Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty - Jailbirds

Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty - Jailbirds

Chapter Two Hundred and Eighty - Jailbirds

Wow, I said as I leaned back onto the very uncomfortable mattress and stared up at the bare rock ceiling. Being in jail sucks.

Oh, really? Amaryllis asked. She was in a cell right next to mine. I thought that being in jail would be great fun.

Dont be sarcastic, I said.

Dont be dumb, she shot back.

Obviously, Amaryllis wasnt in the best of moods. It probably had something to do with our current incarceration. We were all placed in little cells in a large, semi-circular room, with doors facing a small desk where a bored sylph guardsman was reading the newspaper while occasionally looking up to make sure we werent up to anything.

Awen had the cell on Amaryllis other side. She was pacing in little circles, her hands sometimes wiggling around with nervous energy.

I didnt have much else to do but complain. Theyd poked at us, and taken away all of our armour and gear. We couldnt fit in any of the sylph-made jail uniforms they had, so we were left in our normal clothes, which was nice. Then they put strange cuffs on our hands that glowed while burning off our mana about as fast as we generated it.

That meant that when I cleaned my cell, I had to do it the old-fashioned way.

But that was twenty-minutes ago, and now I had nothing to do.

This is really boring, I said. Want to play a game?

Shut up! one of the other prisoners shouted over at me.

Im sorry for bothering you, mister, but Id really rather not. Talking with my friends is the only thing I can do right now, I called back. Did you want to play too? We can do twenty-questions maybe? Oh! We could sing some songs!

I dont want to sing any songs!

Thats okay too. Id never make someone participate in sing-along time if theyre shy and dont want to.

Amaryllis sighed. Broccoli, do you have any concept of how much trouble we could be in?

A bit, I said. But really, if the sylph are as fair and just as they claim to be, then we should be fine. We werent doing anything wrong.

Maybe we werent doing anything wrong, but we were certainly doing something illegal. The sylph have so many laws, many of which contradict each other, that no matter what you do, youre doing something thats breaking one obscure law or another. She crossed her wings. I dont want to end up in some labour camp smashing rocks.Fôll0w current novÊls on n/o/(v)/3l/b((in).(co/m)

Well be fine, I said, this time trying to reassure her.

We... might not be fine. I didnt actually know that. But I didnt get as far as I did in life by being a pessimist. Id just have to hope for the best and work through the worst.

The door at the end of the prison building rattled, and the guard behind the desk sat up straighter while stashing his newspaper in a drawer. The door opened, and a warden walked in, then held the door open for a pair of guards who stationed themselves on either side of the entrance.

Then a familiar face walked in.

Oh hey, Princess Caprica, I said. Were you arrested too?

The princess in question perked an eyebrow even as the guard on duty jumped to his feet so fast his chair clattered to the floor while he saluted.

Hello Broccoli. And no, I was not arrested. You three, on the other hand, were. She walked across the room and stopped near our cells.

Are you here to visit then? I asked. I didnt even know they had visitation hours here.

She chuckled, then shook her head. Not quite, no. Her smile grew a lot more genuine, and I detected a faint note of blushing on her cheeks. I was asked to do a favour by a mutual friend of ours.

Well, that had to be Bastion. Really? Whats the favour?

To look into why his three most troublesome companions found themselves behind bars within three days of arriving at the capital. He said that it was entirely expected that youd all eventually get arrested, but he expected it to at least take five days.

Were always pleased to defy expectations, I said. And it wasnt our fault. We were chasing after stolen stuff and were caught up in the kerfuffle.

This is Orange.

Is that a spirit cat? Caprica asked.

I nodded. Yup. Orange is the Grand Admiral of mouse-catching aboard the Beaver Cleaver, I said. I let go of Orange, who sat on my lap and puffed her little chest out. Though... she wasnt quite as little as shed been when I first found her.

May I touch her? Caprica asked.

Oh, sure, I said.

Orange shot me a look as I picked her up and placed her onto Capricas lap. The little sylph princess seemed entirely uncertain of how to treat Orange. Carefully, she ran a hand down Oranges back, and Orange stood up with the gesture, pressing into the petting. Oh, shes majestic, Caprica said.

Oranges smugness grew.

The carriage took off with a rumble, bouncing over the cobbled roads of Goldenalden while Caprica seemed to completely forget that we were there and made little cooing noises at Orange. She rubbed Orange on the head with her forefingers, then when Orange looked up, Caprica started squishy-squishing Oranges cheeks.

I think Caprica nearly fainted when Orange flipped over and let her touch her belly exactly twice before batting her hand away.

Amaryllis cleared her throat, and Caprica looked up, then blushed. She continued petting Orange, but with a more dignified air to her, as if she wasnt just making baby voices at the cat. Yes, well, as I was saying earlier. I have something of a request for the three of you.

Sure, I said.

Broccoli, for just once, can we listen to the request before accepting it? Amaryllis asked. Awen giggled next to her.

Fine, fine.

What Im looking for isnt anything too complicated, Caprica said. It is, in fact, something you want as well. The cervid delegation is stationed at their embassy in the purple district. Theyre more or less closed off from the rest of the city, focused as they are on minding their own business.

I nodded. You want us to befriend them.

Essentially, yes. That would be nice. The delegation has a few younger members that expressed a wish to explore the city. We offered them an escort, but they dont like the idea of having a military escort, especially one thats from a nation with which they have some ongoing tension.

Oh, you want us to take the place of a military escort, I said.

Caprica nodded. And I want you to put your friend-making skills to the test. Try to befriend them. They might be younger members, but they still have a little bit of power, and perhaps the ability to sway their parents towards a less violent course.

Yeah, that sounds easy! I said.

Um, Broccoli, Awen spoke up. Do you remember Emmanuel?

Yeah, I said.

What if, ah, the other cervid are like that?

I considered it. Nah, dont worry Awen, theres no way any of the cervid we meet will be that bad.

I would certainly hope not, Amaryllis said. If only for the sake of the country's diplomatic ability.

Should I know what you three are talking about? Caprica asked.

I shook my head. Its fine. So, when do you want us to meet these new potential friends?

The carriage rumbled to a stop. Caprica smiled. Why, right now.

Oh, shoot, I said. Whelp, you keep an eye on Orange for us, okay?

Gladly! And good luck.

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