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IDWTBTHQ Chapter 128 - Home Alone
🕑 Added 2022-10-15 16:58:56 +0000 UTCThe storms that had struck Medelan had finally abated. A pale sun shone on the snow-covered fields from a clear blue sky and the streets of Brettholz were crowded with people eager to stretch their legs after the weeks they were forced to spend indoors. Children played in the snow while the adults ran their errands, all wearing heavy clothes and generally enjoying the cold but pleasant weather.
Among the crowd, there were also Felix and Klara.
“Ahhh!” The boy let out a satisfied sigh. “It's nice to finally get some fresh air! The marquis's palace is nice and all, but I was getting tired of staying indoors all the time!”
“Well, you know how these seasonal storms can be.” Klara replied. “We always had to stay indoors at this time of the year when we were children. And I don't remember hearing you complain about it back then.”
“Yeah, we were children.” The young man smiled. “And we were small enough that your house felt huge in comparison. We could play tag in the hallways, or hide and seek in the attic...” His voice trailed off as he reminisced about his childhood. “Though I have to say, my favorite game was when we built a pillow fort and we pretended we were the defenders of Corania!”
“Yeah, I remember that.” Klara smiled back at him. “My grandpa would also join us and play the part of the Great Zaru Beast. He would attack our fort and mercilessly tickle whoever he managed to grab, until the other would attack him and free the prisoner!”
However, despite being pleasant, those memories also carried the pain of the loss of her grandfather, and not wanting to get too melancholic the girl quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, we were lucky to stay in Brettholz for the storms, cause I don't think I could have resisted being stuck in Stonebarrow together with Marcus and his suicidally depressed ogre pet for a week. Besides, the palace is really comfortable. Especially the baths. Nothing beats taking a long, warm bath while there is a blizzard outside.”
“Yeah, I guess you're right.” Felix agreed. “Though I'm surprised. I didn't know that you enjoyed bathing this much.”
“I think that some of Marcus's love of bathing rubbed off on me. And besides, we didn't have a real bathtub in Oakfell. Bathing in a wooden tub just isn't the same to bathing in an actual pool.”
“Fair enough.” The apprentice sorcerer shrugged. “Anyway, speaking of Marcus, we should probably tell him that we're ready to get back to Stonebarrow.”
Klara grimaced internally. To be honest, she was in no hurry to return to the Vex lands since that meant that she’d have to live with the ogre as well, but she also knew that it was their duty to do so. After all, not only were they both technically employed by the Vex Queen but they were also his friends, and the young woman knew very well that the monster girl would get very lonely whenever they weren't around. Especially now, since he probably had to take care of his pet ogre by himself.
“Good idea.” She forced herself to say. “We can tell that to her body double then.”
“Right.” Felix nodded. “But do you know where it is?”
“I don't know. Isn't it in its closet in the palace?”
“No.” Felix shook his head. “I actually checked this morning before we went out and it wasn't there. I even asked around in the palace and no one has seen it.” A puzzled expression appeared on his face. “In fact, I think that the last time it was seen was three days ago, when Marcus told us that he managed to save the ogre's life.”
Klara remembered it. The Vex Queen had seemed rather happy about his accomplishment —as much as the expressionless drone had allowed him, at least— and though the girl didn't really share the excitement over that event, she had still tried to look happy for her friend.
“Yeah, that's pretty unusual.” She commented. “It's not like Marcus to disappear like this. Where do you think he could have gone?”
“I was hoping you'd know that.” The young man admitted.
The girl thought about it for a moment.
“Well, maybe he's with Golam.” She said. “He does visit his shop from time to time. Maybe they are busy making some new type of drone and have lost track of the time.”
“That would explain his absence but... for three days straight?”
“Why not?” Klara shrugged. “Marcus is not really here in person after all, and her double spends the night standing still in a closet, so it's not as if he has any limit in that regard. And as for Golam...” She paused, trying to find a delicate way to describe the taxidermist. “Well, he does seem like someone who'd pull an all nighter or two if he's caught in one of his projects.”
