Chapter Four Hundred and One - Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Valerian led us to his rooms on the top floor of the hotel, which meant taking turns piling into a teensy-tiny elevator where another mouse-person threw a lever to bring us up. We did it in batches, waiting for everyone to gather in the lushly carpeted corridor above.

“Have you been here for long?” Amaryllis asked.

The noblebird made a so-so gesture with one wing. “About nine months now, maybe? A little longer? One full school year at the Academies here, basically.”

“Oh, you’re a student?” I asked.

Valerian shook his head. “Oh, no. I’ve picked up a few tutors for some side-lessons, because if you’re in Inkwren you might as well. There are so many teachers and students who wish they were teachers here. Pick any subject and you can learn a lot about it.”

“Is learning from a teacher better than practising something on your own?” I asked.

“It is,” Caprica confirmed. “Teachers will usually have skills that cause their students to pick up new skills and additional experience faster. They’re mostly small buffs, but they’re invaluable if you want to learn something quickly. I had a number of fantastic tutors back home that helped me with things that I would never want to use a precious skill slot on.”

“Indeed,” Valerian said. “If you’re staying in Inkwren for a while, then maybe I could suggest a few? The prices are extremely competitive, and there’s someone for almost any skill.”

I couldn’t think of any specific skill I wanted to upgrade... unless I could learn a chivalry skill? That would be handy! I wanted that Dork Knight skill to get rid of Adorable once and for all!

One of Valerian’s servants opened the door to his rooms and we filed in, discovering a large living space with a few sofas around a low table and a number of bookshelves on the wall around an unlit fireplace.

“Make yourselves comfortable,” he said. “My manservant shall be making some tea for anyone that wants it. Perhaps some little cakes as well? Amaryllis, does one of your servants want to join mine?”

Amaryllis blinked, then carefully scanned our group. “Ah, we skipped introductions, didn’t we?” she asked.

“Oh, I’m afraid we did,” Valerian said. I had the impression he’d realized he made a small mistake and was ready to apologise for it.

Compared to his brother Franscico, Valerian was very polite. He hadn’t challenged us to a single duel yet, and hadn’t insulted anyone, their race, or their parentage! It was probably not very nice of me to expect anyone to be as mean as their mean sibling, however.

“This is Calamity, he’s an expert hunter and marksman,” Amaryllis said as she started her introductions. “That’s Captain Broccoli Bunch of the airship the Beaver Cleaver. It’s the vessel that we’ve been travelling around on for some time.”

“Hi!” I said.

He nodded in my direction and smiled a little. “Pleasure,” he said.

“This is Lady Awen Bristlecone, of Mattergrove,” Amaryllis said, and Valerian stood a little taller as he took Awen’s hand and bowed over it.

“Ah, a pleasure, Lady Bristlecone,” he said.

Awen shifted her feet just-so and did a little curtsy, tugging up the side of her coat instead of a skirt in what was clearly a practised gesture.

“And finally, this is Caprica Sylph, princess of Sylphfree,” Amaryllis said.

I don’t think anyone but Amaryllis' closest friends would have noticed the sheer joy she had in presenting Caprica. She did it so casually!

“Greetings,” Caprica said. She didn’t bow or curtsy or anything.

Valerian, on the other hand, swept down into an elaborate bow, and I noticed a bit of a blush touching his cheeks. “Princess! This is an honour, truly. I never expected to meet one of Sylphfree’s own royalty here.”

“I’m on a trip, currently,” Caprica said. “Visiting a few interesting places.”

“Well, I certainly hope you find my accommodations interesting enough,” he said. “Do you need anything? I’ve been reliably told that the sylph have a particularly sweet tooth.”

Caprica shook her head in a polite denial, but I noticed the way her wings fluttered a bit. Was she just being polite? “Something sweet would be nice,” I said, and she shot me a grateful look.

“Certainly!” Valerian said.

Soon all of us were gathered at the sofa, drinking tea, and sampling from a small platter of choice pastries with lots of icing and little nuts.

“So, if you’re not here just to further your education, what are you doing in Inkwren?” Amaryllis asked. “Nine months is too long to be here just to buy local goods.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Valerian said. “Inkwren has, of course, the best ink in the world. It comes from that lake to the north of here, the Blue Lake. They grind the scales of some rare fish and extract their oil as a dye, and they mix that with locally grown flax to make a smooth, quick-drying ink that really stands out. They also have the best bookbinders. A custom job can take months, however. But... no, I’m not here for that, nor for an education.”

“Then what are you here for?” Amaryllis asked.

“This is somewhat embarrassing,” he said. “But I’m here... for love.” The harpy sighed and leaned back into his sofa.

Judging by the looks that passed on the faces of his serving staff, they’d seen this bit before.

“Who’s the lucky lady?” Calamity asked.

“Oh, I’m afraid my love’s not a lady,” Valerian said.

Calamity blinked. “Who’s the lucky guy?”

“P-pardon? No, I meant, she’s not of noble birth.” Valerian pressed a talon to his chest. “My brother has said that I’m bringing ill-repute onto the Hawk name, but I don’t care! My heart has never felt such warmth before. Her name rolls off my tongue like sweet dew. Cottage.”

“Her name is Cottage?” I asked, and he nodded. “Does, uh, she know that you feel this way?”

