Chapter Eight - A Visit

[doradoradora]

8 - A Visit

Len greeted her with a grin, having changed into a pair of black slacks and a blue shirt to match the one Yuri wore. He had also donned all of the jewelry he'd taken from the dresser, which seemed to include multiple earrings, a couple of discrete silver rings on each hand, and at least one necklace that had been tucked into his shirt. "I'm glad that it fits," he said. "Are you ready to go?"

Yuri nodded, absently checking the pajama pants thrown over one arm for the pendant Corwyn had given her. When she felt its reassuring weight in one of the pockets, she nodded brightly. "Yup. When's the carriage gonna be here?"

"Mer said half an hour about half an hour ago," Len replied, offering Yuri his arm. "While he may tend to be lazy if he has nothing scheduled, if he says something will happen at a certain time, it will happen at that time."

"Oh, yeah," Yuri said, sliding her arm into his. "Ro said that the first time I came here, I think." With her free hand, she smoothed down her shirt and adjusted the kilt on her hips. "Anyway, you said something about a festival, right? What's the occasion?"

Leading her down the narrow steps, Len nodded. "Yes, Nachtlin will be celebrating Festival at the end of the month. It's the holiday that commemorates the trials of the Mother's chosen ones as they fled across Adan to the Dark Coast and founded what would become this city." He let her arm slide from his as he moved to open the front door for her. "For the first five days, it is customary to light candles in the windows of our dwellings," he continued. "Once the vigil is over, we celebrate in the form of week-long festivities."

Outside, Mer slouched in a chair, one booted foot propped on an adjacent table, one hand dangling almost to the wood of the deck, and the half-smoked cigarette he'd stubbed out between his lips. He had chosen to wear a pair of dark breeches tucked into knee-high leather boots and a white shirt the cut of which put Yuri in mind of a swashbuckler. "I'm guessing, based on what Ro and I talked about the last time we got to see you, that you haven't partaken in Festival before," Mer announced, using his other hand to light the stub.

"It's true," Yuri admitted, "but it seems pretty cool."

"Oh, it is!" Mer agreed, hopping to his feet in a sudden burst of motion that somehow failed to knock over any of the furniture (though Yuri noted that the table wobbled just a little in his wake). His face lit up with a wide grin that made his brown eyes glitter. "Hey! Look at you, all dressed up. That old kilt looks so much better on you. We've got to get you some shoes, though. Len might like to leave his toes at the mercy of everyone else, but your feet are too cute to let them get dirty."

He waved the hand that clutched the cigarette, leaving wide arcs of sweet smoke wafting through the air. "Anyway, I hope you're staying for a while. The vigil starts in two days, and then Festival kicks off. Then it's pretty much a week of wine, women, music, and a lot of other stuff that should probably interest me as a civic-minded individual, but who cares after the wine and the women?"

"I'll be honest," Yuri said, fighting not to redden, "I'm not really that interested in wine or women."

Mer's face fell, and he favored Yuri with a most stricken-- and excruciatingly melodramatic-- expression. "I am so sorry to hear that," he said, his tone just as overly dramatic as his face. "I mean, a fine pair of breasts is probably--"

"That is quite enough, Mercutio," Len interrupted, clearing his throat.

He glanced past Mer and into the street, which had become significantly more lively since Yuri had arrived. "Is that the carriage you called for?" he asked, an edge of scandalized horror creeping into his voice.

Yuri followed his gaze and saw a massive coach rolling inexorably toward the cafe. It was made of some sort of dark wood that was carved into intricate designs of vine-wrapped trees and large ferns gilt in gold. Thick green drapes shielded the passenger compartment from view, but the coach was large enough that Yuri estimated it could comfortably hold six broad and surly people. Of the driver, there was no sign, nor could she see exactly what sort of animals pulled it.

"Oh my Gods," Len groaned, covering his face with the palm of his hand and shaking his head slowly. "It is the carriage you called for, isn't it? Oh my Gods, are you thick? What, exactly, is discrete about that?" He gestured helplessly down the street.

"Come on, Len, you need to relax," Mer said. "I just thought it'd be nice to go in comfort, and it's not like we can't afford it. Speaking of which, I know you're new to the area, Miss Yuri, and I have planned ahead!" He lodged what remained of his cigarette in the corner of his mouth and patted himself down until he produced a wallet from which he drew a few bills. He extended them to Yuri. "This is twenty dynas. Not sure how much it'd be where you're from, interplanar exchange rates being nonexistent and all, but it's enough to get you some shoes and a couple of nice things at the bazaar."

Hesitantly, Yuri took the bills and inspected them. A little larger than a dollar, they were a calming pastel blue with green and yellow accents and a large portrait of a fine-featured man of indeterminate age facing a segreant dragon like the ones she'd seen near the Cathedral. There was writing on it, a caption of some sort, she assumed, but it resembled little more than a few odd twists and curls. She deliberately folded the bills and reached into the neck of her shirt to lodge them under one breast in the not-terribly-supportive shelf bra built into her camisole. "Thank you," she said a little awkwardly. "I don't know when or if I'll be able to pay you back, but I'll try."

Mer waved a hand dismissively, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it! Getting the opportunity to rub elbows with as distinguished a person as yourself is good enough for me. I just can't wait to settle in and just pick your brain about where you come from!" He grinned widely. "Until then, I'd be a terrible host if I didn't see to it that you're comfortable. Besides, I can afford it every once in a while, despite what Mister Discreet over there thinks."

