Chapter 7
The airship slowly eased forward until its nose slid into the guides to the docking clamp. The captain increased power to the engines and slid it forward until the clamp latched into place. Then she reduced power and let the wind finish swinging her craft into position as the ground crew sent up a flying pokegirl to attach the cable to the rear capstan and begin the process of winching the airship to the ground. Twenty minutes later the outer door was opened and passengers began disembarking.
Isabella looked around as she slipped her arm through his and they headed down the gangway. An Amachamp waiting at the bottom tipped her cap at them and smiled. “Sir, madam, welcome to London. If you’ll follow the blue line,” one massive arm gestured to politely indicate a series of lines painted on the concrete, “that will take you directly to first class customs.”
Nicodemus nodded. “Thank you.”
As they followed the line, Isabella gave him an amused look. “What an interesting accent. I wonder if everyone here sounds like that.”
“They don’t.” He tried to look everywhere at once without looking like an obvious tourist. “Her accent was Welsh, which means she is from Wales, at least originally. There are three other major regions, Scotland, Ireland and England. We’re in the England region, but Wales isn’t that far away.”
She glanced at him with interest. “You’ve done your homework.”
“I didn’t have much else to do on that flight, other than save our lives.” He shrugged. “I think I found a good place to set up a home base. It’s not in Scotland, so it turns out I won’t be going to Glasgow.” His mouth quirked in a smile. “You can still go there if you want.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m going with you. Where is it?”
“I think the best place to set up is in Killarney. It’s a small town in Ireland. While it has the Killarney Gym, there’s not much else.”
“Then why is it a good place for us?”
“There’s a large surveyed path called the Ring of Kerry that loops through there. It’s a good place to hunt feral pokegirls and it’s got places to stop every thirty kilometers. If we set up along the route, we could use it. Killarney is the biggest village on the Ring, but that’s not saying much. I’m sure they’d like having a ranch in the area, should I decide to go that route.”
“You still think that hunting feral pokegirls is the best way to proceed?”
His nod was firm. “It’s really the only way. Other than pokegirls, the only other trade I know is archaeologist and I don’t have the degree that’s necessary to be taken seriously in the scientific community.” He gave her a curious look. “So, what skills do they teach to former Spanish nobility these days?”
She gave him an annoyed look. “They’re taught how to be a good wife and how to bring human children into the world as quickly as possible. That’s why I ran away. They’d arranged a good marriage for me, which was to be a life of boring social events and children.”
“Did you find the excitement you were looking for?”
She grimaced. “I found nothing. You saw what I was doing. Of course, it taught me a lot about smuggling and forgery, but I’m not sure that will do us any good, especially since you sound like our former lives are over.”
He chuckled. “We’re just following the traditional path. Most successful criminals go legit at least partially. Still, I’d suggest keeping those skills sharp. You never know when they might be useful again.”
“Hunting is pretty hazardous.” She frowned. “How long do you expect to be doing that?”
“Like I mentioned, eventually I’ll probably have a ranch. I’ll have to go through their requirements, but I’m going to try to get as many of them as possible waived.”
“Do you think they’ll just drop all the requirements?”
“I’m not sure.” He cocked his head. “They can if they want to, but they’re likely to want me to complete an apprenticeship at another ranch. There’s a ranch in Rosslare, the Harvest Moon Ranch. If we go the route I was considering, we’ll pass by it and I can talk to the owner and see what might be done.”
“What kind of pokegirls does it provide?”
“It’s a supplier of plant, ground and rock types for the most part.”
“What kind of pokegirls will we have?”
“I’ll have to see what we can find and compare it to what other ranches in the area are supplying as well as what is needed in the area, if anything.” He flashed a smile. “Most ranchers start with the pokegirls in their harems, which means I’d have Ladyba, Ponytaur, Eva, G-Poindexter, Rack, and Charamanda, plus their evolved forms depending what the parthenogenesis produces.”
