“Imperial forces operating in the region of Abenstadt have reported increased sightings of monsters and unholy beasts roaming the countryside. Citizens and soldiers are to be wary of figures in the darkness and to ensure that doors and windows are properly locked wherever your quarters may be. Furthermore, ensure that a light source is always nearby. ”
- Imperial Bulletin, Abenstadt Occupation Area, “Warning of Monster Sightings”
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Elaria finished her ballad and bowed. Each movement was precise, elegant, and carefully chosen to enhance the audience’s feeling of classiness. Raylani did much the same, though her movements reflected the more alluring and seductive nature of such refined company. They were received by a round of polite applause mixed in with a few more raucous cheers. Even in an establishment like ‘The Gilded Lantern’, where merchants, nobles, and Arteria’s well to do citizens went to evade the masses, the more base instincts of human nature remained, though often hidden with a thin veneer of civility.
“On behalf of my lovely assistant Raylani and myself, we thank you all for your undivided attention. Of course, we also thank the staff of ‘The Gilded Lantern’ for this opportunity to perform for such a distinguished audience.” Elaria spoke genially as she addressed the crowd.
A small cheer echoed through the dining room and a more rigorous set of applause reached the duo. Elaria smiled gently at the crowd then at Raylani. The dark elf dipping her head towards Elaria in return.
She then looked towards the tavern keeper, the man giving her a wave to signal his approval. Elaria bowed halfway in thanks before standing up and shuffling offstage with her lute for the day and Raylani in tow.
The tavern keeper directed on of the serving girls to attend to the duo and their plus one. Flashing a quick nod to her hired help for the day, Elaria waited for but a moment before Sophia had closed ranks behind the two of them. As the serving girl led past a table located right under the eponymous gilded lantern, Elaria saw some of the patrons stiffen up.
Two she recognized from fetes hosted by merchant houses. Sirs Jason Branius and Kristopher Kouzal, a few down the line of heirs to their respective houses. The two held little animosity towards her party and even waved familiarly at her, to which she obliged with a polite wave of her own. Two more at the table she didn’t recognize. Though their heraldry and colours suggested both were part of House Divicos and House Mikantos respectively. The last three however, were the nervous ones.
One she remembered from her time at court. Chief Justice Brugar, the large orc glancing at her suspiciously, as if he was wary of her presence. The other two she could guess at by their opulence. Sigismund Oppullus, the head of Arteria himself. Followed by another councilor, the man similarly well-dressed and sporting the colours of House Visprays.
None of them looked particularly happy at her presence, even more so when they caught sight of Sophia. Who, ironically, had absolutely no clue who they were besides what she had heard from the others, and thus, reacted by not even caring about their glances. Elaria would’ve giggled out loud at the absurdity if not for the restrained atmosphere of the dining hall.
Elaria and Raylani had been contracted by the tavern’s owner, one Pavia Nolmar, to perform today. It had been a surprise considering the distinguished clientele of the establishment. But she supposed that Raylani herself was the main draw to their two-person act. The dark elf whom most could not even have imagined. The duo had invited Sophia along to not just help ease her back into the world at large, but also to notice things that they couldn’t and to act as temporary security. Unlike Sophie, Sophia’s demeanor was far more menacing and hostile to almost everyone. And in Elaria’s eyes, perfect to keep people from pestering her and allowing her to watch every interaction that they duo might become involved in.
“Thank you for being here. Big fan.” The serving girl whispered once they arrived at the table.
“Oh no, thank you for enjoying our work. It is high praise from a lovely lady such as yourself.” Elaria winked.
The girl blushed and tried to cough away the shock before shaking herself a little and pulling out a small placard for the trio.
“Eheh, thanks. Ah, uhm, anyways, our dishes today have been decided by our head chef Zeke. It’ll be a total of four courses or five if you count dessert. For starters we’ll present you with a wildflower and deer salad fresh from the fields outside Arteria. Then a soup made with beef stock, filled with noodles, aromatics from afar, and veal strips.” The serving girl announced as she pointed at each item on the list.
