“Don’t rock the High Mother's bed too loudly kid,” The guard joked as he let me in. He was a transfer from Duchess Nathers and recognized me as his former commander’s youngest sibling.

"Don’t fall asleep again at your post, Johnathan.” I make sure to know all of my brother’s men and their failures to annoy them. Mostly to annoy Ulther, since he really only got riled up about that.

“That was one shitting time!” He yelled returning back to his post.

I walked over to the small, in comparison to the castle, guest house and knocked on the ash wood door.

Nothing.

I wait and knock again, harder.

Again, nothing.

I knock a third time and a fourth.

Nada and zilch.

Just as I was about to knock on the door for a fifth time when I heard a lock inside click. The door swung outward, causing me to jump back in surprise- the door swinging a hair's width away from hitting me. From within the house stepped toward the doorway a woman, hair burning red, a pale eye left and a brown eye opposite, standing half a foot taller than me. Her soft motherly face and formal robes clashed with a bottle of wine half empty in one hand and a series of stains of some unknowable mix of origins lower down on her robes.

“Oh, hello~. Now, who might you be?” She spoke in a soothing voice eyeing me over.

“I-I’m E-Earth and I…” I begin to try to stammer out until I notice the symbol of the collar of her robes. A star above a dove and a shield and sword to the left and right above a tree barren of leaves. The symbol of the High Mothers, which meant this possibly drunken angelic looking woman in front of me was the most influential person on the continent and the person who Sairah had recently made same vague threat to me about.

“What’s wrong? Kitty claw your tongue, cutie?”

From inside I heard Sairah’s voice call out, “Who’s at the door?”

“Some cute little thing, who can barely talk!”

“That’s probably Earth, let them in.”

“Well, I don’t think calling them dirt is nice, but okay.” The High Mother pulled me inside.

The inside was one giant open space with a large space with a trio of large bookshelves, a sitting area with two comfy looking chairs and a kitchen all in one. A flight of stairs led up to where I assumed the bedrooms were.

The bear greeted me as I came in, “Thanks for coming. Hayli will be glad you came.”

“Uh, okay. Where is Lady Hayli?” I ask.

The High Mother laughs, “Lady Hayli? Oh my.”

“Hey, I don't feel like risking disrespecting a priestess in training. Besides she's a Hero and I am a Shield. I think that calling her Lady is probably something I'm supposed to do, right?"

“Another Shield? So, you and Sairah share that trait.” She smiled, “Who do you serve?”

“I help my older brother.”

“Well, I hope he’s as cute as you when I see him tomorrow.”

“Hayli is upstairs cleaning up from the blood.” Sairah said then added, “From the fight.”

“No reason to add that, ma'am.” I respond.

The High Mother yawned and signaled that she was going to bed. She started to ask me something but stopped after the first syllable. Instead, she passed out on top of the stairs. A pair of dog-eared maids appeared from a bedroom and dragged her inside.

“Deities, Bianca needs to learn to control her alcohol consumption.” Sairah complained watching the maids dragging the High Mother.

“I wasn’t aware the High Mother could drink.”

“She’s not allowed, but no one can stop her from that or her sexual pastimes.”

“But she can marry and have children, right?”

“Not that kind of sexual pastime.”

“Oh.” I drop the conversation.

Sairah asks if I would like some ham cooked up, as they have a fresh one in the ice shed. I shrug and say sure, and she walks into the kitchen to cook up the meal.

I walk over to the comfy chair and sink in. It was nice. Like the one’s in the Duchess Nathers’ fireplace room I wasn't supposed to sleep in.

The clock moves forward as the pendulum swings, ticking the seconds away. After three hundred ticks of the thin hand, footstep come from the stairwell. 

“Sairah! Is T- er, ah Earth here yet?” A voice yelled down from above.

“Yes! Just sat down in the sitting area a bit ago!” Sairah shouted back.

The footsteps quickened and echoed through the place. From down what could be considered the entrance hall, Hayli emerged in a blue dress with a long bottom wearing short gloves and no shoes. Her blonde hair was still damp, quickly brushed back. If I was naiver, I would think that this was just her pajamas. However, the ornate dress would seem to say she had dressed up for this. I made a quick glance at Sairah. She was just wearing the same stuff she had earlier. I guess there were rules priestesses could ignore when greeting guest that their disciple could not.

“H-h-h-hello, Sir Earth.” She greeted me, putting a weird tone on the Sir Earth again.

“Hey.” I reply. Did she have a fear of new people or something? "And you can just call me Earth." I didn't like the title. It made me feel weird. I know I should get used to it, even if I hated it but really, who would call me Sir anyways?

She sat down in the chair next to me, a smaller one, and buried her head in a pillow. A heard some mumbling from that direction.

Stepping out from the kitchen Sairah said, “It’ll be thirty minutes.”

That seemed quick.

Sairah lounged down on the arm of Hayli’s chair and whispers something into her disciple’s ear. Hayli blushes and nervously excuses herself to use the latrine. The seat vacated, Sairah commandeers the seat and sits down a smile on her face.

“Sairah, that’s not your seat.”

“She gave it up when she got up.”

“It’s still mean though. She is just a kid compared to you.”

“Oh, she’s quite mature and as my disciple she’s used to this kind of stuff.”

“You don’t even fit the chair.” She was sitting with legs out on the table about two feet away while barely slouching. She was also squeezed tight by each side of the chair.

A few minutes later Hayli reemerged, still red as a classical era demon. 

“Um, Sister Sairah, would you give me my chair back please?”

Sairah smirked, “You forfeited your claim to this chair when you got up.”

“But- But then where am I to sit?” She looked around the area.

“Earth’s chair has room for both of you. I mean it's basically a couch.”

What. She was right but that would be mean since it would be a tight squeeze with her tail and all. Plus, I think she was clearly nervous for some reason. I really hope I hadn't offended her or scared her in any way.

“Lady Sairah, she had the chair first and she seems troubled by me. Let her sit where you are now sitting.”

“N-No! I’m fine with sitting by you.” Hayli said pushing me over and sliding in next to me. 

Deities, she was way too close to me. I could feel the soft fabric of her dress on my arms. I could feel her heart beating. I could hear her heavy breaths and smell her perfume. As her hair tickled my neck, I felt my face grow red. I was bad with people being near me, but usually they were worse smelling since they were Vern and Fredricka. Plus, I hate to admit it- but Hayli was cute. Or beautiful. I hadn't decided what. Like she was the type a few generations back that would have lived off being painted by the masters. Honestly, I felt jealous of her looks for some reason. Like why couldn't I look like her? Er, as good as her. I couldn't look like her of course, that would be weird, right?

We sat in awkward silence for the next twenty minutes, red never draining from our cheeks until Sairah announced the food should be done.

Oh, thank deities. I got up quickly and helped Hayli do the same, then walked into the kitchen to eat.

After eating the ham and resting for a bit longer and having an incident, I said goodbye to them, getting crushed by a hug from Sairah and awkwardly waving bye to Hayli who was smiling awkwardly, tail waving as well. I heard Sairah fighting to drag the High Mother back up the stairs as I left. Best to not go back in and help. I sighed and looked at the map Sairah had drawn for me and begin the trip back to the hotel.