They called her the Deadly Flower Blooming in the North. Which was\u2026a mouthful of a title. After her first meeting with Magnolia Reinhart, Ryoka Griffin had asked who, exactly, she was.<\/p>\n
\u2018Head of the Reinhart Family,\u2019 was her answer. Which begged the question what that meant. The Reinharts were one of the Five Families. Well, what did that<\/em> mean?<\/p>\n They were called the Five Families of Izril, and she was the scion of her family. Not the matriarch, but the one who was in control.<\/p>\n Magnolia Reinhart.<\/p>\n This was the woman who bounced on her tip-toes with excitement and opened doors by herself. And who Ryoka Griffin had snarked.<\/p>\n She looked nothing like what Ryoka imagined. She was blonde-haired, the tips slightly curling and cut short, and she was neither as tall as Ryoka and Ressa nor half as fit as either one.<\/p>\n Then again, Ryoka Griffin realized how strong Ressa might be when the woman took the canister of ice-cream. It was still half-full and packed with now-melted icewater. The entire thing was a lump of steel. It had to weigh, oh, ten, fifteen pounds at least? It certainly had weighed Ryoka down on the run here, but her pack had been balanced.<\/p>\n No way Persua would have made it. Ressa tossed it up one-handed like someone catching a football, then flicked<\/em> it sideways at a man in a butler\u2019s costume.<\/p>\n Ryoka stared as the [Maids] led her to the kitchen. Anyone could toss a fifteen pound weight around, but she had never seen someone flick<\/em> something like that with their fingertips.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lest Ryoka think the canister had gotten magically lighter, the poor butler caught the canister with both hands like it was a load of bricks and staggered slightly. He almost fell until a [Maid] caught his arm.<\/p>\n Ressa politely gestured.<\/p>\n \u201cThis way to the kitchen, Miss.\u201d<\/p>\n She ignored Ryoka\u2019s look as Magnolia clapped her hands together. The [Lady] was indeed nowhere near as tall or even as lanky as Ressa. And Ressa herself was tall, thin, precise\u2014severe<\/em> might fit her demeanor.\u00a0<\/p>\n Although the word dangerous<\/em> suddenly popped into Ryoka\u2019s head as she stared at Ressa longer. She couldn\u2019t have said why, exactly. Why did you think that when you stared at a grinning hyena? Ressa wasn\u2019t smiling nor was she showing any fangs. But the word still appeared for the same reason.<\/p>\n Nor was Magnolia half as heavy as someone who ate that much ice cream\u2014apparently on a daily basis\u2014should be, in Ryoka\u2019s mind. She was actually just\u2014normal. She had the faintest<\/em> of scars on her chin, barely visible, a nick, really, and a penchant for pink, like her dress and even a sofa.<\/p>\n What made Magnolia Reinhart earn a second glance, or third, were her eyes. Like Ryoka\u2019s, they were green, but more like a forest: darker, less vibrant, and wholly impenetrable if you tried to find out what she was thinking. The pattern in her irises were actually reminiscent of tree branches themselves, waving and dancing.<\/p>\n They would crinkle with mirth or dance from object to object, but those eyes seemed to make untruths harder around them. And there was one more thing that Ryoka saw, which compounded something she\u2019d heard of Magnolia.<\/p>\n Her gaze seemed very, very distant. Ryoka had often seen superior expressions. Her father hosted such people, often friends of his, quite a lot. She had seen arrogance, sometimes in the mirror.<\/p>\n Never once had she seen\u2014the distance<\/em> in Magnolia Reinhart\u2019s gaze. Not as if she were above but watching from afar. Even when she was up close, it was like she was staring at something far away.<\/p>\n A great, distant goal, like the very mountains in the distance. Thoughtfully\u2014until she noticed you watching.<\/p>\n Then she smiled and winked at Ryoka Griffin. And that look disappeared into merry mischief.<\/p>\n \u201cDo pardon Ressa. She\u2019s grumpy, but a family servant. Which means she takes all<\/em> the liberties. I wouldn\u2019t have it any other way. To the kitchens! Oh dear, I hope this one is well stocked. This is my vacation home in Celum, you see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou have a lot of homes, then, Lady Reinhart?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka trailed after Ressa as the woman and a bevy of servants headed down the halls of this place. Ryoka supposed it was \u2018small\u2019 for someone as important as Magnolia seemed to be\u2014but she passed through a foyer with three<\/em> stories. Yet Magnolia Reinhart just sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a more permanent residence in Invrisil, but travel takes me everywhere. I have a number of residences, oh, all over the north.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNowhere in the south?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka realized she\u2019d made a mistake a second after she said that. Ressa turned her head back, and Magnolia laughed until she realized Ryoka was serious.<\/p>\n \u201cThe south? Oh, no, the Drakes would never tolerate my kind<\/em> that far south. Nor would I if I was them. You know the saying, \u2018better a serpent in bed than a Reinhart.\u2019 Which is terribly hurtful and entirely accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n She had a grand chuckle at this, and Ryoka hesitated. She felt like running away already, but she had offered to make ice cream. So she saw Magnolia catch her breath.