Heads turned as the Inn's door opened to admit yet another strange newcomer. This one was about four feet tall, and quite obviously not human. No blood pumped through this creature's body. It seemed to be made up of random items and bits of metal. Some of them looked as if they might be found in a magician's workshop, and others were simply ordinary household items. Its eyes were two shiny metal bearings, its left arm a candlestick. Part of its chest was made up of a frying pan, with a large letter somehow 'Q' attached to it. Next to the 'Q' were two smaller letters from a printer's press: a 'k' and an 'i.' It moved slowly into the room, gazing in open wonder at the occupants of the common room. Its face was remarkably expressive, considering what it was made of - every emotion that crossed the creature's mind was clearly reflected in its features.
Qki looked around at the place he had just entered. People were everywhere, talking, eating, drinking. A group of people were standing around together, looking as if something exciting had just happened. Qki hopped up and down to try to get a better look around the taller patrons, then changed his mind as another interesting person caught his eye. So many people, he thought, looking at the faces. So many stories they'll have to tell! He was suddenly struck with an overpowering feeling of uncertainty. He was new to this, and he was afraid. What would these people do? He had seen only a few people, as far back as he could remember, and those weren't too friendly. He tried to look as unobtrusive as possible and sat down at an empty table. A nice woman came by, and offered him a drink. Qki shyly refused - ale wouldn't do much for him, of course - and she left before he could say anything else. She looked busy. Looking around some more, he brought out a small book and began to write in it with his his pen (it's actually his right forefinger!).
Tiny scratching noises drifted up from where Qki wrote in his book with the pen finger. His little metal conglomerate form hunched over the book as he wrote down what he was seeing.
"... all kinds of people are here in this inn. People look happy, sad, excited, bored... every emotion I know is here, but everyone has something in common. They're all sharing companionship, but I'm alone. I'm the outsider, but everybody looks so nice and friendly. I think I will like being here."
Qki felt something pulling at him and looked sideways. The man sitting alone at the next table had tossed his empty mug onto the floor. Qki could feel the mug calling him, echoing with the resonance he felt deep in his soul. It wanted to be a part of him. The construct picked up the mug and felt its inner energies melding with his own. He placed it at his left shoulder and bent back to his book, brimming over with a new feeling of indescribable contentment. His thoughts were interrupted when the nice lady who asked him about the drink came back. "Excuse me! You can't just take that mug. The Inn needs them." Qki looked up at her, uncertainty showing plainly on his features. "But - I can feel it, it wants to be me..." Seeing that he really didn't understand, her voice softened. "You can't just go around taking things from people, honey. That's stealing, and it's not good." Qki felt heartbroken. But he wanted to be good, so he removed the mug and handed it to the woman. He felt like he was removing one of his own limbs. "Thank you, dearie. I'm sure you'll find something else." As she walked away, she wondered what he was going on about. It wanted to be him? She didn't understand, and felt a little bad for making him feel that way. He seemed very innocent, but she really shouldn't let the customers walk off with the Inn's property. Qki felt the resonance fade as the lady walked back to the bar. The sense of loss passed quickly, and he looked back at his book as he thought about what the lady had said. He did want to be good. He decided that he would try not to steal things ever again.
"There's a man here, stuck in a big bubble. He's not moving. Maybe he's an outsider, too. I should -"
Qki looked up from his little book as he heard a beautiful melody coming from the other side of the inn. A girl with an angelic voice was playing and singing. Entranced, Qki shuffled over and watched slack-jawed as she finished her song. He really didn't understand what she was talking about, but it was such a nice song. She finished and looked up, and Qki clapped happily, making a little "chink-chink-chink" sound with his metal hands. "Play more! Play more!" he cried, hopping up and down.
After sitting in the Inn's common room for several days, Qki was beginning to get a bit bored. Since he didn't need to eat or sleep, he stayed in the room while others came and went. It was especially empty in the late hours of the night. Even the golem's favorite hobby of watching people and writing in his book was beginning to grow old. He tried walking around the town a bit, but it was somewhat depressing. Of course, he wasn't sure why, seeing as he hadn't really seen the town any other way. On top of that, he was worried about getting lost and not being able to find his way back to this little tidepool of light and humanity in the dark town. Qki decided he should find a new hobby, something to keep his mind occupied in those late hours.
Still sitting at his table in the Inn, Qki started thinking about that nice girl that had been playing there a while ago. Where had she gone? He looked around but couldn't see her anywhere. Maybe she had gone off while he was wandering the town. That song she played was nice, though. Something about the sisters of mercy, and giving shelter. Who was she talking to in the song? Qki hoped that someday he could be creative like that. Inspired, he began tapping a little drum beat on his table with his metal fingers. "De do do do..." he hummed. At the next table, a rough-looking man looked up from his ale and pierced Qki with an icy stare. The little golem immediately stopped tapping. If he could have blushed he would have turned a bright red, but as it was, he slid under the table in pure embarrassment. As he did so, however, he noticed a little scrap of paper that was lodged into a crack in the table. It must have fallen down there at some point. Interested, he sat cross-legged under the table and unfolded it. Life was starting to pick up! It was a note for him! He guessed that this person "Mosley" that had left the note was the singing girl from before, because that was the only person he had talked to except for the waitress, and she was still there. She wouldn't have left the note. He decided to take Mosley up on the offer, even though he didn't need to eat. There was a map on the back of the paper, and from his earlier wanderings, he thought he'd be able to find the place. Qki crawled out from under the table, earning a strange look from the couple that had just sat down there. With one last look at the Inn, he set out into the great unknown in search of Mosley's house.
Qki shuffled through the streets toward Mosley's house. Now that he was almost there, he began to be plagued with doubts. Was that note under the table for him? There could be some other Qki that it was meant for. Maybe she would see him and decide he wasn't a good person. Maybe she would make him go back to the Inn. Or what if she wasn't a good person? He almost turned around and went back, but there was her house.
The little golem looked uncertainly at the house, and made a decision. He stepped up to the door and knocked. Nothing seemed to be happening, so he knocked again, and looked in one of the windows. Where was Mosley? Was she hiding? He stood on the doorstep in an agony of indecision. What should he do?