h4Chapter 216: Grace: Inside the Wash-N-Were/h4

Inside the Wash-N-Were, several machines are in use, but no one’s inside.

A little strange, I suppose, but it isn’t umon for shifters to go for a little run while they wait for cycles to finish.

Still, it’s creepy to be in an emptyundromat.

Thankfully, Andrew’s staying in the car, though the animals are determined to follow me inside.

Sadie prowls around, sniffing every inch of floor as her fluffy tail swishes back and forth.

The white cat—still nameless, despite the many suggestions ranging from "Snowball" to "Death w"—jumps from machine to machine with effortless grace before settling on top of a washer mid-spin cycle. It curls into afortable ball, eyes half-closed, clearly preparing to sleep.

Super fucking helpful. A part of me had kind of assumed these two strange animals-but-clearly-more-than-just-animal-beings would be a little more help with the way they tagged along against my will, but nope.

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Just a mundane cat and a mundane dog, doing shit-fuck for my mission.

Ignoring them both, I take the time to do the most pressing assignment: shoving our disgustingundry into three separate machines. Thankfully, Wash-N-Were has detergent provided for those of us who forget to bring it (or don’t know where Lyre has it stashed).

Coins nk as I feed them into the slots, and the washers rumble to life, blending into the sounds of already-running machines.

I nce out the window. Andrew’s still in his car, head down, probably scrolling through his phone.

His loyalty’s wee, but confusing. He was Rafe’s shadow, his wingman, for years. I’m tentatively positive he’s a safe ally, but it still just seems... strange.

Loyalties can’t change so easily, can they?

Or were they never as close as I thought they were?

Whatever. I don’t have the mental bandwidth to solve that puzzle right now. I have a quest, like I’m some sort of video game character, but with less clues.

My phone feels heavy in my pocket. I pull it out and open the Divinity App, hoping for... I dunno.

Something.

Anything.

A notification. A message. A hint.

But there’s nothing, except a text about a 20% off sale for diabetic supplies. I don’t know a single person with diabetes.

Deleting the spam text with fierce prejudice, I nce around theundromat with a frown.

Investigate an artifact. Sounds easy, but... what the hell am I looking for? A magical sword hidden in a dryer? A cursed amulet taped under a folding table? A haunted sock ma that gathers missing socks from every washer and dryer in thend?

Who fucking knows.

Theundromat is bigger than it looks from the outside and incredibly clean, with signs on every machine exining how to use them. Rows of washers and dryers line both walls and a few folding tables stand in the center.

At the back, there’s a small alcove with vending machines and a bulletin board filled with self-printed business cards.

If the app won’t tell me what I’m looking for, I’ll have to search every inch of this ce myself.

I start at the back, beside the vending machines. The bulletin board is a chaotic coge of cardswn care services and babysitting offers being the most prevalent. For some reason, shifters hate taking care of theirwns...

I run my fingers along the edges of the board, feeling for anything unusual.

Nothing.

I check behind the vending machines as best I can without moving them, but all I find are dust bunnies and a single ancient peppermint candy still in its wrapper.

The bathroom door has an "Out of Order" sign hanging crookedly from a single piece of tape. I push it open anyway. The lights flicker on automatically, revealing a single toilet, sink, and a small trash can. I check under the sink, behind the toilet, even lift the lid off the tank.

Empty.

Back in the main room, Sadie has moved to the far corner, her nose pressed against the baseboards, tail straight as an arrow. The cat hasn’t moved, still perched on its washer, apparently asleep.

"Any hints?" I ask them both.

Sadie ignores me, intent on whatever she’s sniffing.

The cat’s ear twitches.

I move methodically down the row of washers and dryers, opening doors and peering into empty drums. As expected, there are no magic swords—or socks—to be found.

Not even a speck of lint.

I’m halfway through my inspection of the front counter when I notice something odd about the wall behind it. There’s a slight discoloration, a rectangr patch about the size of a sheet of paper that looks newer than the surrounding paint.

I lean over the counter for a better look. It could be nothing—maybe they patched a hole, or hung something there that waster removed. But in my new life of supernatural weirdness, coincidences are rare.

My fingers brush against the discolored patch. It feels slightly warmer than the rest of the wall. Interesting.

I press harder, and—nothing happens. It’s just a wall.

A random dryer dings and I jump about ten feet in the air.

Whoever the clothes belong to still hasn’t returned, though.

Giving up on the weird wall discoloration, I lean against one of the folding tables and stare at the ceiling.

Maybe I need to think more literally. Artifact. What counts as an artifact? Historical objects, items of significance, things people preserve...

Things people preserve.

My eyes dart over the wall with the bulletin board. I’d nced over the various photo frames on the wall, detailing boring things about the business’s first milestones.

And theundromat’s first dor earned.

I walk over and examine it more closely. The frame is nothing special—cheap ck stic. The dor inside looks ordinary too, if a bit old, which is to be expected.

I lift the frame off its nail. It’s lighter than I expected. Turning it over, I pop off the back panel.

The dor slips out, along with a tiny, folded piece of yellowed paper.

My heart beats faster as I unfold it carefully, but it’s nk, except for what looks like a weird maroon smear.

Damn it. I thought I was onto something...

Then my phone buzzes.

strong[MISSION SUCCESS: Acquired ’Blood of the Demi-Gods’. Submit sample for further testing.]/strong