Chapter 17: Relationships 2

It was a testament to just how big Lady’s Port had become that Rel almost got lost on her way to find Electra.

She knew where the blond woman would be; Lady knew that Rel was the one who wrote the other woman’s schedules most days. Expanding the electrical coverage was ‘domestic priority number 1’. While Rel didn’t understand the exact meaning of the words, she understood the importance it held to Via, and the Lady’s Port as a whole.

It was why she was running almost as ragged as Lady Via, making sure that new lighting bulbs rolled out of the glassworks and copper wire out of the smithy, why the beaches near Lady’s Port had been dredged almost completely dry of sand, and why the Little Mistress came back with her hold nearly as full of copper ingots as everything else.

It was why she found Electra and her work crew was deep in the guts of a second lightning mill. She and Lady Via had already began implementing plans for bringing light to the new homes currently being built, but that, plus the light and power needed for the smithy, was ‘projected to outstrip’ the Lightning Mill.

Rel did not yet understand the near-arcane equations behind it, but she was learning. Just one more reason she was constantly busy.

“Run that wire there, no there! Over there!”

Rel stepped into the foundation of the mill, quickly dodging to the side as a man and a woman rolled another spool of copper wire to the banks of the water.

They were going through a distressingly large number of those.

“Over there.” Rel pointed. An ‘electrician’ nodded to her, eyes lighting up in understanding.

“Ah, that’s what she meant, my thanks Lady Rel!”

“Eh, Rel?” Electra’s head popped out of a whole in the stone wall. Her blond hair was messy, coming down to her shoulders as the humidity of the coming spring seemed to have finally overcome it’s natural spikiness. “What’s up?”

Rel glanced to the side. She’d been trying to have this conversation all morning, but now that she was here…

Well, she’d never been good at having conversations with people like Electra.

“Hey.” The woman walked out onto the scaffolding making up the second story, leaning against the massive wooden spoke that would form the center of the second water wheel. “Something wrong? The whole bird job went good, right?”

“Yes, of course.” Rel nodded. “I just, wanted to talk to you about…Lady Via.”

“Aaaah.” Electra gave a knowing smile. “It’s one of those talks, huh? Don’t worry, girl, I got’chu!”

Rel blinked as the blond woman hopped down to the ground floor, putting a hand on Rel’s shoulder as she pulled the both of them away from the entrance to the mill. “So, spill. Did she finally say something? Jeez, I’ve been waiting for an effing year for one of you two boneheads to make a move.”

Rel blinked again. “A move?”

“You know, on your nature walk.” Electra waved a hand. “I mean, it’s not really my idea of a romantic date, but I bet you got to get real close with her, yeah?”

Rel blinked a third time.

‘Sh-sh-she means…like…k-kissing.’ Dream Sequence stated.

Rel’s cheeks slowly reddened, ears burning beneath her hat. “I—I—I…”

Electra leaned forward, staring at Rel awkwardly. “Oh, uh, hadn’t ripped the bandaid off yet?”

“No!” Rel shook her head, hugging her middle. “Why should she be interested in someone like me anyway! I—I—I’m only worried that she has been working too hard!”

“Oh.” Electra crossed her arms, cupping her chin with one hand. “I maybe jumped the gun a bit. You…do like her, though?”

Rel sighed, running her hand down her face. “I…she…” She shook her head. “You’re making this very difficult.”

“Right, right, sorry.” Electra waved her hands in front of her. “I, uh, forget I said anything, and uh, about Via, I mean, you know how she—”

“Of course I like her,” Rel said quietly. “She saw me when I was nothing, and made me valuable.” She gave a quiet laugh. “Now when I walk down the street, all of these people call me ‘Lady’ as if I was even a fraction as important as my Lady.”

“Well, crud.” Electra rubbed the back of her head. “So, maybe we can roll this conversation back a bit and I can give you some…advice?”

“I…” Rel began, “am not sure I want your advice anymore.”

“Okay, harsh,” Electra said. “Understandable, but a little harsh. I mean, I called that you were into her, right?”

“Apparently it’s quite obvious.”

“Well, probs not to Via.” Electra shrugged. “I don’t think she ever really dated, actually.”

“I…don’t need to have this information.”

“Sure you do.” Electra wrapped an arm around Via’s shoulder. “She’s always been super focused, hah, get it? Super?”

“Please let me go now,” Rel said. “I’d like to forget that we had this conversation. And maybe I can figure out some way to stop Mistress Via from working herself to death.” Rel stepped out from under Electra’s grip. “I think you should get back to work; the second mill is already behind schedule.”

Electra blew out a huff of air. “Okay, harsh. I get that’s kind of the theme of this conversation, but we’re kinda rediscovering electrical engineering here, and if you want the overshot wheel done so bad you can always pitch in some more work crews, you know, as a favor to a friend.”

“I am going to go now.” Rel took another step away, tugging the hat down further on her head. “This was not…a good idea.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!” Electra waved her hands. “Okay, we’re not doing favors, but about your actual question. I mean, Via…she kinda gets obsessed, you know? She works harder than anyone I ever knew, and really, that’s only gotten more true now that I work with her. That’s not, you know, something that just goes away.”

“Look, I…” Rel shook her head. “Miss Electra, can you get to the point? Every time you talk, I feel the urge to go throw myself in the ocean.”

“I mean, don’t do that.” Electra blew out a breath. “I mean, that would just double Empress’s work load, you know? At minimum.”

Rel scrunched her eyes shut. She was beginning to understand exactly why Lady Via was so, incredibly, frustrated with Electra all the time.

