Fields passed by quickly with only the occasional farmhouse or corral to break up the monotony. He leaned back in the carriage, it was covered at least, it was built for long journeys according to the chauffeur. He sighed, turning his attention from the seemingly endless fields to Camilla, who idly stroked Candle as he slumbered on her lap.

Hop kneaded his claws into his skirt and softly screeched. He found himself smiling despite himself, even after all his fuck ups Hop liked him at least. He gave the wyvern an affectionate stroke on the head.

“I believe that’s the first I’ve seen you smile since the attack,” Camilla said, after a moment of silence. “Are you finished brooding on it, then?”

Quenton blinked. “I nearly got all of you killed, I got Jonah killed. How am I to stop thinking of it?” He asked, tersely.

Camilla rolled her eyes. “By the four, you’re all so terribly overwrought, you must get it from mother. Do get over yourself, Briony. Even an act so foolish as insulting a Warwin would not have been enough to condemn us to death, not by its lonesome.”

Quenton stared at her incredulously. “I insulted one of the most powerful families in Molyra.”

She smiled sharply. “I do not dispute the lunacy of your actions, sister, but ascribing our misfortune purely to your folly is short-sighted. Mother and our sisters do not wish to face the truth, better for them to think we were entirely unnoticed by the rest of Molyra.” She scoffed. “They are fooling themselves; assassination was inevitable. We are weak, sister, and everyone knows it.”

Could she be right? The thought lingered in his mind, perhaps he was not fully responsible for the assassination and what happened to Jonah. He wanted to believe it, and badly wanted to think that he was not the one who caused Jonah’s death. Yet though Camilla’s words rang true he couldn’t squirm away from responsibility. He’d given the other families an excuse to come after them and that was on him.

Camilla sighed loudly, propping her head on her hand. “So reluctant to relieve yourself of guilt. Allow me to advise you in this. Fret less over the wrongfully dead and more on the wrongfully living. Our enemies will strike again and we may not be so lucky a second time.”

The thought filled him with trepidation, they had very nearly died in the first attack and Camilla was not the first to suspect that more would be coming. The thought of more assassins, more killers coming for his head made his palms sweat. Still, he couldn’t lose it in front of Camilla, he stroked Hop’s head and tried to maintain composure.

“Why do you care? You’re planning to run, aren’t you?” Quenton challenged, managing to keep his voice steady. Camilla crossed her arms, scowling.

“I’m telling you this to help you, you fool.” She hissed, leaning forward. “You saved my life for the four’s sake, I do not wish to see you killed!”

Quenton blinked, surprised. He had assumed Camilla was indifferent to everyone who wasn’t Candle or Lyndon. To hear her speak with passion about saving his life came as a shock. She leaned back and brought her hand down to soothe the newly awakened Candle, her face flushed.

“That was…uncouth of me.” She half muttered. “I ought to have kept my composure.”

Quenton offered her a shaky smile. “I am um…rather glad you care.” He admitted.

Camilla glared at him. “I do not care for you, I just don’t wish you to die. That’s all.”

Sounds like caring to me. Quenton thought, coming to the amusing revelation that his sister might just be tsundere.

“Well…Thank you anyways, for the advice I mean.” Quenton said as Hop began squirming restlessly on his lap.

Camilla huffed, still glaring. “But you aren’t going to heed me, are you?”

“I am not going to run if that’s what you mean,” Quenton admitted. He had considered running, fleeing the house with valuables, and going on the road. Before deciding that it sounded both stupid and dangerous. He had a better grasp of his new world now than he had before, but he was still nowhere near self-sufficient to survive on his own.

To his further surprise instead of responding with anger, Camilla’s looked crestfallen, her anger seeming to drain out of her.

“Do you understand that you’ll die?” She asked, her voice hollow. “You and mother and Viola, they’ll kill you all.” She looked at him, her eyes wide and pleading. He remained silent, searching for the words to comfort or placate her.

“I do not intend to die, Camilla.” He said after a moment. “I am going to find some way to ensure our safety, be it marriage or something more.” Quenton continued, he’d begun plotting to that effect. It seemed to him that they desperately needed the protection or finances of a patron family. If he could grind his stats enough to make himself useful, perhaps he could find a family that opposed the Warwins and would be willing to support the Morays.

