Morning arrived for Siesta not with the harsh crowing of roosters, but with a tinkling of bells.
'Wind Chimes'? She wondered muggily as she tried to prop herself up from under sheets that were too fine in a bed that was too soft and warm.
"Hmm?"
The room was too big, she thought, eyes slowly scanning across a bechamber so large and finely apointed she was sure she must have fallen asleep in the dormitories.
Plush armchairs. Fine wooden table. And royal blue carpet over dark hardwood. The fear of a scolding from Madame Didina brought with it another little surge of wakefulness and the realization that, no, that wasn't right. She wasn't in the academy anymore. She had left yesterday morning and was now residing, at least transiently, in the home of the honorable Kirigaya Household of Arrun.
Siesta stroked the cool smooth surface of her market trinket resting over her night shirt as the events of the past day replayed for her, the young woman became aware of a harsh intermitent sound coming from the garden beneath her window.
-Clack!-Clack!-Clack!Clack!
"Again!"
That was the voice of Miss Leafa, she thought. The sister of the master of the house.
"Ha!"
A smaller voice, breaking with the strain of shouting. That was the Young Miss, the Master and Misses daughter.
Climbing to view over the windowsill, Siesta rubbed her eyes, fairly certain at first she was dreaming at the site of Aunt and Niece crossing swords in the garden beneath a fragrant olive tree. Both were dressed in some sort of dark billowing garb that conceiled the details of their forms. Miss Leafa casually blocking and casting aside the strikes of her niece who seemed intent on throwing all she had into striking her aunt down.
She wondered if she should run down and intervene in this murderous affair only to realize as the two broke apart and stepped back that whatever duel they had been engaging in was not serious at all.
The two Faeries returned their swords, which on further inspection were merely wooden bundles, to their sides and gave a respectful bow to one another.
'They're practicing.' Siesta mused and she felt silly for not realizing instantly. The Young Miss was the daughter of Knights, father and mother. The gossip of the academy had made a todo about the Faerie Lady-Knights. Being women set the serving girls not much further back from the glamour of chivalry than being commoners in the first place. So of course the rumors circulated endlessly.
And if young Faerie wives could march off to war, then clearly young Faerie daughters could spend their time preparing just like sons.
While Siesta was thinking this, the Sylph woman noticed her at the window, waving, and pointing towards the back of the house. Dressing herself quickly, she went to join her hostess.
'So this is a Faerie House.' Siesta thought to herself as she walked down the steps.
It was simpler than she had expected. That was to say less ornate. Everyplace she looked, she saw clean lines and simple patterns oft repeated. She wondered again at the master's of the house. Well, they were only Knights, and newly created ones, so ostentation appropriate to higher nobles was probably still beyond them.
But that did not explain the contents of the kitchen. Stacks of excellent cast iron. A set of fine steel knives. Enamel and glass cooking vessels. Even a pair of fine Lonindian Ovens . . . The Lady of the house must have been very demanding of her cook!
"Good morning." Miss Leafa greeted as Siesta came down the steps.
Siesta stopped on the landing. "I would like you to know, Miss, that I do not usually sleep in so late."
"Hmm?" The Sylph seemingly missing what had been said as she undid the front of her training garb. There was an impression of weight dropping sharply and then being firmly arrested. "Did you say something?"
"Nothing much, Miss." The maid servant gave her hostess a side eye as she went to retrieve water from a pot by the hearth.
'It seems the Miss slims down when dressed.' She thought to nobody but herself. And said, "I must thank you again for your generosity, Miss Leafa."
"Don't mention it. Everyone in Tarbes was very hospitable to us, even though we must have seemed incredibly strange. So we're just repaying the favor."
The Faerie woman went about rinsing herself and helping her niece do the same. Ladling lukewarm water over the girl's head until her ink black hair clung to her shoulders and back. She went at her niece and herself with a brick of soap and a sponge. Not letting up until both of them had been thoroughly scrubbed, rinsed down, and dried.
'No wonder Faeries smell so nice.' Siesta thought. If they got up to this ritual every morning . . .
