31 A Certain Nights Events (1/2)
That night the headquarters of the Adventurers Guild looked like a mix of a school canteen and a kennel. There were wolfcats and children everywhere, yipping, laughing, screaming, yowling…
Red and Lunar had brought their cubs to play with the children and Vigil had gotten caught up in the fun. The lot of them were scrambling around madly and having a jolly good time while their parents and caretakers took to the side to nurse their collective headaches.
Remian watched the Maelstrom for a while with a small smile on his face. Then, he reluctantly broke in to extract someone from it. ”Jane? A minute, please?”
Jane paused, took one look at him, and immediately ran away.
”Huh…?” Remian blinked, staring at her back as she fled. ”What the…?”
”What did you do?” Mandy asked, seeing the girl run away.
”I didn't do anything…! I just wanted to ask her how her stall was doing.”
”Stall? What stall?” Mandy queried.
”We wanted to set up shop at the central area and sell some of our Guild stuff locally. Right now, everything we don't use ourselves has been going to the airship. Meat, skins, foraged herbs, the occasional curio… the airship buys whatever it wants at prices it decides. Maybe we could sell some of those things for higher prices right here in town, so…”
”So why don't we?” Mandy asked.
”That's exactly what I wanted to do. Since Jane had ambitions to get rich, I thought she could learn business and…”
”Oh dear…” Mandy shook her head. ”So that's what happened.”
”Why? What's wrong?”
”It's… a misunderstanding… maybe.” Mandy winced. ”Jane… isn't like that. I don't think she's very keen on running a business.”
”But she wanted to get rich.” Remian was baffled.
”Yes, but you have to remember 'how' she wanted to get rich.” Mandy explained.
Remian frowned. ”By marrying a prince? How's that going to work?”
”I have no idea, but it certainly was a different plan than to open shop.” Mandy cleared her throat. ”Let her have her dreams, Remian. She's still a little girl.”
”That doesn't mean she's not capable.”
”Nobody said she wasn't. It's just that she doesn't want to do it, and pushing her won't help.”
”But she agreed.” Remian protested. ”It's not like I'm trying to force her to work. I just wanted to give her some help reaching her dreams.”
”I get that. She, however, doesn't.” Mandy glanced at where she had fled. ”Remian, you must understand, to the kids, you have become something of a father-figure.”
”What? But I'm barely 20…!”
”It's not about age. It's about provision and protection. It's about authority.” Mandy reached for words. ”Like it or not, you have immense influence over their lives right now. They depend on you.”
”They work for the Guild and the Guild pays them. They depend on themselves.”
”That's not how they see it. As far as they're concerned, you took them in and you keep them safe, sheltered and fed.” Mandy hesitated, then said firmly. ” 'We' see it that way.”
”You're different!” Remian said. ”You're family. But they… they could go their own way any time.”
”Family? I'm just a slave!” Mandy snorted. ”Even if I don't feel like one. Even if we don't act like it. It's the same for them…”
”Um… actually…” Remian gulped. ”Mandy…? I… added something to the contract.”
Mandy stared blankly. ”What? What did you do?! The slave-bond…”
Wordlessly, Remian handed her the contract.
There was a great amount of noise in the hall, children screaming, wolfcats yelping… but in the little corner where Remian and Mandy stood, there was a short playback and then a long, stunned silence.
”It only needs your confirmation.” Remian managed at last.
That was the last thing he managed to say the rest of that night. Evidently, his lips were otherwise occupied.
***
Carrie watched Mandy practically drag Remian to the cave in a dead run and shook her head. [Nobody go into that cave for at least a couple hours.]
[Why? What are they doing in my cave?] Buff asked, still referring to it as 'his'.
[Making cubs.] Carrie guessed.
[They're mating?!] Buff roared. [But the smell is going to…]