Chapter 101: The Rise of the Baroness of Eastladen

On a pier, a small group of Garthra, dressed as if they were going to a ball, stood in the darkness of night as if they were waiting.

After consulting an antique pocket watch, the oldest male opened a box in which there was one vial for each of them containing a number of pills.

"It's time," He said with as calm a voice as he could manage. "I'm so terribly, terribly sorry."

"It's ok, papa," a young woman said as she reached in, took her vial, and smiled at him.

Each of the others followed suit.

His finely dressed wife reached into a basket and pulled out a dust-covered bottle and a small cloth. She wiped it clean and admired it for a moment before passing it to a servant.

Giving them a weak smile, the stripe pulled a corkscrew from his pocket.

He filled a glass for each of them.

"It's been an honor, My Lord," he said as he handed the eldest his glass.

"Thank you, Gvvalan," the richly dressed noble said.

"I… I shall take my leave now, My Lord," Gvvalan said desperately trying to keep his voice from breaking.

"Very good, Gvvalan," the Baron replied.

Gvvalan walked away, trying to keep his steps even until he was no longer in sight…

...then, bursting into tears, he fled.

The Baron of Eastladen held the glass to his snout and inhaled.

"It is as fine as a vintage as they say," he said appreciatively, "I had hoped we would share it under better circumstances, but—"

He cut his eyes back at his daughter, who had her tongue halfway down into the glass.

"Marruna," he sighed with a weak smile, "Could you, this one time, at least try to practice decorum?"

Lady Marruna sucked her tongue back in.

They all turned to a distant mountain range as the planet's moon started to rise above the peaks.

The Baroness nuzzled him fondly.

"Even after all of this time," she sighed sadly, "I've never tired of that sight."

As the moon continued to rise, the Baron turned to the small group.

"For over three quatrains, the Eastladens have presided over this land, guided it through the years, the wars, the unification, and the peace that followed. Later, we helped guide our people into the very heavens themselves…"

He looked downward.

"And in the space of a single year, the last Baron of Eastladen ruined it all..."

He fell silent and looked down as tears ran out of his nose.

"Time claims all, and it is now time for House Eastladen to join all those who went before us," he said after he regained his composure.

"House Eastladen," he said quietly as he raised his glass.

"House Eastladen," the subdued group replied in turn.

"The first sip should be untainted," he said, "So we can savor this properly."

The group all drank…

...and coughed a little.

"Bleah," Marruna said, "this kind of sucks."

The group burst into laughter.

"How appropriate," her youngest brother laughed, wiping his nose.

He tossed the pills into his mouth and washed them down.

Everyone followed suit as the moon shone upon them, washing them down with very expensive and somewhat subpar wine.

"How long before the medicine will take effect?" the Baroness asked.

"Oh, it starts to tingle in about half an hour," Marruna replied, "by an hour, you will be ripped… out… of..."

She coughed discreetly.

"I mean, I'm not sure, mother?" she said with a well-practiced, innocent smile.

Her mother shook her head.

"You are impossible," she smiled, "you know that?"

The Baroness sipped the wine and made a face.

"Perhaps our palate has shifted over the years?" she mused.

***

About an hour later, the Baroness, with some difficulty, arose from her perch on the pier.

"I do..." she said woozily, "I do believe I am ready."

"You got the wobbles," Marruna said grimly, the joy with which she lived life fading, "You'll pass out pretty soon."

"Thank you, my dear," her mother said as the Baron and the others finally got onto their feet.

"Goodbye, my dear children," the Baroness replied, "I hope that there is something that comes after, and even if it is in rags, I shall be filled with joy if you are there."

Hand in hand, the Baron and Baroness plunged into the river and started to groggily swim out into the current.

They were followed by Marruna's brothers…

...leaving only Marruna.

She paused, looking up at the moon…

...let out a little sigh and jumped.

***

In the manor house, a feast was laid. Fine dishes of every description were laid along the walls, buffet-style, and the entirety of the staff stood at the table with a plate full of delicacies before them.

The head butler raised a crystal glass.

