RFC-ARC 5-Winter War-27 (Patreon)
Content
Marthe lets out another round of complaints being asked to go so far out of her way, but I quell her anger by assuring everyone Iâll handle transportation. I send Geneva back to the house to grab the carriage while we all walk to the Gold Dorm for an early lunch. Marthe refuses, vehemently, to enter the opulent building, which means I have to carry the food out to her. The looks that garners, from the staff and rich acolytes both, is reason enough to do it. Gave me a good laugh.
Once Geneva arrives, we all pile into the carriage, though it takes a little extra effort with the redhead. Iâm starting to believe sheâs allergic to wealth and all its representations. She grumbles in front of the carriage, her curses and pacing reminding me of a skittish deer despite her aggression. It takes me bodily lifting her in to break the stalemate, earning me a look of offended shock.
âI see you have had extensive work down on your personal carriage,â William remarks once weâre on our way, adjusting himself on the comfortable bench. âPardon me if this causes any offense but I didnât think the Tome family had accumulated so much wealth.â
âHey, little lord. Didnât anyone ever teach you that certain topics are forbidden?â I chuckle, raising three fingers. âA womanâs body, a manâs money, and a familyâs honor. Mention any of those and youâre asking for trouble.â That comment treaded dangerously close to two, ignoring a few pronouns.
âForgive me for any offense. I simply wish to mend any gaps in my knowledge.â
âDonât worry, it takes a lot to offend me. To answer your question, the finances of the Tome family are a mystery to me. Somehow, Uncle Jackal has managed to keep the estate in our name, saints bless him. My personal finances and that of my household are rather substantial. Enough to afford a few luxuries.â
âHer wife has all the money.â Alana mercilessly destroys my grand image. âSheâs a kept woman.â
âExcuse me. I am not a kept woman,â I huff.
âSure, youâre not.â
âYour marriage, yes. I make it a point to memorize names of those who could be important but yours was hard to miss. Quite a life you have lived, your ladyship.â
âThat sounds like youâre cursing me. My lifeâs barely started.â I wonder how long I can live. My original body is made of mana. Can I age? Can I die of natural causes? âYou sound like youâve lived quite the life yourself. Four sons competing with each other for their fatherâs inheritance.â
He grimaces. âI am not nearly as enticed by my fatherâs holdings as my elder brothers. I am perfectly content to make my own way in this life. My stake in the competition is one of self-preservation. They donât believe my lack of desire for my fatherâs riches. Simply taking their abuse is no life and if I present myself as too weak, they will simply kill me.â
âAnd?â
He blinks. âIs there something else youâd like to know?â
âWeâre going to be working together, Willie. Come on, tell me about yourself.â
William clears his throat. âI donât think Iâm very interesting.â
âYou certainly arenât helping yourself with that attitude. You canât study magic all day, every day. Youâve got hobbies, donât you? Maybe a girlfriend?â I wiggle my eyebrows. âYou joined our team because you saw three pretty women, didnât you?â
âLady Tome, I assure you I had no improperââ
âDonât be shy! Who could blame you? Unless weâre not your type.â
Willaim clears his throat. âYou are all certainly, ahem, attractive. Any man would be lucky to catch your attention.â
âOr woman.â
His eyes widen. âAh, yes. OrâŠwoman.â
âNo need to limit your options. If pretty young ladies arenât your fancy, thereâs always pretty young men. I certainly wouldnât cast judgment. You two?â
âHe looks like the soft type,â Marthe says with a grin as William grimaces.
Alana refuses to join in on the fun, shaking her head.
âI donât have those kinds of interest. If I must state a preference to ease any doubtsâŠâ His eyes slowly move to Alana. She meets his gaze with a small frown. Heh.
Heâs the first to look away, clearing his throat with the faintest blush on his cheeks. âEh-hem. Well, suffice it to say that I am only interested in women.â
âAny details youâd like to share?â The dorms arenât separated by gender, though the rooms are in different halls. A few extra steps arenât enough to dissuade those of romantic persuasions. People keep it discreet most times, especially initiates, but Iâve heard plenty of scandalous stories from Alana.
Our nervous teammate is saved by Alana punching me in the arm. âDonât mind her. She just wants someone elseâs mind to be filled with the same nonsense taking the place of her good sense.â
I relent in the face of her disapproval. âAlright. Iâll wait till our second meeting before prying out your secrets. I guess we can talk about our mysterious fifth.â
He chuckles. âDo not worry for me, Lady James. I am quite used to it, growing up with three brothers. AndâŠwell, it is better for you to draw your own judgments.â
[Lou, we will arrive in a moment.]
âIâll be making that judgment sooner than you think.â
-
The place where weâre meeting our prospective fifth is a small restaurant named the Tall Tale. A quaint wooden sign with its name written in gold cursive hangs over the open door, the chatter of patrons drifting out onto the street. Posters of food hang in the long windows, so detailed I almost believe I can grab them off the paper, especially so with the inviting smells dragging me toward the opening by the nose.
A young woman stands beside the doorway greeting customers and calling out to passerbys in someoneâs dirty reimagining of a maid outfit. Saints. The skirt is far too low, drawing the eye to her plump thighs and threatening to reveal something indecent with every movement. Her chest almost spills out of her scandalously low neckline as she waves, gestures, and practically drags in customers.
âArenât they afraid people might get the wrong idea about this place?â I ask as we walk toward the restaurant. Looking at her, Iâd think they were serving from a different kind of menu.
âTheyâve got plenty of security,â William says. âThe owner is a master earth caster. Only a few people have the bad sense to cause trouble and no one causes trouble twice.â
Weâre close enough for the maid, which is what I choose to think of her as rather than a few moreâŠexplicit terms that come to mind, to notice us and she flashes us the same practiced smile Iâve seen her use till now. However, once her eyes move to William it becomes genuine.
âWilliam!â she shouts, moving away from her post to greet us. He raises a hand but she steps past it, pulling him into a hug, one hand on his shoulder and the other pulling down his head. He blushes all the way to his ears as his nose is pressed into the valley of her ample chest, lucky bastard.
He mumbles and wiggles his way out of her hold, straightening his rumpled shirt with quick, nervous gestures. âYes, hello, Erin. Please stop such exuberant greetings. Theyâre likely to cause misunderstandings."
âWould that be such a bad thing?â she says playfully, chuckling when he turns his gaze. âYouâre so easy.â Her eyes finally move to the rest of us. âOh, youâve brought new customers! Three pretty girls, huh. This why you donât want any misunderstandings?â
William clears his throat strongly. âEh-hem. This isââ
âJust call me Lou,â I say quickly, stepping in front of him. I hold out my hand. Raising a brow, she follows my lead and places her fingers on my palm, snickering as I lay a kiss on the digits. âA shame we havenât met before now. Willie didnât tell me he had such a lovely friend.â Nevermind that I didnât know him until today.
âRight back at you.â Her wink is playfully exaggerated. âYou wouldnât happen to want a job? Put you in some pants and a nice vest, mm. Youâll have the girls dancing in the palm of that strong hand.â
âIf only I had the time,â I sigh dramatically. âIâd work for theâŠambiance alone.â I blatantly ogle her. Something she must be quite used to wearing such daring clothes as she doesnât even bat an eye.
âSure I canât tempt you?â
âIâm absolutely sure you can so play nice.â