"I thought I would be leaving first," Passer said. "Huh. Goes to show you what I know about the future."
Aureum had finished explaining to her that Vitreum had left with Aes the day before. The absence of the girl deserved to be explained. She took a sip from the tea that Passer had offered her.
"It seems such a shame. I knew she wasn't yours and the little man's from her coloring, but I just never considered her leaving. It's probably for the best."
Aureum choked.
The little man's?
It tickled her to hear Mendax described that way. She swallowed.
"She deserves a stable home," Aureum said.
No point discussing everything in depth.
"All kids need one. Deserve doesn't come into it."
Aureum nodded and took another sip to escape speaking, but Passer was patient. Aureum pulled out something polite.
"Thanks again for being willing," Aureum said. "Is there a way I can make it up to you…?"
"Oh, please! It made for a fun week."
Aureum didn't have any more comments to offer up.
"I always wanted kids," Passer said, "But in my life, it just didn't end up that way."
Aureum nodded. This was going in a better direction. Any direction away from the specifics felt nice.
"I just took them for granted with my future, but when they didn't, I found myself pleased."
"Kids can be trouble."
"It's not exactly that I don't want them. I've just, got more to think about these days."
Aureum realized she'd responded with her past experiences. Not having kids with the dog-lover in that environment was a blessing.
"You've still got lots of time," Passer said. "There's no rush."
Without being a prisoner…
"I don't know," she said. "I'd need a man for it, and I don't have one."
Mendax is nearby.
She felt like cackling, but choked on her tea again instead. She swallowed hard.
"Are you alright?"
"It's nothing. Thinking about it, I just can't imagine myself marrying anyone right now."
"You don't need to get married to have kids. Adoption is another choice. It's not like there isn't enough sad-storied orphans not to go around."
Aureum considered it. It might be nice. A little house and a few adopted kids.
But how would I even choose which kids to save…?
That would be hard in another way. It was a thought for far into the future, so she tossed it.
"Marriage would make it easier. Is that your plan? Adoption?" Aureum asked Passer.
"I plan to try traditional avenues first."
Traditional?
Aureum understood and let this cackle fly freely.
"Heheheheh! I wish you the best of luck for that. With Aquila?"
"No! No, no. He was completely uninterested."
"You aren't a couple?"
"Just friends. Hmph! I'm more of a loyal soldier to him than anything. After so many years as this, it would be strange to be anything else. Once I go, I plan to try all my horizons."
"Good luck," Aureum said. "When are you leaving?"
"Soon, but I'll say nothing more than that. Don't ask me where either. Out of the lands of Aeternitus. A place where people don't even form pearls. Imagine that!"
Aureum reached out and took her hand firmly.
"I hope you go to get more kids than you bargained for and all the joy in the world."
Passer squeezed back and gave a tired smile.
"That's the plan."
A few days later, when Aureum went to check on them, no one answered. She opened the door, and all their possessions were gone. Hardly a trace remained.
She looked out the window.
I suppose I should tell Mendax he can stop paying for the room.
She knocked on the table a few times. Whether they would make it, whether they would be caught, nothing could be done.
She flexed her hand once and walked out.
Some goodbyes are never spoken properly, and that's all right.
Did I tell Vitreum goodbye?
She couldn't remember. The day before the kid left was too hectic. She paused in the hallway, only to continue.
Nothing to be done about it now.
Without Vitreum, there were changes. Obviously, but some were unexpected. Her mornings were her own, and she ended up skipping breakfast more often than not without Vitreum needing it. The room was quieter, if not tidier. Not that any of that was unexpected.
It was a relief at times, and a burden at others. When it was a burden and she felt lonely, or even if she just felt bored, she left. Not the biggest tragedy.
She worried less about herself and more about what Vitreum would meet when she got there, but she tried not to think about it. Not that she always succeeded.
More surprising was how it affected the relationship between her and Mendax. Even her interactions with Sitis, maybe a little with Lacuna. Actually, not that much with Lacuna.
Each and every day had been a logistical problem with Vitreum. She was the type of child who could not be left unattended. Not just because of her behavior, but also the situation she was connected to. Aureum would have to talk to Mendax or Sitis just to solve that problem for the day.
Well, less that Aureum would go to Sitis, and more Sitis would come to her.
I hope Lacuna wants kids.
Still, Vitreum had made Mendax interact with Aureum more than she knew. Except for training, it felt like she hardly spoke with him. They'd started meeting at the university grounds instead of leaving together.
Looking around the room, it finally came to her to wonder if he was uncomfortable. The floor wasn't the best comfort, of course. Her concern was if the cohabitation was too much without Vitreum to cushion it.
With the other room empty, I could just move out.
In fact, with her injuries healed, she didn't even need to stay in the same inn anymore. She shouldn't have overstayed her welcome.
Aureum packed her things up and then headed to the university. The day had a hint of a storm about it, with a rise of winds and dark clouds at the edges. Aureum appreciated it, but hoped a real storm would stay at bay.
They didn't have access to any indoor training grounds.
A few people gave her second glances with the tunic, but it wasn't as bad as Aureum had expected when she started. That was just another small difference between Fluentem and Nix.
Thwack!
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Mendax struck the dummy. He wore his tunic today. The only thing he seemed to hate more than going without it was the heat, so usually he was covered as much as possible. He met her with a nod. He'd already been at practice with his two swords on the dummies.
