Lotef

Another yawn escaped Lotef, it was far too early for this, but she couldn't help it, she was so anxious after last night. Luckily her subject was more ok with her tender ministrations.

Missy laid on her back, as passively as she always was. Her front splayed open revealing the complex network of latticework that made her up. A spiderweb of vines all connected and layered on top of one another making a beautiful pattern. Lotef had not messed with a single line, that would be for later. Right now she was only concerned with noting the function of each one. At her side a leaflet and pen, she allowed it much closer to her than she would be comfortable with if she was in the public eye.

Lattice forty-six was connected to the arms, she was certain it extended to one of the fingers. She was also certain it fed back to one of the center Lattice, either twenty or thirty, those two were responsible for the upper portion of the poppet.

Lotef scribbled a set of icons on the leaflet next to the number forty-six. A symbol denoting action, followed by the symbol conveying connection. Behind the symbols, the numbers twenty and thirty were written each followed by a question mark. She would figure out which one this line was connected to, it would probably take her another hour to confirm, being optimistic.

"Why did it need to be made in an abacus?" Abacus was one way to convey a lattice network's inner workings. A stupid counterproductive way, but it was a way. It utilized numbers and coupled them with a library of symbols—a library she wasted two years to learn—that conveyed each line's function and effect.

The almanac explaining what symbols went with each line and how they were connected was not included. Being a gift the providers had no intention of anyone 'reverse engineering' their work. Which is why Lotef now had to spend her free time making one. /It would be converted into metronome the moment I finish./ She thought ruefully.

Metronome was a more civil and harmonious way to convey the latticework. Why used bland numbers when notes were available, each which their own personality and character.

Each lattice line had a number assigned to it, each one written with its assigned number across the length of the line. Lotef had already deciphered thirty-two of them, with the core lattice making up eight of those found.

A core lattice was always marked with a number divisible by ten, a way to easily find and count how many cores were within a latticework. The core lattice went to eighty, even though the highest lattice line was seventy-five. Lotef lifted out of her chair, stretching herself she had been sitting there for at least three hours. She wouldn't be able to even mess with Missy until she had mapped out every last line.

Slowly she sewed the chest shut and let the poppet stir to life, Missy lifted herself to her feet and looked her in the eyes. "Yes... Yes... I know I should have gotten more rest." Lotef said between a yawn waving the little poppet dismissively. Holding her hand out, Missy leapt on her arm and retreated back wherever she nested herself inside Lotef.

...

Lotef couldn't keep herself from humming, she was just too excited, maybe that was why she couldn't get any sleep last night?

["I think it was something else."] Not Philistine, said her hands behind her back as she casually strolled through the camp like she owned the place. She had hoped the conversation last night would have yielded at least a little mercy. 

"But Mordred would not fall, sweltering heat and blazing sun would not stop our would-be hero!"

The actor playing the role of Mordred stood, holding his fake sword and shield. Unlike other productions, all Knight Animus were portrayed with human actors. Otherwise, the troupe risked insulting the Animus they paid reverent to.

"He stood firmly weapon brandished and undeterred." The narrator continued, his voice competing with the awe of his audience. 

"You will not take the winter, lord of light!"

"But I already have!" The Lord of Light said, multiple emberlights already focusing on him. Lotef did not envy the actor, it had to be awful underneath all those layers of clothing beneath the gaze of at least three emberlights. "That single block of ice is all that is left, give up and I will make your last moments peaceful."

Both actors posed, waiting for the next character to leap in. Crescent the first known animus was to appear in and make Mordred her knight. Lotef would never admit the show still excited a younger version of herself. She had wanted to be a Knight Animus long ago. That dream still held some romance to it, but that was all it was and would ever be. A fantasy forever out of reach.

["But something much more wonderful is within your grasp, you just need to reach for it."] Seems Not Philistine's back to her sales pitch again.

The actress playing Crescent may as well have been as out of reach. Nearly five minutes and not a sight of the little pixcee. What could be keeping her? Any longer and Lotef feared the poor fellow playing the lord of light would suffer heatstroke.

Whatever happened, Lotef needed to get going, she had an appointment to keep and had already wasted five minutes more than she had planned. She would just send Midnight to learn what happened-, And Midnight was still working in some field somewhere. Was there a word for this? This intense mix of guilt and annoyance?

She had to take her mind off of this... this feeling. She had to distract herself somehow, she had to-, /What are they doing?/ Lotef thought stopping in her tracks and looking at a bunch of lottmen squatting around what she assumed was a skillet.

"Hurry up, break's slipping away every minute." One of them said.

"Not my fault the stupid thing won't start." Another one said, pulling his hair back, he looked greasy enough to lather the pan for whatever they were making. 

"What's going on?" Lotef said she had to admit three of them looked pretty good. Pretty baby blue eyes, chiseled jaw, and a wide smile that Lotef was waiting to be blinded by when the sunlight hit them.

