Chapter 598: Chapter 598 - Servants Paid To Keep An Eye On Things - No, Not That! Ew...
"Lady Elua, I have a question."
The second servant’s voice came from the nearby bench, low and careful. Spoken at a volume meant to not wake a sleeping little girl, even if the conversations around them were already much louder than her. Back straight and knees together, the surface of her lap had become a headrest for Onya... until she folded herself more like a cat laying entirely across her former nursemaid.
While El tended to rest in wild positions when fully comfortable, her sister was actually the opposite. She only sought out this configuration in her sleep because nodding off without her well used Ogre doll - packed away in the rucksack - left her seeking it instinctively and settling when it could not be grabbed for. At least if her hair was stroked the right way.
"Should the two of us take a different room in the car instead? I think she will want to rest for a long while more."
Too excited to close her eyes at all the night before, the wait had wholly undone that child’s phantom-energy. Her new white bag, filled with a few personal items from home on top of everything bought for her recently, was propped on the other side of the bench where her feet wouldn’t kick it. Right beside where Elua and Klaytei stood chatting.
"I would rather have her in reach. Even if it means you must intrude on my spouse and myself."
"Of course, I’m sorry for the suggestion."
The brunette’s gaze stayed on the sleeping child a moment past the answer.
"In fact, that is the whole of the reason why you are even coming, Aurehl. I will say it plainly in case my parents used simpler explanations. I love my sister past what some would call good sense."
"She looks up to you what some would call the same."
"...Yes. However, I would also be lying to claim I cannot be pulled clean off of watching over her, as will be needed... by the simple fact of my Qat being in a room with me."
A faint heat that the servant woman did not bother to hide crossed her cheeks. She knew, quite intimately, what the Patriarch and Dame of the house could be like and had thought of that as comparison. She had honestly been unsure about taking this trip as ordered, even if the Bloody Duelist whom she admired - far past platonic levels - would be coming to the same territory quite soon to oversee work on her Guild.
Because while she had no lust toward Ondua er Goltbred himself (and therefore had no reason to be fired all these years), he was a very integral part of what made the beautiful reddish-blonde woman happy. Yet he would be too busy to visit for some time to *make her happy*... and Aurehl’s complicated and unrequited feelings for her mistress were well and degenerate. Far past any intense moments of petty, *inferior* jealousy caused by some pure ideals on pedestals!
’She will be lonely... which means I will be lonely...’
And even if her eldest daughter and that former Yecine were apparently both women proper, as might have once been said to be the core of her taste? She still wasn’t really interested at all in secretly peeking in on any fun moments of theirs. Partly because she was sure there were no crawlspaces she could get away with it in the architecture in that region - but also because neither of them were Yatrel er Goltbred!
"I understand. Your sister will be taken care of."
"You might think you understand, but I am a hopeless case. Do not underestimate me. She merely has to be nearby and a grand portion of my attention goes to her as if it is but water finding the natural low place. Onya deserves a guardian that exists for her day-to-day who is not subject to that... particular nature. That is you."
"I appreciate the task, Lady Goltbred."
Elua said this to her knowing full well that this mortal had a set of irredeemable qualities. But the fact of the matter was that her sister seemed to be in good hands, outside of that ’unflaunted’ peeking problem. No matter what thoughts ran through the servant’s brain or feelings ran through anywhere else. Though the woman could have done a better job hiding back at the competition ground’s tents...
Frankly she simply didn’t want to think about it at all. Even knowing all about the hidden space that looked directly into her parent’s bedroom... and especially knowing her mother - a former member of a construction focused Guild - knew of it too. That had been a *very* short conversation that nonetheless threw *very* heavy chains around that particular talk’s memory.
Outside of resolving to check for cracks, crevices, and *heavy breathing rats* more often than she might ever have done in the past. El couldn’t let the peaceful era keep her from ’growing’ - there were always new things to decide were enemies to your happiness!
"The cultivation matters ahead with her will be mine to manage. While I am indisposed all other matters of her care are yours. And I believe that and some other things will require many adjustments going forward from your usual work. So prepare your heart for that."
Aurehl inclined her head, not really *understanding* but also knowing some minimal detail from her talk with Yatrel. It was then that Elua turned the rest of the way toward the woman she had actually come early today to speak with. The serious command tone of voice faded, leaving a lighter and sweeter one behind.
"Which leaves us, Klaytei. You should prepare too."
"I am ready to help."
The suitcase the woman had brought along had made that quite obvious. It seemed so heavily packed that the brunette had wanted to joke that she had stuffed her lover inside it against her will.
"No. I do not need a minder anymore."
"...Then that sounds a great deal like I am being dismissed."
"It is precisely the opposite. Your official duties are only changing shape. You stop being someone who follows me about and become someone I trust to inform me, through message or any means necessary... if a thing crosses your path that I would want to know."
Quickly enough, the novel reading enthusiast began to picture the archetype of the noble protagonist’s trusty aide. Who always seemed to know everything and often seemed to lead a variety of intelligence gathering organization, in secrecy.
