Month of Garland Moon - The Logging Town

Chapter 6

The next few days were spent arriving and helping out the small logging town. The constant pouring rain that started on day two made the mission miserable, but the Golden Deer house was not deterred because of the terrible weather outside. We hunted down more demonic beasts in the soggy weather, studying their habits until we uncovered a small nest. Our nights after patrol and chores the townsfolk asked of us were spent warming up in the town and getting to know the locals. There were quite a few days that we had enough down time to freely explore the small town.

Near the end of the assignment, Hilda managed to guilt me into joining her for a shopping session in town. She claimed it was to help "cheer up everyone's gloomy spirits and to purchase supplies." As we started out, I was less convinced she was doing this for anyone's sake but her own, but regardless, I ambled along behind the bouncing pink pigtails feeling a mixture of enjoyment and a growing concern.

Hilda led me all over the town in the rain, pointing to shops excitedly while I tried to keep up with her. She seemed to be buying more and more goods, most of them were supplies but some of the items I ended up carrying seemed to be more of a whimsical purchase. Her purchase grew to be a bit more of a whim as she entered a flower shop, with a reluctant shake of my head and a wary grin I followed Hilda into the shop.

The sight inside resulted in us both gushing over the small flower shop.

"These are called Stargazer Lilies." Hilda gushed as she promptly collected a small bouquet of yellow flowers from a local florist and passed them off to me.

I adjusted my hold on a container of glass beads, silver wires, arrow heads, whetstones, hemp rope, and chemical compounds that I was already carrying with questioning eyebrows. "Hilda what do we need these for? I understand most of what we are buying, but flowers and beads?"

Hilda skipped along to the next shop in between a gap in the rainfall and entered another woodworkers shop. "Oh you're such a dear for volunteering to help me go shopping. I don't think I could carry it all. I'd probably drop them." She skirted my question as she held up a small fashionable hair clip. "What do you think? It is stylish. I don't think I have ever seen a wooden hair ornament so carefully crafted."

I noted that the resourceful pink haired noble said I had volunteered to join her out shopping and shook my head. Looking over the ornately carved hair clip I shrugged. "This is a logging town, it makes sense that they would have skilled woodcrafter's here."

The shopkeeper was quick to smell a potential sale, moving to compliment Hilda's taste and follow up on a lead. "Oh my lady, you have an eye for beauty! That was carved from a thousand year old oak. Legend has it in these parts that it was planted when they started building Garreg Mach Monastery and that anyone who professed their love would do so with a branch from the tree."

I rolled my eyes as Hilda's wide eyes drank in the love story. "What do you think my lady? I would say 500 gold is a fair price for such a treasure."

Hilda took off her small, elegant, handbag as I held out a hand to stop her. "I would say more like 50 gp."

"Why that is a complete scandal!"

The shopkeeper gasped as I took the hair clip out of Hilda's hand and held up to my face for a more intense analysis. "You are trying to tell me a carved flower is worth more than 5 times that of these real flowers that are unique to the area? Also your story about this being carved from a thousand year old oak is false, this was a newer sapling. You can see those beauty mark ridges? You can see that they are spaced widely apart and there clearly is not anywhere close to a thousand rings."

I sent the clip down pointing to the large stains that collected in the seams of the carving. "See here? These lumpy spots? It's from sap. And what about that distinctive scent? That smell indicates the clip is pine, not oak." I narrowed my eyes at the shopkeeper and continued in a frigid voice. "Pines a cheap and plentiful wood around these parts, and I am sure your artisans are skilled enough that you turn these clips out a dime a dozen."

My eyes snapped to the window where a group of local women were walking past in the rain. Their hair was all tied back and pinned in place by similar hair decorations. "You can't honestly make us believe that they paid such an outrageous amount, or do you take us as fools?"

The shopkeeper's face turned an ashen color as I rapidly fired observations at him. He licked his lips and started to bargain. "It's true some of the pines in this logging town are close to 1,000 years old and that makes them valuable. I can do 250 gold pieces."

My eyes were slits, I guess this shopkeeper was probably desperate for a sale, given how he had jumped on Hilda's comments so quickly and spun us an elaborate story.I sniffed in disdain and looked down my nose in contempt at the hair clip between us. "You just cut off half the asking price in one go. How about 100gp. That's on par with the flower lady offerings for what she had for wooden trinkets. If it was a superior craft it might be worth a bit more…"

I left the offer open and the shopkeeper jumped on it. "It is made by our finest craftsmen, see the elegant shape of the petals, the detail on the edges? The paint is made from the local stargazer lilies, and is all hand painted. Surely such exquisite craftsmanship is worth at least 200 gold pieces."

I looked at Hilda and shrugged casually. "It's your call, but I think you could find a better piece back at the florist shop for about 150 gold."

The shopkeeper visibly started to sweat as he wrung his hands. Hilda gave me a nod and we turned to leave. With my hand on the door the shopkeeper called in desperation."180 gold is the lowest I can go."

