Part 5: Dressing Etiquette

Sonetto: Timekeeper, we lost contact with Sotheby's tracking device two hours ago.
Vertin: Where was the last infrared signal received?
Sonetto: In a small town called "Willoughby."
Sonetto: I took the liberty of looking into its history. The most notable recent report is about a racetrack shooting incident three years ago.
Sonetto: The report states that an armed assailant entered the venue and shot and killed everyone sitting in the VIP section with 7.62mm caliber bullets. Despite the high-profile nature of the crime, the assailant was never caught, and the case remains unsolved.
Vertin: The assailant wasn't caught on the spot?
Sonetto: No.
Vertin: And there were no fingerprints or traces left behind?
Sonetto: No.
Sonetto: All investigative leads inexplicably went cold.
Sonetto: The victims were all wealthy businessmen from other towns. Their families jointly sued the local police department, accusing them of shielding the perpetrator, but the court didn't rule in their favor.
Sonetto: It's a poor town with an extreme aversion to outsiders. This incident highlighted the tension between the townspeople and wealthy outsiders. No one in the town even wants to find the perpetrator. In fact, it's believed they do their best to cover for each other.
Sonetto: Because any one of them could be the killer.
Sonetto: Timekeeper, I'm worried that the situation might spiral out of our control.
Vertin: ...
Sotheby: Hello! Is anyone home? I'd like to ask you a question!
Several pairs of eyes peek through the cracks in the various windows, doors, and drafty wooden boards. They all stare at the girl.
Sotheby: Hey, I know you're home! I know you can hear me!
The eyes remain unmoved.
Sotheby: I'm ever so sorry to disturb you, but I want to ask if any of you have seen an Immortal Flower.
Sotheby: Or a Jamaican pepper, or dale cow tongue? I really need to find them to heal my friend.
The eyes glance at each other.
Then, there is the sound of movement inside the house.
???: Where are you from?
Sotheby: Huh? Where am I from?
Sotheby: Uh, I'm from a suitcase—I mean, I'm from the great Sotheby's Manor! Yes, my name is Sotheby!
???: Sotheby?
Murmurs break out inside the house.
???: That rich guy?
???: The potion-making family?
???: Bah, you liar!
The murmuring stops. Sotheby swallows nervously.
???: ...
???: Come in, child.
The little Scout nervously twiddles her thumbs.
Eagle: Ms. Sotheby will be okay, won't she?
Vertin: ...
APPLe: Ahem, is it too late for this APPLe to raise an objection now?
Ms. Moissan: Timekeeper, should we send someone out to find her?
Eagle: Timekeeper ...
Vertin: ...
Vertin: It's not time yet.
???: So, your friend's sick, and you need to gather ingredients to help her.
Sotheby: Yes, exactly.
The old TV, showing a fuzzy "Saturday Family" broadcast, crackles in the background. The paint is peeling off the fiberboard walls.
The sound of a stew bubbling on the stove, mixed with the police sirens on the TV, creates an ominous atmosphere.
???: I see. You must be a very kind child to do all that.
???: Coffee?
A grease-stained glove offers a cup. The scorched, thick substance inside is almost unrecognizable.
Sotheby: Oh, thank you! You let me in because you know where I can find an Immortal Flower, right?
Sotheby: It's the most difficult ingredient I need for my potion. Once I find this, I can get the others in a jiffy.
Sotheby: Wow, this coffee tastes ... really strange, um ... cough
Sotheby: My apologies, but, may I ask what you added to it?
???: A few nutritious items. My children believe we should serve our guests the best.
Out of the shadows rolls a wheelchair carrying an elderly woman.
Sotheby: It's a little sour.
Elderly Woman: Ha, it's what we country folk drink. Of course you wouldn't be used to it!
The elderly woman spits on the floor near Sotheby's feet.
Sotheby: Oh! No, of-of course not! I ...
As if to prove something, Sotheby gulps down the rest of the coffee.
The elderly woman gives a satisfied smile.
Elderly Woman: My children will like you.
Sotheby: Thank you very much. So, now can you tell me about the Immortal Flower?
Elderly Woman: Immortal Flowers ... We know about those. My child will tell you.
Sotheby: Thank you, but where is your child? I haven't seen anyone.
Elderly Woman: Wait a moment, he'll—
Three boys of the same age run down the stairs, carrying something covered with a black cloth.
Boy I: Stinky head!
Boy II: Stinky head!
Boy III: Stinky head!
The three boys shout as they slam whatever is covered in the black cloth onto the table in front of Sotheby. They then jump onto the nearby sofa and sit cross-legged.