The entire group went silent the moment they noticed her, that silence becoming a weight the longer they gazed at her. /C'mon boys, I know your mouths work./

"Nothin' Luminous," Baby blue said, finally finding enough courage to talk to the big scary woman. "Just trying to get a meal between breaks." He said, holding the skillet towards her.

Lotef felt her stomach twist looking at the slop they called a 'meal.' Some kind of mix of beans and cut-up fish.

"Want to know a trick?" Lotef held her hand out, "Your torch please."

Two of them had a conversation with glances as if she couldn't tell. They are lucky she was kind enough to let it past a crueler Luminous would have had them... What would have been a good punishment for this behavior? 

"Luminous?" Chiseled jaw said, handing his torch towards her with some reluctance.

"Thank you." Lotef said as gracefully as she could muster, taking the torch from him. It was a little worse for wear, a bit banged up, and the top of the barrel chipped. Lotef pulled the lever opening the hand torch's chamber, letting the lump of coal fall to the floor. Waiting for it to cool she pulled the ember core out. "If you place this beneath this like this." Lotef said, placing the warm sphere beneath the skillet. Before long the entire stove had heated up and their horrible bean and fish slop began cooking. Lotef had to admit for as foul as the combination was, it did smell good.

"Enjinseer Koket said he'd string us up if he found us doing that again." Greasy said, wiping his forehead. Of course... Leave it to a stick in the mud like him to pay no mind to the needs of the average errant.

Lotef placed a finger over her rebreather, "No one can complain if they don't know it's going on." She said with a wink. That got a smile from the one sitting in the back. That should have been enough, but something told her it wasn't. Her experience with lottmen, or men in general proved they couldn't keep a secret to save their lives. Knowing them they would do it in Koket's face just to rub it in.

There was no doubt in her mind he would string these men up if he stumbled upon them. "You send Enjinseer Koket to me, I'll put him straight. The nerve! Some people just need to be taught they can't bully others around."

"Yes ma'am." One said.

"Hey, Luminous!" Another said, pouring a bowl full, "Have a bowl?"

"What kind of Luminary would I be if I took from the mouths of my Lucents? Go ahead and enjoy. Besides I have to get going to an important meeting." With that, she walked off, and noticing the time realized she really would be late at this pace! Wasted no more time as she made a mad dash to the Nym stables. As nervous as she was about making a bad first impression that did little to curve her excitement, nothing could ruin this day!

...

Lotef pressed her nose against her handkerchief, she expected a... ripe aroma but the hot sweaty musk was a bit much. She had to fight against the instincts to put her rebreather on, it was a slight against the nym. Her reaction must have been a little exaggerated as a genie who had been lounging at the corner, leaping to her feet. She rushed to the center of the room, waving her fingers as aether hummed, flowers placed among the building erupted a powerful fume, spritzing like a perfume bottle.

Within moments, the musk faded away, replaced with a pleasant Jade scent, "Sorry Ma'am I was-" She brushed her hand against her hair, letting Lotef get a glance of the 552 on her shoulder. She stumbled looking to her companion, for some kind of excuse, he paid her no mind, leaving her adrift without a paddle.

"I understand." Lotef answered.

"Y-you do?" G552 looked like she wanted to run away and cower in the corner.

"You must have been replacing the blossoms with fresh ones."

Lotef didn't need to look beneath the genie's visor to make out the wide-eyed shock on her face. "Y-yes, Ma'am!" She nodded franticly, relief curling on her lips.

"Get back to your post."

"As you wish!" Not wanting to waste another moment, she rushed to the entrance, standing watch for more visitors. Was that really all she was expected of her? Standing and spraying perfume? What a waste of a valuable resource.

"Yes? How may I serve?" The male, genie asked with a pleasant greeting, as if nothing even happened. His eyes are hidden beneath a filtered orange lens, 891 written on his right shoulder.

"Luminous Usha asked for me."

"Ah yes." G891 said standing tall, "Please follow." He said, making his way further into the room, Lotef looked to the other genie standing guard, who seemed unconcerned with her passing. Lotef kept pace behind G891, it didn't take long for the animal musk to return, Lotef's handkerchief once again pressed against her nose. She could have sworn a chuckle from the genie in front of her, but he would never be so disrespectful.

Passing pen after pen, Lotef got a glance of a few of the stable-bound creatures, horses whinnied and greeted at his approach. "Someone's popular." The Genie made no response, simply keeping a steady pace.

After an awkward stroll to a stable at the end, large and imposing, locked heavily, she waited as the genie unlocked the entrance, before stepping to the side to let her enter first. Shortly following after her and making his way in front to lead her once again. It was like an elaborate greenhouse, with glass panels only found at the top, each pen containing one of the elusive Nymhide. 

Propped up at a place of honor rested the animus they had been blessed to take with them, Cadmus and Beira. Both laid at the grove in the center made just for them. As much as Lotef wanted to greet them as she would Collar, that was an easy way to get yourself placed under judgment.

