Paginerk was drunk on wine at a party when the letter arrived by Shugo Express Mail. She read it and the news sat in her chest like a stone. Soronerk's camp had been raided by krall, it explained in a matter-of-fact language. There had been only one survivor, and it wasn't him. "Nyerk," she whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes. "Nyerk."
She stood before the Changanerk Council defiantly, glaring hard at Chirinerk. "But," she protested, "it was your fault he died. If you hadn't sent him there..."
"If he hadn't been too greedy," said Chirinerk, "he wouldn't have gotten in trouble, and I wouldn't have been able to take his seat on the Council."
"You'll regret this," she said. "I'll see the Changanerk Council monopoly broken!"
The entire Council laughed at her. "How will you do that alone? You haven't the business sense of a Kobold. Give up and go back to your parties."
The sign over the door, Freshly re-painted, now said "Wind Breeze Consignment Shop." Inside, Paginerk and Risinerk stood behind the counter, eagerly awaiting their first customer. "Hello, hello!" said Paginerk. "Paginerk welcomes you to Wind Breeze Consignment Shop! Best service, best service, akakak!"
"That's good," said Risinerk, "but try and sound greedier. You want them to think they're getting a good deal off you."
Six months later she stood before the Changanerk Council again, and again they laughed at her. "Why would we burn down your little shop?" said Chirinerk. "You're nothing, just a little furball who thinks she's fighting the Changanerk Council. But you're not fighting, your drowning."
"I found a way around your monopoly, you greedy fool, and you couldn't stand it. But I can pay my clients for everything they lost in the fire and more--with stock certificates for the Wind Breeze Transport Company."
Chirinerk stared at her in shock.
Paginerk didn't drink at all at the opening party, even when Risinerk shoved a bottle of wine into her paw and begged her to live a little. She played the busy little Shugo for her new Human board members, "akakak"-ing and "nyerk"-ing like they'd expect her to as she gave them a tour of her gleaming new airships.
When she heard the news from the crier in the street, it came as no surprise. The Changanerk Council had been pushing up Cube prices for months to cover for Yurenerk's embezzling. It was inevitable that Sanctum would push back, and now the Council was disbanded by Empyrian order. And so it came as no surprise either when the courier came to the door of her shop later that day asking if the Wind Breeze would become the new official provisioner of Sanctum...
