Spring 32, 1388
Mirchie squeaked at me from behind her iron cage, annoyed by the jostling as we descended the staircase at 17 Parsimony Street. She was made superfluous by both Ophelia and Jasmine, and she was getting fat and lazy in her home.
So I brought her with me, being my companion in a private carriage - me! A Private Carriage!
The first time I had ever arrived at Flowers-By-The-River was through a convoy, and it was cramped, heavy, and all my possessions were basically the clothes I owned, a few books, slate, graphite and quills with ink. It all fit into my backpack.
I wished that was still the case.
I had gotten very used to not having to carry anything besides farming equipment around, but having a box filled with dresses, medical supplies, and of course, Mirchie herself meant that I couldn’t bring everything in one trip. Especially since a living animal couldn’t be stored in the inventory.
The cages and boxes swayed against my arm, blocking my vision as I carefully descended the staircase.
I nearly tripped over the ground-floor landing, but Selenia’s smooth hands caught my fall. “Be careful, Mayfly. I shan’t have you making a mess of this palace before you even take abode,” her singsong voice chided. I stared up at her and her forest-green eyes, and her long ears wiggled in greeting. “I know your kind are always in such a hurry, but you would make the toll much less severe if you took more than one trip – or asked for help.”
“Who are you?” I rapidly blurted out, and the slender elf stared at me with a frown. I could have been more accurate and asked ‘what are you doing?’ but Mirchie was squeaking angrily at me, and my own stamina was failing from the toil of carrying three boxes.
Selenia eyed the heavens, her lithe frame inflating as she inhaled and closed her eyes. Her head quickly shaked, before her lips and expression returned back to a genteel smile. “Mayfly, I own the building.” She finished, and I gave her a blank stare. She pouted, and continued on. “Well, my lineage has for the last three generations. I had to come down to see who had finally been given the keys to this place.”
“You don’t rent it out?” I asked, trying to push past her and then coming to my first real challenge.
A locked door.
I could put everything down, but then I’d lose all the progress I made. I would have to figure out how to restack this so it didn’t just become a mess and I’d be too encumbered to move.
Selenia walked past me and took out a key, unlocking the door and turning the knob. She pushed it open for me, but her emerald eyes kept watching me. “Of course not. This tenement was purchased - not rented - back when my great-gramma was only a small babe at 120! And for the last few generations, no one used it, but we kept it clean.”
“Oh. So you’re a [House-Keeper]? Wait, 120? Babe?” I said, but the sheer… juxtaposition was weighing on me. Selenia looked relatively young to me as well, but at this point? “How old are you?”
Selenia chuckled. “How old do I look, Mayfly?”
I looked at her, and my left eye narrowed. It burned, but I always had that focus. Her symphony was not more than a sproutling that had not yet hatched from its seed. It sung an old melody when Flowers-By-The-River was known by its elvish name, and then by the beastmen tribes before that.
“You are 389, approximately middle-aged for an elf. From the music in your Symphony, and my own notes, I’d say you would live up to nearly 700.”
Selenia’s ears bent low, and her eyes drooped with curiosity. “700 you say? Almost an epoch old. You think I’d grow to be an old lady?”
“You’re already old,” I blurted without thinking. Selenia’s hands balled up and rested on her hips. The annoyance was palpable, and I quickly tried to backtrack. “20 times my age?”
“How uncouth, Mayfly! There is prestige in lasting centuries and seeing the world develop. I had never met the previous owner, but my great-gramma did, and my family kept this building - and many like it – in pristine conditions. This place is ancient history, even for me. You should be excited.”
“I see. It must be a grand occasion for you then,” I awkwardly tried to phrase. She didn’t want to leave. “Did you want to look from outside before you go away…?”
Selenia shook her head. “Back in the day this abode was purchased, a [House Keeper] had different obligations. Of course the more modern contracts remove the obligations, but the previous owner had tasked my family to make sure this room was always clean and presentable. And I can hardly fulfill my side of the agreement if I am not allowed inside to maintain, can I?”
