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They appeared throughout Cabertown overnight. Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, they mainly went unnoticed. But their numbers grew and it dawned on the residents of Cabertown that Mayor Ravs would know about them soon enough.
One of the first appearances was at one of Cabertown's more popular restaurants. A waitress found the curious item on top of a "Help Wanted" sign, recently hung in the window. Due to unfortunate circumstances they were in need for a new chef. The waitress ended up just throwing the thing away in fear.
One night, not long after, a visiting amateur detective also had an encounter. Detective Nilesy was creeping around the back of the town's infirmary seeking clues to the disappearances of Cabertown residents. Earlier in the day a resident had told him the infirmary seemed suspicious. The Scotsman flipped through his notebook, past all the other locations he had been told seemed suspicious.
'It's almost the whole bloody town,' he mused.
His thoughts were interrupted by something soft landing on his head.
"Wha-?"
Nilesy plucked the small, tan object out of his hair. He blinked in confusion at the face that looked back up him. Glancing up, the amateur detective tried to locate its source. Moonlight filtered through the clouds, but showed him nothing about where the thing had come from.
"I wonder if Ravsy has seen this yet," Nilesy said to himself.
The raven-haired man didn't have the chance to break the news to the mayor. Early the next morning Ravs was enjoying a large plate of eggs Benedict, sausage, and toast (Benedict had been a very annoying vegetable salesman with a loud cart that woke Ravs up after a night of "light" drinking). Gulping down the rest of his coffee, the mayor felt the last vestiges of his hangover slip away.
The door to the dining room creaked open and Jeeves poked his head in.
"Em, Mayor Ravs? We may have a situation."
Ravs cocked an eyebrow. "What're you talking about?"
The short golem sheepishly entered the room carrying a covered platter. The mayor's bodyguard sheepishly deposited the serving dish onto Ravs' desk. The Scotsman eyed it curiously. He had just eaten and didn't remember ordering seconds.
He lifted the silver domed cover off the plate and cursed.
"Where did you find these?" Ravs growled through gritted teeth.
The usually imposing Jeeves shook with fear. "The workers found a large pile of them outside the Cabtertown mines!"
Ravs held up one of the Ravsioli lookalikes. Whereas the mayor's image had been previously recreated on pasta, someone had now replicated the same spectacle with yarn. He looked down at the pile of knitted Ravsiolis.
"Who did this!?" the mayor exclaimed. "Who even has time to do this?!"
Jeeves handed him a piece of parchment. "This was found with them at the mines." Ravs read it out loud:
"'I know about your heinous crimes,
Oh which no one will say,
I'll stop what happens in the mines,
Sincerely yours, signed YTK.'"
"Who or what is a YTK? Why are they rhyming?" asked a flustered Ravs. "Ah can't have anyone stopping the mines! Ack. Jeeves, Ah want this cryptic crocheter found and-"
"Knitter," Jeeves interrupted. "I believe the Ravsiolis were knitted."
"Fine! Tell all my guards and officers: Ah want them to find and capture this … ne'er-do-well knitter-"
Jeeves harumphed.
"This … neurotic knitter?"
The bodyguard shrugged his shoulders.
"Oh, whatever! Find YTK and bring them to me!" ordered Ravs. "Ah have plans for them and revenge is a dish best served medium rare!"
The two looked at each other.
"My wordplay is off today," the mayor admitted.
***
A lone figure looked out over the desert village on top of the highest, four-story building. She knew her presence was now known as regular armed officers patrolled below day and night. A sudden gust of wind whipped her red scarf around in the air, creating a streak of crimson in the night sky. The figure lifted a knitted mask over her eyes, hiding her identity, and brandished her sharpest needles.
The villainous underside of Cabertown had only just started to see what the one called YTK could do.