We walked to the gates in the Bottom in relative silence and exited the city when Ferrisdae began attempting to cast her Skymirror Carriage. While I would have been fine purchasing a ride with any wagons heading towards Athir, she hadn’t entertained the thought for even a second. I believed she was emboldened by her successful casting from yesterday, and let her be.
Even though it took Ferrisdae a few tries to conjure her Skymirror Carriage, I didn’t say anything to support or discourage her. This was something she had to work through and I wasn’t her department mandated therapist. She may have stayed with me and my family, but ultimately I was a stranger in her life. We hadn’t even known each other for two months, after all.
Between attempts, she tilted her head to see my reaction. I had none. While she was casting, I was watching the bustling crowd. The western gate of New Frausta was among the busiest thanks to the city’s relative closeness to Athir, and there was no shortage of new people to see as they came and went.
“Success!” Ferrisdae announced as the spell finally took hold. Without waiting for me, she opened the door and entered the carriage.
I followed her in. She had taken a seat in the back of the carriage in the middle. There was more than enough room for the both of us, so I gestured for her to make some space and she did without a second thought.
Once I sat down, the astral horses started moving. The ride was gentle and smooth, and I knew it would remain so even after we left the roads maintained by the capital thanks to the properties of the spell. Silence reigned, and I watched my junior out of the corner of my eye as she watched the people outside of the window.
Ferrisdae was comfortable enough to be back in her sorcerer’s garb. The robe she wore was dark purple with yellow trim and stars randomly embroidered with thread the same color as her hair. Her simple red wand was tucked away in a stitched-in holster. Before, it had been left to dangle, but it had been altered to encompass everything except the handle.
Her hair, as always, was very long and unruly. The thick tangle had been straightened, but it was still a concern of mine. It was all very Ferrisdae.
As if sensing my attention, she began to gather her hair without glancing towards me. Reaching into her Dimensional Pocket, she pulled out a silver hair comb with several gemstones resembling black stars on one side. I watched as she put her hair up in an Elven twist, showing off the accessory while keeping everything in place.
“I’m glad you’re taking my lessons about hair safety seriously,” I said. Ferrisdae turned to look at me, seemingly surprised that I brought it up. I gestured towards her head. “Did you get that in the city? Or did you have it back when I offered you that cheap hair tie back in Krad’s dungeon?”
“I got it when I went out shopping with Tabby and the girls after the park. It’s enchanted so that my hair doesn’t get messed up or fall out, even if I’m moving around a lot,” she answered before looking at her lap. “Actually, Tabby picked it out and got it for me. I tried to tell her that I could afford it on my own, but she doesn’t take no for an answer easily, does she?”
“Not unless she thinks there’s a good reason to accept it, no,” I answered. Those kinds of accessories were expensive and definitely not in our budget, but I bit that part back. That was a Tabs thing and certainly not Ferrisdae’s fault. “If it’s enchanted, then that’s good. It’s better than cutting it.”
“Is it?” she asked, arching an eyebrow. “You don’t just want everyone to walk around with short, unassailable hair?”
I crossed my arms. “What people do with their hair is nobody’s business but their own. What is my business is you getting injured because it’s an unruly mess and can easily be caught on things.”
Ferrisdae paused, reaching up to tap her chin with her finger. “I think that’s Badger speak for, ‘I’m worried about you, rookie. I don’t mind doing extra paperwork, but if something happens to you then I could never live with myself.’ That’s how I’m choosing to interpret it, at least.”
Frowning, I stared at the Elf as a smile tugged at her lips. “If you’re going to sass me, then I’m not going to partake in small talk,” I threatened evenly. “We can travel the whole way there only talking about work.”
“Small talk?” Ferrisdae let out a mock gasp. “From Badger? But what about your reputation, sir? What would the others think?”
I scowled. And turned so that I was facing the window. “Very well, this is the end of the conversation.”
“No, no!” she yelled. “I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting that, is all. Remember how you told me a story specifically so I wouldn’t make small talk with you? That was literally just last month.”
“Yes, I remember,” I said. Even though I was looking away from Ferrisdae, I could see her staring at me in the reflection. She looked like she expected me to say something more, and I shifted so I could rest my head against the cushion of my seat. “Fine, small talk. But only if it’s something I’m interested in.”
“Your family is lovely,” the Elf said immediately. “I don’t exactly know what I was expecting when you said you had a wife and two daughters, but I was pleasantly surprised that only one of them had your level of intensity.”
