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The idea had been brewing, even before Ekstrom had mentioned finding another knight to bring him to the border’s edge of Hamelin. There just hadn’t been enough information yet, at least not confirmation that those vials hadn’t been some sort of trick. That didn’t mean he fully trusted Ekstrom either, but the woman didn’t seem like she had been hiding anything with how she’d reacted to his mention of the things and the snippets of what he’d seen.

It felt fitting to stand at the edge of the water at the reservoir, looking out at the ripples as rain started to fall. It wasn’t going to be much of a storm, that much he knew, but he still waited until the downpour was more of a trickle before pulling that card out.

Someone who he was certain could bend certain rules of the universe, though the how was beyond him. Right now, it didn’t matter as long as they could get him where he needed to go.

The layout, even if it was from before the flood, was readied in his notebook as well as sketches of the things that he’d seen from Ekstrom’s wonder. She’d done so well, trying to help him, as she thought this had been the first step towards him joining the other side of this all. There were other reasons why he wouldn’t be able to, as he’d told Novella and Alastor, but they were for show just as his disguise as a captain had been.

Tonight, he didn’t bother with it, at least aside from that medallion he kept thumbing. It hadn’t worn down yet, a miracle in his opinion, as he had the feel of its engraving worn into his memory by now. Still, he had no clue as to what it meant, but he could ask that curious question of his as well to the person he waited for.

“Not long now,” he said as he looked up through a break in the clouds at the night sky. That curious excitement bubbled up in his mind at what he might find and what was so important that Hamelin had been running through what seemed like the end of their world to hide. That would be his main focus; his secondary focus would be about how he might get back there while still on the correct side of all this.

Turning back to look, he couldn’t say he was surprised by their disdain for the weather, even if it wasn’t a normal reaction he’d seen before. The umbrella was a surprise, though, and he looked up at it as it blocked what he barely considered a sprinkling of rain.

It hadn’t been that bad, not compared to some nights when he was out, even now, his hair really hadn’t gotten too wet with how little time he’d been waiting. “Oh, the weather is just fine, much better than the last time you were around and helping, if I had to say.” However, he did take a moment to fix a few wet strands of his bangs before continuing. “No, not just for an umbrella, a few questions, and then, if you can, I have a place I need to be that has been… quite vexing to get into, unfortunately.”

At that, he did move back minutely and pulled his notebook out to thumb through. Sketch after sketch of the layout of the place, the symbols, and important objects he’d seen with Ekstrom’s help. But thinking on things, and how it was best to give credit where it was due, he did look back up from the notebook to Almadel.

“I will say, I appreciate the offered help during that storm. A friend of mine let me know you were interested in artifacts, though I was unsure if that extended to instruments. If it does, and you are alright with a wait, I can bring you something the next time you find yourself this way.” He’d had a few ideas, none that would particularly be of trouble for him to make alongside other orders that he managed to work on in the small spurts of free time in his schedule.

“But that is for another time, for now, I am curious if you have heard of the Earth folk tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin?” From what he’d seen so far, there was little connection between that tale and the wonder, but he hadn’t met someone around long enough to really validate that. Not that he was quite sure if Almadel was that old either, but given the nature of the museum, the merchant was at least somewhat more of a reliable source than others he’d spoken with thus far.

Keeping the notebook open to the sketch of that painting, the one that he knew had some sort of safe or at least a secure location behind it, he looked down at it for a moment more as they looked as well.

While he hadn’t met this merchant one-on-one before, he could work with the curiosity they had over what he’d said so far. So with a smile of his own, he looked back up and wasted no time. “Of course, that is what keeps stories alive—the nuances and changes that happen across people, places, and, of course, time. On Earth, there are a few different endings to the folk tale, depending on which version is read or listened to. It is quite fascinating, though, how a man could not only lead rats, but also children, away from a village. Perhaps if the agreed-upon amount of payment had been given to the piper, then things might have been different, and only the rats might have been led away.” He’d looked into some of the history of things, though it was far out of his own wheelhouse of knowledge and information. History was something he looked into as needed, but not with as much of a fine-tooth comb as others who worked in that field might.

Shaking his head slightly, he absentmindedly ran a hand over his coat, feeling the edge of his fife through the layers of fabric. The odd coincidence of things settling in more with each new bit of information. “The vexing place I have sketched out and have seen in glimpses of the past is Hamelin. But not here on Earth. The Hamelin I need to visit is on Neptune. There are some things there I need to collect for myself, of course if there are things there you find interesting, do let me know.” Even if he wasn’t Hamelin now, he had been, and everything there was just out of reach. How unacceptable.

“I could make you a stringed instrument; those are my specialty. But I have crafted a few fifes and flutes as well while testing out different techniques with wood and stone.” If they were going to help, which at least they seemed curious enough to go along with this, then he had no problem feeding their curiosity and making something for them in return.

As they mentioned other things in their collection, he felt like it would be an avenue he could pursue to perhaps convince them for a return trip or at least more information in the future, considering how they seemed to be able to get nearly anywhere. He was a bit envious of them on that front, but he had so many things to take care of here, most of which needed his close attention.

“I could offer my services on restoration, depending on what in your collection needs attention. I am certain we could figure something out, though, in the future.” Closing the notebook, he tucked it back into his coat’s breast pocket. Of course, he could send it away to subspace, but he liked feeling the weight there; it was reassuring, much as the fife being on his person was.

The mention of a storm did spark the smallest worry, but he didn’t let it show on his face as they continued. “That would be good, if you have the time now. Let us hope that the weather is a bit better there than on your last visit to Neptune. Given the fact that Hamelin is cut off from me, I cannot say with any certainty that it might be in the best condition if there is a storm still raging.”

More unknowns, but given what he had heard about things being dead out in space, he figured that the weather being poor would be an acceptable risk since there wouldn’t be any live creatures or, hopefully, ghosts around.

“I saw some things, both in a database and through my own past experiences. There are a few things I need to retrieve from there, but I prefer my current position and my personal life. Neither of which I would like to have changed in order to travel there. Curiosity, I would say, is my main motivation for this, but I can also say I have made it a hobby of mine to see other worlds as well. I have started my own little travelogue through the places I have wandered out there. Though the number of places I have been is quite small compared to your travels, of course.”