I arched one of my eyebrows to Hilda and she picked up on my signal. Without so much of a breath the cheerful noble's hand reached for her purse. With an elegant and coy smile she handed over the requested coins. "180 gold pieces then, thank you very much!"

The shopkeeper quickly boxed the hairpiece up as we looked over some of the other shop wears. Wooden spoons, elegantly crafted wooden boats, stools, chairs, and several fur blankets. We admired them until the shopkeeper handed us our purchase and Hilda promptly added the hair clip to the things I was already carrying.

"You're such a sweetie. I adore shopping, and you scored me a great deal in there. Actually come to think about it you managed to negotiate with most of the shopkeepers here. It's saving the Deer's a lot of money." Hilda immediately started heaping praise on me as we headed back outside.

There was another break in the oppressive grey sky held patches of light blue and clear sunlight while a rumble in the distance denoted that another storm was on its way.

"I think that's a compliment." I muttered as I adjusted my load again. My arms were starting to grow tired of carrying around all our supplies plus Hilda's extra purchases. "Maybe we should have asked Raphael or Ignas to come along." I complained as ornately carved box filled with glass beads teetered in front of my nose, threatening to fall over.

I paused mid step and waited baited breath to see if the box was going to fall. Hilda caught me staring at the box and nudged it gentle back into place as we continued back down the watery lane.

"Nonsense, you're doing such a great job of carrying everything. I couldn't dream of having anyone else help me."

I rolled my eyes at her praise. Exploring the town didn't seem worth this amount of hassle. Not that I minded shopping, but there was a definite downside to carrying all of the supplies because your shopping partner didn't want to help carry them. "I am glad to be of service."

She turned back towards me with a beaming smile. "It's true you were a huge help back there. By the way, can I ask how you knew how to haggle so well? I could totally use some tips."

I let out a shallow sigh. "It's practice, you are aware that I have spent a large amount of time traveling with traders right? That's how I learned the haggle. As for knowing the price of the hair clip, several shops in town sell them. I have been price checking while you were gushing over the glass beads and trying to purchase those malachite 's how I knew the worth of that hair clip."

Hilda carefully pulled on my arm to help me avoid a puddle that I could not see due to the height of our supplies."Oh wow you are very observant! And you are so skilled! Why could I have bought three for the price he originally ask for! You're just so skilled! You should come shopping with me again sometime! Oh! Watch out!"

Her warning came a second too late and I felt the water saturating the entire inside of my boot with a disgusting wetness. "Uuggghh, that's disgusting."

Hilda's cheerfulness was not dampened by the wet squelching of my boot "Oh, don't worry about it. I'll help you dry it out when we get back to the lodge."

I had a problem hiding my disgust as I stepped in a second puddle.

Back at the lodge I was forced to remove my boots and hang them over the hearth fire. The water slowly dripped down onto the floor while Hilda cheerfully distributed the goods from our shopping trip. Ignatz collected a couple of the lilies and some of the hemp bowstrings and wandered upstairs shortly thereafter, while Leonie promptly descended upon the whetstones. Shortly after collecting them she began honing a variety of our company's blades at the table near the supply drop.

Deciding I had nothing better to do while waiting for my boots to dry, I wandered upstairs and collected my textbook. As I drifted back downstairs I caught Hilda separating the lilies out on the table. She also picked through the ornate box we had just bought in search of the glass beads. I watched with interest as she slowly decorated the inside of a small glass bottle, delicately filling the container with a flower and then added some of the beads and finely ground metal shavings. As she finished that she would apply a resin to the cap and cork the entire bottle, setting it off to the side as she did so.

"Hey what do you have there Hilda?" The sharpening sound paused as Leonie inquired with interest.

Hilda continued working on her hobby, slowly pressing a delicate flower down into the glass bottle as she gushed. "Oh I just saw these beautiful flowers at the market and I just had to make sure I preserve them! They make such cute accessories. Don't you think? I got the idea from this wooden one here, and I just thought I could preserve them in a better fashion."

I watched the proceedings for a bit, leaning on the banister until the conversation died back down. With everyone absorbed in their own projects I moved to the corner of the room, taking up residency next to the fire for warmth. It was warm and peaceful listening to the sounds of my housemates occasional chatter while the rain pounded on the glass windows. The conversation about fashion did not quite interest me, but the soft chatter idle chatter that cropped up helped make the atmosphere more welcoming.

Soon I found myself struggling to keep my eyes open, having re-read the same magical algorithm on five separate occasions I put the book down and reached behind me to check my boots. They were still soaking wet. With a sigh I picked up my book once more with a huge yawn.

My normally peaceful slumber took on a strange dreamlike quality. Not quite a dream, but not quite a memory. The place felt vaguely familiar as I twisted around to get a better look.

I was standing in a deep green room. The room appeared to be very ornate, but the details were fuzzy, as if they didn't want me to focus on them. Intrigued by the familiar feeling I had been here before, I spun around. The ornately carved green stones shone with a strange pale green light of their own, a light pulse of sorts radiating from yet some unknown origin. My curiosity caught in my throat as a mixture of emotions ran through me. The sense I had been here before, had me almost sprinting towards the nearby staircase to see what was above.

