Ok. Maybe this won’t be so bad… I thought. English… er… Scottish? Manor house… I caught sight of two full suits of armor in the entrance hall and slapped my hand over my mouth to stifle a giggle. Oh my! Maybe there’s even a ghost! I grinned quietly.

I suddenly frowned in thought. Actually… the Wake is real. Ghosts are real. I don’t want to have to do more ghostbusting. My heart squeezed remembering that poor cabin-boy on the pirate ship, and how we wound up re-killing him…

The worst part was him thanking us for that… I shook my head to dispel the gloomy memory.

Rangrim, clearly used to ‘tallins’ being overwhelmed with the manor’s grandeur,-

And quite pleased about it too, unless I miss my guess!

-had taken the time to let us gawk, before saying “Welcome again to the Manor.” And giving us a polite bow.

We introduced ourselves, and explained again in brief how we’d come to know Eideth.

Rangrim chuckled through his white mustache. “That sounds very like the mistress. Talented, and quite bright, but like the young, often prone to flights of passion. Please. Allow me to escort you to the guest chambers.”

I dipped a bow to him. “Ah, thank you so much!”

He led us slowly down the hallways and up a grand sweeping staircase.

I suppose I should get it over with. I thought, and cleared my throat.

“Excuse me, Sir Rangrim?” I ventured.

He chuckled quietly. “I’m just the butler at the manor, no need to be so formal, my dear. What is it?” He asked.

“Do you have any ghosts in the mansion?”

Rangrim stopped dead and slowly turned to me, his eyes wide. “How in the world…?!” He breathed.

Soriya blinked and looked at me in surprise with a faintly pleased smile on her lips.

I sighed heavily. “So that’s a yes then.” I muttered to myself.

“Are you spirit hunters of some kind?” He asked.

“Ah. Something like that, I suppose.” I said.

“Well… Yes, as it happens. I personally believe that the maids are exaggerating, but the incidents are difficult to ignore. And there are troubling rumors about the previous owners and strange deaths. Mostly confined to the west wing, and the library, which is frankly why most of that area of the mansion hasn’t been cleaned.”

I nodded again. “And if we wanted to look at old records, we’d need to look for them there, I take it?”

Rangrim smiled mildly. “That is where documents tend to be kept, yes. Especially older ones.”

Eshaan chuckled quietly.

I huffed in exasperation. “I guess you have children then.” I said.

Rangrim blinked. “What an odd segway. Yes, actually, I have 3 children, all grown.”

Soriya laughed aloud. I blinked and gave her a tentative smile. I suppose ‘dad jokes’ are universal? Or maybe they just like puns everywhere? I thought.

She grinned at me then turned to the butler. “Well,” She said “Then I suppose you should show us to our rooms, and then we’ll take a look at your little ghost problem.”

Rangrim responded dryly “If you like dusty paperwork from an older house and unsorted financial documents, this might prove to your liking?” He smiled in jest.

I smiled back and said “Actually, we are hoping to look at those. You see, my mother was the adventurer who took down the smuggling ring that ran from this manor house nineteen years ago.”

Rangrim’s eyes got wide for just a moment, his unflappable butler demeanor vanishing for a fraction of a second. He harumphed. “Well then! That’s… quite a statement! Spirit hunters and a family of adventurers?!” He peered at me closely. “Your mother!? How extraordinary! The world is truly a small place.” He chuckled to himself as he led us to the third floor of the mansion.

“Now, the official meals are served at set times, but if you need anything, the maids are on call. We have heated water… urm… are you familiar with plumbing?”

I blinked and then laughed. “Actually… yes.” I said, smiling brightly at him. Though only because of my otherworldly origins!

Eshaan raised a hand. “I’m not?” He said.

Rangrim narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “How very interesting. Well, it’s quite simple. Hot and cold water is moved directly to your room, where you can use it for various purposes, including a bath.”

Lakshmi perked up. “Wait, so like… there’s actually a bath in every room here?!”

Rangrim chuckled again. “Well, not every room, but yes, the guest rooms all have bathing rooms. They are, however, considerably smaller than the large public baths I understand are common in the Empire.” He stopped. “Ah, forgive me. Will you all be wanting separate bedrooms, or do some of you share?”

