Decisions at Dinner

Decisions at Dinner

The pit in Rain’s stomach was strong as ever as she approached the modest and neat house where the Marksons lived. Rain felt more scared now than when she had robbed the Temple of Agro. Gathering all her courage and doing her best to act relaxed, Rain knocked on the door.

Not long after, the door opened to reveal a smiling Mr. Markson. The dark bags he used to have under his eyes were all but gone now. He seemed happy. Realizing that she had helped this man when he was low, for some reason it made Rain feel better. The knots in her stomach loosened, and her fake smile became real.

“Welcome, young Rain! Come inside and meet my family.”

“Thank you, Mr. Markson.”

“Please call me Ind.”

“Okay, Mr. Ind.”

Mr. Markson chuckled as she entered. The house was nice but sparsely furnished. The only real decoration was a picture of a young Mr. Markson standing beside a pretty blond woman holding a baby. They were all dressed in crisp blue clothes.

There were places next to the painting that suggested they used to hold their own paintings, but now only the family portrait remained.

“Right this way.”

Mr. Markson led her into a small dining room with a table set for four. A blond boy, maybe a year older than Rain, stood up from where he sat at the table.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mis. Rain. I’m Sor”

His words were stiff, and their color was almost nonexistent, as though he had spouted a memorized line without any real meaning. Rain could completely understand how he felt. If she had thought about it, she would have also memorized things to say.

“Nice to meet you too Sor.”

Rain got closer to Sor.

“What kind of games do you like to play?”

Walking under the night sky, her namesake falling around her, drew Rain back to the first time she had seen the sky and the rain. She remembered why she chose that name: freedom and a place to belong.

Thinking back to her actions earlier, she had been acting a fool. It was obvious that she wouldn’t be accepted as part of the Marksons. Why had she let herself have those foolish daydreams? Why had she spent so much time trying to look good enough that they would want her?

Even without her aura, it was incredibly unlikely that she would have somehow become part of their family. Yet she dared to hope. Rain kicked a clump of wet ash, splattering it across a wall where it began to run down like gray tears. That hope made everything hurt more.

Rain promised herself she wouldn’t ever act so foolishly as this again. Reaching out a closed fist, She opened her hand as though releasing something into the wind and rain.

When Ms. Hope told her how a commoner could join the Gathering of Lords, Rain knew that paying a failing house to adopt her would be a great way for her to gain access to powerful people. It would be a major step in her quest to claw her way to the top and gain control over everything.

All she had to do was sell her chance at a real family. And what good was a chance she would never get?

There was still time. One of the things she asked about from the Watching Stars was the current state of lords in Tineak. It should have enough information for Rain to pick a victim.

The walk to the library gave Rain enough time to sort everything out. By the time she arrived, Rain was feeling strong and determined. She needed to focus on her goal of helping as many people as she could. Her feelings were second to that.

Rain wasn’t surprised to find Orm still at the library. He always said he was just on duty, but Rain was pretty sure he just lived there.

After some brief small talk, Rain handed him the rest of the money she owed, and he handed her a slip of paper. Sitting down across from Orm, Rain opened the paper and skimmed through it.

Eventually, she found what she was looking for. The Estom House. It was a mid-ranked house that ruled the island of Estom, a forest island. They were best known for the fine lumber they sold. However, due to a plague that broke out on their island, Estom had been labeled a dead island, and travel to and from it was now forbidden.

Lord and Lady Estom, as well as their son, rarely left their manor in the Crown Ring here in Tineak to visit their holdings, so they were off island when it was quarantined.

General consensus was that the plague only broke out on Estom because of severe neglect by its rulers. There were plenty of other rumors about the Estoms, from infidelity to selling their own citizens. The son had a reputation as lazy, stupid, and talentless. All in all, they were perfect for what Rain wanted. She would infiltrate their house and use them to further her own goals.

Rain was corruption; she would be the rot that grew in the heart of the Estom House. Then, when they were no longer useful, she would take over House Estom or burn it down.

Either way, they were finished.