=== Lapis & Fogado === --- C --- [Fogado] Ah... What am I going to do? [Lapis] About what, Prince Fogado? [Fogado] Oh! Hey, Lapis. You know I'm in charge of the Sentinels, yeah? [Fogado] We've got a real thorn in our side. A group of rogues making trouble by an oasis in Solm. [Fogado] They're a slippery bunch. Even with our numbers, we can't stamp them out. [Lapis] Have you considered making a device that will get rid of the rogues for you? [Lapis] You know─something that can drive them off without you having to lift a finger. [Fogado] Hm, not a bad idea. But I don't know anyone who could make something like that. [Lapis] Me, of course! [Fogado] You?! [Lapis] I'm pretty crafty. Ever since I was young, I've been able to make everything I needed. [Lapis] So...yeah! I bet I could whip something up. [Fogado] All right... Let's give it a whirl. Tell me if you need any materials. [Lapis] See if you can find any trash or tree branches lying around. That ought to do it. [Fogado] What? Really?! [Lapis] Yeah! The sooner you get that stuff, the sooner those rogues will be out of your hair. [Fogado] Um, all right. I'll go trawling for...anything that looks useful, then. [Fogado] Me? Desperate? No, I'm just trying to solve my problems with a big pile of trash... --- B --- [Lapis] Prince Fogado, look at this! [Lapis] I've put the finishing touches on my rogue- repelling device. I call it...Fogado Mark II! [Fogado] It's...a dummy that looks like me. [Lapis] Exactly. Turned out well, don't you think? [Fogado] Actually, yeah. In silhouette, it bears quite a resemblance. [Lapis] Doesn't it? [Fogado] You made all this from random scraps of trash? I'll admit, I'm impressed. [Lapis] I couldn't have done it without your help collecting materials. [Lapis] It did take a couple tries to get right. My original prototype actually...exploded. [Fogado] I...see. So you're going to set this handsome─ possibly explosive─fella up at the oasis? [Lapis] Exactly. But it wouldn't be very effective if it just stood there stone-still, so... [Fogado] Hold up. Did it just... [Lapis] Yup! It moves with the wind. Nifty, right? [Fogado] Uh...yeah. Very nifty. [Fogado] As much as I admire the craftsmanship, do you really think this will scare off rogues? [Lapis] In the right light, I think it will be quite intimidating. [Fogado] Ooo, but if they get close enough, they'll see that it's not real. [Lapis] Come to think of it, you may have a point. [Lapis] It's based on effigies in my hometown used to scare bears. I've never tested it on people. [Fogado] You know what? It's worth a shot. I can't say I have any better ideas. [Lapis] All right, then. Hopefully it does the trick! --- A --- [Fogado] Lapis, guess what? Your device worked like a charm! [Fogado] With that thing's help, we caught every last one of those rogues! [Lapis] Oh, really? [Fogado] Yup. You did say that this device was great at warding off bears. [Lapis] Yes... [Fogado] It worked. That thing caused quite a stir among animals inhabiting the oasis. [Lapis] The animals? But we were hoping to spook the rogues, not the local wildlife. [Fogado] Well, as you can imagine, a horde of agitated tigers and gators sent the rogues running. [Fogado] As soon as they were out in the open, we swooped in and captured every last one. [Fogado] It was a perfect mission, all thanks to you! [Lapis] I guess we achieved the result we wanted... even if the process was a little unorthodox. [Fogado] Pat yourself on the back. At the end of the day, it was well made, and it did the trick. [Fogado] Now tell me, do you have devices like this placed around your hometown? [Lapis] Yes. We use a variety of devices to repel bears from my village. [Fogado] Yeah? How about you take me to see them in person? [Lapis] Huh? Why? [Fogado] I'd like to take a closer look. Bet I could learn a lot about creative defense strategies. [Lapis] I'm not sure how helpful it will be. [Lapis] But if you do want to visit, you should wear a disguise so no one knows it's you. [Fogado] All right! It's a date. [Fogado] Hm, what disguise should I wear? Maybe some bear fur? [Lapis] That might not be a good idea, unless you want to get turned into bear stew... --- S ---