She nodded. “Don’t forget A-Bra and Amachop. While there’s no underlying theme, it’s not a bad selection of types and abilities to work with.”
“I take it you intend to stay with me?”
“I told you before; being near you is apparently the safest place to be. Do you have a problem with that?”
He returned her gaze evenly. “No, I don’t. I’m just not sure that’s the kind of life you want to live. Ranches are hard work, especially during the setup.”
Her response was forestalled when an Ingénue waved to them. “Sir, madam, welcome to the Blue League. I am Nancy and I’ll be escorting you through customs.” She smiled easily. “Each first class arrival gets an escort after they disembark.”
“Thank you, Nancy.”
She blinked at his words and smiled broadly. “It’s my pleasure. Your bags are going through inspection and I’ll help you to expedite everything else so you can be about your day. Are either one of you Tamers?”
Isabella slipped her hand off Nicodemus’ arm. “I am. He’s a Coordinator.”
Nancy nodded. “We recognize Coordinators here even if we don’t have any of our own yet. You’ll have to be careful, sir, many Tamers won’t understand the rules you operate under. However, if you have any problems, any member of the police should be able to assist. They’re all cognizant of the law and will be happy to help.” She smiled brightly. “In any case, we’ll still have to set up your pokedex too, so you’ll have to go through the normal processing. Please come with me.” She headed off at a brisk walk.
She led them to a counter and motioned to an identical looking Ingénue. “That’s Nellie. She’s one of my littermates and she’ll be updating your pokedexes. I’ll be right back while she’s working. Would either of you like any refreshments while you wait?” Once they indicated no, her head turned to her sister. “Nellie, Mrs. Azrael is a Tamer and Mr. Azrael is a Coordinator.”
Nellie’s smile was identical to Nancy’s. “I’ll need your pokedexes and any separate communications equipment, please, Mr. and Mrs. Azrael.”
Nicodemus handed over his pokedex as Nancy headed off. “I have two of them, one is a standard Tamer pokedex and the other is my Coordinator pokedex. Do I need both?”
“Yes, sir; I’ll need to update both of them.” She quickly plugged all three pokedexes into her system and started changing menus on the touch screen on her desk. “The first thing I’ll do is synchronize your pokedexes. That will update them with the latest information as well as register you as Tamers in the Blue League so you can compete in sanctioned battles.”
She nodded and changed menus again. “I’ll now go ahead and update the protocols in your com units so our nodes will recognize them. We have satellite communications here in the Blue League, so you’ll be able to keep in touch anywhere in the Blue League. Use of these is free as long as you remain Tamers. Um and Coordinators, too.”
She looked up at them. “I see that you have decided to obtain permanent residence here. At this time, you may perform a legal name change if you desire for no charge. If you seek to do so later, there will be administrative costs and the League may deny your request.”
Nicodemus exchanged a look with Isabella before smiling at the Ingénue. “No, I’m fine. Do you wish to change your name, dear?”
She dimpled. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”
Nellie changed menus again. “If that is what you desire. Just a moment, please.” A minute later she started unplugging equipment and handing it back. “There you go. I wish to formally welcome you to your new home, the Blue League.”
Isabella checked her pokedex and smiled. “Thank you. Husband, I think we should go.”
Nancy was waiting when they turned around. “This way, please.” She led them to where their luggage was waiting. “I hope you found your pass through customs to be pleasant.” She handed them a postcard. “Here is a comment card. We’re always trying to improve and we’d appreciate it if you’d take a few minutes and fill that out. Just drop it in any post box when you’re done.” She bowed. “Thank you.” She scurried off before Nicodemus could offer her the coins he’d pulled from his pocket.
Isabella watched her go. “That was different. How big is London?”
He grabbed his bags. “The population is over half a million people. “
She blinked. “That’s pretty large. How big is Killarney?”
“Less than two thousand people live there. Its small size is one of the reasons I’m interested in it. London is just too big for what we want. There’s already one ranch just north of here and others not that far away.” He frowned. “I’m still not sure you’ll be happy there.”
