Swamped

Confide in him that you believe someone is trying to sabotage the holy festival, but that you're not sure which leads to follow to make Nual happy. Then ask if he thinks the thefts and theater troupe might be related

Well. You have questions about a lot of things. But when it comes down to it, Nual sent you here to settle one specific matter, and you haven't really gotten a clear sense of what that's going to involve.

So maybe you can get a little more direct.

"I think someone's trying to sabotage Nual's festival," you say. "But I don't know much more than that. Heard there were some thefts, and I've heard some strange things about the theater troupe here, but I haven't really had a chance to look into it and it might turn up nothing. I don't suppose you've heard anything about either?"

"The troupe's leaving at the crack of dawn," Mortimer says, reaching down for a bag. "The festival doesn't formally start until noon. If they're involved in anything to do with the festival, they've already set it up."

Nual said you were only dealing with one believer, though. So if they're with the troupe, they wouldn't be attending to the sabotage themselves...

Unless they were staying behind. You should definitely try to fit in a talk with someone in the troupe, just to be sure. Your preference would be Laikenne, but the timing is going to be difficult no matter what.

"What about the thefts?" you ask, as Mortimer finally manages to stand up.

"Yeah, there's been a lot of stuff going missing. Uncle Leo was worried that one of his rivals might be setting something up. He was also worried that they'd try to grab..."

Mortimer pauses a moment as he approaches the door. You open it for him.

"Grab what?"

"Can't remember exactly. He wanted to send some extra security, but his aide didn't think they had enough people to spare. Come to think of it, that was when he asked for a look into some characters in the local underworld? Maybe he was trying to get helpers."

You have a feeling he remembers more than he's letting on. Maybe if this works out you can ask Leonard directly. But that hasn't been how your luck's gone lately.

You step out and Monty has arrived with the wheelbarrow. Mortimer drops the ice in there. They head back to the ice room - apparently annoyed by your presence.

To be honest, you wouldn't mind stepping away to question a member of the troupe. But you also aren't entirely sure these two don't need a chaperone.

So you watch as they load more bags on. When they're at seven bags, Mortimer grabs an eighth and Monty starts pushing the wheelbarrow.

"All right, toss that on there and I'll take this to the boss," Monty says. "And, ah, could you do us both a favor and not tell her Mort was here? She, ah, kinda gave me a big chewing out the last time she caught us."

"I guess I should head back to the hospital," Mortimer sighs. "Where I'll get in trouble."

"Like you haven't before. Least you got your uncle to back you up. Me, this is the only job I've been able to hold on to."

You definitely don't want to get any more involved in this business than you absolutely have to.

"Let's just get this done," you say, sighing deeply. You head out, with Monty following.

Patterson clearly looks annoyed.

"What was the hold-up, Monty?"

"Eight bags is a lot of ice, boss. Took me a bit to get the hang of lifting the bags."

She looks at you with a glare that suggests she won't put up any sort of trickery. This is definitely deeper in than you wanted to get.

Some of the ice bags were frozen together. This young buck didn't know or didn't think of the right way to get them unstuck with a little percussive action and was trying to muscle them free. No need to be embarrassed, sonny, it was a learning opportunity. You'll learn to cherish such moments as they become scarcer with experience.

"Well, even in my younger days, I'm not sure I could have handled those bags very well. Not just the size, a few of them were frozen together." You actually remember the pair of them pulling two apart - it wasn't very difficult with both of them there, but it would have been challenging for just one. "Of course, I have worked a little with ice bags, so I know a trick or two for getting them unstuck. Tapping them a little in the right places so they warm up slightly helps a lot. But it's not obvious, hardly surprised Monty didn't try."

"Uh, yeah," Monty says, sounding embarrassed. "Thanks for the pointers."

"I'm always happy to help out where I can. At my age, you start to appreciate the moments when you can learn something. They don't come that often, unless you go out of your way to walk a new path. And most people just don't have the spirit for that sort of life."

Patterson doesn't seem entirely satisfied, but she also doesn't seem up for arguing the point. She grabs the wine.

"Let's go."

"Is it all right if I bring my food with me?"

"I need your hands on the wheelbarrow, Monty."

"Right. Of course."

"My hands are free. I could carry the plate," you say.

