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((The Father's Day Special -- page 1 of 24))
Chort's equine form bristled, and its eight legs shifted positions--nervously, perhaps? Pauline couldn't say she understood the mysterious creature's body language.

"You are... an archiver?" said Chort.

Lord Goffe deigned not to answer this time.

"Yes," said Chort. "That is why you demand knowledge from me, no? I did not think an archiver would have such an aura, but... yes, it must be so."

Lord Goffe was still remaining quiet. Thinking about his response? Or consulting his reaper?

The other humans were all still watching with rapt attention, the Lorentians in particular. The way they were ever so slightly leaning forward, the way their eyes moved back and forth between Lord Goffe and the Beast--Pauline wondered if they even realized what they were doing.

That older woman there was the Lorentian Secretary of State, wasn't she? Politicians sometimes had unusually strong auras of their own, especially the charismatic ones, but hers was almost imperceptible now, swept up as it was in Lord Goffe's aura.

But that man next to her. Ambassador Stoutamire. His aura was not quite so completely smothered. It still flickered faintly, though the man's body language was no different from those around him.

In fact, now that she was focusing, the only other auras that she could clearly sense belonged to him and that mysterious giant man among Lord Goffe's companions.

She would have to keep an eye on them in the future.

"You're right," Lord Goffe finally said. "I am an archiver. How were you able to tell that just from my aura?"

"I... do not know how to explain. It may not have been your aura. It may have simply been... intuition."

And Pauline was surprised. It was slight, but Chort's aura was diminishing.

Was it... afraid? Of what?