The Ballad of Adler Young, Canto 2.5

>Duchess: Suddenly become very hostile over someone seeing you be so wistful.
>Adler: What happened to the Duke anyway? Whether his passing was due to martial or marital causes makes a big difference in your plans!
(HG CO'D) Think of Vortigern.
Adler, ask the Duchess what those teeth originally belonged to.

"So, uh .. what ever happened to the Duke of Daisies anyway?" I asked hesitantly, thinking that the asnwer would greatly affect my future dealings with the Duchess. "And whose teeth are those? Vortigern's?"



"They'll be yours if'n you don't quit hasslin' me," Catherine snarled. "Go on, shoo! Scat! Quit bein' so dang nosy, and just let a poor ol' femme reminisce in peace."

(Ms. Thomson) Lead HSH Prince Adler away for a bit of "instruction."
(HSH Prince Adler) Go along with Ms. Thomson, since you are a bit tired.

"Come with me, Your Highness," Ms. Thomson suggested as she gently took hold of my arm. "With your army momentarily incapacitated, now is the perfect opportunity for me to give you some lessons in leadership and command. At any rate, it is high time I started performing my official duties."

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(Griff) Sneak around to where the duo are. Consider the opportunities for duplicate tailing.
Scuti Preston, attempt to activate your new body's "flight" function. Fail miserably due to a lack of maintenance of a crucial component.

"Those two are up to something," Griff remarked as he watched Thomson and me stroll into the forest.

"Venery would be my first guess," Alice replied with a shrug.

"I am going to follow them and observe," Griff decided.

"If that's what you are into, Sire," Alice commented drily.

"The femme spoke of leadership lessons. I want to hear what she has to say. I believe this body can fly, if I just engage this cam -"

He flapped his wings a few times, and then there was a loud snap followed by a metallic ping.



"Damn," Griff squawked. "This device has not been properly maintained. I think a cotter pin rolled into the grass over there. See if you can find it."

"Even if I could, what would be the point?" Alice inquired laconically.

(Lem, Junior) Discover that "your" army is smaller than you are.
Army, rest. Advance again once the Persoc-Itoome low ends.

Meanwhile, Lem Junior was haranguing the troops.

"Y'all worms!" the young possum bellowed. "Wallerin' on the ground like a buncha worms! Git up! March! Albric Tor ain't gonna sack itself!"

"Ssshhh," MacBrock shushed. "The city'll be there still after we've had a wee kip. Bide a while, Skipper, a wee while while we all west ... sweet west, sweet swumber ..."

"Dad-gum disgustin," Lem Junior snorted. "Cain't hold yer Usquebaugh, ya upland softies."

>Burnside: Be up to something hilariously macabre.

"Don't you fret none, honey," Burnside enthused as she rounded the corner of the building. She carried an enormous platter laden with steaming hunks of unnaturally juicy meat. "I got good news what'll put your army back on its feet in two shakes: I done made us some BARBECUE!!"

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Have an uncanny feeling you're being watched.
Give a status report to HM King Estmere.
Spy, send a covert message back to Albric Tor.

"Und zo," SALV Chesswick mused as she stared into a scrying orb. "It vould zeem dot der ancient Meisterscuti is still alive und pilotink ein broken-down old griffin automaton. Der Duchess uff Daisies is vorkink hand-in-paw mit der Prince. Adler has made ein midget marsupial his top general but der army is lazy und undiscplined. Und our agent, SALV Fofox, is zomehow unable to out-floozy der Zisterhood ungulate. I knew I should haff taken dot assignment myzelf."

"How much of this are we going to tell the Marshal, Auntie?" SALV Silverbrush asked.

"How much of it is useful und not completely silly, liebchen?" SALV Chesswick replied.