"No need, we're just going across the street." But then she glances at Monty. "Then again, with how this one's so protective of their sandwiches, suppose we might as well keep 'em from getting snatched."

You pick up the plate and follow the others out, across the street, and towards the hospital. Monty knocks on the door, and the nurse you met before soon steps out and starts ushering you all in. Including you, still holding the plate of sandwiches.

Just as you head through the doors, though, you catch a glimpse of something.

It's a footprint. But it doesn't resemble any sort of foot you've ever seen. Stranger still, it seems to vanish when you take a second look.

You have an unpleasant feeling you can't quite place. But you also have quite a few things going on. The nurse leads Patterson and Monty to the bed, and you follow along with the sandwiches. Mostly because you're hoping to talk to Leonard if he recovers.

As you arrive, the doctor looks relieved.

"Pour out a glass," he says. "And put it near the ice. Then I'll have to ask everyone besides the nurse to leave, for the patient's privacy."

You all do, and Monty grabs the sandwich plate again and starts eating. You hear a pained scream soon after.

"That means it's working," Patterson says. "Best not to think too hard about what the next sounds you'll hear are."

"I, ah, I think I'll head back to the bar," Monty says, running off.

"I swear, that kid," Patterson mutters. "Shouldn't be working at a bar if you can't handle a little vomit. But then, not sure who else would take 'em. Too many folk in this town who can't look past their parentage."

You wonder if you should ask, but she takes one look at your befuddled face and starts grumbling.

"Not from around here?"

"Actually, I am. I just haven't been here in quite some time." And apparently you missed something significant when you were.

"Well, best you know this, then," she says. "As a warning, if nothing else."

"Monty's parents were pirates," she continues. "Kid was twelve when they were caught. Ended up staying with a theater critic, name of Lucille, but then the theater closed a few years later. So Lucille's a critic without a theater now, and she's got poor legs so she has trouble with physical work. Which is most of the jobs in town."

"I see," you reply. "So the burden fell on Monty. But as a child of pirates..."

"Everybody figures they'll just pinch things," Patterson grumbles. "You ask me, though, that's shortsighted. Plenty of people who seem like upstanding citizens will go around stealin' things. A pirate kid's no more untrustworthy than anyone else."

Cynical, but you can tell she really cares. You also hear some rather unpleasant sounds coming from behind the curtain.

"Hearing this a few times really sours you on that wine," Patterson mutters. "How does making it cold make it that nasty?"

"Well, my guess would be that different parts of the wine freeze at different rates," you muse. "So when you freeze it the right amount, you've still got a bit that's liquid and it causes an unpleasant reaction if it's not diluted. It would probably be a smoother process if they could figure out exactly what that was."

"Might make the wine better, too," Patterson chuckles. "Anyhow, I'm just hanging around to make sure I get my ice back. The wine's probably a loss even if there's some left. You don't have to keep me company."

"Well, I'm hoping to speak with the patient," you say.

"Leo Flame? I don't know what business you've got with that crook, but I'd advise you to stay away. He and his ilk are worse than pirates, if you ask me."

And yet, despite all her distrust, Les said she seemed fond of the theater troupe. Odd.

You want to ask her about it, but you feel it won't go very well unless you can reassure her that you're not involved in Flame's dirtier business.

I only met the man today, but it seems he's earned himself a lot of enemies. I was hoping to find out more about the particular enemies who've been causing so much trouble around the hospital tonight, before we all end up collateral damage in his power games.

"It's his ilk I'm concerned about. There seems to be some sort of power struggle surrounding him, and I've been caught up in it tonight. I'm hoping to find out more about just who I'm dealing with. They've already caused quite a mess around this hospital."

Patterson frowns.

"Ah. So you're meaning to interrogate him, then?"

"More or less."

Well, that seems to have reassured her, at least a little. Now if only you could bring the subject to the theater troupe, but an accusation wouldn't work very well... oh, wait.

"Seems I'll have to miss the show at your bar because of this. Shame, I was curious."

"You're missing out! This crew's a damn sight better than the last troupe we had passing through. Probably because they hired a few actors from the old theater to fill a few slots. It's all well and good to look for fresh talent, but sometimes you need a few old hands there too."

Hmm? Now that's something you hadn't heard before.

"Are they joining the troupe, then? Or staying behind when it leaves?"