Isabella gave him a cross look. “I’ll have you know that my warehouse had a permanent population of two.” She tossed her head angrily. “Anything is an improvement from that.”
“I’m sorry I offended you.”
She glared at him for a moment longer before relenting. “I’m going with you and you are not going to change my mind.”
***
“How can I help you?” Sheridan Bucket was tall and thin with thinning blonde hair and a thick moustache. They’d been warned by the receptionist at the office that he was French Huguenot and his last name was pronounced “bouquet”. He looked them over suspiciously.
“I’m Nicodemus Azrael and this is Isabella. We understand you’re looking for personnel for a wagon train. We want to hire on to drive a wagon to Magikunt.”
Sheridan’s suspicion became skepticism. “Drivers need to know how to handle pokegirls in both good times and bad. Are either of you Tamers?”
“I am and Nicodemus is a Coordinator. Both of us have experience with Ponytaur.” Isabella smiled cheerfully. “In fact, I have one in my harem and he’s got a Rapitaur.”
He looked Nicodemus up and down with a measuring look. “Coordinator, are you? That’s just a glorified Tamer. Do you both intend to drive wagons?”
Nicodemus shook his head. “We’ll share one.”
“Only one of you can drive at a time. What will you be doing while she’s driving?” Bucket’s hazel eyes met Nicodemus’ green ones.
“I’ll be hunting for food for the train. Fresh meat is usually welcome.”
Bucket grunted an assent. “You’re not from around here and I don’t recognize your accent. Where did you say you were from?”
Isabella raised an elegant eyebrow. “We didn’t. However, we’re from the Sunshine League.” She smiled smoothly. “We’re emigrating to the Blue League.”
“What’s your business in Magikunt?”
“We’re on our way to Rosslare.”
“There’s a lot of smuggling in Magikunt. Are you sure that’s not what you’re interested in?”
“Only if we have to be smuggled into Rosslare,” Nicodemus shot back.
Bucket blinked and chuckled. “No, I don’t think things are quite that bad between Wales and Eire, at least not yet.”
Nicodemus frowned. “You don’t sound Welsh.”
“I’m not. I’m from Cornwall. But Welsh money spends like anyone else’s and they’ll give it to me if I freight things to Magikunt and back to here.”
“Oh, are you interested in the smuggling?” Nicodemus eyed him curiously.
Bucket’s eyes narrowed. “It’s considered impolite to ask someone you don’t know such personal questions.”
“You asked us the same question.” Nicodemus looked slightly puzzled.
Teeth glinted in a faint grin. “Aye, but you’re foreigners and you might answer me. Anyway, I’ll take you on. You’ll receive the standard wage and I’m sure Donna told you what it was while she was warning you about how to pronounce my name.” His grin grew. “You’ll have to attend a class on driving wagons, but the thing you need to keep foremost in your mind is that your team has been on this route many times. Let them have their head and they won’t lead you wrong.” He frowned slightly. “You do know that you’ll be taming your team, right? All six of them will be yours for the trip.”
Isabella nodded. “Yes, we did.” It was one of the things Nicodemus had explained on the way to the Bucket’s freighting service.
“Good. Your class will be in the morning at eight and we’ll be leaving in three days, after the last of my cargo arrives.”
Nicodemus nodded. “That will be perfect.”
***
“Excuse me, officer, but could I ask you for directions?”
The OfficerJenny gave him a professional smile. “Of course you may, citizen. Where do you need directions to?”
Nicodemus pursed his lips as he read her nametag. “Officer Margaret, I’d like directions to a pub that’s frequented by the Irish, by some from Killarney if possible, or county Kerry.”
The pokegirl’s eyebrows shot up and almost disappeared in her hairline. “That’s an odd request. I’d like to know why you want someplace so specific.” Her eyes looked speculative, like she was trying to decide just how suspicious his request might be and if he needed investigated.
“I’m new to the Blue League and I intend to be traveling to Killarney. In fact, I may be settling there and I thought that, by talking to people who used to live there, I could learn a lot about it.”