"Beautiful aren't they?" A figure made her way out of one of the stables her hair unkempt despite an attempt to keep it tied up. Wrapped in a casual dress shirt covered in mulch and mud, she looked like she had just finished gardening. Somehow Luminous Usha ended up looking lither with less layers on.

"Ma'am," G891 said taking a cloth to wipe the sweat from Luminous Usha's brow, "Your guest has arrived." He said, turning towards Lotef.

"Nice to have some time with Agatha's new pet." Agatha's new pet! She was getting tired of people referring to her like that, she wasn't a caged animal. 

She extended her filth-covered hand towards Lotef, Lotef noticed the relief in her superior's eyes as she grasped it without hesitation. Did she garner such little confidence, that she be frightened by a little muck?

"Lotef Jyoto, Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Luminous."

"Oh please, call me Usha, formalities are for the overseer and the luminary." She said with a laugh, Lotef didn't bring up that they both were lumen, instead laughing along with her.

"Come now, let's get you shoulder-deep in Nymhide!"

...

It lounged against the ground of the stable, huffing and panting as Lotef made her way into the pen. "Now no need to be afraid." Luminous Usha said, urging Lotef to follow. How could Lotef not be afraid? First impressions were always important.

She stirred the moment they entered, looking like a cabbage, the beauty unfolded its cartilage-like bones snapping in place to put her in her mobile form. She opened her mouth, her maw filled with bramble which acted as the nymhide's teeth.

All across her body flowers bloomed, fifteen in all on separate parts of her body. Judgment had twenty-one if she remembered correctly, wonder if that was related to a nymhide's age? Each blossom puffed, each taking in the surrounding scents. It spared Luminous Usha a glance then turned its full attention to Lotef, rushing towards her without abandon.

"No need to worry-"

Luminous Usha couldn't finish her warning before Lotef let out a shriek, who wouldn't in her situation? She rushed past Luminous Usha to meet with the newly awoken nym halfway. "Matron's kiss, you are adorable!" Lotef cooed fondling the miracle's cheeks, letting the living armor curl itself around her figure.

Tendrils slipped out of the nymhide, slowly they brushed against Lotef and explored her body further. A playful giggle escaped Lotef as the animal wrap its tendrils around her figure. The nymhide returned the favor kissing its tendrils against her cheeks. "Hey girl, I'm Lotef, it's nice to meet you." She cooed between giggles.

A sharp whistle brought both Lotef and the adorable bundle of chloroplast and fibers to a halt, their heads slowly turning towards Luminous Usha, a stern look on her face, it reminded her of Overseer Agatha funnily enough. "You are here to learn to attend to Nymhide, not play with one." She said wearing a grin, despite her attempt to appear stern.

Noticing Luminous Usha's tone the Nymhide made its way into her arms, curling into a ball before releasing a low whimper, she was surprised to realize how light the creature was, considering its purpose. "Sorry, Luminous." Lotef apologized, "I mean Ursa!" She corrected before patting the creature, attempting to reassure it.

"At least I won't have to worry about you freezing up when the creature rushes to you," Luminous Usha said snapping her fingers. Willow leapt off of Lotef and ran itself up Luminous Usha's arm, before wrapping itself around her waist. "When Koket first came with me it took him three hours to build up the nerve to pet Willow." A wistful smile curved on her face at the memory.

Lotef laughed the thought of Koket shambling in the corner was just too good not to. "It's easy to laugh when you've had the ability to practice around the overseer's nymhide." Luminous Usha said, brushing her hand against Willow. Lotef dry washed her hands, looking at one of the corners.

"Now let's begin, you will examine Willow and show me what you know." She said extending her hand. Willow ran down her hand landing in the center of the pen, curving her body she snapped and reshaped her body. It sounded like branches snapping, it sent a shiver up her spine. When Willow was finished she took the shape of an oversized fruit.

Lotef reached towards the hibernating nymhide, tendrils slowly extending to meet her outstretched hand. Slowly they wrapped around her arms, her wrist specifically. "But I don't know the words." Lotef turned towards Luminous Usha.

"The words will come in time, right now I want to see how you handle evaluation." Lotef nodded, swallowing her fear.

Overall things went really well, Lotef would just give Willow an order, and Luminous Usha would follow up with the order in the old tongue. Lotef examined each facet of the creature, letting it present it's myriad forms. Hibernation, the form that reminded Lotef of an oversized cabbage. Companion, the form Willow introduced herself as, the unnaturally light form. Armor form was the shape she most associated with Judgement, Much larger with far more muscle mass. This was the form she most associated with nymhide. 

"Good girl," She said, feeding the creature a slab of cut meat in her hand, curiously nymhide would eat nothing but raw meat. Lotef remained unconcerned letting Willow lap the trace amount of blood stuck to her glove.

"We are not finished yet."