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014But you truly aren\u2019t from Izril, Miss Ryoka. The north has a strained<\/em> relationship with the south, which I think you should bear in mind if ever you go past Esthelm and deliver to a Drake city. Not that there\u2019s anywhere safe but Liscor. Unless the Bloodfields have opened up, Ressa?\u201d<\/p>\n Bloodfields?<\/em> What the heck was that?<\/em> Ryoka glanced at the [Maid], and Ressa replied.<\/p>\n \u201cNot until the first frosts, Lady Reinhart. In here, Miss Griffin. What will you be needing?\u201d<\/p>\n She showed Ryoka into a huge kitchen, and the young woman hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, just a few things. A pot, uh, something to stir with, and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Then she realized Magnolia Reinhart was following her into the kitchen. Ryoka gulped, but the [Lady] just fluttered her hands and clasped them together.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t mind me! I\u2019ll just watch if that\u2019s acceptable. I do<\/em> admire good cookery. I had lessons, but it never stuck. Imagine it, making gelato! I\u2019ll be the talk of Izril.\u201d<\/p>\n Some days were odd days. Some days you ran, and some days you found yourself in another world with nothing but an iPhone and the clothes on your back. Some days you made ice cream.<\/p>\n But it was a rare day that Ryoka found herself making ice cream in a noblewoman\u2019s house, surrounded by maids, in a kitchen that could have rivaled any cooking show\u2019s setup for expense and expensive things.<\/p>\n She felt out of place in the spotless room, handling the equivalent of stainless steel cooking utensils. They weren\u2019t stainless, but they were<\/em> steel\u2014and a lot had expensive handles or were magical. Ryoka was still barefoot, and she was painfully conscious of how her feet were dirtying the flawless floor tiling. Not that Lady Magnolia seemed to mind.<\/p>\n The beaming lady of the mansion hovered around Ryoka, excitedly showing her the contents of the amply-stocked kitchen.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHelp yourself to anything you need, Miss Griffin! Oh, but watch out. That knife is hot.\u201d<\/p>\n It was!<\/em> Ryoka nearly put it back in the block of wood as the red handle warmed up.<\/p>\n \u201cHow the\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA heating knife. I think you use it to slice meat or\u2026you know, I don\u2019t cook. Ressa, are there [Chefs] here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Lady Reinhart, the staff has accommodated your every need without the expense of a live-in [Chef] for your Celum home. That knife is meant to sear what it cuts. These are regular knives, Miss Griffin.\u201d<\/p>\n Okay, magical<\/em> cutlery. Ryoka put the knife back, and Magnolia bustled around, mostly getting in the way of Ressa, who was pulling out what Ryoka asked for.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do we have here? Oh my! We do have a full pantry! Do you need any of this, Miss Griffin?\u201d<\/p>\n She opened pantry doors and revealed shelf after shelf of exotic ingredients that Ryoka half-recognized. Sugar, okay, that made sense. But red sugar? Harvested from the desert? And that was normal compared to delicacies like Wyvern meat. She pointed at a slab<\/em> of purplish meat in what must have been an enchanted space to keep it fresh.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFar too tough for me. I tried it once but couldn\u2019t bear the taste of it. It\u2019s very healthy, or so I\u2019m told but\u2026what does this ice cream need?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUh\u2014sugar.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCrimson sugar or regular sugar? Nali-sticks?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are those?\u201d<\/p>\n Magnolia glanced up.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, a Balerosian treat. Akin to concentrated sugar, I believe. Well, we have regular sugar\u2014I import the stuff, you know. I have a little deal with an [Admiral] about shipping it.\u201d<\/p>\n Now that<\/em> sounded like an important person talking. Ryoka just stared before she saw Ressa plonk a regular bag of sugar on the table. Reminded of her task, Ryoka got back to work, trying to remember what she needed.<\/p>\n The oddness of the kitchen wasn\u2019t that it was so grand or had so many equivalents to modern cooking equipment. No, it was that most of the food storage in the kitchen consisted of shelves of food left out in the open. And even in the pantry, items like milk, butter, and even fresh vegetables had been neatly stockpiled away without any kind of refrigeration.<\/p>\n There was no helping it. Ryoka had to ask. She cut off Lady Magnolia as the other woman began talking about a strange jello that looked like it was moving.<\/p>\n \u201cDoesn\u2019t all this rot?\u201d<\/p>\n Magnolia glanced at the shelves of uncovered food while the maids following her gave Ryoka silent glares.<\/p>\n \u201cThis? I shouldn\u2019t think so. I paid for the best preservation spells, and I have an [Enchanter] come by every year or so to make sure the runes are holding. My people are quite pleased with all the space, which I do need for all the delightful treats I order.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka stared at the tiny etched runes on the side of each cupboard. They were in no language she knew. Preservation runes? Well, that was handy. She wondered just how expensive they were.