She looked thoughtful for a moment. “That is one of the most original stories I’ve heard recently. If you like wreckball or soccer, I can recommend the Red Mare public house. The place is home to the local fan clubs for the Kerry Devildogs and Dr. Crokes. The Devildogs are the wreckball team while Dr. Crokes is a Gaelic football team.” She reached out a hand. “If you’ll give me your pokedex, I can pull up the directions a lot faster than trying to tell you how to get there.”
He handed it over without any sign of the reluctance he felt. It faded as he reminded himself that he hadn’t done anything she could arrest him for.
Margaret pulled up the information and saved the route. “There you go, Coordinator Azrael.” He realized she’d pulled up his Tamer information while ostensibly getting the directions. He smiled slightly, appreciating professionalism when he saw it. “Have a nice day.”
“Thank you.”
***
The barkeep looked up as Nicodemus entered, followed closely by Brenda. He gave the young man a curious smile as he came up to the bar. “How can I help you?” Heads swiveled and conversation stilled as the patrons became aware of the presence of strangers.
Nicodemus scratched his cheek. “I’ve got a curious request. I’m from the Sunshine League and I intend to be settling somewhere around Killarney. I don’t know much about the area and I was hoping to talk to some people about what it was really like. I’ve read the tourist information that the Blue League puts out; I know that’s probably just a tissue to put the best possible picture on it and I was hoping to get the truth here.”
“You’re from the Sunshine League? And why would you be traveling all the way to Killarney just to find a home? Isn’t there anyplace in the Sunshine League that’s good enough?” A man with a fistful of darts had spoken. His blue eyes looked at them with curiosity mingled with suspicion.
Nicodemus shrugged. “I want to live in Killarney. I think it would be a good place to start a ranch.”
“What kind of a ranch? KATTLE, pokegirl or other?”
“I was hoping to start a pokegirl ranch. I could hunt the Ring of Kerry for breeding stock.”
A faint glint of humor appeared in the dart player’s eyes. “We Irish are a friendly folk. If you want to be an Irishman, how about you buy us a round as a gesture of goodwill?”
“I think that would be an excellent idea. Barkeep, a round for the gentlemen in the pub.”
“Lad, you’ve made your first mistake.” It was the dart player again, this time with a grin. “Here in England, only the English are gentlemen. We’re just Irish.”
Nicodemus eyed him for a heartbeat. “Barkeep, a round for the Irishmen in the pub. I’ll have a beer as well and she’ll have fruit juice.” The dart player nodded and returned to his game. Conversations began to restart.
Brenda gave him a surprised look that quickly became pleased.
“Why did you bring a pokegirl?” It was another young man. “Normally, we only get humans here.”
“Brenda is a G-Poindexter and she’ll remember the conversations better than I might, especially if I have a lot of beer.”
“Well, that just might happen. Talking is a dry business.”
“I’ve heard that. What can you tell me about Killarney?”
***
Isabella spotted Nicodemus as soon as she entered the pub. He was involved in a dart game and was losing spectacularly. Brenda sat nearby with a slightly amused look on her face.
“Well, now, lass, welcome to the Red Mare.” A man favored her with a bright smile. “If you’re looking for a real man, your search is over.”
“I’m here for my husband.” She sounded annoyed and was glaring in the direction of the dart game.
He blinked and put his hands up defensively. “Sorry, lass, but I’m not him. Save your ire for another target. I don’t know you, who is your husband?”
“Nicodemus.”
He grinned. “Oho, Nico is it? Nico! Your pretty wife is here to collect you!”
There was a spate of laughter as Nicodemus looked around a bit owlishly and sudden guilt appeared on his face. He surreptitiously handed the darts to the man next to him. An anonymous voice in the pub snickered. “Hey, Nico! I don’t think you need to go to Killarney to get an Irish wife, from the look in this one’s eye, you found one abroad and brought her here with you!”