I opened my mouth to ask for six rooms, but Soriya beat me to it. “Five rooms!” She said empathically, and linked her arm in Daniyel’s.

I saw a long suffering eyeroll from Daniyel, as well as a quickly hidden smirk from Lakshmi.

Daniyel sighed and said “It is as she says. I will request a room next to the lady Lakshmi though. This is not negotiable.”

Rangrim simply nodded agreeably. “Several of the guest suites have interconnecting doors. I’ll make sure that they are unlocked for you.”

“Are there ghost problems in the upper floors?” Lakshmi said.

Rangrim squirmed uncomfortably. “Ah well. Very rarely. Assuming that this truly is a ghost…”

One of the maids appeared around a corner, a young monan woman wearing a classic old style maid’s outfit. Her eyes widened hearing Rangrim and she picked up her skirts and rushed towards us.

“Have you come to help us with the ghost?! Are you here to exorcise it!? It’s an evil spirit, I know it is!”

Rangrim heaved a sigh and turned to the maid. “Sannl, please calm yourself.”

Sannl looked at him with wide eyes and exclaimed “I will not! I told you there was a ghost! The walls of the study were bleeding!” She almost shrieked. “Poor Artin almost died when the ghost pushed her down the stairs!”

“Always assuming she didn’t trip.” Rangrim muttered into his mustache.

Camaxtli watched the interplay, his eyes bright and curious, but he remained silent. I wondered what he thought of this… and if he would try to come along on this little ghost hunting… is this a sidequest? And action? … does it matter? Are there sidequests in this world, it’s all… it has plots but… I huffed in frustration and gave up. I just hope it’s not another child. Or some foolish ‘dead all along’ quest. I squinted at Rangrim and Sannl. I suppose I should ask Eideth to make sure that I’m even talking to real people. This is that kind of world.

Soriya said “Don’t worry. If there’s a ghost, we’ll solve it. And if there’s no ghost, we’ll solve that too! We’ll even help you clean the abandoned wing.”

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Lakshmi looked offended, crossing her arms. “We will!?”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “We will if Eideth approves it. I think it could be important, Lakshmi.” I said mildly.

Lakshmi gave me a stink eye, but didn’t press the point further.

With the matter of ghost hunting largely settled, Rangrim finally brought us to the guest rooms.

The bedrooms were exactly as luxurious as I had expected, with that same Monanin overcompensation resulting in grand chambers, with luxurious and high ceilings, paneled in exotic wood.

Rangrim waited as we boggled at the various rooms, poking into all the corners and areas, and then demonstrated the use of the plumbing and the maid bell pull before finally leaving us alone with a last bow.

Sannl gave us a nervous curtsey and followed after him, rushing off. I heard her mention something about ‘telling the others’ and I supposed that the maid gossip network would be humming shortly.

I flopped backwards onto the enormous canopy bed, my arms spread, heaving a sigh. “It’s barely evening, and we’re already involved in another adventure. Sidequest. Whatever. I’m just a rolling series of plot events.” I groaned and rolled over, throwing my arms over my eyes.

There was a faint tapping on the door. I opend my eyes and shouted at the door “If you’re a ghost, go away!”

Eshaan’s voice came through the door. “Pretty sure I’m not a ghost, at least not yet. I… wanted to ask if you’d be interested in taking a walk with me. You know, before all the crazy stuff happens.”

I blinked and sat up. “What do you mean? Crazy like what?”

“Can I come in?” he asked.

I sighed and hopped up, crossing the carpet to open the door for him. “Sure.” I said. “But weren’t we going out?”

The light in his smile melted my heart a little.

“Ah, so you are interested!” He chirped. “I’m glad!”

I sighed and smiled at him ruefully. “Alright, yes. You want to go on a walking date with me? Yes, I’m interested.”

Eshaan blushed and looked down. “Well… urm… I guess? I mean. Sure! Yeah, a date!” He held out his hand to me.

I took it and nodded. “Ok, where are we going? Wait, no, first, what did you mean about crazy stuff?”

Eshaan smiled shyly. “Well, you know. We tend to have adventures where we go, and this looks like a new adventure. Ghost hunting! Do you think we’ll get to visit the Wake again?!”

I groaned. “I sincerely hope not.”

Eshaan blinked in surprised. “I didn’t take you for one of those girls that were bad with haunted houses?”