“Yeah, Calico’s a good girl,” I replied with a proud smile. “You didn’t see us in all our glory, though. Tabitha’s capable of being a real hardass when she needs to. Part of the job, really, though she doesn’t like to show that side of her as often now that we’ve settled down. Which is good. She’s earned her relaxation a hundred times over.”
I felt Ferrisdae’s hesitation, and I held up a hand. “And no, that’s not an invitation to ask about our adventuring days. In fact, you might as well forget all about it because your curiosity will not be sated,” I told her.
“I wasn’t thinking of asking,” she stammered quickly, looking away. That was a bold lie, but I allowed it. “I was going to ask if you thought your daughters would be following in your footsteps. Becoming adventurers, or working at the department.”
That question had actually led to a big fight in our household when Emilia brought up her future. She was capable of doing so many different things due to how smart and diligent she was, but the young girl had narrowed it down to following in our footsteps as an adventurer or to join the DoD and help adventurers that way.
Tabitha, of course, was ecstatic about the options. My wife had almost been ready to give Emilia a sword and start taking her to dungeons right then and there, retirement be damned. I didn’t want my daughter to do either because both choices were dangerous. She would be great whatever she chose, but I still didn’t wish that life on her.
I had been the voice of reason, but they didn’t find my views acceptable. In the end, we decided to shelf the conversation for later.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Calico can do anything so long as she puts her mind to it,” I said, not committing to the choices Ferrisdae gave me. “As for Willow, the only job I want her to have right now is student and frog wrangler.”
“She is quite taken with the idea of catching frogs for you, isn’t she?” the Elf giggled. “They’re both so sweet. Willow especially, but I’m pretty sure Calico was warming up to me at the end there. Given the rest of my week off, I’m sure I could have cracked through that Badger shell of hers.”
“Good luck with that. She takes after me, so there’s no way she would crack that easily,” I stated factually.
“Says the guy who, not even a half hour after he met me, offered me something to protect my hair,” Ferrisdae said, leaning forward to get a better look at my face. I paused, staring at the red cushions on the seats in front of us. Standing up, I shifted to the other side of the wagon so that I was facing my junior. She frowned. “You didn’t have to move.”
“I did, because even though I hate traveling backwards, I want to see your face for this next part of the conversation,” I said.
The Elf straightened in her seat, a confused look on her face. “What do you mean?”
“You brought up family. We’re going to Athir, your homeland and the chosen headquarters for Clan Anne Runelara,” I stated. She stiffened, and I crossed my arms. “While I would love to sit here and dodge questions about them all day, your family will likely be pertinent to our case. Would you like to talk about them? Or should I start spilling what I know. I had a lot of time to figure things out when I was in quarantine.”
Ferrisdae’s eyes lingered on mine for a moment before she placed her hand on her arm and looked out the window. That was a submissive posture if I had ever seen one. It looked very out of place on the usually bubbly young woman. I hated to see it.
“I’m surprised you didn’t know about them from the moment you heard my full name,” she admitted. “We’re not exactly a family that hides in the shadows.”
I pursed my lips. “You may seem to think I know everything, and that’s true,” I said, pulling a snort of amusement from the Elf. “But there are certain things I keep myself in the dark about. One of those things is adventurers. It doesn’t always work out, but it’s a choice I actively make.”
“Why?” Ferrisdae asked, looking back at me.
“It’s simple. If they die in a dungeon, as adventurers often do, I don’t want to be attached to them,” I answered. “That’s the reason why I kept Moose and Cojisto at arms length. Well, one of them. The other reason being the man’s an idiot.”
“Cojisto’s not that bad,” Ferrisdae defended. “He’s got a good heart. And Moose is surprisingly smart for… a moose.”
“I’m not arguing that Moose isn’t smarter than he ought to be, but it’s easy to tell that you’re already attached to them,” I said, waving my hand towards her. “That’s exactly what I try to avoid.”
“They’re good people. And, now that they’ve gone through the same mess we have, they’re probably way more likely to survive anything thrown at them than most other adventurers,” she responded, mimicking my gesture back at me.
That was a surprisingly good point, so I pivoted away from it. “That’s why I don’t know your family,” I said. “Because before I joined the DoD, I didn’t care about other adventuring parties. Then it was my job to make sure they didn’t die in what they think is a glorious battle — and they always think it's a glorious battle — so I didn’t want to get attached. So, tell me what I should expect from your family. Aside from that they suck, and they’re amazing, and they’re too supportive, and that they suck. Those were your words.”