Before Len could do much more than open his mouth to argue, the carriage drew parallel to the front of the cafe. The door on the side swung open of its own accord, exposing an incredibly opulent interior which Yuri guessed could in fact seat eight broad and surly occupants with ease. "All right, then, lock it up!" Mer said, jauntily tossing Len a set of keys over one shoulder and making a break for the carriage.

Len deftly snatched the keys out of the air, shaking his head and shuffling back to the door. Yuri heard two loud clicks which she assumed were the locks, then Len again flashed her a winning smile. "What's done is done," he said quietly to her, "so I suppose we really should just enjoy it. Shall we?"

Yuri returned Len's smile, taking his arm and gamely falling into step beside him. "Sure!"

*

As it turned out, traveling between the house Kiih shared with Ro and the Sunset Cafe only took about ten minutes by coach. Yuri barely had enough time to pull the pendant out of her pocket, stow her pants under the plush bench, and settle into a window seat before the coach slid to a smooth stop and the door across from her swung open.

Mer jumped up and leaned out the door. "Ooh, looks like we're in luck. I think they're home!" He pulled himself back into the cabin and motioned at Yuri. "Ladies first, of course."

"This will not take long," Len said. "Why not wait here?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Mer replied cheerfully. "Come on, all ashore! If we're lucky, we can probably con Ro into making Kiih make us something to eat."

Yuri pushed herself reluctantly off her seat and stretched her legs. Gripping the bar next to the door, she hopped out of the coach as gracefully as she could manage. She heard a soft thump as Len disembarked, then Mer noisily clambering out next, followed by the sound of the carriage door latching shut.

Before Yuri had taken more than a handful of steps toward the cottage, the door burst open and Kiih strode out a look of mean determination on his face. A good portion of his hair had been caught up in small braids, like dreadlocks decorated with tiny golden beads, and most of it had been pinned into a loose knot at the top of his head before being allowed to flow freely down his back. His right hand rested easily on the hilt of a sword that hung from his left hip, and the ties to the cuffs of his shirt (which was cut much like the ones Len and Yuri wore) fluttered in the wake of his motion. "I swear to you," he snarled, "if you don't--"

"We love you too, Kiih!" Mer called jovially. "You going to invite us in?"

"Oh, for Mother's sake!" Kiih cried, throwing his hands up in disgust. "What in the Gods' names are you doing here?"

Both of Mer's hands grasped Yuri's shoulders and propelled her forward. "This fine young woman says that you have something of hers," Mer replied when they were within easy speaking distance. "And I thought that it'd probably be good for Ro to get out of the house. I swear, I don't know how he survives sequestered like this."

Kiih merely rolled up his shirt sleeves and crossed his arms over his chest. "What I don't understand is how a self-proclaimed linguistic genius such as yourself can possibly misconstrue the phrase 'go hang yourself' in as many ways as you do." He sighed and turned to glare down at Yuri. "He's talking about the shoulder bag you had with you, and that helmet?"

"Yeah, that's it," she said, nodding brightly in an attempt to deflect Kiih's bitterness. "I had some notebooks in there, and my cell phone, and I think I had a paperback book in there. At least if you can still call it a paperback with its covers taped on."

"It started to make strange noises after a few days, so I gave it to Silaelin for safe-keeping," Kiih said, his expression pinched. "If you want it, simply find her; I'm sure she will return it to you. You can leave now."

"Not a chance," Mer said indignantly. He hooked one arm around Yuri's shoulders and dragged her forward, elbowing Kiih aside as they passed. "Hey, Ro, we're breaking you out!" he hollered toward the cottage.

When Yuri saw Kiih's hand drift back toward the hilt of his sword and grip it so firmly his knuckles went white, she balked. "You know, antagonizing the jerkface who's standing there with a sword looking ready to chop us up really probably isn't the greatest idea in the world," she hissed at Mer through clenched teeth.

"Bah, he won't kill me," he replied easily, tugging on her shoulders until she reluctantly began dragging her feet again. "Oh, he'll want to, but, for one thing, his job won't let him, and, for another, Len won't let him, and he knows it."

By the time the thought to question Mer's statement made it to her mouth, Ro appeared in the door, his red hair sticking out at odd angles. "Oy, ya three, stop makin' a scene and come inside." He squinted over Yuri's shoulder, bringing into focus the lines underneath his eyes. "Oh, sorry Len," he said finally, "di'n see ya there. Ya four. Inside, iffin ya don't mind."

Yuri turned to Kiih in time to see his expression go stony. "I would greatly appreciate it if you wouldn't cut me off at the knees," he said, his words clipped and angry. "We are here for a reason. More importantly, I am here for a reason."

His words hung in the air for a moment, heavy with some meaning Yuri couldn't grasp. Ro merely shrugged tiredly and motioned everyone inside. "I'll get us some tea," he continued, as though Kiih had said nothing. "Ya're needed in town anyway, there's no reason we shouldn't go with Miss Yuri, Mer, and Len."

Kiih's shoulders slumped, his hand moving from his sword to instead rest on Mer's shoulder. "I swear to you, I will end you one day," he said, though Yuri heard more resignation in his tone than any actual rancor.

Mer nodded cheerfully in agreement. "It's true, but not before we get well and drunk. I mean, so far gone that even you start slurring, and then you go for my throat and miss, and I get a rakish scar for your trouble."

Kiih shook his head. "Let's skip the tea and just get this over with."