Chapter ElevenThe rge tub was exquisite, magic kept the temperature stantly pleasantly warm, meaning any hiccups from [Cold Touch] wouldn’t make the water turn frigid. While cold no longer bothered her as much as it used to, the sudden ck of warmth was damn annoying when her skill misbehaved.

  “Scoot over.”

  Harmony’s eyes opened, pulling her out of her rexed state to watch Ambrosia, already naked, step into the tub.

  “Hey!”

  “You’ve got plenty of spa that water-bearing monstrosity. My official shift ended five minutes ago and I’ve yet to get a break since arriving in this damned city. You try anizing a cacophony of evolved musical csses and professions, they literally have diva as a profession.”

  Rather than sh out, Harmony slipped her head halfway uhe water and blew bubbles. Ambrosia did look exhausted, even as she rexed oher side of the tub. As much as Harmony could debate the hard choices her friend had made on her behalf, she had made them quickly and executed them well. [Restore Spirit] synergized with the healing aspeend] as the neancer pushed her skill out to help her maid.

  The blonde visibly released even more. “Thanks, Harm.”

  Harmony popped her head back out of the water. “So, what’s the deal with this pce?” The tub, the room, and the inn had been ued. Adric had never visited the young lordling housing but had heard of it, and that was what they’d pnned for.

  “The Celr, because they age lords like wine, was a shit show. A fixed staff who is more ied in backstabbing and trading favors than work. No outside employment tracts iower, Bates and I would have found ourselves cut off from you. No space for Hyath or Bowe. Adric’s status wasn’t even going to be touched, like he was rising fire le, at best he’d be your pet in your single bedroom because all housing had to do with temporal seniority. If it were about the amount of authority, I’d have thought you could have gotten a det room.”

  “And so you got us this pace?”

  “Damn right, I did. I leveraged every e I had. Enough people were w when they’d meet this dy neancer appearing in the back pages of some of the news sheets and showing up in a song or two. And whatever issue the royals are having with Adric’s return, the people are curious. Ma Bell, who owns this pce was ied enough to offer up rooms, meals, their training space, and panion care for the pets and familiars. I only needed a grary and some, um, cessions.”

  The hesitation and embarrassment at that st word made Harmony more a Ambrosia’s ck of social skills than any potential cessions. As good as she was, without a skill to back it up, it was like running into battle without armor.

  The neancer pyfully spshed water at Ambrosia, chilling it with [Cold Touch] as she sent it her way. “cessions? Spsh. “cessions?” Spsh. “What do we have to do for all this?” Spsh.

  “Eeep! Stop it, Harm. I may not have my birds on me, but I still pin you down with my leverage, short stuff.”

  Beast Tamers aren’t known for physical bat, so unless Ambrosia had picked up some fancy skill stones, Between the bat of [High Kick] and twisty defense of [Small Amor] Harmony retty sure she could take her rger friend. Reag uhe water she grabbed Ambrosia’s aell me.”

  “Adric is to be avaible most evenings in the social lounge. Kind words, empty small-talk, gushing about the aodations. You both will show up and sit at Ma Bell’s table fhtly formal dinners. I’m to open for two musical performances a week at the inn’s small stage. That is the cost of the room and board. We’re the summer’s hot odity. We’ll only get more i as news of the Hazeldown Asdant Games spreads when it is announced.”

  A kind way of saying the summer’s freakshow. Hazeldown’s joyous rea to their first locally-raised dy was ohing. The Capital has other reasons i will be drawn to them. In the back of her head, Hyath fitfully tried to sleep at this unfamiliar location. Any tool offered to ease their burden was worthy of being used. “That’s good.”

  “Don’t be too sour. I pyed into the long trip so you have off until dinner, where you’ll meet Ma Bell. In the meantime, I brought your favorite thing. Books! Mostly ret guides for Nae’s Garden, Progressing 30 levels in 3000 Days, by Caros, and The Evolved Maid’s Handbook 7th edition."

  Did books make up for all the shenanigans to get this pce? A little. Harmony stood up ahe water runoff of her before stepping out of the tub.

  "The books are in the er by the dragonfly resting on a lily painting," Ambrosia added as she fully stretched out iub.

  [Stride Before the Fall]. It was time to see how quickly two of her could work through the pile. The Harmony, dry and free of any lingering dampness, tossed a book to herself.

  Reading two different books was doable, but gave Harmony a headache. She could only get through a couple of pages before the skill ended. Settling on The Evolved Maid's Handbook, she thumbed toward the se on dinner parties. Even with [Recall], it never hurts to read up on current expectations. This time she was a guest and not a servant, but there was a lot you could pick up if you read between the lines.

  Ambrosia's half-dozed humming from the tub supplied background music for her reading. The beast tamer was going to be all wrinkly by the time she got out of the still-steaming tub. Maybe this pce wasn't that bad at all.