Aureum came by and tried to observe, but he sheathed his swords as she neared. All she noticed was that the wood had no fresh cuts. He had been careful to only cut the straw stuffing because it was not his property.
Aureum could only wonder if that kind of control was normal.
"Why don't you get started?" Mendax said.
Training for her was currently a set of motions she went through, for the most part. Mendax would watch and tell her if she held anything wrong. If she stood wrong, stabbed wrong, stepped wrong.
There was less commentary today, which Aureum hoped was a good sign.
Near the end, Mendax stood in front of her with his broom handle and poked holes through her defenses.
But it was a slow thing. He never made contact with her directly. Just repeatedly, almost gently, knocked the spear from her hand.
Again, and again, and again.
Aureum bent over to pick her spear up for what felt like the twentieth time.
"Why don't you just break my ribs?" Aureum commented, "I think I might feel better."
It was a light tone, but it felt like she had suffered more from this than if he had bruised her. He made it look so easy that she could die.
"As you like, I'll bruise your ribs later if we have time, but I'm certain any doctor would already be yelling at me for this. So no, not yet."
"Are you expecting something to happen?" Aureum said. "You always talk about time."
Aureum couldn't imagine her mentor replying to her at this point tomorrow. Perhaps Spesavia was ignoring her.
After throwing away her chances of learning from her, Aureum couldn't blame her.
Then again, maybe she just lost the conversing stone.
Either way, she would hunker down and wait. Spesavia was sure to come to the university sooner or later.
Probably.
"Are you not expecting anything to happen?" Mendax said.
Something about his tone gave her chills. Aureum felt the urge to scream. She chuckled. It was less a laugh and more an amused huff.
"I guess at this point it makes sense to expect something, wouldn't it?"
Mendax looked at the sky.
"Well, a streak of bad luck doesn't happen forever," he said. "We should probably stop a bit early. It looks like it's getting worse."
Their packing up was disturbed by stray raindrops. Rushing back, they hardly talked. A scattering of damp drops darkened their shoulders when they returned, but they avoided being drenched.
"We should have stopped earlier," Aureum said. "We barely made it."
"What's with the luggage?" Mendax said as he closed the door.
"I'm going," Aureum said. "I think I've kept you from sleeping in a bed long enough. Aquila and Passer left, too."
Aureum paused as Mendax digested the news. He released a fist Aureum hadn't noticed him clenching.
"I hope they're safe too," she said. "But on a more practical note, the next room is open!"
"So you're leaving," Mendax said, "just to go next door?"
"Yep."
"Why would you even bother?"
"I thought it would be comfortable."
Mendax sighed and rolled his shoulders. He went to pick up her bag.
"I suppose you want to do this now, after we've run all the way back from training?"
How unreasonable does he think I am?
"I didn't say now," Aureum said. "Or that you had to help. Thanks."
Mendax made no move to put them down. Aureum grabbed the rest of her things. The walk to the other room was short.
"I guess I'm dropping you off here," he said, holding her bag to her at the door.
Oh.
It felt like he was drawing a line.
She hadn't considered that she'd have even less of a chance to talk to yet another of the few people she knew.
A group which kept getting smaller of late.
Aureum took it and tossed it into the room.
"Yeah, let's grab some dinner before we head to sleep. I haven't gotten to talk to you in a while. I should clear up the tab for the rooms anyways."
Aureum walked past him as she shut the door. She stopped on the stairs.
"Do you not want to?"
Mendax joined her at the steps.
"No, I—We should use the bag for the rooms."
The bag, the bag filled with coins from Aureum's ill-gotten gains of taking care of Vitreum. It made her feel dirty to look at it, and it had stayed where Mendax sat it on the side table. Neither had mentioned it till now.
"You're right, ugh."
Aureum stomped a foot.
"I'll go get it," she turned as she spoke, going back to the room.
While money was eternally guilty, it was also eternally innocent. Making it nothing at all but what people put into it. It would be a waste to leave it useless.
She caught a glimpse of his expression as she turned. It was, as muddled as it might be through his face, one of endearment.
She waved him down the steps.
"I'll be back in a moment. Go ahead and save a spot."
She grabbed the bag in a rush and froze in the room.
I probably imagined that.
But.
It might not hurt to wear something other than the dirty tunic.
Immediately, that thought was met with internal disbelief.
I am not desperate enough to try and get with someone who's only protecting me for financial compensation, Aureum told herself.
This lasted maybe half a second.
He has a nice chest, though.
What's the harm?
When Aureum showed up, it was in the dark purple dress that skirt came to the middle of her calf.
"What took you so long?"
He looked mildly irritated. Nothing like the gaze she'd seen on the steps. It may have been what she deserved, making him wait, but she'd hoped to awe him.
I'm a fool.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, I thought I'd take the chance to enjoy myself," she said. "Have you ordered yet?"
"No. I was waiting."
"Then let me. I'll even pay with the bag."
"How gracious of you," Mendax said.
Aureum smiled as she headed to the counter. The inn was a smaller one and didn't have any waiters.
Shall I try again?
The night was off to a disappointing start, but Aureum didn't plan to let that stop her. She was overdue for a nice night.
And if all else failed, she would have nice food while she made a fool of herself. Sure, it might be a bad idea to do anything with Mendax. Problem was, Aureum couldn't bring herself to care. Care had worn her thin.