((open to all, but needs jakes attention))

It was raining. Heavily. The rather stoic figure burst through the doors of the Book and Bell, dripping water and mud from his thick riding leathers. He was breathing rather heavily and seemed to be frantically searching. Stomping over to the bar he pushed back the wet leather hood of his jacket and glared at the bartender. He had thick black hair shot with grey and rich green eyes.

"Barkeep!" He barked, not nastily, but more exasperated and in a hurry. A quick shudder and any one sensitive enough in the bar would have immediately recognised this man as a galdor.

"I am looking for a boy, or a young man. He has been missing for a long time and I have word you may know him. Lanky boy, no speech, one arm missing?"

Stu's face was impassive. "Lots of people by that description around these parts, sir. Limb loss is a common problem among the youth. Perhaps you should put up some fliers."

Galdori scared the living daylights out of him, but it never did any good to panic. He sincerely hoped that Jake was not going to show up at that very moment.

Jake yawned as he walked up the stairs from the basement. He had spent his break napping, having not gotten any sleep the night before. There were things to study and problems to work out... he didn't see himself getting more than 5 hours of sleep a night in the coming weeks.

He sensed the field before he saw where it was coming from. Jake grew nervous. The field was too strong for a normal wick, which meant it was either a wick with a strong galdori background, or an actual galdori. And Jake did not like the idea of the latter.

He glanced into the tavern, finally noticing where the field was coming from.

...oh, clock my life, he thought to himself as he attempted to retreat back to the stairwell leading to the basement.

The study galdor frowned and slumped into one of the bar stools. He sighed and wiped the rain from his face wearily.

"This one is pretty unique. He can't talk. Mute as a stick. Good fellow though, hard worker. Or he was when I knew him." Leaning against the bar he looked at Stu silently for a long while.

"I won't hurt you barkeep, but I have ways of finding out if he is here or not. I am a very desperate, very tired man." He said in a low, flat voice.

"What do you need him for?" said Stu, casually. Years of serving drinks to shifty characters had given him excellent peripheral vision, and he saw Jake before he slipped away again.

To most, the threat of a galdori punishment over the well-being of a near-complete stranger would be an easy decision. It was certainly easy for Stu.

He glanced up in the rafters, under the pretense of watching a nearby patron walk upstairs to the loft. Spying a glint in the darkness, he lowered his eyes back to the galdor.

Jake stood near the top of the flight of stairs that led to the basement, trying to calm his nerves. He was getting too worked up over this. It's just some random galdori who happened to walk into the B&B. He wasn't even sure if this person knew him.

He finally regained a steady breathing pattern. Shaking his head, he tried to convince himself that not all galdori were out on some sort of search party to find a single passive escapee. Despite his best efforts to convince himself, however, he still believed that it was probably a better idea for him to hide for now.

The galdor sighed.

"Its for a good friend. He was working with the boy and apparently they developed a friendship. But when he took the boy into Hox to help with his studies, he got lost. All the Professor knows is he heard a loud snarl, a scuffle then the strong backlash of a Push spell. And the boy was gone." Looking around with his green eyes, the man shook his head.

"Most would settle with that and find a new assistant, but the Professor cared for this boy, you understand? And he is too frail now to search for him. So he sent me. I care very deeply for my friend, and anyone who is important to him, is important to me." He scratched the stubbly growth on his face.

"Now, please, barkeep. Do you know where Jake Devaney is? He is a passive boy, mute, missing an arm from what the Professor has learned since his search. He is trying to find and help the boy. Wracked with guilt and fretting daily, I don't know how much longer the old man will last." Pausing, he put his hand in his coat pocket and pulled out a quill and paper.

"If you won't tell me where he is, at least be a friend to the boy at let him know I was here. I will write down my name and the place he can reach me. It's in the stacks. If he wants an escort, I will be fine with that. But don't, please don't disregard this." Sliding the note across the wood, the hardened looking man stood and pulled up his hood. Without a word, he turned on his heel and left the bar.

Jake suddenly perked up. Did he just hear his name?

Against his better judgment and all the little nagging voices in his head that told him he was probably hearing things, he cautiously made his way back to the top of the stairs. Jake poked his head out to take a quick look around the bar in case he really had heard his name.

"All right, sir," called Stu after the galdor, waving jovially. "I'll be sure to ask around, never fear!"

