-Lisette
Eh, that child's so noisy. Attracts all the rats and flies to me shop. But I've promised to meself that I'd protect the kiddo.
Under me watch, no one's gonna lay a finger on 'er.
At least she listens to me when I tell 'er to go and hide in the cellar. I couldn't hope to fight fully while always being worried about that girl. Better she stays back and lets me handle it all.
Intruders all around. Three in the courtyard, two in front of the shop, and two on the roof. I don't sense any others.
For what it's worth, they could have plenty reason to do what they do. But I'm not lettin' 'em hurt my precious child. Come and get a piece of me, ya twats.
I hid myself in the dark of the house, squeezing myself behind a corner. With a frame and build as small as mine, it was hard to see me at all if it was so dark. Unless they had night vision - doubtfully so, 's high level magic - I'm good.
My cane doubled as a sword, not the best, but'll do for 'em crooks, see.
They've got nothin' but their weakness and craving others' strength and wealth. So much so, they'll go after a lil' girl and an old lady.
Makes me chuckle. When I was younger, I could beat 'em face to face. Gotten real rusty, having to rely on me tricks, from me prime assassination days...
As someone I knew once said, great power is best consolidated in responsible hands... or something like that. Not like I'm one for great morals, I have a child I care for.
These apes can die if they're threatenin' us.
Without getting carried away, I activated my sensing again. The rooftop duo has moved to the courtyard. They'll enter soon, 's what it's lookin' like. Ain't got much of a plan, I don't. Just fightin' back as much as I can.
The first to enter got decapitated by my cane-sword, slashing his neck through the dark at a speed he couldn't comprehend. 's just a poor kid, a handsome young man, who'd resorted to this crooked business.
See, I know 'em all here. The entire neighbourhood. Lad probably did it to feed his family.
What that did, though, was send the others into panic, scrambling frantically to make a shield wall behind a bulky, massive hunk of a young man. I could see in his eyes he wasn't all that bright, but sturdy he was.
My cane-sword wouldn't do much against his shield. That is, if I was just pokin' at 'em. Who said I'm that inexperienced? Heheh.
A sly smile drew across my face, while I was deep in thought. These guys seem pretty easy. What's the surprise, eh?
They hidin' their trump? It'd be common knowledge I'm not that easily impressed and overtaken, huh?
The bulky man was retreating from the hall of the house to the outside while shielding the men behind him. A well-placed throwing knife zoomed past him, cutting his ear. Heh, no reaction on that face of his.
To avoid 'im finding me now, I switched positions. The knife gave my earlier one away.
Some monkey behind him was hit, judging by the screams of pain. Suck it up, buttercup.
Ya get what ya get.
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-Ophilanna
A lot of time passed. Thumping above me, with creaking wood, was all I could hear. It must have been pitch black in the shop. Whoever was there, wasn't having a good time, is what I hoped for.
It felt like an eternity of me twiddling my thumbs, nothing I could do down here, where it's dark and dry, the air is stale.
Though caught in the prison of my mind, the hatch moved, and I moved to hide in a corner of the cellar, behind a barrel.
Light began invading the entirety of the downstairs room. Sweat droplets were running down my forehead; I was anxious. Whoever was coming down here, was calling the shots if I made it out alive or not.
Fortunately, the second I saw a cane, I felt relieved; apparently, Granny persisted.
Once the mysterious figure was fully illuminated, my heart stopped racing so crazily. She survived!
Phew. I have never been this happy and relieved in my life.
What would I do if she died..?
But, upon closer inspection, she'd been wounded. Somewhat.
I emerged from behind the barrel and booked it, right into her arms.
"Ahh, don't scare a rusty skeleton like that", she cackled, "'s all well again. Help me clean up? I'm too old, y'know."
I had a hard time giggling, with my face dug into her embrace. So, I pouted, prompting her to be confused, as to why.
"What's with the face, kiddo? I'm no ghost, am I?"
Doesn't she know..? Her wound is gaping.
"Granny.. you're wounded..", I held back a tear. She started coughing and laughing, nearly choking.
"That bit? Don'tcha worry", she grinned and made a hush motion, "I's well, got a secret or two, see?"
Within a second, the wound vanished, leaving a rough scar. I forget she's quite knowledgeable.
"Fine... Don't scare me like that again, Grandma."
We went back upstairs.
It looked like a mess, to be frank. She'd completely annihilated whoever was sneaking up on us.
Blood everywhere, splattered across the wooden floor.
You'd be hard pressed to believe an elderly lady, of her frame, could pull this off, but she's probably the biggest surprise, for sure. I haven't seen anyone survive her that.. actually was her target.