G891 tensed up, he was shifting side to side, even if he attempted to be subtle about it. "We aren't?" Lotef's head snapped to Luminous Usha, Willow absentmindedly lapping what blood she could get from the enjinseer's hand.

"Yep," Luminous Usha said, after waiting for what felt like a painful eternity for Willow to lick Lotef's fingers clean. "We are going to have a look at her insides."

She could have sworn she heard the genie behind her let out a sigh of relief, "We are!?!" Lotef could barely contain her excitement, the sudden outburst sending Willow to the corner of her chamber. She had not expected Lioness Nerissa's personal armor to be so skittish.

Once again Luminous Usha spoke another word in the old tongue, Willow rose up, lifting her head. Her neck splitting open to reveal a complex system of vines and fibers, complete with a large beating heart at the center.

Lotef steadied her breathing, she didn't want to agitate the poor creature as it made itself bare to her, the rough order of soil greeted her hand as she reached inside slowly. Stopping herself right before passing through the threshold. She couldn't mess around with such a precious gift from the matron, could she?

She looked towards Luminous Usha, ready to use her pleading face. Only to her surprise, have the Luminous nod with a smile, "Just make sure not to injure anything."

Lotef did not waste a second, letting her hand push past the soil-like insides of the creature, it was like ruffing your hand through a bag of manure—the non-genie manure, only pleasant smelling. One by one, she placed her hand against each of the 'organs' of the creature, most were fake, only placed to have the Flora feel much more comfortable in it's new body.

Finally, she placed her hand against the creature's heart, she could feel it beat, in a steady rhythm, what an amazing creature! Here she was playing with it's heart, and it wasn't even bothered, Lotef could have sworn the creature was actually entertained with the attention, like a performer putting on a show for an approaching audience.

"Place your hand over your heart." Luminous Usha said, Lotef complied placing her free hand, against her chest, only to find herself going giddy with excitement.

"It matched my heartbeat to it?"

Luminous Usha shook her head, "Other way around."

Of course, it was matching its pace with her own, that was probably how the nymhide matched its movement with its wearer? That would be something to look into at some point.

"I heard you put Eluketh through his paces." Luminous Usha said, Willow tensed up her tail sweeping franticly.

"Now. Now." Luminous Usha said, "You need to calm down, she can feel your anxiety..."

Lotef took a deep breath, "Maybe we should talk about what happened later?"

"You won't always be able to attend to the floratech at a time expedient to you. You'll need to learn to keep your cool under pressure. This will be a good start, so what happened?"

"The grand enchanter,"

"Mind your temper."

Lotef took a deep breath, "The grand enchanter wanted to start an altercation so I conciliated."

"And the lashings?"

"You heard?"

"Pretty certain the whole west segment heard with all the yelling."

Lotef swallowed, "I didn't mean to go that far. I only wanted-"

"Your frightening Willow." Lotef closed her eyes and took a deep breath, Willow expanding alongside her. "You have nothing to worry about, it's always good to put the Grand Enchanter in his place."

Lotef swallowed, what was she so worried about? There was no way Eluketh had any friends. "That being said..." Luminous Usha said, running her hand down Willow's spine, "You need to keep in mind he's not just a genie." Lotef winced. "It's a fine line, take care not to erode it. Enchanter is a position to keep the more ambitious jinn in check, if we convey to them the position has no perks, they'll use that drive to less productive measures, like causing trouble."

"Yes ma'am."

"He threatened you, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"Then it's good you put him in his place, now place your attention here, this feeds the nymhide ocular blossoms..." Luminous Usha guided Lotef through every organ of Willow from necessary to superficial. After she went through each organ did she run through again. Lotef began begging after the third explanation of each organ. Thankfully Luminous Usha relented and gave Lotef another tour of the nymhide's insides again.  

"Ok, that's enough of that." Luminous Usha said, reciting another word from the borrowed tongue. The soft soil material in an instance became much denser, pushing her hand out of its inner chambers, it was amazing! Willow reshaped itself into her companion form. "Come we must feed her." Once again the genie shifted from side to side once again.

"But Lu-sha, I thought-"

"Lusha..." She interrupted, her hand beneath her chin, saying the word contemplatively, "I like!" Luminous Usha said with a smile, "That can be my new nickname."

"Lu-" Lotef cut herself off, before trying again, "I mean I'm not sure that's how nicknames work."

"Why not? Lusha would be a weird nickname for you wouldn't you agree?"

"But-" Lotef merely sighed, this was obviously not going to get her anywhere. "It's a fine name, Lusha..."

"And that's what you will call me from now on." Luminous Usha nodded satisfied with herself. "Oh, yes what were you getting at child?"

"We already fed it... haven't we?" She could feel G891 glaring daggers at her, she quickly pulled her focus back to Luminous Usha, trusting he was trained enough not to attack her in front of his minder.

"Oh no child, that was merely a reward for being well behaved, simple meat will not sustain such a majestic creature."

