It's the middle of the afternoon. Ika and Mako are at the house of Toby and Edgie, preparing their journey to the top of The Mountains. Ika is still learning how to properly communicate with people, so in the meantime Edgie and Mako have some time to themselves. "Mako, if you will?" Edgie's unwavering commitment to complete and utter neutrality was always baffling. Mako followed her to a platform she had ready. It was intricate, with frills on the outside in a kind of purple metal. It rises up past the staircase and stops at a purple door covered with plastic, glow-in-the-dark stars. Edgie opens it, inviting Mako inside. The room is much larger than you'd expect for a mage who sits inside all day. It's rectangular, longer than it is wide, but the corner right in front of the door is bent instead, a 45-degree angle connecting the two walls. The walls are similar shades of violet, though less saturated compared to Edgie's cloak. The room itself was pretty messy, adorned with candles on candelabras, a bookshelf of various gemstones and talismans (Mako wondered if it would be appropriate to label them as "talismen"), and scattered books on the floor. Edgie floated over to a book and picked it up. "This one might help." They handed it over to Mako, who looked at it with a strange sense of, "Is this going to be on the test?" They looked at the cover. *An Abridged History of the Dwarves*, written by... "Edgie, are you *sure* this is a real book?" Edgie looked over at Mako, curiously. "Why would it not be a real book? It is in your hands, is it not?" "Yeah, but it's written by 'I. P. Freeleigh'.", she said, slapping the book with the back of her palm. "Inkalos Peterich Freeleigh. He's a fellow mage." "Oh, really? What's his area of magic expertise?" "Raining small droplets of liquid gold onto opponents." Without a second thought, Mako opened the book. "What are we looking for, exactly?" "Truthfully, I am just bored." Mako raised her arms into the air. "Fair enough!" Mako flipped open to a random page, and began reading from the header. ``` == TRADE ROUTES == The Dwarves are known for their extravagant exports and imports. Their hard days of tireless work aren't for naught, as their exports of various quartz, gems, and metals are useful to the surrounding areas. The Metals are usually exported to The Human Residence and New Haven, since Human technologies are often mass produced with cheap materials. This is save for one type of metal - Wave. Wave is reserved solely for the denizens of The Neon Desert, as it has no use to anyone other than the tinkerers and workshoppers that live there. Wave, when combined with glass blasted from the purple sands, can create dazzling weapons and tools - but at a cost. The wielders of those tools are chosen by the tools themselves, and often reject anyone who does not understand their true purpose. The experimentation rages on, but still, nobody has ever quite found someone who can master any of the tools made out of Wave. The quartz are exported to Synth City, as the mechanisms being worked on there require prescision and timing, something that quartz can provide in spades. In exchange, both the Dwarves and the Synths are kept in peace, not nessecarily forbidden from interacting, but discouraged from fighting or trying to start wars. The gems, however, are the most annoying. To the dwarves, they have no practical value - forging weapons or tools with them are rarely useful, and gemstones are too brittle for any kind of structural support. Thankfully, a few Humans have taken to purchasing them in exchange for food and cloth. One particular Human, who always appears in shadow, always requests the bluest gemstones for themselves. They have become something of a notable figure, The Blue Baron. They are often traded for secrets - some big, some small, but usually something to assist the Dwarves in their survival and continued legacy. ``` "I didn't know the dwarves mined up quartz." "As the book demands, it is a vast export to Synth City. The people there are big on tinkering." "Oh, yeah... I think I heard about that once, in a commercial. '*Nobody gets it workin' quite like a Synth-in'!*' Something like that." "I wouldn't know, we don't partake in television." "Can't afford it?" "Monetary wealth is no issue to us. The waves just interfere with my casting. Incompatible protocols, you could say." "You're talkin' *way* over my head, Edgie." "They do not work well with each other." Mako looked Edgie right in the [[Eye]], but said nothing for a bit. "Are there any other books you might be interested in, then, Edgie?" They closed their eyes. One started floating over to them. They grabbed it out of the air without peeking, and handed it over to Mako. She looked over the title. "This is a manual on how to operate a TV remote." "You have a point to your accusation?" "You said you don't *own* a TV." "We do not." "So why do you have a manual for a TV remote?" "Came with the remote." Mako stared into Edgie's eyes again. A thousand questions, never truly answered by the young mage. Always deflecting... It irritated her, though she was already low on her [[Capacity]] for patience. But honestly, what could you do? She was going to be a vital aspect to the team later on. Truly an enigma to everyone.