52: Charmed

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## Summary

### Advanced Negotiation Tactics

With the sea dragon dispatched, fey and friends resume merrymaking at the Powder Keg. Similarly, Uni wastes little time getting back to laying into Mahi and insisting he come home to face their father. By the sounds of it, King He’e has been making Mahi’s disappearance the whole family’s problem, and as such, the brothers have been busy putting out fires. Mahi acquiesces to coming home, but tells Uni he’ll do it on his own terms, with his newfound friends. Sensing this argument won’t be won so easily, Mujie steps in and uses Charm Person. Uni agrees to go home and report to their father, while Tako needs no convincing to take the path of least resistance.

Deciding to salvage the night, Tira, Bran, and Mahi go on the hunt for late night grub and find a hidden gem. Meanwhile, Luca, Mujie, and Palani call it a night and head back to the orphanage.

### Nightcap

Pombo leads Cat back to his lavishly furnished bachelor pad to show off “his” collection of antique books, which turns out to be largely Peeks’, save for an impressive selection of erotic fantasy novels and, oddly, some essays on art criticism. Cat inspects the bookshelf, drawn to the magic bound in an antique spell book (and an enchanted bodice-ripper).

Before he can tuck into the spell book, the quiet of Pombo’s cozy study and the comedown from a fraught night seems to push the pair to some introspection. The former crime lord asks Eton why he’s so fixated on Wrath and Ark, and Eton answers: once he’s found a thread, he’s got to pull it ‘til it frays. Perhaps knowing what it’s like to be consumed by his goals, Pombo tries to tell him a man is defined by more than just his ambitions.

Setting aside the spell book, Eton opts instead to read aloud to Pombo from Lady of Conquest. He may be able to resist being enchanted by the book, but as for being enchanted by its owner…

### Until Next Time

The next morning, Pombo takes Cat to observe the now-working water wheel at the north edge of the city before heading back to Fortuna. There, a hungover Mahi borrows Mujie’s sunglasses, while Mujie upgrades to a pair of froggy shades from Pino. Luca and Vallor share a fond farewell, and Luca urges Vallor to stay true to himself. Everyone takes some group photos, Mahi gives Norman some medicinal sea weed, and Cat steals the steamy book—and an equally steamy kiss from his new paramour.

The party heads off again, ready for a few days of travel down the North Road. The journey comes with its fair share of run-ins, including a group of bullywug zealots and their froghemoth god (who promptly swallows Mujie in his new duds), the gang’s best pal Regis, and a band of kobolds who make a pathetic attempt at ambushing the party at camp one night. Setbacks overcome, the party makes it unscathed to the city where it all started.

## Quotes

#### ***FRONT ROW SEATS TO FISH HAMLET:***

> **MAHI:** “I’ll—I’ll come home, but not with you guys. We’ve got some stuff to do in Lhoam, but after that, we’ll—”
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> **UNI:** “Oh, we’ve got some stuff to do in Lhoam, yeah, shut the fuck up. We’ve all been out looking for you for months, or worse, getting it taken out on us back at home. Now that we’ve finally got Daddy’s favorite little fuck-up back in our sights, you’re not going anywhere but home.”
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> **MAHI:** “You know I’m not Dad’s favorite…”
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> **TAKO:** “Okay, Uni, point made, no need for the hysterics. Look, Mahi, Fugu would have come found you by now if he wasn’t tied up making sure Dad didn’t, I don’t know, start a war somewhere. Just make things easier on everyone and come back?”
>
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#### ***WILL SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN:***

> "That's a lot of tongue..."
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>

*—Palani, on Cat and Pombo's goodbye*