Coffee Stained Pages. Part 1. Lilla Somn

the shelves here in the absence of the Secretary.

      If she knew the real value of these documents, which were temporarily stored away from the other ones… She would examine them more closely.

      …Such a fascinating, mysterious puzzle in the midst of the flat, boring life of the Order Department. It was quite intriguing, and she decided to take a closer look at it after carrying out the orders of her superiors with maximum speed and all the zeal of a rookie… If only she had known two important things then.

      First, the faster you carry out your superiors’ orders, the faster you will get the next ones. Second, secrets and fortune will not wait forever. Either you take it now, or you go your separate ways.

      And of course, a late quick inspection of the contents of the shelves revealed nothing. There was no way to snoop any more. The Secretary kept the secrets.

      And he would not tolerate any intrusion into his fabric manor. Ami was pretty sure that the agent had found nothing either because it’s been deliberately hidden.

      Although she couldn’t shake the thought that she could somehow help this random VST guy, who was somewhat similar to her, she understood perfectly well that it was too late to do anything.

      The case was closed. And maybe even destroyed.

      Even if she could find a way to sneak into the Archives under a good pretext and quickly figure out which of the heavy, dusty cabinets contained the necessary information…

      How do you copy a document quickly? Absolutely not. They’ll definitely notice.

      Of course, neither the Secretary nor the Chief would approve, to put it mildly. And Ami did not want to be thrown out of what was practically the only non-planting job in Kantine that allowed her to travel the Mainland at least occasionally. The job suited the inquisitive mind of the active Amelia, Ami loved her job. In general.

      Though, frankly, curiosity and initiative have never been particularly encouraged in their ranks. Which is true of their whole city.

      “This is how they lived before us, this is how we live”.

      A step in any direction promises a citywide clusterflip.

      Somehow, Kantinians have deliberately forgotten that it was curiosity and a passion for research and exploration that made Prime the great and admirable city it was, starting with a bunch of witches hastily and uncertainly settling on a windy mountain plateau.

      …to heights beyond the reach of Amelia…

      Witches who did not possess the “basic Kantine virtues” declared to be the basis of survival, demonstrated a fundamentally new way of not only surviving, but thriving.

      Yes, the Kantinians also look forward with malicious impatience to the fall of the Witch City from its mountain heights, and eagerly discuss all the real and fictional gossip about it.

      But unfortunately for them, Prime doesn’t fall at all. It just grows and gets better.

      “And those stupid witches will lose the game.”

      Aha. Ami would willingly play along with them.

      She didn’t know any witches closely, but for some reason she felt that potentially such acquaintances might make her life more interesting. However, she didn’t try to socialise during her business trips to neighbouring cities. Each time, shyness took over and she preferred to familiarise herself with the local food and architecture.

      An obvious choice, you can’t go wrong here.

      The tramp grinned, put aside the things she had been clutching thoughtfully in her hands, and critically examined her more than bulging bags in a total volume comparable to her own size.

      Almost everything she needs is here. But will it be possible to lift all these? And even if you manage to lift them, how long will you be able to walk with them on your shoulders?..

      After all, the weight of what you are carrying has a nasty tendency to increase with almost every step you take.

      Soon everything will be clear.

      As clear as a sky in the hot season with three luminaries at the zenith at the same time. In the meantime, she has no intention of taking anything out of her bags.

      She might even add more. A food. Something else she forgot.

      …Preparing herself as if she were leaving this place for good, and not just for half a cycle. Ay-ay. Dreams, dreams…

      Doesn’t matter. The main thing is to go. Away from here.

      Just go, when expectations are already smashed to pieces, she is free. Anywhere out there is still better.

      Ami threw her bag over her shoulders and tried to walk with it, bouncing slightly.

      Well then… No heavier than her daily thoughts.

      One thing was totally annoying… The service woman couldn’t sleep properly again. Suns will rise soon. And another dreary day will come.

      Challenge accepted. Let it try to surprise her.

      Light 2. Release the monster!

      It… it worked! So… ridiculous.

      Sometimes luck is far more discouraging than the usual failure.

      When things go well, Ami has great discomfort. What’s wrong with everything?!

      Nevertheless… Everything started fine. The boss ordered her to leave as soon as possible.

      Happily at least once he and Ami had the same aspirations. On this beautiful day, the swamp opened up and spat out Ami like a witch.

      Funny thing… not funny, actually. It turns out, it could have happened a long time ago, but the Department just happily forgot about the old agreement, and “remembered” about it just recently. For some reason.

      And now, of course, they’re blowing all the deadlines again before they’ve even started to fulfil anything. Timeless classic. And a standard situation everyone is used to.

      Because “there are a lot of things to do”. Especially during the harvest season and holidays when everyone is more “active” than usual.

      It’s good that the agreement was remembered at all. And a great thing it happened suddenly, so Ami’s family didn’t have much time to dissuade or to blackmail her.

      Because “the harvest is not harvested”, “construction is not finished”, “holiday is coming soon”.

      Run-run-run. The bag is packed. The food is taken. Messages and documents to be handed over to the Omill’s Temples as extra weight are here.

      The boss has not changed his mind about participating in this “stupid witch’s nonsense”. One less courier is fine. Less frequent to write dispatches and to read them. It’s no big deal.

      So… It’s time.

      It feels so good and quiet, despite the sleepless night confusion that everything starts out too well, and the anticipation of new worries. Even if the affair is totally pointless and would lead to another disappointment, she would have no complaints and couldn’t blame herself. The assignment wasn’t her choice. At least this fiasco wasn’t initiated by her.

      Well, at least on the way back, the bags will be heavier by the weight of the souvenirs. Heavier by a bag of coffee for sure. It’s a great thing that makes any trip worthwhile.

      Ami involuntarily smiled.

      “Coffee. Wait for me. I’m on my way.”

      Ami tossed her bags in, adjusted her clothes so they wouldn’t gather in creases under the straps, and looked at the dwelling she’s about to leave critically.

      Everything she decided to take was taken. The rest was tidied and packed well, the room was locked. Her belongings would be in no danger. That’s all that matters.

      Her