Most of the work was kept, which Alister supposed was nice. He was conflicted about how to feel about the process. A bit of pride had welled in his chest about doing good for the people, but he stamped it back down with a hearty dose of sad realism. The only reason he could “do good” for them in this case was because there was something wrong. No, the problems of Dusau were not ones he could fix, but it made him feel like it was wrong to be happy. Even if it was for aid.
The whole visit to the border was more boring than he thought it would be, as well. Given how everything else had been going over the last year and a half or so, he expected something to explode or go horribly wrong. But no. It was normal… boring work. His father made a point to speak with a number of knights guarding the border crossing, to get their opinions of conditions, spoke with the Lord of Ebbern, and then they were just… done.
“That’s all?”
Blas looked up from paperwork he had been inundated with, sitting in the den of the home they were staying at, “Hmm? All what?”
Alister sighed, laying back on the couch, “All that we have to do here? All that we came here for? Something that could have been a simple scry?”
He laughed, “Well. I suppose if scry magitechnology gets far enough that more have access to it with such ease, then yes. But if no one was there to receive my message, or if the location had no scry orb, it would have been missed. Sending a letter would have been slower and less efficient than just coming myself since I’m this close anyway. And it’s comforting to see things with your own eyes. To gauge without being led one way or the other how bad something is. All in all this was actually a trip that made me feel more secure about this crossing location, which is a relief, and it also made me feel like we have a slightly better idea of how badly affected our neighbors are in Dusau.”
“…I see,” Alister muttered. Harriet had gone off to exercise with some poor knights she roped into the activity, so it was just himself and his father right now. He appreciated having the time alone. He sighed again, “I’m tired of traveling so much.”
“Understandable,” his father replied over the scribbling sound of pen on paper, not looking up, “After we move to Rythwith we’ll be staying in place for a good while. I may have to make trips to the capital, but with the train line it’ll be much shorter forays than this whole last year has been. Once we settle you’ll feel the opposite; pining for trips to who knows where… and trips to escape Amaiara, no doubt.”
He grimaced, “That snake woman is going to be a pain.”
“Amaiara will be a bit much for a month or two probably, but she’ll calm down once she gets used to us being around again,” Blas smiled, “I miss her, as overwhelming as she can be. She’s been around most of my life, so anytime I’m away I end up missing her. Ah, but we should get rest tonight, we need to head back and help pack… All I can hope is that the trip home will be less eventful. Walking for miles was not my favorite surprise, after all.”
Alister huffed in agreement, nodding, “…Yeah.”
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The night was uneventful. The boringness continued, as though absolutely nothing was going on outside of their little world. The ride back was quiet as well, if long, as all carriage rides are. It was so unsettling. He felt like something was supposed to be happening. He actually had time to catch up on the reading he was supposed to be doing for his tutors!
By the time they made it back to Keene, most of the packing had been squared away. Marabell was keeping Olana in check, Myrtle was tending to some plants she had potted to try to take along on the trip, and Wisteria seemed to be getting along better with her mother’s boyfriend Alexys. When their carriage pulled up, Harriet jumped out before the vehicle had even come to a stop.
“Hey!” Blas shouted, trying and failing to grab her arm. He scoffed, shaking his head as he watched her sprint off to where her sister and mother were moving some full boxes, “I swear… No one in our family is cautious enough.”
Harriet did not care that her sister was actively carrying a box, nor that her mother was carrying multiple.
As she came bolting in to hug Olana, Marabell noticed just in time and scooped Olana’s box out of her hands seconds before she was tackled to the ground. “Sissy!!!” she squealed, squeezing her super tight.
“Harriet!” Olana wheezed, trying to catch her breath as she awkwardly hugged her back, “I didn’t know you guys would be back today. We heard about another eldritch run-in. I was worried about you.”
“We’re ok! It was small! I miiiiiissed you!”
Alister watched from afar as his cousin smothered her and sighed, continuing on until he got inside with his father. Wisteria was talking with Alexys when the two of them walked inside. Wisteria gave Alister a big smile, while Alexys paused and gave a delayed bow to the duke and son.
“Duke Blas! Alister! I didn’t hear you had returned,” Wisteria said, flushed as she hurried up to them, “Was the border alright? Did you enjoy? I heard another eldritch attack happened. I’m happy you’re not injured. We’ve gotten most of the packing finished. The house echoes crazily now. It’s almost spooky.”
Alister and Blas both smiled at her. Blas spoke up first, “Well hello. Everything’s alright at the border, better than I feared, and thankfully the attack wasn’t that bad. Thank you for helping pack, Wisteria.”
“Of course! I’m hardly going to sit around doing nothing. I want to be of use. I need to earn my keep, after all,” she smiled back at them, glancing at Alexys, “And Sir Alexys has been a lot of help too.”
“Oh, you don’t hate him now?” Alister teased.
She gave him an eye roll, “Oh come on I wasn’t that bad… I just wanted to make sure he was a decent man first!”
Alexys smiled awkwardly, uncomfortable, “It is alright either way. I am pleased to be considered somewhat decent. I do try my best.”
Wisteria scrunched her nose, and Alister laughed softly at the face she made, “Sorry sorry. I’ve missed having you around. I’ve been stuck with you for a while now, so you being gone was odd.”
She huffed, “Yeah well… I missed you a bit too… twerp.”
Blas touched her shoulder as he moved past them, “Thank you again for helping. Make sure to take breaks though. I have the feeling your mother is the sort to overwork herself.”
“Of course.”
He moved deeper into the mansion, looking at the bare walls and sampling of boxes that were still heaped in the rooms. It was so empty… and getting emptier. Blas smiled sadly at nothing in particular, “You know, Alister, I really didn’t intend to spend five years here. It was far longer than I ever meant. But I’ll miss the quiet I had here. You were so little when we first headed over. And now there will be more war… So I suppose I’m right back where I started. I… so very much look forward to when you head to the royal academy. Ah, and I still need to get you your familiar you wanted. Hah. I’m sorry life has been so chaotic.” Blas closed his eyes looking into the room, giving a deep sigh as he tried not to let his emotions get the better of him. He didn’t want to cry. Not in front of the knight, especially.