“Get to the point.”

“Oof, that’s like, peak Empress right there.” Electra laughed. “Keep doing that and she’ll fall for you for sure.”

Rel felt her cheeks starting to heat up again.

“Anyway,” Electra continued. “My point is that, if you’re so worried about Empresses being hyperfocused on work, maybe you should give her something else to focus on, huh?”

Rel’s head snapped up, and she stared at Electra, mouth working uselessly.

“Alright, off you go!” Electra spun Rel around, pushing her gently out the door. “Go say hi to Via for me, I recommend the direct approach!”

“Wait!” Rel spun around just as Electra pushed her out the door. “What are you talking about I—I can’t just, I…and Lady…and—!”

“Sorry, can’t talk any longer!” Electra grinned. “Someone important told me I was behind schedule on the lightning mill numero dos!”

Then she slammed the door to the building shut, forcing Rel to step back as a pair of unmortared bricks fell out from above the lintel.

She stared silently at the shut door, thoughts frozen in place.

“What,” she managed, “am I supposed to do with that?”

A hand tugged on her sleeve.

Rel spun, dagger falling into her hands.

Her helper Elaine stared up at her with big brown eyes.

“Lady Via,” Elaine said.

Rel stood frozen for a second before stuffing the knife back down her sleeve. “Yes, of course. The Lightning Mill?”

The girl nodded.

“The report?” Rel asked.

She nodded again, holding out a small sheaf of papers.

“Yes…” Rel took a deep breath, taking the hastily written report before patting down her suit pockets in a gesture she’d seen Via and Electra do many times. “I should go then.”

The girl nodded a third time.

Rel saved them both a few more words and started down the street, rubbing at her face. She’d also been up for most of the night, after all.

Running all over the town in a day had stolen the breath from her lungs, and that conversation with Electra—if it even deserved to be called such—had…well, Rel was a bit ashamed to realize she was yawning when she walked into her mistress’s office.

She was so tired that she walked into a wall of muscle.

Rel took a half step back, holding her nose and looking up at the massive bald man that was standing in the door. “Dee?”

Dee grinned. “Little Rel!” He swept her up in a hug, her feet kicking frantically in the air. “Wasn’t sure you’d last without us!”

“Put me down.” Her one free hand smacked the big lug upside the head, for all the good it did. “Put me down!”

Laughing, he dropped her, and Rel landed deftly. “You…you oaf.” She struggled to hold back her laugher. “You’re back?”

The big man nodded. “Him too.” He jerked his head, and Rel peeked around his arm to see Maarin, the enchanter from Silverwall, standing somewhat awkwardly in front of Lady Via’s desk, Dum’s hand on his shoulder.

“A-ah, hello again?” He gave her a little wave. “I-I hope you liked those mirrors of—of mine?”

“They were excellent,” Lady Via said from the balcony door. “In fact, I want to make a whole bunch more of them.” She gave Maarin a sharp grin. “I hear that business wasn’t all that great back in Silverwall?”

“Aha-haaa…” He shrugged. “Not quite…no.”

“The boys told me a lot,” Via said, kicking her feet up on her desk. “Most they’ve talked in weeks.”

“We just missed ya, boss,” Dum said.

“Aww, I missed you two as well.” Via grinned. “I’ve been knocking heads together myself while you were gone.”

Dee clutched at his chest. “Say it ain’t so, boss!”

Rel found herself smiling despite her growing exhaustion. It was nice to have at least one thing go right in this whole mess.

“Well then,” Lady Via said. “It seems I have some job openings. Tell me, Maarin, how would you like to work for me in a more…complete capacity?”

The enchanter looked over his shoulder at the much bigger man holding him in place. “I gather I don’t have…much of a choice?”

“Of course you do!” Via grinned. “I just can’t have anyone in town who might be working for the Seneschal of Silverwall, you know.”

“Ah, well, yes, of course.” Maarin nodded. “Completely understandable.”

“If you don’t want to work for me you can stay the night; I’m not a barbarian, after all.” Via said. “I’m sure we can find somewhere to put you up, you’ll just have to find your own way back tomorrow.”

“Ah. My…own way?”

Via shrugged. “It’s not too far, is it? A day and a half at most?”

“Y-yes but you see.” Maarin scratched his neck. “The monsters are a bit more active this time of…of year.”

“True, boss,” Dee said. “Beat off a couple ourselves.”

“Hmm.” Via examined her nails. “Well, that really is a shame.” She pushed herself to her feet, clapping Maarin on the shoulder. “Hope you have a good night’s rest! I’ve recently been informed that it’s a bit of a dangerous trek back to the big city and all of that.”

She brushed past him, and Rel stilled as her Mistress came to a stop in front of her. “Rel, you should get some sleep.”

Rel felt her cheeks start to heat up again, and she looked away. “So should you, Mistress.”

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Via glanced over her shoulder. “I hear it’s quite restful.”

Maarin gave a little jerk, working his thin fingers over each other.

“Well, I think that’s all I have to take care of here,” Via said. “Have a good night, boys! We’ll talk more tomorrow” She turned, taking Rel’s arm, completely oblivious to the thudding of Rel’s heart in her breast. “A cat nap actually sounds great. Never been a fan of the long sleep, you know.”

They took two steps.

“And, and, and if I decided I did want to work for you?” Maarin nearly shouted. “P-p-pending some conditions.”

Rel watched, heart fluttering in her chest, as Via’s lips curled into a massive, face splitting grin. Then the diminutive woman shifted her expression into a calm, confident smirk, and turned around.

“Then let’s talk business.”