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Frontier Town Main Street

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"Nah, he's got terrible luck aside from findin' love," Dayle said dismissively. "Guess Gerome and I share that sorta thing, yep..."

He paced, looking thoughtful.

"I can tell you're puzzled by my amazing wiles. Don't worry, it's a mystery to many, perhaps even me! I just know that Alexander fool ain't too bad as long as you don't let 'im seep in at all. Then I just went to Gerome's bar, and it all got better..."
 
"You went to the bar and just felt better, huh?" That also struck Nova as strange. "Did you get anything to drink? Or maybe Gerome's wife and kid were in town?" They had been in town around the time Alexander was causing trouble, if Nova wasn't mistaken.
 
"Hmmm... Well, can't really say," Dayle said with a thoughtful hum. "Well, I'm gonna go over my steps again. I got in that scuffle with the Alexander fella, punched him and got away. Ignored all those... dark, deep thoughts, and tried fer those wounds to clear. They weren't. Then I went to the bar, talked to that cat, got punched int' the wall, hmm... Then Gerome helped me up, gave me an Oran er two, and I was good as new! Yeah, it was Gerome's berries, easy!"
 
Nova thought differently.

"Did you feel anything funny when the cat punched you?" he wondered. "Maybe a little, like, hot energy? Like the cat's paw was on fire?"
 
"No, no, it was electricity, I'm sure! And somethin' else, too, real hot... yeah. It musta been a special electricity, now that I think about it..." Dayle nodded thoughtfully. "Can't say I've seen a punch like that m'self before."
 
"I think that special lightning did it, then." Nova nodded slowly. Radiance did counter shadows and it was the Relic Fragment -- a source of radiance -- that ultimately purged Alexander's corruption from Archie and Koa. But for Dayle to have resisted it from the onset...

"Y'know, I wonder, if bonds could have something to do with it." Nova traced a circle in the ground, then doodled some awful dragon heads. "The people Alexander corrupted were on their own. Didn't really have anyone."

He erased the circle and drew two more. "But you were thinking of someone else." He drew a dotted line that stopped by the circles, then crossed it out with an X. "So, maybe that, uh, unity is how your mind's guarded."

Nova drew more circles in the ground. "Like, if you put enough heads together, you protect everyone's minds."
 
"Huuuh, I wonder..." Dayle thought about this, though it was hard to tell just how many thoughts could actually rattle around in there at the same time. "You might be onto something, Bossa. Yeah..."
 
"If that's the case... would you be willing to help us Wayfarers stop Alexander?" Nova asked. "We're trying a few different things to disrupt his plans so we can take the fight to him." He glanced at the campaign supplies Dayle was gathering up. "Like, when people tell tales of protecting the frontier, they don't talk about the politicians. And certainly nobody back in the Commonwealth. They talk about the folks on the front lines. And we need a lotta heads for that."
 
"Hmmm..." Dayle seemed to be considering it with the same intensity he gave every other decision he supposedly made. "Yeah. Yeah! But y'gotta make sure Gerome helps out, too! I know he's sayin' he ain't interested in this kinda thing, but we gotta work together! If I wanna stay sane against someone like that... I need my rock!"
 
Nova resisted the urge to snrk at the double meaning. "I can certainly try talking to him. And it'd help if you could pass this advice to the other Wayfarers. They have... rocks of their own by now."
 
"I'll do what I can," Dayle said with a salute. "We'll take down this angel of Psychic death as soon as possible with my help! We'll be unstoppable!"

At least he was happy.
 
"Careful now," Nova chided. "You and I both know those psychics prey on emotions. Get too overconfident and they'll worm their way into your head." He reared up on his hind legs and wiggled his talons menacingly.
 
"Right, right." Dayle noded fervently and stood straight. "Well. I'm gonna make some final preparations and make sure the wife is prepared for my departure." He crouched. "'Ntil then!"

And he... jumped. About three blocks away. In one leap.
 
Nova watched him go. His beak opened slightly. "So, did Gerome pass power onto him?" he wondered. "Or is he descended from someone, too?"

He'd have to think it over. In the meantime, Nova guessed he'd have to follow up with Gerome.

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