My feet made no sound as they lightly hit each step, allowing me to climb higher. I reached the second story to unveil a regal throne and a small girl. The girl appeared to be asleep as I called out.

My voice echoed eerily in the strange place, an empty hall with a deathly silence."Hello?"

"You need not shout I am right here." The deep green eyes on the girl snapped open as her annoyed voice snapped sharply around the strange chamber. "Wait a second who are you?"

I looked down at her in genuine surprise. The girl's mass of forest green hair cascaded down to the floor as her deep green eyes blinked twice at my twice in her own surprise. She leaned forward on the throne staring at me at interest. "Wait, you are new here are you not?" She pursed her lips and leaned her head on her hand as she appraised me. "….Or are you?"

As she studied me I admired her, my feelings getting caught in my throat as I started to tear up.

My emotions were not lost on her and the girl sniffed. "Why are you starting to weep? There is nothing to cry about."

I stared at the clothing, knotted and chained, flowing with braids and felt like I should know something. Anything. Internally I thought the revealing outfit was entirely normal, at least normal for this place, and for the girl wearing it but I shook my head not knowing why I felt this way. My feelings and what I knew were two different things. "I-I don't know. This place feels very familiar." I attempted to put my feelings into words as I brushed away the tears. "Ugh, I am sorry. It is just you feel very familiar, like I am seeing someone I haven't seen in a long time."

"I see." The young girl answered as she toyed with a lock of her hair. "It is interesting seeing you here, but alias I cannot deny you also feel very familiar. However I cannot recall who you are."

I cocked my head to the side, intrigued but her as I was sad. Confused by my feelings and emotions I took to studying her as intensely as she studied me. "If I may ask, who are you?"

"I believe I have asked you that question first." Her floor length green hair bristled as she sat back on the throne, somehow angry at me.

I promptly bowed, putting my hand over my heart as I answered her. "I am called Lilianna, your highness."

"Huh, no that name does not ring any bells." She paused thinking and then waved her hand. "It is of no great matter. Though it is strange, as you are the second one to meet me in this place."

I went to ask who was the other person who had met her there. What her name was, but the green throne started to fade as I attempted to speak. My tongue moved, but no words came out. Frustrated I tried to run toward the raised dias. I wanted to stay longer, I had so many questions to ask, I wanted to know why I felt like I knew that place. The place felt so familiar, and yet so distant, so many questions that needed to be asked and answered to be discovered. The frustration and tears continued as I was jerked awake.

I opened my eyes to see Leonie shaking my shoulder roughly. "Hey! Wake up would you? You're sleeping like the dead!"

I jerked awake and threw myself backwards. The chair I was on skidded across the flooring as I jumped to my feet, something rustled on my shoulders as I became more alert. It took me a second to realize where I was. "Huh, what? What's going on?"

My eyes flicked around the room rapidly, taking note of some sort of tent-like structure suspended from the second story down to the walls. The more alert I was I realized I wasn't in danger and I dropped my guard. On closer inspection the strange structures were just people's drying cloaks and capes.

Leonie was semi impressed with my reaction as I dropped the spell I was going to use. "Huh, figured you would be light on your feet, the spells and interesting choice of attack. I'd use my dagger personally." She shrugged as I focused on her.

The tomboy looked like she was done with her work and had a tray full of dirty dishes next to her on the bench. "Figured I had to wake you. You didn't sound like you were having any fun, so we drew lots to see who would risk it."

I felt one of my tears slid down my face, followed quickly by another. Quickly I scuffed my glove across my face. "Uh ya, thanks for waking me. It was just some bad dreams."

Rather than linger on it or belittle me Leonie shrugged and picked up her dishes. "You want to talk about it?"

I shook my head and pushed my hair out of my face in the process. "No, it's nothing important."

She shrugged walking towards the kitchens as I yawned and stretched. "I'm sorry for worrying everyone."

Whatever was rustling on my shoulders finally became dislodged and it slid to the floor. Wondering what I had dropped I looked down with interest. Leonie called back to me as I leaned over and grabbed the black cloth off the floor. "Dinner's going to be served shortly. Can you give me a hand in clearing off the tables?"

I held up the black mass and wondered for a moment."Um, sure thing. By the way Leonie, whose jacket is this?"

The tomboy did not spare me a moment as she called out from the kitchens. "No idea, everyone returned from patrolling as a group. I think it's Sylvains? I remember him saying some or another about how you looked attractive when you were sleeping, but honestly I didn't pay a lot of attention to his nonsense."

I folded the soft fabric up and put it on the table next to my text book. I noted the page I had nodded off on and closed the heavy text. I pursed my lips as my eyes darted around the messing tavern dining hall. "First I'll help you with the tables, then I'll go find Sylvain then. He is probably in some cupboard or something with the kitchen maid."

