Burnside eagerly raised her machete. (Patreon)
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"Ooh, ooh, pick me," she insisted. "I volunteer for this here dangerous deep cover mission! For the good o' the cause I'll valiantly place my life on the line!"
I raised my eyebrows and looked hopefully at the other three.
"I can't go!" Gretchen squealed. "Please, my Lord, don't send me out there. That angry mob almost killed Petunia and me! It was terrifying! I'll never have a good night's sleep, ever again!"
Clearly Gretchen was too skittish for this mission. I looked at Petunia.
"I mean, I maybe could do it, I guess," she shrugged. "But I'd rather, like, get some payback, y'know, kicking ass, casting spells and throwing hexes or whatever."
Nope, Petunia was calm but definitely didn't have the right energy for this. Plus, her manner of speech didn't resemble Didelphis' at all.
"What about you?" I asked, turning to Chloe. "You can fly away if things go wrong."
"O-oh!" she stammered. "I could, th-that's true. I've known Didelphis for a while. I-it's just that I've, uhh, never done anything like this before. D-deceiving an entire town, that's, that's something! And what if, what if I make a mistake and g-get everyone killed?"
She wasn't panicking like Gretchen, but she was obviously nervous. I wasn't confident that Chloe would hold up under pressure.
"Are you absolutely sure I can't do it?" Rebecca asked. "I should be able to pose as Didelphis without lying if I practice at it. We have two days."
"Enough yappin!" Burnside snapped. "Are you really gonna send these li'l girls out to do a grown femme's job?"
"Little?" Rebecca repeated, scowling down at Burnside.
"Height ain't everything," Burnside sneered. "Unlike the rest o' yall, I am an experienced agent. Believe it or not, I am capable of tact an subtlety. Just ain't my first choice, is all. Gonna be a disaster waitin to happen if'n you send any o' these greenhorns out on a mission with no trainin or nothin."
"You're a disaster waiting to happen," I pointed out. "I've known you long enough to say that with confidence. Can you restrain your violent impulses? Besides, Didelphis has distinct mannerisms and traits you'll have to mimic. You only met her once."
"What's there to know?" Burnside exclaimed. "That ol' crone only has four personality traits: She's proud o' bein old an ugly, she's obsessed with bakin, she cackles constantly, an she hates Oonagh."
"What if they ask you about Didelphis's past?" I countered.
"Why shoot, you been teachin Rebecca how to use Elfmind. Reckon now's a good time to put it to use. Just glamer her up to look like a random townie, an if there's history questions she can feed me the answers mentally."
"Yes!" Rebecca blurted excitedly. "That's an excellent idea!"
"Huh," I grunted, looking at Burnside with newfound ... admiration wasn't quite the word ... "That might actually work. Excuse me for a moment."
I lifted the Mumble-Mug to my face and tugged on the string.
"Ash, are you still there?"
"Can't dawdle about for much longer," Ash complained. "Have you selected someone else?"
"Burnside has volunteered," I stated flatly.
"Excellent choice!" Ash declared. I could almost hear him beaming through the mug.
"You really think so?" I asked.