In what took us forever, we managed to scrub all the blood and clean the house. Luckily, no major damage was done to it. The door, I guess, was fine too, since she'd left it unlocked to begin with.
Bold, I admit, but she's got it to do that. Granny only locks the door right before we go to sleep. Our sleep pattern is highly erratic, hence nobody really tries to sneak a funny move on her.
"Granny", I begin without knowing where to go.
She looks at me, scoffs at me staring into the air, and just sits down at the table, drinking her tea.
It was a green leaf tea using Yakoi herbs I picked yesterday. Not only is it her favourite, but she reminisces her past while we share this kind of tea, and it helps with health, apparently.
The Madame speaks in a rather dry tone: "Kid.."
Her eyes are looking into the tea bowl. It is traditionally served in one, instead of a cup.
"I think... we should talk."
I've got goosebumps as she spoke, word for word.
It's been on my mind since earlier, too. Eric offered me to meet and work for his Master. She seems magnanimous enough to let an elf work under her, and to scout me, she must think of me highly enough...
I should stop deluding myself. Apart from my dirty name from my time underground, I don't have anything. Nothing. There's only filth. Excrement. What.. would I even be useful for..?
"Stop.", the Madame said, her raspy voice mellowing the mood. It was serious.
"Old souls like me can tell yer thoughts from that troubled face, y'know."
I nodded.
"So.. don't feel useless, kiddo. You's a great help. Like.. you's a daughter to me. Mmm.. you's got the art of tea down to a tee.", she snarkily added.
I... nodded again, this time solemnly staring into my bowl of tea.
"Y'know, Fi", Granny addressed me with her nickname for me. I teared up a little. It's been a while since she used it. Whenever she does, it's really emotional. She'd used it to comfort me plenty of times.
"I think's time for you to... find someone that can take better care of ya."
She picked up her bowl, put it back down again, without drinking, and resumed to explain.
"You's got the intelligence and wit to learn magic, so I really think ya should. For that.."
My vision became so blurry all of a sudden. Why's that..?
Granny Lis reached out to me and wiped away my tears.
"Ye'r always cryin' so easily... C'mere."
The Madame stood up, as difficult as it was for her to move hastily, switching sides to sit next to me. She wrapped both of her arms around me, and the whole time, she didn't stop talking, not giving me a chance to start sobbing my eyes out.
"I's got thinkin', y'see... lately, it's been rather dangerous here. Whatever it is, I care lots about ya. You's my flesh and blood, in a way. I found ya half-dead and nursed life into that body of yours."
Granny Lis hugged me tightly. I let out a quiet sob.
"That Master of the boy you befriended", she smiled at me while wiping my face clean,
"she's yer relative, and really loved your mother. I trust her, so... please find it in you to trust her too. My decision to do that.. too. I's not.. getting rid of ya. Me bag of bones' just gettin' too old for a mission like this. As much as I'd love to continue.. my time is limited. Elves live so long, and I've lived mine."
My eyes were welling up. Everything inside me was about to burst, it was warm, it was hurting.
I've lost my family, and I'm going to lose my one and only benefactor too?
The Madame noticed, however, and scolded me a little.
"Stop ya thinkin' nasty thoughts, kiddo!", Granny flicked my forehead lightly.
"B-But... you're throwing me away.."
Even Granny had a hard time keeping herself together with those words. I'm sorry, it was all so much for me, I didn't mean to..
"Ain't a chance I ever will, Fi. A daughter of mine stays that. I's just wishing for ya to see the world and experience life fully. Here, all you's gonna have is crooks after your skirts and what's under, and those after our lives. The Baroness can offer you's the best of the best. Y'know.. I love you, Fi. Even ya little bugger should know a mother'd never do that and leave their child."
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Those words, the Madame quickly realised, had been chosen a tad insensitive, which she followed up with: "You's grown up so beautifully in the short time I was with you. Never's I questioned your background or reasons, everyone's got 'em. But ya've got a way's of life ahead of ya. No need to stick with me for the entirety of it and lose yourself in it when I's gone."
Sniffling, I nodded, wiping my tears and rubbing my eyes, while she provided me her shoulder.
"So.. please think about it, promise me, Fi. I's not offloading ya. Me arms're always open. Me shop is. Come back anytime to visit. Don't forget me, don't you dare!", she snickered after ending that sentence. With a sniff, I let out a chuckle, Granny ruffled my hair.
"I'd talked with the Baroness. She'd like to take care of you, send you's to the Academy. See.. me let loose about yer troubles with magic, and the lady claimed to know a solution. She'd be better suited to help you than this rusty skeleton."
