"So what is it you said you were looking for? A piece of a map?" the man asked as he led the group further into the manor.
Takayoshi looked around them, eyes drinking in the surprisingly clean and polished tiled floor. For all the emptiness that lingered on the outside, the inside felt inviting. Homey, even. It did not fit.
"Yes," Claudia answered for him when Takayoshi let the question hang in the air a little too long. "We found a document that said it would be here."
"Well there were a bunch of papers in the library and office when we moved in that we haven't sorted through yet. We just kind of stacked them all together to deal with later. But you know how it is when you move into some place new." The man rubbed at the back of his head, looking a little ashamed of whatever mess he thought there was.
"These things take time." Estia nodded. "I remember when we moved into the new wing of the castle, it took us months to finally get settled. Craven still hasn't gotten everything sorted in his new office, and that's with the help of the royal scribes. I can't imagine—"
"How long have you been living here, again?" Claudia asked, bumping Estia with her shoulder lightly to get zir to be quiet. Estia rubbed at zir shoulder, glaring at Claudia. Claudia raised a challenging brow. Takayoshi did not sigh.
"Oh, only a couple of months." The man flapped his hand dismissively. The hall stretched in front of them, darkness lingering at the end. The shadows moved, seeming to writhe in the distance. Takayoshi narrowed his eyes.
"There you are," the woman said, dragging Takayoshi's attention to the large kitchen at the back of the house. "You didn't give them the tour did you?"
"Not yet, maybe after lunch." The man settled at a large round wooden table. The top rough from age, and discolored from years of use. "I'm sure these folks are hungry."
"We are. We haven't had lunch yet." Claudia's fingers drummed on the rough-hewn table.
"Oh wonderful! It's been so long since we've had visitors!" The woman flitted about the kitchen, gathering plates and utensils. "When was the last time, Jasper?"
"Probably not at least for a fortnight, Alice." Jasper's smile was still in place, as if it were pasted on there.
"You know the villagers think this place is haunted." Estia laughed. Takayoshi glanced at zir out of the corner of his eye, and saw Estia's own gaze flicking from Jasper to Alice and back as if looking for some kind of confirmation. Or perhaps Estia was looking for a weakness to exploit. Takayoshi was never sure with zir.
Alice and Jasper laughed, heads thrown back in an identical manner as their voices echoed off the high ceilings of the kitchen. With sunlight spilling in from the windows, reflecting off the white counters, and light colored marble, and not a shadow in sight, it seemed ridiculous. How could there be ghosts in a place such as this? A place that was warm, and bright, and so full of life? But that emptiness pricked at Takayoshi's senses, even there. Even in the warmth of the afternoon sun. Something was not right. He just did not know what was causing it.
"So it's not haunted then?" Estia's eyes had narrowed on them. Ze did not like being laughed at, although Takayoshi was sure that had not been Alice and Jasper's intent.
"Oh, stars, no. No ghosts here. At least, not any that we've seen." Jasper shook his head, pouring a glass of water for each of them. "I haven't seen any ghosts. Have you seen any ghosts, honey?"
"No. No ghosts here." Alice set plates in front of each of them, and then moved back to the cabinets to load a tray with cheeses, crackers, meats, and fruit. When that was sat in the middle of the table, she joined them. "Please, dig in. There is plenty."
Estia and Claudia did not need to be told twice and in minutes their plates were loaded with food. The soft clatter of dishes echoed off the walls as Takayoshi put food on his own plate, and took a slow, careful bite. It tasted fine.
"So what does this map lead to?" Jasper leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with interest. "It must be something really exciting if you were willing to come all the way out here for just a piece of it? Is it treasure?"
"It has to be something really valuable." Alice nodded at his side, her own eyes bright.
"It's an archive," Claudia said through a mouth full of goat cheese and crackers. "Nothing terribly exciting, just a bunch of books."
That was not technically a lie, it was a library, but it also was not technically the truth. Takayoshi looked at Claudia and she nodded. Estia glanced at them, zir brows raised. Takayoshi shook his head and Estia turned back to zir plate.
"It's just an idle curiosity." Estia smiled behind zir glass of water. "We found a book about it in the library and thought it might be fun to go and try to find it."
"Bored royals, am I right?" Claudia chuckled.
