After giving me an earful that lasted ten full minutes right outside the inn, the elf queen finally settled enough to have an adult conversation. I explained that without sub spaces I couldn't access the FBI vault, which meant we would need to get the money for tonight on our own. She of course refused to do any paid labor considering it beneath her status, to which I replied that she was free to do whatever she wished as long as it didn't interrupt the mission.
"What is this mission you speak of?" She asked.
"My mission is to get you safely to your castle, that is all." There were no clauses about her being fed or well rested during the travel, something that didn't take her long to understand. She bobbed her head for a full minute before dragging me to a shop where a stereotypical blacksmith greeted us.
"I would like to have this sword appraised."
"When did you grab my sword!?" My question went unanswered.
"This is fine mithril... it is so expensive I can't appraise it." The blacksmith stammered looking at the sword as though it was made of gold.
"It's just as I suspected." She bit her thumb in frustration before retrieving the sword and exiting the shop.
"You don't seem happy. We could have sold it, it's just a sword and I can get another."
"There's no way a blacksmith can have enough to buy a sword like that." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and it probably was, but only in this world. To my eyes the sword looked just a bit cooler than most swords I've seen, but it's nothing compared to Excalibur.
"It's probably for the best that you didn't sell it since it's a personal belonging and the bureau won't reimburse it for you. If you ask your supervisor he might give you a stipend, but most supervisors just let their agents manage their own wealth. Instead of giving you anything he might actually tax you." The system explained. I'd rather have a roof over my head than a cool looking sword that can't do much against the undead. I don't know much about agent Hale, but it's clear he wouldn't help me with resources even if I asked nicely. I don't know the reason but he has it against me.
The next place she took me to was some sort of arena where she wanted me to participate. I declined as it's not related to the mission and putting me in harms way would be pointless unless absolutely necessary. That and the fact that I'm scared out of my wits of people from other worlds. If they're anything like Loraina then there's no chance against them and I'll get myself killed in seconds.
Finally, at a general store we sold our backpacks for exactly three silver. I couldn't grasp the idea of selling two perfectly good backpacks for less than a day's worth of stay at a crappy inn, but the shopkeeper didn't show any interest in them and we actually had to convince him to buy.
"Hey, Loraina..."
"It's queen Loraina for you." She cut me off.
"Not until we get you home you're not. We need to keep your identity a secret. Treating you any different than I would any other companion might raise suspicions if people noticed," She lunged back as if she just realized that she was undercover, which probably was the case. Then I asked the question I wanted to. "what items from my world do you think would sell for a high price? It has to be something I can either wear or carry on my hands since there's no sub spaces here."
"Televisions! Lots of them!" She replied a bit too quick.
"They wouldn't work, besides I don't think bringing any advanced technology would be allowed by customs, but even if they were allowed they wouldn't work without electricity. Most of my world's artifacts depend on the infrastructure built to support them, including toilets." I didn't enjoy bursting her bubble. Well, maybe I did a little.
"That's right," She pondered for a few seconds bobbing her head before answering. "one thing that really caught my eye is how your people use glass for everything."
"I see, so glass isn't a thing here." I nodded.
"We're not cavemen, you idiot peasant! We have glass, it's just expensive and inconvenient to make." Forgetting the fact that it is also inconvenient to transport over different worlds, there's also the fact that people might get suspicious if I continue selling only things made of glass. Even worse, they might get too interested. Thankfully, I could brainstorm a plan with the help of my team.
"One bed, no food included." Loraina said as she placed a single silver on the desk and received a key in return. She grabbed it as if it was burning hot and walked stiffly all the way from the desk to the room.
"Good call, we don't need two beds."
"Don't get any ideas... this is just for the sake of saving money." She stammered.
"Sure, see you on Monday." I say before recalling back to my world. I didn't need a bed, just a safe and private place where I could travel back and forth. I communicated my problem to the team before clocking out so they would have some time to think about different approaches over the weekend.
My apartment was empty when I returned, something that didn't surprise me anymore. Now that Patrick is getting serious with Maggie I would be seeing less of him. It suited me perfectly as I finally had some peace. That's the story I told myself, but the house does feel empty.
I turned on the console in hopes of chatting with Peter, but for the first time in years I didn't find him online. When the shock finally subdued I realized it was probably related to what Loraina told him. It's good that he decided to get his act together, I'm just annoyed it had to be when I needed him the most.
I took a lap around the house thinking on what kind of items I could bring over to Lithurien and make a quick buck. Not much, just enough to make travel easy. I went over all my stuff and made a list on a cheap notepad I would carry on the next time I returned to also list the prices I would get. It's certainly not the same as skimming through files and documents, but it scratched the itch.
Saturday came with a surprise visit from Tasha, who looked as if she hadn't batted an eye the entire week. She walked in like she owned the place and dropped on the couch beside me as she flipped on the TV which we watched in silence. Later, she stood up and prepared lunch. It was a short visit and not a single word was spoken, but it didn't feel awkward. The most likely explanation to her odd behavior was that Patrick hung around their place too long and she couldn't take it anymore. It's not like I can't relate since Patrick can be a bit much sometimes.
Monday I was ready to discuss things with my team, but Thompson had everything sorted out.
"You need to go to the customs department." He adjusted his glasses in a gesture that now felt cocky. It hadn't even crossed my mind that I could go there, but it was eye opening.
The agent that helped me in customs was incredibly nice and even offered to check all my orifices for free the moment I stepped in. I politely declined and informed them of my conundrum and the answer had been there all along.
"You can bring us anything from other worlds and we can exchange it for money."
"Like gold coins?"
"Whatever minted coin you prefer. You can even use your own money to buy things you could need." The catalog of items I could buy was way more than expected, though it shouldn't have. The customs department is where every item goes through before and after any travel sanctioned by the bureau. Apparently, it hadn't been needed in my case since the system manager had paid close attention and declared every item in my stead.
"Let me guess, this is also something I'll need to take on as a new responsibility."
"Actually, no. It's within my work load, but if you feel generous you can pitch in when I'm busy."
"Sure." I welcomed the gift of paperwork with an unseen smile and by the time I looked at the time I had to rush over to the white room with the little things I picked for the trip.
"How dare you leave me hanging like that!" Loraina scolded with clenched fists and all, but I was in a rush and dragged her outside to check out of the inn.