"And besides." The Sylph explained as she finished scrubbing her hair dry, long golden locks spilled over her face until she cleared them with a look of annoyance. "You're the only witness to an important watch investigation. If it makes you feel any better, I guess you could say I have a motive for wanting you to stay in the city for a few days. I'm sorry if that's selfish."
"Not at all, Miss." Siesta shook her head. Watching patiently as the Sylph dressed her niece and herself. "I wouldn't want anyone else to go through what happened yesterday." She meant it.
"Thanks! You're being a huge help." Miss Leafa stopped, seeming to think for a moment before going over to a row of hooks by the back door and retrieving a small purse. She fished around inside and slapped a few simple copper coins on the table. "So . . . I have to head to work, and Yui-chan's got school. I'd really appreciate it if you take this as a chance to relax. You should be able to buy yourself lunch with this if you go out to the Promenade and there's some fresh fruite in cheese in here . . . somewhere . . . " She eyed the kitchen, which was not in the best of states.
In fact, much of the house had an air of disuse and recent neglect. Siesta had thought it might look better in the light, but in fact it just confirmed her impression the night before.
"I . . . see . . ." Siesta nodded. Not knowing what to think of this latest charity.
"If I need you, I'll swing by later but . . . just try to relax for today. Okay?" This seemed to satisfy the Faerie without even an answer, nodding, smiling, and waving as she tugged her ward out the door. The little girl giving Siesta the most unchild like parting look on her way.
Siesta was left in the awkward silence that came after a flurry of activity was spent. Her only company, the sounds of muted streetlife and . . .
-pat-
-pat-
-pat-
Siesta stared at the still dripping pot by the hearth.
Quietly, she finished walking down the steps. She circled the kitchen table, one by one putting the chairs back in place.
She wiped a finger along the table top.
It came back gray . . .
____________________________________________________________
"I'm telling you, it had to be the Kurotsune!" A rudy faced nobleman blustered as his cobalt haired Leprechaun partner watched from afar. "Who else could have made off with all our stock!"
"The Kurotsune's primarily a thief of small articles." Leafa answered coolly as she scribbled down the merchant's testimony. "Not a shop lifter. Would you mind describing the lost inventory, please?"
"They're alchemical storage vessels specially ordered by TRIST." The Leprechaun business partner answered smoothly. "Hiram and I had just taken delivery when they vanished out from under our noses."
"Could you have misplaced them?" Kuwata asked. Standing beside Leafa. He chuckled. "I mean, I forget where I leave my Bento every day."
"These are a lot bigger than a lunch box, you dolt!" Hiram growled. Gesticulating to describe a cylindrical object about the size of a milk jug. "And there were two dozen of them besides!"
"Sounds like too much for a thief to run off with." The Sylph pointed out.
"Exactly! That's why it could only be the Kurotsune!" The mage rumbled. "I'm sure of it!"
This was probably what Captain Itettsu meant be rumors 'not staying their own business'.
Kawata leaned over, murmuring in a way that caused one of Leafa's long ears to twitch. "I mean . . . If the Kurotsune is a Sionach Sidhe . . . maybe they really could do something like this."
Leafa frowned. Kawata was right, she hated to admit, the Sionach were supposed to have many special abilites to make facing them interesting. And who knew what the Kurotsune had taught himself with his new life.
'If only it wasn't a life of crime.' Suguha thought.
"Hey, guys!" GiNo was waving for their attention from the air. She pointed downward and then made to land.
Had she found something? Suguha wandered.
When she and Kuwata joined the Salamander, they found themselves standing over a heavy, textured, metal cover set into the pavement and totally ignored by the bustle surrounding it. Kuwata looked curious while GiNo was matter of fact and <<Wolf>> panted happily. Leafa Grimaced as Suguha started to intuit where this was going.
"So you know how you gave me your ruined jacket to see if there was some scent on it? Well . . ." She held a tuft of red fur pinched between her fingers. "Found it around the rim of the manhole cover."