<\/p>\n \u201cNot too expensive, at least for the quality of work done. Mages charge very affordable prices. I gather most inns and some of the larger shops use such runes quite often.\u201d<\/p>\n Lady Magnolia smiled as Ryoka\u2019s head shot up and the younger woman looked at her.<\/p>\n \u201cNot mind reading my dear. Just an educated guess and a few Skills. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard it said that it is a frivolous class, but [Ladies] have a few useful tricks in social situations. You do scream disapproval now and then.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMm.\u201d<\/p>\n Wait, she could tell when Ryoka was annoyed?<\/em> The City Runner began to sweat, and Magnolia clapped her hands before waving them to reassure her.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease don\u2019t grow alarmed! Or take offense. Oh my, you are quite taciturn, aren\u2019t you? Dragons should be more forthcoming! Please, I will stop bothering you, but let us make this ice cream! How shall we begin?\u201d<\/p>\n Magnolia waited excitedly as Ryoka looked around the room and tried to remember all of the ingredients. It had been a long time since Ryoka made ice cream. She\u2019d almost forgotten how, but as a child\u2014<\/p>\n \u201cWe need some salt too. A pinch of it. And vanilla.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course. Ressa?\u201d<\/p>\n The head maid nodded and directed her maids to the appropriate shelves. She paused as one maid brought her a bundle of wrapped vanilla bean stalks.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are quite <\/em>expensive, milady.\u201d<\/p>\n Lady Magnolia pshed<\/em> and waved at Ressa impatiently.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, nonsense, Ressa, don\u2019t be a spoilsport. I\u2019m minded to give Ryoka anything she wants if she can make this ice cream.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne stalk is fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka accepted the dry, stick-like piece of vanilla from the glowering maid and broke it open. She sniffed at the strong smell and began extracting the beans from within.<\/p>\n \u201cNow we need to heat the milk, salt, and sugar together in a pot. Got a big one?\u201d<\/p>\n Lady Magnolia clapped her hands together as Ressa glowered and found a large, polished pot and set it over one of the kitchen stoves. She started the fire underneath the pot with a single touch to a glowing red rune on the stove front.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, I see! You\u2019re making a custard! How delightful!\u201d<\/p>\n Silently, Ryoka mixed the ingredients together and created a creamy, off-white custard in the pot. She poked at it with her spoon and decided it was thick enough for ice cream. What next? Oh, right.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Crap.\u201d<\/p>\n This time, Ryoka\u2019s language nearly earned her a slap on the back of the head. Ressa\u2019s hand twitched<\/em>, and a small vein began to throb on her forehead.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI might not be able to make this after all. I forgot something.\u201d<\/p>\n Lady Magnolia looked dismayed. She peered into the pot.<\/p>\n \u201cIt looks perfectly fine to me, but\u2014is there an ingredient missing?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka shook her head. She gestured at the pot.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to freeze this. Or rather, we need to freeze it slowly while stirring.\u201d<\/p>\n That was a big problem. For all this world had things like preservation spells, Ryoka was sure they hadn\u2019t invented freezers or air-conditioning. But to her surprise, Lady Magnolia laughed and put her hand over her ample bosom in relief.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, is that all?\u201d<\/p>\n Magnolia waved an airy hand. She turned to another one of her maids.<\/p>\n \u201cYvony, would you be a dear and send a message to the Mage\u2019s Guild? Tell them I need an [Elementalist] mage capable of using basic ice magic.\u201d<\/p>\n Bemused, Ryoka watched as Yvony, a fair-haired maid with fairer complexion, bowed and quickly trotted out of the room.<\/p>\n \u201cIs she going to run there?\u201d<\/p>\n Lady Magnolia chuckled politely, and the other maids smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not all as fleet-footed as you Runners. No, she\u2019s just here to bring me\u2014ah, thank you Yvony.\u201d<\/p>\n The maid had returned with a small, blue book with gold lattice work on the cover. Lady Magnolia opened it and showed Ryoka the blank pages as Yvony unscrewed an ink pot and dipped a quill in it.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you will observe, this is a magical book. One of two, in fact. Whenever one writes on one page, the other book immediately copies over the same writing. It\u2019s quite the ingenious way of talking without needing to cast a [Message] or [Communication] spell each time.\u201d<\/p>\n She handed the book to Yvony as the maid wrote a few brisk, short lines on the paper. The book glowed once, and then the light faded from the pages. Magnolia clapped her hands together and turned to Ryoka.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now we wait. A [Mage] should be along in a matter of minutes. The Mage\u2019s Guild is quite prompt at responding, and happily, they are located only a few streets away. Shall we retire for a cup of tea?\u201d<\/p>\n Given her choice, Ryoka would have refused, but the thing about a request made by a lady is that it is not really a request. In short order, she found herself sitting and sipping from a hot cup of tea and trying not to make a face.