52. Keep Pawing the Ground

“This stinks,” Maggie declares as soon as we’re out of Lady Gaa’s presence. “If that woman was full of any more shit we’d see it leaking out of her ears.”

“Ew.” That’s a colorful image I really could have done without. “I don’t necessarily trust everything she said, but she seemed pretty genuine to me.”

“I don’t think she was lying at all,” Evie says. “Lady Gaa is clearly a pious woman, aggrieved by the loss of her daughter—who you killed, I remind you—and still trying to do right by her people.”

“Even if she’s telling the truth, ‘her people’ just means her own family’s reputation,” Maggie points out. “Also, in case you weren’t paying attention, said family may have had something to do with the cult that killed you.”

“I have my doubts about that part—”

“Of course you do.”

“Perhaps her family was involved with a heretical sect,” Evie continues, ignoring Maggie’s interruption. “But a cult of Chaos operating from within the church during my lifetime seems farfetched.”

“It would help explain how they captured you,” I whisper under my breath.

Lady Lori gives me another side eye, but seems content to let me mutter to myself in my own language. I probably don’t have to worry about anyone other than Talla overhearing me, but better safe than sorry.

“I’m sure I would have at least heard a rumor about it.”

“Not necessarily,” I murmur. “They may have been known as a troublesome faction without the depths of their heresy coming to light until later. But also, it’s possible that Lady Gaa is making it all up and using her supposed grief to manipulate us.”

“Only you would be so cynical about a grieving mother,” Evie hisses.

“Not just her,” Violet interjects. “I agree that it’s a possibility we should at least consider, especially if you don’t think she’s being honest about her family history.”

“I didn’t say she wasn’t being honest,” Evie argues. “Simply mistaken.”

“Either way, I’m not trusting anything she said on blind faith,” I sigh. “It helps that she didn’t actually ask anything specific of us. Confirming her statements and following her request are sort of the same thing.”

“Maybe that’s the point,” Vi suggests. “By putting the idea in our heads, she primes us to fit whatever we see into that narrative.”

“I don’t think so, but I suppose I can’t rule it out.”

It strikes me as a bit too complicated, and unless she’s an insanely good actor I’m pretty sure her emotions were genuine. She’s in a tough spot, and it’s hard to ask anybody for help without damaging her reputation.

“I’d also like to know whether it’s true that Lady Goa has been withholding her invitations from us,” Vi says. “That alone pokes a giant hole in her promise that we’re free to make our own choices.”

Yeah, that is pretty concerning. I’d like to hear their justification for that, but not from Tamara herself. I’m sure she could come up with all sorts of reasons, but Talla and Rara won’t be as circumspect—if they even knew anything at all.

Though, again, they could always just lie about it and I wouldn’t really have any way to confirm. It would just be a matter of whose word I’m more willing to trust. Ugh, why is this so hard?! I almost miss the days when we were counting candles and chasing lizards.

It doesn’t take long for us to arrive at the front gates, where Talla and Rara are in the middle of arguing with an exhausted butler.

“—no right to hold a lawful permanent resident against their will!” I hear Talla shouting as we come into earshot.

“My Lady, please, as I’ve tried to tell you, nobody is being held prisoner! Miss Maev is a guest of the house, and free to leave at her leisure.”

I mean, not exactly at my leisure, but I suppose it’s true that I’m not locked up. Anymore.

“Then why won’t you let me—?”

“There she is!” Rara cuts her sister off, pointing in our direction. “Maev! Are you okay?!”

I smile and wave as we approach. “Hey Rara! Hey Talla! We’re fine!”

The two of them rush over to me, ignoring the sputtering servant, and Rara nearly knocks me flat with a tackling hug.

“I’m so sorry!” she cries.

“It’s fine!” I assure her. “I shouldn’t have gotten so drunk last night, and Lady Gaa just wanted to talk.”

Talla hesitates a few steps back. “Um, are you alright?”

“I keep telling you I’m fine!” I giggle. “But thanks for the concern. Is it normal for noble families to just grab people off the street when they want to chat?”

“No! The Gaa family is completely out of line here!”

Lady Lori straightens her back and clears her throat. “I believe you will find that we have done no such thing. Miss Maev was here as a guest, and has been treated with the utmost dignity and respect. I will not allow any more accusations or slander.”

Talla regards her with a stony expression. “Lori.”

“Cousin Talla. This entire misunderstanding could have been avoided had you simply conveyed Lady Gaa’s invitations normally. My sister is dead thanks to your failure, our family is grieving, and still you have the gall to come into our home and cast accusations?”

“And what are we supposed to call it when our guest vanishes from under our protection without a word, only to turn up in your hands the next day?”

Lady Lori shakes her head and sighs. “All we meant to do was pull her away from the party long enough to personally extend an invitation. She was in no condition to return to the party on her own, so we took her in for the night, which was only proper.”

Tempting as it is to remind her of the fact that I was locked in, I’m inclined to avoid drama at the moment.

“It’s fine, Talla, really,” I insist. “No harm done.”

“Fine,” she huffs. “Let’s go, but you haven’t heard the last of this, Lori!”

“Keep pawing the ground, Talla.”

Rara and I practically have to drag Talla away back to the carriage they came on. Once securely inside the vehicle, I smile awkwardly.

“I take it there’s a history there?” I ask.

“Not exactly,” Talla sighs. “We hardly knew each other before, but Lori’s the one who’s been pushing the Gaa family’s case against Draga on behalf of her mother.”

“I thought that was Lady Gaa herself.”