I regained my smile. Granny said she won't prod into my past exactly, but regardless of what happened, she won't stop being there for me. I was told to be less conspicuous and be wary of how loud and shameless I act sometimes, making me pout.
"Reminds me.", the Madame stared into her bowl again, carefully observing the ripples,
"I found you like this back then. In a sidestreet crying and sobbing like a baby."
Rude? I was 10!
"Then, I took you in and gave you as much as I could, treated you's a daughter, and now you're one."
"That's embarassing...", I felt stifled by the embarassment.
"Ya used to be naive and little, now a fine little woman, heh?", she grinned, ruffling my hair again.
"I suggest yer go learn magic. Why's that? I know I said me wouldn't ask.."
You really have a knack for hitting the nerve, lady..
"I just don't want to lose someone important to me.. again. Had I known magic, I could have saved my mother."
Life has its ups and downs, right.
"Kiddo", she sighed, "you's cant expect a child to do what an adult couldn't."
My eyes were ripped open, figuratively, at her words.
I know it's true.. it's a delusion to think it'd have changed anything..
"Ya must be ridden with guilt that's got no purpose on shoulder so small."
My eyes were watering again, she wiped them though. In the end, I just responded "yes" before hugging her tightly.
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-Lisette
"Really, you're a curious one.", I exclaimed while wrapping my arms around the child.
I truly wonder what she's gone through, but I've poked the nest enough here.
Kid's got a real interesting scar on the back of her neck.
"Incredibly intelligent to boot, studious and has the wits..", I mumbled like a madwoman.
She'd looked up to me with tears welling up. My motherly instincts kicked in, y'know.. I couldn't help it.
Decided's best to take a break and inhale fresher air than this stale one 'ere.
"Ey, kiddo", softly nudging her arm I said, "let's go take a breather outside, aye?"
Without hesitation, Ophilanna raised her head. As if I casted some magic, her melancholy dispelled, a smile spread across her face. The girl seemed in higher spirits now, at least.
Her voice, also, sounded a lot more dulcet than monotone and bereaved, as before.
With her trotting behind me, I opened the door to the front of the shop. Given the cold temperatures, she was shaking, so me's had it in myself to put a blanket over her.
Though something fishy alerted my nose. A smell I's knew all too well. Fire. It blanketed the entire neighbourhood, so the fire's big.
"Granny?", she asks me, tugging the hem of my dress in a shaky voice, "I.. smell something weird.."
Oh girl, your hands are trembling! Is it the trauma..? Gotta be, with how affected you seem by the mere smell or presence of it.
Looking up at the night sky, I pat her, then say: "Alright then..", and continue where my sentence trailed off, "Fi. There's a fire in the noble's district, can y'see? Over there",
having pointed in its general direction, my mind began puzzling together the source and reason of the fire. As to the reason, I ain't got an idea, eh.
The source, that I think's clear. A noble's mansion. Multiple in close proximity.
What's so weird about that? Well, it's the noble's district that houses and employs the most beast-kin and non-humans, as slaves or servants. My girl sobs besides me, probably due to her.. past afflictions with fires like these.
So I sit her down with me inside, give 'er a big hug, and tell her to sleep once she feels better, wait until she's tucked in, before I head out to investigate that fire stuff. Must be someone who hates non-humans, heh?
And this I did, quietly rocking in my chair watching the cityscape flicker. Fresh air would keep me awake. Moreover, it was still quite young, the night. Tomorrow, too, I will have Ophilanna watch the store while I do a deeper dive into this. It's suspicious. I's not gonna send out me child into a world with such a hatred for non-humans.
After a busy night, my eyes fell shut.
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-Ophilanna
Urgh... my head hurts terribly. Last night was awful. The memories are drowning my mind amidst how fogged it feels to even recollect anything that happened after the.. break-in.
Granny took care of it, we had a talk, I got really emotional and cried, bawling my eyes out against her. Wha.. I hope that she's not annoyed by my childishness...
Rubbing my eyes and suppressing all the foolish tears that were coming up again, I went to get ready, both myself and the store.
The Madame left the shop in my hands again, since she wished to investigate the fire. Ahh! I remember now. The smell made me feel nauseous, bringing back horrible memories..
Anyhow, my task was to keep an eye on Granny's store. Since it'd be a day of prayers, I wasn't expecting many customers at all, much less a single one. They would all go to the church or pray at home. It's, uh.. how do I put this? A day of little to no work?
Even the servants are free to decide not to work. They're also not supposed to be punished too.
But that makes the fire last night, somewhere coming from the noble's district, all the weirder.