"Could be a good place to hide." Kuwata reasoned. "Or get around while carrying a bunch of loot." In fact, the old ABC guild had done just that as unwitting pawns in the past. "But . . ."
"Yeah." Suguha didn't like it. Things had changed since then.
The Arrun Sewers had been a sub zone of the city. A sort of low level dungeon that connected to other parts of the <<overworld>> including a couple of routes all the way to <<Jotunheim>> which had been officially barred and closed off by order of the Faerie Court.
The last time Leafa had been down to the sewers she remembered them being rather spacious and far cleaner than any real world sewer had a right to be. And, in some places, where they entered the city, diverting fresh water to the cisterns and reservoirs, they still were. Elegant arched stone tunnels grown over at their mouths by flowering ivy and faintly lit by all sorts of bioluminescents.
In fact, they'd had a few cases of people fooling around in the perceived privacy of these <<'Lovers Grottos'>>.
But as they traveled further under Arrun, that began to change.
Forty thousand eggs. Ten tons of meat. Four thousand liters of dairy. And all those tons of grain and fresh produce. It all came into the city every single day. And every single day . . . it went out.
Thanks to some very hard working and humble people, most Faeries didn't need to think about THAT much at all. Arruns actualization had supplied the city with piping for fresh water. And Gnomes had mapped the sewers, bored holes, and laid pipes from the public water closets that had gone up in every single neighborhood of the city.
The natural flow in the sewers mostly did the rest. Though those same Gnomes were occassionaly down there adjusting things. It wasn't perfect. And people were still a little self conscious about it at times. But at least they didn't have to worry about Arrun smelling like Tristania. Above ground that was.
<<Wolf>> laid down and covered his muzzle with his paws as Kuwata pried the manhole cover open.
"It's okay boy." GiNo patted him. "It's probably best if you stay up here. If you got excited you might light off a methane pocket."
"Can that really happen?" Leafa asked as she held her nose, eyes watering anyways.
"Dunno." The Salamander shrugged. "But his nose probably isn't going to help you much down there?"
"Me?" Leafa's lips pressed into a line.
"We should stay up here, in case you flush him out." GiNo waved a hand. That was a good point, but not good enough, and knowing it the Salamander woman added. "Tell you what, trip to the bath house tonight is on me. Yakitori afterwards." Their gnome raised his hand. "You too Kuwata"
Taking a final breath of fresh hair, the Sylph unencumbered herself of her coat and handed it to GiNo. "I'd hate to have my only spare ruined." She grumbled before following Kuwata as he squeezed his broad frame through the porthole and down an iron ladder.
"Good luck!" GiNo called. Not that it counted for much.
"Just a sec, Pal." Kuwata sounded off as Leafa fell into near darkness. "Let me rustle up a little light." The glitter of glyphs and then a <<Glow Sphere>> appeared in the big Gnome's hand. He let the magic spell float free beside his shoulder, giving them light to see by.
Suguha almost wished he hadn't.
It wasn't as bad as she'd feared it would be. At least the sewers were wide enough that they didn't have to stand in the slowly flowing 'water'. But that left plenty of room for it to be awful. This was close to where it all concentrated before leaving the city, after all. Leafa pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and held it over her mouth and nose while trying to simultaneously stand as close to the damp brick wall as she could without actually touching it.
Even so . . .
'Clammy!' Suguha thought, skin crawling. 'Smelly!' She was trying not to cry. 'Disgusting!' On the outside at least.
"Just gimme a sec. I think I got a map of the sewers here in my notebook." Kuwata said in a stuffy voice as he tried not to breath through his nose. "Kay, just marked where we entered."
"Let's pick a direction then." Leafa waved. Backward or forward, either would do.
They set off, trying to ignore the smell, and the slightly too viscouse wet sounds of their boots on the walkway stones. They weren't really sure what they were looking for, but it was bound to be close to the walls. The Kurotsune certainly wouldn't like this place any better than them.
"Well, he could certainly hustle a lot of stuff through here." Kuwata observed. "Maybe he has expanded his operation."
"But why though?"
"Huh?"
