From this, we can probably gather that Fr’Nj and Scipio have done some talking we haven’t seen, regarding Fr’Nj’s uncertainties about her role in the group and the just-what-are-we-as-a-couple questions that Syr’Nj needled Scipio about. We’ll pick that thread up in Chapter 37.

I think Bedard is probably just needling Syr’Nj for his own amusement, not actually trying to manipulate her into taking on a risky mission that could get her bumped off, considering the offer he and others will make her later. On the other hand, Miyamoto is doing his best to be diplomatic here, but his hatred of Syr’Nj is already well documented. If Bedard had told Miyamoto, “We should tell her that if she doesn’t jump off a bridge, she’s insulting all the adventurers who would,” then Miyamoto would be like, “Would… would that work?”

That last panel is a treasure. What an expression.

Picking up from yesterday…

The last leg of the journey to Plattsburgh was a ridiculously long two-lane state road (one lane in each direction), where I kept getting stuck behind all sorts of idiots who didn’t know about the 9.5-mile-per-hour-over-the-limit rule. At this point in my sleep dep, I’d progressed beyond talking to Cardboard Box Man and just uttered random words and phrases under my breath, like I had a G-rated version of Tourette’s.

At least I got to see the countryside.

2 PM: Finally, Plattsburgh! Finally, the Plaza Center! The mall where Diamond Comics Distributors was! I’d say it was in a rundown part of town, but really the whole town looked fairly rundown to me. But what did I care? At last, my journey was ov—-

Where the hell was it?

I turned on my laptop, connected its phone charger, and started sucking juice out of one electronic crutch to feed the other. And I rechecked the GPS. It was supposedly here… but all I saw was a Dunkin’ Donuts, a Dollar General, and a supermarket.

Could the internet have lied to me? The truth… tomorrow!