I heard Leonie give a hearty chuckle as she came back out of the kitchens and start picking up paper scraps and tankards. "You are probably better knock before you enter."

I nodded as I approached my boots. "That's a good tip, I'll keep that in mind when I check the broom cupboards from now on."

I plucked my thigh high boots off the drying line and tugged them into place, relieved that they were now dry. Still thinking of the green haired girl in my dreams I began helping clean up.

After we finished cleaning the common room I grabbed the jacket along with my textbook and began my search for the philandering redhead. The lodge was starting to bustle given that it was about time for dinner, patrons as well as my housemates were beginning to wander downstairs for dinner.

I found Ignatz coming down the stairs with his hands stained a variety of colors. Splatters of pink, yellows, and greens dotted his hands and sleeves and I had a sudden hunch as to who had caught me out in the rose beds. The shy archer assured me that the jacket was not his, and apologized as he went down the stairs to wash his hands citing that the paints would stain if he didn't take care of them presently. I quickly asked if he had seen Sylvain, but the painter shook his head and apologized again.

Tapping my cheek in thought, I wandered further up the staircase only to stop and make way for Lysithea who was reading her textbook while she descended the stairs to head to dinner. I knew better than to interrupt her and ask if she had seen Sylvain, but the excited blond that bounded toward the stairs above her did not.

Raphael burst out of his room and sniffled heartily as the scent of dinner proceeded me up the stairs. It took me no time at all to assess that the jacket could not in any way shape or form be Raphael's jacket. It was much too small to be the giant warrior's clothing, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask if he had seen my quarry either. Raphael grinned and yelled down to me that he had not and I in return answered his most pressing question, if dinner was ready. I informed him it was with Lysithea caught between our yelling. The white haired mage looked up from her book annoyed, and told us both to shut up. I scratched the side of my fact apologetically as she passed, giving me an evil stare as I started to climb the staircase.

My concern only escalated as I thought about it. No one claimed to have seen Sylvain recently and it worried me. Concerned, I turned around and walked into the busy kitchens. Still holding my textbook and the borrowed jacket close, I chatted up a couple of the maids. The lead maid and several of the cooks quickly informed me that they had already warned all the staff away from engaging in romantic relationships with us knights, and that everyone was accounted for presently in anticipation for the nightly dinner rush.

Stumped By where the redhead might be, and more than a bit concerned with who I might find him with I went back up the stairs. Out of curiosity, I unfolded the jacket for a second time taking a moment to compare how tall I was to the cut of the jacket.

Now more awake, and vastly more curious, held the jacket up to my shoulders. The long jacket ended around my knees, a sign the wearer was a good bit taller than me. Taking a second at the long jacket, it was fairly easy for me to determine that it couldn't be Sylvain's. The long sweeping cut of the jacket was much too long to be Sylvain's short waist length jacket, and I had already checked that it wasn't Ignatz's jacket. I had also already concluded that it was much too small to be Rapheal's, so by process of elimination I was running out of options.

I had a gut instinct that the long coat also wasn't Lorenz's, it lacked the distinct rose scent the stiffy noble seemed to admire and I also noted that the jacket lacked the fashionable coat tails he favored. Just to be sure though, I held the material up to my nose and sniffed.

The jacket definitely did not have any floral scent. It was more pine and leathers, a scent of someone who had been out riding recently. Growing more puzzled, I paused as I walked down the long hallway dotted with doors.

"So that means it's either Professor Hanneman's or Claude's?" I pulled the jacket away from my nose and pondered my conclusion. Feeling more puzzled, I folded the jacket over my arm and started walking, mentally running through where either person could be at this hour and why they had lent me their jacket.

I took a few more steps down the hall as a distressed feminine wail unleashed itself from the room I happened to be walking past. Startled by the wail, I froze in place as the plaintiff cry sent shivers up down my spine and I wondered what was wrong. The heartrending cry was followed shortly by a resounding smack and more obscure crying.

A feeling of dread crept down my spine, telling me I should flee the scene before I was caught. I rubbed the back of my neck apprehensive and took a step forward as the room directly across from me burst open to unveil a young woman I had never seen before. The woman was sobbing as though her heart was breaking as she ran out of the room and raced downstairs.

I had a good idea what had just happened as the elusive redhead I had been looking for emerged from within the confines of the room to lean on the open doorway. Sylvain nursed the bright red side of his face tenderly as he watched the girl flee the scene with uncaring eyes.

His eyes quickly picked up on me as I stood frozen in place. "Oh hey there Lilianna, I didn't know you were sneaking around outside my room. Were you enjoying the show?"

I gasped for words, still stunned by Sylvain's change in demeanor. Slowly I shook my head at the philander's antics. The green strands of my hair flicking back and forth across my face as I vehemently denied his accusations. "No, I am looking for someone. I happen to just be walking past your room as the commotion started."