<\/p>\n Her heritage as a Japanese-American said that she should at least appreciate good tea, as Ryoka had Japanese grandparents who insisted she try the stuff. But her American roots and personality insisted coffee was the only way to live. Sadly, she hadn\u2019t encountered that beverage here yet, so she pretended to drink her tea while Magnolia seated herself in the guest room on the pink sofa again.<\/p>\n \u201cSugar?\u201d<\/p>\n Once again, she surprised Ryoka by offering her a bowl of sugar herself. Ryoka passed it up\u2014then saw to her mild horror Magnolia repeating the same trick as she had over the ice cream.<\/p>\n Namely\u2014she took the lid off the bowl, and ignoring the spoon, poured a fourth of it into her cup. Ressa\u2019s face was blank as Ryoka saw Magnolia stir.<\/p>\n \u201cYou, uh\u2014like sugar a lot, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is one of life\u2019s pleasures. Now, a snack. Ressa! How about some baked Yellats? Are you a fan of them, Miss Griffin?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never had any.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally? They are a quite common food across Chandrar, the desert continent, you know. Some people consider them as plebian as potatoes, but I find them delightfully good in any number of dishes. Spicy, too. Ah, here we are.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka was served some hot, steaming root or starch vegetables. They were almost as orange as carrots, but more resembled broccoli. They had the texture of sweet potatoes, but they were indeed spicy!<\/em><\/p>\n Magnolia nibbled on one as Ryoka found they were good enough to eat. Ressa walked off as Yvony came back, and the butler hovered around with a tray as Magnolia kept speaking.<\/p>\n \u201cI must say, I have been absolutely dying<\/em> to know what it is that makes you run, Miss Ryoka. If I may confess\u2014I\u2019m not asking you solely out of pure interest as well. I have a teensy bet going on with some other ladies in my gossip circle about it. I told them I had heard of a City Runner running barefoot, and they all assured<\/em> me none of them had heard of anything like it! They live all abouts, you see. North, northeast, northwest\u2014Celum is too far south for most of the nobility to live.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka paused. She was used to attention for running barefoot, but this was the first time she\u2019d ever been bet on.<\/p>\n \u201cReally? It\u2019s that fascinating to you? Um, Lady Magnolia?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Lady] covered her mouth with a hand as she laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy, haven\u2019t you realized what a splash you\u2019ve made? A young woman becomes the fastest local Runner practically overnight? Yet alone running barefoot? People are wondering why you run barefoot. Is it part of a special class? Or is it a secret?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo secret.\u201d<\/p>\n Magnolia waited, but the young woman sitting across from her said nothing more. She cleared her throat politely.<\/p>\n \u201cThen\u2014would you mind telling me? I would simply love to know.\u201d<\/p>\n Lady Magnolia leaned forwards over her tea eagerly. Even the maids were quietly listening as they bustled around the drawing room performing menial and unneeded tasks.<\/p>\n Ryoka shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cI just like running barefoot. I hate shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n Her audience blinked at her. Ryoka shrugged. There wasn\u2019t much more to say. She eyed the maids as they shifted and exchanged glances behind their mistress\u2019 back. Idly, Ryoka wondered how much gossiping they did when they were done with work.<\/p>\n Silence followed Ryoka\u2019s answer, which was then broken by laughter. Lady Magnolia chuckled and then laughed quietly. It wasn\u2019t boisterous or uncontrolled; like everything else about her, it was polite and refined. But it was genuine.<\/p>\n \u201cYou, my dear Ryoka Griffin, are the most delightful young lady I have ever met! You give away nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n She lifted her cup, and a waiting maid filled it with the dark brown tea that Ryoka was trying not to ingest.<\/p>\n \u201cAh, well. A simple answer, but not from a simple person. I suppose our little gossip circle will have to annul the bet. How interesting. But then, to be fair, I\u2019m told half-Elves do eschew shoes all the time. Did you learn that from them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope. I\u2019m not\u2014acquainted with half-Elves that much. It\u2019s just a hobby. It\u2019s good for your feet. Sort of.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka was proud of her reply. She knew that half-Elves existed<\/em>, but she had only seen one while delivering all those potions to the adventurers. She did want to meet them, and Magnolia shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I cannot imagine how you don\u2019t poke holes in your feet like that. And you are so fit! Did you ever think of joining a [Knight] order?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not big on law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n Truer words had never been spoken. Magnolia laughed at that uproariously and shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cThen have you run like that all your life?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll the time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndoors and outdoors?