Swamped

The way she talks makes the whole thing sound like a black market deal.

But wizards aren't the sort to partake in the black market. There aren't many wizards left - at least not in this part of the world - and those who remain tend to live as hermits.

Which means it's probably the same wizard you heard the occasional rumors about back in your Guild days. And you never learned his name - but you did carry a message about him, including some of his codewords.

"Maiden's Moon," you say suddenly, trying as hard as you can to look like it just occurred to you.

She gives you a funny look.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, don't mind me. I just lost track of what day it is. Trying to think back to what the moon looked like. I think it was a Maiden's Moon seven days ago?"

"Eight," she says. Then she seems to realize she said something, and takes on a much more guarded pose.

That wouldn't make much sense to you if you didn't know what Maiden's Moon meant in Guild circles. It wasn't actually about the moon - it was about the start of a new month. You never understood why they called it that, but basically it was a day where all the dirty business was put on hold.

Regardless, you answer her as nonchalantly as you can.

"Really? Eight? Could swear it was seven. Maybe I should ask someone else later to double-check."

She doesn't seem to know what to think now. Good time to derail things with a different question.

"So what happened to your tail?"

"Sold it."

That was much more direct than you thought.

"To who? To the wizard for a disguise potion?"

"To the sort of person who buys grebling tails, because I was desperate. You think it's easy to get human money when you've been kicked out of your burrow for--"

She stops suddenly. Wow, you hit a nerve there.

What now?