Brun was pissed when the golden boy showed up and apologetically said that he ‘found me playing in a mud puddle’ which caused her face to twist in obvious disbelief and contempt. I was sent to wipe off the worst of the mud and then join the rest of the group as we waited for the ‘imminent arrival' of the baronet.
Then we waited.
And waited.
The sun was beginning to set as a gasp-heaving teenager galloped in front of an irate Brunhilde.
“Where the hell’s the baronet?” She asked, tone clipped, as she was taking a deep breath. I scratched at a streak of dried mud on my shirt, considering Chad’s impending murder and how I can pretend to be innocent. He was alive the last time I saw him Mr. guard!
No, I’m a terrible liar. They’d find me out immediately.
…I could arrange an accident or two, not like anybody'd look really hard at a well-deserved corpse
Wait, the wheezing wimp finally caught his breath. Well, half of one: either his stamina is horrendous, the baronet is quite a ways away, or his voice is just…like that.
“Greatest…apologies…matron” Some gasping, “Un…fortunate news a-bout thee” Oh this guy is collapsing on himself, this is embarrassing to watch. Brun lost her minuscule patience and snapped, “Collect your breath before I collect it for you!”
The teenager sags just a little before catching his breath. His voice is still a bit wheezy and whiny but that just seems to be his curse in life.
“Joham’s bridge finally collapsed and Baronet has to take a week’s detour!” He burst out in a much more regular, yet still squeaky voice; is that what I have to look forward to when puberty starts?
If Brunhilde was annoyed then, she’s practically incandescent now; she clenches her fists tightly, then releases. She repeats this a few times before taking a deep breath and responding.
“I hope the baronet,” She spits that last word with derision, “understands that the Ritugam takes place tomorrow, which I can’t change, so he can’t whine to me about missing it.”
The calmer she speaks, the more the poor boy trembles; he looks like a strange rat I saw a year ago that was tied to a horse. I tossed it a bit of bread and it barked at me. Odd little rodent. Brun asked where the baronet was staying and the messenger squawked before saying that he is in Ikeso, to the southeast. So how much did squeaky have to run in order to get here? Was he on the other side before the bridge collapsed?
So many questions, so little care. I sidle up to the matron and tug a little at her green-dyed dress, she glances at me and makes a shooing motion, so off I shoo. The water’s going to be cold today, wood pile is running low enough to make Brunhilde grumpy. Maybe tomorrow, after the ceremony, I’ll be able to grab some sticks.
I walk into and out of the orphanage and grab one of the washbasins leaning up against the back wall. After filling it with a bucket of cool water from the well I went to the washing area, where I paused before placing my feet on the cold tile. I shiver with reluctance but take on the scrubbing of my hair, body, and after dumping and refilling the basin, my clothes.
I dab at the mudstains lightly, taking care not to rub the stain deeper into the cloth. Well, not like anyone would notice a deeper brown on a brown garment right? …Right?
My constant dabbing was finally done as I figured it was good enough and then gingerly put on the same clothes to hop into the much warmer orphanage; boy, it gets cold at night during this time of year. A damp part of my shirt brushes against my skin and I shiver, goosebumps rising on my arms as I speed up my awkward walk-hop.
I burst into the still-empty children’s room and head to Loup’s bed, where I keep a clean set of clothes tucked under his mattress. It was his suggestion after Chad kept messing up my clothes ‘accidentally’ for a month straight. It's still handy even after I solved the last round of Chad's pranks. Evidently.
Such a shame that even after I threw the blonde brat into the stream one-handed he still didn't catch on. Stupidity is its own curse to bear I suppose.
My damp clothes flopped over my headboard and my body flopped on my bed, I cover my face with my arm and groan before a floorboard creaks near me. Adrenaline pulses as I instinctively grab the stick I keep nearby until-
“Hey Syb”
Well at least she has time before the noble shows up.