"To House Eastladen," he said, his voice hitching slightly. He started to say more and stopped, unable to continue.

"To House Eastladen," the Baroness's personal maid said loudly and started to drink.

To House Eastladen, the group replied and drank.

The head butler drank and sat, looking at the Baroness's maid gratefully.

***

Cold water.

Cold water all around.

Can't breathe!

A Garthra, not quite sure of what was going on, flailed about desperately.

I can't move!

Her fancy ballgown, now waterlogged, entangled her and heavy with water, pulled her ever deeper. A creature of instinct, she tore and ripped at the thing, its jeweled sequins sparkling.

Somehow, she managed to get out of the skirt.

Pure instinct drove her upward toward the moon.

Her vision started to fade, the light of the moon replaced by ever-growing darkness…

***

"Open another set of bottles!" the head butler called, "We may be nothing but stripes, but we can at least appreciate the vintage. The same can NOT be said about those… those shits that will soon arrive!"

"I, for one," the Baroness's personal maid said as she drank deep, "will most definitely NOT be working for them. Rather I sweep at the docks than serve the new so-called lady."

The table loudly agreed.

***

On a muddy bank, a waterlogged Garthra coughed and vomited.

Wearing a bejeweled top and nothing but a slip below, she lay there, utterly confused.

What happened?

She looked at her state, and something deep within her radiated with warm satisfaction.

Must have been one hell of a party.

A short distance down the bank, she saw a lump of pink silk.

She knew that dress.

"Veenie!" she called as she crawled.

She looked up.

Oh shit! It was late! Curfew had come and gone! They were in for it this time!

"Veenie!" she called out as she reached the Garthra, "Veenie! Wake up! We gotta… Veenie?"

"Veenie?" she said again as she shook her.

Marruna gasped as she saw Veenita, the young Lady of Greengrax, lying there, her eyes glazed and lifeless.

"Help!" she screamed…

...or tried to. The only thing that came out was more coughs.

Something floated by, surrounded by an elegant lavender nightgown.

Lady Wiinka?

She struggled to her feet. And started making her way along the muddy bank.

More bodies…

...bodies that she knew.

She soon found a path, a familiar one, and started stumbling along it.

***

In the great hall, a young stripe broke out into tears and was comforted by another maid.

"Whatever are we going to do?" a stripe in his thirties asked. "I know nothing else than this!"

"Courage," the head butler replied, "The Lord… The Lord of Eastladen was very generous with our severances, and we are all skilled house staff."

"But there are no more houses!" a stable hand shouted.

"There are no more houses here," the head butler replied. "However, this… 'ponsie scheme' did not lay low the entire planet. There are still many manors, townhomes, and, should it come to that, resorts, restaurants, and agencies. In addition, these manor homes will not remain empty for long. Just as those jackals will undoubtedly descend upon us, there are many other poorly bred, grasping grays claiming the others as can afford them. They will need staff as well, and many of the staff in residence in those undoubtedly feel the same as us."

He drank deeply.

"I will NOT serve the Lord of Eastladen's brother and his wife," he said, "but I could countenance serving another family with the same… nature… What is important is that we—"

The front door creaked open, revealing a muddy, waterlogged, Garthra.

"Lady Marruna!" Bagga exclaimed as she leaped from her seat and rushed to her.

"Oh, Bagga," Marruna said weakly as she collapsed into her arms," I had the most horrible dream."

"It's ok now," Bagga said as she stroked Marruna's head like she did when she was a child. "Let's get you into bed."

The huntsman walked up and scooped Marruna into his arms, carrying her towards the grand staircase.

Marruna smiled as she closed her eyes and nuzzled his chest.

"I love you, papa."

***

An expensive grav-sedan unceremoniously plopped down in front of the manor and honked its horn.

The door of the manor opened, the head butler, holding a gilded assault rifle, and the huntsman, holding his trusty coil-shotgun, stepped out along with the stripe that stepped towards the sedan.

The sedan's doors flew open before the stripe arrived, and a Garthran male and female barged out, dressed in false finery.