"Lusha, I don't think I have enough matron's light with me to-"

"Sadly. We don't have enough of that to feed all of my children. But we have an alternative. G891."

"Mistress..." He said making his way closer.

"Quit being so skittish, you won't be harmed." Luminous Usha said, curving her hand in a come hither motion. The moment he came close enough Luminous Usha seized him by the arm and pulled him closer. "Willow, have a snack."

Willow's fangs bit into G891, a shrill howl escaping the poor creature as he attempted to shake free. Three tendrils extended, two freely wrapping themselves around his wrist. The third one had a flower at the end, that one placed itself against his sternum like a suction cup. The placements made sense, those were the three primary spots jinn used to generate the energy.

"I know, I know." Luminous Usha said, patting the genie on his cheek, Lotef swallowed unable to look away as Willow continued to gnaw at him. "She's almost finished, then you can rest."

Lotef didn't know when she slapped on her rebreather but she kept her back against the wall as she watched the macabre scene. When Willow gorged herself full of the genie she made her way to the corner curled herself up and dozed off.

"You did well." Luminous Usha said, brushing her hand against his chest, "Now go ahead and freshen up."

"T-thank you, mistress." G891 said, the wound on his leg knitting itself back together, the healing process produced a noticeable amount of steam.

"Now get going, I will call you if I need you." She said shooing him off. "It's impolite to wear that here." Lotef forced herself to remove her rebreather, "She was right, you are a little... Too caring aren't you?"

"I-" She was too caring according to her senior enjinseers, but the enigma haunting claimed she was too cruel. What was this world coming to?

"No need to worry, compassion isn't a problem as long as you also keep a sizable amount of common sense with it."

"Did she really need to bite him?" She spat out with such venom.

"A little fight in there after all." Luminous Usha said, she actually sounded impressed. "We're still trying to train her out of that. The biting is a way they force a genie into generating energy. Willow hasn't realized G891 is more than happy to provide for her."

Lotef brushed her hand against the back of Willow's head, the girl let out a purr. Well, it was more a growling snarl, but experience with Judgement had taught her all this was nothing but a purr.

"It's a funny thing, isn't it? Children will cling tightly to flights of fancy until you pull them into reality. Don't you agree?"

"I guess." Lotef said, brushing her hand against the nym's snout, where was she going with this? "I used to want to be a Knight Animus." She didn't have to laugh...

"It could still happen, Cadmus is quite partial to women."

"Good to know..." Lotef said, feeling the heat on her cheeks. She was not the girl she used to be, that's for sure.

Lotef was then introduced to the other nymhide pens, finding herself arm-deep in each and every one. Luminous Usha went to introduce Lotef to the rest of the nymhide. Lotef adored every marvelous moment, the fact that Luminous Usha held off 'feeding' them was a cherry on top.

...

Agatha

Agatha couldn't help but notice the improved mood of her witness, Jyoto was down right giddy. Leave it to her to find so much joy in feeding overgrown suits slabs of red meat. At least she appeared 

...

Agatha let Rapunzel Marium finish making certain not to interrupt her, it would be bad form to undermine the newest rapunzel so soon after her promotion. The report was nothing but the simple posturing hidden beneath layer after layer of pleasantries and false modesty. Kind enough to be cordial, yet firm enough to convey she's not a pushover. Convictions grant it would be over soon, she found all she needed to know of Rapunzel Marium after the thirty minute mark.

Each rapunzel sat intently, not even one showing irritation at their warsister's need to eat up time. She was certain Rapunzel Lylou sitting at the center was a big reason for the discipline of the others.

"I will take it into consideration." Rapunzel Lylou said she was the long braid, the highest among her Rapunzels, and responsible for looking after the Lioness housed within the camp. Between them and the jinn, Agatha would pick the jinn every time without hesitation.

"Now then." Gentry Komari said she sat with Gentry Ne'etah, and Ambassador Kelugax sitting to the left of Agatha. Together the three of them made up the wyrd committee among this exodus. The wyrd committee acted as the governing body as well as advocated for the gentry. It was they and they alone who handled the well-being and punishments among the gentry. A safety measure to ensure the matron's children were not further abused by humanity.

They also kept the exodus in harmony, without them she had no doubt the zealots of the Ashen Wake would have started a fight for some stupid reason.

"I wish to comment about our rescues." Gentry Komari said, the rescues were those that had been liberated by Rapunzel Gertrud and her lotts. She had left Lioness Moreen to look after the providence until they got there. Agatha did not like leaving a single zel alone with her lott to keep a hold so far past the border, so close to the Feather clan. "Why do you keep them from their kin?"

Oh yes... This again. Agatha nodded for Rapunzel Gertrud to answer, "The rescues still cling to their old lives. One of them claimed she refuses to associate with any more of her kin than she needed to."

