Chapter 358: Letters and Words

“Why is that bear staring at us?”

Senta’s question caused Dys to involuntarily glance to the side as she was in the best position to see said bear. As expected, Runar was still sitting in the same spot as before, one elbow leaning heavily on the table as he glowered at Jadis. The mug of ale that had been set before him looked untouched, the froth of foam still visible rising of the top despite it having been there for some time. His bear-like face was hard to read at times, but there really was no mistaking his expression for anything other than thinly veiled hostility.

“He’s not staring at us,” Aila corrected her mother. “He’s staring at Jadis.”

“You know very well that doesn’t answer the question,” Senta said primly while giving her daughter a censuring look.

“He doesn’t like me very much because I beat him in a fight a while ago,” Jay stepped in to answer the question. “Sort of a sore loser kind of bear.”

Jadis heard a snort come from the distant table, one that was answered by a growl. She did her best not to pay the other table too much mind since she was trying to focus on Aila’s parents, but she couldn’t help but see the reactions of the other occupants to her statement.

The snort had come from Noll, an unexpected member of the side gathering. When Jadis’ party had made it to The Silver Lute and seated themselves as a table, her unwanted escorts had grabbed a table nearby, including Runar. Noll had already been sitting at his own table when Jadis had arrived. For whatever reason, he’d switched seats and joined the other high-CLR people at their table.

Noll’s snout showed a rather obvious smirk that had to be a purposeful attempt at antagonizing Runar. The old wolf normally had a solid deadpan, but it seemed he enjoyed getting a rise out of the Valbjorn. Runar was glaring back at Noll, his attention momentarily diverted. Jadis supposed it was a good thing both Roy and Severina were sitting between them, otherwise Runar might have started something physical.

D dammit all, Jadis was supposed to be entertaining her girlfriend’s parents, not worrying about whether or not a couple of overpowered fur boys were going to start throwing punches at the next table over.

“He seems strong,” Vikwas quietly commented as he eyed Runar in response to Jay’s explanation.

“He is,” Aila agreed. “He’s past CLR one hundred. But Jadis was sparing with both him and another CLR one hundred warrior just the other day and she almost beat them both. She only lost because of a ring out, actually. Jadis is truly much stronger than she looks, so she’s a great protector.”

“She looks strong already,” Vikwas said as he eyed Syd, the closest of Jadis’ bodies.

“Thanks,” Syd smiled, hoping that was intended as a compliment.

“I still don’t understand why those people need to follow you around then,” Aila’s mother interjected with a huff. “Are you under arrest, or aren’t you? Is that why you were fighting that bear man over there? Were you causing trouble?”

“It’s all just politics, mother,” Aila replied before Jadis could say anything. “Political maneuvering between nobles and the like. It’s all being resolved soon enough, so it’s nothing you need to worry about.”

“I would say that having a man like that following you around is very much something to worry about,” Senta glared at Runar with such fierceness that Jadis actually felt a little nervous for the Valbjorn. “Most of those knights seem like the sort of crowd you’d want to avoid when alone at night. At least that Seraphim seems like she has a good head on her shoulders.”

Was it Jadis’ imagination or did Severina’s feathers actually puff up slightly at the compliment? She couldn’t easily tell since the paladin had a poker face to rival Vraekae’s, but Roy was definitely giving the Seraphim an offended look.

 “They’re all good people,” Aila assured her mother. A debatable assertion considering Runar had been included in that statement, but Jadis wasn’t about to correct Aila at the moment. “They’re just doing their job. You don’t have to worry about them causing any trouble.”

“They aren’t the ones I’m worried about,” Senta said, her hazel eyes flickering between Aila and Jadis.

“There’s nothing you need to worry about,” Aila insisted before changing the subject. “What did you bring from Red Tree, anyway? I saw a lot of crates in the wagon.”

“Just some items that our neighbors wanted us to sell while we’re in the capital,” Senta answered after a moment, apparently willing to let the subject change for the moment. “We had lots of room in the wagon, so no reason not to make the most of the trip.”