"What's this?" the male demanded.

"I'm terribly sorry," the head butler said with a smug little smile, "but the lady of the house has had a very trying night and is currently resting. She is not entertaining visitors at this time."

"There is no lady of the house, you liar," the woman shouted, waving a handful of papers. "They all drowned last night, and this house is ours!"

"You would be mistaken," the head butler replied, "Young Lady Marruna, The Baroness of Eastladen, is still in residence."

"Bah!" the woman yelled as she stepped towards the manor, "She's a minor! She can't own property! Besides, as next of kin, we get custody anyways!"

"Darling," the man beside her said urgently.

"I wouldn't expect someone like you to know… madame," the head butler replied a bit more forcefully, "but Eastladen, like many of the manors in this area, are still under Charter Law, not common law."

"What's that have to do with anything?!?"

"Under charter law," the butler replied, "the age of majority is fourteen, not nineteen… As your husband is quite aware."

"Well… I'll… I'll just drag her out of this backwards place then," the woman said as she purposefully strode towards the entrance.

The head butler and huntsman smiled grimly as the shutters of the windows behind him flew open.

"I would remind madame that Charter Law still applies here," the head butler said calmly as his paw flipped the safety of his rifle.

"JGGNALA, STOP!!!" The male behind her screamed. He rushed forward and threw himself at his wife, knocking her, shrieking, to the ground.

"We're leaving!" he shouted as he crouched above her, his hands outstretched in front of him, "We're leaving!"

"Have a care...sir," the head butler replied, "You have just attempted to usurp the rightful ruler of Eastladen. We will be especially… vigilant… in future. I would strongly advise against returning. This will also be reported to the league and to all agencies. I hope madame is adept at doing her own washing."

Shoving his still shrieking wife into the sedan, the Garthra rushed into his sedan and fled.

***

Shortly thereafter, an enraged Jggnala stomped angrily through a well-appointed lobby to the snickers of the other occupants.

"I've heard of someone being laughed out of a law office," the stripe behind the reception desk chuckled to a blonde paralegal who had rushed out to watch the show, "but I never thought it would literally happen."

***

The door of Marruna's bedchamber flew open, and Bagga marched in.

"Goaway..." Marruna mumbled from under her sheets.

"Enough!" Bagga exclaimed as she strode to the windows and threw the curtains back, flooding the room with hellish light.

Marruna yelped and retreated deeper under her blanket.

"It's been two weeks," Bagga said as she opened the windows letting in some desperately needed fresh air. "Two weeks, My Lady."

"Don't care."

"Oh, of that, I am well aware!" Bagga said as she grabbed the blanket, entering into a tug of war with the Lady of Eastladen. "Meals uneaten, bedding unchanged… the stink of the unwashed..."

"Well," Marruna yelled, "the Lady of Eastladen commands you to let go!"

Bagga hissed and yanked the blanket angrily, causing Marruna to tumble to the floor.

"Bagga!" Marruna exclaimed.

Bagga angrily slammed open Marruna's closet and started roughly laying out an outfit.

"Get up!" Bagga hissed.

Marruna glumly got to her feet…

… and promptly started crawling back into bed.

Bagga roughly grabbed Marruna and hauled her back, Marruna dragging the sheet off her bed as she tumbled back to the floor.

"Bagga," Marruna hissed, "you are—"

"Oh, you will not have to discharge me," Bagga hissed back, "my bags are already packed! I will NOT see Eastladen fall like this!… How dare you!"

Marruna fell silent, shocked.

"How dare you throw your family's sacrifice away like this!!! Every moment you lay there in your own filth, you urinate on their bodies polluting the Sakkvin as we speak!"

"B-Bagga..." Marruna gasped as tears formed on her snout.

"Why do you think he did what he did?" Bagga demanded.

"B-because it's what you do… We have no place left..."

"He did it because he wanted Eastladen to go out on its feet, with honor, and not collapse crawling and mewling into obscurity and poverty as you are doing right now. In the days of old, you all would have ridden forth alone against the Gvvvar and fought until you died, your honor intact, or you would have engaged in duel after duel or tournament after tournament until you fell or your fortunes were recovered. Later, when that became impossible, ritual suicide replaced it. If you actually attended your lessons in more than just body, you would know this."