I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. “Eshaan! Killing a ghost cabin boy and having him thank me is not my idea of a fun time!”

Eshaan was silent for a long moment, then shook his head. “Alright. I suppose I can understand that. But he was happy. He wanted that. He’d been trapped for a long time, unable to move on. We fixed that. You and me and Soriya. That was a good thing we did.” He was silent for a long moment, then he reached out and took my hand in his.

“I like adventuring with you, Lily.” He said, looking into my eyes. “I mean, yes, of course, you’re pretty and smart and funny and everything else, but… but I do good things when I’m with you. You make me better than I was. That means a lot to me.”

I turned scarlet, and looked down at the floor, shuffling my feet. “Um. Well. Good. I think.”

Eshaan said. “It is good.”

We were quiet for a bit, and then I coughed nervously into the silence. “So um. Walking date? Always assuming we don’t get interrupted by another battle?”

Eshaan smiled. “I’ll protect you. I promise.”

I squirmed, but couldn’t deny the warm feeling in my gut hearing that. “Ok.” I said in a small voice.

As we headed downstairs, we met Eideth coming up. “Ah, good you’re here! I wanted to tell you dinner’s in half a bell. Come down when you’re ready.” She stopped and looked down to where Eshaan was holding my hand, then smiled. “Or, well, maybe a little later then.”

Eshaan chuckled. “We won’t be long.” We turned to head out the door, and I suddenly turned back.

“Real quick, Eideth, your butler, he’s called Rangrim, right? You’ve got a maid named Sannl?”

Eideth looked at me with a confused look. “Yes, of course. You met him at the door, he helped you take your luggage? I suppose Sannl was upstairs? Why, have they done something odd?”

I sighed in relief. “No. No, I’m… just checking. If your manor is haunted, I don’t know who’s a ghost and who isn’t.”

Eideth blinked. “Oh, have the maids been telling tales again? You shouldn’t worry, there’s always ghost stories and the like in these old buildings, probably just the pipes.”

I smiled a little sadly at her. “That would have more impact if I hadn’t personally visited the Wake.”

Eideth took a step back. “Oh, that’s right. You did say you’d been there.” She tugged at her braid thoughtfully. “You really think the manor might be haunted!? That’s so rare though! And the manor was declared safe when my family bought it!”

I sighed and shook my head. “With my luck, probably, yes. But don’t worry, we’ll fix it.” I smiled at her. “We’ll be back in time for dinner. Eshaan, where are we going?”

Eshaan twitched and then said “Ah.” He flushed and rubbed the back of his head. “I was going to take you back to the park. I wanted to show you the Evergleam trees while they were in bloom.”

“Oh. Well yes, that sounds nice.” I said. Turning back to Eideth, I nodded to her. “So there you have it. We’ll be back for dinner, and we’re going to the park.”

Eideth gave us a sly look and smiled. “Well, youngsters do those kinds of things, I suppose. Don’t be late though, my cook is very good at what he does, and I’m sure he’ll go all out since I’ve been away for a while.”

We agreed, and headed out the door. The streets were slightly less busy, and the late evening sun cast a golden tint on the bustling streets and buildings. With all the smoke and vapor in the air I presumed that sunset would be something truly amazing, but it wasn’t quite that late yet.

A short walk and we arrived at the park we’d passed on the way to Eideth’s manor. The Evergleam trees were even prettier in the late evening, the blossoms faintly glowing softly, and shimmering in rainbow colors. It was actually really relaxing to walk around the paths holding hands with Eshaan, and looking at the trees and gardens. There were several groups of Monanin scattered here and there on blankets, not all romantic partners. It was clearly a common activity.

“I haven’t been to a proper Evergleam party in… oh it’s been years.” Eshaan said. “They just don’t grow in your part of the world!” he sighed, and smiled wistfully up at the glittering blossoms. “I used to do this all the time with my family.”

I looked over at him in surprise. “I thought your family were fishers?”

“They are!”

“Are? So they’re still alive?”

Eshaan’s eyes widened. “Goddess, I hope so!”

I looked at him thoughtfully, then said “Big fight when you decided to go solidering to explore the ruins?”

Eshaan blushed and looked away. “Ah heh heh. I really can’t hide anything from you, can I?”

