Chapter 86: 085 Family Matters

"The bath in this place is a-maze-ing! I swear, I never thought wasting so much water could feel so good!" Diana was positively ecstatic at their arrangements, in particular the bath. "Anyways, how do I look?"

Diana wasn't wearing her most fancy attire, nor was she wearing her favorite black and gold attire. Instead, she was wearing a modest but fairly revealing sundress. It was a longer variant, only revealing her ankles, but there was still quite a bit of her arms and back showing. This was remedied with a simple cardigan, its dull beige complementing the dress' green floral patterns quite nicely.

"Stunning, though I wonder if its a bit too reserved for a date."

"You know I was thinking the same thing, but I was given a very stern warning by Montaug about wearing brighter colors. Apparently it can mean something less than family friendly if not done properly, same with exposing too much skin."

"Makes sense. I don't think we'd want the trouble, at least not yet."

"Mhm. How are you feeling? You won't collapse on me will you?" Diana was a little concerned for him after having seen the state of his cadets. "More than that, do you mind if we discuss what happened to Titanyana?"

"Certainly." Donovan moved to take her hand as they approached a carriage and gently led her up inside of it.

- - - - - 

"Poor girl..." Diana's mood was somewhat dampened when she learned of Titanyana's condition. "I wonder if I can do anything for her..."

"Like, girl talk?"

"Maybe. That might be good for her. I can't imagine its a pleasant experience working in the sausage fest that is your squad." 

"Every squad is full of males if what I've heard is true."

"That only makes it worse. She's all alone, remember? The stress has got to be unimaginable, especially when she has to justify her position as your instructor." Diana rested her head on his shoulder. "Maybe that's got something to do with it?"

"What does?"

"The fact that you bested her in training, even if she wasn't fighting seriously. Maybe there's the fear that her positions is in jeopardy."

"Would she really be scared of that? Even though she knows full well I have no intention of dismissing her?"

"Is it unreasonable to believe that you might be removed from your position if you fail to live up to expectations? Even if you have been assured you won't be demoted?" She shuffled a bit closer to him. "It doesn't sound unreasonable to me."

Donovan put his arm around her. "Yeah, that's a possibility, but I still have no idea how I should be fighting with a sword. I already know how to grapple, I didn't employ her for that purpose. I'm scratching my head here to find a way she could think herself inadequate. Even in the worst case scenario I'd still want her for her combat potential."

"People with inadequacy complexes can be strange like that. Personally I don't think she is suffering from one, but she might just be really good at hiding it." She was snuggling ever closer to him, as if trying to steal his body heat. It was a little cold for her tastes today, and her choice of clothing wasn't helping with matters.

"Onto less depressing topics, what made you choose this outfit? You have nicer ones don't you?"

"Hmph, you don't have to wear your finest jewelry all the time you know? I just want to go on a nice date. Besides, the restaurant the Captain has in mind for us doesn't sound like the type of place we would consider 'high class'."

"Will I still need to maintain my manners? Or can I let loose a bit?"

"I think we can assume we'll be anonymous, yes. That doesn't mean you get to start eating like a caveman though."

"Thank goodness for that." Donovan wanted desperately to relax. Technically he had been in a high stress environment ever since he was first introduced to the Noah, even if it didn't feel like it. He was long overdue for R&R by naval regulation, though naval regulation had no say in their current situation. "Are you cold Diana?"

"Can you tell?" Donovan nodded. "Ugh, yeah. I've found that it's always a bit too cold for me here. ARC says that the temperature hovers around sixty degrees, but it always seems to feel much colder than that!"

"Have you considered wearing heavier clothing?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to look nice today."

"Fair enough. Do you want to snuggle?"

"I already am!"

- - - - -

"We've arrived."

They could tell by the fact that they were stopped, but the carriage-driver's voice was a welcome reassurance that they were free to exit. As Donovan opened the door he was greeted by a few familiar faces. The Captain was expected, as was the Scholar to some degree, however the Librarian's presence was completely unexpected.

"I take it your ride was fine?"

"It was."

"Good. Now I don't wish to make a fuss in the middle of town, so we'll walk to our destination from here."

"Walking?" Diana had learned her lesson and was wearing shoes more conducive to long treks, but she still didn't much like to do so.

"Not long dear, five minutes at most." The Librarian seemed very excited, she was clutching her tablet tightly to her chest.

"Are you going to need to be carried?" Donovan received an elbow to the ribs for his jest.

"So where are we going?" Diana acted as if she hadn't just assaulted Donovan.

"An old friend from my academy days runs a tavern around here. It may be a bit selfish of me, but I had hoped I could use this opportunity to catch up with him, it has been ten years after all."

For Donovan and Diana this adventure had only lasted a few months, the reality that retrieving them had taken upwards of ten years only now dawned on them. That was half of their lives, the entire time they had spent training for their roles here. If they could do and learn all of that in ten years, how much of their lives had been wasted aboard the Oberlux?

All of the sudden, the extreme level of luxury aboard the Oberlux made a lot more sense.

"Do - do either of you have family you want to go see?" Diana asked the question she didn't want to. It felt like the only way to keep the conversation going after that realization.