Bagga pulled out a vial of amber liquid from her frock and set it on the nightstand.

"By laying here, in a living death, you profane that sacrifice and condemn this house to the exact fate your family killed itself to avoid."

Marruna covered her eyes as she burst into tears.

"You don't understand, Bagga," she wept, "you don't know what it was like!"

Bagga's eyes softened as she knelt down and embraced her.

"You are right," she sighed, "I don't. I can't even begin to understand what that night was like. I am so sorry you had to endure that and face what you are now facing, my dear Marruna..."

She nuzzled Marruna's neck before she rose.

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"But there is one thing that I do understand," she said firmly, "The Barony of Eastladen is yours. You are Lady Marruna, Baroness of Eastladen, and there are dozens of staff that need you to be that Baroness, at least once..."

Bagga looked down.

"I need you as well."

"Bagga..."

"So," Bagga said firmly, "you are going to get dressed, go out there, and greet your staff as Baroness and then sit, alone, at the great table and be served breakfast. It's your favorite, by the way. After that, the staff will individually greet you before they go about their tasks, and you will greet them… as your father greeted them two weeks before..."

Tears started to drip out of Bagga's nose, but her voice remained even.

"After that, I will accompany you to your chambers, where I will draw you a bath, get you cleaned up, and then get you dressed properly."

She glanced at the bottle on the nightstand.

"Then," Bagga said, her voice breaking, "if you so chose, I will pour you a 'cordial'. That drink will put you into a slumber from which you will not awaken. You do not have to face the Sakkvin again. We… we will…”

Bagga broke down into tears for a moment.

"After you have… cooled… and we know you have departed... we will convey your body to the river where we..."

Bagga fell silent, unable to continue.

"I don't think I can do it," Marruna said weakly, "I don't think I can do any of this."

"I know you can," Bagga smiled, "and I will be there for you every step of the way, whether it be one day or the rest of my life, I will remain at your side, My Lady."

She knelt down and embraced Marruna before guiding her to her feet.

"Now let's get you dressed," Bagga said gently," Your Barony needs you."

***

A short while later, the staff were all assembled, waiting, as they had every single morning for the last two weeks.

The mood was somber, mournful.

"Look!" someone squeaked as, supported by Bagga, Marruna appeared in a lovely blue dress.

"Good morrow, Lady Marruna!" the group exclaimed in joyous union.

"Good morrow, my devoted staff," Marruna said, bobbing slightly, keeping her head erect, and waving one of her hands graciously…

… as her father had done before her.

***

After a truly wonderful breakfast, Marruna sat, a bit uncomfortably, in her father's chair as the staff filed past, each respectfully greeting her and swearing fealty to the house.

The somber mood had definitely reappeared.

"Please don't do it, My Lady!!!" a young maid, bursting into tears, cried as she threw herself at Marruna. "Please!"

"Leeinka!" Bagga exclaimed as she and the head butler pulled the young woman off Marruna.

"You don't have to! You have a place right here," Leeinka cried," with us!"

Keeping their expressions firm, Bagga and the head butler dragged Leeinka from the room.

"Please! Don't leave us! Please!" echoed down the hall. "We need you!"

***

As Marruna was taking a much-needed bath, she closed her eyes and slid her head under the water.

Nope!

That shit wasn't happening. Not even in death.

Under the water, a realization hit.

They really did need her! At least for a while. As soon as she drank that cordial, her loathsome uncle and that waste of a grey pelt that he married would descend upon this place, and it would be the staff, the good and loyal staff, that would lose their place.

She couldn't just "go for a swim", not yet…

… and she could live for just a bit longer.

After her bath, Bagga came in with towels.

"Bagga, my dear woman," Marruna said with a life in her voice that had been gone for two weeks, "have you prepared my nightcap?"

"N-not yet, My Lady."

"Good," Marruna replied as she hopped out of the tub. "Put it back on the shelf."