I squeezed his hand reassuringly, then pointed to a bench. “We’ve been walking almost all day. The blossoms are pretty, but can we please sit down?” I said, much more plaintively than I expected.

“Oh! Well sure, of course!” He led me over to the bench and I sat down with a sigh of relief, rubbing at the toes of my boots.

“Thank you! Mm, a bath would be so nice… I hope we can have one before the haunting gets going.”

Eshaan said “How do you know about… oh. Your previous life?”

I grimaced. “Yeah, something like. I find that I enjoy the imperial style baths and bathhouses more though. Soaking my aching feet would be nice.”

We sat together quietly for a while, and somehow I found my head resting on his shoulder. Small swirls of Evergleam blossoms danced on the wind, and Eshaan pulled me a little closer against the chill of the evening.

“So, I’ve been meaning to give this to you. I hope you don’t mind.” Eshaan said suddenly. He fished in his pouch and pulled out a small box, handing it to me.

I looked up, alarmed from the box to him. “Eshaan…!? What is this!?”

Please don’t let it be a ring, please please, I don’t know what I’ll do if it’s a ring?!

“Ah well… I’ve been holding onto it for a long time, ever since Farna… here. Open it.”

He pushed the box in my hands, and I found myself opening it with trembling hands. It wasn’t a ring.

Thank all the spirits!

It was a very pretty necklace, with a teardrop pendant, and what I suddenly recognized as a evergleam petal caught in the pendant. I gasped, suddenly remembering. I had seen this in Farna, when we’d first reached the market! It was pretty but we were busy and I had to buy Eshaan his weapon…

How long has he held onto this!? He remembered… all that time?!

I looked up at him, my eyes wide. “You’ve been holding onto this since we first reached Farna?!”

He shook his head. “Oh no no! Goddess, no! I got it while we were doing the money gathering, so Lakshmi could get the materials for her ship! Remember, there was all that back and forth with Gate?”

“Oh! Oh, yes! But… you still remembered?! I just glanced at it…” I looked down at the necklace, and then gently lifted it out of the box, letting it twirl. “So it was an evergleam petal?”

He nodded. “Do you like it?”

I looked at the pendant, and felt a little mushy in my heart. I smiled, then hugged him tightly. “Yes, Eshaan, I love it. Thank you. I can’t believe you remembered that time in the market…”

“Ah heh heh. Well, you did buy me a new sword. I think I owed you. Here, let me help you put it on.”

He fumbled awkwardly with the clasp, and then finally got it situated around my neck. “I know it’s not a replacement for the one you lost in the Cavern of Trials, but…”

I felt a little stab of hurt and sadness at the mention of my amulet, then smiled. “It’s ok. We got something important out of it, Breezewood is safe. And we know a little more about where I and Soriya came from too.”

We were quiet for a moment, looking up at the blossoms. Eshaan said “I guess you don’t know, but it’s traditional to make a wish when the trees blossom.” He said. “They say that the Goddess listens most clearly then.”

“Oh!” I smiled. “Then I suppose I should at least try.” I closed my eyes and folded my hands, and thought If you’re real, Goddess, I would very much like to not die in this quest. And maybe it would be good if you stopped pushing us around.

I opened my eyes to see Eshaan’s face very close to mine. The wind swirled for a moment, and I felt my heart race as the blossoms danced around us.

“There you are!” I heard Lakshmi’s voice from the side. Eshaan and I jumped apart, and I felt myself blush furiously.

“Oh! Did I interrupt something?!” Lakshmi giggled. “Hurry up, Eideth is hopping with impatience, and we’re all starving!”

I pressed my lips together. I refuse to let it go like this. I’m not some sitcom heroine! I thought with frustration.

Eshaan was getting up, taking my hand. “Well, I suppose we shouldn’t keep her waiting, we-“

I yanked him back down next to me, and then took his face in my hands and kissed him firmly. I suppose a swirl of evergleam blossoms might have swirled past, I really couldn’t be bothered to check. Lakshmi gave a cheerful whoop and cheer, and I heard Daniyel add quietly “Indeed, that is how it is done.”

When I finally let Eshaan go, he swayed slightly. “Ah… ah… what…?!”

“Now we can go!” I said, and got to my feet.

I heard Eshaan whisper softly “Thank you Goddess!” to himself as we headed back to Eideth’s manor house.