“Sister or not, it’s time you gave us a few good reasons.” Petra said once Clara calmed down. The four of them were standing in a circle, three facing Harriett. The short redhead shifted, not looking guilty at all. Like a cat trying to come up with a reason the family should let it stay (but let’s be honest, it never needed a reason before).
“I know,” Harriett sighed, “Why should you continue to tolerate me? Should you kick me to the street, where I’ll have to live by the skin of my teeth and thieving fingers? Cut my hair, battle for my place in the underground while holding to what shreds of humanity I can. Stand on the bloody corpses of those who sought to de-”
“Woah there,” Jasson said, “No reason to get so- um…passionate about it.”
Harriett was flushed, the glint in her eye dimming as she stopped talking. Jasson stared at Harriett, thinking. What was up with this girl? Following them home was one thing, but something in her attitude seemed…masochistic? Was that it? Was Harriett a pain freak? That didn’t seem right.
“You can try to convince us,” Clara said, concern on her face, “It’s okay. It’s not that hard here.”
What kind of a freak are you Harriett? Jasson thought. I’ve seen tons of different freaks on TikTik. Heck, being a freak is the norm these days. But I can’t quite put a finger on it…
Harriett’s face fell and she said, “Well, if it’s not that hard then-”
“What are you talking about?!” Jasson said by instinct, “This place is a grueling challenge of emotional, mental, and physical fortitude. I have to deal with Petra’s bullying every day! We sleep under a tarp! I had to go on a dangerous quest despite me being far to weak for it. I almost died during that! And you say it’s ‘not hard’. Well it’s a sure of a lot harder for me than you. Does Pe-”
“You have to let me stay!” Harriett sat up, “I- um…I have nowhere else to go. I’ll do anything! Please send me woefully unprepared on dangerous quests! It will be cruel to demand so much just for a spot beneath a tarp of poverty, but I will endure! And- and I don’t expect you to be nice to me! I can take the sadistic abuse, mental and physical! Just let me stay!”
As I suspected, Jasson thought. Not a pain freak, or a fear freak. It’s a lot more clear if I genderswap her mentally.
“I mean,” Petra inched away, “That’s not…I wasn’t going to ask for that much. Just monthly rent-”
“NO!” Harriet stood, “I must make my own way in the world, and your kindness has been too great. I shall slave away at five- no! Ten great tasks before I will feel that my honor is met! I insist that you let me pay you back as any woman of valor should. With blood, sweat, and tears of agony!”
Ah, Jasson thought, there you are Harriett. An adventure freak. Drooling at the thought of a challenge, a fight to win, and being able to say ‘I did this!’ like an adrenaline junkie climbing Mount Everest. (Sorry. Mount Co-Quo…Qomolan`gma. Not as catchy, but the TikTiker said that the native name was best.)
“I…sure. You can join us.” Petra said, shifting, “Just…erm…we have rules.”
“Of course,” Harriet said, “I will accept and follow them, even if they are gravely unjust! Ready the hazing!”
“No,” Petra said, taking a step back, “They’re not- look just leave the toilet seat down and-”
“NO!” Harriett prostrated herself on the floor in a deep bow, “Don’t take it easy on me! I can take it! I can do anything!”
Petra looked to Jasson, speechless and out of her depth. Jasson looked between the twins and realized that they were both looking at him. When did they figure out that Jasson understood Harriett? Jasson motioned to himself and Petra nodded with a bit of desperation in her eyes.
Guess it’s my turn. Jasson thought. Now, what do you say to an adventure freak? Probably something dramatic. A call to action?
“Arise,” Jasson said, recalling a viral anime, “I am the first of those indebted to The Twins, and have seniority on any debt paying going on here. Know that, as the newbie, you will be in charge of much of the dirty back-breaking hard labor I was fulfilling. Now- er… arise and behold your place in things.”
Harriett sat up and looked around, eyes wide and accepting of Jasson’s words. Jasson decided not to think about the implication of that, and pushed forward with a speech that came to him. Not quite naturally, but a heck of a lot better than he thought he’d do.