"My Lady?" Bagga asked with a happy gasp.

"I'm not dying tonight," Marruna said as she dried herself with gusto, "my people need me."

***

The next few months flew by as Marruna ran through the halls, rode jaaks, raided the wine cellar and liquor cabinet (she was an 'adult' after all), occasionally danced about in her socks to pop music (scandalous), hunted, shot all the guns in the arsenal, and was just a general all-around menace.

The staff didn't mind. It was said that she was living out a lifetime in a week as, one by one, sheltered and given time by the Baroness, they were able to find jobs elsewhere.

For them, it was viewed as the ultimate sacrifice. She was remaining as the rearguard, giving time for her retainers to escape.

They said as much to others as they filtered into their new positions across the system and beyond. Many a glass and mug was raised in her name. Marruna was unaware of this, but among a certain segment of society, she was fast becoming a legend and her former staff all proudly wore the pieces of family jewelry (discreet and tasteful, of course) each was given as a keepsake. "Better you than my uncle.", she would say when someone tried to refuse. Later, as she started to feel like a real baroness, she started saying stuff like, "As long as you carry us in your heart, Eastladen has not truly fallen."

It worked. The staff would leave, their heads held high, as they swore to do just that.

Somewhere along the line, after one attempt too many by her aunt to become the Baroness, Marruna swore in court that she would remain and that Eastladen would never fall. She proclaimed that she would outlive her aunt and that maybe, just maybe, her aunt's children or grandchildren would take her barony but that she, her aunt would not…

… to the cheers of many stripes in the audience.

Duty became pure spite. As long as her fluffy butt sat in residence, nobody could touch Eastladen.

At first, her uncle and aunt thought they could starve her out, but a barony is a lot of land to hunt, and the eternal Sakkvin gave fish. Bagga became quite the angler as Marruna stalked the fields and woods.

Farmer's markets provided a few credits here and there. She, unlike many, could legally sell wild game. With that small flow of income, they were able to buy produce and seeds.

Unable to maintain them, she did have to sell most of her beloved jaaks, but she was able to keep a pair of them, her favorite stallion and his 'girlfriend' (at least as Marruna saw it). The fields themselves were enough to feed those two.

Things were austere, austere in the extreme, but happy…

...until the squatters and poachers arrived.

They were far enough out that they were spared the worst. Stripes and Blondes would troop through the forests and, using drones, wipe out entire flocks and herds on what was once family land to sell on the grey market to restaurants and the like.

They were a menace, meat locusts.

"Fortunately", the meat locusts were held at bay by a group that even their well-armed and well-equipped ranks feared, the Motleys. The Motleys were a "tribe" of placeless semi-nomads with "motley" pelts of many colors, and they lived out in the wilds and on the fringes of society. They traveled from place to place in ramshackle caravans, many of which also were, among other things, itinerant entertainers. "Motley fairs" were still welcome in many areas…

… however, that was about the only time they were welcome.

There were nominally "refuges", land set aside for them, but Motleys didn't really see borders and property as anything more than suggestions and bore the refuges little mind unless they wanted medical treatment or supplies.

For them, "the scheme" was quite the windfall. Even though the abandoned residences had been thoroughly picked over, there was always something to "salvage" either to be sold or melted down either for scrap or to use in their handicrafts, weapons, and tools.

They absolutely hated the meat locusts and, though otherwise peaceful, had little mercy when they found one. Many a "locust" found themselves robbed of everything they had and left by the road in only their fur…

… if they were lucky. The Motleys would often shave a locust as well. Garthra fur is very soft and warm. It makes for great blankets, pillows, and jackets.

In the Eastern Reach, the Motleys set up housekeeping, settling in the abandoned manors and hunting and foraging the expansive grounds and forests…

… including Eastladen.

***

"My Lady," Bagga, now the only one left, said anxiously, "once again, I cannot stress how bad of an idea this is enough!"

"Well, I'm tired of them!" Marruna said as she shoved an automatic gauss pistol in her belt. "And those snares are on my land."