See, the Madame isn't the only one trying to keep up with the gossip, it's me as well. To my surprise, a cloaked figure entered the store. I was alerted by the doorbell and turned my head towards a small-ish creature. An elf, with short platinum blonde hair, of incredible youth, and a small, but muscular build. Eric! What's he doing here..? Not that I mind, despite my suspicions.
"Eric? What's the occasion?", I bluntly hit him up, which he responds to by stuttering about wanting to check in on me, see, since there was a fire last night. He could only watch it happen in horror.
"I'm glad you're safe", he sighed a breath of relief, "if you hear anything, let me know, pretty please?"
I giggled at him practically begging me, and then nodded. Within an instant, he came around asking whether or not I thought over the offer.
"Meeting Master.", he mumbled, rubbing his chin.
Since I had my talk with the Madame and thought it over.. well.. it would be unwise to completely deny the offer, right?
"I'll take the offer, but before agreeing to anythin'", standing behind the counter, I scratched the back of my head while seeing Eric's eyes light up, "Let me meet your Master at least. I wanna know what I'm up against."
With a big smile, he nodded, saying that he'll talk to her and get me a meeting. I was relieved at this being so easy. Then, I asked him if he knew who was behind the fire.
This shut Eric up, and his eyes became.. empty. It was weird. Granted, I didn't know him much, but it was creepy.
For a while, we stood there with him being eerily quiet. He quietly mumbles "no", motioning towards the door, to leave. Calling after him, I ask:
"Would you like to spare time for me while I watch the store? We could talk?"
Eric turned around just before he smack stood in front of the door. His movement seemed really robotic, no. Lethargic. It was like he'd been exchanged for a ghoul. Lifeless.
"Eric?", I waved my hand at his face, blankly staring over me.
Soon after, he snapped out of his daze, saying that he's quite busy, since the fire last night left him swamped with work.
Guess the fire took a toll on him? I'll chalk it up to trauma, he did stand there witnessing it and all.
Or.. is he at fault? And his guilt is eating him up? This needs to be investigated.
I was a bit flattered at him checking on me, but overall, this felt too weird not to investigate. Unfortunately, I'm still bound to the store until Granny comes back. Until then, I can think over some ideas for what happened and why Eric behaved so curiously.
He wished me goodbye and left. The bell rang. As he left, though, Eric muttered "it's a secret anyway", which.. confused me. What is a secret?
But, the weirder part is him disappearing towards the noble's district. The storefront allowed me to see that much.
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-Ophilanna
It's been a while. The door opened, revealing the Madame, holding some kind of scroll with her. Her efforts had been fruitful, huh?
"I found a trail", Granny began chattering away as she took off her coat, "that was rather hot, heh. Lead me right to the Baroness", she closed her eyes and rubbed her chin, "the boy, y'know."
"Eric?", I asked, staring at her with mild confusion written across my face.
Then, as if I couldn't wait for Granny's answer, I added, "so, what'd he do there? Is he responsible?"
She took a moment to sit down in the back, gesturing me to listen to her.
"Listen for once, kiddo", and to that, I just nodded.
"My information told me", pausing and picking up her tea bowl, "that multiple outhouses of slaves and servants have been set fire to", before burning her tongue and cursing the temperature.
All while I listened, patiently. Outwardly, it seemed like that, at least.
Inside, I was scared and anxious to know.
"Some noble's mansion too", Granny added, "of a noble related to the Baroness."
In response, I just tilt my head. What does that imply?
"It means war. Right in the Baroness' face. Me? I's thinkin' Eric is targeted, since.."
She blankly stared at the motion of the tea, before picking herself up where she stopped.
"His sister worked as a servant for them, undercover, too. So someone's had it out for 'em."
Now it clicked. He's devastated at losing his mother..? I can't believe I even doubted him.
"Gets even worse", the Madame clicked her tongue, "he watched her b-", stopping herself from finishing that sentence, as she could clearly see the tears in my eyes. The ones I wasn't even aware of.
"Uhem. Anyway. I's pretty sure this ain't the only one. Eric grew up in an orphanage in the same district, which holds some of his siblings. Gotta be the next target, right."
My nausea returned, though this time not because of the fire, but because Eric probably didn't know this. I should run and tell him.
"Granny?", I ask, my voice cracking, monotone.
"The Baroness is located in a palace near that noble's district, close to the church there. Go ahead, I'll watch the store. Also...", she placed a hand on mine, "be safe. The orphanage isn't far from there, if you need to go there."
And with those words of hers that encouraged me to take the reins of my life into my own hands, I stormed off grabbing a cloak and rushing to the Baroness' mansion.
On the way, all my thoughts revolved around Eric, and how I'd probably ended up in that orphanage, if I didn't run away and was saved by Grandma Lis. Let's pray I'm on time.