#earthrunes

A soft, inadvertent hiss. "What hast thee?"

She cranes her neck, trying to see.

A bemused look at Earl's rummaging.

"Must be at the bottom"

Dig dig

She squirms, like a cat watching a bird.

He pulls it out, an elaborate case, and with in, perfectly preserved, a primate's paw

Amazingly, this gets August's attention, and his eyes widen.

"Oh!" She claps softly. "How astounding! Is it cursed?"

Coradel blinks. "What on earth is that?"

A low whistle.

"Cursed?"

"By an old fakir, ideally... oh, one mustn't ever wish on a monkey's paw..."

"I should think not." He leans forward, interested. "Really remarkable, Earl. Nicely done!"

"Mr. Gluminski said he only knew of three people who had owned it. One? Died in a ship wreck in the great lakes...Eerie no less this item the only thing of his to float to the surface untouched. The next person lived, but was stricken with a rare condition of gradual deafness the doctors could not explain, the third?" A shudder, "Went into accounting and was miserable all his days"

"A terrible fate, aye..."

"Yet, I should wonder...." His voice a low rumble. "Should the curse fall upon the wisher, should they make a request on another's behalf? Or on the beneficiary, of the wish?" A shake of his mane, and he sits back, with a bashful grin. "Apologies, such a thought is unbecoming of me."

"Well, stories say the wish itself is granted in... well... the most devastating of ways, regardless of for whom the wish is intended..."

"Oh, how is Mr. Gluminski? I have not been in to see him since the first time."

"Mr. Gluminski?"

"Well, it's hard to tell with Mr. Gluminski. I think he's miserable, but at the same time he enjoys that" He tells Coradel, eyes still on Zara and to her he asks "Do you like it?"

"It is delightful!"

"Is this what the text was about?"

August smiles at Zara's reaction.

"Oh, no, this was in his shop and I traded for it. The adventure was something else" He says

"So you owe me a story, too."

She turns to August. "He is a sluagh gentleman who runs an antique shop in the town. I made a few purchases there."

"A whole shop? With treasures like this?"

"He does have quite the collection, yes. I think you might enjoy it."

"Although he does seem reluctant to part with his merchandise."

"Oh yes," He says to Zara, "you can spend hours there just browsing. Though he does talk of detesting most customers. "

Bachdion makes a note of how sluagh girls react to such gifts.

"Well, I am sure it is a treasured collection..."

A happy sigh, holding up the gilded box for a better look at the little severed hand.

An amused look at the sluagh...and a glance at August.

...as she sips her drink.

Earl seems lost in her delight then says "He says every item he has has a tale of woe attached to it."

"Tis a shame, that the poor little ape must lose it's hand for the amusement of us so-called greater apes." He murmurs, sipping his own drink, almost forgotten.

"Oh.... there is a reason such objects are cursed, Sir Vincent."

Bachdion says "Perhaps it lost it in another way? Or cheer up, perhaps there is a chimp making wishes upon a human appendage somewhere?"

August glances from Zara to Coradel. "Oh... Zara, have you had a chance to meet the gentleman?"

A soft rasp of amusement. "Mayhaps!" A look at August. "The gentleman?"

He blinks, and laughs at Bachdion. "Now that is an amusing thought, indeed. Perhaps someone will write a story about such, hmm."

"Mr. Gluminski."

"I have not, but he sounds fascinating."

Earl , for a moment, gets that sly look he gets when he thinks he got away with something.

though only Zara would probably recognize it

"You really should, I think." Quietly enthused.

"Aye." She sets the box down on the bar, still grinning.

"Perhaps you both should." Looking from August to Zara and back again.