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep.\u201d<\/p>\n Magnolia Reinhart put her chin in her hand. Ryoka hoped at this point the [Lady] would leave her alone. She had been the most uncooperative, inhospitable guest she could imagine, and anyone else would have surely thrown her out on her head. But Magnolia either wanted ice cream that badly or something else was going on.<\/p>\n The latter turned out to be true, because the [Lady]\u2019s eyes lit up and she clapped her hands together with a sigh.<\/p>\n \u201cFascinating.<\/em> You know, I\u2019m completely stumped. Ressa, do you have a guess?\u201d<\/p>\n She turned, and Ryoka jumped as she saw Ressa appear with the tea kettle in hand. The [Maid] had entered the room, and she bowed.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m out. Either she was lying\u2014and I had a truth spell on her the entire time\u2014or it\u2019s somewhere you missed, like a paradise nation.\u201d<\/p>\n Hm?<\/em> What did that mean? Ryoka felt a moment of uncertainty as Magnolia nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cNot Izril, Baleros, Chandrar, Terandria\u2014well, maybe the Kingdom of Keys or somewhere new like\u2026? Taimaguros? But she would know [Knights]. Wistram\u2019s rare children know magic, and no one would be allowed to run around barefoot in Drath, the likeliest option, because of how rude that would be. Nor on Rhir for safety. And Izril? I am stumped.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka Griffin\u2019s blank look began to turn more and more alarmed as Magnolia began reciting names. Names which Ryoka Griffin vaguely recognized as every major landmass in the entire world. Magnolia Reinhart beamed at Ryoka, and Ressa stared at the now-nervous City Runner.<\/p>\n \u201cFor all the money, then, Miss Griffin. Do the seas carry you home? A [Storm Sailor] or one of the Drowned Folk might walk a deck barefoot.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka Griffin hesitated. And she opened her mouth to say something, before she realized\u2014<\/p>\n Did that woman, Ressa, say <\/em>truth spells? <\/em>She had no idea what the Drowned Folk were, but if she said yes, she lied. If she said no\u2026<\/p>\n Magnolia Reinhart kept that gaze on Ryoka, and that distant look in her eyes\u2014was suddenly gone. Then, two green irises stared at Ryoka, and the young woman felt like she was engulfed in a forest of green. A watchful forest, and Magnolia was suddenly there<\/em>, and the young woman saw the real [Lady].<\/p>\n The Deadly Flower Blooming in the North smiled and chuckled as someone knocked on the door. The [Mage] had come.<\/p>\n \u201cJust a joke, Miss Griffin. I know you didn\u2019t come from a ship. Or else someone would have known you from a port city. Well, I am stumped, and I thought I was playing the guessing-game well. That should be our [Mage]. Now for ice cream!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n She shot to her feet and headed to the door with alacrity. Ryoka, though, stopped a moment and glanced at Ressa. The [Maid] smiled at her, and Ryoka had to ask a question.<\/p>\n \u201cIs\u2026I heard she\u2019s the hero of some kind of war.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Maid]\u2019s smile vanished in a second. She gave Ryoka a long, long look, and the City Runner realized she might have made another mistake. But Ressa just dipped her head.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Antinium Wars? Those are ancient history. She was no hero, the kind you\u2019ll see in statues. But she was.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka expected Ressa to follow that up with, \u2018so show some respect,\u2019 but the [Maid] just held out a hand.<\/p>\n \u201cMay I take your cup, Miss?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Ice cream. It tasted sweet, was hopefully cold and, apparently, was about as addictive as hardcore drugs to those who\u2019d never had it before.<\/p>\n She hadn\u2019t been too sure about her recipe, but at Lady Magnolia\u2019s insistence, Ryoka had filled a huge pot with custard. After the mage had arrived and the ice cream had been successfully churned into the frozen treat with a few hiccups, Lady Magnolia, her maids, and even the mage had joined Ryoka in eating the ice cream.<\/p>\n As a result, the big pot was now empty, and Ryoka\u2019s stomach was not happy with her. The mage had left just half an hour ago, clutching at his stomach and head. He still had a blissful smile on his face, though.<\/p>\n To Ryoka\u2019s surprise, the mage had been quite interested in making ice cream. Perhaps that was just his personality, but it was also probably due to Magnolia\u2019s infectious enthusiasm. She\u2019d had a maid taking notes of Ryoka\u2019s every action as she\u2019d figured out how to mix the ice cream properly.<\/p>\n Well, that was fine in the end because it meant that Ryoka didn\u2019t have to explain how to make the ice cream twice. And now that the ice cream was eaten, Ryoka could finally leave. She was at the final stage of that process\u2014trying to shake off Lady Magnolia at the door.<\/p>\n The [Lady] did not bring up Ryoka\u2019s point of origin again, and Ryoka could almost believe that Magnolia was just a kindly [Lady] trying to noblesse oblige<\/em> to the max.