He wondered for a moment how the galdor had been lead to his bar. He did hate calling them all "sir"...though he was lucky the golly hadn't pressed the matter. Stu would never have given him up, of course, but he wasn't overly fond of the idea of dying.

Once he had gone, Stu walked calmly to the door of the basement, where Jake was peering around.

"Hello, Jake," he said, sarcastically. "Get your quill, son, you've got a little explaining to do."

Jake gulped as the color seemed to drain from his face. He retrieved his paper and pen and, after a considerable amount of time due to the fact that he was writing up against a wall and had to move the paper up slightly after each line, he produced a message that, as per usual, was confined to the left side of the paper.

How much do you know?

Stu took Jake's forearm and led him downstairs to the basement, where he sat him down (not roughly) on a stool and faced him.

"You weren't truthful with us," he began, sternly. "Ginny's got a soft heart, an' I ain't any good at sayin' no to her, but when we take someone into our home we expect 'em to be up-front about who they are. Your name, for one. Now I don't care a fig who you are, you've done a good job till now...but if you've got gollies after you, I need to know why."

Jake sighed. There wasn't an easy way out of this at all. The only thing left to do was to tell Stu everything. He grabbed his pen and paper and set to writing.

Well, to begin, my name
isn't Riot. It's Jake Devaney.
I'm a passive from the city of
Muffey and I lost my voice
when the shame of failing
my test was too much to
bear. In Brunhold, I found
myself working for the
technology professor. I
learned quite a bit from him.

Jake turned to a new page.

One day, he decided to
take me on a trip to Hox. It
was the first time in years
that I was out of the Stacks
and I was enjoying every
second of it. Knowing I
would need to go back
at some point, I decided
to escape into a nearby
forest. When I reached

At this point, Jake's arm was getting tired. However, he flipped to a new page and continued.

the base of a mountain,
I climbed up high enough so
that I could see far enough
to scout the area. It was
here that I was attacked
by a wild chrove. The
pain caused me to let
loose a powerful Push
spell, throwing the chrove
quite a distance, as well

Jake picked his pen up off the page and rotated his arm to try to work out what felt like an impending cramp, then continued.

as my left arm, which
was unfortunate enough
to be in the chrove's
jaws at the time. I made
my way to the nearest
village where I was lucky
enough to find a wick
healer to fix up the area
where my arm had been.

Jake's arm was practically a dead weight at this point. He put the pen down, organized the pages, and held them out to Stu.

Stu sat patiently while Jake was writing, curious but trying not to peek over the edge of his paper. When the boy was done, he read the words quite slowly; it was clear that Ginny was the better reader of the two. He had a bit of trouble with "technology" and "unfortunate," but was able to get the general gist of the story.

"That's...quite a yarn, Riot," said Stu seriously. He did not continue using Jake's real name; he understood the importance of assumed names more than most. "I believe you, because it'd be a daft lie to tell. A passive, eh? Doesn't explain why that fellow'd still be chasing you, of course...from what I can gather, gollies ain't usually so protective of their slaves..."

He rubbed his chin, thinking hard.

"You need a place to hide out for a while? We can't keep you out in the open if we've got gollies stalking around. I know some people who can hide you until this all blows over."

Jake sat and thought. Even he seemed to be confused at what he should do, which he found odd. See the professor and risk being put back in captivity, or stay in hiding?

Many thoughts suddenly struck him, all at once. Why would the professor have sent someone else to look for him? Could something be wrong? Jake cursed silently. He had become friends with the professor, he could only imagine all the stress he must have put him through. Maybe he ought to stop by for a little bit...

No way, he thought to himself. Passives have no rights whatsoever. Who's to say they won't throw me back in the Stacks even if I have their word I'll be let free again?

Another voice presented itself to counter the first. The professor is your friend, Jake. If you returned for a bit he's sure to let you go free if you explain how captivated you are by the world outside Brunhold.

Don't be silly, a third voice said. You're practically a nervous wreck 24/7.

Yet another voice chimed in. Jake wondered if this meant he was going insane. But if you're allowed to leave, they can't touch you! You'd have been legally set free!

Then came the most sensible voice of all.

Um, hello? Galdori school? Technology professor? It would have all the supplies you need! You could probably finish the arm in one day!

Jake pushed all other voices, as well as the thought of insanity, to the back of his mind. Not only could he build the arm in one day, but the professor would probably be so impressed with him! It would increase his chances of being set free! Not to mention the professor could probably help him attach it.