"Sure, sure whatever you say." Sylvain causally wrote off my excuse as he nursed the side of his face. The red markings denoted a harsh hand slap that was quickly swelling up and turning into a visible bruise. "Say who are you looking for? If you're looking for your prince charming I am right here and 100% available!"

I looked down at the jacket and then looked back at Sylvain as he tried for a charmingly confident smile that did not denote that he had just broken up with a girl. As I decided on how to answer him, I confirmed that the redhead was indeed wearing his own jacket. With a shrug, I answered him. "I think I am looking for my house leader."

Sylvain returned my shrug as he leaned his back up against the door frame of his room. "Sorry cutie, I haven't seen him."

I felt myself start to scowl as a thought drifted across my conscience. The redhead caught sight of my changing expression and followed up on his offer. "Something the matter princess? Your fair face says that you're simply longing to say something."

I felt my scowl deepening as I reached into the pocket of my own jacket and pulled out a well pressed white handkerchief. I held the clean handkerchief out to him, the fancy embroidered S on it facing towards him. "Here, I think this belongs to you."

The guarded brown eyes dropped for a second as he searched my face for some kind of signal. Not sure what he found, I clicked my tongue as Sylvain reached out for the token. "Oh ya! That's totally mine! I see you did find it then. I was worried that Felix would have just removed it before you got a chance to admire it." The redhead shot me a smile that almost might have been genuine as he winked at me. "Look at you princess, hanging onto a token of my love for you for a month! That must prove you really are into me, huh?"

I rolled my eyes, done with Sylvain's empty flirting. "Are you not moving a little faster there Gautier? You just dumped that poor girl."

A flicker of surprise ghosted over the redhead's otherwise cheerful features as he shrugged like the breakup he had just engaged in was nothing. "Well of course, we are going back to Garreg Mach tomorrow so it's not like I can take her with me."

I pursed my lips, completely unimpressed by his skirt chasing. Ingrid would definitely have a fit if I cared to tell her. Unable to stop myself, I let out a low word of caution. "There is a saying where I come from. It's "You reap what you sow." Do you ever consider your actions before you engage in these relationships Sylvain?"

This question was less of a surprise for him and he elegantly answered the question in a shallow surface manner. "What? Of course I love each and every girl I meet and hope to deepen my connection with each and every one of them."

I leaned forward, tilting slightly towards him and hummed. "Hmm, you don't say? The fact you can't settle for one girl at a time makes me think you're looking in all the wrong places. Or you are just doing it to cover something up."

He intercepted my words of caution as an excuse to continue flirting. "So then, is that an offer?"

I snorted and backed off. "No! I am not offering to be another notch in your can keep dreaming."

Sylvain rubbed the back of his head as I wandered off. I didn't want to admit that his casual flirting was starting to rub off on me. His parting offer cut me, and I was unsure if he sensed what I was hiding, or if he was doing it for his own reasons. " I'll keep trying then princess! Just remember my door's always open if you need it!"

Amazed at Sylvain's tenacity, I wandered further down the halls of the lodge towards the split in the upper story that opened into a secondary loft area. The loft allowed guests to look down into the common room below while also providing a more solitary and more elusive retreat for inn patrons who wished to escape the rowdy tavern below. In addition to privacy, the loft gave way to picturesque views. A set of rustic double doors opened out into a balcony view of the swift flowing river that ran on the edge of town.

"Check." Lorenz's cool voice sounded from the loft opening in front of me.

"Oh you think so?" Claude's drawing voice sounded smug and I heard a click of the game board. "Checkmate."

I held my course, feeling my mood plummet. I had yet to forgive Lorenz, and the noble himself insisted he had done nothing wrong, leading to a discourse that led me to avoiding him unless I could help it. It looked like if I wanted to talk with Claude, I would have to deal with Lorenz.

Lorenz's voice jumped in indignation. "How did you?! You're cheating!"

Claude's voice was light as he responded to Lorenz's accusations."Of course I am. That's half the fun."

There was a huffy sniff followed by the gentle clink of china as Lorenz's voice dropped back down to normal levels. "Hmph, typical. I should have anticipated your antics. Nevertheless I will beat you, but first I must sip more tea."

My head peaked around the corner with interest. The golden deer sat in just his muted yellow undershirt as he relaxed with one arm over the lounge chair. One of Claude's legs crossed comfortably over the other as he leaned away from the chessboard in front of him, while the future head of house Gloucester sat stiffly upright as he poured tea. The normally feuding pair sat directly across from each other, separated in the middle by a well kept chessboard.

Lorenz finished pouring his tea and took a sip from an elegant tea set I was certain did not belong to the lodge. While cross from him, Claude was still grinning as he reset the game pieces back on his side.

"Err, before you two start you might want to know that dinner is about ready." I hesitated for a second and then entered the loft as the two noble's looked up at me in tangent. My appearance and news had an immediate effect on the pair. One scowled at my interruption while the other's wiry grin changed a bit as I took another hesitant step into the room.

Claude chirped as he set the king place into position. "Alright! We'll be down right after we finish this game."