Sotheby: Uh ... hello ...
A sound like gnawing mice comes from under the black cloth.
Startled, Sotheby turns to look at it.
Boy I: Hey!
Something soft with a foul stench flies toward Sotheby's head.
A smelly sock from one of the boys.
The boy's now bare foot is hanging in the air as he leisurely watches Sotheby.
Sotheby: You ... I-I'm a guest! You can't just throw a sock in my face!
Boy I: Shut up, stinky head!
Sotheby's face turns bright red.
Sotheby: I'm not ... You ...
The elderly woman stands up from her seat, walks over to the three boys, and slaps each one hard across the face.
*smack* *smack* *smack*
Sotheby: Oh my! There's no need to do that! Please don't hit them on my account.
The elderly woman sits back down, spitting in the boys' direction.
Sotheby: Ahem. May I ask ... do any of you know where I might find an Immortal Flower?
The three boys remain silent.
Elderly Woman: What? What are you asking?
Sotheby: The Immortal Flower?
Elderly Woman: Ask my child, Little Apple.
Sotheby: Um, I am, but they're not answering me.
The elderly woman clicks her tongue, lights a pipe, and extinguishes the match with a flick. A cloud of gray smoke obscures her face.
Elderly Woman: Ah-heh-ha-ha.
Choked laughter squeezes through her nose.
She hunches over, her hands struggling to turn the wheels of her wheelchair as she maneuvers around the seats. She places her hand on the black cloth covering the container on the table.
Elderly Woman: Not those three brats—this is my child.
She pulls off the cloth to reveal a glass container. A human head with unblinking eyes is floating inside.
Eagle: I understand now.
Eagle: It must be my fault, because ...
Sonetto: Timekeeper, only one hour left.
Vertin: I know.
Sonetto: We should start preparing a rescue plan.
Vertin: ...
Sonetto: I'll begin a search based on the last known location.
Sonetto: Timekeeper, what's wrong?
Vertin: I'd like to wait a little longer.
The tension rises, but a clear voice cuts through the serious atmosphere.
Eagle: Timekeeper! I'm sorry!
Vertin: ...?
Sonetto: ...?
Eagle: It's all my fault.
Eagle: I said some bad things to Ms. Sotheby. She must have wanted to go outside because of me!
Eagle: A Scout should never leave a scoutmate in danger. I violated the rules of the Scout Manual, and I-I'm ready to accept my punishment.
Sonetto: What are you talking about?
But the little Scout seems unwilling to explain further. Her voice is trembling.
Eagle: I'm worried ...
Eagle: Ms. Sotheby ... She might already be ...
The elderly woman leans against the glass container, gazing affectionately at the head inside.
Elderly Woman: My dear child, we finally have our own little money bank.
Sotheby: Wha-What?
The elderly woman gets down from her wheelchair, limps over to a kitchen cabinet, and pulls out a rifle.
Elderly Woman: Tell those fools on Sizemore Road we've caught a rich little girl. Let's see how much we can squeeze out of her.
Sotheby: Y-You can't do this! The police will come and arrest you!
Elderly Woman: The police?
The room bursts into laughter.
Elderly Woman: We prefer the term "dogs" for those fools at Sizemore Road.
The elderly woman raises her rifle, aiming the dark barrel of the 7.62mm caliber gun directly at Sotheby.

Elderly Woman: She got away!
Her mad screams echo through the valley. Sotheby runs at full speed without so much as a glance backward.
The crazed old woman quickly reloads her rifle.
Bullets slice through the air toward Sotheby's retreating figure.
*bang* *bang*
The 7.62mm caliber bullets whizz through the withered grass, skimming the hem of Sotheby's dress.
It looks like it's about to rain.
The scent of soil fills her nostrils as the sticky ground makes her steps increasingly heavy.
Sotheby: huff—huff—huff
Her legs give way, and she slips in the mud.
Boy I: She's here!
A whistle quickly directs the footsteps of his brothers.
By the time Sotheby comes to her senses, the three boys have caught up to her, circling her like hyenas.
Sotheby: Why are you chasing me? I only wanted to ask a simple question!
One of the boys squats down, grabbing Sotheby's beautifully tied hair with one hand.
The three boys laugh together.
Boy I: She asks me why?
Boy II: She asks you why.
Boy III: We don't have a reason.
Boy I: Did you hear that?
Boy I: We don't have a reason.
Boy I: <speed=0.3>It's just for fun.
Four words.
Sotheby: It's just for fun?
