As the carriage rolled along, Vellen peered out the window at the passing scenery. The verdant hills lined the roadside, looking like unusual waves as the grass swayed in the wind. A large avian flew by overhead. Vellen made a quick note in his bird journal. That had been the fourth blue-beaked feyhawk in less than five weeks! Perhaps many were migrating for some reason?
"This is awful," Mya Valenworth said from the seat across from Vellen. "Never have I been in a worse carriage ride in all my life! Is the chauffeur
trying
to hit every stone and ditch in the road?"
Vellen stifled a sigh. Unfortunately, he had been wrong about his new mistress's sudden change for the better. The morning when they had met their coach, Vellen had purchased a few extra sets of clothes for her so that she'd have some variety, but when she joined him for breakfast, she was as tart as she had been when he had first met her when she arrived at shore. Maybe what he'd chosen had offended her in some way? The store clerk had been very knowledgeable about what was in fashion currently, so he wasn't sure what he'd done wrong. Had Vellen bought the autumn collection she'd laid out instead of the summer set by mistake?
"What are you doing?" Mya asked, as if noticing Vellen was there for the first time in their two days of travel.
"I am filling out my bird journal, miss," Vellen said, a bit of excitement creeping into his voice as he noted Mya look of interest. Perhaps this was a way that they could bond and move past her dislike for him.
"Really? Are you categorizing behavior based on breed?"
"Oh, well, no."
"Hm. Noting population differences by region?"
"Ah... no."
"...Marking endangered species for future preservation efforts?"
"Not quite." Vellen resisted the urge to wince. This was not going well.
"Then why
are
you doing it?"
"Well... For fun, miss."
"'For fun'?" Mya raised an eyebrow.
"Yes."
Mya scoffed. "That's ridiculous." She then turned to look back out the window with a bored expression. "How much longer is this going to take?"
"We should be in Downteg by evening, miss," Vellen said as he quietly closed his bird journal and slid it up into his sleeve.
Mya groaned in response, then glanced back at Vellen, her eyes trailing up and down his body. "I haven't seen anyone else dress like you. Why?"
Vellen folded his hands in his lap and adjusted his posture. He'd been expecting this question for a while. "Because these robes signify me as a Monk of Drispel. It is our... uniform, you could say."
She turned back to facing him fully, bringing out her own journal and making an annotation within. "And what does that entail?"
"It means we swear to serve the people of the land as mentally indomitable forces that can be fully trusted and relied upon."
"'Mentally indomitable'? Elaborate."
Vellen suppressed another sigh. Mya seemed to never request something, she demanded it. "A majority of magic does not work on us. Or, it isn't used on us, at least."
"Why?" Mya was now furiously scribbling away at this point.
"We... go through a process upon joining the monastery. The end result ensures we think with our minds rather than our... anatomy."
Mya snorted. "Well that's insane. Anyone with an iota of discipline can keep their pants on without having to go through some kind of extreme measures to prevent it."
"It is not always that simple," Vellen said softly. Mya didn't seem to hear.
"You say that your main goal is to serve the people. How does that work?"
Vellen blinked at the sudden shift in topic. "When it is our time, we will be assigned to a position where we're needed. Sometimes this is a town or city, sometimes it is a person, and sometimes it is an institution. Once we are told that our services are no longer needed, we return to the monastery and await a new assignment."
Mya nodded as she wrote. "That will be all for now."
Vellen leaned back in his seat, looking out the window as he listened to his mistress continue to scribble into her journal.
Almost like a completely different person, indeed,
he thought.
~~~
"What do you
mean
you're not taking us any further?" Mya said to the coach driver, fuming.
"I mean, unless you have more coin to pay me, I'm not taking you beyond Downteg. I got to eat, lady!" the driver barked as he unclasped his horses and began walking them to the stables. "Get some more by morning then I'll see about taking you to the next town!"
Mya sniffed and derision before whirling around to face Vellen, who--despite the circumstances--remained eternally calm and relaxed. "Why didn't you pay him enough?"
"Because I only had enough for us to get here, miss."
"Then you should've
saved up!
" Mya growled. It felt like she was speaking to a two-year-old.
"My order does not permit me to possess any form of currency longer than ten days. We see coinage as a necessity, but also as a temptation."
Mya stared at him blankly as rage continued to rise within her. It was taking an excruciating amount of willpower not to slap Vellen at this moment. "Then," Mya began, taking a breath and trying to keep her tone level, "tell me, Vellen. How exactly are we meant to get out of here if we don't have any money?"
"I have already considered that. I'll be taking on work for the night, while you take the remaining coins we have procure some boarding. Come morning, I should have enough earnings to take us north a little further."
"And you're sure you'll find work at this hour?" Mya asked skeptically.
"You'd be surprised, miss. At least one person is always in need of some help in these lands." Vellen began walking down the road, giving Mya no choice but to follow. "We better find you somewhere to stay together so that I know where to find you in the morning. Downteg is a nice place bordering on cityship, so it shouldn't be too difficult."
Mya rolled her eyes. If Vellen's idea of a "nice place" was anything like the Night Romp then she was better off deciding for herself. That inn had been a disaster. It was... was... Hm. Come to think of it, Mya couldn't actually pinpoint anything that had been wrong about the experience. She felt as if there had been something wrong about that place, but couldn't remember doing much. She'd had a meal and then... gone to bed? The memories were fuzzy. She vaguely felt that another person had been there with her. Possibly Vellen? Mya sighed. She must have been incredibly out of it after her insufferable voyage.
"How about that one?" Mya said, flippantly pointing to the first place she saw. It looked innocent enough; hardly any different than the buildings around it, just larger.
Vellen squinted as he read the sign above the door. "'Mordaire's House.' Hm... That should do. Are you sure you will be fine on your own, miss?"
Mya looked at him flatly. "Don't treat me like a child, Vellen. I'll be fine."
"I only provide warning, miss. People can be dangerous, no matter where you are. If you do not require assistance booking a room, then I will set out and reconvene with you in the morning."