“Yeah.” The young man agreed. “If you put it like that, it makes sense. So what do we do? Do we pay a visit to Golam's shop to see if Marcus is in there?”
“Sure.” Klara replied. “It's not far from the market either, so it shouldn't take too much time.”
The two then left the main road, heading towards the taxidermist's shop through the smaller alleys of the city, which at this point they knew like the palm of their hands.
However, when they were about halfway there, as they turned a corner they saw something that made them stop in their track.
Standing completely still in the middle of the alley and partially covered in snow, was Marcus's copy drone.
“Oh... hi Marcus!” Felix said, waving his arm. “We were looking for you! How are you doing?”
But the drone didn't seem to register the young man’s presence and just remained completely motionless.
“Uhhhh... Marcus?” Felix asked again. “Is everything alright?”
Again, there was no response, and the two friends' exchanged a worried and puzzled glance before they started cautiously approaching the drone to give it a better look.
“It isn't dead, is it?” Klara asked in a worried tone.
“No, I don't think so.” The young man replied, pointing at the drone's chest, which moved slightly. “See? It's still breathing!”
“But then why is it not responding?” The girl wondered. “Did something happen to Marcus?”
“I don't know.” Felix admitted, growing more worried as well. He waved his hand in front of the drone's face, but still there was no response. “What do we do now?”
Klara paused for a moment, thinking.
“Let's try to get a reaction from it first.” She said, pointing at the drone. “Calling Marcus by his name, touching it, whatever it takes. If that doesn't work, we'll report this to the marquis.”
“Good idea.” The young man nodded, and he raised his hand to touch the drone, only to stop halfway and turn towards Klara with an embarrassed expression on his face. “Ehm... do you mind if I leave the touching to you? It feels kinda rude for me to touch an unconscious girl.”
Klara sighed and rolled her eyes at that request, the word Boys! clearly flashing in her head, but she did as she was told. She grabbed Marcus's copy by the shoulder and started shaking it wildly, all while calling the Vex Queen's name.
“Marcus!” She cried. “Wake up! Can you hear me? Marcus!”
She went on for a few seconds and just as she was about to give up the drone suddenly raised its head and looked at her.
“Klara?” The body double said in its usual deadbeat tone. “What's going on? Is everything alright?”
The girl took a sigh of relief. It seemed like Marcus was still alive after all.
“I should be asking that question.” She said, letting go of the drone's shoulders and taking a step back. “We found you standing still in the middle of this alley and you didn't answer when we called you. That's hardly normal, even for you.”
“You had us worried for a moment there, Marcus.” Felix cheerfully chimed in. “We were afraid that something had happened to you.”
“Oh. Hello Felix.” The Vex Queen said emotionlessly. “Sorry if I made you worry. I was...” She hesitated for a moment. “I was just distracted, and I didn't notice you talking to my copy.”
“I see.” The young man nodded. “You must be really busy then.”
“Yeah. Very busy.” Marcus confirmed. Then, the drone started moving, shaking the snow from its back and taking an uneasy step forward before staggering and collapsing as its legs gave out. It would have hit the ground if Klara hadn't grabbed it in time.
“Marcus!” Felix cried, rushing to help. “What's going on? Do you feel unwell?”
“No, don't worry.” Marcus replied, deadpan as ever. “It's just... this copy drone is very tired. And cold. And hungry.”
The body double struggled to get back on its feet with the humans' help, but even when it managed to do so it was trembling from the effort.
“Marcus, how long have you been standing in this alley?” Klara asked.
“Let me think... I was coming back to the palace after visiting Golam, but then I got distracted and kinda forgot about the drone.” The Vex Queen paused. “That happened... I don't know, maybe two days ago.”
The girl frowned, staring at the drone for a few seconds. It was only lightly clothed, with a tunic that barely reached its knees. If it had indeed stood out there in the snow for the last two days, then it was a testament to the Vex toughness that it had survived this far.
“Let's get you back to the palace then.” Felix proposed. “There you can warm yourself up!”
