Tea was never meant to be a turning point.
It sat politely between them, steaming faintly, doing its best to look harmless.
Sancio held his cup like it might betray him. Jack was already on his second biscuit and had crumbs in places biscuits should not reach. Lady Vereyn sat straight-backed, hands folded, expression composed in the way only people who had fallen downstairs publicly could manage.
"This tea," Jack said, slurping loudly, "is significantly better than falling."
Sancio nodded. "High praise. Falling is our specialty."
Lady Vereyn blinked. "You… fall often? (secretly happy on finding someone else with similar skill as her)"
"Often enough to be considered a method," Sancio said. "Jack once fell up a staircase."
Jack raised a finger. "In my defense, the stairs were aggressive."
Lady Vereyn opened her mouth to respond and immediately knocked her cup over.
Tea splashed across the table.
She froze.
Her servant, Clockwork, appeared from nowhere, already blotting, cleaning, and adjusting the tablecloth with mechanical grace.
"I am fine," Lady Vereyn said stiffly. "Entirely fine. Continue pretending this did not happen."
Sancio saluted. "As you wish, madam of unbroken dignity."
She glared at him.
Then the door creaked open.
Clockwork returned, this time holding a sealed letter.
"From Amer," the servant said.
Lady Vereyn took it.
The room changed. No thunder. No ominous wind. Just a pause, like someone had held their breath too long.
She broke the seal.
Read.
Read again.
Jack stopped chewing.
Sancio leaned forward. "Bad news tends to arrive quietly. Is this bad news?"
Lady Vereyn's hands trembled.
"My husband," she said slowly, "is missing."
Jack frowned. "Like… misplaced?"
"No," she snapped. "Like gone."
Sancio tilted his head. "That is worse."
She swallowed. "Sir Calden. General of Gilhard. He went to Amer to consult the Amereans."
Jack brightened. "Ah! Fate readers!"
Lady Vereyn laughed once. It cracked. "Yes. Except now… his fate is missing too."
Jack blinked. "I didn't know fates could… wander off."
"Neither did the Amereans," Lady Vereyn said. "They say there is nothing where his fate should be. No thread. No direction. Nothing."
Sancio sat back. "That sounds… administratively concerning."
She looked at them then. Really looked.
"You two are from Orvane," she said.
Jack puffed up. "The finest fools of Orvane."
"No one from Orvane crosses to Gilhard," she continued. "Yet he did."
Jack's eyes widened. "You married across the sea?"
She nodded.
Sancio leaned forward eagerly. "Story. Please."
Lady Vereyn sighed. "I tripped into him."
Jack gasped. "Romantic."
"It was a diplomatic staircase," she snapped. "Very important. Very polished. I fell. He caught me. I insulted him by accident. He apologized for my insult. We spoke for three hours."
Jack nodded solemnly. "Classic fate."
"He was disciplined," she continued. "Rigid. Perfect. Everything I am not."
Sancio gestured vaguely at her ankles. "Opposites attract."
"He crossed oceans for me," she said softly. "Ignored every custom. Every warning."
Jack grinned. "Sounds like a hero."
She looked away. "Now he's gone."
Sancio cleared his throat. "Madam."
She turned.
"We will help you."
She stared. "You… will what?"
Jack jumped to his feet. "We shall travel to Amer! Defeat time! Find missing husbands! Possibly fall into destiny!"
Lady Vereyn blinked. "You are not knights."
Jack flexed. "I am very strong."
Sancio puffed up. "And I am very confident."
She laughed despite herself. "This is absurd."
"Yes," Sancio agreed. "But we have experience with absurd situations escalating."
Jack nodded. "This tea, for instance."
Lady Vereyn hesitated. "Amer is dangerous."
Sancio shrugged. "So are stairs."
She exhaled slowly.
"…Very well."
Jack cheered. "Adventure accepted!"
Sancio raised his cup. "To missing fates and bad decisions."
Lady Vereyn lifted hers carefully.
"To Calden," she said.
Lady Vereyn's mansion did not just look large.
It felt large.
Not in the way palaces did, with grand arches and deliberate intimidation, but in the way a place that had learned to anticipate mistakes felt. Corridors curved gently. Corners were rounded. Steps were shallow, unevenly spaced in a way that somehow made sense only after you nearly missed one.
Jack missed the first step immediately.
"Oof."
Sancio caught the railing, which moved.
Not much. Just enough to let his hand slide forward like it had expected him.
