The Siren's Curse

"Well That Escalated Quickly" is Our Family Motto

One week.

That's what Miranda said. She would give you an answer in a week. Well, it's been a week and you haven't heard from her. The waiting was making you anxious. You even lost some sleep worrying about what Miranda would do. Maybe that's why Uncle Sal asked you to head to the Duke to pick up an order while your uncle was fixing some issues at the Reservoir. Some equipment was malfunctioning and Heisenberg wasn't able to get to the Reservoir on account of a mission that Miranda sent him on. Something about keeping an eye on some potential candidates for Miranda's experimentation. He didn't want to leave but obeyed because what else could he do? Since there were some equipment malfunctions, the Duke didn't feel safe in the Gatehouse and he didn't want to get in the way of maintenance so his shop was set up near the Ceremony Site. He was able to leave a message taped to your door to let you and Uncle Sal know. It was very considerate of him. The walk up was fairly quiet, you think it helped that Decebal was next to you the entire time. Lycans wouldn't dare go anywhere near you or any of the Vârcolaci on account of how violent wither of you could get on a bad day. That day just so happened to be a bad day. You were irritated and sleep-deprived. Pretty much, you were ready to kill any unwanted thing that crossed your path. The Lycans were high up on that list. You were hopeful that a conversation with the Duke would cheer you up. You were right.

"Well, if it isn't my favourite alcohol distributor," the Duke laughed as you approached. "I see you've come with your pet and baring trading goods."

"That I have, Duke," you said. Upon hearing the Duke's voice and seeing his jolly form, your face shifted from a scowl to a smile in seconds. Just a few days ago, Heisenberg and Uncle Sal built a brewery for you in one of the shacks that were part of Uncle Sal's lab. He wasn't using the shack that often, it was a storage area more than anything. They completely revamped it, using Wadim and the Vârcolaci to move equipment and keep it a secret from you. Your birthday was a week from today and they wanted to do something special for you. Hell, they even got the Duke and Donna involved. The Duke gave Uncle Sal a hefty discount on equipment while Donna created some nice aprons and towels. You were gifted it only a few days ago and had already started creating a lot of alcohol. The Duke was your first customer since the fire and you were excitedly planning on selling some alcohol to the village again. It was your opinion that everyone deserved good alcohol every once in a while. "Double your usual order, correct?"

"Correct, Miss Moreau," the Duke said, smiling as you carried the crates over to him. "Thank you very much for all of this."

"I should be the one thanking you, Duke," you said, chuckling as you set the three crates next to the Duke's caravan. "The equipment is absolutely gorgeous and it works like a charm."

"I'm just glad that I can buy my favourite alcohol from my favourite distributor again," the Duke chuckled, pulling out a bag of lei. "Your uncle's order is right next to you. It's quite the hefty thing, is it not?"

"We're currently doing some repairs," you explained. "The sluice gates have been malfunctioning the past week and Heisenberg hasn't gotten a chance to take a look at them yet. He'll be back in a week or two but we can't have the Reservoir dry up." You picked up the crates of supplies and took them over to Decebal. Before your mutation, you would have had a very hard time carrying all of it but the Cadou gave you enhanced strength. It might not be as good as Heisenberg's but it was enough for the jobs you had. "We just need a temporary solution until Heisenberg can get a good look at it."

"You've really changed the Lord of Metal," the Duke hummed, leaning back. "The two of you have gotten quite close and it seems that has been able to bring him out of his shell. Kudos to you, Miss Moreau."

"Well, I can't say he hasn't changed me," you said, laughing a little. "You didn't hear this from me, but he's made me a lot more confident."

"I'm glad to hear it," the Duke said, pulling a cigar from his pocket. "I understand you have some maintenance to catch up on but would you like to stay and chat for a little while? I've missed your company."