"Oh, right. This again..." Gentry Komari said with a prolonged draw, "Perhaps," She said, leaning back and crossing her feet. "You should send my siblings to where they belong and leave their care in more capable hands."

"Your kin would still be slaves for the necromancers if you only had 'capable hands' at your disposal. Leave the demeaning work to us coils." Gertrud was a relief, the only person to have the mettle to speak plainly to the gentry when they went out of sorts.

As much as Agatha wanted to tell Gentry Komari herself to shove off, that just wouldn't do for the Voice. If she could shove the position off on someone else she would have done it without hesitation.

Gentry Komari crossed her arms and let out a huff, "I will not wait forever, coil."

"Is there any other subject to approach?" Agatha asked, looking to each of the gathered.

"I have a issue." Enjinseer Morric said, "It is about our current position, we are severely under resourced, even now we only have a single golem and a handful of wardens. Surely you don't expect to make a dent with so little?"

"I didn't know your tactical expertise required you to out man and out arm your enemy, enjinseer. Perhaps I should find an accountant for my first chair if that is all that is required."

 Enjinseer Morric flashed her a thin smile, placing his arms on the table. "I'm merely looking at the situation practically overseer. A lottman is just a man without spear and torch."

Enjinseer Noemi nodded, "We are expecting to encounter the barons, it would be wise to have more wardens if we hope to match them."

"Needing more is one thing, how do you propose we acquire such?" Rapunzel Lylou asked.

Enjinseer Morric shrugged, "We are surrounded by towns pledged to the matron, they would happily offer any assistance needed." They would, and go hungry and undermanned for the myriad resources their towns produced. Gabarick  was responsible for feeding ten percent of the surrounding populace, Winnowmoss harvested the ahron, an ore needed to produced their collars, and Jeercreek needed all the attention they could muster to keep the oak that made the bough they implanted in the jinn from dying.    

"That would give the Feather clan far too much time to recuperate," Agatha said, "I'm not allowing that. Besides, the Ashen Wake is already at our hills, should we really give them another reason to cause trouble for us? Have the Ashen Wake even been considered in your calculus of our resources?"

"Of course not." He answered before his clerk could even look through his paperwork.

"Get me those numbers and I will consider your needs."

"Ma'am." He said tightly, his hands clenching into a fist.

"The next town we will arrive at has already made a request for our assistance. Bandits. Apparently, they are led by an apostate. Though our scouts claim it might be a necromancer." That got everyone's attention. "Rapunzel Freya I want you to ready a lott."

"Yes ma'am." Freya and her girls were the most qualified of at fighting necromancers in their multiple forms and shapes.

"This will be a joint operation with the Ashen Wake, send someone who can play nice."

"Of course." Rapunzel Freya said, her smile not reaching her cheeks.

"If no one else has anything to bring up," Agatha said looking between those accounted for. "I suggest we move forward and adjourn this meeting."

Agatha waited for the group to clear until it was only two gentry who acted as clerks, one whispered to another and the two of them giggled, lacing their fingers together before one kissed the other and ran off.

"How's it go?" Agatha asked, the moment she and Gentry Buttercup her clerk remained.

"Lylou sends manes and scouts but resources are still hard. We were able to tease the attention of a knight or two." Agatha agreed with Enjinseer Morric on few things, more supplies and personel was a point she agreed with him on firmly. Unfortunately voicing her agreement would be counterproductive. Enjinseer Morric would use their agreement as another wedge to undermine her authority at best. At worst and far more likely knowing him, he would push himself and his cronies to be against the acquisitions of more resources and men.  

"A few wardens," Gentry Buttercup continued, "Found the prospect 'fun.'" She said the final word wrinkling her nose. "I have a pack of coi-, I mean men who want to join the lotts"

"How'd you manage to get them to join?"

"That wasn't a problem you-, Your kin are always looking to a reason to fight, the real feat was them trying to figure whether to join the blossoms or the wake, I convinced them to join us. Who should I send them too?"

"Have them stumble upon Enjinseer Yohan."

Gentry  Buttercup made a sound, her blossom stuck out like a tongue, "He's soooooo oblivious, I'll have to trip these men over him before he even figures out."

"Best you get started." Agatha said with a smile.

...

The greathall of the Weald still teemed with life, men, women, gentry and jinn rushing to attend their tasks. Like the Lattice network of a floratech, well oiled and each necessary. Agatha stood within her hallway, that felt a bit presumptuous it wasn't her hall, merely the hall her office was located. Masks aligned the walkway, each one broken not that that stopped each from gazing through their broken visage.    

Agatha gazed into the eye sockets of the broken mask, a trophy that took her back. It was a more simple time, one of blood and slaughter. It belonged to her third conquest; Mallus, the Lifedrinker. She still bore the injury of that battle on her right shoulder.  A time when she only needed to worry about the well-being of herself, her nymhide, and her jinn.

Those days are long over, they couldn't risk the life of the overseer after all. No, now she had to send good men and women to die for her. At times it appeared the mask stared back at her at times, "You look too long you'll get lost in it." Nu said, leaning his back against the wall.

