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  [colpse]Spoiler[colpse]Chapter Sixty-Nine - Matters of Nobility

  Everyohered around the little table in the lounge for a spot of tea provided by Albert the butler. It was hough I could feel the looks directed my way by the members of the Bristlee family.

  The parents were mostly impassive, and I couldn’t really tell how they felt about us, but Erato was dht gring at me. Even Albert the butler seemed to look at me strangely from time to time.

  They would also all take some time to stare at the wand I had given Awen which was sitti of tea.

  The only one who looked my way with anything approag a positive expression was Awen. She had a small smile for me whenever I gnced her way.

  Though that might have been because I was a hero iale Abraham was currently spinning. “Ah-hah! And thetle Miss here yanked on the fore sail and had the Shady Lady spin out of the whale’s path! Just in time too, we were almost done for!” he said.

  The little boy, Callio 'ahhed’ in awe and I had to admit that did make me feel a little warm inside, even if Abraham was exaggerating a little.

  Missus Bristlee coughed to clear her throat and smiled our way. “May I ask what a young... Lady such as yourself and Miss Albatross here are doing all the way in Greenshade? It is rather out of the way.”

  I looked over to Amaryllis, but she shrugged as if to say ‘you take this one.’ “Ah well, we ran into a bit of trouble with the cervid and Abraham said that he was ing this way and that we could ride along with him if we wao. Oh, and Amaryllis is about to reach her css evolution and there’s a dungeon she wants to hit not too far away. I thought it would be o help her.”

  “Indeed,” Amaryllis said. “I’m aware that the areas around Greenshade are mostly explored already, but I sidered taking a small mission with the local guild, just to assist us with Guild credits iure.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Missus Bristlee said. “I’m surprised that a member of the Albatross eeded assistance from a humble citizen of Greenshade to e all the way here.”

  I blinked. Had she just called Abraham humble? That... didn’t parse. At all.

  “I wouldn’t borrow one of the family’s airships just to fly such a short distance,” Amaryllis said.

  “Wait,” I said. “You have airships?”

  She huffed. “Broccoli. My family owns the third rgest airship stru pany on Dirt. Of course we have our own ships.”

  “Cool! Could you get me a dist when I buy one?” I asked.

  She rolled her eyes, but I had the sense she was a little amused. “I suppose. I’ll ask my sister, she runs that side of things now. I’m sure you could win her over with a bit of cajoling.”

  Using your charisma to trick people into doing things was wrong, but owning an airship retty much the coolest thing a person could do. It was a moral dilemma I would o think over when I had more time.

  “We should be heading out soon,” Amaryllis said. “It’s approag mid-day aill have much to do.”

  “Of course, of course,” Missus Bristlee said. “You will of course return here for the night. I won’t have such distinguished guests sleeping in an inn of all pces.”

  “That’s awfully kind of you, Missus Bristlee,” I said.

  “It’s tess, actually,” she said with a bit of a titter.

  “Oh. Uh,” I said. “Sorry. I was never good at keeping track of that kind of thing. Back where I’m from I could just call a tess Miss and it was fine.”

  Missus... tess Bristlee shifted in her seat a little. “Ah, I see.”

  “If you girls are heading out, you should take a guide with you!” Abraham said.

  Lewis, the family patriarodded. “I’m sure Erato would love to apany you,” he said.

  “Bah, that boy?” Abraham said as if the boy iion wasn’t sitting on the same couch as him. “He’d try to pine of the girls and would end up with his neapped.”

  “I-- I would never do that,” I said.

  “Didn’t you fight off aire cervid merary band?” Abraham asked.

  “There were just six of them!”

  Erato looked to his father and it didn’t take a genius to see that he was very much against the idea.

  “Take Awen, the pirl o get out of this sha a while and take in some fresh air,” Abraham said.

  “Um. Only if she wants to,” I said.

  Awen seemed ready to reply, her head already nodding up and down, but her mother was faster. “No, of course she doesn’t,” the tess said.

  I bli the older woman. “You’re not Awen,” I said. I spped a hand over my mouth. “I’m sorry, that came out as really rude.”

  Abraham roared with ughter and tess Bristlee’s face set as if it was made of pstic, but it was Awen that I was focused on. “I, I wouldn’t mind showing you around, M-Miss Bunch,” she said.

  “Brilliant!” I cheered as I bouo my feet. “Are there street vendors in Greenshade?”

  “I... I don’t know?” Awen said.

  “The’s find out, I skipped breakfast this m because the food on the ship exploded along with the engine and the only food I have in my bag is kind of me.”

  “Um, are we going now?” Awen asked.

  “Uh,” I said. I was the only oanding up besides Albert and I suddenly felt rather awkward about the whole thing. “Why not? The adults talk about adult stuff in the meantime. And we should be back before it gets dark out, right Amaryllis?”

  Amaryllis got to her feet, carefully shifting e--who had traitorously chosen her p over mine--so that the kitty would perched over her shoulder. “I suppose so,” she said. “Albert, would you show us out? Awen, we’ll be waiting for you outside.”