Marruna smiled impishly.

"That means that they are mine as well," she grinned. "Aren't you tired of fish? Besides, I've done this before. I'm good at the sneaky sneak. Maybe they will learn not to set them on our lands."

"Or maybe they will shave you… or worse," Bagga said anxiously.

"That's what makes it fun!" Marruna said cheerfully as she bounced out of the door.

***

Kivel lay in wait, concealed by a blanket of leaves and moss, along with two of his clan.

Somebody was stealing their kills, and somebody was going to pay. It was nothing but Motleys out here, and another clan thought he was a whelp.

Well… He patted the clippers in a pouch on his belt.

It was going to get real drafty for that fool today.

There was movement, clumsy movement, closing in.

Was it a locust?

Oh… If it was…

Kivel could feel his pulse starting to race. If it was one of those rapers of the land, he would do more than just shave them. It was time for one to disappear, as would sometimes happen this far out.

Soon, a grey clumsily darted from tree to tree as they approached. Kivel was more than surprised. A grey? That wasn't usual…

… and neither was what they were carrying. That auto-pistol was military only. If they knew how to use it, one spray would cut him and his men down…

… but if he could get them first, it would be worth a fortune!

The young grey female (?!?) sniffed cautiously and then scampered over to the snare line where a fat likko hung by its neck.

"Well, hello there!" the young female said as she drew a knife and stood on tiptoe to grab the dog-sized leathery creature and pull it down far enough to cut his snare (again), another thing that truly annoyed him.

When both her arms were away from the pistol, he burst from cover, followed by his men.

***

Well… shit... Marruna thought as the Motleys appeared out of nowhere.

Three of them, all with some sort of gun... Marruna quickly looked them over, not failing to notice the clippers in their sheath.

Just brazen it out! she thought with a grin. It's just like the wardens back in boarding school.

"Hi, there!" Marruna said brightly. "Could you guys give me a hand with this?"

Kivel blinked in confusion. Of all the ways this could go, this was not one he had envisioned.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Oh, where are my manners?" Marruna said, releasing the likko, causing it to shoot upwards again. "Lady Marruna, Baroness of Eastladen," she said cheerfully as she approached, arm outstretched.

"Kivel," he replied as he clasped her arm with his.

A grey not only being nice but actually touching him, and an arm clasp no less? It was, once again, completely unforeseen.

"Are you the gentlemen who have been setting out these snares for me?" Marruna said brightly, "I really appreciate it! They have made things so much easier!"

"Uhh..." Kivel replied, completely befuddled.

"They are our snares!" Jana snapped, her senses thankfully still intact.

"Oh, I am so sorry," Marruna replied, looking quite abashed, "I just assumed since they were on my land and the game they caught was mine that they were for me. You can see how I would be confused, right?"

"Uhh..." Jana replied, now the one caught in the headlights of Marruna's unrepentant cheerfulness.

Having a moment to gather himself, Kivel noticed that one of Marruna's hands was now resting on the auto pistol. If she knew how to use that…

… and a baroness probably did, it could be very bad.

"Well, this is a pickle," Marruna said after a moment of silence. "Why don't I give you a tour of the grounds so this little misunderstanding doesn't recur, and then we can all drop by the manor for a bottle of wine and a nice lunch!"

" You..." Kivel said, completely stunned," are inviting us?"

"We are neighbors, aren't we?" Marruna replied, "and it's been so lonely out here since you know… blub blub blub… Dreadful business that. The river stank for weeks!"

Kivel said nothing. How could you even respond to that?

"We..." he said after scrambling his brains back together, "we accept your invitation..."

"Super!" Marruna exclaimed.

"What are you doing?" Jana hissed into Kivel's ear as Marruna cheerfully gave them a real tour of the place, sharing history and personal anecdotes

"and that's where I first went to second base..." Marruna said, further disconcerting them… as designed. (She actually didn't go to second base there. She did it during a school mixer.)

"She's a baroness," Kivel replied, "if we do anything to her, the law will come down hard. Besides, have you seen what she is carrying? One sweep, and we are all in half."

