Chapter 6

  The carriage rumbled back towards the manor. "I think that went well," Adric stated toward a pting Harmony.

  Getting back to the carriage was not without i. The crowd of newshounds and fans had swelled outside while they were inside waiting. Using [Stride Before the Fall] to leap ahead and avoid the crowds had been a mistake. Knowing she wasn’t going to stay in the crowd the Harmo behind had been emboldeoes weren’t stepped on, but some might have frostbite. [Style and Grace] had her looking good while doing it, and when one particurly aggressive questioner used a barrier skill to block her way. She’d gone all out [Small Armor] and [High Kick] for the ots. Nails turo cws coated ih [Manipute Dead] and [Cold Touch]. The fear in the man’s eyes when she pierced his shield, nearly pung her hand into him, until poof she was gone. Harmony e, the amusement of a st act. Her with nothing to lose, a she lost nothing out of the experience. Of course, if she had something to lose she’d never act that way. She forced herself away from that internal struggle to the present.

  “Adric. Let me ask you a question. How long did it take you to go from level fifteen to twenty-five?”

  “A couple of years. … Oh. “

  Not all pets were smart enough to speak multiple nguages or t to ten like Ambrosia’s birds. Yet, you love them all the same. She hadn’t known him before he’d died, so maybe bringing Adric back from the dead had removed some of his brain? That wasn’t to say gaining those levels would be impossible.

  “Evolved citizens do it, I’m sure we too.” She assured him. With her current issues, she’d po push hard, but probably not forty days to evolve hard. Old Bones and Hemlock couldn’t be blind to how people in this area usually advance when they made that agreement. It ’t be a ce that she also o advance because of her authority issues?

  Harmony tinued. “It still isn’t a lot of time. I’m sure Hemlock will release this information soon. Assuming he didn't do that as soon as we exited the building. Because of that, we’ll leave for the capitol tomorrow instead of in a few days. I'm sorry your aunt will have missed the opportunity to visit.” She wasn’t sorry.

  Prince Adric frowned. “And she’s been telling me privately how much she’s been looking forward to meeting you. All this space between you is so she maintain propriety.”

  The rest of the day will be busy enough getting packed up. Though maybe not that busy, as she remembered her sparse wardrobe. She’d help Ambrosia with whatever the beast teamer needed before the trip. They hadn’t had much time to talk outside of the Maid/Lady retionship sihe cert. How well her friend switched roles was always impressive.

  Using [Recall] Harmony focused on stabilizing memories after the earlier excitement, one way to train the skill was by seeing how far she could dig into her memories. First being hired at Coodly Manor. Moving off the streets. A smile from her mom, before the actress focused only on herself. With all her energy there the other skills calmed. [Recall] wao remi made her drift off, lost in thoughts as a side effect after acquiring it. That and dwell on things she didn’t want to.

  Home, when the door didn’t swing open for Harmony, Adric stepped up and ope for her. The entrance was empty of Bates and Ambrosia, yet she didn't notice. Training [Recall] had fws, her attention drifted to old memories rather than the present. She stepped into the lounge having not missed the subtle hints around the ck of service at her arrival.

  The two servants stood with refreshments in hand. In the lou tess Mayes, her sketches graced the news sheets as much as Harmony’s. The tall elderly woman with bck hair, streaked by a line of gray, sat benevolently in one of the chairs. A bit of panic gripped the neancer’s chest at the unpnned meeting. [Poise and Bearing] and she could hahis. Mayes however was not alo was the sed woman sitting with her, whose familiar skills tugged at everyoo pay attention to her, that set Harmony off. “Mother!?”

  [Stride Before the Fall] The retreat didn’t fully work. Harmony stood outside the manor doors. It was the greatest distance she’d ever managed with the skill. Her gut told her it was because it was along the path she’d just traveled. It was hard to e to grips with what exactly her skill was. The fresh air and space calmed all of her with the idea that this was where she could stay. When stantly assaulted by internal impulses os good at f calm. [Cold Touch] couldn't even numb her feelings anymore, not that she did that uhy tactic these days.

  Fag her mother after all these years was the st thing she wahe pressure to choose got heavy after nearly a mihere was no pain, but the act of existe heavy. Taki moments aloh gratitude, Harmohe her that sat outside their little manor disperse.

  While part of her was getting fresh air, the Harmony that stood shocked at the pany analyzed the situation, grateful at the bit of space she was receiving. If everythi wrong she could merely disappear here.

  “e surprised when I heard you haven't invited your poor mother to celebrate your rise to the peerage. Since I had an open invitation, I thought I’d kindly ihe woman as my guest for the visit, Lady White.” tess Mayes spoke up in the silence.

  The extra calm helped prevent Harmony from shing out after what had already been a tiring m. This bitch brought her mother, and if anything was ted as a hostile act, that was. Her social skills uhe influence of her new aristocratic status demanded a respoo su intrusion. The slow grind of being ignored had been bad enough.

  “Such a timely visit. It saves me the task of notifying you that I’ll be departing with your nephew in the m for the capital. My responsibility towards Hazeldown and the kingdom demands it.” Hemlock had implied that this petition would be a be for them.

