Chapter 109: 108 Cherries and Chestnuts

"Would you like some tea, Lady Diana?" 

Diana was met with one of the maids immediately upon exiting her bedroom. She had become used to this by now, but the first few times it startled her. Apparently these women in plain clothing were meant to attend to their every need, at least that was what they were expected to do. It was a given that the sons and daughters of royalty and influential political figures would be used to having someone ready to serve them at their beck and call, however Diana was not used to this.

"I think that would be wonderful, Cherry. I am heading down to the study, would you be able to bring it there?" This maid in particular was Cherry, apparently named as such because of the color of her hair. Diana initially had suspicions as to why she had an English name, however they cleared up once she came to the realization that she wasn't named after the fruit, but after the color. A color Diana would recognize as 'cherry'.

"I most certainly can! Do you have any requests as to the taste for today?"

"As always, I shall leave that to you. I cannot yet claim to have a favorite, though that blend you made three days ago that smelled like flowers was quite delicious." Diana appreciated the unceasingly cheery Cherry, enough so to unofficially appoint her to be her semi-personal attendant.

Apparently she was something of a klutz, so the rest of the mansion's staff were more than happy to offload tea duty onto her. Speaking of her tea, Diana found she made a mean cup. Even the less appealing examples she had been presented with were of high quality. 

"I will keep that information in mind when brewing your next cup, Lady Diana. Was it the sweetness or the aroma that pleased you?"

Diana raised her head to look at the ceiling ahead of her, trying her hardest to remember that experience. "I believe it was a combination of the sweeter taste and the subdued aroma, though I must admit the fact I started drinking it when it was lukewarm may have played a part."

"Mhm, I see! I'll get something whipped up for you right away!" Diana noticed Cherry curl her pinky finger inward out of the corner of her eye. Cherry was very forgetful sometimes, so Diana had told her to attach a task to a furled finger. Apparently she had taken the lesson to heart. "Was there anything else?"

"Oh, the fruity water. Have you guys been enjoying it?."

Cherry actually clapped her hands, not unusual behavior for her but still surprising to hear this soon after waking up. "Oh it's just the greatest! Fruits! Especially the juicier ones are expensive. Being able to extend the duration of our fruits while keeping ourselves refreshed and maintaining the taste has just been delightful!"

Diana frowned internally, despite the translation Charry was still somewhat nonsensical from time to time. Diana couldn't pin down a reason, but she felt there to be a good chance Cherry might be mentally impaired. So far, Cherry was the only one whose sentences sounded incorrect. Manama's accent didn't count.

"That's good. I'd like to also ask you to inform the staff at the door to come directly to me should there be knocking. We have a very important guest coming over today, you see, and I would like to avoid her from going crazy around other people."

"Crazy? Like the Nemo lady from yesterday?"

Diana sighed. She felt that analogy to be wholly inappropriate if a bit on the mark. "Yes, though she shouldn't be nearly as violent. She isn't used to other people, so I really don't want her doing something stupid."

Diana was, of course, referring to Mercedes. She was still just a puppy, and it had been almost two weeks since they had separated. It was entirely possible she would go ballistic once she saw Diana, and practically guaranteed to once she got a whiff of Don. They had been practically inseparable during their stay on the Oberlux, and she shuddered to imagine how depressed that pup was without him.

Hopefully she found the Arboreal Maiden to be suitable company.

"I will relay it. I'll bring you your drink shortly."

"Thank you Cherry."

- - - - -

The Arboreal Maiden guided Mercedes to the front door of the barracks, holding on to her leash far harder than may have been strictly necessary for the occasion. This wasn't because she feared that Mercedes would try and run, but because she was nervous that her disguise might not work as well as she thought. She had completely forgone her characteristic clothing and regalia, instead wearing more 'normal' clothing. This included her blindfold, though she had to get creative with how she dealt with her hair.

This nervousness, however negative it might normally be viewed, was exhilarating to her. How long had it been since she had taken a chance with something? Something that could actually affect her in a meaningful way? It had to be a few hundred thousand at minimum. How reclusive had she become.

Shaking her reservations away, she knocked on the door. She was fully aware of the fact that Mercedes could faintly smell her most favoritest of people, she could make them out as well, but she trusted the canine to hold herself together until she had visual confirmation.

"Excuse me, I believe my arrival was anticipated?"

A voice from inside. "One moment. The lady of the house has requested to greet you personally."

The Arboreal Maiden nodded, understanding why Diana would arrange their meeting this way. Not only was there Mercedes to deal with, but she had to be introduced as well.

"Oh dear . . . I hadn't considered that." The Arboreal Maiden came to the realization that she hadn't come up with an alias. The disguise would be meaningless if she didn't change her name. Fortunately it would appear she had some time to ponder it.

It couldn't be something that could be related to her symbolically, not that she thought anybody would connect the dots without a serious misstep on her part, yet it should also probably have a relationship with her physical appearance as was common with most names.

'Violet' after her eyes maybe? No, that seemed to be a bit too on the nose.

'Snow'? Maybe 'Crystal' on account of her complexion? No, she had been watching too many dramas. She wouldn't be able to detach those names from pets or strippers.

