Manfred needs new boots, you guys.
“I don’t understand it!” Emmrich says. “What do you keep doing with them?”
Manfred wriggles his bare skeleton toes and hisses unconcernedly.
“At least he brought one of them back this time,” Rook points out.
“That still doesn’t solve the mystery of where the other has got too.”
Mystery? Manfred perks up. He likes mysteries.
“Well we’ll just have to go to the converged city and have another one made,” Rook says practically. “Do you have his measurements?”
“You’re not fooling anyone you know. We stop in the converged city on every mission now because you need that popcorn that wisp makes. Of course I have his measurements.”
“It’s good, and you always eat half of it! Let’s go. See you, Fred!” Rook calls out, dragging Emmrich from the room.
Manfred does not mind. He has a Mystery to solve.
But when he gets to Neve’s room she is busy.
“I’m sorry, Fred. I can’t play with you right now. Why don’t you go find Assan?”
Manfred is ecstatic. Not only does Neve trust him to solve this Mystery on his own, she trusts him to lead his own team.
He selects a few of Neve’s more persistent wisps to accompany him, and goes in search of the griffon.
He finds him gnawing on a stone.
Hissing in alarm, Manfred immediately pulls him away from it. Emmrich has lectured him long and hard about the importance of good dental hygiene. And chewing things like rocks is RIGHT OUT. “Skulls with a full set of teeth are hard to come by, Manfred,” he always said.
Still, Assan is obviously having growing pains in his beak and needs something to gnaw on. Otherwise he’ll never be able to concentrate on the Mystery.
Manfred thinks. He can’t use one of his bones. He needs them. And Emmrich would be most unhappy.
Aha! Hissing in triumph he pulls the boot off of his left foot and gives it to Assan. The griffon takes it happily and they set off to solve the Mystery.
It’s alright. They’re bringing him a new boot anyway.