"There's five I know of," she mutters, looking thoughtful. "Two of 'em are eager to go back into acting so they joined the troupe; two pretty much just view it as a hobby and a little extra money, so they're stayin' put. Don't think I ever heard what the last one's planned, for all I know they ain't gonna make up their mind until dawn."

This might be relevant. It hadn't occurred to you before that there might be someone in the troupe staying behind. What if that's the believer you're looking for?

Well, best not to get ahead of yourself. First you should probably get some more information out of her on just who these people are.

"Do you know these actors well?"

"Used to know Arlene pretty well, but we ain't talked much since I started running the bar. Hit her real hard when the theater closed, but then she got a job doing inventory at the docks. Turned out to have a real knack for it, it seems. So she's sticking around, she's expecting a pay raise soon that'll be better than the acting ever was."

Arlene? You recall hearing that name somewhere, but you can't quite place it. Of course, you might not even be thinking of the same person. But you're fairly sure it was a name you heard here when you were younger.

"Didn't really know the others beyond what Arlene told me about 'em back in the day. We did reconnect a bit after one of the shows, that's how I heard about the rest of the actors. Let's see now, she said Ollie and Emmy were joining the troupe. Seems they were never very happy here but didn't have the money to buy their way out of town. Neither of 'em ever quite settled on any particular job."

She thinks a bit.

"And Elliot's staying, which is no surprise - he doesn't usually get speaking parts, just comes on when they want someone tall. He works at a warehouse, because he can reach the high shelves without a ladder. So that leaves the one who was still making up their mind..." Patterson pauses. "Dash it, name's right on the tip of my tongue. Havin' trouble remembering what they do these days, too. Gimme a minute while I get my thoughts together."

Name might be Matt or Maddy. Odd jobs, part-time scribe at the library.

"Something beginning with M. Matt? Maddy?" she mutters. Then she seems to recall it. "Maxie! They've had trouble getting work - well, they're a scribe at the library, but only three days a week and that doesn't pay enough of the bills. So they make up the difference doing whatever else they can find. Tried 'em at my place, but they couldn't handle even a full hour. Think they don't like crowds."

"But they're an actor."

"Maybe they just don't like 'em up close." Patterson shrugs. "Don't know. We didn't talk much. Arlene asked if I could give 'em a try. Anyhow, I can see why they might be having trouble. Traveling troupes ain't the most reliable income, but it's an exciting life at least. On the other hand, far as I know they like the library job, just can't do it all the time."

Well, this is an interesting lead. Someone who works at the library might, at the very least, know something about book thefts.

Suddenly, the unpleasant noises stop. All you hear is panting and gasping.

"Think the procedure's just about done. For now, anyways." Patterson grumbles. "Hopefully it's all good so I don't have to fetch anything else. I run a tavern, not a pharmacy."

"Will he be ready to talk soon?" you ask.

"He'll be able, but not exactly eager. That purge is going to leave him exhausted. If he even wants to talk, it'll be about five minutes before he can make that clear."

Well. Maybe there's something else you can ask Patterson about while you wait.

You can't think of much, save what's going on behind the curtain.

"Have you done this much before?"

"Few times. Not often, but it's pretty memorable. First time, I made the mistake of peeking in the chamberpot afterwards. And I'm told it looks even worse if you still got depth perception." She points to her eyepatch. "So you definitely don't want to be seeing it for yourself. Especially not takin' the stuff, I'd bet."

Well, now that she's pointing right at it, you really have a hard time keeping your mind off the subject.

"May I ask what happened to your eye? Or is that too sensitive?"

"Got in a fight. Turned nasty." Her tone suggests she doesn't feel like elaborating, but more out of tedium than secrecy.

Well, you feel like taking a small risk.

"Who were you fighting?"

"Mr. Flame's regained consciousness, and he's asking to talk to the older gentleman," the nurse suddenly says, stepping out from behind the curtain. "I'm not sure how he knew you're here, though."

You suspect Nual had something to do with that.

"You done with the wine?" Patterson asks as you walk behind the curtain.

"There aren't any further complications so far, but we're still observing him."

"I'll stick around until you're sure, then. Got to get it back to the cellar."

You keep an ear open, but you doubt they'll discuss anything of note. So you turn your attention to the doctor and Leonard Flame.

"Would you excuse us, Doctor?" Flame asks. He seems a bit more lucid than when you last talked to him.