That really only left her hair then. 'Chestnut' was probably the best color for it, and it had the side benefit of translating to a type of tree. As far as she could recall, that was also a common thing to name people after.

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She came to this conclusion just as Diana pulled the door open.

- - - - -

"Hello babyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!" Diana made certain to lower her body as close to the floor as possible, blocking the entrance so Mercedes wouldn't make it past her. It wouldn't do to have her urinating on the rug in her excitement. 

As expected, Mercedes practically flew into her arms, screaming and whining in the breaks between her desperate licking. The Arboreal Maiden had, understandably, let go of the leash. It wouldn't do to have the dog get tangled up while she endlessly spun around.

In the meantime, Diana leaned into the affection with all of her might, aggressively ruffling Mercedes' fur with both hands and pressing her face into the incoming kisses. "Did you miss da momma? Did you miss me?!" As Diana's hands reached the dog's rump, Mercedes switched her attention from Diana's face to her hands and arms, bestowing upon them both love nips and aggressive kisses.

"How have you been? Did you have fun?! Did you have fun with the Maiden!?"

As expected, Mercedes began to tinkle a bit. As planned, it stayed on the stone platform and away from the wood and rugs.

"We had a great time." Chestnut adjusted her dress as they had their moment. A disguise was not a reason to appear less presentable. "She had so much fun chasing the Skwiven around the forests of the Inner Sanctum, and she had a steady supply of meaty treats courtesy of the Scholar."

"Really now?" Diana dropped her high energy tone for but a moment, returning back to it when Mercedes demanded her attention.

"Indeed. Whenever she wasn't eating or playing, she was asleep or resting in the shade. I tried to train her from time to time in accordance with your wishes, however she did not seem particularly motivated to listen to me."

"Oh? Where you a bad girl Mercedes? Did you ignore the Arboreal Maiden? Bad girl Mercedes, bad girl!" Diana said this, but she very clearly didn't mean it. At least not for the moment.

"I would like to be called 'Chestnut' for the time being."

"Chestnut?" Diana was genuinely taken aback by this, only upon looking up a the Arboreal Maiden did Diana understand. She looked far different than she normally did, though she had done little to manipulate her physical characteristics.

Her dress was made of a light blue fabric with a green floral pattern and barely reached her shins. Her shoes, the same blue hue as her dress, could be described as stylish, though Diana had no idea what type of shoe they actually were. They seemed to be some sort of combination of a high heel and tennis shoe, albeit made of markedly more 'primitive' materials. At least they weren't straight wood though, Diana could clearly make out a leather strap.

Her hair, what Diana once believed to be her most striking feature, was now thickly braided. To be honest, Diana thought it looked a little bit like she had a brown scarf hanging from her head. Diana was fairly confident that hair was not supposed to be worn like that. That said, Diana had to admit it looked okay on her given what she was working with, and the green kerchief she was using to cover the tope of her head was a nice touch in hiding what was likely the least visually appealing portion.

What was truly blowing Diana away at the moment though was her eyes. A deep purple the likes she had never seen before, they seemed to cut through her in spite of their gentle focus. The Arboreal Maiden's pupils, solid black circles, stayed fixed on her own while four little black slits slowly rotated about them. Diana had a feeling that, should the appearance of these eyes be paired with the hairstyle the Arboreal Maiden usually sported, she would understand what true authority would look like.

Not that she had any idea what that meant.

"Chestnut, is it? I can't say it's the most creative."

"Creativity was not the focus." Chestnut did not reveal the fact that she had completely forgotten to even thin of a name, not that she thought Diana would have minded.

As they talked, Mercedes flopped over and positioned herself to receive belly rubs. Mercedes loved belly rubs, as every canine deserving of heaven should, and she was not above biting at Diana's knees to get them.

"Ow! Stahppit!" Diana was quick to cave to Mercedes' demands, moving both hands to the ribcage and shaking with vigor. "Does that satisfy you? Greedy greedy!" Diana pushed her face into Mercedes's neck, blowing out of her mouth to annoy her. As expected, Mercedes began to growl playfully, biting at Diana's hair and rolling onto her back.

Chestnut couldn't help but laugh. Mercedes was incredibly goofy, not understanding abstract concepts such as rank and status, making her a joy to watch in the monotonous sea that was 'everyone else'.

"Alright! Who wants to go see Donovan?" Mercedes froze in place, the tip of her tongue touching the ground from her inverted position.

Taking advantage of this moment of calm before the impending storm, Diana grabbed hold of the leash before saying anything further.

"You want to go see him?!?!"

In an instant she was up and at attention, her ears alert and her tail wagging with a furious vigor. Diana had to be careful here. She had the leash, but not the strength to keep it if Mercedes really pushed it. Thinking quickly, Diana faked sticking her hand into her pocket and fishing around for something before taking it out and keeping a closed fist.

"Alright, follow."

Chestnut didn't need to be told what was Diana was doing, it was more than obvious this was nothing more than deception. There wasn't actually a reward in her hand, but Mercedes wouldn't understand that until she opened it. By that time, hopefully, it wouldn't matter. Mercedes' attention would be entirely on Donovan.

Silently and without changing her expression, Chestnut followed Diana into the Barracks halls, keeping an eye on the German Shepherd to make sure she didn't do anything rash.

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