“Don't worry.” Marcus replied. “Just give me a few minutes to stretch my legs and then I can go to the palace myself. The drone is not in risk of dying right now, so there is no hurry.”
“Yes but... aren't you hungry, tired and cold?” The young man asked. “You said so yourself.”
“Yeah, but it's just the drone feeling that way.” The Vex Queen said. “It's not as if its discomfort means anything to me.”
“Oh right. I forgot about that.” Felix nodded.
“Well, even so, are you really sure you're alright?” Klara asked. “It's not like you to just forget about your drones. The only times that it happened was because your life was in danger, if I remember correctly.”
It took a few seconds for Marcus to reply, and though the drone face remained absolutely emotionless Klara could still somehow tell that the Vex Queen was upset. And when she talked, her words confirmed the girl's impression.
“No, I am not alright.” The drone muttered. “The last days have been very hard for me, and I'm very, very, very tired.”
“What happened?” Klara asked.
“Tiny-Sneaky happened.” Marcus replied.
“What? Do you mean the ogre?” The girl immediately became worried. “What did it do?”
“Well, she didn't assault me or anything like that. Not physically at least.” The Vex Queen answered. “She's just the most infuriatingly annoying creature I had the misfortune of meeting ever since I was reborn in this world.”
“Oh, well...” Klara said, trying to fight the urge to say I told you so. “Orcs and ogres are savage creatures that have never been civilized or even domesticated, so it shouldn't be a surprise that your ogre is a handful...”
“No, that's not the problem.” Marcus interrupted her. “Not all of it, anyway. It's just that she is so incredibly...” She stopped talking.
“She is so incredibly what?” Klara prodded him. “Unruly? Wild?”
“Damaged.” The Vex Queen corrected her. “What happened to her left her scared of everything, and now that I have made myself the only source of security in her life she's attached herself to me like a tick.”
“I can see how that could be a problem.” Felix commented.
“No you don't.” Marcus replied. “Because to get an idea of what I'm going through, you'd have to imagine living with a messy, clumsy, noisy and smelly monster girl who has absolutely no sense of personal space and ignores everything about hygiene, living in an actual home or the importance of wearing clothes.”
There was no response for a few seconds, as both Felix and Klara were busy processing this rant. Also, both of them felt it was best not to mention that the Vex Queen herself could have roughly fit that description when they had first met her.
“That does sound rough.” Klara then said in a carefully neutral tone.
“Yeah. It sure seems like a handful.” Felix agreed, also using the same tactful voice.
“It's a nightmare.” Marcus continued. “I can't take a single step without her following me around like a lost puppy, and she panics whenever I leave her alone for more than a minute or two. I can't even go to the bathroom or lay e... ehm, I mean do other business in peace.”
“Wait, aren't you the ogre master now?” Felix asked. “Couldn't you just order it to... not follow you around everywhere? Just tell it to sit still while you do your stuff.”
“I tried.” The Vex Queen replied. “But it doesn't work.”
“So it disobeys your orders?”
“Well, she doesn't really disobey on purpose.” Marcus explained. “She's actually very eager to help and she does try to follow my orders to the best of her ability. The problem is that she has the attention span of a boiled potato and she usually gets distracted and forgets about what she was doing in about three minutes if I'm not there to remind her.” She paused for a moment. “To be honest, that actually makes it worse because I can't even get mad at her. It'd be like getting mad at a dumb puppy or something like that.”
Klara had to struggle to not let out an exasperated sigh after hearing this explanation. Though she greatly appreciated and respected the Vex Queen for his kindheartedness, she thought that taking care of a mentally damaged ogre was a bit too much, especially since it was one that had tried to kill them before. And while she hadn’t objected to Marcus tending to the humanoid by himself, she wasn’t really keen on taking part in it.
But before she could express her reservations out loud, Felix suddenly cut her off.
“Well, if you need any help in dealing with Tiny, me and Klara are planning to return to Stonebarrow.” The apprentice sorcerer said. “In fact, we were looking for you to tell you that we'd be on our way there soon.”
