The Winds of the Past [Rune Factory 4]

Chapter 8

Dylas was discussing something with Porcoline at the counter when I walked in, and over on the far side of the dining room, Arthur was just holding the door between the restaurant and his offices open for Avani as she walked on in. I noticed that as she passed him, he gave her a look of such unabashed admiration that I was startled by its intensity. I looked again at her, and was struck anew by her magnetism. She wasn't exactly beautiful, not conventionally so anyway, or even quite pretty. But she had some inner fire that suffused her with its radiance. She stood straight and tall and walked with confidence, her figure trim and lithe, and while she didn't fuss over clothes and makeup and hairstyles the way most young women seemed to do, she also had no need of artifice to enhance her natural appeal. Even if she might not be the most gorgeous girl in a room, she would surely be the one who attracted the most attention. So although I hadn't realized that Arthur was enamored of her, neither did I find it very surprising. I was certain most men would find her irresistible. And I was equally certain Avani had no idea—she was far too naïve for her own good, I feared, though I also felt that her artlessness was part of her charm.

We gathered at one of the smaller, private tables, except for Dylas, who helped Porcoline serve the food. Or rather, he snatched the food away from Porcoline before he could devour it and delivered it to our table unscathed. I began to see why Dylas had such excellent reflexes—he had to move quickly in this place. I shook my head, thinking it couldn't be an easy job. Once the food was safely delivered, Dylas joined us, sitting in the vacant seat opposite me. As we ate, Arthur and Avani went over details: the capitol's response to the current crisis, the town's fortifications, and Avani's plans for seeking out the research facility. Dylas and I mainly focused on eating and listening; I was too new to this era to contribute much myself, and Dylas seemed to prefer to leave most of the planning to the others.

We finished our meal and wrapped things up, then Arthur departed for his rooms. Dylas began to say goodnight, preparing to retire to his room above the restaurant, but Avani stopped him. "No," she said, "it'll be better if you both sleep at my place tonight. Since I delayed a day, I want to leave extra early tomorrow morning. If we're already together, we'll be able to depart with minimal disturbance to others. So if you still have anything here that you want, go grab it and we'll head back to the castle. We can stop by the inn, too, if you need anything there," she added, turning to me as Dylas hurried up the stairs to his room.

 "A few things, yes. I was expecting to return for the night," I replied.

"That reminds me," she added, "you can bring Sano and Uno if you want, but they might be better off staying here. If you bring them, it'll be up to you to keep them under control—I can't have them getting into mischief and attracting attention."

"I'll leave them here, though the little rascals might still follow me. Are you sure you have room for me to stay overnight, too?"

She nodded, saying with a smile, "Yes, there's a very comfortable chaise in one of my smaller rooms—the one I use as a study. I think you'll be fairly at home there among my books and scrolls. Anyway, Dylas slept there a couple of times before we became lovers, and he seemed to find it adequate, if a little on the short side for him."

"I haven't yet been given a tour of your suite, so I don't know where this study of yours is. How many rooms do you have in that suite of yours?" I asked.

"Oh, a crazy number, really. Besides the main chamber, there are five interconnected smaller rooms, some of which haven't been used in ages and are in need of a lot of cleaning and repairs before they're usable. Still, it's nice to know they're there if I ever need them. And then there's a series of three rooms in a cellar that I use mainly for storage—trophies, equipment, and so on. So I guess that makes nine rooms, and that's not even counting my outbuildings."