“These are the remains of the Twin’s ancestral dream.” Jasson said, “ Never built, the foundations alone remain among the weeds. Yet these two begin the task of raising their House to honor!”
Jasson looked to Clara and Petra, who shrugged and motioned for him to keep going.
Guess it’s still my turn, Jasson thought. What’s next? Deadline.
Jasson cleared his throat and said “This is a difficult challenge, and we cannot afford a moment of weakness. You see, Winter is coming and our huddled shelter is hardly fit for our stay. So it is a great- er- quest? To prepare this location in time for the first frost. Perhaps we will freeze without walls, perhaps we will starve beneath a barely functioning roof-”
Jasson glanced over at Petra, but merely got the nod to continue. Jasson relaxed. Last time Jasson had brought this up Petra had almost used his skeleton as a warning sign.
Jasson put a hand on Harriett’s shoulder and said “But surely, with your help, we will be able to gather enough funds to emerge from winter like a butterfly in spring. This shall be the Chrysalis of greatness!”
“Yes!” Harriett said, eyes gleaming with the promise of a dream, “Yes it will!”
“Then first,” Jasson said, “I’m afraid you must do the dishes. I’ll aid you so-”
“No,” Harriett stood tall and said “Let me solo it!”
****
“How did you do that?” Petra said to Jasson, watching Clara and Harriett chatting away. Harriett had already broken two plates, but since they were ceramic Petra was able to mend them easily. This was Harriet’s task, and she bristled like a cat when Clara tried to help.
“I don’t know,” Jasson said, “I guess…well I came from a place that had freaks like that for a lot of things.”
“No,” Petra said, “It’s more than that. I knew she was a freak. How did you know what to say?”
Jasson was quiet for a bit before he said “I guess…well I guess that I saw her dream. I understood it. Heck, I relate with it. I’ve barely achieved anything in my life. At least she had the determination to tackle that head on. Honestly…I envy that.”
“I bet you do,” Petra said, then grunted, “You three are just living in your own worlds aren’t you? I prefer to stay grounded.”
“Is that so bad?” Jasson said, “At least we can be happy there. It’s not like I don’t pay any attention to the world while you don’t seem to be happy despite being ‘grounded’.”
“Happiness comes from making a life worth being happy about,” Petra said, “Otherwise it’s just happy moments in a life of failure.”
“Oh?” Jasson turned to face Petra, “Surely you’re happy, right?”
Petra motioned to the not-ruins around them and said “What do you think? Do I have a life worth being happy about? Do you?”
Jasson was speechless. Surely she could be happy with her sister here. But then again…well Jasson didn’t feel like he was happy. Just…alive with moments of happiness. He wasn’t a failure only because he hadn’t tried anything yet. But the way Petra said it…
“I didn’t think so,” Petra said, “And I will have one. This House will be built, our family restored to glory. I’ll be happy when I’m done.”
“I’ve seen you laugh though,” Jasson said, “Weren’t you happy?”
Petra sighed and said “That’s not…look. For me, being a happy person is a temporary condition. So being happy permanently…I don’t know how else to explain it.”
“Huh,” Jasson said, “It sounds like the difference between moments of happiness and a life of joy. I heard it on a Podcast.”
Petra didn’t respond and Harriet finished the dishes, pumping her fist like she’d passed a great hurdle. Jasson was scrolling on his phone, trying to get Petra’s bumming words out of his head. Clara was starting to talk about her plan for their day when Petra spoke again.
“Jasson,” Petra said, “Why don’t you take Harriett on a tour of the place?”
“OOH!” Clara said, “I’ll go! I’ve been wanting another opinion on what kind of-”
“I need you here Clara,” Petra said, “And Jasson. Give Harriett a long tour.”
Wait, Jasson thought, I think they’re talking to me. Dang it. I’ve been getting better too.
“Sorry, what?” Jasson said as he closed TikTik, “You needed me?”
“Not listening, of course.” Petra rolled her eyes and said, “I told you to take Harriett on a tour.”
“Er,” Jasson stood from his mattress and said, “what do you need me to do? Show her around a bit?”