"Indeed, we did agree on the best of two out of three." Lorenz sniffed as his narrow eyes flicked to assess me from the side.

I gathered up the spite to enter the room, pointedly concentrating on my house leader and ignoring Lorenz's stifling behavior. I held out the jacket as I took a deep breath. "And, by the way, thank you for lending me your jacket."

"Eh, don't mention it." Claude flicked his hand nonchalantly in my direction as Lorenz put down his tea.

"That's hardly proper, really, you could be a bit more grateful." Lorenz sniffed as he moved his pawn forward. "A noble has kindly lent you his jacket and all you can say is thank you?"

Astounded by the noble's logic I could not hold back my sarcasm. "I apologize for offending your highness. I suppose you wish for me to wash and press it before returning it? Perhaps sprinkle it with fragrant rose water and throw petals at your feet while I humbly present it before you?"

Lorenz did not seem to pick up on my dripping malice as he looked over the chessboard. "Just lord, but yes."

Claude picked up on the growing tension between the two of us. Worried he held up his hands in a pacification attempt. "Hey, hey now. It's not a big deal."

The house leader noticed it was his turn as Lorenz moved his piece. Claude needed no extra time to consider his next move, he moved one of his pawns forward and waited for Lorenz to make his next move. The stubborn noble sniffed and took a sip of his tea as he moved another game piece forward, from there the game really started to pick up the pace.

"Claude, how many times have I told you? As a commoner she needs to know her place."

Claude calmly collected his opponent's knight and castle as Lorenz lectured him. I, in turn, found myself caught up in the inner workings of the chessboard. The noble's high expectations grated on my ears, but Claude had yet to accept the jacket back from me, so I was stuck.

The longer Lorenz droned on about Nobles and Commoners duties the more I hated myself for not just shoving the coat back at Claude and leaving. However, the lecture was cut incredibly short as Claude took to collecting Lorenz's pieces as Lythisia took to collecting candy. I took to watching Claude's every move as the golden deer skillfully took out all of Lorenz's pieces and maneuvered him into the corner of the board in a hostile takeover all within a few moves.

Lorenz caught on that he was being effectively backed into a corner several moves too late. The dawning of realization hit a second before Claude moved his last piece into position. "Hey wait…"

The golden deer looked up from the board with a dead expression. "Checkmate Lorenz."

"Preposterous! How did you manage that!" Lorenz suffered his defeat by protesting the indignity. His disbelief resounded through the loft as Leonie's voice sounded from under us.

"Hey dinner's ready! Get down here!"

Lorenz sniffed in disdain and pushed himself out of the chair. "It would be impolite to keep our fellows waiting. Come let us go enjoy our supper together Claude."

The violet haired noble did not acknowledge me still standing at the side of the game board. It seemed he was respecting my wishes pointedly, and not even making appearances to invite me to dinner.

As the game concluded, Claude moved to put the game pieces away as I stared down at the jacket in my hands. My hands gripped my textbook tightly, but my long black gloves failed to betray just how tightly they were clenched. I hoped I was still giving a decent display of strength, it never did any good to let nobles know they were bothering you.

"You go on ahead Lorenz, I wanna have a quick chat here with Lilianna." Claude's voice cut through my thoughts as Lorenz sniffed again.

The elegant noble collected his tea set stiffly. "Do what you will. Dinner will be more peaceful without you dangling upside down off the balcony while firing arrows into the local fruits."

Claude finished putting the chess pieces away and leaned back in his chair comfortably. The golden deer relaxed as he grinned easily, tucking his hands behind his head as he retaliated. "Hey, that was a dare and you know it. Besides, I performed flawlessly! It even earned us free stabling for the horses."

Lorenz shook his head, the pristinely cut lavender locks shaking from side to side as he looked down his nose. "If you say so, regardless I will enjoy my dinner in peace."

The noble turned and left the loft area as I tried to find someplace, anyplace, to look that wasn't at the two males in the room.

"Wow, he can be pretty preachy huh? Sorry about that." My house leader's easy grin landed on me but somehow it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"No, I am...used to dealing with nobles like that." I admitted heavily as I looked out the rainy windows with a reluctant sigh. "Would you like for me to wash and press your jacket before returning it?"

"If it's alright with you, I'd rather have it back now. It's kind of chilly in here without it, truth be told." Claude rubbed the back of his head and I held the jacket back out to him.

"Umm, thank you again for lending it to me." I bowed stiffly as Claude promptly shook the jacket out and stuffed his arms into the sleeves.

"Ah! Much better, mmm check it out! It's still warm." The golden deer gave me a wink that did nothing to help the unease I was feeling. "Don't worry about Lorenz either, he is pretty stuffy about nobility but he isn't really all that bad a person once you get to know him."

I watched Claude's reflection as he tugged the rest of the jacket into place, effectively covering the long sleeve shirt he wore under it. "There, now that I'm properly dressed how about we head down to dinner together? Sounds like everyone's waiting."

