When the Girl's finally woke up, about eight hours after going to bed, Jonah could sense it in the sudden emotional instability.
Unfortunately, Jonah was too bored and socially inept to not knock on the door the instant they had woken up and he didn't know that they weren't fans of being rushed. "Jonah, you averted your eyes when I got my berry purse, you'll break your neck if I open the door."
"Young ladies need three things to be beautiful; sleep, time and food. We had sleep, now give us time and get our food." Jonah was gob-smacked by the girls' responses, so much so, he forgot to tell them to get their own food and followed orders instead.
As he plodded downstairs, still half-stunned, he noticed everyone was backing away to give him space and bowing politely. It was a far cry from the rowdy affair it had been the night before.
When Jonah reached the counter, he leaned towards Lottie, who was a bit distracted. He could tell by the way her quill was hovering above the ledger drawing circles that she had zoned out, but it was his empathic intuition that clued him into the reason.
"Good morning, Lottie. The girls have awoken and would like some food..." Jonah waited for a reply but none came. "... Lottie, the girls would like some food." The repeated word was spoken a bit more firmly and she jumped up straight before apologising.
"Sorry, oh, Jonah... What did you say? Sorry."
"Food. Where might I get some for the girls?" Jonah asked again, amused by her scatter-brained demeanor that she hadn't shown the previous evening.
"Food, right. Follow me..." Suddenly the absent mindedness switched to hyperactivity and Jonah had to hold the counter flap down to stop her launching the ledger and inkwell that were on it. "...Oh, thank you, sorry I don't know where my head's at." Jonah smiled, shaking his head softly as she put the items away and then tried again.
Lottie led him in the opposite direction to the stairs and round a corner which then opened out into the dining area that had what was eerily similar to a school cafeteria with the exception of the furniture being wood.
Lit by wall sconces that doubled as heating for the large space and what looked like oil lanterns suspended from the ceiling on cast iron cradles, all of which protected cascading shadows around the room, creating an atmosphere that left Jonah spellbound.
"Eustice!.." Lottie called as she moved towards the serving counter. "...Our new members were looking for fo-" Lottie was suddenly caught off guard by Jonah telling her he was going to get the girls and leaving immediately.
When he returned to them a few moments later, they were as captivated by the fantasy ambience as he had been, enough at least to forgive his rushing them for a second time. "Sorry Lottie, I decided we should be a bit more sociable, we are foreigners here and should interact with the locals."
"Oh, of course, for a second there I thought you were more strict with food than titles."
"Never, did you forget I enjoyed the food last night? On that note, Eustice was it? Those sausages almost brought a tear to my eye."
The name seemed strangely unbefitting, Jonah had heard the name before, but was certain it was usually attributed to men. The fact that this Eustice was a stunning and youthful woman was not what Jonah had expected when Lottie called her earlier.
She was a little shorter than Jonah and Orcette and a little taller than Lottie, but she was more toned and carried scars on her hands and arms.
"You flatter me Lord, cooking for an angel is an honour."
"Do I strike you as a flatterer? I assure you I'm not, as an angel lying would set my tongue ablaze. The name is Jonah by the way, titles mean little to me." Jonah smiled, it was a small, curt smile, that to Eustice, exasperated Jonah's angelic glory.
"It truly was delicious, the seasoned sausage was incredible and the bread was much fluffier than I expected..." Orcette realised how it sounded and quickly continued. "...At that time I mean, it certainly felt late, though it may have been an illusion of the day's events."
"I agree, the bread and cheese was great and so the sausages were nice and juicy, I made a hotdog with mine so I could enjoy it all. If only I had so... Well, never mind, if I find any I'll bring it back for you."
"Well, Little Miss. If you have a lick of culinary skill, I'll be more than happy to have you help some time, if your guardian allows it of course."
"My only condition is that she is paid for her effort. I believe that effort should be rewarded, otherwise it gives way to disenchantment. The usual apprentice wage will be fine, naturally."
"Certainly, I think we can afford a part time apprentice. That said, this could be their last day staying here Eustice and they're going to a dungeon with Lucas after house-hunting."
"Damn, well you're welcome whenever you have time and permission, little one."
After that, Lottie returned to the counter and Eustice served them their breakfast, the one thing none of them could understand is why they were the only ones eating. The answer to which became clear as soon as they said goodbye and exited.
The moment they got back around to the counter where Lottie was to ask her what time Kieran was expected, everyone present rushed to the dining area and could be heard chatting and dining with cheer.
At first Jonah didn't think much of it, but then Kayla asked why they suddenly all went for breakfast. "Well Kayla, Angels are a species that demand respect, the stories of them are very different from Jonah."