"G724 will have your hide if she sees you scuffing her walls." This whole weald belonged to her more than anyone else. The genie took a special pride in keeping every weald she was tasked with looking after, tidy and swept. Many of her leafseers have learned the hard way when hooked to G724, the leash pulled both ways. Hard to believe her housekeeper used be some necromancer going by Kormir. She had some title but that was stripped from her long ago, Agatha would always remember her as conquest fifteen.

Nu made a scoffing sound, "She's a little lamb. How'd it go?"

"About as well as you think. Gentry Komari is still trying to wrestle the rescues away from poor Gertrud."

"Always a picnic that one."

"Care lending a hand?"

Nu let out a sigh, "Fine." He said, leaving her alone once again, it wouldn't be for long.

"Must be nice to have someone to look out for you." Here we go...

"I trust you are doing fine Gentry Ne'etah." The knight stood behind her, clad in her armor. It lacked the protection afforded by a good plate of nymhide, but it was still suitable, especially for an emerald knight. "You have Princess." Agatha said keeping an eye on the mask.

"I have given Mora more patience than is due, you do me a great disservice. I will see her! And you will not stop me!"

"She is still learning her way, I would prefer she," And Ne'etah for that matter, "Had as little distraction as possible while she-,"

"Which is why you handed her that doll! Or made her adopt that wretched genie!"

So she was following her, "She's an enjinseer, she needs a genie at her side. Are you going to keep disregarding my order?"

"If I regarded your order she would have been a smudge on the ground, an incident you still have done nothing about!"

Of course, she didn't, it was nowhere near tenable to 'put walls on the wagons.' The cost alone would be too much of a strain, not to mention unnecessary. "She was perfectly fine." Although, knowing Jyoto's luck, the wagon's safety mechanism would have let her be the first fall, even then, "The fall wouldn't have killed her." Probably...

"Quit looking at that mask and look me in the eye!"

"He took the suit." She saw the knight tilting her head in confusion, "The necromancer who owned this mask, he fried my nymhide beyond repair." She was a good suit, a lazy glutton from beyond compare, but a good girl.

"I'm sorry for your loss, but how-,"

"You'll never going to be able to go back to what you had." Especially not with Jyoto's current state. Until she accepted that fact she was not going to have her blessing to speak with Jyoto.

"You have no right." Her voice nearly cracked, a hand clenching into a fist. "The coterie will hear about this, I will have my Mora." She said, storming off. Agatha couldn't stopped herself from sighing. Now she'd need to juggle the coterie, maybe she could get Gentry Buttercup or even that Maggie girl too-

"You're going to have to cut the apron strings at some point." Nu said leaning at the same spot once again. He was courting G724's ire at this point.

"I trust Gentry Komari has been playacted?"

"Don't avoid the subject."

"We have a job to do, I don't need more relationship drama than necessary."

Nu laughed, "Might want to practice what you preach." Agatha turned to fix Nu a firm look, "You will find Komari properly defanged... for now." He said hands in the air wardingly. "Also Komari wants to know when she can meet with Jyoto."

"Why would she want to meet with Jyoto?" Agatha said, barely able to keep the castigation out of her tone.

"You have to admit you can't do this all on your own."

"That girl has been through enough." /I will not let her use Jyoto's mind as her new meadow to take her stroll./ Nu let out a sigh, he at least knew when not to push, most of the time. "What had you offered her?" She finally asked.

"Just a talk she wants to 'get a look at the new toy'" Agatha paid the description no mind, a lion paid no mind to the nattering of lambs. Agatha would let them bleat so long as it didn't undermined authority.

"Very well." Agatha relented.

"I'd hate to break up this touching moment," Hakumei lied, her voice reverberated through the beacon orb she kept on her lantern. "But you're needed on the fields."

...

The Exo stood inert it's shell open, plast and blood mixed as it seeped out of the fissure of the floratech's torso area. "You will not get away with this!" Gentry Komari hissed pointing towards Leafseer Nakya, the girl barely able to keep herself standing straight.

"What's the problem here?" Agatha said ignoring the look she got from Nu, he was usually so worried when she talked with a gentry of some standing. Agatha didn't need a answer when she witnessed the field. A body now covered in a tarp, Lioness Noel standing over the body, her arms crossed.

"This coil! She-" Gentry Komari hissed so overwhelmed she could barely form proper words.

"I'm sorry Luminous! I didn-" Leafseer Nakya attempted to plead to Agatha.

"You will be silent!" Gentry Komari spat and Leafseer Nakya shuffled. "She killed her, crushed her inside that aborted contraption! Waited for her to get inside and squeezed it like a grape!"

Overseer Agatha nodded turning to the Leafseer, "Nakya?"

"You doubt my words guile!"