<\/p>\n \u201cI still can\u2019t believe you won\u2019t take at least some token for teaching me this delightful recipe. Won\u2019t you take some of it with you? To the Runner\u2019s Guild at least. You could let them all share it. Or some gold coins? I do intend to replicate the recipe, and that will put my supplier out. Oh, and Ressa? Make a note for the [Farmers] in First Landing to grow some vanilla. Bully them gently into it. With love and kisses from me, or they\u2019ll miss the profits in a year.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka shrugged and tried to back out the door as Lady Magnolia fussed around her. The almost-lethal amounts of sugar the older woman had imbibed didn\u2019t seem to be slowing her down like it had the other maids and Ryoka. Even Ressa, the faithful head maid, looked slightly ill after coming down from the sugar high and realizing how much she\u2019d eaten, but Magnolia was as energetic and bright as ever.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want any ice cream, thanks. The other Runners\u2014I\u2019m not that chummy with them. They can eat cake. And it was just ice cream. I don\u2019t feel right about taking the gold.\u201d<\/p>\n Plus, if Persua learned how much money Magnolia was offering her, she\u2019d never stop complaining.<\/em><\/p>\n With a sigh, Lady Magnolia gave up on the issue, much to Ryoka\u2019s relief.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re sure. I suppose there\u2019s no harm in it if it won\u2019t aggravate things. I do know the Runners compete. How about a little gift, though? Say, a bag of holding?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka hesitated as the maid named Ressa coughed and muttered about the expense. Did she say a bag of holding?<\/em> As in\u2014the magical object that would hold things? That was<\/em> tempting. But again, Ryoka looked at Magnolia\u2019s dancing green eyes and remembered that intent look.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026No. I\u2019m fine, thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n Lady Magnolia sighed, but she made no further arguments, much to Ryoka and her head maid\u2019s relief. Ryoka finished stretching out the leg that had fallen asleep and then moved to open the door. Ressa intercepted her and held the door open politely. Her hands were gloved. Apparently, that made a big difference to what she could touch and Ryoka couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Time to run. But Ryoka turned at the door and nodded to Lady Magnolia.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn the contrary, it is I who should thank you, Miss Ryoka. But if I might have one last question before you go?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka reluctantly paused at the door as Ressa closed it in her face. She turned slightly and glanced at Magnolia.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you, in fact, come from any place in this world?\u201d<\/p>\n Silence. Ryoka\u2019s face didn\u2019t change, but Magnolia smiled. She looked straight at Ryoka Griffin and then nodded to Ressa. The door swung open, and Ryoka stumbled a bit as she trotted out the door. But now she was looking back over her shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope you will accept more requests from me in the future. I would so love to chat.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Lady] twinkled merrily. She looked Ryoka in the eye, and the Runner inhaled. Then Ryoka was gone before Magnolia finished speaking.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou scared her off. I thought you were trying to be subtle.\u201d<\/p>\n Ressa closed the door as Lady Magnolia watched Ryoka Griffin running for the hills. The [Lady] turned as she dropped the smile, but she still looked amused. Then she put a hand over her chest and pretended to swoon.<\/p>\n Her maid let her bounce off a wall and onto the carpet. Magnolia glared up at Ressa as Yvony and her staff dashed over to help her up.<\/p>\n \u201c…I think I\u2019m going to have a heart-attack. Thank you for catching me incidentally, Ressa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSelf-inflicted injuries are not my job. You don\u2019t think she\u2019s actually from somewhere else, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n Ressa scoffed, and Magnolia sat up.<\/p>\n \u201cShe didn\u2019t answer, but the look in her eyes\u2014that was a joke, Ressa. That was supposed<\/em> to be a joke. I really thought I\u2019d hear she was from some provincial place.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you just let her run off, never to return. You didn\u2019t even put a tracking spell on the bag of holding.\u201d<\/p>\n Magnolia stood back up and brushed at her skirts.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019ll be back. Or we will find her, but I would hope she returns of her own volition, Ressa. A young woman as vivaciously intelligent as that will, even if she has all the manners and social graces of a rabid Eater Goat. If only to make excuses. I hope<\/em> she\u2019s no runaway [Princess] or daughter of someone important. We have enough of those already.\u201d<\/p>\n She gazed out the window and saw Ryoka Griffin was already turning down the street. Magnolia shook her head as Ressa glanced out the window.<\/p>\n \u201cMy, but she is<\/em> quick. Oh, and Ressa? One more thing. Get in touch with the old man.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c…Which old man is it? The pervert or the lazy one?\u201d<\/p>\n Magnolia scowled.<\/p>\n \u201cThe one we like.<\/em> Wake him up if you can. Tell him I need a favor. Tell him to look into\u2026er\u2026how do you spell \u2018Ryoka Griffin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI believe the Runner\u2019s Guild has her name written down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight. Yes. Use that.