"I mean why would he want to expand his operation?" Leafa elaborated. "The Captain would say that every crime has a means, motive, and opportunity." Leafa waved three fingers and began to count off. "The means is that the Kurotsune is a Sionach Sidhe. He has powerful ALfheim magic at his disposal. And the opportunity is Arrun market. Lots of loose money and small valuables trading hands . . . But what about these vessels. They're not likely to be easy to sell or carry around. What's his motive for stealing them?"
"I dunno. Maybe he just doesn't want his stash of loot to get all crumbied up down here." Kuwata reasoned. "Or maybe he's just doing it because that's what he was programmed to do . . ."
Leafa stopped.
"Uh, you alright, Pal?"
"The mobs are people." The Sylph said flatly. At least the 'intelligent' type mobs were.
Kuwata blinked dumbly then smiled. "Oh sure, Pal. I mean, Wolf's a really good doggo, and my aunt has this gray parrot who has tons of personality just like the Pixies . . ."
"No. I mean they're completely people." Leafa repeated. "The Pixies are people. The Sionach are people." Her niece was a person. "They might have been programmed with their memories and personalities, but their feelings and wills now are completely their own."
Kuwata frowned like he didn't really get it.
Leafa sighed, she decided to think like her brother for a moment. "Look at this way. Can you say for sure that we aren't just following our programming right now?"
"Hey, what are you saying, Pal?!" The big Gnome's expression turned dark in the shadows cast by his <<Glow Orb>>. Leafa wore a distant smile, grabbing at her arm, she looked off into the darkness, the <<Glow Orb>> catching the emerald of her eyes.
"I mean . . . How do you know our memories are any more real than the ones the Pixies have? You don't have any tangible evidence. How do you know you existed before your Faerie body was created? Maybe we're all just mobs and haven't realized it yet."
"Because I remember Tokyo! I remember attending university! I even remember my girlfriend dumping me!" Kuwata grunted, clenching a fist. "I remember it clear as day!"
"And the Pixies remember lots about ALfheim as it was for them." The Sylph pointed out. "And other mobs even remember the Faerie King and Queen."
"Well whatever! I'm my own man and I make my own decisions! I'm not programmed to do anything!"
"Exactly." Leafa's expression softened and her whole body relaxed like a spring releasing tension. She collapsed back against her inner self and felt the comfortable assurance of who she was.
"Huh?"
"That's what I'm saying." She smiled and shook her head. "I don't really believe any of that stuff. That we aren't ourselves, I mean. I just said it to make a point. But this place is a little spooky . . . So I guess it's easy to think like that down here."
Kuwata stared at her, then chuckled nervously. "Y-Yeah . . . I g-guess you're right, Pal. Heh! Hey look!" The big gnome pointed to a T in the sewer where two paths came together. Sticking from the brick corner was another small tuft of fur just below waist height.
"Stands to reason." Kuwata said. "He'd have that tail trailing behind him all the time.
They now had two points and with something to look for, the number quickly grew from two, to three, then four, and five. With each discovery, Kuwata marked off their location on his map and as they got into the groove Suguha even forgot that she felt disgusting sweating through her clothes in the stiffling and stagnant air until . . .
"Found another one!" Leafa called down from the top of an access ladder. This one had been sticking out of a cover right on Kromt street. That was almost half way around Arrun from the market!
Which was when she finally noticed something a little odd. She squinted at the bundle of course fir and the way it knotted around its middle. Not like a loose tuft pulled from a careless tail at all. More like a bundle.
"Kuwata?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you show me the other hair tufts?"
"Sure Pal!" The Gnome handed over his notebook. "See, I even taped them over where we found them."
And now that was looking at them side by side. The same tightly wound bundles of course undercoat hairs. She thought about Caits, and she thought what her friend Silica said about when she was shedding. And then her lips pressed into a thin line and her hands began to shake.
"Uuugh!"
"Something wrong, Kirigaya?" Kuwata took a couple halting steps back, catching himself before what would have been a traumatizing fall into the ostensible water.
