After breakfast Laura asked Violetta to clean up. She wanted a word with Amistad. Amistad was nervous to leave his daughter's side even for a moment. He had Araminty and one of his twin robots join Violetta in the kitchen.
The other twin robot followed after him and his wife. "Does it have to follow us?" Laura asked him.
"It's just a precaution," he explained. "We don't know if that disgusting curator will follow us here and cause trouble."
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Laura said. "Do you think we should hire some bodyguards?"
"It's not a bad idea," Amistad agreed. "We shouldn't worry Violetta though. It's her last major year of school before she becomes an apprentice. It would probably add too much stress if she knew the full value of the Eitri writing. I know she had a decent idea but-"
"I know," Laura interrupted. "It's something she'll learn about once she is in the work field. I'm going to see who I can contact regarding a bodyguard service. I'll be in my room a while. Ok?"
"Ok," Amistad agreed, and sent the robot with his wife.
"Oh and Amistad," Laura called before she went upstairs. She waited for Amistad to look at her before smiling at him and saying, "You should put your trick book away." Amistad smiled at her and nodded. "I was thinking of giving it to Violetta, I think She'll like it."
He once showed Laura the book when he was younger. She couldn't open it. And when he opened the book for her it was full of funny pictures. He was going to tell her the truth, but without proof of what was really in the book, would she have believed him? He decided it was best to let her think it was a trick book. He still kept it locked up most of the time. There was always a slight chance that there was someone who would be able to see what was written inside. That wasn't something he could risk.
Then his daughter was born. She had the sight. She could see his hand was special, but the book could see his daughter was special. He went back to find Violetta finished with the clean up.
Violetta looked at her father holding his book full of mysteries. She couldn't read it, but apparently he could. She really didn't understand what he wanted from her right now. Why did he keep looking at her so strangely? Why did he now just openly carry the book he had hidden her whole life? She just didn't understand. What she really needed now was something she could understand.
"I'm going to the workshop." Violetta walked past her father who looked like he was about to say something.
In the garage lay an almost perfectly completed rocket. There were just a few wires left to connect, and a couple of tests to be run, and then it would be completed. Well, It was just a few wires to Violetta. To anyone else it would have been a whole days worth of work to try and connect each wire to the proper base. Violetta had it memorized though. She knew exactly where to connect everything making it a much shorter time that she would need to work on it. She might be done in just a couple of hours. After that she could work on the tests. That would take her the rest of the day. Who said Heath wouldn't be able to go to space if he didn't have a blood test. Ha! She would make sure his dream came true!
Violetta had partially gone into the workshop to avoid whatever her father wanted to talk to her about. But it was useless to try and avoid the man today. He was her shadow. Why was he following her?
Violetta was about to ask when a very excited head popped into the workshop. "I'm going to go shopping, do you guys need anything?
"No," Violetta said, "I'm good."
"Ok," Laura said as she turned to walk away.
"Wait," Amistad called out to her. "Take the robot with you to help you carry things. And see if you can get me some rice milk."
"Oooh," Violetta loved rice milk. "Me too please mom!"
Laura laughed as she left the workshop, "Ok, ok. You guys have fun in there. I'll be back."
…
…
A robot unit of 5 dressed in costume came into an old familiar building. They had brought what was asked for. A circular tattoo, and a circular book. Over the years they had come here less and less. It was difficult to find information. They also didn't like binging other people here. This old man though. He wanted to die. Was this still ok? The books on Ethics that their father Freddie had given them said it was a bad idea to do this.
...But the old man had begged them.
As they processed the paperwork about the old man, they saw a familiar cloaked figure walk in. This was the big boss wasn't it?
Tarragon had kept an eye on their progress. He saw that they did bring in what he asked for, but most of the people they had brought over the years had been bums and vagabonds.
None of them had been worth the time and effort put into the search.
Tarragon approached the Robot Unit Leader and held his hand out for the book. The robot obediently handed it to him. This was not the book either.
Then Tarragon grabbed the Old man's left hand. Perhaps she should have specified the age and gender to these mechanical imbeciles. This man was way too old to be his baby brother.
The elderly man did indeed have a circular tattoo on his left hand. It read [To Love is life. Life is to Love.]
"This isn't the right one either," Tarragon said nonchalantly as he cut off the elderly man's head with his sword. He looked at the Robot unit and questioned, "Why are you dressed so strangely?"
"We figured out humans trust us more when we are dressed like this. They don't see us as a threat and are more forthcoming with information," the robot leader replied. Tarragon had them programmed to be investigative, and adaptive. It made sense that this unit would dress up to perform psychological warfare.
This Unit had lasted the longest, but they were still so useless. Perhaps it was time to dispose of them. He could have new models made.
Tarragon was about to order the destruction of the unit, when suddenly a call came through. This line was only to be used for one thing. The Eitri writing had appeared somewhere.
He forgot to order the destruction of the robot unit as he answered the call. He did not outwardly show any excitement, but in his heart he was anticipating the location of the book.
"Your majesty! Glory and Ista[1] to you!" Glory and knowledge. If they found the book with Eitri writing, he would have both.
"Report," Tarragon demanded in a bored tone.
"Reporting," came the excited voice. "Eitri writing has been found in the home of a noble household. They are historians, so this alone would not have warranted any action. However this family already has a flag in the system. The Noblis Family ward, Heath Moyer, has disappeared after refusing to take the mandatory blood test for his assessment. When his communicator signal was followed, it disappeared at an old orphanage. We found it ruined by acid. The Janitor's door lock was forced so we think he broke in to get rid of the evidence on the communicator. We do not know the current location of the boy. And now a complete piece of Eitri writing has been reported to be in the Noblis household's possession. May we have your orders sir?"
[1]= Ista is elvish for knowledge.