Elaria fought back a laugh at how greedily Raylani was staring at the menu. Her companion never wanted much, but sometimes, one thing or another breaks through her apathetic demeanor. It always amused her to watch the dark elf’s eyes widen in surprise. Sophia also showed interest in the food, but hid her curiosity far better today. Heh, Raylani’s getting more relaxed as of late.
“For the main courses, we’ll be focusing on the abundance of seafood that surrounds Arteria. We have the exquisitely prepared lemon garlic grilled swordfish fillet and greens, once again, from the fields around Arteria. Followed by delicately seared fresh caught tuna served as is to preserve their flavor. As for dessert, we have a soft lemon torte and strawberry mousse to finish. All will be paired with different drinks chosen to best compliment the dish.”
Damn, so this is how Arteria’s elite dine, huh?
“Would there be anything else?” The girl nervously asked, letting out a small sigh at having remembered all her lines.
“You did wonderfully.” Elaria complimented her, “Though you can tell Mr. Nolmar that after the… second course, we’ll be happy to receive visitors.” Elaria decided for the group.
“T-thanks. Ahh, of course! I’m sure he’ll be happy to arrange a few meetings.” The girl awkwardly bowed before rushing back to the tavern keeper. How amusing.
Raylani shot her a singular jealous glare before returning to her normal, relatively expressionless self. Elaria saw her opening and took advantage of the moment by leaning in and smugly smiling at the dark elf. The effect took a few seconds to bear fruit, but the dark elf eventually wilted and grew just a tad bit more flushed, much to her own chagrin and Elaria’s delight.
Sophia on the other hand, seemed mildly bored. Though the elf kept her guard up. Keenly aware of the plethora of attention that Elaria and Raylani’s presence garnered after their performance. Seeing Sophia keep watch out of the corner of her eye, Elaria made a mental note to properly thank her sister for taking the time out of her day to help them. Ray’s definitely a little distracted today, heheh, Elaria chuckled to herself.
“So, what’d you think?” Elaria asked her sister after having teased Raylani enough.
Sophia’s vigilant watch was briefly broken as she turned over with a questioning look.
“The performance.” Elaria giggled.
“Oh. I liked it. It was good.” Sophia replied after a moment.
It was earnest and to the point. So much so that Elaria had actually expected more, but found herself appreciative nonetheless.
“That’s good. I’m glad we could bring at least some enjoyment to brighten up your day.”
“I…” Sophia turned away sheepishly, a rarity for the often stoic if not outright scowling sister, “I liked it. But I believe Sophie would’ve appreciated it more.”
Elaria smiled. Despite the tough surface, it would seem that her sister had inherited the same tenderness that had so greatly amused her when she had first met with Sophie. It was a fierce gentleness that Sophie had already fought to protect more than once, given her fistfuls of misadventures. Elaria only hoped that Sophia could have an easier time, especially after everything she had to endure. And now the bastards responsible for making it worse are right over there too.
“Perhaps.” Elaria answered after a spell of silence, “But you’re the one here and Sophie isn’t. So I’m just happy that you’re satisfied.”
“That’s…” Sophia didn’t know how to respond, merely dropping her head in a half bow that Sophie often did, “thanks for thinking about me.’ She mumbled.
“We are family after all.” Elaria warmly reminded her.
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“Huh…” Sophia grunted, flashing a tired smile towards her.
Elaria understood the message. There was a time for quiet, and Sophia desired some of it. That much she could do.
“Mistress.” Raylani summoned her.
In the end, Elaria had never been able to stop Raylani from calling her that. But by now, she had simply accepted the moniker. She turned to her companion, a dash of mischief swinging its way through her mind as she met the dark elf’s gaze.
“Yeah?”
“The food is arriving.” Raylani noted.
Thoughts of mischief and teasing were cast aside as their first dishes were arriving from the kitchen. Only now did Elaria’s own stomach rumble a little, a result of the exertion of performing on stage, likely a far cry from what the dark elf was feeling. The same serving girl from before brought over their food with another server. A cold salad to start, but one that popped with bright reds, greens, and purples of local flowers and vegetables, interspersed with strips of meat. It seemed simple but definitely more elegantly plated than she’d imagine a salad needing to be. Time to see how the nobility of Arteria eat, huh.
