Prin Estia was loud. Even when ze was being quiet, zir whole being was loud. From zir brightly colored traveling cloak, some kind of chartreuse Claudia had said, to zir body language. Takayoshi had thought that Cricket was loud, with his constant fidgeting, and the muttering he tended to do when he was thinking. But that noise was nothing compared to the riotous cacophony that was Prin Estia of Cytherea.
Whenever Estia entered a room, the entire room seemed to go quiet and watch zir as ze crossed it. It was frustrating. Especially as Takayoshi had decided he quite liked going unnoticed. If he was not going to be traveling with Cricket who was adept at diffusing any social situation, then he would rather go unnoticed.
And the month on the road between leaving Cytherea and coming to the little village that had sprouted up on the edge of the forest like a weed, only proved that.
"You miss him," Claudia said as they drifted deeper into the stables.
"Miss who?" Takayoshi asked, moving to grab a pitchfork to load Lily's stall with hay. He knew who, he was just unsure why Claudia felt the need to state something that was so blatantly obvious.
Lily pressed her muzzle into Takayoshi's jaw, chuffing softly. As if she were scolding him for being deliberately obtuse. She had liked Cricket, as much as a horse could like anyone, Takayoshi supposed. In all honesty it was probably that Cricket had given her snacks when Takayoshi's back was turned, but he never could quite catch him at it.
When Takayoshi turned to gather more hay, Claudia was looking at him blandly. "You know who."
Takayoshi let out a short breath, returning his focus to the task at hand. Once Lily had perhaps more hay than she would ever need for an overnight stay, he turned back to Claudia. "Estia is loud in a different way than he was."
"That's not an answer, Yoshi."
"It is the only answer you are going to get, Claudia." He held the pitchfork out to her.
"When did you become sassy? I'm pretty sure you weren't sassy before."
"You did not know me before."
"Estia would know. I'll ask zir."
"Estia did not know me well enough before, either."
"I'll get a straight answer out of you yet." Claudia shoveled a big clump of hay in with hers and Estia's horses, then headed for the entrance, expecting Takayoshi to keep up.
He did, shaking his head as he went. "Have I not told you enough about it?"
"I just asked if you missed him. I don't think that's too probing a question."
Takayoshi rubbed at the bridge of his nose where a headache was beginning to form. He did not think that this would be such an issue with Claudia, although he should have guessed as much, seeing as she had to know everything about everything. It was in her nature as a historian, and he could not really fault her for that. Still, he had hoped they would not have to continue to talk about Cricket. It would be better if they did not. Then he would not have to think about how what he was doing would affect what they maybe could have had, even if for a short time.
"There's no shame in missing someone," Claudia said, gently, as they made their way across the dining room.
"No, there is not." Takayoshi thought there might be more to the conversation than Claudia just digging for information, but he was not the kind of person who could ask such things. He was not the kind of person who could use kind words to get answers, and be able to fully understand those around him. Atsuko would have been able to get to the heart of the emotion that flittered across Claudia's face at that moment. Cricket would have known the right question to ask. Even Ignacia's gentle jabs would have helped here. But he was none of those people.
"Who does Takayoshi miss?" Estia asked, zir face a mask of delight at the prospect of gossip.
"No one," Takayoshi said, before Claudia could say anything else.
"Oh come on, we've been traveling together for a month, and you don't trust me yet? You can tell me. I promise I won't tell a soul. And not just because we're stuck out in the middle of nowhere with no one for me to tell." Estia leaned forward, zir flowing blouse nearly brushing through the plate of cheeses ze had gotten for them to start with. Takayoshi's hand twitched to push zir back by the shoulder, out of his bubble, and away from the soiling nature of soft cheese.
If Takayoshi had been someone else, he may have turned the question around. He may have probed Estia for answers about Lionel. He ducked his head to browse the menus Estia had gotten for them, and said no more.
"That story isn't mine to tell," Claudia said when Estia must have looked to her for answers.
"Have you heard anything about the manor while you have been sitting here?" Takayoshi asked, setting his menu back on the table.
"The manor?" Estia cocked zir head, wisps of hair falling loose from zir short ponytail.
"Where the map piece is hidden."
"Oh! That manor! No. Nothing." Estia shrugged, leaning back in zir chair again. "Are we ready to order?"
Ze flagged down a waitress.
"I will have pancakes," Takayoshi said, handing back the menu. His eyes drifted from the smiling young woman to the people that surrounded them. Someone amongst them must know something about the manor.
"Should we ask around?" Claudia asked after they had all ordered, her fingers drumming against the table.
Takayoshi bit the inside of his cheek. He did not know. He was not sure. He had never done an investigation by himself before, and when he had it had ended in him getting an entire town cursed on accident. "Did you mention to anyone what we were here for?"
"Yes, I told the waitress when she seated me." Estia leaned back in zir chair, posture relaxed and careless.
"Then we will wait." Takayoshi nodded. "If we do not overhear anything then we will question people tomorrow at lunch."
"I don't see why we need to ask people about it. Why can't we just swoop in there and get the map piece and be on our way?"
"There must be some protection measures in place, otherwise why would no one have found it yet?" Takayoshi pulled his journal from his satchel, and opened it to the page where he had copied down everything he could from the scroll. There had not been much to copy. A list of three locations for pieces that would act as both key and map alike.
"The townspeople probably won't know about those protections," Claudia said.