“No,” Petra said, “Give her a tour of the property. Like what Clara did with you the other night. But take a bit- no sorry. Take much longer than Clara did. Is that simple enough for you?”
Fair enough, Jasson thought, but still rude.
“Sure,” Jasson said, “Um…come on Harriett. I’ll show you around.”
****
Petra sighed once the two left, and Clara stepped up to her sister and put a hand on her shoulder.
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“What’s wrong sis?” Clara said, “You never need me around for things like this.”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Petra said, “Just…keep watch. Okay?”
“Sure sis.”
Petra reached to the side and a rippling hole in space cascaded out into her locker. Petra pulled out one sack filled with large gold coins, then she pulled out the rest with a mixture of hope and dread. Clinking bag after bag of smaller money onto the table, Petra looked at the hoard she’d been avoiding. Petra pulled the bags open and started counting money out in stacks of five.
“That’s a bunch of five points,” Clara said, peeking at Petra’s pile, “So we got paid in crowns then? That’s not the best-”
“I know!” Petra said, “But it’s what they had ready. I was tired, and we were dropped off right in front of the guild. It may have been after closing hours but I couldn’t risk them looking for change in the guild. Someone might have seen us.”
“And by someone you mean-”
“We don’t know if it’s them,” Petra said, “I just thought that I saw them a few weeks ago. Still, we can’t risk it.”
“Maybe the crowns will be okay,” Clara picked one oversized golden coin up and examined it, “After all, the other adventurers got paid in them as well. It shouldn’t raise too many eyebrows to pay with these.”
Petra thumped the table, and after a second Clara started massaging Petra’s shoulders.
“We’ll figure it out,” Clara said, “Stalt is a prosperous city. Paying with a Five Point Crown coin shouldn’t draw that much attention to us. At least not more than we get looking for buyers for that random treasure we find in the mines.”
“Not when we need to do it twenty times,” Petra said, “But you’re right. We could wear disguises and get them exchanged. That’s not really why I’m upset.”
After a moment of silence Clara said “You finally did the math then?”
“Don’t ‘finally’ me,” Petra said, “You sure as heck weren’t gonna do it. Is it my fault that our dream is impossible?”
“Not impossible,” Clara said, “After all, it was done once before. How much have we made?”
“Over the past three weeks?” Petra said, “two hundred gold and two silvers exactly. Not counting what is already set aside for shopping today or whatever Jasson has in his pockets.”
Clara paused, then let out a soft “Oh.”
Petra sighed and said “I’m not sure what I was thinking. Just been throwing the gold in and hoping it multiplied. The kind of gold we need isn’t something we can get by trading in our labor. We need some kind of business, a trade in something besides our time and safety.”
“But we can’t do that,” Clara said, “Not until we build enough to defend our assets. They will definitely pick up on us if-”
“I know!” Petra snapped, then sighed and said “We need to use proxies, but we don’t have any! Do you really trust Jasson that much? Don’t play innocent with me. You know full well how dark the world gets, and I struggle to believe that you would put that kind of trust in a man you just met.”
“No matter how much I loathe it,” Clara balled her fists, “Yes. I know how much money tempts once honest people. I would not try Jasson with being the owner of our business. It’s like I would be tempting him to evil. Trust like that is something earned in small steps, not as an act of desperate faith. No matter how much I wish it could be.”
Petra nodded and said “I’ll admit, he’s done better than I thought. And now there’s this Harriett girl. Are you sure you want to take her in?”
Clara shrugged and said “I don’t think that we could stop her. She’s like the dust in the air to my battle senses, so I’d rather have her where I can see her. Besides, I do think she’s adorable. A little sister to go with our new big bro-”
Clara snorted and laughed, making Petra smile. Petra said “He’s not our ‘big brother’. Just older than us. A big brother means respect. Competence. Wisdom, even in small doses. Not a stumbling half attentive dope who goes around the world in a bubble of naive distraction. Although his magic was interesting, but that was because of his phone. Not him. I haven’t found a single thing about him that makes him interesting to me.”
“Oh?” Clara said, “You’ve put some thought into him.”
