<meta name="LineWrap" content="true"><TITLE>SR_Bk1 0033</TITLE><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0034.txt">Next (Page 34)</A><BR> But that thing's like on fire--isn't it just the opposite--hot?"<P><P>"Frost flame, it's frost flame. A fire which burns cold. Nothing like it on Earth. This delimiter preserves it from wherever it came from. But you wear it like a vest, and you can wield the flame to do a lot of useful stuff."<P><P>"Won't I freeze?" Daptin asked.<P><P>"No--you'll assimilate to it soon enough. The wearer doesn't get very cold, and you can regulate the flame. The best part is you can shoot it out, extend it, y'know, basically wield it. I figured since Fake got the cinder block I'd give you this. Lucky I found it before someone else bought it."<P><P>"Well, what the hell. I dislocated myself from the world with popcorn, why not don a cold-burning vest?" Daptin said as he took the frost flame delimiter from Confetti and put it on over his blue jacket. The gray flame danced all about him.<P><P>"Ooh, cold!" Daptin said.<P><P>"It'll always feel cold when you first put it on, but you'll feel normal soon enough. Here--do a test," Confetti said, holding out her half-full cup of soda. "Extend the flame to engulf the cup, to chill my soda."<P><P>Daptin pointed his hand toward the soda and willed the flame to reach outward. Jerkily, the frost flame licked the cup and quickly chilled it.<P><P>"That's all there is to it. If you can will the flame to do that, you can eventually learn to will it to do anything," Confetti said, taking a sip of her chilled beverage.<P><P>"Hmm. Now this I like. It's getting comfortable already."<P><P>"Well now we have a lot of stuff. I wonder if we can even carry it all," Fake said.<P><P>"Yeah. We have more than enough stuff for the mission. I guess we should get going soon," Daptin said.<P><P>"Well here, before you go, take some caviar," Confetti said, placing several glass containers of caviar on the countertop.<P><P>"Okay Confetti, what special properties does the caviar have?" Daptin asked. "Does it turn you into a finch? Teleport barrels? Do sky writing?"<P><P>"No, it's just ordinary caviar, compliments of the house. We always have lots of it around. Nothing weird," Confetti said.<P><P>"Hmm. Interesting," Fake commented.<P><P>"But if you ever do want to turn into a finch, or teleport barrels, or do sky writing, stop by again and I'm sure we'll be able to accommodate you," Confetti said with a smile.<P><P>"I'll remember that," Daptin said. "But the clocks--they're sort of like sky writing. Y'know?"<P><P>"A little. I guess you could carve writing into one. I never saw it done before, but it's certainly possible," Confetti said. <P><P>"Well--so how do we pack all this stuff up?" Fake asked.<P><P>"Okay, let me add this up," Confetti said. "There's the cinder block, which I can see you're very happy with, Fake. Then there's the socks, and the fucking morons, and the great gross of slay balloons. Okay. And the marker--now Daptin, be extremely careful with that thing--they've been known to topple office buildings, so just be cool with it. Alright? Okay--the situation grenades of course, the huge tin clocks, the free caviar, the frost flame delimiter you're wearing, the submachineguns. Now what am I forgetting? Oh yeah--three bags of goodbye popcorn, and--what else? I know there's one more thing..."<P><P>"Yeah, the special peas. Right?" Daptin said.<P><P>"Oh yes--one canister of conductor voice peas. These are great fun."<P><P>"Life of the party," Daptin said.<P><P>Confetti looked over the bill she had been writing.<P><P>"Okay, everything looks to be in order!" Confetti said with an approving expression. <P><P>"Yeah, but how're we gonna carry the stuff all the way over to the Caxopys?" Daptin asked.<P><P>"And how much does it all cost?" Fake queried.<P><P>"Don't worry about it," Came a voice from behind them. They turned to see the leather-clad Cursive Caxopy with a lit cigarette in her hand. <P><P>"Oh hi Cursive," Confetti said.<BR><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0034.txt">Next (Page 34)</A>