(D0, Early Morning) Deliveries

[Whisper]

"He does it intentionally, I think." he shrugged. "But, I got the gist. Shortest path isn't usually the best path in the bazaar. The merchants want shoppers to linger, after all. I'll take you around all of that."

[Dare Shah]

"Oh, I did understand you two were putting a show of stares and made up slang. Hence the commedia reference.

In essence, it's not that different from nobles playing with fans and talking to each other with passé polysyllabic words. But it's nonetheless pretty incomprehensible when you're not from that world.

As for directions, open the way."

And if he tried to guide her toward a cutthroat dead end, she'll just test the last modifications to her armor a bit earlier than expected.

[Whisper]

"All I was doing was delivering the cockatrice wings he'd requested." he said as he lead her off the street, passing through a shop and into an alley. That would lead to another street. It too was crowded, but the merchants allowed them to pass behind their stalls to the next street.

[Dare Shah]

"What would one need cockatrice wings for? From my alchemy classes, I remember all parts with interesting properties being in the animal's head. Though potions weren't my major, so I might be forgetting something.

Or are the wings more simply used as an ingredient in some traditional food?"

[Whisper]

"I don't know. They were all the left wing." he answered as he paused their progress and looked around. "It was a weird request, but many are. People hire me to find what they can't get here, for one reason or another."

A merchant down the street suddenly announced a spe ial on their wares. The crowd shifted as many moved in that direction, opening a way through to the other side. Whisper then lead them across and into another alley.

[Dare Shah]

"Quite a broad job definition, especially around there. What makes you stand out from the numerous competition?

In particular, beyond your skills in the field, how do you market yourself to potential customers? Is there some board fort that?"

[Whisper]

"These days it's mostly reputation and referrals. Early on I scrounged around and took every job I could find, like a lot of cagers." They had passed the heaviest crowds. The way was more direct now. "Not much different than before I came here, really."

[Dare Shah]

"In common chess tournament rules, if the same position happens thrice, the game is a draw. If I get what you are saying, you are already two thirds of the way there.

Any move you can think of to break the loop?"

[Whisper]

"The simplest one. Don't play." he shrugged. "I've never played before anyway. I m not good with rules. What about you, Lady Shah? Do you play games?"

[Dare Shah]

"Of course. Mostly abstract games like go, checkers, and, of course, chess. Simple rules, complex plays. Pure mathematical elegance with a little bit of extra, as two people, with their own quirks of sentient beings, are still the ones in control of the pieces.

Not that it's the only way in which chess mirrors life. You see chess clocks, these little things players have to push a button on after they've played their move? They ensure not playing is always the losing strategy. If you bid your time, you don't obstruct the game, you just lose by the clock.

I don't know about your own expectancy, but as a bone fide human, I have maybe a hundred years to mine. At the scale of the cosmos, that's a single bullet chess game. Cannot afford much hesitations if I am to attempt to win."