Kivel sighed and smiled ruefully as he watched Marruna bouncing down the trail.

"The only thing we can do is find out where her lands are and not set snares," he chuckled. "Probably best to avoid them altogether. We have everywhere else."

Jana huffed.

"Well, keep your eyes on her hands, not her tail," she hissed, knowing that he was absolutely right.

***

On their way back, Kivel saw fresh sign of the herd of ullnee they had been tracking.

"Baroness, stop," he whispered as he and his people crouched to the ground, sniffing.

"What?" Marruna whispered back as she also crouched and sniffed. "what are we smelling for? …ew."

She crawled backward, rubbing her nose.

"Pee," she whispered.

Jana shoved her out of the way and pressed her face into it.

"They are close!" she whispered.

"How close?" Kivel asked as he joined her.

"Close, close."

"What is?" Marruna asked as she wiggled her snout in between them, causing even Jana to smile a little. She was just like one of their whelps on an early hunt.

"Ulnee," Kivel replied.

"Ooh!" Marruna whispered in a hushed voice." I've never managed to get one of those!"

"They are tricky," Kivel whispered back.

He paused.

"I know they are on your land," he whispered, "but the herd is overpopulated and needs to be thinned if they want to be able to survive the winter."

"They do?" Marruna hiss whispered, "I remember the huntsman talking about that before. Ok, let's thin them. Just give me some meat, and we are square."

"How much meat?" Jana hissed quietly.

"It's just the two of us," Marruna said, "maybe a shoulder, maybe? You have more mouths than we do."

"Alright," Jana replied, a bit surprised. It was a pretty good deal.

"Annnd you are bringing me along," Marruna whispered, "I wanna see how you do this."

"Keep well behind us, quiet, and do what we say," Kivel replied.

***

"Hooooo!" Marruna howled as she threw open the door to the blood room. "Bagga! Break out some of the good wine!"

"Did the hunt go well, my Lad—" Bagga's voice froze as she entered the blood room and saw the three dangerous-looking figures behind Marruna.

"Look!" Marruna exclaimed, "A likko and two ulnee!!!"

"Oh, this is nice!" Kivel and Jana's companion said as he looked at the mini-slaughterhouse.

"I fucking love these guys!" Marruna yelled as she hugged Jana, whose nose turned bright red.

A grey… "loves us"? Jana thought, absolutely shocked. It was, of course, a figure of speech, but even so, a grey just hugged her and expressed, at the very least, acceptance.

"Let's get these ulnee and the likko on hooks and get to cleaning!" Marruna said as she pulled out a long curved blade and started sharpening it. "Bagga, would you please get us some of the good wine and perhaps prepare us some lunch?"

The Motleys looked at each other and shrugged.

***

Months later, a group of Motleys sat with Marruna as they shared a meal in the great hall comprising of game, produce from the garden's first harvest, and wild forage.

"Bagga," the Motley elder said as he patted his stomach and burped. "That was magnificent."

"Sadly," Bagga replied as she sat with them, "that was also the last of the pepper."

"Aww," Marruna said. "Bye, bye, pepper," she said as she took another big bite.

"These trnn are amazing," a Motley wise woman said with a sigh. "I wish we could grow them. They are so expensive otherwise."

"Why can't you?" Marruna asked, "They aren't hard."

"They take too long to mature, and you can't hide them in the woods," the wise woman replied as she savored the gourd-like vegetable, "they need tended plots, and we can't stay put that long."

"You can't?"

"If we stay in one place too long," Kivel said, "we get run off. I know it was a horrible thing for you, but 'the scheme' has been good for us. We have never been able to squat this long in one place and never as well. Even now, they are starting to reclaim some of these manors closer to town. It won't be long before they will drive us off as well."

"You mean I would never see you guys again?" Marruna asked in alarm.

"Oh, you would see us," the elder smiled, "from time to time, especially if we were welcome."

"Of course, you would be welcome!" Marruna exclaimed, "More than welcome! In fact..."

She grinned that infectious grin.

"Why don't you all move in here?"

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