Nicodemus made his way to Isabella, who gave him a hard look and led him outside. Brenda trailed along silently. Once outside and out of view of the pub, Isabella rounded on him. “Care to explain what was going on in there?”
“I was being sociable.”
She blinked when she realized he was completely sober. “You looked drunk inside the bar.”
“I was supposed to. It’s what they do. They drink, tell stories and play games.” He smiled at Brenda, who smiled back. “Alcohol is a poison and she was removing it every half hour or so.”
His smile vanished. “I learned a lot about Killarney and about county Kerry. A lot of it you’d never find anywhere else.”
“Some of that was not factual, sir.” Brenda was still feeling her way and gave him a hesitant look as she spoke.
“That’s right. It was what they call blarney.” He gave his G-Poindexter a curious look. “Can you do what I asked you try earlier?”
“Yes, sir; I can. It will be easy. More experience would be good, though.”
“You’ll get it. We’ll be spending the next couple of days there.”
“What is she talking about?” Isabella took his hand and started leading him back to the inn where they were staying. “And why would you want to go back there?”
“Brenda has a perfect memory. She can reproduce the accents she heard in the pub and she’s going to act as a voice coach on our trip so we can eventually sound like we come from Ireland. Kay knows dream time which will speed the process tremendously.” He flashed a grin. “I’d like her to teach it to Naomi as well, so both our psychic pokegirls have it, along with any other techniques Naomi doesn’t know.”
“And if Naomi knows something that Kay doesn’t, will she teach it to Kay?”
“I think that’s only fair. We should cross train our pokegirls as much as possible for redundancy as well to improve their efficiency.”
“So do I, Nico.” She kissed his cheek when he glanced at her but didn’t say anything. “Now we need to find a pet name for me.”
“I can think of a couple right now.”
“They’re supposed to be nice.”
“Oh, never mind then.”
***
“You come around here often?” a female voice asked as a form settled to Nicodemus’ free side.
The man he’d been talking with blinked and turned away from Nicodemus. Suddenly, he took a great interest in something outside the pub’s window
Brenda frowned at this new behavior.
Nicodemus turned to see a familiar form. He certainly hadn’t expected to meet her here. “Officer Margaret, are you checking up on me?”
She smiled and accepted a beer from the barkeeper. “No, I’m from Kerry myself; when I’m off duty I sometimes come here for a pint.” She smiled at his previous conversation partner. “Hello, Donny.”
Donny abruptly left the bar.
“Donny’s a pickpocket and he and I have had the occasional bad turn. He didn’t get your valuables, did he?”
“He’s still got his hands, doesn’t he?”
She blinked. “Now, citizen, you need to report lawbreakers, not break the law in stopping them. I’d hate to have to arrest you for assault.”
“I doubt I’d like it either.”
She chuckled and took a drink. “I doubt you would, Coordinator Azrael.”
“They call me Nico here.” He kept himself from frowning. Nicknames were a part of life, at least here in the Red Mare.
“You’d let a pokegirl call you by your first name?”
He shrugged. “That’s not my first name and yes, I’d let you call me that. They don’t know I’m a Coordinator, and I doubt they’d find it impressive, except perhaps to mock. I’m here to learn, not to be insulted.”
Margaret motioned with her pint at the dart game in progress. “She’s new, too. She one of yours?”
Nicodemus didn’t look. “Not the way you think, but yes. That’s Isabella and she’s my wife.”
“You don’t look like the marrying type.”
“I never really expected to. It happened rather suddenly.”
“She’s pretty.” Margaret looked her over clinically. “Do you prefer blondes?”
“Not particularly. Why?”
She smiled. “I’ve got a bit of free time and no Tamer. I was wondering if you had some free time as well and might be willing to help out a pokegirl in need.”
“Do you have a place near here?”
“I do.” She was watching his face closely, with just a touch of anxiety tightening her eyes. Most people didn’t want anything to do with police, unless they needed rescued or to have valuables returned.