"I really need to keep an eye on you..."

"I'm sure John here will be happy to call for help if I collapse or something," he says. "And if you could keep people away from the curtain while we're talking, that would be greatly appreciated."

The doctor walks off, and you realize that Flame here knows your name. But then, you think you've got a fairly good sense for why.

"You're a priest," you say calmly.

"Not in the sense of working for any church, but yes. I feel what Brume feels. And now he is speaking to me. And he says something I find quite worrying."

"He says the part of him that is Nual may die this very night," Flame continues. "I don't entirely understand what that means. I doubt it's anything good, though."

"I'm here to talk about more earthly concerns at the moment. Though I'm not entirely sure they're unrelated. It's been a strange night."

You explain about the fishmonger's, the strange liquid, the woman who seemed to be running it all, and the other woman who claimed to be her sister and clearly looked the part. You leave out the involvement of Sunflower, Black, and his nephew for the moment - those parts seem easier to sort through yourself.

"And somehow, she's completely frozen. I'm not sure what to do about that."

Flame frowns.

"That's not good. I don't know what either of the sisters want - well, the younger one is looking to take control of the Guild, but so are a lot of other people. And I couldn't say why she is. But I may have some idea of what was in the cauldron. A phony wizard was trying to sell us a concoction like that some years ago. She said it could put a whole town to sleep. The sample she tried to thrust in my face was a very memorable color."

"So one of your rivals got in touch with her," you muse. "But why did she contact you in the first place? Did you actually intend to put the town to sleep?"

"Hardly. Though we were desperate to establish a foothold here. We had a lot of especially unscrupulous types trying to sell us something that would make a difference. Even got a few offering mercenaries." He frowns. "But that isn't what the Guild is about."

It is back in your time, from what you've heard. Whatever happens next, you doubt Flame's going to come out on top.

"Well. Right now, I need help dealing with it. And you may not have the power you once did in the Guild, but you're the only person I can think of to ask."

"And Brume wants me to aid you. But there's little I can do, except tell you who I trust. Just what sort of help do you need? Perhaps I can point you to someone specific."

Well, people with information would be useful. And anyone who has the authority to prepare the city for defense against the possible sleep attack.

But speaking of authority, who's in charge of the festival's official festivities? Do you hold influence over them? We may be able to set a trap for whoever is wishing to destroy Nual.

"I need information. On who the players are, at the very least. It would be also good if you knew anyone who could muster a defense against the gas, or convince the city council to do it." You pause. "For that matter, the city council would be responsible for overseeing the festival. Which seems like the sort of event that someone trying to harm Nual might sabotage. So if you have any angle on how we might be able to talk with them..."

Flame frowns.

"The council wants nothing to do with the Guild. Rejected every offer we ever gave them. They don't trust us at all. But I did have someone looking into whether they really didn't want anything to do with our type of business at all, or if it was simply a matter of a rival getting to them first. Someone really good at digging up information. I heard they'd just gotten back into town, and would probably be looking to contact me tomorrow."

"Where would they be tonight?"

"Probably drinking. Or watching a show if there's one on. They tend to follow the crowds, good for eavesdropping."

It seems you may be heading back to Patterson's after all.

"I'll need a name and description, then."

"Ha!" Flame laughs. "Good luck. They're always going by different names and dressing differently. Helps with not drawing too much attention if they go to the same place."

"Then how am I supposed to identify them? You must have some kind of system if you've contacted them before."

"Good guess." He glances around. "But it would be trouble to share this if someone's listening in, so I'll have to be a bit vague. Give me a moment, and I'll tell you what I can safely."

Are you familiar with the geography of Kandria? There are a few inland seas (he shakes his head meaningfully as he says this) with rather distinct names. Mention them in casual conversation as if they're people you know; if our eavesdropper is nearby, they'll pick up the cues.

Later they'll find you and mention another code word just to see if you're on the level, but I'm not giving you that one. The sigil will have to do.

"Have you ever been to Kandria? There's some lovely scenery there. Especially on the islands."

"Islands?" you ask.

"Yes. There are three inland seas there. A bit further north than most people go, but not so far as to be freezing cold. Little islands, too small to support civilization, but there are gorgeous forests."

And you've seen plenty of maps from working with the navigator. There's no inland seas in northern Kandria. He's not just playing it safe - he's providing bad information. So he probably wants to check if you're aware of it.