I balked at the dinner invitation and the prospect of eating with the group so soon after my latest run in with Lorenz. Without skipping a beat I let the lie roll off my lips. "I ate before coming up here."

Claude's grin disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "Not feeling it after that little lecture huh? Man, I thought asking you down to dinner would have at least warmed you up a bit, you know, given that I did borrow you my jacket."

My deadpan stare drifted from the window to the Golden deer's analyzing green eyes. "If that is your wish…"

"Hey now that's no fun, what's with the formality all of a sudden?" Claude started backtracking as I bowed to him.

"I am but a lowly commoner, to be used as you see fit my lord."

My house leader let out a low whistle. "O-K then, this just took a really weird turn. Look if you're not feeling up to it, how about we bring you some food up later?"

I wasn't meeting his eyes as I bowed again. My manors and years of hiding behind a social mask of etiquette came back. "Whatever..."

I attempted to finish my sentence as my vision was suddenly filled with the visage of my house leader. My cheeks were squished together soundly as Claude's wry grin reappeared. The empty grin didn't quite reach his dead green eyes as the golden deer growled. "What's that? I can't hear you."

Shocked, I fumbled my way backways pulling away from him. I rubbed my cheeks, as my formal mask shattering in surprise. I squeaked out a protest. "No! I'll be fine. I-I'm just going to retire to my room for the night."

Claude didn't appear to be convinced as he shrugged. "Look, I'll have a chat with Lorenz later, but it sure would make me happy if you joined us for dinner." He winked at me encouragingly as I rubbed my cheeks, shying away from him. He stood in place, followed up with another encouraging comment as I took a step back. "You will look like you could use a few meals, and we sure could use the company."

The golden deer held out his hand encouragingly.

I looked down at the extended hand of the next Sovereign Duke and started to rapidly backed away. "...Good night Claude."

Without any more of an explanation, I fled down the hall away from his friendly advances and bolted for my room.

Once in my room I locked the door and shoved the heavy traveling chest in front of it for good measure. The doorway thus barricaded, I went and stood by the window. The oppressive grey skies were turning to a dark inky blackness as yet more rain splattered on the glass panes.

"I despise kowtowing to nobility. I hate scraping and bowing to them for funding." I ran my hands through my hair. "It always pet projects, standing at attention, and far far too many that treat me like some kind of jewel. A potential wife or mistress to train to heel if they give a title, or some kind of fancy treat." I sighed heavily. "I can't stand all the pompous frills."

I looked around my room feeling restless. "And being cooped up in this room isn't going to work there."

I thought about it for a bit and looked around my room, gauging my current supplies and time. "Hmm,That merchant mentioned those 1000 year old pines are nearby. Let's go see if the rumors are true."

I gathered my heavy weather proof cloak and pinned it on top of my uniform. Ready for departure I struggled with the window latch for a second and then slid the glass window panels up. I checked the ground below and climbed out into the rain.

I quickly worked my way down the well worn bricks, my fingers scaling the lumber and numerous small handholds with an ease of practice. Within moments, my feet touched the ground. I pulled my hood up as I looked around, checking to make sure the coast was clear. Not seeing anyone coming down the road in either direction I nodded. "Alright, I think that merchant said they were located on the outskirts to the south of town."

The rain made it a bit harder to see where I was going, but I was fairly used to traveling around in dark places.

"One to many temples without proper torches." I muttered as I slid my hand across the heavy logs that made up many of the houses in the town. I stayed just under the rooftops of many of the houses, using the terrain to both keep me dry and out of sight.

The rain lessened as I walked towards the edge of town, the oppressive deluge of water changed to a light mist. Time passed slowly as I reached the outskirts of town to gaze out at the dark forest I started to second guess myself. It might be worth exploring in the morning, but out at night in an unfamiliar forest was just asking for trouble. My restlessness from earlier had cooled considerably in the foggy oppressive atmosphere.

Claude was probably right. I shouldn't let Lorenz get to me so easily. Letting a noble get under my skin was the first sign I had lost my composure. Unsettled and trying to deal with my thoughts, I leaned on the archway under a guttering lamplight. The light created a lit path, an illuminated gateway between the safety of town and the yawning wilderness just beyond. I felt a gentle yearning to wander out into the pines, but logic kept me grounded just within the confines of the town. Feeling conflicted, I waited at the crossroads between the two worlds for a bit longer. The roaring of some unknown creature torn through the night as I left to return to my room.

After the battle I found I could not sleep and went into study mode, opting to read more of my textbook rather than restlessly attempting to sleep . I finished reading the decent sized textbook early this morning, but I was still in no mood to nap. Unable to sleep I snuck down into the kitchens to chat with the morning staff after I finished packing.

I was still chatting with the staff when the rest of my class began trickling down for breakfast. Some normal early morning risers, while others were teased to come downstairs by the sweet scent of pancakes. After breakfast we began the long trip back to Garreg Mach. I picked up that company was still exhausted from last night's unexpected battle with the demonic beast, so conversation was scarce as we loaded up and packed. More than a few of us were short on patience due to little to no sleep and it showed.