  The tess shot to her feet at that. Her full height stretched out a head taller than Bates. The head butler was not short, even standing a little bit taller than Prince Adribsp;

  The news bits Harmony had g wrote of her rger-than-life personality, [Recall] sed to see if Adric ever mentioly how tall the woman was, but the dy maid pulled up a bnk. As intimidating as such height could be, her head could rest uhe woman’s bust and there would still be clearance. People trying to use their height against her was nothing new, as even short men had attempted it.

  “As much as your purported trol over my nephew. It is the prince's choice as to where he goes.“

  There was some logic to that. Harmony loathed to boss her undead pet around. He’s an intelligent being. Though, so was his rainbow coatl. Bowe. Ambrosia preached independence. She also preached o abandon one's pets or to make them feel that way. Too much distance or worry caused them to act out in eous ways. Rather than try to force her way into the primal bond she had with him she looked at Adribsp; [Poise and Bearing] suppressed a shudder, as she’d fotten to remove the leash she’d crafted for him at the guild house.

  The man fiddled with the end of it. Nervously looking bad forth between his aunt and his master. Harmony suspected he eople pleaser before his css ged to the-dy’s-pet-prince giving him a more subservie. How csses shaped who you were weighted more ohoughts since her own ge. A on worry that often es post-evolution. Mid-progression-crisis it was called and often came with ging friendships, buying fshy outfits, and general misbehavior. Whole chapters in Tyler’s old How to Be a Lord Handbook covered it, including topi whether you should feel guilty about iing with subservient csses. The book said “no” but [High Kick] wao find the author and kick him hard.

  “Does that mean he’s been aowledged and draw funds again for his care?” Harmony asked.

  Having been decred dead had caused the man’s ats to be frozen. Simir to the issues discovered with his guild membership. It ain for them. The whole operation of the manor was solely funded oipend as a new aristocrat. Adric assured her the tess would have loved to help, but o remain impartial.

  The fra of a wince smoothed out by a social skill gave the woman away. “That’s a bit plicated. I don’t have… well Adic is a resourceful boy, his tales of how he slummed it after his restoration show that he have full independence.”

  That had been without the cost to house and feed Bowe, and the cost to house ahe rge exotic pet was not insignifit. While he’d have access to the manor. Costs at the capitol were rumored to be double or triple that of Hazeldown, so maybe his staying could be best?

  The whole argument was moot. The Neancer knew her pet wouldn’t leave her. She couldn’t evehe bond if she tried. There was reat. The Harmony that stood outside the manor had already let go.

  “Adric, dear, why don’t you discuss this with your aunt. After all, this is your choice.” Harmony wished it actually was. Then she’d feel better about their situation-ship.

  The risen priepped forward and the tess embraced him. “I don’t want to lose you again.” the woman cooed. At their height differehe embrace pulled his fato the woman’s bosom. That hug was much more than a family embrace. Harmony trolled her rea. Adric could deal with his own messes. sidering she wouldn’t touch her mother in any embrace, maybe she was reading it wrong.

  Bates opehe exit to the lounge, direg the two to more private spaces, accelerating the departure of the two like any good servant. As soon as the door shut behind the aristocrats. Harmo her attention snap to the uninvited guest.

  Ice crystals radiated out around the Neancer, crag and popping at the speed they developed, creating an effect like she was standing at the ter of a snowfke. “What made you think I wao see you, mother?” Cold fury, rather than the usual numbness of [Cold Touch] let loose. [High Kick] booting its power up a notbsp;

  Was that guilt on the woman’s face, or her ag skill pretending to feel guilty? After all the years the woman hadn’t reached out. Harmony reminded herself that a dy did not throw out guests. Ambrosia who had barely tained anger on her face waited almost eagerly. One of course had their servants do that.

  “I couldn’t refuse an invitation from the tess. She’s a patron of the arts. She didn’t even tell me where we were going. If I’d known…" Hazeldown's beggar queen of the stage adjusted herself. “You’ve done well for yourself and you’ve every right to be upset with me “

  Well for herself? She was dang towards death or being crippled by her skills. Hyath was hurting uhe burden of it all. The woman would only see her position. “All of this adva. The good. The bad. I’ve do without you.” The way her mom had siphoned off some credit in the gossip ns bothered her, and those were only what she had seen glimpses of.

  “I know that.”

  “Do you, mother? I’ve read the interviews.”

  “That’s business.” The actress insisted with a hint of frailty in her voibsp;

  The cold inside Harmony thawed a little. Maybe… [Mana Rotation] kicked in and Harmony could setle threads of mana ing from her mother and the rush ripped the skill out of her system. [Beggar’s Lament] a skill to evoke sympathy.

  “How dare you. Ambrosia, escort uest out.”

  “I’m sorry! I want to ect with you. When I heard you got the manor job I figured you were safe, and work was so busy.”

  “With pleasure,” Ambrosia annouhe maid stepped betweewo of them and started to politely remove the woman. Rather than watch, Harmony closed her eyes, it was only after she couldn’t feel the effects of her mother's presence she worked oing under trol and assuring herself the threat was gone.

  Arms ed around her and shivered from the cold. She let Ambrosia’s warmth finish thawing her, grateful she wasn’t in this alohank you.”

  “Anything for you, Harm.” Her friend answered.

  KitFalbo