Klara cursed silently in her head, shooting an angry glance to her friend, since with those few words, he had made it much harder and more awkward for her to refuse to get involved.
Meanwhile, the copy drone remained completely silent for a few seconds as Marcus was probably busy considering the offer.
“Actually, I'd rather have you stay here in Brettholz a bit longer, if it's not a problem.” The Vex Queen then replied. “Tiny is in a rather delicate state right now, and I don't know how she would react to strangers. Besides, it wouldn't be right to involve you and Klara in this situation, since you both told me that it was a bad idea. So I got into this mess by myself and I'll sort it out by myself as well.”
Klara had to struggle again to contain another sigh, but this time it was out of relief rather than annoyance. However, she also felt a stab of guilt because while she had been selfishly planning to leave Marcus alone with the ogre, the Vex Queen had been considerate enough to decide to not involve them.
She actually felt bad enough about this that she actually had to repeat Felix's offer to soothe her aching conscience.
“Are you sure about this?” She asked, trying not to sound too reluctant. “I mean, even if we won't interact with the ogre, we can still help you in other ways. And at least you won't be alone anymore.”
The Vex Queen once again remained silent for a few seconds while considering this offer, while Klara silently cursed at herself for not taking the easy way out when she had been offered it. But luckily, Marcus once again refused their help.
“Yeah, don't worry.” The drone confirmed. “I should be able to hold on by myself for a while longer, at least until my newest copy drones will reach maturity. After that, I'll have more bodies to take care of Tiny with, which should make things easier.” The drone then made a slight, rather unnatural smile, which was probably an attempt at smirking. “Besides, I don't think you two would feel very comfortable with a perpetually naked ogress wandering around the house. Heavens know I am not.”
“Yeah... that does sound a bit too much for me.” Felix said, gulping nervously as the mental image of a naked ogre flashed in his mind. “Then, if it's all the same, we'll stay here in Brettholz.”
“Good.” Marcus replied. “Just tell the marquis to host you for a while longer. There shouldn't be any problem with that.”
“Yes.” The young man said. Then, all of a sudden, he asked: “Oh, and another thing: how long do you think it will take for Tiny to be tamed... ehm, I mean civilized enough for us to come to Stonebarrow?”
“I have no idea.” The Vex Queen admitted. “Tiny is making some progress, I think, but she's not a fast learner by any means. In the past three days the only thing I managed to teach her is to go outside when she needs to go potty. Before that, she just relieved herself on the floor.”
Both Felix and Klara grimaced at that mental image, and they felt really glad that they weren't in Stonebarrow right now.
“Anyway, at the current pace, I think it's going to take at least a few weeks before Tiny is ready to meet other people.” Marcus continued without noticing his friends' reaction. “Probably longer than that, but I can't say for sure.”
“Oh... Good.” Felix said, refraining from commenting further than that. “Anyway, if it's like that, maybe we could spend Toathale here in Brettholz, and come back to Stonebarrow afterwards if Tiny is well enough to live with other people.”
Klara suddenly smiled at these words, as if her friend had just said something funny, but if there had been some sort of joke Marcus had missed it.
“Well, you can do whatever you want. It's not a problem.” The Vex Queen replied. “The only thing I'd like to know is what Teathale is.”
“Wait, you don't know what Teathale is?” The young man asked, rather incredulous.
“Cut her some slack, Felix.” Klara chimed in, still with an amused smirk on her face. “Marcus has been living in Medelan for only a year, and last winter we didn't exactly celebrate Toathale much, didn't we? We just had a toast and a dinner together.”
“Yeah, I remember.” Felix mumbled in a pretty disgruntled tone. “It was a rather dull Toathale.”
“Wait... I remember that too.” Marcus said. “You guys said it was some sort of celebration, and you lit up a few scented candles in the house. But if I'm not mistaken, Hoggs called that day Midwinter Eve.”