Once we were on the road, things evened out. Some napped, while the rest of us choose to relax. Having finished my reading before the weeklong journey was completed I was out of sources of amusement. When watching the forest and my housemates proved to bore me I climbed up into the wagon with our resident bookworm. I suspected that Lysithea would be willing to trade me some new reading material.

The short tempered mage declined my offer with a scathing glare, but as I shrugged and pulled a cookie out from my cloak pocket she looked up from her book with renewed interest.

"Lilianna, Is that a cookie?" The pink eyed mage honed in on the sweet in my hand as I slowly lifted it to my lips and took a bite.

"Hmmm?" My mouth half full and answered her with a raised eyebrow, noting with interest that she had closed her book.

A second later she started rapid firing questions at me. " Do you have any more? Where did you get them? Can I have one?"

Her unexpected barrage of questions caught me off guard and I forgot I was chewing. The crumbs fell onto my jacket as I stared at her with wide eyes.

"Oh are you fond of sweets Lysithea?" Ignatz looked up from the other side of the wagon, his hands covered in charcoal and he had a sheaf of papers with him.

"Well, yes I like them. But it's not because I am a child or anything." The mage sulked as I carefully produced two more cookies from my pocket and offered one to her and the other to Ignas as I finished chewing.

"Oh these are good!" She bit into her treat as I swallowed, getting an idea of how to gain new reading material in light of this new bargaining chip.

"I have a couple more treats in my pocket if you would be willing to lend me one of your textbooks to me for the remainder of the trip?"

Apparently I should have negotiated harder as the mage prompt checked the page number on the book in front of her and handed it over. "Deal!"

Ignatz was watching us strike up a deal with interest. The strange fact I was carrying cookies at random apparently was not lost on him. "I didn't see any cookies in our rations Lilianna, where did you get them?"

I was busy handing Lysithea my other two cookies along with the handkerchief I had been using to keep them safe. "I nicked them from the kitchens fresh this morning. Seems like some of the maids were baking them as a goodbye present for some redhead sweetheart."

"Why would they make such good cookies for HIM?" Lysithea's voice was muffled by the sheer amount of cookies she had in her mouth.

I shrugged as I took another bite of my cookie. "No idea, apparently they really enjoy having their hearts yanked around."

"Ouch, that really hurts! I love each and every man or woman that I grace with my attention." Sylvain rode up on the far side of the wagon looking insulted.. "And I didn't get any cookies, not a single one." Sylvain sulked, his expressive brown eyes as I looked down at my remaining cookie guilty and then at Lysithea.

The young mage gave me a calculating side eye and snapped. "Don't look at me like that."

I was about to compromise with her as she promptly stuffed all three of her remaining cookies into her mouth.

The rest of us all watched in amazement and then started laughing.

"Haha, well guess that's off the table…" I looked down at my cookie and sighed. Reluctantly I snapped my cookie in half and offered the smaller piece to Sylvain. "The maids did say they were for a redhead. That might not mean they were for you."

The redhead gave me a sly grin as he accepted the half of the treat. "This is all I need. For it will be all the sweeter since it has touched your lips."

"Now you're just being over the top." I cautioned as I went to eat the last half of my cookie with a roll of my eyes.

I had just finished savoring the last bite as Leonie walked up with a bag of cookies in her hand. "Hey guy, I got these as a thank you gift from the maids for chopping up firewood for them last night. Do you want any?"

Author Corner:

Hello again everyone! I hope this was worth the wait! Just a double heads up - I am looking at weekly releases at this time. I normally finish editing chapters and doing cover art for the chapter on Thursday/Friday - and try to post on Friday or Saturday. If you're not familiar with my work - I have a DA page where I also release art - as well as ficts. You can find me at deviantart and search for sayna-yuki - I think that's all for my author updates on to the recap?

Chapter Recap:

This chapter was a lot more focused on relationship building and fleshing out several of the characters. We start out seeing Hilda convincing/blackmailing Lili into going shopping with her. A shopping trip where Lili gets stuck carrying all the bags, much to her unfortunate reluctance. (She does seem to kind of enjoy it though, her traveling and trading background kicks in saving Hilda and the Golden Deer quite a bit of money on supplies.)

You also really pick up on everyone's pass times here - what people like to do for a hobby. So it was really just a more wholesome chapter overall. Lili seems to still be having some second thoughts, rather than really dealing with Lorenz she's just considering leaving. There's quite a bit of symbolism there - her staying in town or going off to explore the rain, but also the jacket.

One might wonder why I had Claude of all people lend her his jacket - one has to wonder. I would love to know what you guys are thinking about the story so far - you're a couple of chapters in by now - so I really am hoping you're enjoying these little scenes and world building. You can definitely look forward to more scenarios like this - as well as some action!

Let me know if you like the work - comments and favorites go a long way to promote the works and make it more accessible to others when searching - and if you don't want to miss a chapter - make sure to follow! See you again soon!