“We brought Ethel’s jam,” Vikwas said as he lifted his mug to take another drink. “A whole crate.”

“Oh, Ethel’s jam!” Aila exclaimed, a smile brightening her freckled face. “I’ve missed her jams so much! Jadis, you’ll have to try some. Have I told you about Ethel and her fruit trees?”

And so the conversation went, just as it had all the way from the north gate and into The Silver Lute. As Aila’s mother consistently expressed one worry or another, Aila would do her best to reassure her. Vikwas wouldn’t say much, but when he did speak it was usually a bit of information that Aila was able to use to keep the conversation moving away from sensitive topics. Jadis still wasn’t entirely sure if he was doing that to support Aila, or if he was just avoiding difficult conversations. Either way, it seemed that Aila was doing everything in her power to also avoid those concerning topics, which was something of a shock to Jadis.

Aila had always been one of the most direct and straightforward people Jadis had known. She was blunt with her words, though not to the point of rudeness. Aila simply spoke her mind and did so with articulated clarity and self-assured confidence. Even if she did have a vulnerable side with some hidden doubts, she always put on a strong face to the world.

Her mother, though, was an apparent weakness.

From what Jadis had gathered through the conversation so far, Aila had told her parents about Jadis. Sort of. She’d told them about Jadis being a Nephilim and all of what that entailed. She’d also told them of some of their exploits, such as fighting their way through the demon tunnels under Weigrun and slaying the Burning Rancor greater demon, but apparently Aila had been fairly light on the details. Light on a lot of details, actually. Including the tri-body nature of Jadis.

Jadis supposed she couldn’t blame Aila for not discussing certain aspects of who she was in a letter. Any correspondence that went from Far Felsen to the little village of Red Tree would have to travel for weeks over the sea and overland. Further, there was no guarantee the letter would even make it the whole way. Anyone of a number of parties could have intercepted the letter, so avoiding sensitive information was prudent.

However, Aila hadn’t told Jadis what she had and hadn’t told her parents. Certainly the visit was a bit short notice and Jadis had been busy with her other lovers, but there had been time to talk. Aila could have given her some heads up on the situation over the past couple of days.

Jadis was beginning to suspect that Aila was a lot more shaken up about her parents visiting than she had let on.

The early lunch they were served while they talked was a fine meal, but Jadis found herself too focused on Aila and her parents to truly enjoy it. The more they spoke, the more the dynamic became apparent. Senta was upset, likely because of worry over the danger Aila was putting herself in. Aila was trying to pacify her mother but was avoiding any kind of confrontation. Vikwas…

Well, Vikwas was mostly silent. He didn’t interject much, mostly letting Senta do the talking. From what little he did say and they way he moved, Jadis didn’t think he was upset, but he was a hard man to read.

Once the meal was over, Senta turned in her seat to face Aila directly.

“Aila dear, why don’t you show me to the room you arranged for your father and I. I could use your help unpacking.”

That could not have been a clearer message that she wanted to talk to Aila alone than if Senta had painted the message on a banner and had a parade march through the dining hall carrying it. The expression on Aila’s face was as stoic as ever, but Jadis knew her lover well enough that she could see the trepidation in her eyes. Reaching under the table, Jay took Aila’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

Aila seemed to take some strength from that simple gesture. Squaring her shoulders she got to her feet while giving her mother an accommodating smile.

“Of course,” she agreed. “I think the room is on the third floor. I’ll show you the way.”

Senta stood to follow her much taller daughter, a look of steely determination in her eyes. Before she left, she gave the three of Jadis a wary glance before turning to her husband and putting a stern hand on his shoulder.

“Behave yourself, love.”

Vikwas simply nodded in response to his wife’s order. Jadis had to wonder what the diminutive redhead could have meant considering how mild her husband appeared to be. The big man simply watched his wife and daughter leave the room, an inscrutable expression on his face. Then Vikwas turned to look at the three of Jadis.

“Let’s go for a walk.”

