Liya sat at a workbench across which the objects were strewn, quietly polishing a plain ring made of hammered coppery metal until it shone. She held it up and squinted at it in the low light.

"Ah, hallo, Liya!"

She looked up to see that Milou had entered the room, smiling at her vaguely as they set down a bag full of papers and other things on the back ledge, under a small shuttered window.

"Oh, hey, Milou," Liya answered. "Where ya been? I ain't seen you in a few days."

"Ah," Milou said keenly, and extracted a sheet of paper, which they handed to her. "The du Cuppra are working on a secret project."

"Oh yeah?" Liya took the paper and regarded it curiously. It was a flier, written in Aetherian with the translation printed below each line, and it featured a map of the city's circular boroughs, dotted with little points of luminous red. The top read 'ARE YOU MISSING SOMEONE?', and below the map were a series of lines:

'EVERYONE IS. EVERY DAY AT LEAST ONE PERSON IS TAKEN BY SLAVERS.'

'WHY IS NOTHING DONE ABOUT IT?'

'WHERE IS R.I.T.?'

'FIND OUT.'

Liya read this uncomprehendingly. "...What kind a' secret project?"

"You will see!" Milou replied. They leaned on the workbench on their elbows, looking at what Liya had been polishing. "But let me see! What have you made? A ring?"

"Oh," Liya said, somewhat sheepishly, and passed the ring to Milou. "Uh, yeah. Nothin' fancy, but it took a few tries to get right..."

Milou held up the ring, closing one eye to study it. "Well, it seems to have come out well in the end," they said, and handed it back. "Good job."

"Thanks," Liya said, grinning shyly.