He grabbed his pen and paper, scribbling down his final decision.

I need to go back. At
least for a little while.
And with full protection,
secrecy, and the
promise that I'd be set
free afterwards.

Stu bit his lip.

He was no irrational racist, but every bit of experience he'd had in his life led him to lay considerably doubt on the notion that a galdor would willingly give up an unpaid servant. Their promises generally meant less than the drunken assurances of later payment from washed-up, bar-hopping street lushes. What did they care about keeping their word to a passive?

Still, he reminded himself, he didn't know anything about Jake or his situation, and it was wrong to assume it was the same as that of every other passive. After all, Khymarah was a good person. Perhaps this galdori professor of his wasn't so bad.

"I hate to see you go, Jake, but if that's what you want...just...be on your guard, right? You've done good work for us, I'd like to see you return someday." He smiled a little.

Jake smiled as he began to write. Once finished, he held the paper out to Stu.

Well, I need to wait
for that person to
return, so I'll be here
until then. And once
I'm done there, I'll be
sure to come back.

Jake suddenly remembered something and pulled the paper back. It didn't take long for him to hand the paper back over, only this time with a small addendum.

Is it okay if Ginny
doesn't find out
about this?

Stu was surprised at the question.

"Erm, sure, guess I don't have to tell her," he said, though privately he wondered about his chances of Ginny falling for any sort of lie he could tell. "I'll tell her you had to go visit...friends. She'll be plum disappointed, havin' to clean up after the drunks again."

He stood up, and suddenly remembered the note the galdor had given him.

"Here," he said, handing it over. "If they come back here an' see you, I'll be in a world of trouble. You'd better make your way there, 'stead of waiting for them to come back."

Jake was hesitant given this new development. Someone coming to the B&B would give him someone to go into Brunhold with, but going there on his own? The voices in his head were arguing again, and thoughts of insanity returned. Besides all that, how would he even find this person?

Jake shook his head. He would have to do this...

...on some other day. He was still quite tired. He grabbed his pen and paper. The adrenaline from his earlier scare had worn off, and his movements were slightly sluggish as he wrote on and subsequently handed the paper to Stu.

I'll make my final
decision another
time. Is there any
more work you need
me to do upstairs?

"No," said Stu, nervous that Jake had refused. "Look, kid, I stuck my neck out for you. If those gollies know I lied to their faces, this tavern could be finished. I need you to stay below whenever possible, all right? At the first sight of a galdor, you high-tail it to the basement and hide. Either that, or you find another spot to kip while you figure out what to do."

He frowned. Jake clearly did not care much about the Book and Bell, but Stu had worked his entire life to keep this tavern safe, and he wasn't about to lose it because of the whim of some passive with a death wish...

The recoil Jake felt from Stu's words was visible. He had never outright told anyone that he was a passive before, so he was unaware of the consequences one can face from harboring an escapee. With a solemn expression, he scribbled down another message.

I apologize. I will
try to make my
decision as quick as
possible.

He thought for a second, then put his pen back to the paper.

Do "gollies" include
Khymarah?

"No, she's all right," he said hastily, not wanting to appear too prejudiced against the people Jake had grown up with. "She's on our side - er, the...she's not a tattletale. Ye just lie low, then, an' duck if anyone suspicious comes in. Ginny'll be on the lookout. I won't tell her why," he added, quickly. "But she's clockin' good at sensin' folk who are up to no good. Must be that field o' hers."

Jake nodded. He now understood how important it was that he get this done soon. Now he just needed a way to get it done. He grabbed his pen and paper.

So, is there anything
else you need
done upstairs?

"Nah," said Stu, already heading for the stairs. "Sit tight an' I'll bring you some supper. You've been a great help to us...you deserve a night off after this mess."

At the top of the stairs, he turned and grinned. "I'll send it down with Ginny in a tick."

Jake smiled and nodded to Stu. He made his way over to the pile of straw he used as a bed and practically collapsed into it. He really needed to stop with the late nights, or one of these days he was going to pass out in a pile of vomit he was halfway through cleaning.

It would all pay off soon though. The plans for his arm were nearly completed, and now he had a means of building it. A difficult means fraught with peril, but a means nonetheless. He just hoped he wouldn't overwork himself figuring out how to go about accomplishing his task.