"I would prefer to know everything before making-, making my own opinion clear." She couldn't make judgment on this one not with the life of one so close to the matron killed. 

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Leafseer Nakya said, on the verge of dry heaving, "Koki," Koki was her pixcee, "Slipped and-," She broke into another fit of sobs.

"Quit crying! You still get to breathe! Honey won't be able too ever again! Arrest her already!" She hissed to Lioness Noel.

The Lioness wisely didn't look to Agatha, she just stood placidly like a statue. "She is already restrained gentry."

Gentry Komari mumbled something before grinding her foot on the floor. "She already confessed you can't-"

"She didn't confess nothing!" A voice called out, two gentry their blossoms reflected another, one on the right the other on the left. One male the other female. They practically looked made for each other on a aesthetic level. They were some of the rescues if Agatha remembered correctly. The male gentry keeping a firm grasp on her arm. 

"Honeysuckle was being a forsaken fool," She pulled her arm out of his grasp. "These things are already-"

"That will be enough, sister." Gentry Komari, said.

"I saw what happen and I will say my peace.Sister." She said the last word like a swear. "These things are death traps. I'm new and even I'm aware of that. She should have known not to jump inside while it was being refitted, yet she refused to get out when the human was fixin' the thing!"

Agatha nodded, that was a probable approximation of what happened, Nakya was a stickler for the rules but was an obvious pushover. Honeysuckle on the other hand, 'Live life to the fullest' were words that came to mind when thinking of the girl.

"Well that is a story." Noblesse Julius said, strolling into view, "I see why young Marcel was in such a hurry to get me here."

Gentry Marcel followed behind him, his jade scent making a needed relief from the spice Gentry Komari practically radiated.

"Brother Marcel!" The rescue said, "You were here! You know what happened." 

"I'd like to hear what you saw as well." Overseer Agatha said, ignoring Gentry Komari's death glare, she had more than enough practice on that account. 

"It's... true, Gentle Nakya's carelessness killed Honeysuckle."

Nakya let out a scuffled wailing sound, her eyes beginning to water, shrill weeping escaping the poor girl.

"Can we get this over now? Pass your sentence." Gentry Komari said.

"Patience sister." Noblesse Julius said holding his hand up, "I would hate to rush to an unfair sentence. What do you think Agatha?"

All eyes fell on Agatha, from Gentry's Komari's impatience, Noblesse Julius' sullen entertainment at this whole ordeal, Gentry Marcel turned away, and Leafseer Nakya looked at her with pleading eyes. 

"Leafseer Nakya is dedicated and meticulous-"

"That gives her right to kill my kin!?" Gentry Komari interrupted.

"She cares for everyone," Agatha continued without addressing Gentry Komari "And brightens the lives of everyone she encounters. I have no doubt no matter what happened, it was not an act of malice."

"I wasn't asking your opinion of the girl, I was asking judgment."

Agatha stopped herself from sighing, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them. "Put her under the matron's judgment."

Gentry Komari crossed her arms and sweetened, Nakya wailed, "I trust you will see her punishment handled." She said, kneeling to Gentry Honeysuckle's remains, no longer paying them no mind.

"Take her to a holding chamber quietly. Tell your lott if I hear people talk about this I will have every last one of you publicly flogged and placed under the matron's judgement."

"Yes ma'am." She said, attempting to recover from a stutter.

"A tad harsher than I expected." Noblesse Julius said, his arms crossed, "I would have said it was an accident and called it a day." It was those kind of reactions that made Agatha wonder if the man was a fool or just enjoyed toying with her.

"Had I let her leave it would have looked as favoritism, we cannot chip a further break between the Mane Blossom and their wyrd council."

Noblesse Julius nodded, "I enjoy times like these, I learn so much from these encounters."

"It pleases me to hear." Agatha nodded, "If you'll excuse me."

"Ah yes, I trust you have the rest under control. Honeysuckle had a few people close, I feel I should pass my condolences."

"I will handle that for you Noblesse." /And hopefully keep you from blabbing too much./

He nodded and flashed her a smile. "That's what I like about you Aggie, always an over achiever. Very well I will keep out of your way." With that he trounced off, Agatha had no idea where nor did she care, she was more focused on Nakya.

"Mama." Melody said, floating closer now that all 'important talk' as she called it was finished. "Is Nak-kith going to be ok?" She said, running her hands through her long mane. She always did that when she was nervous. "If she's judged bad who's going to give me a apple tart at noon?"

Agatha forced a smile. "She'll be fine."

"Really?"

"Yes, I have no doubt the matron will find her innocent." It was why she wanted to keep this quiet, the matron may forgive but people were harder to convince. If word of what happened slipped Nakya would be treated as if the O had been pressed on her face no matter what the verdict was. "Get Nu. Tell him I need him to convince Gentry Komari to keep this quiet."

"Yes mama!" She said, before fluttering off. Agatha closed her eyes, taking in the few moments of blissful peace before she had to attend to her other obligations.