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"I settled my grievances with my father long ago, I've no desire to go back though. As for the Scholar, well,"

"I left them on purpose. As far as I care they are strangers." The Scholar was rather apathetic to this.

"I take it you two don't want to talk about it?" Donovan had some family issues himself, so he imagined the sentiment was similar.

"Ideally."

"Only if you wish to speak of it."

"I don't care if you aren't enthusiastic. Anyways, what is this friend of yours like Captain?"

The Captain snorted. "Eccentric. Not necessarily rude or crazy, but he never seems to do what you would expect. Just keep in mind that he was set to become the Grand Admiral of the Sanctum's Navy in spite of that, so he can be a bit of a hard ass."

"He was going to become an Admiral?" Donovan was in a bit of shock. "What's he doing running a tavern then?"

"It isn't his tavern, it's his wife's. After his son was born he was disqualified from the position until such a time his son could be considered independent. It's a rule that the Sanctum put in place to preserve bloodlines and the wellbeing of the residents."

"Is the threat of death really that high?" Diana didn't believe that there was much of a chance to die in war judging from the neutral nature of the Sanctum.

"No. Rarely, if ever, are the Sanctum's forces mobilized for a conflict outside of the Great Csillacra's embrace. To my knowledge, it hasn't happened in my lifetime." 

"The law has its origins in the time before order, when the Sanctum was in its infancy." The Librarian began to fill in the blanks. "The Sanctum was still in its infancy, and every so often great wars would be waged by foreign powers to claim the Great Csillacra for themselves. It was implemented by the Arboreal Maiden in a bid to retain the population of the Sanctum, as well as provide for knowledge to pass between generations at a higher rate. The preservation of the family was also a contributing factor"

The Scholar added his piece here as well. "It should be noted that at any given time almost half of the people under the Sanctum's jurisdiction were not born into it. There is a great deal of migration that happens, with many born here seeing the opportunity to profit with their skills in the outside world and many outside seeing the Sanctum as a peaceful place they might find safety from the constant turmoil."

"That's pretty cool." Diana was intrigued by the dynamics of migration seeing as it was a subject she could only study from history books. 

"Enough of that, we're here." The Captain swung open the door of a building sitting a floor higher than the rest of the buildings around. It also sported collections of flowers in the baskets outside the window sills. Judging from their vibrancy, they were being taken care of very well.

"Welcome to our tavern, how might I assist you this day?" A petite figure, a child, responded to their entrance at the sound of a jingling bell.

"We would like a table for seven, if you please."

"Seven? Will the other two be joining you later?" The little girl tilted her head to the side in curiosity, she could only see five people.

"You could say that." 

His vague response only made her tilt her head the other way in confusion. If they were coming, why not just say so outright? Regardless, it was not her place to ask further. "Follow me. What would you like to drink today?" The girl turned and started to lead them towards a table in the corner.

"I think I'll have a fruit juice, the most expensive you have in stock." The Captain had judged it to be a bit too early for alcohol.

"I'll have the same." The Scholar followed suit.

"Might I have some herbal tea, young lady? It would help my old throat."

"I think we'll be fine with water, Diana?"

"I'd like to try the fruit juice too."

"Then I will also have some."

The little girl held her temples and tried to process it all. "So... four juices and an herbal tea? Is that right? Do you want to order anything for the two coming later?"

"They can order for themselves."

"Okay. Then, please take a seat here." It was a large circular table in the back corner of the room. Just because it was in the back didn't mean it didn't have a nice view, in fact the window placement meant there was an ample amount of light in the room.

"It seems rather empty right now doesn't it?" Diana remarked on the state of the restaurant as the little girl walked back towards the kitchen.

"Perhaps, but from what I remember these aren't their peak hours. This place is a hub of activity at night." The Captain made himself comfortable with his back to the wall, the perfect position to see any incoming acquaintances. "His wife's got connections, connections she uses to secure some rather luxurious goods. Booze in particular."

"Let me guess, sailors love this place?" Donovan had a sneaking suspicion sailors had universal habits.

"Everyone loves the food, though I guess the navy men are a bit more enthusiastic about the drinks." The Captain slipped his overcoat off, revealing a tidy uniform. "Here she comes."

The little girl was struggling to keep the glasses upright on the platter. She was small, and her green-tinged curly brown hair bobbed as she wobbled. The cups were larger than Donovan had been expecting, and the fact that she was able to keep all five from spilling was impressive.

"Here, here, here, here, here."

She said the same word over and over as she gave them to each person. It might have been a bit rude if she was an adult, but her cute little voice made it kind of endearing.

"What would you like to eat?" She struggled to unfasten a little booklet from her waist. It was a menu, replete with pencil drawings of food. The level of detail was practically masterful.

"I think it might take us some time, and I have a feeling it will be quite the mouthful. Now, don't take this to mean that I don't trust your ability, but would you please have the proprietress come out here to meet us? She should be your mother, correct?"

"Um, okay. I can do that." The little girl skittered off back to the kitchen.

"Such, a, cutie!" Diana was already infatuated with the child. She hadn't seen a child in a very long time, and she couldn't remember if she had ever seen one quite as charming as her. "I just want to pinch her cheeks or something."

"Don't go kidnapping her Diana, we can't afford a kid right now."

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