"…This house is wrong," Sancio muttered.
Lady Vereyn beamed. "Isn't it wonderful?"
They stared at her.
She gestured proudly. "Every stair is calibrated. Every rug weighted. Every table edge softened."
Jack squinted. "Calibrated… for what?"
"For me," she said.
On cue, she tripped.
Except she didn't fall.
Her foot slipped, the floor dipped-dipped-and her momentum was guided sideways into a chair that had not been there a moment ago.
She sat.
Perfectly.
Jack and Sancio stood shocked with mouths open.
Clockwork appeared, adjusted the chair two fingers' width, and vanished.
Lady Vereyn cleared her throat. "As I was saying."
Jack whispered, "Did the floor just apologize to her?"
Sancio nodded slowly. "I think the house respects her."
They proceeded.
Jack tripped again. This time on nothing.
The corridor sloped just enough to betray his expectations. He flailed, grabbed a curtain, which retracted and face-planted into a cushioned wall.
"WHY IS IT SO POLITE?" Jack yelled.
Lady Vereyn sighed. "Please stop attacking the architecture."
They entered a sitting room.
Everything was placed half an inch lower than expected.
Sancio reached for a teacup, missed it, and knocked over a table that rolled away from him.
He fell forward.
The floor subtly rose.
He bounced.
Jack applauded. "Ten out of ten fall."
Lady Vereyn folded her hands. "You see? Years of refinement."
"Refinement," Sancio said, sprawled, "has betrayed us."
She led them onward.
Portraits lined the walls.
One, in particular, drew Jack's attention.
A man in uniform. Straight-backed. Severe. Eyes that seemed to look through the frame rather than at the viewer.
"Is that him?" Jack asked.
Lady Vereyn's steps slowed. "Yes."
Sancio stood carefully this time. "Sir Calden."
"He hated unnecessary ornamentation," she said. "Said it distracted from function."
Jack tilted his head. "This house would offend him."
Lady Vereyn smiled faintly. "He built the first version."
Jack blinked. "This is… improved?"
"Yes," she said. "I kept falling."
Sancio studied the portrait. "He looks like someone who believes things should behave."
Lady Vereyn laughed quietly. "He did."
She led them into a study.
Maps. Charts. Notes pinned and repinned. Some marked with symbols Jack didn't recognize, circles that didn't quite close, lines that ended early.
"These are from Amer," she said. "From the Amereans."
Jack leaned closer. "Fate readers."
"They prefer 'observers," Lady Vereyn replied. "They say prediction is vulgar."
Sancio frowned. "That sounds like nonsense."
"Yes," she agreed. "Calden liked them."
She picked up a scroll. "They told him his fate was… unclear."
Jack gulped. "That's bad, isn't it?"
"They said it with confidence," she said. "Which frightened him more."
Sancio scratched his chin. "And now his fate is missing."
"Yes."
Jack looked around the room. "This house adjusts itself for you."
Lady Vereyn nodded.
"And Amer reads fate but doesn't interfere."
She stiffened.
"That's what they claim," she said.
Sancio slipped on the rug again.
This time, nothing caught him.
He hit the floor.
Hard.
The house did not help.
Jack stared. "It's stopped caring."
Lady Vereyn winced. "Oh dear. That rug is only weighted for my stride."
Sancio groaned. "I feel personally rejected by the building."
She looked back at the portrait of Sir Calden.
"He said Amer felt like that," she said softly. "Like a place that anticipated outcomes but refused to intervene."
Jack slowly stood. "That sounds… rude."
"Yes," she said. "He went anyway."
The house creaked gently, as if adjusting to the silence.
"Ok, we shall go back and get ready for the trip?" Jack asked Sancio
"You'll stay in my mansion," she said, already removing her gloves. "It would be inefficient to leave."
Sancio blinked. "Yeah, I believe Lady Veryn is right." looking at Jack
Jack happily agreed.
"Good," she replied.
Clockwork appeared with fresh linens and vanished before Jack could thank it properly. Jack thanked the door instead.
The guest rooms were prepared with unsettling thoroughness. Beds made. Windows cracked just enough. Chairs positioned as if someone had already tested how people sat when tired.
Jack dropped onto the bed face-first.
"Luxury," he declared into the pillow. "I feel unsafe."
Sancio set his pack down carefully. It clinked.
Lady Vereyn clasped her hands. "We should pack."
Jack sat up. "Now?"
"Yes."
"How much?"