I decided to ignore her, and finally moved into my new home.
It smelled like oak burning crisply in a controlled hearth, mixed with that odd wood alcohol scent I was slowly learning to love. It was a sharp contrast to the coal and scents of a city – it smelled absolutely foul outside.
Nothing like Oakheart with its countryside tones. Here, it reeked of coal, of hurry, of people in a rush. My new home smelled like…
…well, it smelled like Dr. Levan’s office, down in Torrent. It wasn’t pleasant, but it was comforting, and, more importantly, professional. I stepped inside, wanting to take my measure, but Selenia gently slid past me. Her body contorted around Mirchie’s cage and my thin frame blocking the doorway, and yet her body – let alone her clothing – barely touched me or the doorframe.
“Danu’s Breath…” Selenia said, her eyes scanning the room and noticing… Well, nothing. There was no dust, the window was polished, and the basement landing just seemed to be a typical entranceway. If she hadn’t told me that this place wasn’t used for the last 500 years, I would have suspected I was moving into a place that was already occupied.
The hearth-fire, the source of the Oak scent, crackled to life as we both stepped in, the log crackling pleasantly to my ear. The woodpile beside it was well maintained, with no spiderwebs, termites, or any other pests I would have suspected from organic material just left alone.
Nature hated waste.
The landing was warm and welcoming; and as much as I compared everything to my hovel, my new home was actually bigger than this place. It made sense, I had an acre of farmland to work with, but it wasn’t nearly this vertical. The staircase landing spiralled up three additional floors, but I suspected that each of the floors were just as cramped as this one.
The room actually reminded me of my dormitory at Kuronos Academy, if my dorm was bigger and I was allowed a fireplace. Of course, that didn’t factor in the second or third floor, but I doubted I actually needed that much space.
I let Mirchie down onto the floor, and opened her cage. Her fluffy black-and-white ears flopped down, and her pink nose sniffed the air. She lazily hopped out of the cage, and found her way to the hearthfire, curling into a ball and closing her eyes.
Yep, fat and lazy.
I gave a small smile, before realizing that the elf was still in my house. “Sorry, why are you still here?” I asked.
Selenia kept looking at the tables here, the books on the shelf there, and then through everywhere. Her ears twitched at my words, so I knew she could hear me.
She stopped peering when she had her measure, and then turned to me. “How is this place so.. Modern? I haven’t even allowed hearthfires in my older tenements as it’d burn the wood and stain it. You Mayflies don’t tend to your possessions since you see it as ephem–”
“I understand, I’m young and won’t live as long as you will. I don’t see things in ‘the long view’,” I quickly blurted out, getting very tired of how Selenia kept speaking. “But that doesn’t explain why you, old lady, are here.”
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
“Excuse you?! I am not old, you even said I had 400 more years to live, at the very least!” she harrumphed. “And you already were told, Mayfly. I will be maintaining this abode, and according to the contract, making sure you are fed, and organizing your schedule.”
“No thanks,” I quickly stated, but Selenia did not move.
“Breakfast will be at 7:30 AM, Lunch will be on your own, or you may visit my place to be fed, and supper will be at 6:00 PM.” Selenia plainly, simply said.
“I can feed and cook for myself. Besides, why would you want to come here to just cook for me?” I asked, and Selenia shook her head.
“My lineage gave their word to the owner of this abode. I understand that you might see it as a contract made by two persons from a previous era, but it is one line. Consider this, Ms. Anise, who–”
“What did you just call me?” I quickly responded.
“Ms. Anise? You are Dr. Anise’s… I wanted to say Great Grand-Daughter like I am to Myrrh, but I believe you’re many generations removed. Oh right, you mayflies are patriarchal. You wouldn’t have carried your mothers name.”
“Dr. Anise is a man,” I corrected. “Was a man.”
Selenia’s lips pursed. “Are you sure, Mayfly? I feel like Great Gramma would have mentioned that. That was something that would be notable.”
“...That Dr. Anise is a man? That’s noteworthy?” I poked.