It wasn’t really a request. Vikwas stood and started towards the door and Jadis was left with the choice to either follow or not. Not following wasn’t much of an option, so Jadis drained the three mugs in her hands of what was left in them before catching up with her future father-in-law.

The sound of chair legs scraping against the floor began, then was silenced. Glancing over, Jadis saw that while Roy, Severina, and Runar had started to follow, Noll had put a big, clawed paw on the table before him while giving them all a meaningful look. Both Runar and Severina looked like they were going to argue, but Roy whispered something that she couldn’t quite make out that seemed to settle them both down.

Whatever that was about, Jadis was just glad that Noll was able to give her at least a small moment of privacy.

Instead of leading Jadis out the front, Vikwas stopped to ask the front desk attendant a few questions that were barely audible due to his quiet voice. From there, he walked down a hall and led Jadis out of a different door, taking her to an open garden area behind the inn. There wasn’t a lot of space, but it was quiet and secluded, and the only other people present were two goblin men who looked like gardeners using brooms to sweep away the snow from the walkways. When they saw Jadis and Vikwas, they silently made their exit, leaving them alone.

“So, uh,” Jay started haltingly after a few seconds of silence. “I’m sorry Aila didn’t tell you about my, uh, unique class. I guess it was kind of a shock.”

Vikwas shrugged, his big shoulders rising and falling like boulders.

“Not that bad. We were warned.”

“You were?” Jay tilted her head in surprise. “From the way you and Senta were acting, I thought—”

“My brothers wrote me,” Vikwas interrupted as he pulled a folded letter from his inner coat pocket. “They did not spare the details.”

“Ah,” all three of Jadis made the uncomfortable noise at the same time.

“What did their letter say?” Dys asked warily.

Vikwas tapped the letter idly in his hand, looking down as he contemplated his answer. After a moment, he extended his hand, offering the letter to Dys.

“A lot,” Vikwas said as Dys took the letter.

Quickly scanning the collection of pages, Jadis saw that both Gerwas and Ludwas had contributed to the lengthy letter. They were indeed detailed, describing everything from the encounter with the grundwyrm they’d fought side-by-side with Jadis to the massive battle outside of Far Felsen’s walls. There were many things that the letter didn’t include, things that only Jadis and her companions would know, and the letter had clearly been written before Jadis and Fortune’s Favored had returned from their trip to find the Dryads, but the fact that Jadis and Aila were in a serious relationship and that included Eir, Kerr, and Thea had been outlined. Interestingly, while Gerwas and Ludwas and not indicated they had any issue with the polyamorous relationship, what they did voice some concerns about was Jadis’ involvement with Magistrate Vraekae as well as making enemies with General Egilhard. The two brothers had been paying closer attention to those kinds of politics than Jadis had thought.

“Senta didn’t want Aila to go to Weigrun,” Vikwas spoke up, not looking in Jadis’ direction. “Too dangerous. Too close to the demons. Too far from home. She wanted Aila to stay in Red Tree. Maybe go to Rivercrest for training. Maybe become a scholar. Study here, in Eldingholt, if she could.”

He turned then, looking up at Dys.

“She promised she’d stay safe and far away from harm. Gerwas and Ludwas promised to look after her. Neither turned out to be true.”

“There’s nothing safe about what we do,” Dys admitted, her arms hanging at her sides. “But I promise you, I’m keeping her as safe as I possibly can. Hel—Abyss, she keeps me safe. She’s so strong now, I bet you wouldn’t even believe it. She can kill dozens of demons with a snap of her fingers now.”

Vikwas nodded as Dys spoke, arms folded across his chest. His expression was still inscrutable, but his words were soft.

“I know. My girl has always been strong. She just needed room to grow.”

His eyes turned up towards the tall inn walls, almost as though he could see through the stone right to where his wife and daughter were.

“The trick is getting my sweet Senta to understand.”

Jay shifted, turning her gaze to follow where the older man was looking.

“Haven’t you told her? Tried explaining things to her?”

Vikwas met Jay’s gaze, a smirk barely visible under his thick beard.

“To be told something is true, and to know something is true, are very different things.”

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