"They may not know what the protections are, but there will be rumors about their effects. There are always rumors." Takayoshi slowly wrote the town name at the top of the page, making sure every letter was carefully formed, and perfect.
"Rumors won't tell us what spells or traps are in place to protect the piece." Estia crossed zir arms over zir chest, tone going petulant.
Takayoshi was unsure why ze was pouting, but he did not care. "No. Rumors will tell us what happened to the last people who tried to enter the manor for whatever reason."
"This is going to put us behind. We should just ride up there tonight, grab the piece and be on our way."
"Sure, if you want to risk life and limb, let's do that." Claudia cocked her head at Estia. "Magical artifacts are always booby trapped. Yoshi's right, it's better to take our time, and not risk it, then to get hurt trying to get the first piece. It's not like we don't have time."
"Be patient," Takayoshi said, not lifting his head from where he was writing down some observations about the town.
Estia grumbled softly, but said no more about it.
Their food arrived, and the trio settled in to eat. Estia and Claudia chattering companionably, while Takayoshi focused solely on his pancakes.
The other patrons were well into their cups before Takayoshi had even finished his pot of tea.
"I heard someone is fixing to go into the woods to that old manor," one man said, holding up his mug as he pointed at his companion.
"Why? It's an old ruin, that place. Not good for much other than raccoons," his friend responded, and they both laughed.
"Who'sit that wants to go in there?" a third man asked, his eyes sweeping the room. Takayoshi watched the exchange from the corner of his eye, hoping that they were not drawing too much attention to themselves. He did not want the townsfolk to get it into their heads to try to stop them. Even if they would think they were doing his little group a favor.
"Those folks in the back corner." A voice drifted from the dark recesses of the space beside the window.
"Well, I'll just tell them, won't I?" The third man rose from his seat, wobbling a little on unsteady legs, then made his way across the room toward Takayoshi and his companions.
Takayoshi was unsure what information could be gained from a man who was clearly deeply inebriated, but he supposed any information was better than none.
"Is this seat taken?" the man asked, pointing to the chair beside Estia.
Estia lifted zir eyes, looking as if perhaps ze would protest. Takayoshi heard the soft thud of a boot not so gently nudging someone's shin, likely Claudia. Estia winced, but shook zir head at the man. "No. By all means. Please join us."
"Is there something we can help you with, sir?" Claudia asked, a polite smile twitching at her lips.
"You going into that manor?" The man leaned forward with his elbows on the table, his hands flopping sloppily against the wood.
"That is our intention, yes," Takayoshi said.
"Why?"
"We're looking for something. We've heard it's in the manor," Estia said, zir eyes narrowed on the man, suspicious. Takayoshi supposed that was better than Estia continuing to pout.
"Aye. Everybody's lookin' for something in that place." The man heaved a sigh, his eyes focusing blurrily on Takayoshi. "You look like a nice lot. Don't go in that place."
"Why not?" Claudia asked.
"Didn't I just say because you look like a nice lot?!" The man frowned at her, his eyes going even more out of focus.
"Thank you. But what my companion means, is what is the danger in visiting a derelict manor house? From our research it seems it has not been occupied in quite some time. Surely any danger that it might have posed has passed on."
"Surely any danger it might have posed has passed on," the man mimicked, his face twisted into a mocking sneer. "You young nobles. What do you know?"
Takayoshi swallowed around the urge to yell at the man, and tell him what a rude old goat he was being, it would serve no purpose. "Then please, esteemed elder, tell us what danger the manor poses to us."
Estia scoffed, rolling zir eyes. There was another soft thud beneath the table, and ze hissed, cutting a glare at Claudia. The man didn't seem to notice, his eyes had gone wide as he stared at Takayoshi, perhaps considering his next words carefully to make them adequately terrifying. Whatever he would say, it would not stop Takayoshi from going into that manor to retrieve that map piece.
The man leaned forward, lowering his voice as if saying whatever came next out loud would doom him to the same fate. "It's haunted. Travelers go in there, and they never come back out. The ghosts eat them."
Estia choked on a laugh. Claudia kicked zir again. Estia kicked her back. Takayoshi kept his eyes on the man in front of him.
"Has anyone from the town been to the manor?"
"Well... no."
"Has anyone seen these ghosts?"
The man shifted in his chair, a definitive no.
Takayoshi nodded. "We appreciate your concern, and we will take this under advisement when planning our excursion to the manor. If there are any ghosts lingering in the halls of the manor that are dangerous to the general populace, we will dispatch them, rest assured."
"You will?"
"Yes." Takayoshi ducked his head back to his journal to write notes on everything the man had just told him.
"Well... uh... good." The man shifted awkwardly.
"Of course," Estia chirped, rising from zir seat. "And why don't I buy you and your friends a round."
The man nodded, following after Estia back to the table where he and his friends had been drinking.
"Ghosts?" Claudia asked, when they were some distance away.
"Nothing but superstition, I am sure." Takayoshi's hand moved in smooth, neat letters across the page. "But we should be careful nonetheless."
"Do you think it's something else?"
"I think it is just that travelers go to the manor, and then leave the area without visiting the town again. Even still, we should visit during daylight hours, just to be sure."
Claudia nodded.
"We should head to bed. We have an early morning ahead of us. I plan to leave for the manor at dawn, tell Estia."
"Right. Good night, and sweet dreams of your darling prince." Claudia simpered, her eyes wide and warm, and her grin too large for her face.
Takayoshi let out a breath that might have been a scoff if it were another person, and gathered his things to go to his rooms.
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