"I don't believe this!" Leafa trembled with only barely contained rage. "This bushy tail has us running in circles!"
______________________________________________
The sun was setting by the time Kirigaya Suguha had finally finished for the day. It was setting earlier and earlier as autumn progressed. Turning in her report with the Watch Office and staggering to collect Yui from school. Yui and the other children were busy orchestrating some sort of aerial game in the evening sky over the school grounds. Though the rules seemed to still be in flux.
Yui had hit the ground running, her arms and legs covered in a fresh days worth of scratchs and scrapes. She was sure Kirito would be delighted and Asuna would be mortified by this.
Her niece was turning into quite the little tomboy Suguha thought as Yui had thrown herself around Leafa's middle, only ending the embrace when she detected the distinct whiff clinging to her aunt.
"It's been a long day." She told Yui as sweetly as she could muster.
It was hard feeling energized after what had happened. Like her enthusiasm was completely snuffed out. She wondered if that had been what the Kurotstune was thinking the whole time.
Her niece, when she was being earily adult and insightful, would call that <<Theory of Mind>>. The Kurotsune was thinking about other people thinking.
'I bet he was watching and laughing at us.' Suguha thought darkly to herself.
He was definitely a real person alright. Only a real person could be such a gigantic . . .
"We're home!" Yui called out as she kicked off her shoes at the front door and ran to toss her book bag in her room.
Yui always shouted 'We're home!' whether there was anyone home or not. She said it was a good luck charm to make the house feel less lonely. But at least for tonight it happened to also be true.
Siesta must have figured out how to work the ore-lamps. The wood floors glowed with a luster under their warm yellow light. Leafa got her boots off, and her socks which . . . smelled like a complete write off . . . Before hanging her coat on the polished hook by the door and making dejectedly for stairs and her room.
All she wanted as she padded through the immaculate kitchen was to strip down, dump a full pot full of water over her head, and scrub. Preferably until her skin fell off. She didn't even care if it was ice cold.
"Good evening, Miss." Siesta said, standing from a chair at the kitchen table where she seemed to have been doing something with a rag and some of the cuttlery. "I hope you had a good day."
"Mmm." Leafa replied. "Evening." She grabbed the banister and started up the stairs . . .
Then the pounding of barefeet as the Sylph came stumbling back down. She hit the slickly polished tile and nearly broke her neck skidding.
"Eeeeeehhh!" The Sylph rubbed her tired eyes, sure she was dreaming. "W-What?!"
"I'm sorry." Siesta courtesied her dark skirt. "It occured to me that, while you were in Tarbes, you were not being put up for free by the village. You were there to help my family, so there was no debt to repay. So I thought I should put myself to use while staying here." She paused. "I am very sorry if I have overstepped my bounds, Miss."
"N-No." Leafa stammered, waving her hands. "I mean you didn't overstep any bounds. You didn't do anything wrong at all! You got all of this done just today?!"
Without any appliances?
"I'm used to hard work, Miss." Siesta answered simply. "And the Academy service staff is all fully trained. It was not all that difficult once I found the soap and some brushes."
Well, they had tried to keep the house clean, after they'd first moved in. Suguha thought. They'd done a lot better job when it was the four of them. Brother couldn't stand for the bath to get even the slightest bit dirty, and somehow the kitchen only got cleaner while Asuna was cooking.
But this . . .
Every surface looked like it had been polished or dusted by hand. The kitchen hearth was swept clean and set with fresh logs and kindling, only the most persisten soot stains remained. The dishes had been returned to their nooks on the shelves. The glasses were almost invisible. The silveware gleamed. Even the ore-lamp light seemed a little cleaner and brighter.
"I am most relieved, Miss." Siesta said simply and with a smile. "Though I'm afraid I didn't prepare anything for evening meal as I did not know your palette or interary."
"My what?" Leafa shook her head. "Y'know what, that's totally fine." She grinned a little. Coming home to a clean house was certainly . . . energizing. Enough to even feel a little feisty. "In fact, I have a friend who owes me a bath and Yakitori."
And Suguha was going to get her money's worth!
