Ringo leaned against the doorway, unable to stand without support. "That's the funniest thing I... HAHAHA."
QJ cleared his throat and dusted himself off while crossing the street. He pointedly ignored the spasming slinger and placed the magnet on the table. "We'll take 30 of them."