“Of course! A male doctor. You Mayflies seem to forget that you learned medicine from us. Natural healing, since Danu prevents us from curing diseases, is a tradition from the Wisewoman.”
My face scrunched. I had the Libre Sanitas with me, and they were all Dr. Anise’s handwritten notes. He never mentioned learning it from an elf before. Nonetheless, it was still a confusing conversation.
“I don’t see how those two lines are related, Ms….”
She waved her hand. “I will not have you try to pronounce my name and butcher it. You may refer to me as Selenia, Sel, or Mrs.Hadhwyn.”
I let out an annoyed sigh, “Okay, Mrs. Hadhwyn. I don’t see why a wisewoman wouldn’t teach a man?”
Selenia’s eyes spread out, much like when Father Farrow first heard me swear as a child. “That is improper, Ms. Anise! I understand that Mayfly society is far more open about the ways of courting, but being in a room and being taught with no supervision? The scandal!“
“Are you messing with me? I happen to know–” I immediately stopped. That wasn’t my story to tell. “Does that mean I’m not allowed to be in a relationship with an elf? A female one, specifically.”
Selenia’s hands crossed. “I appreciate the interest, but, Mayfly, I am far too old for you and I’m mar–”
“What? I’m just asking a cultural question?!” I immediately responded, heat rising against my cheeks.
“Oh! Thank Danu! I mean, you can do as you please. Our society wouldn’t see it as a relationship. More akin to bestiality - not just because you two wouldn’t be able to procreate in the sense of female and female, but… would you marry a dog that would die in eight years?”
“An elf isn’t a dog though?”
Selenia smiled at me. Her words went soft and rhymed together, her lips too practised. I had always found Sylvan to be a beautiful language, like listening to someone talk in song and poetry mixed with the cadence of speaking.
“Your passion is a summer’s heat,
A sudden spark, a drum’s retreat.
Your heart is but a single note,
A fleeting breath from a tightening throat.
I blinked, and found the silence deep,
While I walked on, you fell to sleep.
I blinked, and felt the air turn grey,
For while I breathed, you slipped away.
How can I love the wind that blows,
Or weep for the dew upon the rose?
Your world is made of fading air;
I looked again—and you weren't there.”
Selenia finished her poem and looked at me. In her eyes, I saw Aywin and Noel, not that she knew them. I saw the faces of others too, and in each blink, only one partner remained to face eternity.
I tilted my head in annoyance. “Well, I’m going to live forever.”
Selenia chuckled, and then glanced about once more. “Would you care for some tea then, Ms. Anise? I would find it most interesting to hear your story. If you do wish, I live nearby, 12 Parsimony Street.”
I glanced up at her and… paused. My Pa, Matthew Hart was… kind of a nobody. Not that I disliked my father or the farming roots that I shared with him and Ma, but…
Dr. Anise was somebody. I already didn’t want to be known as Ashley, since everyone would just say ‘look, it’s that Hart girl again! That [Farmer], we should pity her!’.
I was back in the City, where I wouldn’t have to hear people mock my accent, wonder why I couldn’t afford to go out for lunch, or why I loved feeling dirt underneath my nails.
But, I am a professional now. Not a [Farmer] like Pa, but a [Doctor], like my mentor. But I was raised to be a [Farmer]… Being a [Chirurgeon] was not really my doing.
I resolved to trellis that pea-plant later. For now?
“I’m also a doctor like my… I don’t know, let’s go with ‘great grand-pa’,” I lied through my teeth, yet didn’t feel my body react to the fib. It just felt natural, like exposing a truth. “Dr. Anise sounds wonderful.”
“Dr. Anise it is! And see? Matriarchal. I am sure the real Dr. Anise was a woman too,” Selenia said. “Now, I would offer to help you unpack, but three boxes seems like you just brought dresses and a few books. You don’t need my help to hang them up, do you, Mayfly?”
I shook my head.
“Good! I want to explore upstairs,” she eagerly said, and moved up the landing.