Alice and Jasper laughed long and loud again, their heads thrown back. Takayoshi glanced down at their plates. Meats and cheeses sitting untouched on creamy porcelain.
"Well, you're free to search if you like. We were just working on refinishing an armoire out in the courtyard so you won't be in our way at all." Alice lifted her glass to her lips to take a dainty sip.
"Just stay out of our bedroom, please," Jasper said.
"We have no desire to intrude upon your privacy." Takayoshi bowed his head. "We will conduct our search and be on our way before supper."
"There's no rush. You take all the time you need. This is a big place, it could take you days to search all of it." Jasper rose from his seat to take his plate to the sink.
"He's right. In fact, if you can't find it today, you're free to stay the night." Alice pasted an inviting grin onto her lips again. It lifted the corners of her eyes, but there was something about it... Takayoshi shook himself. "We have plenty of space, and most of the bedrooms have been cleaned up and refinished."
"It's so rare we have guests. It might be nice." Jasper sounded as if he had already decided the matter.
"There is no need, we have prepaid for rooms at the inn in the village." Takayoshi ate more of the food on his plate. It would be rude not to, and he was hungry.
"Oh, well then, I suppose you best hurry. When you're through lunch just load your dishes into the sink. The library is off to the left. It's the first door you come to on that corridor, you can't miss it." Alice ran water in the sink, cleaning off their dishes, and setting them aside on a drying rack.
"We'll be out in the courtyard if you need anything." Jasper pushed the back door open, and headed out into the shadows of the courtyard beyond.
"That is very much appreciated." Takayoshi bowed his head again.
Claudia waited until the kitchen door shut behind Alice, and her dark head could no longer be seen in the window above the knob, before letting out a long whooshing breath. "So, it's not just me, they're weird right?"
"Definitely weird." Estia nodded, pushing what was left of zir food away from zir. "Who smiles that much?"
"Happy people," Takayoshi supplied, though he could not say he disagreed with their assessment. He headed for the hall.
"Did he... Did he just admit he's not happy?" Estia asked, zir voice quiet enough that Takayoshi was sure ze had thought he would not hear. Takayoshi heard the fabric of Claudia's tunic rustle, but she did not answer.
"We should get moving. It is already past noon, and we will not be able to travel back to the inn in the dark." Then Takayoshi followed the directions they had been given to the library.
"Cryptic as ever," Estia mumbled over the clattering of plates in the sink.
The doors to the library opened on screeching hinges to a room in shadows. The curtains had been drawn down over the windows, and dust moats flittered between the shelves. Scattered all along the floor were papers, which Takayoshi was sure had once been put in neat and orderly stacks. A cool spring breeze blew from one of the windows, but did not rustle the curtains, fluttering the papers into a lazy spiral.
"Well this is a mess." Claudia huffed, her hands on her hips. "I suppose they want us to get this all in order for them."
"It is the least we can do. They have been kind enough to invite us into their home."
Claudia nodded, unclasping her cloak and picking her way carefully over the papers to hang it on the back of the least rickety looking chair.
"It's not paper though." Estia frowned from where ze leaned against the doorframe, watching as Takayoshi crouched to clear a path for them to the table at the center of the room.
"What?" Claudia did not bother to turn from her work. Her dark fingers moved quickly, organizing what was left on the table into neat, and organized stacks. What kind of system she was using, Takayoshi was not sure, but he supposed at this point it did not matter.
"The map piece. It's not paper. It's glass."
"That does not change the fact that they invited us into their home to search it; few questions asked." Takayoshi began sorting through the piles. "Magics?"
"This pile. That one is for recipes. This one is history. And that one is obscure stuff that I'm not sure where it goes yet." Claudia gestured to each in turn. "Plus, we might find a clue to where it's hidden. It'll be less obtrusive than tearing the whole house apart looking for it."
"Says you." Estia grumbled, and for a moment it looked as if ze might turn around and start searching the house without them. But then ze sighed, and moved to help gather the scattered papers from the floor. "This is going to take all day."
"Afraid of getting your hands dirty?" Claudia cooed, poking out her lower lip in a mocking pout.
"Afraid of getting your hands dirty?" Estia's tone went nasally and high pitched with annoyance. "I'm going to start looking through the desk. Maybe there's a secret compartment."
"Good idea. While you're at it, see if there are any hidden doors."
Takayoshi nodded his agreement, and got back to work.
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