’Sounds like a hassle...’
"My pay?"
"Keep your contract as a helper to the Goltbred house for now, when the house needs hands. Stay with Dima, stay with the Coiled Serpent, and stay close to the city your life is actually in."
"Sounds as though nothing much is changing other than that I will not get to serve you directly any longer."
Elua smiled at her before handing over a heavy token of goodwill. One of the triangular platinum pieces she made within the Exclave... while theorizing what could make a good high-end and coveted currency piece.
"Perhaps. But the subtle difference is that you become someone *I* keep rather than my parents. Thank you for your service until now. I look forward to seeing what moments of great aide you will be to me in the future."
Klaytei stared at the heavy ’coin’, tilting her hand and looking at the quite blue edges. Cobalt as an additive made the metal much simpler to cast, but also left a colored oxide that needed to be acid washed and/or polished off. Which she chose not to do on the thinnest parts for aesthetics. It also made the coin magnetic, which meant some merchants would be quite confused or uncertain if it was a cheap iron piece masquerading as platinum at first. Until they weighed it properly.
If one went even further in the examination, perhaps by using a jeweler’s loupe or in the right sort of sunlight, they would find a bit of iridescent metal sparkle caused by the presence of tiny osmium grains peppering the metal. A feature she included so that, even if smart metallurgists figured out the cobalt ratio, there would still be a solid maker’s mark that others should be fully unable to replicate for a long time.
The fact that it quite literally made the coins incredibly toxic to try and melt down was a... pleasant side benefit. Osmium Tetroxide formed rapidly when the heated rare-metal was also exposed to oxygen, subliming into vapor and causing almost immediate coughing and eye watering. As well as the awful feeling of sand scrubbing across your corneas.
Long exposure even risked severe lung damage and blindness. A potential situation that required her conscience - which is to say, Qat’s expected judgment - to then stamp the Old Tongue phrase for ’do not melt’ on its surface. If anyone ignored that, it was their own fault! A feeling which Klaytei herself could recognize by the bold placement.
"How come this object is quite pretty but also incredibly sinister?"
"Do not worry about it."
"No, I believe I will. I feel like I am holding a piece of history that people will claim I had the opportunity to prevent before it overtook the world."
In a place outside of the knowable cosmos, a Divinity or two - currently being nosy - had brief moments of amusement that the mortal woman had never come to the same conclusion... toward the baby she once thought ’a little odd’ being so quiet in her bassinet. That very heiress had no plans for world domination, but she also was quite amused.
"You have a very overactive imagination. Please do include those thoughts in any letters you send. Now, go on back to your day. You won’t be coming along with us."
Klaytei opened her mouth, but settled on a nod. Whatever arguments she could think of about already informing Dima that she would be gone for perhaps a month... faded away when she realized something. That she could just spend that month some other way. At least for today, it could be fun to sneak around and see how long it took for her to be caught spying on a beautiful cultivator.
’Since I think I am now being retained as a spy? I should train my skills. Yes. No other reason!’
"Am I interrupting the goodbye?"
Two folded twists of grease marked paper were held in one hand, containing something fried. Like a bouquet picked carefully... or perhaps trophies recovered from a difficult campaign. Qatrand had tried to get in line at one of the carts quietly, without making a big deal of it, but the owner had recognized her... and insisted she come to the front of the line.
Which saved no time at all for anyone - because then all of the customers in the surroundings realized that a famous Hero was just shopping alongside them. Where they could be approached and bragged about to! A feature of her Heroism that often made her avoid going out much when back in this city.
"No, it was done with. She has her new task."
"Good. Yours has the special spiced filling like you wanted."
Only after she had pressed food into her swooning wife’s palm... and saw her taking a happy bite before her mood could sour, did the swordswoman’s attention sweep toward the bench. Onya still snored in a way that made the blonde smile. She had caught her napping more than once when she came to check in on the Goltbreds and just to spend time in the place that her wife came from.
Of course, her mirth increased when the brunette leaned into her frame from the side, like a jealous pet. Even though what Qat was really thinking most about... was how her own wife had been laying perpendicular, with her back across the tall woman’s lap this morning when they woke. All good memories she felt worth bragging about much more than her martial deeds had been praised.
She ate half of her own fried bread while waiting then made El eat the other half. Piece by slow hand-feeding piece, devouring instead of the food... the attention of the cute woman - right up until the stationmaster called for last boarding. It was to be a many hours long trip and her stressed mintdrop needed the comfort of feeling cherished far more than she did.
’Not that this is some solo-entry competition where only one of us wins... we work as a team. Though I’m not sure who our opponents actually are?’
Qatrand gil Yecine didn’t care, regardless - and that fact caused a tiny bit of swooning from the Silver Divinity, metaphysically grabbing an arm and smacking the back of her peeping-on-the-lower-planes partner while making high pitched happy noises. Partly because they both knew what was coming... thanks to one of their Astralisms and a rule to spoil the future only if it involved lots of Silver Element to bless unions at.
Just like at two certain disciple’s Exclave wedding...
