“You are insane,” Mitch declared as he joined Roy and me eating lunch. “I am?” “Is half of what you claimed last night true?” Mitch started emptying his lunch bag. He eats daily like I do on the full moon. “All of it,” I confirmed. “Are you serious?” “Sean never lies or makes things up,” Roy assured him, taking a bite of an apple. “Are you talking about that chat thing?” “Yes. The first few nights, things weren’t too bad, if you don’t count the body disposal, but last night they got a little wild bragging about crazy things they did. Did you really jumped off a ten-story building?” “Reluctantly, but yes. It was on fire.” “And there was no way out?” “Past the authorities who were looking for me, so I jumped.” “You fly?” Mitch asked. “Sure. I prefer first-class to coach, but who could afford it?” I started peeling an orange. “I meant without a plane.” “No. I broke my leg. It was four days until I got to safety. By then, it was mostly healed, so they had to re-break it to be able to set it.” “I still think you’re crazy.” Mitch was already done with his sandwich and was eating broccoli pieces. “Many people do, but how do you tell the sanity of another species?” “Are you really that different?” Mitch asked. “Yeah, you look a little different, and you do magic, but is there much else?” “More than you realize.” I eyed the broccoli I couldn’t eat because of its iron. “And our ways of life are quite different. It took me a while to learn to act like a human.” “But you said you spent several months a year in Denmark while growing up,” Roy protested. “I did. But I was a little kid. I was kept away from humans as much as possible, and elves pride themselves on not picking up human ways.” “You fit into the chat group well,” Mitch said. “Um, thanks?” Roy laughed. “They’re a bunch of nuts?” “Sean warned me to run my first day. I should’ve listened. Now, I’m learning CGI so I can fit in.” “Don’t forget about googling how to get rid of bodies,” I reminded him. “Is that where you get your ideas?” I shook my head. “I’m over a thousand years old. I’ve learned a few things.” “Well, Froggy and Princess aren’t so old. We’ll be finding who they are and if either might be our man.” “Already? You’ve only been going in there for a few days.” “I made copies of the conversations and showed them to the chief who showed the judge. They’re getting antsy because we’ve been getting bodies every seven or eight days. It won’t be long before there’s another. “The judge is almost ready to say your magic is admissible. I think getting it reversed in appeals is all that’s keeping him from doing just that.” “I’m sorry that I didn’t catch the link sooner. I should’ve seen it after we found the body in the river, if not the one with the quicklime.” “This shows why you don’t push yourself to exhaustion,” Roy pointed out. I nodded. “I’ll let you know what we find at those places,” Mitch promised. He grinned. “I’ll let you know if either is worth flirting with.” “Princess is married. I don’t go that route. And Froggy is involved with Morisis. I’d hate to break up a happy couple.” “Sean is turning down women?” Roy raised an eyebrow. “I’m not that bad. I only sleep with single women, assuming I know they’re single.” “Uh-huh.” “I have no desire to ruin a family.” Roy struggled to open a packet of chips, so I summoned a knife and handed it to him. Mitch did a double-take. “How many weapons do you have hidden in there?” Roy frowned at the knife. “This is the third knife you’ve lent me.” “That knife is a silver alloy, not mithril. It’s safer.” Roy had almost cut himself with the last knife I lent him. “How many knives do you have?” “I don’t know. A half dozen or so. I just keep storing them. I also have my sword, bow, arrows, a battle-ax, a quarterstaff, a shield, and my armor in there.” “And you can have any one of them come to you?” Mitch asked. I nodded. “It just takes a thought.” “Can you store other things in there?” “Up to a point. It’s only so big. The compartments are difficult to make, especially to be accessed here, as well as Underhill. It took me a while to make mine. I think it’s pretty well full now.” Roy returned my knife, and I sent it away. Mitch stood, done already. I wondered if he didn’t have a magic storage compartment too. “I need to go. I’ll let you know what we find. And I’ll keep you out of it if possible.” “Thanks. Those are my friends.” I didn’t like even pointing them out as suspects. But people were dying, and it had to be stopped. Mitch nodded and left. “Well, elf-boy, ready for more time with your dolls?” “Sure. I’m thinking about talking to the chief about you learning it too. Just in case something happens to me. I doubt they’ll let you back in the field with that arm of yours.” Roy did his best to hide it, but I could tell it gave him trouble sometimes. “My arm is fine.” “If you say so. What happened?” “Nothing.” “Fine.” I didn’t believe him, but I didn’t push either.