“Yeah, that's the name that the Church of Light has given to that holiday, even if it's not exactly midwinter.” Klara explained. “But for the Old Religion, it's called Toathale. It's the holy day of Toa, the god of storms and winter.”
“Interesting.” The Vex Queen said. “And what exactly happens during this festivity?”
“Well, people decorate their homes with mistletoe, snowbloom flowers and red ribbons, and they all meet each other on the streets to exchange presents and gestures of goodwill.” The girl said. “Then they light up candles at sunset and they all have a big feast that lasts until the last candle goes out. And finally, those who are particularly devoted to a temple Toa to pray.”
“Sounds delightful.” Marcus commented.
“It is.” Klara said. “And it's also Felix's favorite holiday. Back when we were kids he just couldn't wait for it, since he always got a lot of presents.”
“Ehm... yeah, that is true.” Felix said, looking a bit flustered all of a sudden.
“Oh, come on Felix.” The girl said with a smile. “That's not something to be ashamed of. It wasn’t your fault, and it was nice that you actually got something nice for a change. I remember being jealous of you back then because I got way less presents than you.”
“Uhm... did I miss something?” Marcus asked, a bit confused. “Why would receiving presents be something to be ashamed of?”
Felix gave him a pained look for a few moments, but then let out a resigned sigh.
“Well, the thing is...” The young man explained, blushing heavily as he did. “It is customary to give more presents to those in need during Toathale, especially children. And since my family was the poorest in Oakfell, I always received the most presents out of anyone.”
“Ah.” The Vex Queen said. “I get it now. If it's of any consolation, my family in my previous life wasn't too well off either, so I perfectly understand how you feel. But as Klara said, this is nothing to be ashamed of.” Once again, the drone tried to smile, with only marginally better results compared to its previous attempt. “Besides, I'd say that between the two of us, I was the one who got the short end of the stick, since I didn't have a festivity like Toathale when other people would give us gifts. At best I had a present or two for Christmas, and even then it was only what my mother could afford to buy, which wasn't much.”
“I see.” Felix nodded, looking a little less embarrassed. “I feel sorry for you then. I can't imagine what it's like not receiving a present for Toathale.” He smirked. “Well, at least now we know that we are both dirt poor childhood comrades, so we could make a club together.” He pointed at Klara. “And Klara will be left out, since she was damn rich as a kid.”
“Eh, if the other members of the club are you two, then I'm actually better off being left out.” Klara said with a faint, sardonic smile.
“That's jealousy speaking there.” The Vex Queen said, trying —and failing— to produce another genuine smile through the drone. “We have badges and cookies.”
“Well, since your club is literally the We had a Dirt Poor Childhood Club, I'd expect that both badges and cookies are made of mud and tears.” The girl replied.
“Psh.” Felix sneered sardonically. “Seems like our snobby friend can't stomach mud and tears like we do. Bet she ate her cookies made with gold with diamond dust sprinkled over it.”
“You know very well how my cookies were, Felix Agner, because you were always at my door begging for them.” The girl said in a clearly fake stern tone, pointing a finger at her friend's chest. “And had I known that you'd grow up to be such an ingrate, I'd have never shared them with you!”
“To be fair, you didn't actually want to share them with me. You only did so because your grandpa forced you to.”
“Details.” Klara replied dismissively.
The two friends then smiled mischievously at each other, but before they could continue their playful banter Marcus suddenly chimed in.
“Sorry to interrupt you two, but a thought occurred.” He said. “When exactly would Toathale be?”
“Oh, it should be at the end of the month.” Felix replied. “Three weeks from now.”
Marcus thought about it for a moment and then made the copy-drone nod.
“Yeah, maybe that will be enough. And even if it wasn't, nothing stops you from staying here a bit longer. I’m sure the marquis won’t object to it.”
“Excellent.” Felix said cheerfully. “Then it's settled. Me and Klara will spend Toathale here in Brettholz.”
“And that way you'll realize your childhood dream of spending Toathale in a big town.” Klara noticed with a mischievous smile on her face, before turning to Marcus and explaining: “When he was a kid, he thought that since he got a lot of presents in a small village he'd get even more in an actual city.”