It was then that he marched back round into the lively dining area which suddenly died once more. "I owe you my apologies everyone, my presence has been a bother and I want to assure you that as long as you leave my charges and I in peace, we will have no issues at all. I do not find celebration, camaraderie or lively affairs offensive in the slightest and I do not require titles."
There was a moment of absolute silence as the ones being addressed froze in contemplative silence, looking to each other as though for contemplation and then it was broken in an instance by one man's exclamation.
"Thank the gods!"
"Aye, treading on egg shells is a pain in the arse."
"Who was it that said we couldn't look them in the eyes?"
"I thought it was Lucas."
"No you dimwit, he said , "don't push your luck". Eustice, do us all a favour and poison this lout's food next time!"
"Aye, love to see him ruin our morning from the bog."
As the atmosphere shifted, Jonah retreated wordlessly, happy that at the very least he wouldn't be kept at arm's length and returned to the front where he had abandoned the others.
"Sounds like you ruined the peace and quiet, thanks for that." Lottie sighed sarcastically as he approached.
"Sorry, strangers in a new land need to prioritise their reputation over their friends' work loads."
"I kind of figured when you decided to have the guard captain act as a middle man with a property manager, speaking of which he should be here any minute. A message arrived asking to make sure you are ready for when he finishes morning brief..."
"...Which is when you got all dreamy-eyed waiting for him to arrive and nearly sent an inkwell into the gentlemen nearby?" Jonah asked knowingly as she flew into flustered rambling and transparent denial.
Mid-ramble, the door swung open and Kieran appeared, making Lottie grind to a halt with an adorable squeak that made the others chuckle. "Sorry, did I interrupt something?"
The question made Jonah, Orcette and Kayla turn back to Lottie, who simply shook her head a little too vigorously. "I think that's a no, but I don't know Lottie quite well enough to say for certain through the mess of other emotions."
"Oh, well if you need to talk, Aiden said your primary duty is assisting these three, did he not? Why not come with us, I'm sure you'll have more property insight than me regardless." Watching their awkward squirming and painfully clumsy attempts at subtlety, was delightfully cringe-worthy, but Jonah did want to get moving, so he stepped in.
"I agree, Lottie's opinion would be a boon, she knows more about the local area and I have the impression that Kieran could only tell us about crime-rates. With that settled, we should do our best to return in reasonable time, we have to accompany Lucas to a local dungeon."
"Right, well, as you say..." Kieran turned and made for the door, scratching the back of his head in what Jonah could see was anxiety. "...Err, Jonah, could you come here a second?"
Jonah made his way over, sensing he was about to be very hypocritical. "How can I help you, Kieran?"
"Shhh..." Kieran opened the door and ushered the ladies through first, seeming surprised as he shut the door and the girls were all standing in front of him. "...Oh, right, I'm showing you to the agent."
As he hurried past with Jonah, walking far enough in front that he thought they could speak in confidence, Jonah rolled his eyes. "Kieran, I know what you're going to say..." He looked back at the girls, before returning his eyes forward. "...You just need to make your feelings known, her's are clear for all to see."
Kieran resisted the urge to look back. "Okay, fine, I can do this. Can you get me some time alone with her while we're inspecting a property?"
Jonah had already been more hypocritical than he'd like telling him to make his feelings clear to a woman, which he had never done with anyone before arriving in this new world. "Fine Kieran, but you need to put both of you out of your misery."
Kieran grumbled about it not being as easy as that and asking what an angel would know about courting a woman, but what he didn't know is that inside his own head, Jonah was begging his forgiveness.
"Where are we meeting this property manager then?" Orcette asked from the back, pulling the two of them back into their group.
"Oh, about that, he said he had a property not far from the Purifying Brew when I mentioned we stopped there. I thought that would be a good start at least." Kieran answered, as Orcette and Jonah agreed with that assessment.
As they walked through town, Orcette and Jonah were staring at their interfaces, studying the various points of interest and trying to determine if there was somewhere they should be sure to visit before their coming adventure.
"Out of curiosity, where is the best place to buy camping supplies?" Orcette asked without looking away from the map.
"The general store..." Kieran said, noticing them focusing on some invisible thing as though they were reading a book, or doing complex maths in their head, or trying to picture troop movements. "...Are you okay? You seem distracted, did you see something to put you off living here?"
As he spoke, Kieran was looking around, peering into the darkness of the countless alleyways and looking for observers in windows. "No, sorry, we're just using a mental mapping trick. It's not great for open expanses, but perfect for cities."
"Sounds handy, a skill like that will hopefully make your time here more comfortable." Lottie added, trying to be a part of the conversation.
"More comfortable? If it were any more comfortable I'd die of happiness!" Orcette shouted as she stopped looking at the map and looked at the city around her.