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n I have to slow down after I get a few streets away from Magnolia\u2019s house. I put my hand on my stomach and try not to throw up.<\/p>\n \u201cWoog.\u201d<\/p>\n Ice cream is not<\/em> good for my body, especially if I have to run. I feel like I\u2019ve got a rock in my stomach. And yet, it might have been worth it. If only it hadn\u2019t been vanilla,* life might have been perfect.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n *If I have to eat ice cream, it\u2019s got to be mint chocolate chip. Vanilla is just vanilla. But I love mint. And peppermint. And spearmint. I\u2026really wish I had some gum.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n As I slowly walk and then transition back into a slow jog, I think about Magnolia or as I now know her, the scariest person I\u2019ve met in this world. Apparently, someone with her class can practically read minds, or at least tell how I\u2019m feeling. That is not<\/em> a comforting thought.<\/p>\n Jeez. She nearly figured out where I came from in a few minutes. What a terrifyingly scary lady.<\/p>\n It might be wrong to think, but when I first met her, I thought she was just another plump social butterfly without a thought in the world. But\u2026that\u2019s what she wants people to assume about her. The real Magnolia is sharp and intelligent. Remember that next time you visit her.<\/p>\n \u2026Which won\u2019t be for a while. I know there\u2019s going to be hell to pay if Persua has her way, and besides, now I<\/em> have a good reason not to visit Magnolia in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cRight. No Magnolia deliveries for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n But with that said, I will be doing research on her. War hero? I\u2019ll just bet Garia knows something about her\u2014how Magnolia got her wealth, if she was married, etc. Know your enemy, right? Well, Magnolia isn\u2019t my enemy, and I\u2019d like to keep her that way.<\/p>\n Does she really think I\u2019m from another world? No\u2014no, I should have played it off. Stupid Ryoka! <\/em>The last thing I need is to cause a stir. What are the dangers of talking about Earth? Gee, let me make a list. But I can pretend I was just surprised. I just need to go back once I\u2019m ready, which means I need intelligence.<\/p>\n It\u2019s too bad there are no libraries around. That\u2019s medieval times for you, but at least I have a resource in a local\u2014Garia.<\/p>\n \u2026Garia. Her name triggers a thought in my mind as I run down another street. It\u2019s getting empty this late in the day, but I see another Street Runner disappear the instant I turn down the street. Garia. Oh. Oh yeah.<\/p>\n Tomorrow, I have to do that delivery with Garia. That will be a pain. Not just because we\u2019ve got to carry fifty pounds on our backs, but because she\u2019s going to talk to me the entire time. Which is fine. It\u2019s a normal, Human thing to do. It\u2019s just a pain in the ass.<\/p>\n Well, I promised, so that\u2019s that. Forget about it, but don\u2019t actually forget about it. At least I won\u2019t have to stick around the Runner\u2019s Guild too long waiting for another job.<\/p>\n I wonder whether there will be any consequences for making ice cream. What a ridiculous thought but\u2026let\u2019s explore that. Hm.<\/p>\n It probably wasn\u2019t a good idea to share the recipe, but it made Magnolia happy, and I guess that\u2019s better than her being upset. But what does it mean to spread that kind of information?<\/p>\n Well\u2026if I had to guess, it would mean that the poor person who invented ice cream isn\u2019t going to be as rich as she or he hopes. But it also might mean a revolution of sorts within the city. Ice cream is exceptionally possible, and thanks to magic, easy to make even in this day and age.<\/p>\n Does that mean I might soon see it on the streets? But no\u2014unless you have a mage on standby, ice cream isn\u2019t easy to keep. I guess the nobility will enjoy it for the most part until someone revolutionizes the ice box or fridge. That\u2019s the way it goes, right? Trickle-down, just like how the ice cream cone melts.<\/p>\n I get that far in my reasoning when I notice the other runners.\u00a0<\/p>\n As I\u2019m jogging down one of Celum\u2019s streets, I notice a few people keeping pace. I\u2019m not going full-tilt with pedestrians, and so I see a lanky stride and turn my head. I blink as a familiar face appears.<\/p>\n Claudeil. He looks busy, running ahead of me; I\u2019m catching up to him. What\u2019s he doing here? He must have gone to Celum with Persua. Hah! I bet she dragged them both here, hoping I failed.<\/p>\n Well, he\u2019s ignoring me, so I ignore him. I\u2019m already looking for somewhere to turn when I frown and realize I\u2019m hearing pounding shoes on the paving stones to my left. I turn my head, and there\u2019s someone else.<\/p>\n Toriska. She comes out of a side-alley, and I blink. Her pace is slower, but every eight steps she blurs<\/em> ahead a bit. It\u2019s some kind of Skill that makes up for her shit running form, but she\u2019s here too. She gives me one bored look and then glances away as she heads down the street.<\/p>\n The same way as Claudeil. I feel a tingle on my neck and start to slow, but then I see something behind me. More Runners.