“Ehm... yeah.” The young man admitted, looking a bit embarrassed again. “But I have grown up since then. Besides, I've already been in Brettholz for Toathale once. It's not much different from how we celebrate it in Oakfell.” He paused and then added in a wistful tone: “Now I'm actually rather curious to see how they celebrate it in Rennhafen. I've heard that they go big there for these festivities, especially in the entertainment district. Huge parades, celebrations and shows.”
For some reason, Klara suddenly stiffened.
“By entertainment district, do you perhaps mean the red light district?” She asked coldly.
Realizing that he had said something he probably shouldn't have, Felix immediately went for damage control.
“No!” He cried. “Well... I mean... yeah, the celebrations do happen there, but it's not as if they have anything to do with what happens inside of the establishments. I mean, I've heard that parents bring their children there to watch the celebrations together, so I can't see how it could be anything offensive.” He paused, and then added: “I mean, it's Toathale, not bloody Praethuvia.”
“I see.” The girl nodded, though she didn't look particularly convinced.
There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, which was then broken by Marcus, who asked:
“What is Praethuvia?”
“It’s the holy day of Praetheve, the goddess of life and fertility.” Klara explained. “She’s also considered the goddess of love, so some of her celebrations, and especially Prethuvia, can get… a little extreme in certain places.” She grimaced. “Rennhafen is quite famous for how Prethuvia is celebrated in the Red Light district.”
“Ah. I see.” The drone said.
Completely red in the face, Felix then tried to quickly and desperately change the subject.
“Anyway Marcus…” He asked. “Do you need us to accompany you to the palace? It seems that your drone can’t really walk well right now. Maybe it’s better to get it to rest a bit.
“I told you, there is no need to worry about me.” The Vex Queen said. “This drone can still go on for a while. You can just keep doing whatever you have planned for today.”
“It's not a problem at all.” Felix promptly replied. “We wanted to buy some things at the market before coming to Stonebarrow, but since we're staying here we're in no hurry. We can go after Toathale, and we're probably going to find better deals by then.”
“I see.” Marcus said. “Then would it be a problem if we all go to the market anyway before getting back to the palace? I do need to buy a couple of things myself.”
“Sure thing.” The apprentice sorcerer immediately nodded.
“It's not a problem for me either.” Klara said. “What do you need to buy?”
“Well, I do need a few things to take care of Tiny.” The drone paused a moment before continuing. “For starters, I'd need some big clothes made of very strong fabric, so that she won't tear them apart immediately. Then I'm going to need soap and detergent, because I'm burning through my supplies trying to clean after her. And finally I'm also going to need a new set of plates soon since Tiny keeps breaking them by accident.”
“Well, it shouldn't be too difficult to find all those things.” The girl said. “But how are you going to get them back to Stonebarrow?”
“Oh, I'll just send a couple of drones with a carriage to pick them up.” The Vex Queen replied. “They should be here by tomorrow.
“Alright.” Klara nodded. “Let's go then. We better hurry up before the stables run out of merchandise. Since it’s the first day after the seasonal storms, the market is bound to be crowded.”
And the trio left the alley, with the drone wobbling a bit but somehow still managing to keep pace with the others. As they reached the main street they had to stop to let a big coach pass in front of them. The vehicle looked very luxurious, coated in shiny black paint with golden decorations, and it was drawn by some equally black horses who moved with almost unnatural grace, as if the carriage weighed nothing.
Neither Marcus nor Felix gave it a second look, but Klara studied it for a second as it went down the road, wondering who could be aboard such a flashy looking coach. But then she dismissed her doubts, thinking that it was probably a nobleman who had come to visit the marquis for some reason, and she kept walking with her friends, heading towards the market.
Comments
Valentino Conti Angeli
thank you for the correction!
JulesBeHere
Great chapter!
JulesBeHere
"Among the crowd, there were also Felix and Klara." should be "Among the crowd, there was also Felix and Klara."
