Chapter Nineteen - Busy Day

Should I include the POV character's art at the start of every chapter like this? So you know who's gonna be the lead? I'm mostly asking because... it looks good, lol.

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She heard Lord Abernath coming up the stairs with ease. It definitely helped that halfway up he started to choke and sputter. “What is all this infernal dust?” he asked.

When he stepped into the third floor guest room it was to find Rosario standing atop a stool with a feather duster in hand. “My lord,” she said. “Forgive my lack of manners, but a curtsy from this position would be unwise. Did the dust bother you?”

“Yes, yes it did,” he said with a rather pinched expression. To be fair, there was a lot of dust in the air. She had forgotten to open all of the windows to air out the house. 

“Forgive me,” she replied. “Though I’m afraid that it is a necessity. Once the dusting and sweeping is complete, future dustings will be far simpler and less bothersome.”

“Hmpf. Well, I suppose. In any case I’m heading out. I expect you to be here when I return.”

“Of course,” she replied. 

She continued to dust, but one ear was twitching as she listened to his steps through the house. Her senses were sharp enough now that when she truly listened she could make out the rustle of cloth and even what she suspected might be the thump of his heart, even from a floor above. It was hard to discern over all the rest, however. The house was on the creakier side, and the neighbourhood was rather active.

As soon as Lord Abernath was gone she... continued to clean. She undid the beds and broomed up the dust and opened a window, finally casting a weak [Gust] spell and feeding it a trickle of magic to keep the spell going for a long time. It filled the room with constant humid wind and carried away much of the dust.

Only after she made sure she was well and truly alone did she search for some red clothes to hang out on one of the balconies. 

Rosario returned to work right after. It was slow, but she could feel the experience coming through. She went down a floor and dusted the library, though she refrained from removing every book from the shelves to clean them properly. 

That could wait. She was planning on being here for a few days, at least, and so it was fine to take her time.

She did snoop a little. 

Part of her was worried that the system that gave out levels and such would deem snooping unmaidly but then again... wasn’t gossip the lifeblood of a maid? 

So, she snooped with great care. Instead of moving papers around and trying to have them look like she had never touched them, she simply cleared the desk and reorganized it. As she did so, she read through the papers.

It took her off-guard, how quickly she could skim through a page and absorb the information on it. Some of it was written rather poorly, but that was a minor obstacle. Most of the paperwork was financial. Lord Abernath, it seemed, owned a small craftsman shop where he employed three [Apprentice Woodworkers] and a [Carpenter], each paid relatively well. He had other business ventures as well, with more income from his estates out of Alpta. 

Then she ran across other papers. Letters sent between Lord Abernath and some companions. She didn’t recognize the names, but...

Rosario read through one letter, her fingers skimming under the lines of text to slow her pace down.

I cannot wait to put the abhumans in their place. They expect to gather in their little tribes without repercussion? Then let us show them otherwise. The animals are gathering in the North City in two day’s time. A source within their ranks has admitted that they are going to attempt to steal some of our goods. A large group of them will be there.

We need funds and discrete members to hire adventurers or allow us the use of their house guard to put an end to their plan.

We will capture them, and make an example of the animals. 

Moreover, the plan requires that some escape. One they have reported that they ambush failed, they may well send their strongest warriors to reinforce. And this is where everything comes around. Sir Rabadart of the Aerie Royal Guardsmen has granted us three of his best from the Castle.

The animals will be put down, brothers!

Rosario frowned as she read through, then she put the paper away. So, the rebellion might well be rushing headlong into some sort of trap. 

Sucked for them, but they were kind of not her issue... however.

[Aerie Royal Guardsmen] was the special job that Mister Numbra had mentioned guarded the castle in the centre of Alpta. The very same castle she wanted to visit.

She looked at the paper, and tried to discern the date. It was written at the top but... well, she had no frame of reference for it. What date was it even now? For that matter, she didn’t know what day of the week it was. 

Rosario hesitated, then checked the paper for any magical feelings. There were none, she used [Copy Item] on it, and gently folded the copy away. She was supposed to meet with Penny eventually; the rat kin would be interested to find out what she’d discovered.

Rosario continued to clean. She was almost startled when Lord Abernath returned and she realized that the sun had set already. She wasn’t even halfway done!

The man scowled and looked over her work, but he didn’t complain too much, and she took that as a sign that she was doing well enough.

With evening already here, she slipped into the kitchen and prepared a small, simple meal for herself. She didn’t know if she was allowed, but she also didn’t care too much. She was just finished making her sandwich when Lord Abernath stepped in. “Ah, there you are,” he said. “I’ve seen your work. It’s better than the last few that were sent here, but I’m hardly impressed. The bar was low enough as it was.”

“I will strive to work harder,” she replied. “Speaking of which, my lord, I’ve noticed that we lack certain supplies?”

“Tsk. Of course.” He rolled his eyes then fished into his pockets and took out a small handful of change. He slapped it onto the table. “There. Go get what you need.”

She bowed. “As soon as the sun has risen I’ll visit the shops, my lord,” she said.

“Hmpf. Walk the dogs while you’re at it. They didn’t bite you, so I suppose you have a handle on them.”

“As you wish,” she said.

She was happy to see him turn away and leave. The man was... unpleasant.

But... she also had a hard time hating him. Other than a failure to warn her about the dogs and his generally unpleasant demeanor, he was mostly just a grumpy old racist. 

She wouldn’t mind seeing the last of him, but so far that was all he amounted to. Hardly impressive. 

Rosario slept in the attic. It was, unfortunately, not one of the places she had cleaned out, and the room was desperately in need of it, but she was tired enough not to care. She did change out the sheets on the thin bed that was there, at least, and left the small attic window open to bring in some cooler air.

She slept surprisingly well and was but before the break of dawn.

After a quick bit of washing herself (some water magic and then heat spells to dry it away) and changing into a new set of her maid outfit, she went downstairs and prepared a basic breakfast for herself and Lord Abernath. 

The money he had left was... a fair amount, actually. What counted as small change for him were several silver crows and some loose bronze bits. More than what she’d stolen off of Penny, and more than enough to get going.

Her goal was simple: make it across to the main city, talk to Penny, then maybe see if she couldn't find Cricket at the Adventurer’s Guild. After that, she had cleaning supplies to purchase and more house to clean. 

She wondered if leaving to take care of chores counted as maid work? She supposed that it ought to.

Taking the ferry across was simple enough. She paid a few bits then stood on the busy boat as it made its way across the river. Then she simply walked across Alpta, keeping her pace nice and brisk. She did stop to change before entering the Thieve’s Guild, of course, and she switched out the illusion on her hair and eyes to better disguise herself. 

Penny wasn’t there, but Mister Numbra was, and after reading the paper she had copied with a deep frown, he pulled out a pair of silver coins and handed them to her. Payment for a job well done. 

She thanked him, let him know that if she found anything else that was incriminating she’d let him know, then she headed out.

Cricket was at the guild. Unfortunately, she wasn’t waiting in the main hall, but was in a training space at the rear of the guild, and Rosario had to go through the somewhat awkward process of asking the clerk for assistance in order to meet her.

She would never admit it, but it was worth it when she walked into the training area--just a space with sand-covered ground and some training dummies as well as some weights and other equipment--and saw Cricket’s face light up.

“Maid!” she shouted. “Thou hast come to sweep me off mine feet?”

“No, Cricket,” Rosario said. “I came to say hello... and maybe ask for a minor favour.”

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