Camilla shook her head and turned her face to the window. “Forget it then, do what you will.”

They went the rest of the ride in silence until the carriage halted before a large brick manor. It was about the size of Faercliffe, though it was taller with three towers rising into the sky. The coachman opened the door and Camilla and Quenton stepped onto the neatly trimmed grass, ensuring their pets were comfortable as they walked.

The coachmen followed them as they walked up the neat redbrick trail to the green double doors and then lifted and released a heavy knocker. After a moment a servant, an older woman with ginger hair and freckles, allowed them in with a bow.

“Milady awaits you in the gardens.” She said and they followed her through the yards of the estate until they reached an area with waist-high hedges and great flowering shrubs.

Julianna sat on a stone bench with a large midnight blue cat-creature, yet it was resolutely not a cat. It had curling ram horns, a foxtail, and a long forked tongue it was using to bathe itself.

As they walked into view Julianna sprang to her feet and hurried to curtsy before them. “Lady Briony, Lady Camilla, I am so glad you’ve come!”

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Quenton smiled as he returned her curtsy. “I’m glad to see you as well.” He said, honestly. It was nice to see a friendly face considering the current feelings of his family.

Julianna gestured to a basket beside the stone bench. “I’ve had a hamper prepared for your arrival, I presume you’ve not had luncheon.” She gestured to a basket beside her.

“We’ve not.” He confirmed, taking a seat on the bench.

“Excellent, there are pastries and tea sandwiches, if you like,” Julianna said, opening the basket. Quenton eagerly grasped a sandwich, and taking care to avoid a headache, took a delicate bite.

Hop whimpered from his shoulder, sniffing hungrily at the sandwich. Camilla took a seat on a wicker chair and broke a pastry in two, giving one half to Candle who devoured it with all the eagerness of a piranha.

Julianna looked curiously at Hop. “Ah, who is this?” She asked, giving a fond pat to the cat creature at her feet.

“A new friend. His name is Hop.” Quenton introduced, as Hop perked up at his name. Julianna coed at the bat wyvern, petting his head. “That’s a rather queer name, isn’t it Briony? Still, he’s utterly precious.”

Quenton smiled a bit embarrassedly. “Well…he likes grasshoppers, you see.” He explained. Julianna laughed lightly.

“Ariella only has an interest in mice, I’m afraid. Well, mice and the scraps the cook gives her, she’s getting positively spoiled.” Julianna rued as the cat monster sprawled in the sun, exposing her belly. Despite Ariella’s obvious demonic attributes Quenton had to admit she was still pretty cute. He guessed it was rather hard to make an ugly cat.

“Do you intend to enter Hop in competition? He isn't a pure breed but if you train him well you might still be able to place. Though wyverns have become rather passe of late.” She mused.

“It’s all birds now, though I haven’t the faintest idea why. All that screeching and pecking would drive me mad.” Camilla opined.

Quenton considered Julianna’s idea. He supposed he could’ve guessed competitions were a thing but he’d have to do research to see what they entailed. If they were popular in this world they could serve as a way to get acclaim and possibly find a patron.

He hummed. “It depends on how his training goes,” Quenton said noncommittally.

Julianna’s eyes brightened and she clasped her hands together. “Ah! I have an idea, why don’t we have a quarrel? Ariella against Hop, we shall see how he does with mock fighting.” Her voice was high with excitement.

Quenton looked to Hop, who of course couldn’t exactly meet his eyes, and hummed thoughtfully. Monster fighting sounded dangerous and he didn’t want Hop to get hurt, he was still small and would curl into Quenton the first time he heard an unfamiliar voice. Besides he’d heard of dogfighting back home and considered it cruel, if this world had something similarly damaging then he wouldn’t engage in it.

Julianna shook her head. “Of course not, Ariella used to fight with…with my sister’s puca.” Julianna’s voice quivered slightly, her smile flickering.

“She left her puca behind when…when she…” Julianna stammered.

“Eloped.” Camilla finished tersely.

Julianna’s eyes flashed with anger before her gaze fell in defeat. “Eloped, yes.”

Camilla and Julianna fell into an awkward silence. He wished he could ask more about Julianna more about her sister, but he had a feeling it was a sore spot and something Briony would’ve already known.

“Um…What’re the rules for quarreling? Officially, I mean, I’ve never done this before.” He said breaking the silence and hoping it was true.