Sotheby can't comprehend such an idea.
Sotheby: Sotheby's Diary.
Sotheby: April 15th.
Sotheby: I can hear that laughter again. The laughter of the little Succaraths, it's started again!
Sotheby: I asked them why they're laughing like that. I told them how very rude and uncomfortable it is!
Sotheby: And they said it's just for fun.
Sotheby: Stono Swift!
The three boys' smiles freeze.
Sotheby pulls herself off the ground. Her dress is torn. The tattered fabric drags on the ground, covered in dirt.
Sotheby: Just ... for fun ...
Sotheby: Fuego Burn!
The flame starts small but soon grows.
Flames rise from the boys' feet, illuminating their terrified faces in its amber glow.
There's a rumble of thunder. Rain is coming. The flames burn fiercely.
Sotheby: This scene, it feels like I've seen it before, just ...
Sonetto: Ten more minutes.
Sonetto: Timekeeper, I've prepared these portable floppy disks for you. They should aid you in your search.
Vertin: Hmm ...
The flames climb the grass and up the pant legs of the boys. Even the pouring rain can't stop its growth.
The rain falls, and the fire rises.
As Sotheby stands, watching, the hem of her dress also catches fire.
Sotheby: I knew it. Mr. Karson must've lied to me. How could I have slept through it all?
Sotheby: So the cries in my nightmares are from those four-legged beasts, and the "children outside the window" that Cristallo mentioned, I played with them.
Sotheby: Yes, it was on that birthday. I remember it all now.
Sotheby: Dirt, rain, and the hooves of the four-legged beast trampling me, and, and their laughter.
...
Sotheby: Turns out there are many kinds of laughter, and not all are friendly.
The flames continue to rise. They have reached her waist.
This fire is better than any fires.
Better than the fire in the Christmas Eve fireplace, the fire in the snow-covered villa, the fire at the tea dance, and the fire at the Toscanini concert.
It's real fire. One that will devour everything.
Sotheby: Hmm, it seems having a good memory isn't always a good thing.
Sotheby pulls herself out of her memories and looks at the three boys in front of her.
She sighs in relief, a smile on her face.
Sotheby: Flames Extinguish.
Sotheby: Petrification, release.
The boys flee in panic.
Their screams echo through the valley. It's unlikely they will ever bully anyone again.
The rain is still falling, soaking Sotheby's head and shoulders. Her knees are muddy, and her arms are scratched and bleeding.
She looks toward the ashen sky, where a bright ray of sunlight is struggling to break through the clouds.
Sotheby: Oh! I almost forgot! My Easter chocolate!
She pulls out the chocolate from her pocket. It's drenched.
Sotheby: Haha—Happy Easter!
She seems to remember something. She blinks and smiles.
Sotheby: Huh? Isn't today also my birthday?
Sonetto: Timekeeper, I've found her tracker.
Sonetto: I asked a man selling Easter eggs nearby. He said he saw a girl in a green dress heading toward Greydog Hill.
Sonetto: Let's go.
Vertin: ...
Vertin: Yes. It's time.
A disheveled-looking Sotheby bursts through the crowded market on the back of a horse, trampling various crafts in the process.
Sotheby: Oh, dear! I'm ever so sorry! I'll be sure to pay you back!
Sotheby: And you, and you as well! Ooh, this one's truly exquisite! I'll compensate you tenfold!
Sotheby: What? Are you talking about my four-legged beast? It's very well-behaved! I'll make it apologize to you too!
Sonetto: Timekeeper. Is that ...
Vertin: Yes.
Sonetto blinks.
Sonetto: Timekeeper, are you smiling?
Sotheby: Oh! Ms. Vertin! Ms. Sonetto! Have you been waiting for me?
She pulls the reins tightly. Her hat is half-missing and crooked, her sleeves are stained with blood, and her skirt is charred and tattered.
She's in rags, but her smile is joyful.
Sotheby: Whoa!
The horse comes to a steady stop in front of them, breathing heavily through its large nostrils.
Sotheby gently strokes its head.
Sotheby: Thank you, little one. Thank you for bringing me back.
She looks up and, imitating Eagle, reports loudly.
Sotheby: Ms. Vertin, my exploration outside the suitcase is complete!
Sotheby: I've gathered all the ingredients needed to treat Ms. Cristallo's condition.
Sotheby: And I've got corn seeds too!
The Lady's Code of Conduct: Revised Edition
Chapter 5: Dressing Etiquette
1. One must maintain a neat and tidy appearance and avoid dirtying or damaging clothes. In the case of an accident, change promptly.