Chapter Sixty-Eight - A Cure for Hysteria and Loneliness

I had seen the Bristlecone mansion from afar. Or rather, from above while riding the adrenaline high that comes with knowing you might die at any moment. That’s why I took a moment to really take in the building now that we were on the ground and approaching it at a more reasonable pace.

The mansion was built in three parts, with a large section in the centre and two wings that swept around a large garden at the front filled with bright, blooming flowers and a few well-manicured trees. The area was surrounded by a tall wrought-iron fence, and as we approached I could make out a few guards patrolling in pairs.

The lot around the mansion wasn’t that large, but it was bigger than the ones for any of the other mansions in the area, so I guessed that it might have been a symbol of status. Most of the homes overlooking the large cliffs were big beautiful buildings, which left me wondering how the people working at the docks got there.

Maybe there were more tunnels under the city? That would be pretty neat. I always wanted to meet a fantasy dwarf and braid their beard.

“You look excited,” Amaryllis said.

I blinked and turned to look her way. “Shouldn’t I be?” I asked.

“I suppose there’s no harm in it. I don’t think we’ll be staying here for very long,” she said. ”We’re not exactly in a hurry, but I would rather get going sooner rather than later.”

“Where are you heading off to?” The guard commander, Gerald, asked.

Our little procession was laid out in a rough column, with Abraham and Albert the butler at the front, Raynald on their heels and then Amaryllis and I in the middle. Gerald and all the rest of the guards were walking behind us, most of them working hard to look as if they were asleep while walking.

“Wherever we wish,” Amaryllis said. “Our business is no affair of yours.”

“Amaryllis, don’t be rude,” I said.

She rolled her eyes. “He’s not your friend, Broccoli, he’s a guardsman of the city.”

“He’s an officer of the law, which means we should help him,” I said.

Gerald didn’t seem to know what was going on, so opted to stay quiet as we spoke.

“Our dealings aren’t in this city and are therefore none of his business,” Amaryllis added. “We can finish up here, then move over to the local Exploration Guild house and announce our presence before moving on.”

“Didn’t you just say that we’re not in a hurry?” I asked.

“I know you’d rather stick around Abraham and listen to his little stories, but I also said that getting a move on sooner rather than later would be for the best. We can return whenever. Are you really so daft that you only hear what you want to?”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “All I heard was you telling me I should ask Abraham for more stories.”

Amaryllis glared until I started to giggle and we bumped shoulders while she made a big production of rolling her eyes and being exasperated.

Albert the butler insisted that we use the front door to enter the mansion even though Abraham said it was traditional to enter a mansion via a window, the chimney or--in a pinch-- the privy pipes.

We walked along a little path that brought us to the front of the mansion, where the huge entrance loomed above, flanked by arches that rose up to a balcony where a little boy was watching. He cheered and ran into the building just before we arrived at the front.

“Ah-haha! One of my little nephews!” Abraham said. “We need to get the Shady Lady working again, give the lad a taste for adventure before my little brother puts ideas about pushing paper around all day into his head.”

Albert jogged ahead to the large double doors at the front of the mansion while Gerald fell back and gave his guards some orders that had them moving off towards the streets before the mansion. He returned just as the butler opened the doors and bowed toward us with a hand extended into the building.

The main hall was built to impress, with two rounded staircases on either side, a floor so polished it was practically mirrored, and twin rows of maids and butlers on either side of the entrance with their hands folded before them.

At the end of a long carpet that led off from the door was a small family. A husband and wife and three children, including the little boy that had been on the balcony. They were all dressed impeccably, which was impressive seeing as how they probably didn’t know we were coming until a few minutes ago.

The man looked a bit like Abraham if Abraham stopped bench pressing engine blocks and instead spent his time eating cake. He also looked ten years older than Abraham, but that faded as soon as he smiled. “Abe!”

“Little Lewis!” Abe said as he walked across the entrance hall and picked up Lewis into a big bearhug.

I felt a bit like a third wheel as I stood at the back with Amaryllis and the guard commander and Raynald. Not that I would interrupt a meeting between family.

Lewis coughed a few times when Abraham finally let go of him. “Ah, come on, Abe, we can talk in one of the living rooms. And you can bring your...” he eyed us all in a hurry. “Guests too.”

“Ah-hah!” Abraham said. “Of course! Splendid idea. I haven’t had a good cup of Mattergrove wine in nearly two days! Haha!”

The Bristlecone family started to move along and I focused on the younger members. Older people were a little hard to approach sometimes, and the kids, at least the older two, looked to be about my age.

The boy was walking with his nose pointing to the ceiling while his upper lip curled up; he didn’t strike me as super friendly. The girl was a lot softer looking, with her head kept down and her eyes focused on the ground when she wasn’t peeking up to spy on Abraham’s back.

Lewis paused and looked at Gerald who was following a step behind me and Amaryllis. “Commander Gerald, what are you doing?”

“Um,” the commander said. “My job... sir?”

“Your job snooping on private family matters?” Lewis asked.

“Yes?” the guard said.

“How about you go do your job elsewhere?” Lewis suggested in a way that wasn’t terribly suggestive.

Amaryllis and I glanced at each other but neither of us said anything. That had been a little rude.

The living room we were led to was like a cross between a study and a lounge, with a few sofas around a table, some bookshelves on the far wall, and banners hanging around a little hearth off to one side that was currently unlit.

