A Tale of One Deviant (Book One)

Chapter 196: Walked Right Into That One

     Some of you people, I thought, drifting down to hover behind her, looping an arm around her neck. Know me just too well.

     "Thanks, Magaris."

     "Now go get some sleep. I'd better see you at breakfast in one piece tomorrow morning, and when I check on you tonight you'd better be in bed."

     "Uh...I just have a few more-"

     "Firea."

     "-it'll take like, five hours, please-"

     "Two. And then bed. And, by the end of the second hour, you'd best have not just used cleaning magic, but actually used that immaculate bathroom you created for yourself, instead of just letting the children benefit from it. Could you bother to tame your hair for once?"

     "But Magaris, my health will suffer if I'm only given two that aren't really two when I need five-"

     "Well then," Magaris paused in her work, looking up to me. "You'd best be on your way, it seems."

     "No way...my Magaris is treating me so..."

     "Yes, I am. Goodbye, Firea."

     "...you're the only one that can treat me like this, you know? No one else would be able to get away with it."

     "I'm very much aware of that."

     "...yet you still-"

     "I do."

     Magaris kept on with her work. And I knew, then, that the most I could do was huff and go away with the two hours that I had.

     "Two hours," or just about.

     Why don't you just fall into a little time converted space for me, hm?

     And Magaris was none the wiser about having fallen into such a thing, as I took off to the world to deal with the problems that were.

     Now, where to?

     That was what I said to myself while hovering somewhere out at sea, having left behind my dungeon to look out and survey. I was riding high after that night, jittery enough that all I could think about was how much I wanted to go back and just...I didn't know. Pamper them somehow. Celebrate, maybe. Even if that seemed like a bit much, and if I really should've just let them sleep. And, like I told Magaris, I really did have things to do.

     I should visit the auction house...it's been a while, hasn't it? Probably, some people were curious as to where I was, having not shown up to sell my wares for a year. Hm...I'll do it tomorrow night.

     It would be the evening of the fifteenth in Venx and the early, early morning of the sixteenth in Bytriste, then, and the night the royals would be showing up to the biggest house on the block - just in time for me to maybe show up and make some good money in time for Christmas for the children...er, the winter solstice festival, for the children. Perfect for a comeback.

     Master, you already have more than enough money.

     Never hurts to have more.

     You're hurting the economy with your hoarding tendencies.

     Nonsense.

     Then please, Mistress Ghena, visit Venx and see just what a dent you've made, selling all of your "wares" and not buying anything.