“Thank you.”

“There is no need for thanks, ma’am, it’s my pleasure.”

Alice’s smile tightened as the maiden bowed and stepped back. The teacher held the cup of coffee gingerly in her hands, feeling the warmth through her palms as she inhaled the rich aroma. Her eyes moved to linger on the only other human present. The Baroness sat with a glass, and the contents had a slight green glow that appeared to seep into her hands.

Both were seated on the rooftop of the manor, looking out on to the village. The sun shone through the cloudy sky, streaks of light that illuminated the world below. Some of the houses still smoldered, a few had been cleared out, reconstruction efforts were underway already.

“Are you… going to tell me why you called me over?” Alice broke the silence, not feeling quite able to enjoy her beverage while the question lingered over them.

“The Earl sent a message this morning, requesting Rick Cross’ presence in Balet.” A slight sip of the green liquid, the glow seemed to trail its way down her naked throat.

The meaning of that clearly flew over Alice’s head. Still, it was clear there was some issue regarding this development. At least considering the expression on the noblewoman’s face. “That’s bad, I take it?”

“It’s… complicated.” The woman turned to glance at Alice for a quiet second. “The official report was that my husband valiantly fought and lost against the feral White Claw, with Rick managing to bond her while she was debilitated from the encounter.” The sharp gaze darkened. “If the Earl believes this, then the invitation makes sense, as it would be a congratulatory meeting. But…”

“But if he doesn’t?”

“Then it also makes sense, since it would give him the perfect chance to get rid of a noble-killer.” A slight hesitation. “The Earl never did care much for my husband, but he does have a strong esteem for tradition.”

Alice felt a cold chill, nodding slightly. She had to stop for a second. “Wait, you’re using me to deliver a message?”

The Baroness looked slightly surprised at the directness. “Shouldn’t I? Your relations with him are far better than my own. The ‘aiding my husband, as my role dictated’ is also a nuance the… Sabertooth, might not be able to grasp just yet.”

“You…” With a frown, Alice rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I guess I can see where you’re coming from. I’ll give him the heads up.” A little pause. “… he can’t turn down the invitation, can he?”

This time, the woman turned from surprise to full bewilderment. “Doing such a thing would be no different from directly insulting the Earl. The best hope to be had would be to attempt to stall, under the excuse of needing time for his recovery.”

A long pause followed, Alice’s brows furrowed. “I think we will all need some coaching on how not to accidentally anger locals. Before we consider where to go from here.”

“That would be the other reason why I had called you over.” The woman composed herself, opting to display a look of amusement as she leaned back against her chair. “I intend to promote the military academy as one of the solutions for your group. I wish to recruit your assistance in this.”

“Why me?”

“Because you are the better alternative.” The response was smooth, cold, even. “Having seen the people who have vied for leadership amongst the offworlders, I can safely claim that you are a far more reliable element to promote.”

There was nothing in that string of words that Alice found agreeable. She could only frown. “I don’t think you’ve really answered my question.”

The Baroness regarded her for a moment, taking another long sip from her glass. “You’re a better option than Ms. Dodson.” This time she turned to look ahead, towards the burning building. “For one, I can trust you would uphold your promises.”

“And that’s going to be important because…?”

“Nothing specific currently.” She smiled tightly. “Suffice to say that, for those of us who work in the upper echelons of society, knowing the right people is a survival skill. And there is no small amount of favors to be garnered from introducing someone to said right person.”

That prickled Alice ever so slightly. She felt her back straighten out. This felt awfully familiar. “You want me to play matchmaker.”

“You’ve interacted with the worst side my late husband had to offer.” The Baroness spoke with a scowl. “I’d have thought you’d be eager to prevent one of your former students potentially experiencing the same thing.”

A frown followed. “Are you implying someone would sell one of our own?”

“Can you honestly claim there’s no one that wouldn’t sell out one or several of your group for the sake of greater benefits?” That snapped Alice’s mouth shut with a snap. She certainly did have at least one person that fit that description quite well. The Baroness only nodded along.

“But you can’t control who people get along with.”

“Don’t try to sell the Hound for a Doggirl, she might bite you.”

“What.”

“Don’t underestimate me.” She replied with a deadpan.

“You can’t force someone to like someone else.”

“No, but it’s perfectly possible to only ever expose someone to people you want them to get along with. Eventually at least one of them will prove a match.” A slight shrug followed. “That is how nobility works. You’d do well to learn that.”

“So you want me to… block other nobles from meeting those of my group?” Alice scowled.

“No, things will be far less forceful than that.” The Baroness shook her head. “I intend to spread the word that you are their guardian. Thus, most people wanting to… meet… someone from your group, would seek your blessing. At its most benign, you’d be able to at least give your friends a forewarning.”

There was a slight nod at that proclamation, her gaze turning upwards to the sunny sky as she tried to chew through the proposition. “What’s in it for you?” She couldn’t help but ask, fully aware this was not something done out of the goodness of her heart.

“There are only really two things. One, I have some friends who might be interested in meeting your group. My only request would be for you to give them a fair chance.” A long second followed, with what looked like a moment of hesitation. “The second is more important, however, if less tasteful.”

“What is it?”

“You cannot allow anyone to realize you and yours hold the power to bond without a collar.” She set down the glass, half-empty. “At the very least, you must make sure to stall this revelation as much as possible.”

That had not been what Alice had been expecting. Her brows furrowed further, gaze turning to look at the Baroness in full. “Could you explain why?”

“At first I had considered it was merely a power exclusive to Rick. He had bonded White Claw without there being a collar involved. But now miss Catherine has as well. This is…” A slight sigh. “If my suspicion that all of you share this ability holds true, then the revelation could very well start a civil war.”

“WHAT!?” Jumping to her feet, the psychology teacher could only stare at the dark look the Baroness held. The woman staring back at her blankly, impassive. Alice couldn’t leave the subject unanswered. “What do you mean, civil war? Why? Are we some sort of political bomb?”

“It is not a simple subject. The current balance of things is very fragile, and this variable could break that. You will understand once you properly comprehend how our world works.” The Baroness’ eyes darkened, arms crossing tightly. “One way or the other, you are one of the few offworlders I can trust this detail with, and the only one I can ask for this secrecy.”

“I…”

“As of right now, consider it an order.” The woman gave a short nod. “I am giving you this order because I need time. Ideally, time spent to prevent catastrophe if the truth is found out. If not, at least time to soften the blow to the people I am meant to protect.”

Raising her gaze up to Alice’s, the teacher felt a slight surprise as she saw the pleading edge hidden within the woman’s eyes. She felt cornered, unable to do much more than nod. “I’ll… try to see what I can do.”

“I appreciate it.” A firm nod and a friendly smile.

Somehow, the teacher felt like she’d just signed a deal with the devil.

Merry Christmas everyone!

ravnicrasol

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