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	‘Looks like you’ve made a friend.’ Said Torn, though it sounded like he may have been half joking, turning his one eye to peer at Jack. 

‘Looks that way…’ Jack agreed, though he still didn’t know why. 

The Chilli, which looked identical to the one Jack had encountered earlier in the woods, was perched on the railing on Amber’s front porch. It appeared to be rather comfortable, body crumpled down like an accordion, feathers and scales puffed, eyes heavy like it was about to drift off to sleep at any moment. 

‘What did you do to her?’  Amber asked. 

‘What do you mean what did I do to it?’ 

Torn chuckled softly. 

‘I mean,’ said Amber, ‘a Chilli following a human is so rare it is almost a myth. And the only time they are said to do so is because the human has done something that the Chilli must think is worth becoming submissive to.’ 

Amber and Torn were keeping their voices low, Jack figured he better do the same. He said; 

‘But why are you so certain it is following me. It looks like it’s just stopped to have a sleep.’ 

‘[i]She[/i] is waiting for you,’ Amber said, ‘at a place where your scent probably lingers the freshest.’

‘She, then,' said Jack, 'but how do you know she's here [i]because[/i] she is following me?’ 

Torn said, ‘Because she is here.’ 

‘That’s right.’ Amber agreed. 

‘What?’ Jack was a tad confused. 

‘Chilli’s next to never come near human civilisation,’ Amber explained, ‘the fact that she is here at all speaks volumes. This is… it’s a momentous occasion. Unbelievable, actually. I never thought I’d see this.’

‘Agreed,’ said Torn. 

‘So what do we do then?’ Jack had to ask, ‘What does she want? What will she do?’ 

‘We don’t react surprised.’ Amber said. ‘We keep calm. We carry on as if she isn’t there. We go into my shop. We walk casually, like nothing is wrong. And we see what she does.’ 

‘Good plan,’ Torn approved, with a stern nod of his head, and remained standing on the road to watch pensively. 'May the divine ones grant you luck with that.'