She hesitated. "Essentials."
Clockwork reappeared with a crate.
Then another.
Then a third.
Sancio squinted. "Those don't look… essential."
"They are," Lady Vereyn said firmly. "I have never stepped outside this town for more than a day."
Jack nodded. "Reasonable."
"And certainly never crossed Orvane," she continued. "One must prepare."
Clockwork attempted to lift the first crate.
The crate did not cooperate.
Clockwork adjusted grip. Tried again.
The crates moved only few cm every time.
Sancio stared. "Is it… heavier than it looks?"
Lady Vereyn waved dismissively. "It's mostly just clothing."
Jack peeked inside. "Madam."
"Yes?"
"Your clothing is armored."
She smiled apologetically. "Emotionally."
Sancio sighed and shouldered a crate.
Immediately regretted it.
"Why does this feel like it contains guilt?" he muttered.
"That would be the kitchen set," Lady Vereyn said. "In case the food is unfamiliar."
Jack nodded sagely. "Food is treacherous."
They packed until the floor disappeared.
Jack ended up wearing his armor, carrying both his and Sancio's swords, while Sancio carried three crates, a travel chest, and something Lady Vereyn referred to as non-negotiable.
Jack squinted at Sancio. "You're walking like a very proud table."
"I am overloaded with responsibility," Sancio replied.
They passed through a hall lined with paintings.
One stopped Jack cold.
It was a ship.
Not small. Not decorative. Massive, dark-hulled, cutting through painted water like it had decided where it was going and refused to ask permission.
Jack stared.
"That's a ship?" he asked.
Lady Vereyn nodded. "Yes."
"It floats?" Jack whispered.
"Yes."
"On water?"
"Yes."
Sancio crossed his arms. "Unacceptable."
Lady Vereyn tilted her head. "You've never seen one?"
"We've heard of them," Jack said. "Usually in stories where people disappear."
Sancio nodded. "Or return wrong."
Lady Vereyn smiled faintly. "That's accurate."
Packing concluded with something like victory and a lot like exhaustion.
Dinner was announced.
One dish.
Silver platter. Steam rising delicately. Garnished beyond recognition.
Jack leaned in. "It looks like art."
"That's not reassuring," Sancio said.
They took a bite.
Paused.
Chewed.
Swallowed with effort.
Jack's face twisted. "It's… confident."
Sancio nodded slowly. "It tastes like someone won an argument with spices."
Lady Vereyn watched them anxiously. "Is it not to your liking?"
"It's fine...," Jack said quickly.
Sancio added, "Very educational."
They reached for sauces.
All of them.
Within moments, the dish was unrecognizable, buried under layers of red, brown, and something suspiciously sweet.
They took another bite.
Stopped.
Chewed.
Jack's eyes widened, not in delight, but in calculation.
Sancio's jaw worked slowly, like he was negotiating terms with his tongue.
"…It's worse," Jack said carefully.
"Yes," Sancio agreed. "Impressively so."
Lady Vereyn watched them, hopeful. "Better?"
Jack swallowed with visible effort. "Different."
Sancio nodded. "Very… bold."
Clockwork cleared its throat.
"The sauces," the servant said evenly, "are imported. Individually."
Jack froze mid-chew.
"Imported?" he repeated faintly.
"Yes," Clockwork continued. "From three regions. One of them no longer exists."
Silence.
Sancio straightened immediately, face smoothing into calm dignity. He lifted another forkful and placed it into his mouth without blinking.
Jack followed suit, posture rigid, eyes forward, chewing like a man honoring a fallen comrade.
They ate.
Slowly. Respectfully. Painfully.
No complaints.
No expressions.
Just two fools swallowing luxury with the solemnity of men who had made a terrible, irreversible financial decision.
Lady Vereyn relaxed. "I'm so glad you like it."
Jack nodded stiffly. "Very… educational."
Sancio swallowed and placed his fork down with care. "I will remember this meal for the rest of my life."
They did not touch the dish again.
Later, as they prepared for sleep, Jack adjusted the swords on his back and sighed.
"So," he said, "tomorrow we go to Amer."
Sancio glanced at the crates. "Yes."
Jack grinned. "On a floating house."
Sancio stared at the ceiling. "I hate the sea already."
Lady Vereyn stood in the doorway, listening.
Somewhere far away, a man trained to believe in order was still missing.
And here, three people prepared to cross water they had only ever imagined, overpacked, underqualified, and entirely convinced this was a good idea.