"I'm glad to hear that..." Kieran spoke in a tone that made it clear he found her exclamation confusing, which was fair considering they had only been there for a day and spent most of it outside the city and had barely explored it. "...What kind of places have you been to make you feel that way?"
Jonah looked at her and flicked her head. "Sarcasm is most unbecoming, Orcette. I think you were just happy to sleep in a bed and have something I hadn't cooked for a change."
Kieran and Lottie laughed and before they knew it, they had arrived where the property manager was waiting. "Hail, Sir Leicester!" The man called when they had gotten close enough for him to shout while still respecting the early hour.
"Hail..." Kieran responded as they got within range that he didn't need to shout, conscious of the fact that his deeper voice and profession had instilled his voice with a way of carrying further than he realised. "...Thank you for meeting us so early, Leeman..."
It soon became clear as they spoke, that Leeman and Kieran had met up the previous evening for at least a moment to arrange the meeting and not simply passed messages.
In the name of introductions, Jonah moved forward and studied the man.
He wore the same style of glasses as Lottie, but aside from that his attire was completely different. Jonah was no expert but he seemed to be wearing some kind of puffy white shirt, of what seemed a fine material.
On top of that he wore an embroidered linen overcoat that left his left arm bare and bore some kind of patterning that seemed almost heraldic in its patterning, but lacked any kind of crest.
His trousers matched the overcoat on the left leg and solid white on his right.
When all the introductions had been made, Leeman led them all down an alleyway. "...As I was saying, you'll love this first property I'm sure, but I have prepared a few in each cost bracket..."
"...Wait, are we moving closer to the blacksmith's? Weapons Of Might And Magic, I mean."
"...Oh yes, we are! If you are acquainted with both Gregor and Dubio, I'm sure you will like the location at the very least. Aside from that, it has three bedrooms, a kitchen and dining room, a lounge area for entertaining and a basement that has space for both storage and training."
Orcette, Jonah and Kayla nodded along. The simple truth was that none of them new anything about building assessment, which made them all the more glad that they have the assistance of Lottie.
"It certainly sounds nice, what other amenities does it have? You know, inside lavatory, bathroom, loft space that could be converted?"
"Happy to say it has the first and last, unfortunately, the previous owner passed on before the renewal could be finished and the bathroom was planned but only half finished. It was rented you see and between tenants, honestly you've proven most fortuitous!"
"Ahem! Please remember what happened in the courtyard, Leeman" Kieran instructed sharply, making the property manager bite his tongue hastily.
"Deepest apologies! I meant no belittlement of yesterday's event, which I'm sure are weighing on you." Leeman continued as he came to a stop and bowed.
"It's fine, we were more concerned about the others, I was able to adequately protect my charge and restore Kayla's faculties. It pains us to know they are suffering, but we simply have to figure out how best to help them." Jonah announced it casually, but quickly realised he may have just given himself a quest he may be held to.
Leeman bowing and then quickening his pace as if to say "well, let's get you settled so you can get on with it", did nothing to help Jonah's annoyance with himself. The only benefit was that they got to the beautiful location faster than otherwise would have.
The property was stunning, oddly reminiscent of a spanish villa from Jonah's best guess, overlooking a small park that was clearly well maintained.
"...Here we are! I know how important first impressions are, so I'll ask you, what do you think?"
"I think it is truly a beautiful estate, well-built and the park looks like a lovely place to relax..."
"...Splendid, I will be honest, the neighbors do like peace but they do allow scheduled gatherings to be held there as long as they are notified with fair notice and the festivities are kept civil. What about you ladies, compliments or criticisms?"
"I love it, though unlike the immaterial angel, I am considering the cost..." Orcette trailed off and held a hand when he began to broach the subject. "...Wait until the end please, I truly love it and I'm hoping it makes me forget my senses."
"I think it looks nice, I stayed somewhere similar with my parents once, but it was much hotter there." Kayla divulged, as Jonah had instructed, enough to try and goad some information out of whoever she was speaking to and not enough to get them in trouble.
"Really!? This property was styled in the way of Crulahara, the desert region from the eastern continent. Who were your parents to travel there?"
"They were actually explorers..." Jonah and Orcette were surprised with the backstory she was reciting and looked at each other as they began to wonder if she was actually just telling the truth.
"Well, I guess they were the ones who made a scout of you, but where did you pick up the rogue skills?" Kieran asked, ever suspicious of rogues, like any guard would be.
"I think I taught myself that stuff to mess with my brother..." Kayla suddenly sank inward a little bit. "...Sorry, can we not talk about them please."
Lottie, Kieran and Leeman looked to one another with eyes that told of the fabricated situations they were coming up for to explain her sudden melancholy and Orcette and Jonah simply shook their heads to warn them all away from the topic.