Talla shakes her head. “She’s pulled a few strings here and there, but Arelii herself spends most of her time in church or isolation to mourn. Aside from addressing the epidemic we brought to her attention, she hasn’t been attending her duties as a high priestess, either.”

“And in her place, Lori’s been...?”

“Lobbying, mostly,” Talla groans. “Assembling a tribunal is a whole process, and she’s been trying to pressure every part of that process in her favor. She’s tried to force an arbiter that’s loyal to the Gaa family, to block me as a valid witness, to block you as a valid witness—it’s a whole thing. Pretty much any time I haven’t been with you, I’ve been fighting her in court.”

Rara grimaces. “I’d have done it for her, but mother isn’t willing to officially sponsor Draga yet, so Talla’s representing herself as a ranger. If I got involved, it would be seen as our family tacitly supporting Sir Draga.”

Politics, I guess. I won’t pretend to know what sort of considerations they’re working with, and I doubt I’ll be able to gain enough of an understanding to make a difference in time. I’ll just have to hope that whatever testimony I’m allowed to give in the tribunal will be enough. To that end, maybe we should look into some of the things Lady Gaa mentioned. Not that I even know where to begin.

Actually, maybe I do...

“Talla, is it true that you guys have been withholding messages from me?” I ask.

“Not that I know of,” she grumbles. “But I wouldn’t put it past mother. Rara?”

“I’m not supposed to say, but I guess even that’s pretty revealing,” she sighs. “It was just the Gaa family. Mom was worried that it would be dangerous if they were targeting Maev.”

I frown. “Rara, I like you, but it’s hard to trust you when you keep stuff like that from us.”

“I know!” she groans. “I’m not happy about it either, but I don’t always have a choice. I’m really sorry.”

“Well, I guess no harm was done in the end,” I grumble.

“What did she want, anyway?” Talla asks.

“She wants me to help prove that her family aren’t the ones who hid the convergence break,” I explain. “Lady Gaa thinks that there’s some kind of conspiracy trying to frame her.”

“A likely story,” Talla scoffs. “You believe her?”

I shrug. “I’m not sure yet. At the very least, she totally could have just disappeared me if she wanted. If my appearance really was the result of some hundred-year-old plot that she’s in charge of, I feel like she’d have just done that instead of asking for help.”

“Hmm...I suppose. But if it wasn’t them, then who?”

“No idea.” I shrug. “Apparently it could be just about anybody. The church, the rangers, you, The Alchemist—”

“Oh!” Rara perks up. “Speaking of which! Do you remember Tefi Foren from last night?”

I blink at the sudden non-sequitur. “Uh...no?”

“Well he remembers you! He’s an engineer working in one of The Alchemist’s facilities and he’s really interested in hearing more about Vi’s heat switcher thingy.”

“Heat exchanger,” Vi attempts to correct her.

“Does that mean a meeting with The Alchemist?” I ask.

“No, but it’s a step closer,” Rara replies. “If you can convince Tefi that the design is worth it, he might be able to arrange something.”

Well that’s something, at least. I’m honestly not sure what to expect out of him, but after what Arelii said, I’m more interested in meeting this mystery man than ever. That just leaves the church and the rangers, and I haven’t the slightest idea how to get more information out of either.

I suppose Talla and Draga are possible ins with the rangers, but I’m not sure how much influence they’ve really got. Plus, I don’t know if Talla is still mad at me.

“By the way, Talla...”

“Yes?”

I fidget awkwardly with my hands. “About the argument we had before. Are you still upset?”

She grimaces and scratches the base of her horns. “Oh, Goddess, I’m so embarrassed about that. I should never have gotten mad at you.”

“I mean, if you thought I was lying, I can kind of understand it.”

“No, I believe you,” she sighs. “I just...didn’t want to, I guess. It’s fascinating to hear about your world, but it’s also just so...frustrating! Are we really that far behind? I doubt I’ll ever see any of the wonders you describe in my lifetime.”

“I think it’s just different,” I hedge. “Our world doesn’t know anything about magic. We wouldn’t be here at all if it didn’t exist there on some level, but most of our academics would confidently declare that it doesn’t.”

“Wait, really?!” Rara exclaims. “How does that even work? How do you choose classes or level up?”

“We don’t,” I reply simply.

“Then how do you know what to do?”

“We don’t,” I chuckle. “A lot of people just follow in their parent’s footsteps or struggle to find a...well, I guess the word for it in Fa’aun is just ‘class’ but Talla, could you translate?”

She nods.

“[Vocation],” I say in my own language. “Or [Calling], but they mean the same thing.”

Talla cocks her head and frowns. “Huh...interesting word. Like a class, but without the structure. A purpose in life?”

“Sort of, though for a lot of people it’s just work,” I explain. “So you’re not still mad, then?”

“No,” Talla says. “If anything, I’d love to hear more. How is it even possible to make such intricate devices so small?”

“I wish I knew, but I’ve never really thought about it,” I say. “But I do know a bit more about astronomy! Ancient cultures in our world used the stars to navigate, since they didn’t have a convenient giant band of rings dominating the sky.”

“Huh?!” Rara interjects again. “No Great Wheel, either?! Allie, your world sounds like a nightmare.”

“That’s how I felt about this one, at first,” I chuckle. “But I’m slowly getting used to it.”

“Never mind that!” Talla huffs. “Tell me more about those stars! How can they be used for navigation?”

“Well...”

We spend the rest of the carriage ride chatting about stars and their movements. I’m glad that Talla isn’t upset at us anymore, but I’m still a little on edge about all these new developments. Still, it’s nice to get my mind off of it for just a little bit.

[Level up!]

Teacher has grown from level 8 to 9.

+1 Ego.