“Shut up,” Petra said, “It’s only natural when someone’s living with you for the foreseeable future. Now hush, I need to do calculations for restoring our House.”
****
“OOH!” Harriett said, waving to Jasson, “What was this supposed to be?”
Jasson panted as he held his side, the heavy breakfast trying to literally stick to his ribs. He’d been following Harriett around for an hour already, and was finding it exceedingly difficult to keep up with her.
“Give me a sec,” Jasson hobbled then said, “Uhhh…”
Jasson had run out of things he recognised a while ago, and was pulling ideas from wherever they came. This was another hole in the ground, murky water going halfway up the stairs. There had been several of these in the manor area, connecting to what Jasson presumed was a basement. But Jasson and Harriett were in the planned gardens, a few hundred feet from the Manor footprint.
“This was part of the secret tunnel complex beneath the manor’s lands,” Jasson said, coming up with the most awesome thing he could think of, “It connects between all the other underground areas.”
“Cool!” Harriett said, “What does it connect?”
“Oh a few things,” Jasson said, thinking to some TikTiks he’d seen, “An underground bunker, a workshop, the main house, and a secret garage with a lift for their Delorean.”
“What’s a Delorean?” Harriet said.
“It’s a carriage.” Jasson said, “A collector’s model or something.”
Jasson stepped away from the murky precipice and glanced back toward the house. Could he be done yet?
“Awesome!” Harriett said, “So that means that- let’s see…this wouldn’t be the garage since we’re far from the road. Is this access to the bunker then?”
Too deep, Jasson thought, Why did I make this up?
“I wouldn’t know,” Jasson said, “It’s just what I think I remember. I could be wrong though.”
Harriett grabbed Jasson’s hand, “Come on! Let’s check it out!”
Jasson froze, acutely aware the portions of finger and palm in contact with Harriett. He’d been living in close proximity to two identically hot girls, but only had a crush on Clara so far. Clara was lovely, sweet, and everything Jasson found attractive. Meanwhile, Jasson had just met Harriett, and although he enjoyed hanging out with her Jasson didn’t anticipate the electric feeling at her touch. Was he really this easy? A girl is friendly with him and Jasson becomes a simp?
No, Jasson thought, I’m not like that. She’s just a cute girl, and I would like to get to know her better. Perhaps become friends. But that’s it. I’m not crossing that line with anyone I’m not ready to commit to.
“Not today,” Jasson pulled his hand out of her grip, “Let’s head back to the not-ruins.”
Jasson followed as Harriet rushed ahead. Jasson looked down at his phone and checked the time. Was this long enough for Petra? He hoped so.
When Jasson looked back up, he couldn’t see Harriett. Jasson climbed on a low not-ruin wall and looked around for her. Where did she-
“Boo!” Harriett said from behind Jasson.
“Ayee!” Jasson stumbled and nearly fell from the wall, but Harriet caught his flailing hand and straightened him.
“Thanks,” Jasson said, pulling his hand free, “But don’t do that. I’m not that agile.”
“Oh,” Harriett said, “Restrictions! Yes. Okay. Don’t scare Jasson into falling into the family room. Question, may I try again once the family room is completed and you would be falling face first into the fifth century Paisley couch instead of a rock floor?”
“What?” Jasson said, “I meant that you shouldn’t scare me while I’m precariously balance on a wall. And why are you already furnishing it?”
“It will need furniture,” Harriett said, “The dream is to have a grand manor, right? It’s hardly grand if you have to sit on the floor. And fifth century Paisley is a decadent and expensive type of couch. Plus, my mother hates the design so we won’t have to worry about her staying too long.”
Last I remember, Jasson thought, Paisley was the pattern on my grandma’s couch. How times change.
“Okay,” Jasson said, “Let’s head back to Petra and-”
I can do better than this, Jasson thought. Just a bit longer.
“Actually,” Jasson said, “Since the tour is just about done, why don’t you tell me what else you can see for this manor’s future.”