“Let me tell Isabella where I’ll be. Brenda, you’ll be watching Isabella for a while.” He rose and stopped when she put a hand on his arm.
“Thank you.”
He smiled and kissed her hand. “I like blondes, but I think blue is a very nice color, too. You’re offering me a rare honor and I’d be silly to turn it down.”
She blinked and gave him a slow smile.
***
Isabella watched him as he came into the bar. He looked around until he saw her and smiled a greeting. She lifted her pint in invitation and he joined her.
“I thought you’d still be playing darts.”
She smirked. “They’re waiting for some local darts god to arrive and teach me my place. So, I’m taking a break. Why did you decide to tame a pokegirl not in your harem?”
“She asked me to and she might be a contact here in London.” He waved to the barkeep and pointed to Isabella’s beer. The man nodded and pulled down another pint to fill. “I found out she’s from county Kerry.” He’d also found out she had an OfficerJenny as a roommate and she’d been home. He’d been busy.
“She won’t break the law, no matter how many times you tame her.”
“Yeah, but I won’t ask her to do anything that would compromise her morals.” He took the beer and paid the barkeep. “Still, if we need information here, she might be handy. I had a contact in Montevideo who helped me find out who Murchison was and without her we’d still be there.”
Isabella blinked. “On the other hand, having a friendly OfficerJenny could be useful one of these days.” She picked up a pencil and started doodling on a scrap of paper she’d been using as a scorecard.
He carefully didn’t smile. “I think you have a very good point.”
“Hi, I’m Linda.” A buxom redhead settled down on the other side of Nicodemus from Isabella. “You’re new here, but I can assure you, you could do much better than her.”
***
“That was fun. I like pubs.” Isabella chuckled as they left the Red Mare. “I wish we could stay and visit our new friends again.”
Nicodemus flashed a smile. “Where did you learn to play darts like that? You’ve taken a lot of their money in the last two days.”
She looked innocent. “Darts just happen to be played all over the world and Kay and I had a lot of spare time between shipments.”
“You’re a lot better than I am. Better than most of them are, too.”
She nodded. “I didn’t have any choice. It was either practice until I’d become very good or stop playing with Kay. She cheats and uses her telekinesis to improve her scores.”
“I didn’t realize she was so devious. Did she learn that from you?”
Once again that innocent look appeared. “I have no idea where you might have gotten such an impression, sir, but I am a decent woman.”
Brenda snickered quietly behind them.
“I heard that.” Brenda made a frightened noise and moved closer to Nicodemus.
He sighed and rubbed her shoulder. The pokegirl smiled and moved closer. “Stop tormenting my pokegirls.”
“She was being impertinent. I don’t know why you put up with that.”
“Oh, I don’t know; perhaps I’m used to it from you, so I figure it’s normal in women.”
She looked astonished. “I, sir, am not a pokegirl.” Her eyes danced with suppressed laughter and she winked at an astonished Brenda.
“You’re right. Most pokegirls aren’t jealous of others, unlike you and Linda yesterday in the bar.”
“That woman was making a pass at you. I am your wife and I’m supposed to be offended.” She smiled. “Therefore, I was; I couldn’t let her challenge go without doing something about it.”
He was silent for a moment. “Emotional responses don’t usually work, but this time it did. Everyone else in the pub thought your actions were very proper and I know you became a part of their group afterwards. I wonder if I will ever understand why.”
“Give it time, Nicodemus. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
“You stabbed her in the cheek with a pencil. Why?”
She gave him a flat look. “I was out of darts.”
***
Ten wagons were in neat rows of two. Each was pulled by six Ponytaur who were busy settling into their traces and gossiping with each other while the drivers had a final meeting with Sheridan Bucket at the front of the caravan.
The wagon train leader looked them over grimly. “If there’s any trouble, you pull up close together and let me and my pokegirls handle it. I know several of you are Tamers and that you may want to help but, until I see how well you and they do, I want you to stay out of my way. You can protect yourselves and your wagon but, until I say otherwise, stay out of the thick of the fighting. Tarquin and I can probably handle any problems without your help.”