“Of course!” he said. “Though her family also disavows our relationship. We have been secreting letters to each other for some time now, but the distance made it hard. Hence, my stay here, in Inkwren itself. It has made things easier, though the nearness makes my heart ache so much more.”

“You’re... very infatuated,” Caprica said. “Is she a student here, then?”

“At the Mitytea Academy, yes,” he said. “She’s getting an education in art history, cookery, and politics.”

I tried to see what those three subjects had to do with each other, and couldn’t quite see the link, but maybe Cottage was just very passionate about diverse things. “How did you meet?” I asked.

“Oh, she came with a group of first years from Mitytea and visited the capital. I ran into her at a museum there, and we spoke for some time. Our first meeting was a disaster. I had so many prejudices that made us clash. But she still agreed to continue our argument over brunch the next day. Then the next... and then we started trading letters even if I had to hide them from my family. They would never approve, you see.”

“Because she’s not noble-born?” I asked.

“Hmm? Oh no, because she disagrees about the greatness of harpy art. She thinks that our modern art movement is tripe and foolhardy and lacks artistic integrity.”

“Oh,” I said.

“Well, that and she’s not a harpy. That’s also somewhat of an issue, but even if she’s not noble-born, her family are decently well-regarded merchants and artists, and so that kind of consideration shouldn’t matter.”

“Well, I hope things go well for you,” Amaryllis said.

“Thank you,” Valerian replied. “But please, you must have travelled at least from the capital to get here, do you carry any good gossip?”

Amaryllis revealed that no, we didn’t come from the Harpy Mountains, that instead we came from the north, in the Snowlands, and before that we were in the Trenton Flats, and before that we were in Sylphfree, and before that we were down by the Grey Wall, and before that we were in Deepmarsh, and it was only before that that we had originated in the Harpy Mountains. As it turned out, Valerian’s own news from home was a lot more recent than our own.

I wasn’t able to keep up with all of the political talk, so I sipped at my tea and listened to the back and forth between Valerian, Amaryllis and Caprica, exchanging the occasional look with Calamity and Awen who were also a bit excluded.

“That’ll have repercussions on the economy,” Amaryllis said after Valerian mentioned something about a large pacifist group rising among the younger nobility. “It might hit my family as well. Fewer warships being produced will impact all the shipyards. We’ll have to return to trying to corner the civilian market.”

“Private warships might not be a bad idea,” Valerian said. “I’ve heard plenty of stories about pirates roving along the west and eastern sides of the mountains. Usually we only need to worry about them to the east, but they’ve been growing bold as of late.”

“That’s concerning,” Amaryllis said. “Where are they coming from?”

“I suspect they were always around. But with worry over war with Sylphfree rising, most of the airforce’s ships were moved northwards and to the east.”

Amaryllis nodded. “Which means far fewer ships on patrol down here. That’ll make trade with Mattergrove and the Independent Cities far more risky.”

The political talk continued for a little bit longer, but then I noticed Valerian looking over our group. “Hmm. Most of you are young ladies,” he said.

“What am I, a steak?” Calamity muttered.

“Did you just notice?” Amaryllis asked, a bit sardonic. She’d mostly been polite so far, actually. It seemed that she got along much better with Valerian than with his brother, at least.

Valerian chuckled. “No. I just had an idea, but it’s a little... oh, nevermind.”

“You can’t leave it off at that,” I said. “Now I’m curious.”

Valerian shuffled on his seat. “This is too much to ask,” he said. “But... you are all adventurers, of sorts?”

“We’re explorers,” Amaryllis rebutted. “We venture where few have gone and further the world’s knowledge. We don’t run around looking for trouble.”

I decided not to speak up at that, because I was pretty sure running around and looking for trouble was sort of something we did a lot of. Or maybe we just ran around a lot and trouble tended to find us?

“Ah, I see, I see,” Valerian said. “Well... perhaps the intrepid captain would be interested in some low-risk work?”

My ears perked up. “What sort?” I asked.

“I’m looking for someone to bring my dear Cottage a letter. But my servants have been barred entry into the Academy, and at the moment, only a student may enter.”

“That’s inconvenient,” I said.

“Isn’t it! Fortunately, I have been plotting a way around this. Cottage can leave the school at times to send me her own letters, though her parents have been interfering. She does have friends who can assist her, but now I find myself unable to reply.”

I nodded along. That did seem like it wasn’t great.

“But if you could just sneak into the Academy and deliver my letter for me...” he said, hopeful.

“That sounds exceptionally dangerous and ill-thought out,” Amaryllis noted blandly.

“I have ways of mitigating the risk!” Valerian said. “I have a full wardrobe of Mitytea Academy girl’s uniforms.”

“Specifically girl’s uniforms?” Calamity asked. “Why?”

“It’s an all-girls academy,” Valerian said.

“And you have several of these uniforms?” Amaryllis asked.

Valerian flushed. “I was going to try to sneak into the school myself, but I was caught.”

I stared at him. Valerian was a tall, wide-shouldered and somewhat muscular harpy, with dark brown and black plumaage. He didn’t look girlish at all.

“You tried to sneak into an all-girl’s academy while dressed in their uniform,” Amaryllis repeated, as if to be sure.

“It was quite humiliating,” he assured us. “But you... ah, I think you could make it! The guards barely look at the students entering the academy, and I know exactly where Cottage’s dormitory is and where she spends her free time. She mentioned both in some of her letters. If you can deliver my letter, and perhaps a small package, I could make it worth your time! I promise!”

***