"Would these seas be just south of the Akkata Mountains?" It's an obscure Kandrian word for "fake". Hopefully not too obscure for him.

"Ah, you are familiar, then." He's moving his head lightly. A signal that your message was recieved, perhaps.

No, wait. It's a bit of an unusual movement. That must be the real signal.

"Well, then you shouldn't have much trouble finding the names of those inland seas. Mention them as if they're people and that will get the informant's attention." Now he's making a hand gesture. You repeat the head movement and hand gesture, just to make it clear; he nods.

"And then what? Do I just wait for them to contact me?"

"No. They'll use a code phrase. Unfortunately, I can't give you that one - too risky. Still, you should recognize it as one and the crest will make it clear enough you have my approval."

Now he's tapping his foot lightly. Too lightly to make appreciable noise, but you can see there's a particular rhythm to it.

There's a bit of ambiguity to what he's saying, though. Does he mean drop Kandrian words as names, or does that part not matter? Are you supposed to make the gestures, or are you looking for someone who is?

Maybe there's a way you can clear it up without being too direct.

"It's been a while since I spoke Kandrian, so I'm a bit fuzzy on my pronunciation," you say. "Is it important that I say these names right?"

You cover your mouth on "right" and hope he catches it.

"Doesn't matter too much if they're correct." He holds up his hand on "correct". "They'll catch on sooner or later."

So you should say names.

"And then I should", head gesture, "just wait for them", head gesture, "to contact me?"

"Well, you shouldn't worry about them", raises hand, "taking too long. Big crowds are easy to avoid drawing suspicion in. If you've got the right place, it'll be clear before long."

A little further clarification reveals that the contact will make the head gesture, then the hand gesture, and you should tap your foot to acknowledge. And he quietly suggests that you should only show the crest if they're not satisfied at that point.

You almost hope someone actually was listening in, so you didn't feel silly about all that for nothing. Then you slip out of the curtain.

And you find the nurse looking rather upset and holding Mortimer by the arm.

"If you're done in there, I think this troublemaker needs a little talk from his uncle."

"Look, I'm in danger," Mortimer protests. "Someone tried to kidnap me already. If I stay here, they may make another attempt and who knows who else might get hurt when they do that?"

"I don't have time for your ridiculous stories while you have injuries that still need treating."

Mortimer sighs, defeatedly.

"Well, Uncle Leo will want to hear about it, at least. Not that I like worrying him..."

Just as the nurse drags him past, though, Mortimer slips a note into your hand. You take a quick glance at it.

It looks to be in some sort of code, as it has Kroskan characters but clearly isn't written in the language.

Is this a message he couldn't risk somebody else seeing? Or is it one he found? It doesn't seem to be any simple cipher you know of.

But if he did write it, perhaps Monty knows how to read it. You look around, and soon find Patterson, Monty, and the other nurse talking about something, with Monty eating another sandwich. Seems to be down to three now.

You should probably talk to Monty alone, in case the message is sensitive. But you want to be discreet about it - make it seem like something ordinary.

Maybe an opportunity will present itself in their conversation. You listen for a bit to find out what they're talking about.

(Hope I'm not too late!) They're talking about the fracas at the blacksmith's earlier

"Can't believe he had the nerve to go and visit Beth's smithy," Patterson mutters. "What'd he even want? Weapons for this damn game of his? And he brought the children along for that?"

"My wife was on duty when they came in. She told me it was daggers for Mortimer," says the nurse. "Apparently, old Leo thought he might need to defend himself. Jonny came along because he's curious about smithing, and little Mona went because she's at the age where growing up to be a knight still sounds fun, so she wanted to see the swords."

"Mort does tend to get himself into trouble," Monty says, clearly sounding a little nervous. "If this business his uncle's involved in is turning nasty, I could buy that he'd want his kids safe. Sounds pretty plausible to me."

"And he still knows full well that Beth hates his guts! No amount of money's going to change that." Patterson growls.

"Maybe so, but he's probably done plenty of business with people who hate his guts," the nurse sighs. "I know you don't like him, and I don't give a damn about him either, but it's hardly his fault the forge exploded."

"Isn't it? Someone who knew he was going to be there sabotaged it, that's my bet. And sure, whoever it is, they're probably a real scoundrel themselves. But Flame's a man who makes enemies. He brought this on himself, and those poor children have to suffer for it."