Camilla sighed. “Honestly sister, you must be denser than a stone. You never pay mind to your surroundings.” Camilla stood and let Candle down to the grass.

“Quarreling begins with the opponents setting the stakes, which rules you want to follow, and such. I presume Lady Julianna wishes to use the lady’s code.”

Julianna nodded. “Of course.”

“The lady’s code dictates the two opponents will skirmish until one shows their neck and their master concedes. Usually, the monster will refuse to fight if it knows that it is beaten, they aren’t stupid of course.” She said smiling at Candle.

Quenton nodded. “How rough are they intended to be? I do not want Hop to be wounded.”

Camilla rolled her eyes. “Wounds from quarrels are rather rare sister, they do happen but as long as both monsters know it’s only in play, it shouldn’t occur.”

“We have a courtyard that’s pleasant for quarrels,” Julianna said, standing up. Quenton and Camilla followed after her as she led them to a grassy area, a single ash tree providing shade and a few old stone statues for decoration. Near the tree was a circle about seven feet wide, dug into the grass.

“This is where Oriana and I would practice.” She murmured sadly, placing a balancing hand on a statue of a lady in a toga.

“Well, now you can practice with Briony and I,” Camilla said harshly. Quenton gave her a reproachful look but Camilla merely stared back defiantly.

“To begin a quarrel, both creatures stand on the edge of the dueling ring.” She gestured to the grassy circle, Julianna had already led Ariella to the edge nearest the house and Quenton reluctantly set Hop on the grass.

Camilla had said that injuries were rare and it was only a play fight, which didn’t sound too bad perhaps even fun for Hop.

“To lose a quarrel, you must either leave the circle or concede.” She said. “Do try not to lose sister, the family name oughtn’t to be tarnished much further.”

Julianna smiled almost excitedly at him. “Are you ready, lady Briony?” She asked, giving Ariella one fond pat on the head.

“Ready to win.” He said with false bravado, looking nervously at Hop, who sniffed at the circle and flapped his wings Ariella on her end stepped languidly into the circle and mewed adorably at Juliana before turning her gaze back to Hop.

Hop on his end being nearly blind had his eyes locked somewhere vaguely above the cat as he used the talons on his wings to walk across into the circle. Wait. How am I supposed to get him to fight? I haven’t trained hi- Quenton didn’t get to finish that thought before Hop launched himself across the circle with a strong flap of his wings.

To Quenton Hop had always seemed to be a rather clumsy flier during the day, but that didn’t seem to apply to short bursts like this. As his wyvern sailed through the air Ariella shot out her barbed tongue like a frog and Hop swerved to avoid the extended appendage.

He had to marvel at the length of it as the tongue had stretched out almost eleven feet from the mouth before it retracted itself. Hop landed right next to where Ariella had been since the cat had not been sitting idle while the wyvern was in the air.

She pounced on Hop and tried to ram her horns into his back and press him against the ground, Quenton’s heart ached as he heard the mewl of pain coming from where the two monsters struggled. But Ariella did not remain on top of Hop for long, as he extended his neck and twisted it around like a serpent and bit down around the neck of the cat.

Quenton was left slack-jawed as he watched how Hop had bent his neck almost 180 degrees to capture the cat in his mouth, and then flip her off and over him to smash her onto the dirt. A little cloud of dust rose up with the impact as she landed back first onto the ground.

Hop didn’t let the cat as much meow before he was on her and battering her with his wings while holding her down with his taloned feet. Oh my god, my baby is a badass. Quenton thought with both shock and satisfaction as he heard a distraught Juliana shout. “We yield, we yield!”

Just as Ariella exposed her neck to Hop whoo playfully “bit” down and then got off and clambered over to Quenton. If Quenton didn’t know better he could swear that Hop had a smug little sashay added to his crawl as mewled to be picked up.

Note: You have won a minor social conflict with Juliana Datalia Tufont. And have been awarded 5 EXP(Difference in Social Level(2) + Minor Conflict(3)

Wait…I can grind xp by having Hop win these quarrels? Quenton felt an evil grin slide onto his face as he saw a future of Hop beating the crap out of various beasts and making him level up like it was nobody’s business. He scritched him beneath his chin and heard Hop coo in satisfaction.