Tarquin nodded once, his expression serious. “Until we know you can work with us, any attempt to help will be seen as interference. Don’t add to our problem.”
Nicodemus exchanged a glance with Isabella before raising a hand. “When will you be evaluating us to see if we’ll be more help than hindrance?”
“That’s a good question, Azrael. The answer is that we’ll evaluate you as soon as we can, but it all depends on the road and what happens.” He smiled. “No, I don’t have a schedule and I won’t know who I’ll evaluate when I have time until that time becomes available. I trust Tarquin’s judgment and he’ll be evaluating you when he can. If anything happens to me, he becomes the leader of the train. In the meantime, he’s my second in command and you treat his instructions as if they came from me.” He looked around slowly. “If there are no more questions, get to your wagons.”
Nicodemus did a quick walk around the wagon. Each one was tremendous, capable of carrying seven metric tons of material. Made of a lightweight steel composite, they were capable of floating in slow moving water. Their wheels were made of honeycombed steel and their axles were mounted on heavy leaf springs. Each wagon carried a spare wheel and axle mounted on its undercarriage.
Climbing into the front seat, Nicodemus picked up the reins. “Ponytaur, I don’t know if you have names yet, but I understand you’ve done this many times before.” He grinned. “Enough that I’m probably not needed back here, but the Blue League says you have to have a driver. I expect I’ll make mistakes and, when I do, I want you to let me know about them. Don’t let me give you commands that will get us killed or the wagon stuck in the mud.”
All six of them were staring at him as if they’d never seen a human before. Finally the eldest (and lead) Ponytaur cleared her throat nervously. “Sir, if that’s what you want.”
“I want to make this trip as trouble free as possible. You are the experts, not me. If I knew more, I’d expect you to listen to my advice but, since I don’t, I intend to listen to yours. I won’t ever get mad at you for giving me advice. I may not use it, but I will listen.” He nodded to the lead pokegirl. “My name is Nicodemus Azrael. You may call me sir, or Mr. Azrael, but we all know that you belong to Bucket and I am not your master. Isabella will be along in a minute and you’ll get the chance to meet her, too. Both of us will be taming you. I suspect we’ll divide you up, so if any of you prefer women or prefer men, you might want to talk about it amongst yourselves. If you can reach a division on your own, it’ll make life a bit easier and maybe I won’t screw up your hierarchy by making random choices.”
“You don’t care which of us you tame?”
“Not really. I’ve got a Rapitaur and Isabella has a Ponytaur, so we know what to expect.”
“Yes, sir. Letting us decide will make things easier for us.” The lead Ponytaur glared at the others. “You heard him. Let’s get this right and we might get rewarded with being the second wagon.”
Nicodemus frowned and glanced at Isabella as she climbed on the wagon. “Is second wagon important?”
The lead pokegirl nodded. “Yes, sir. Tarquin will always have the first wagon, but the second wagon slot is open to the best team and driver. The farther back in the line you go, the more dust you get to eat from the ones in front of you.”
“I see.” Nicodemus grinned. “Then second wagon sounds like the best place for us. Can we get it?”
“If you’ll let us, then yes. You’ve got a good team.” The lead Ponytaur glanced at the others. “Cerise has a tendency to slack off a bit, but Liz will keep her in line.” One of the other Ponytaur gave a third a nasty grin. “Yes, I think we can.”
“Then, let’s do it.”
Nicodemus Azrael – Coordinator
Ladyien – Lucretia
Thundrix – Elena
Umbrea – Ruth
Espea – Naomi (Royal purple)
Rapitaur – Tabitha – blood bay with gold feathers/mane – Clydesdale form, 17 hands high,
G-Poindexter – Brenda – Noncombatant
Whorizard – Hestia
Isabella Maria Carmen de la Vega Azrael – Master Tamer with storage rights
Ka-D-Bra – Kay
Amachamp – Ana
Ponytaur – Lily