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[man_and_monster]

The worldwalkers have been staying in rooms along an entire wing of the palace -- the guest wing, if you will -- along the second floor. This also happens to be the wing in between the palace and the water. (This might be so that it's the first place hit if there's a naval attack

Comments

[man_and_monster]

Royal blinked, at the surprising offer of help. Half-turned away, wondering if there was really a feasible way to prevent her from seeing his inhumanly three-slitted pupils -- but, no, there really wasn't. He'd learned that often enough.

He shot her a reassuring smile, his own natural charisma shining through, despite his disheveled state.

"Quite well," he told her. "I don't believe we've met; I'm River Royal."

[man_and_monster]

"Don't be alarmed," he reassured her, "I don't intend anyone here any harm." If she was a worker at the palace, she would already recognize him as a goblin; if she didn't, then she was a worldwalker, and that was valuable knowledge.

A month ago, he would have been singing quite a different tune, but, circumstances being what they were.

"Penny," he said. "Also a lovely name. Could you happen to point me towards where Prince Frederick is? Failing that, the King, I suppose."

[man_and_monster]

"Well," sighed Royal, "that's damned inconvenient. Though unsurprising."

He coughed, a nasty, wet sound -- river water, in his lungs. The price of overusing his gills.

[man_and_monster]

"You're very kind," managed Royal, one hand braced against the wall, "to a man who climbed in through your window covered head to toe to lung in river water."

She must be a worldwalker. A palace worker would have raised the alarm by now.

"I haven't used my gills this much since I was three or four years old," explained Royal.

[man_and_monster]

In explanation, he pulled the lapels of his traveling tunic back, revealing the thin slits in his skin just below the collarbone.

"I'm sorry," he said, "do gills not exist in the world you come from?"