Ferrisdae took on a sour look as I returned to the topic at hand. “I was drunk when I said that. You can’t take that testimony seriously at all.”
“Very well, consider it discarded,” I said easily. “Now, what can I expect from your family?”
The sour look somehow became more intense before she sighed. Ferrisdae stared out the window when she began talking. “I am the daughter of Durendrelle Anne Runelara, the head of Clan Anne Runelara. As you have no doubt already researched, we are a dynasty of adventurers that span back almost two thousand years. We’re self-made nobility, and we predate the Department of Dungeons, actually.”
“While I usually enjoy history lessons, that’s not what I asked for. Why are you stalling?” I asked. A dark thought passed through my mind, and I managed to keep a frown from turning into a scowl. “Do I need to protect you when we get there?”
“No!” she quickly answered, holding up her hands. “I don’t need… protection from my own family. They were supportive of my decision to join the Department of Dungeons. Everyone was on board. My parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. Basically everyone who was an adventurer, past and present, thought it was a good idea for any Runelara to be a part of the DoD. But…” The Elf hesitated.
“I don’t want to automatically assume the worst. Please, continue,” I urged.
“You’re right to,” Ferrisdae admitted with a grimace. “They wanted someone on the inside who could make changes. In favor of adventurers and merchants, I mean.”
“So there’s a lot of pressure on you as the prodigal daughter. You want to do right by the family, but you also don’t want to commit to rolling back rules and regulations that may end up hurting a lot of people.”
Ferrisdae nodded. “You’ve got it right. Obviously that doesn’t have to happen right now, we have long life spans, but eventually. They think that Brackenhorst is going to die within the next fifty years if he doesn’t retire first, and I’ll be ready for that position. And they think the director is going to retire eventually, not nearly as soon as he says, and he’s the one with all the hard lines in the sand. So they want me there next.”
“Despite his outdated attitude, I do have to show respect for the old codger,” I admitted. “A lot of what he’s done has made things safer for not only dungeon divers, but regular people who live near dungeons as well. I could see why a self-proclaimed dynasty of adventurers would want someone on the inside. Were you chosen for the role? Or did you have a different reason for joining the DoD?”
“Most of my family wants to adventure, so despite the fact that joining could help the family, they never entertain the thought for long. I wanted to for my own reasons, which I’d rather not discuss right now,” she said, looking down at her lap before glancing up at me. “My reasons are pure, though! I don’t have any ulterior motives, I promise. I just want to make the world a safer place for my family, not stuff their wallets or anything of the sort.”
“I believe you,” I replied honestly. Ferrisdae was an upstanding young lady, not that I’d admit it out loud to anyone other than my wife, and it was clear that she was conflicted between her own wishes and those of her family. “I’m not here to pry into your personal feelings. Although, I’m still waiting for my question to be answered. What can I expect, specifically?”
The Elf exhaled before answering. “You’ll probably get invited to our home. There will probably be attempts to find out more about you. Some will probably know you by your old reputation, so be ready for that. They’ll want to worm into your good graces, but that probably won’t work because you’re Badger and you might just be the most honorable and stubborn guy I know.”
“High praise,” I said. If they knew who I was before I became a Dungeon Inspector, then that’s going to be annoying. With all of their resources, they would probably be able to figure it out anyway. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but I put that aside to pay attention to Ferrisdae.
“If you don’t accept their hospitality, they’ll probably find you,” she continued. “I don’t want to say that you’ll be harassed, but, well, you are Badger and it’ll probably come off as harassment to you specifically as someone who just wants to be left alone most of the time.”
“And how should I deal with them?” I asked, leaning forward. “Despite their agenda, I don’t want to cause a rift between you and your family. It sounds like they’re doing a bang up job of that already, but I don’t want to exacerbate it. So, how do I navigate this war zone.”
“It’s not going to be a war zone,” she said with a light laugh.
“It’s politics, Ferrisdae,” I chided lightly as I sat back. “You tell me about this until we make it to our first stop, and on the way to Athir proper I’ll tell you about the time Willow tried to hatch hawks in her room without us knowing. To, you know, lighten the mood. Conversations about my daughters are magic like that.”
I watched as the Elf blinked and a smile bloomed on her face. We spent the next few hours coming up with plans on how to avoid her family like the plague. I was almost looking forward to testing them.