I slowly began to unpack my books on the table, and glanced at Mirchie snoozing away over there, her fluffy tail waggling. I sneaked over behind her, and lifted her to the sky! Her feet playfully kicked my face, but her sleepy eyes slid awake. Her nose sniffed at me, as I just spun her around my new place!
I made it! Not living in a dorm. Having a housekeeper. People thought I was successful! I brought the hostage-rabbit right against my face, and peppered her face with kisses.
I had to tell Adrian!
“WHAT ON DANU’S NAME!” Selena shouted, and I quickly dashed up the stairs. Mirchie squeaked in protest, as we both collided into the standing elf.
The upper-landing was everything I ever wanted. There was a laboratory, where the fume-hood connected to the chimney to vent out. There was a medical room, with partitions and drains!
And, of course, what Selenia was so aghast about was a skeleton of an elf. It was hanging from a metal rod, its polished bone gleaming in the sunlight. It grinned at both of us, swaying in the breeze. It wasn’t alive of course, or… unalive, I guess.
She stared angrily at it, before shaking her head and stomping out of the house. “Does that mean no lunch, Mrs. Hadhwyn?” I teased.
“1 PM AT MY PLACE!” The elf angrily shouted back, stomping out of the heritage home.
The door locked, and I quickly looked around the second floor. I could see patients here, if I ever planned to move. Maybe, it was tempting, but I liked my farmhouse a lot more…
“Good to see the young’un finally leave, eh, ‘Dr. Anise’?” a voice sounded from the room.
I barely blinked, and didn’t even turn around. “You’re the one keeping the place so clean?”
“That I am, but darn child thinks its her job, but where are my manners. You’re the protege! And you’re even taking on dear Doctor’s heritage, he’d be so proud of you!” The skeleton said, popping herself free from the hanging bar.
“Myrrh, I presume?”
“As observant as the good doctor. But, just so you know, dearie,” The skeleton said, stepping up behind me, and skin reforming against her bones.
It was proper; clean, smooth, and simulating life. Her forest-green eyes came back to life, and her features seemed almost human. Except for the pallish look.
I walked over to inspect her skin. It was dry and crackling, and the stitchwork seemed fairly rudimentary. The bones underneath were bleached, but not cared for.
I clicked my tongue.
“I am a [Wight], and your good mentor’s ‘Constant Companion’.”
“I take it you’re one of the first [Night-Thing] he made?”
Myrrh chuckled, which was especially interesting to me as the [Wight] clearly seemed to ‘breathe in and out’ with her chest, even if I knew she didn’t have to breathe. “So nonplussed! But yes, how do you kn–”
“Your bones and skin are poorly maintained. Let me settle in, and I want to experiment with an idea I had. Want a touchup, Myrrh? Any companion of Dr. Anise, is a companion of mine.”
“Of course… Dr. Anise,” Myrrh responded. She offered me her pallid, soft hand.
I stared at it, then at her. Normally, I wouldn’t really want to ‘touch’ anyone, but this was clearly business, and for my mentor.
I grasped her hand and shook.
“Welcome to the city, Dr. Anise. Though, I do know you are Ms. Hart. When you get the chance, you should visit the third floor.”
“What’s up there?” I asked.
“His second phylactery; a beating heart.”
I pursed my lips, eyes going wide as I just nodded my head. Mirchie squeaked in annoyance as well; it was weird how desensitized to horror we were becoming.
Oh well, I had lunch plans and a [Wight] to take care of right now.
Doesn't seem it: I'd normally put this in the spoiler tag --
Farming handed over to Ophelia and Jasmine
DEBITS
Hart Farm - 1400 Gold/Month
The Cockatrice - 100 Gold/Month (Rent)
TOTAL: 1500/Month
CREDITS
Money
600 Gold Pieces (Clean)
265 Gold Pieces (Unlaundered) (At Oakheart)
200 Gold Pieces (Escrow) (At Oakheart)
Supplemental Income
Bath House - ??? Gold Pieces / day
Laundering
Unknown - Jasmine