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The salad had been sweet, earthy, and quite herby due to the wildflowers added. The meat offered a nice warm savory taste to cut through and dampen some of the overly bitter vegetables. All in all, it was alright. The next item had been the soup with noodle and aromatics, a pleasantly filling bowl that gave her the energy for the next part of their day. Beyond performing for monetary purposes, Elaria had accepted this job for another reason, information gathering.
The Gilded Lantern was pricier than establishments more frequented by the commonfolk. And by all accounts, even some of the mid tier merchants avoided it to save their purses from the pricey bills. But for the nobles and merchant houses, this was just another stop in their day if not being spent somewhere even more upper class and exclusive. A place where they would not need to worry about holding back their tongues for fear of upsetting the commonfolk.
Already, relaxed whispers had told her of interesting things brewing behind the scenes in Arteria. A proposed trade of surplus weapons for gold and some new form of mana crystal from Gratia. Two merchant houses having suffered an affair as their children eloped.
“Mistress.” Raylani summoned her again, the dark elf already having polished off both meals with ease.
“Mmhmpf?” Elaria mumbled as she chewed her last bit of veal strip from the soup.
“You are being signaled to.” Raylani stealthy pointed towards the main bar area.
There, the tavern keeper was trying to catch her attention, to which Elaria hastily held up a thumbs up to acknowledge that she had seen him.
Hurriedly swallowing the mouthful, she informed the other two of their impending plans to entertain curious patrons. An idea that found little to no reaction from Raylani, while a light frown appeared on Sophia’s face, her brows furrowed in displeasure. However, she faced no outright rejection of the idea and shot the tavern keeper another nod of acknowledgement for things to proceed.
The tavern keeper discreetly informed the serving staff of the opportunity and that the guests would have to organize things amongst themselves. There was no big announcement, no outright fanfare as they casually informed the other guests while serving them their meals. The only sign that the message had been carried across were the hungry gazes that steadily landed upon the trio’s table.
Perhaps the only regret Elaria had with this idea was that it occurred during lunch service and the third meal had arrived just as the first, braver and more curious guests also took their chances to approach. The tantalizing smell of the lemon garlic swordfish had a few seconds of appreciation before the dreaded words arrived in her ears.
“Hello, Miss. The owner said it was fine to come and ask you a question or two?” A polite looking noblewoman approached with a friend in tow.
Elaria hadn’t considered how everything would take place. Which was why she felt a little unnerved by how many eyes now followed the noblewoman and then travelling to her and the others. Still, too late to back out now.
“Of course, please sit.” Elaria replied as she mustered up her most polite smile.
“Oh, thank you very much.” The lady quickly bowed.
“Thank you.” Her friend reservedly expressed her gratitude.
“Please, we’re here all afternoon. Pleasure to make your acquaintances, miss…”
“Circe Courtland, at your service, Miss Kastiane.”
“Likewise. This is our first time here, so apologies if we’re a little bewildered…” Elaria chuckled, today’s going to be a long day.
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“indeed! It was certainly quite a treat to have performed all across the Southern coasts. There’s such a terrific diversity of people and cultures. From the more bawdy but heroism focused society of the Gratians, to the restrained yet paradoxically liberated chants in Imperial taverns. To here, a mix of cultures and peoples and establishments of all creeds. It has definitely been an interesting experience for Raylani and myself, both.” Elaria answered the question of yet another guest, one of but many that had taken up the tavern keeper’s offer after they had seen the brave Miss Courtland be the first to step up.
“Lady Kastiane is correct. Lot’s of new experiences.” Raylani curtly added.
“My, oh, my. To think you’ve already travelled so much. I envy to think of the thrilling stories you might yet hold.” The lordling sighed to both her and himself, “Sadly, the responsibilities we have tend to keep most of us grounded around here. Hah.”
A soft chuckle echoed around the group of merchants and nobles that arrived as part of this wave of people.