The forge exploded? You hadn't really planned on investigating the smithy until morning, but this definitely sounds strange. Regardless, Monty doesn't seem to like being part of the conversation. But Patterson's keeping a close watch - probably expecting them to run off and meet Mortimer, now that she knows he's here.

But if there were some job that Monty was the most suited for, that would be a good excuse for you to drag them away. You'll just need to think of something.

Monty, can you help me move some furniture? Trying to clean up some weird slime and want to make sure we didn't miss any of it.

"Excuse me," you interject. "I saw some strange slime earlier. Has that been cleaned up?"

"Yeah," says the nurse. "Well, I had to fill a jar with it because we weren't sure what it was, and the doctor said he had a sample but he might want more. But I mopped up the rest of it."

"All of it? There's a lot of beds here, it might have gotten under some."

"I check every patient's bed as I get to them. All clean so far."

"But what about unoccupied beds?" you ask. "You're not at full capacity, are you?"

"Well, no. You want to have a look?" she asks.

"I imagine you'll be busy with the patients." She looks a little guilty as you say that- ah, of course. She's just been standing around gossiping. "Although, I suppose if the bed has to be moved out of the way, that might be a bit much for me..."

"I can help with that!" Monty volunteers, before you can even ask.

"Now where do you think you're going?" Patterson says with a scowl.

"Boss, I gotta wait until we take the ice back. Might as well help out around here while I'm stuck, right?"

"It is a busy night," the nurse agrees. "Got a lot more patients than we usually do. In fact, I really ought to be getting back to work, I only meant to say hello..."

"Perhaps you can help out while you wait, too!" you suggest quickly. "I'm sure there's something you can do."

She glances at Monty's sandwiches.

"Well, we did bring these along. Maybe some patients are hungry, hmm?"

"Let me finish the one I got," Monty sighs. "That leaves two."

"Yeah, no sense giving someone a sandwich with a bite taken out of it. All right, Mary, you got any idea where I can find someone hungry?"

You and Monty walk off.

"Sorry about your sandwiches," you say.

"Eh, I'll get more. Best part of the job, honestly - plenty of sandwiches. There's usually a bunch left over from the evening shift, and if nobody has 'em they'll just go off."

"Well, really I just wanted to talk for a moment," you continue. You show them the note. "Mortimer handed this to me. I was wondering if it might be some sort of personal code, or if he found it."

Monty stares at the note a bit.

"This ain't Mort's handwriting. Think I got some idea what it says, though."

"Really? It looked like Kroskan lettering to me, but everything I thought of didn't work out."

"Oh, yeah, this ain't somethin' very well-known." Monty smiles a bit. "It's an old playwright trick for hiding their scripts. Not in common use any more, 'cause it used to take hours to break even when you knew exactly how it worked, but after a few centuries of that somebody figured out a shortcut."

"And you can read that?"

"Well, this is just some trivia I picked up, don't remember exactly how it worked." Monty glances at the paper a bit, then turns it upside down. "Oh, wait, that's right, it's faster this way. And then..."

There's a pause.

"I don't know that I have this right," they finally say. "It makes words, but I don't get what they mean."

"Well, what have you got?"

creature bog child ??? book

"Creature, bog, child, something I don't recognize, book. It's in Kroskan, and I'm not that fluent, so this is probably something a bit obscure if I've decoded it right... looks like gablach, don't suppose you know what that means?"

"It means magic." You don't see a need to explain how you know that. "Archaic term for it, though, which is why it doesn't get used much any more. Strictly speaking, it refers to magic used in the service of the country. Goes back to when it was ruled by a court of wizards, you see, so they distinguished magic for personal use and magic cast in the council's name."

"Huh," Monty says. "That's weird. I guess if it reached the right person, they'd be able to figure out what it meant. Or maybe there's another message and it makes sense if you've got both."

"Well, there were some bog creatures roaming around tonight," you muse. "Perhaps whoever this note was meant for knows something about them."

Which means the person who you'd most like to question about them is currently frozen. So you should probably get back to looking for the informant. Maybe they'll be able to help you make sense of this note.

"I'll look into it," you continue. "Thanks for your help."

"Sure," Monty says. "Wait, though. If you're about to go, I've got something quick to ask you."