  “Bye everyone! I’ll see you ter Abraham, and you too, Mister Raynald.” I waved, then jogged after Amaryllis who didn’t seem all that keen on being polite. It was a bit of a recurring theme with her.

  “They seem like a niough family,” I said as we followed Albert down a corridor that led back towards the entrance hall.

  “I suppose,” Amaryllis said. “They’re passable, for humans.”

  “Hey! I’m a human too,” I said.

  Amaryllis snorted. “Sure you are.”

  “Really, they weren’t that bad, were they?” I wondered.

  We reached the entrance hall and Albert paused. “Would you dies want some refreshments while you wait?” he asked.

  I shook my head and shifted around so that my backpack was on snug. “I think I’m good, thank you.”

  “Likewise,” Amaryllis said before she made a little shooiure. Far from looking insulted, Albert bowed at the waist and with a little smile, walked off back towards the rest of the family. Amaryllis watched him go, then turned back towards me. “I don’t like the nobles in Mattergrove. They’re... young.”

  “Young?” I asked.

  “Most of them are o their titles and posts. A geion or two at most, especially so close to the frontier like Greenshade is. It means they’re far more proo back-biting and trying little power pys. In the ing Kingdom, most of the s have been in pce for turies. Things move with a lot more de and tact.”

  “Okay,” I said. That really didn’t ge mue, as far as I could see. “It doesn’t really matter, I guess, not uhey’re into doing some particurly evil stuff. They don’t do svery and things like that, right?”

  “Svery? No, of course not,” Amaryllis said. “I think they might have some ws io use captured enemy batants as sves, if I recall my political lessons on Mattergrove correctly, but the idea of Mattergrove defeating... anyone is hirious.”

  “Awen seems nice,” I said. It was a small ge of subjects, but I didn’t want to have Amaryllis ranting about politics when my new potential-friend arrived.

  Amaryllis snorted. “She seems more repressed than he girl is pretty typical of a human noble dy. There are two sorts. Those that will poison your wih a smile, and those who seem terrified of their own shadows.”

  “That doesn’t seem fair,” I said.

  She shrugged. “It’s politics, there’s no fairness involved. I’m looking forward to being on the road again. A new css, another level, more opportunities.“

  “More adventure,” I said. The trip over had been fun as heck, but I was looking forward to... more. I didn’t really have a goal set out before me, which was a little strange, now that I thought about it. Ba Earth there were some clear milestoo reach. Finish high school, then work a bit, then go to college, the a job, then find a nice boy with a strong jawlihele down and have a tle family while w part-time until I retired and could py with my future grandbabies.

  Here, on Dirt, I had been given a quest at first, and I suppose that it was still active, but I didn’t have nearly as much dire in my life. If I wao I could just start walking and see where that would lead me. I retty sure that even Amaryllis would follow me for a way.

  Maybe I should begin to set some dreams for myself, some goals. “Hey, how much does an airship cost?”

  Amaryllis shen her smile faded a little. “Are you being serious?”

  “Yeah, of course,” I said. “A nie. Maybe not the biggest kind, but something that’s, um, quality.”

  “That would depend on a few other things. Buying an older model is possible, though the demand for airships is higher thahe Albatross provide. A small ship, about the size of the Silver Boot we rode the other day, would be anywhere from eight hundred lesser gold to a thousand two-hundred.”

  I hummed. “I have eight lesser gold on me. So I only need a huimes as much.”

  “You idiot,” Amaryllis said. “You’re not thinking of the cost of a crew, the initial equipment you’ll want aboard your ship, the maintehe dragon tax and about a huher things. That’ll be half-again the base cost.”

  So I needed about a thousand two-hundred lesser gold before I could start thinking about buying myself my own airship. “I do it,” I said.

  “I would love to spend hours pointing out how uhat is, but I know better than to waste my time like that,” Amaryllis said.

  “Don’t be that way,” I said. “When I bee Sky Captain Bunch you be my first mate.”

  “Only if I’m allowed to mutiny.”

  I giggled and grabbed Amaryllis for a hug because I knew she’d never actually do that and also I felt like giving hugs. She didn’t even protest much, which meant that I was really breaking through all the barriers that prevented us from being the best of friends.

  A scuffle off to the side had me looking up.

  Awen stood halfway dowairs, her hands pressed together over her waist and her long dark hair pulled forward so that her bangs partially hid her face.

  She had ged. Instead of wearing a stuffy but pretty dress, she was now in a far more practical outfit, still a dress, but it only stopped at her ankles instead ing on the ground with every step and there wasn’t nearly as much ce. It was a bright, sky blue, nearly a perfect maty own dress. She had a bag hanging by her hip, probably filled with all sorts of goodies.

  “Ah, I’m here,” she said as she practically tumbled dowairs. “I’m ready for you, Miss Bunch.”

  “Alright! The’s hit the road!”

  “Why would we do that?” she asked.

  “Ah,” I said. “It’s an expression.... Nevermind! We have adveo go on!” Reag out, I grabbed Awen’s hand, then one of Amaryllis’ talons and rushed off and out of the mansion.