Harriett led Jasson around excitedly, pointing out the obstacle course and training ground she could see were clearly intended. She described the manor soaring five or six stories into the air, with a twisting and impractical labyrinth of passages for both the masters and the servants. A library, a secret library, a forbidden magically sealed nook filled with the magical secrets of the family and a black ledger of sins. It was a breath of fresh air when Harriett described how, after serving ten great tasks for the house, she would be rewarded a third floor room with a view of the gardens to enjoy her just deserts. Jasson was confused about the deserts part, but figured that it referenced a kind of decadent lifestyle. Like that ‘let them eat cake’ girl from the Met Gala.
“Pretty cool eh?” Harriett said, “So come on. What are your dreams for this place? You said that you’d sworn to see this place built. What does that mean to you? What part of this dream gets you excited?”
Jasson stopped and looked around at the not-ruins and considered his answer.
What am I excited about? Jasson thought. I guess I was excited because Clara was. Nothing really comes to mind otherwise. It’s something I want because it’s something Clara and Petra want. I never thought I had a say, like commenting on all those TikTiks. It was good to see someone pushing forward for their dream, and that was enough for me. But…is it still? I’m here, not on the other side of a screen. I’m helping with an enormous project that could take years. Does my life debt matter that much to me? Or is it something that I swore to because I didn’t have anything better to do.
“I don’t know,” Jasson said, “where would I start?”
Harriett looked around and said “All right. How about your room. I doubt that you’re gonna leave once this place is done, so where do you want to sleep? Where do you want your room to be?”
“Huh,” Jasson said, “What would I put in my room?”
“Put in it?” Harriett said, “Your wardrobe? A desk and bed? A room is about where it is, not what’s in it. What view would you like? Do you want to be on ground level? How close to the kitchens for a midnight snack? How many windows do you want?”
Jasson was quiet for a second before saying “I never thought of it like that. My old room was in a basement, and the window was under the porch. I couldn’t open it because the screen was bad and there were a ton of spiders on the other side. So I just kept it closed and put a curtain over it. But now that you mention it, a view sounds nice. Maybe of the driveway so I could see guests coming and be ready for them.”
“The drive?” Harriett said, “I can see that. Do you want to be on the tallest floor?”
“Maybe,” Jasson said, “I do like to be alone and on my pho- my viewing crystal. Otherwise…I can’t really think of anything.”
I guess what I’d like most is a home wifi and charging station. Jasson thought. But I’m not gonna get that here. Or my gaming consoles. Or a minifridge. Or energy drinks. I don’t even have a power outlet to run a tv that I don’t have. What exactly can I have in my room? A recliner to relax while I scroll?
“Well, start thinking about it,” Harriett said, “I personally want a large collection of locks so I can practice being captured and escaping. Would you be up to helping me with that?”
After a few seconds of consideration involving humorous but life threatening misunderstandings, Jasson said, “I’m pretty sure Petra would scalp me if I tried, so respectfully no. Never. Look, Clara is waving to us.”
Jasson sighed in relief and walked over to Clara. Clara was smiling, but something was off in her eyes. Maybe Jasson wasn’t the best judge, be he thought that Clara looked upset.
“What’s up?” Jasson said, “Good to comeback?”
“Aww,” Harriett said, “I was enjoying being excluded from your confidence.”
“It’s not that,” Clara said, “It’s just that I thought it would bea good idea if you head to town. It’s Saturday, and we need another high quality quest. Take Harriett with you, maybe she’ll be helpful.”
“Again?!” Jasson said, “But we just got back! Don’t I get a rest day or two before flinging myself into that meat swamp?”
“Sorry,” Clara shrugged, “Maybe it won’t be too bad. On Saturday. The busiest day of the week. Erm…here.”
Clara handed Jasson a few copper coins and said “In case you need healing. I really wouldn’t be asking this of you but…”
It’s not enough. Jasson thought. We need more money. A lot more.
Jasson looked at the coins, then straightened and smiled as he looked Clara in the eyes and said “You can count on me.”
“And me!” Harriett said, “I will bring back a magnificent quest!”
Jasson didn’t rightly give this statement the consideration he should have. In the following weeks Jasson would come to regret this and corresponding oversights. You regret funny things when lost in a labyrinth of forgotten stone.