Chapter 7 - Baked Goods

                                        

                                              



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Tap
Tap
Tap
The persistent sound of tapping drew me from my half-asleep state. 
At first, I ignored it, thinking it was just a part of a dream. 
But when the rhythm continued—those dumb, sharp, irregular knocks—I finally opened one eye and turned toward the source.
A pigeon.
It was perched on the windowsill, pecking at the glass with an insistence that bordered on obnoxious. I stared at it for a moment, hoping it might take the hint and leave if I ignored it long enough. The pigeon,  however, seemed determined.
"Of course," I muttered, sitting up and running a hand through my bed hair. "Because why not?"
Dragging myself to my feet, I shuffled over to the window and slid it open. The pigeon hopped in as if it owned the place, fluttering to the floor and revealing a small, tightly rolled note tied to its leg. A carrier pigeon.
I crouched and reached for the bird, which tilted its head at me, its beady eyes unblinking. "Stay still," I said, though I wasn't sure why I bothered. 
It wasn't like the pigeon understood me.
After a brief struggle with the bird's leg and its apparent desire to make my life harder, I untied the note and unrolled it. The handwriting was unmistakably Faust's—loopy, slightly chaotic, and unnecessarily theatrical.
Then again, I'm not an information broker with links to all criminal activity across the walls.

─── 
Kiyotaka,
I've arranged for a small detour on your way back from Shiganshina. You'll pass by a storage house where some people I'm in contact with need assistance moving a few things. Your wagon should have enough space for the job and should be en route to where the goods are needed.
Consider it a favour to me, and don't worry—I'll make sure you're compensated handsomely. Just get it done.
Yours truly,
Faust
P.S. I'd recommend not asking too many questions. It'll only make things more complicated. Who am I kidding? You barely talk in the first place.


─── 


I read the note twice, then stared at it for a few seconds longer, the paper crinkling slightly in my grip.
A detour. Of course. Why wouldn't there be a detour? And the P.S. How rude.
The last part about money caught my eye. Payment. Faust always knew how to make things seem slightly more appealing. But as I reread the message, the timing of the delivery struck me as suspicious.
I  sighed, leaning against the windowsill. 
"Did he arrange for the driver  to call in sick, too?" The thought seemed absurd, but with Faust, you could never be sure. 
On my way back from Shiganshina? 
Looking at the paper once again, I cross-referenced it with the map I had of the Walls. I would be taking a longer detour from Shiganshina District to the left and then move into Krolva District on the left side of Wall Rose. There, I would drop off the 'goods' and return to Orvud.