“And how did you two meet?” One of the other curious merchants piped up,
A low murmur of agreement followed as everyone leaned in close for an answer. The crowd most curious, including a few from the tables nearby as they too, strained their ears to welcome her words.
“Alas, some secrets must remain secrets, my dear fellows. And this happens to be one of them.” She turned to flash Raylani a coy smile.
The dark elf tried her best to not react and opted for a silent bob of her head.
A collective groan of disappointment emerged from the gathered crowd. Enough that it made Elaria chuckle a little. So many have to ask that, and yet the answer is always the same.
“No hints?” A braver voice asked.
“Sorry, no hints.”
More groans and soft grumbles. It was an answer that the crowd had seemed to already expect, but found amusingly disappointing nonetheless. A few looked towards Raylani for salvation, yet their gazes quickly wilted under the dark elf’s seemingly impassive expression.
Sensing a lull in the conversation, Elaria raced to finish the rest of her grilled swordfish. She was one of the only ones who hadn’t had much chance to eat, given that her other two companions were more than happy to remain silent and let her speak on their behalf.
The dish had gotten a little under lukewarm by now, but the taste remained exquisite, as the serving girl had described. The fish was a little tough, but it was good, adding a nice bounce to every bite. The lemon and garlic accentuated the natural oiliness and flavors of the fish to help create a sharp but sweet and savory blend in her mouth. Tomatoes and greens served alongside it only helped capture the flavorful oils even more, balancing the dish by giving it a fresh crunch that brought it all together.
She took a small sip of the wine that came paired with the dish. It was refreshing albeit a little bitter with hints of something zesty. Her palette felt cleansed and she found herself intrigued at how the drinks had been chosen for this meal.
Her main focus however, was drawn to the attention they had garnered from the people a few tables down. The Primus and his entourage had finally deemed it worthy to cast their gazes over at the commotion around Elaria’s table. She even caught sight of one of them waving down a server and quietly whispering a question to them. To which the server gestured at her table and presumably explained the event taking place. Gotcha.
As the crowd around her dispersed after the disappointment and evident dismissal by her last answer. The serving staff took the opportunity to present them with their final dish. The lightly seared tuna served alongside what looked to be a brown sauce of sorts and their final drink.
“T-that’s the last main course. Please enjoy. The drink is a fermented rice wine, very smooth and will help round out the taste of the fish. Thank you.” The serving girl nervously bowed.
Elaria flashed her a more genuine smile than that which she had shown the merchants. Flustered, the girl turned on her heel and left. Elaria found herself being stared at in disapproval by both Raylani and Sophia. Giving her companions a shrug, she began devouring the meal before more guests interrupted. It was nice, fresh, if a bit simplistic. But the tastes worked in harmony to provide a pleasant sensation as she downed the fish. The drink, on the other hand, was indeed quite smooth. Though she had to fight the urge to cough as it burned the back of her throat a little.
By the time she had finished, she had gotten a glimpse of another server slowly approaching. One that seemed almost reluctant to do so. I guess it’s time, she sighed contentedly, still more concentrated on the lingering sensations provided by the meal. At least we’ll be having dessert after this to wipe the stain of talking to them away.
“Miss Kastiane, gathered company.” The server addressed them, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to bring forth one more set of guests before the meal is over.”
“Of course, of course.” She half heartedly waved.
Though she could tell that the others had realized what’s up. A scowl slipping through Sophia’s mask of passivity that she had maintained mostly until now. Raylani on the other hand, still looked completely detached from the situation. But from the way the dark elf’s eyes moved, Elaria could tell that her partner had already begun assessing the threats and dangers that would be posed by this meeting.
It was heartwarming, in its own way. To see the other two so worked up on her behalf. Though she especially understood the challenge that bubbled up within Sophia right now. To know that the people who had allowed the Braveskulls to return were within stabbing distance, certainly agitated her sister more than a little. But despite her expression, Sophia seemed contained, for now.
“Hello, I dearly hope we aren’t disturbing the meal. Miss Kastiane.” The voice of the Primus echoed heavily, the weight behind his words not going unnoticed.
“Of course not, Mister Oppullus, please, do take a seat.” She calmly replied. Well, well, so it begins.