“Please, sit down, make yourselves at home,” Misses Bristlecone said as she smiled towards us and gestured to the sofas. “Abraham, you didn’t introduce your... companions. And what varied companions they are. My, a grenoil nobleman and even a... harpy.”

Something about the way the woman spoke made me a little wary of her, but I couldn’t quite pin why.

“This,” Abraham said as he patted me on the head like a big rude meanie. “Is Broccoli Bunch! Picked her up in Port Royal after she thwarted a kidnapping attempt by some clever cervid and made the director of the Exploration Guild look like quite the fool!”

“Um, no, that’s exaggerating!” I said.

“And this,” Abraham went on without even listening to my protests. “Is Amaryllis Albatross. She’s loud, but an alright sort deep down. Haha!”

“An Albatross?” Misses Bristlecone asked. Her attitude towards Amaryllis made a sudden one-eighty that had me even more on edge.

“Yes,” Amaryllis said. “A pleasure to meet you, Countess,” Amaryllis said as she stood a little taller.

The Countess seemed to be waiting for something, but whatever it was it didn’t happen and all of a sudden her smile was a lot wider.

“Abraham,” I said as I tugged on the man’s sleeve. “You should introduce us to the kids so we can become friends,” I said.

Abraham grinned and his eyes practically sparkled. “Of course!” he said before moving over to the two older kids. “This one is Erato,” he said while waving towards the boy. “Don’t let him get in your knickers, he isn’t worth it.”

“Um,” I said. I met Erato’s eyes and felt my cheeks warming up. That was far too forward. And also awfully rude. Poor Erato probably didn’t deserve it.

Erato looked me up and down then scoffed. “I’m not keen on that sort of woman, uncle,” he said.

Judging people too quickly was wrong... but I could make exceptions.

“This little bundle of snot is Callio!” Abraham picked up the little boy, who screeched in joy as the older gentleman tossed him into the air, caught him, and placed the kid on one shoulder much to his delight.

I noticed that Miss Bristlecone’s smile was rather fixed for a while there.

“Ah, and last but certainly not least is my favourite niece!” Abraham said.

The girl, who looked to be about my age, blushed a little and stared at the ground, but she still wore a happy little smile. “I-I’m your only niece, uncle Abe,” she said with a voice so soft I could barely hear her.

“What’s your name?” I asked. “I’m Broccoli, Broccoli Bunch.” I extended a hand for a shake and tried on my widest and happiest smile for size.

“Awa,” she began, her blush deepening even as she grabbed onto the front of her dress. "H-hi, I'm... um, I Aw-Awawen."

"You're Awawen? Hi Awawen! Let's be friends!"

“N-no,” she said.

My hand dropped. “You don’t want to be friends?” I asked.

“Yes! I mean, no. My name’s Aw--” She coughed. “It’s Awen, not... not Awawen.”

“Oh, sorry,” I said before tapping the side of my head with my knuckles. “I misunderstood. So, do you still want to be friends?”

Awen didn’t seem to know how to react and I was afraid I was being a little too forward with her.

“Haha! Awen here is a great mechanic!” Abraham said. “But my little brother coddles her too much. You should take her out on an adventure, let her see the world a little!” he said.

Awen looked up and our gazes locked. I wasn’t all that good at reading people, especially so soon after meeting them, but there was so much want in her pretty blue eyes that it would have been impossible to miss.

“Nonsense,” Lewis said as he returned into the room. “Our little Awen isn’t suited to that kind of life. And she’ll be changing her class soon enough. Mechanic is hardly an appropriate class for a young noble lady.”

Awen seemed to shrink into herself and it was all I could do not to reach out and hug her. She looked like someone had just announced that puppies were illegal now.

“Bah, tell anyone that protests that they can argue with me if they want,” Abraham said.

“Now now, Abe,” Miss Bristlecone said. “You know that Awen has these little bouts of... hysteria at times. No need to get her so excited.”

I gasped. “I have something for that!” I said.

I dropped my backpack onto the table in the middle of the room and rooted around until, finally, I found my Wand of Cure Hysteria. “Here Awen,” I said as I waved the wand in her direction. “This should help!”

Awen’s parents both stared at my wand as if it was a live snake, Erato choked on air and Amaryllis covered her face with all of her talons. She was probably miffed that I was giving away something that might be valuable, but it was for a good cause.

“Um, thank you?” Awen said as she took the wand. She inspected it, turning it this way and that. “I... um, how does this work?” she asked.

“Oh, I... don’t know exactly,” I said. That was mortifying. How could I give her something like that without even trying to show her how it worked? So I stepped up and poked it, sending some mana into the wand.

It started vibrating. The sound was surprisingly loud in the lounge room.

“It uses mana,” I said with a proud smile. “I found it while exploring deep in the Darkwoods.”

“Oh,” Awen said. “Th-thank you, M-Miss Bunch. Thank you very much,” she said as she hugged it close. Had no one ever given her a gift before? The poor girl.

“Y-you should... put that away,” Miss Bristlecone said.

“I don’t have pockets,” Awen said with a gesture towards her dress. I think she just didn’t want to put her new gift away, but really, if we were going to have tea and such then her mom was probably right about putting it away for now.

I waved the comment away. “Just give it to your brother, he can stuff it somewhere, I’m sure.”

***