Darius’ View:
Terra:
“A gift from the lord.”
Darius:
“What’s this, are you handing out slaves now?”
Seeing what looked like an unconscious beautiful woman tossed to the floor like a bag of grain astounded me.
Terra:
“Nah, it’s a magical doll. A perfect replica of someone. Exact in every detail. Have fun.” *wink*
With that, Terra left, leaving me with what still looked like an unconscious beautiful woman lying on the floor. It seemed impossible, a doll? She was easily among the most beautiful women I’d ever seen, but it wasn’t so ridiculous that I’d think she couldn’t be real. Not sure what else to do, I propped her up against the wall behind my desk, and simply continued with my paperwork.
As the guard captain of this town, I was in charge of keeping the marketplace and front gate moving smoothly. Surely by tonight I’d be able to figure out if this woman really was a doll or not.
---
It’s been a day, she’s still sleeping there against the wall, with no signs of change. Whomever made this doll must be incredibly talented. Only with a careful examination can I tell it's not human. I may not have any use for such a thing, but I do know someone who might be interested. Maybe I can sell it to that bastard running the slums.
---
What the fuck is this?
Ariel:
“Hello, how’d you get one of my dolls? Did the lord give it to you?”
Darius:
“Your… it was modeled after you, was it?”
Ariel:
“That’s right. It’s something I made at the lord’s request, a life-size copy of myself. I’m not really sure why he wanted them though.”
Darius:
“I can’t claim any understanding of it myself. I came here to look for Boss Tye.”
Ariel:
“Boss? Do you mean the former boss of the Slums?”
Darius:
“Former? Has there been a change?”
Ariel:
“Well, the former boss is now dead. The beastkin I’d been helping out are taking over.”
Darius:
“Beastkin? Who or what are beastkin?”
Ariel:
“You don’t know? I suppose there aren’t very many of them, it’s possible you might’ve never seen them or heard of them. Well, a few young adults and old kids asked me for help, because they couldn’t get work. They get called beastkin because they have ears and tails similar in appearance to animals.”
Darius:
“And they are now taking over this part of town?”
Ariel:
“Yeah, this new building was given to me by the lord in exchange for a few things, and I’m going to be leaving it in their care when I leave. I’m currently still busy making improvements inside.”
Darius:
“I see… this, really is a doll then? It’s so lifelike.”
Ariel:
“It’s very nearly a perfect copy of me, down to… well, more detail than really necessary. It is technically alive, but as it needs no food or drink, and has no mind of its own, it really is just an overly elaborate doll. I did include a self-cleaning feature, to make it easy to take care of.”
Darius:
“Does it need any care taking?”
Ariel:
“Not really, you could just dump it in a cellar and forget about it if it’s of no interest to you. If you need anything, you should probably ask for Adam. He seems to be taking the lead on planning for the future and keeping things organized. He’s young, but very smart.”
Darius:
“I see, thank you.”
---
Back at the captain’s office:
Vice-Captain:
“Captain, I heard some strange rumors - oh! Did you kidnap a noble?”
Darius:
“No. That’s a magical doll of some sort. I’m told it’s a very accurate replica of a lady who’s currently living in the Slums where Boss Tye used to be. The lord gave it to me as a gift.”
Vice-Captain:
“I feel like you just told me a lot in that on short statement.”
Darius:
“I did. That was basically a summary of my entire day.”
Vice-Captain:
“I thought this was supposed to be a boring job.”
Darius:
“It usually is. Did you need something?”
Vice-Captain:
“Not anymore, just came to ask about the rumors of you walking around carrying an unconscious lady. What do you plan on doing with this doll?”
Darius:
“No idea.”
Vice-Captain:
“Can I have it then?”
Darius:
“You have a use for it?”
Vice-Captain:
“Yeah… yeah I do.”
Darius:
“Fine, take it.”