<\/p>\n They appear from behind me and from other streets in a huge crowd. Ten\u2014no, twenty<\/em> Street Runners appear out of nowhere and surround me. It\u2019s so sudden that I don\u2019t think of running away before they\u2019re all around me. I drift left\u2014and half a dozen Street Runners from the guild I was at plus Claudeil and Toriska are elbow-to-elbow with me.<\/p>\n What the hell is going on? Suddenly, I\u2019m running in a crowd, and they\u2019re jostling and forcing me to run at their speed. I recognize a few of them from the guild, but why are they here? Well, whatever they\u2019re doing, it\u2019s aimed at me. I try to push out of the crowd, but they\u2019re packed too tightly.<\/p>\n \u201cGet away.\u201d<\/p>\n I growl, and they ignore me. Well, of course they do. I try to shove my way left, but when I do, they bunch up and ram into me. Hard.<\/p>\n \u201cYou annoying\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n I throw an elbow, and Claudeil swears as I hit him in the ribs. He\u2019s a big guy, though, and shoves me back. I make a fist.\u00a0<\/p>\n Okay, no more nice girl, not that there ever was one to begin with. I stop suddenly and trip up two of the runners behind me. It turns out to be a mistake, because they trip and fall, and their shoes kick into my feet and ankles as they go down.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn it.\u201d<\/p>\n Gyaaaaaaah!<\/em> That really <\/em>hurt! But now I\u2019m free. I really want to check my feet and see if their stupid shoes ripped any skin, but something\u2019s up. I turn and run left even as the pack of Street Runners turns to follow me.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t let her get away!\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s Toriska\u2019s<\/em> voice. I\u2019ll get her and Claudeil! Although he does have a club and Toriska has a knife. Wait\u2014where\u2019s Persua? But before I can think of that, someone cannonballs<\/em> into me, and I go stumbling left\u2014then a bunch of hands drag me sideways.<\/p>\n They shove me left, onto a smaller street. At this point, I\u2019m really starting to get annoyed. And slightly\u2014worried. I could get nastier, but if it comes down to a fight against this many people, they\u2019d kick the crap out of me. No, screw it. I can lose these idiots the instant I get out of the city gates. I\u2019ll go to Remendia, and if more of them show up there, I\u2019ll talk to the City Watch. Or the Runner\u2019s Guild.<\/p>\n All I have to do is break free of the group. And that\u2019s easy and hard at the same time. The easy part is grabbing one Runner by the shoulder and shoving her hard so she smacks into a wall. The hard part\u2019s going to be when they start trying to hit me.<\/p>\n But they don\u2019t. All at once, the pack of Street Runners in front of me breaks up. I run forwards, towards the mouth of the alleyway before Claudeil and Toriska can catch up. Another three steps and I\u2019ll be in the clear. Why the hell would they\u2014<\/p>\n I see it too late. A foot\u2019s there to trip me up, and though I try to jump over it, it catches me, and down I go. I stumble forwards and hit the street so hard I think I split my lip.<\/p>\n Ow<\/em>. All the air goes out of me. My teeth explode into pain. I look up\u2014and someone\u2019s staring down at me.<\/p>\n Persua.<\/em><\/p>\n I don\u2019t have the time to speak before she leaps back. The other runners are already retreating as she backs up.\u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019m going to kill her. <\/em>I push myself up, then blink down.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the\u2014?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n My feet are\u2014sticky. There\u2019s something on them. It looks like a spiderweb? Thick and\u2014and then as I\u2019m trying to tug my legs, I realize I hear something. I hear and feel <\/em>something.<\/p>\n Rumbling. I feel it in the ground and look up too late. A heavy cart pulled by a large mule thunders at me down the small street.<\/p>\n Oh. Of course.<\/p>\n I roll and see a familiar sallow face grinning at me as the other Runners disappear into alleys. Get up. Get up!<\/em><\/p>\n The cart barrels down towards me as I scramble to my feet, despite the webs gluing my feet together. I dodge left, but then something slams<\/em> into me. It feels like I just hit a patch of solid air. Magic. Down I go, winded.<\/p>\n I look up and see the massive wheels crunching down the road towards me. So quick. And I\u2019m lying right in its way.<\/p>\n Oh. Yeah. I\u2019d almost forgotten what I hate about the world. Sometimes I forget, but I\u2019m always reminded in time. What I hate about the world is\u2014<\/p>\n People.<\/p>\n For once I\u2019m too slow.<\/p>\n Crunch.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Previous Chapter<\/a> Next Chapter<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" They called her the Deadly Flower Blooming in the North. Which was\u2026a mouthful of a title. After her first meeting with Magnolia Reinhart, Ryoka Griffin had asked who, exactly, she was. \u2018Head of the Reinhart Family,\u2019 was her answer. Which begged the question what that meant. The Reinharts were one of the Five Families. Well, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52856846,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"patreon-level":0,"patreon_level":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11693081,349],"tags":[],"twi_volume":[11693130],"twi_collection":[],"class_list":["post-13564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-volume-1","category-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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