Oscar turns the knob, then gently pushes the door open. “This is it. Our second level guest suite on the west wing.” He says to Markus with a smile. A bow is then performed as he moves away from the entry. Even with everything going outside the old butler is still attending to his duties. “Please enjoy the room as our guest.”
Markus answers with a thankful nod before stepping into the suite. His backpack and equipment jingles as he walks deeper into the room. It's luxuriously decorated. Large windows face the south and the west. A massive king size bed sits against the north wall. Colorful paintings hang on every wall with elaborate frames. The high quality wood furniture gives the suite the last touch of elegance.
The square room is spacious, with it's own private bathroom through a door left of the bed. Versa suddenly walks past Markus while he's admiring the view of Montillo. She is carefully holding the unconscious Eclair with both hands.
“Okay, we'll put her here.” Versa says, lifting a leg slightly to point towards the nearby writing desk. The two young maids from earlier flow into the room. They're carrying small blankets and pillows in their arms. Markus watches silently as the three women create a tiny makeshift bed on top of the desk. “Yes, this will work fine.” Versa says proudly.
The two maids are about about to walk out the door when Oscar says “Hold it you two. Greet our guest properly.” He gives them a cold glare. The maids panic and start reversing themselves awkwardly. Both of them turn to face Markus while bowing.
“Hello sir. My name is Hannah.” The first one says. Hannah has black hair tied up in a bun. Young and homely, with a skinny frame. The traditional french maid outfit hides all of her curves.
“And my name is Sarah.” The second says next. Sarah has blonde hair tied in a short ponytail. Young and homely too. However, she is slightly taller and bustier then her partner. Both women look to be in their early twenties.
“Hello.” Markus responds. It's strange to have maids greeting him, especially ones close to his own age. “I'm Markus. Thank you for helping.”
Hannah and Sarah stop bowing, then look at each other with glances. Hannah suddenly blurts out “Versa told us about you! Are you really from Earth? What's it like? Are there really machines that people can fly or go underwater in?”
“Or machines that can do washing and cleaning?” Sarah now joins in with her own questions. “Life must be so easy! Hey. Hey! Can I touch you?”
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“Ladies! Stop that!” Oscar yells from outside the suite.
Hannah and Sarah immediately tense up at his words. They bolt out the door then turn left out of view. Markus can see Oscar shaking his head disappointingly. Versa snickers as she stands by the desk.
Markus cracks a smile watching the old butler. The rifle then is leaned against the bed while other equipment starts coming off. The backpack is unloaded from his shoulders, dropping beside his feet. Soon the rest of Markus' gear follows. The gas mask, hunting knife, and war hammer all eventually bounce on top of bed. Even the combat vest comes off until only his clothes remain.
Aurora soon flies into the suite, but she stops to look around. “Oh, this is fancy.” She says. “This is definitely luxury living.”
“How does it look?” Markus calls out to Aurora. She flies over to greet him with the news.
“Very bad. The walled portion of the estate is around 10 acres. However... I saw Crimsons spaced out everywhere. Small camps at each corner. Sentries and patrols. We are completely surrounded.” Aurora replies with concern.
Markus takes a deep breath. He says “Any idea of how many?”
“I'm guessing close to thirty just at the estate. More in town.” Aurora responds. She flies around Markus a few times before she stops to say “I didn't see a clear way out. They have every direction covered. I saw whistles and horns. They'll alert each other as soon as they see anything.”
Walking over to the south window, Markus gazes outside. From the room, he can see a pair of Crimsons talking next to a large tree to the far right. To the left, portions of the Crimson camp at the iron gate can be seen. Tents are set with people milling about the area.
Another sigh escapes from Markus. He turns to Aurora to say “Thank you for scouting. I'm still trying to figure things out.”
Aurora smiles before flying over to the writing desk with Eclair. Versa greets her as she lands on the desk. Both start talking in low voices to avoid waking Eclair.
Oscar walks into the suite with his hands behind his back. Markus spots him, but goes back to looking outside the window. As Markus continues searching for ideas, a dark bottle appears out of the blue in front of him. Oscar is the one holding it.
Markus is surprised, but he grabs the bottle with curiosity. It's ice cold. A paper label is on it with colorful mountains and Latin words. “Is this beer?” Markus asks.
“Aye. One for me too. I have them downstairs in the fridge. Ours probably isn't as small or cold as the ones in your world. But it makes cold beer just the same.” Oscar says with a grin. “I've been saving these.”
“Ya?” Markus replies. “So why now?”
“Because I don't want those pricks outside getting into my stash.” Oscar responds. There's a pause, then both men start laughing.