The Tricryptogon

Banny And Lissa
by Dave Lerner

Sorry about the absence. I hope to be back by September 15 October 6, with a full explanation. Or, at least, a decent excuse.


Antonio: I am Antonio, The World's Greatest Demon Tracker! Flee now, demons, for I am as skilled as I am handsome!
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Part 1: Ante Up
Chapter 4: Enter Mr. Fwuzzums And Nicoletta

The next morning, Banny sat at the kitchen table, staring at his cup of coffee. He knew he was supposed to drink it, even had a couple of guesses on how exactly that was done, but the actual moving the hand to get to the cup of coffee... that might take a while.

Banny realized that if he wanted the coffee he would have to move muscles. And before he attempted something major, like grabbing a coffee cup, he should start with something smaller, like blinking. Blinking would probably be good right about now.

Banny was trying to remember if blinking involved the lower lids or just the upper or if it was his choice. If it was, would it be easier to move the upper the entire distance, or to simultaneously move the lower to meet it halfway?

Banny drank his coffee, thinking about it.

There was a knock at the front door to their apartment.

"Can you get that, Lissa? I'm still trying to figure out the best way to blink."

Lissa came out of the bathroom, straightening her dress. "You forgot how to blink?" She opened the door.

A young well-dressed woman wearing a back-pack stood in the hall. She was tall, perhaps 6'1". She had long strawberry-blonde hair, dark glasses, and a long white cane. Her left hand was on the harness of a very large german shepherd dog. The woman did not look directly at Lissa, though the dog did.

"My name is Nicoletta Corvair, and this is Mr. Fwuzzums. May we come in?" the woman asked, and before Lissa could reply they pushed past her, and Mr. Fwuzzums led Nicoletta to the couch. The woman slipped off her back-pack, placed it carefully on the couch, sat down, and the dog sat on the floor. "Nice place you have here. Did you decorate yourself, or hire someone?"

Lissa and Banny each came over to the couch. "Banny's sister is a professional decorator, but I worked with her. Wait a minute! How'd you know how the place looks?"

"I don't, really. But I'm sure it does."

"It's been lovely meeting you," Lissa said, "But we have to leave for work, now. Maybe some other time."

Banny had knelt down by Mr. Fwuzzums, and was patting him. "Who's a good doggie? Fwuzzums a good doggie. Yes, you are. Yes, you are. Yes, you are. Who's a pretty doggie? Fwuzzums a pretty doggie. Yes, you are. Yes, you are. Yes, you are."

Mr. Fwuzzums stared at Banny. "Loathe though I am," the dog said, "to interfere with this appreciation, I am afraid my associate and I have more urgent matters to discuss with the two of you."

"Who's a talking doggie? Fwuzzums a talking doggie. Yes, you are. Yes, you are. Yes, you are."

"Don't worry about your work, Lissa. Mr. Fwuzzums and I took the liberty of getting you each fired."

Banny's cellphone rang. He talked for a little bit, and hung up, stunned. "That was Steve. He said they don't need me anymore. I've just been fired. I didn't think I could be fired."

"What?!? You got him-" A brick crashed through the window. "Hold that thought." Lissa went over to it, picked it up, untied the note on it. "It's from work. They fired me, too. And they're talking law-suit. I oughta kick your ass for this."

"Admittedly, we may have been slightly... overexuberant in Cheng's case."

"Lissa," Banny whispered. "I think she might be blind."

"So? Her ass still works. I can still kick it. And the dog's."

"Um... About getting fired...Not that I'm not grateful," Banny said, "But why?"

Nicoletta cleared her throat. "This is all related to what happened last night."

"What?" Banny asked. "Nothing happened last night Did anything happen last night? Why do you think anything happened last night?"

"You have no need to cover, O'Herlihy. Corvair and I are fully aware that the Essencia gifted Cheng and yourself each with a Ring of Beneficience."

"Oh, yeah, that's right!" Banny said. "The white thing, the rings, fighting Rosemary... I wasn't covering." He sounded a little embarassed. "I'd just... forgotten."

Go to Chapter 3: Things Take A Turn For The Weird

Go to Chapter 5: Well, That Explains Everything

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