Bluecap

393 AC - Clack. Clack clack. His fingers move nimbly over the abacus. The beads slide from one row to another, while the little fellow sitting on the desk makes emphatic sounds, sometimes of surprise, sometimes of contentment. Clack. Clack clack clack. I watch him without batting an eyelash, even as irritation is making my moustache bristle. But I stop myself from making any kind of remark. I'm well aware that he's not the cause of my irritation; rather, it's the thoughts constantly churning in my head. Staying in the background has its pros and cons. On the one hand, it allows me to keep an eye on Asgartha through the reports I receive. On the other hand, it gives me too much time to dwell on my own thoughts. Did I do the right thing? Will Kojo give the game away? When?

I look at the Aerolith stocks requested by the Bravos for their spears. And the Bluecap continues to count, calculate and annotate. I sigh because all I can do is wait for his verdict. I took this task on with a definite aim. I felt I needed some rest, and that painful sensation of having forgotten something had gradually lessened after a while. But it hadn't completely disappeared. There was also plenty of research to do on those Phoenixian Guards. Were they just the custodians of Rune's prophecy? Was that really all? There was a mystery to be solved there. Discreetly, of course, with Mack on the frontline. With a satisfied sigh, the Bluecap finally puts his abacus down. It seems the figures add up.

In English folklore, Bluecaps are mythical fairies or ghosts that inhabit mines. They usually appear as a small blue flame. They are said to help miners by guiding them to rich deposits or warning them of potential dangers – in exchange for fair payment, of course.

WARU