The Drake of Craumont

Being watched is hardly new. I'm a Drake, for Goddess' sake; there's little I'd ever call subtle about what I am, and I enjoy it that way. The added gossip of being Dame, and later of Dongbaek's attempt on my life, barely even registers, frankly.

To be watched, though, as one watches a delicious deer? Hunted like prey? Monsters certainly try, and I tear them apart for their ambition. Few things give me greater satisfaction.

That something so fragile stalks me aches, deep in my Delve-soaked bones.

It burns. It stings and plucks like a spear to the back, it sizzles like a hot coal dropped down my throat. No amount of dry musing can ease the fury that swells in my chest.

Why does Dongbaek want to destroy the wards? Adamantine even confirmed his plan when she spoke to me, but why still eludes me. Eludes us. Something I do not understand is afoot, and the city grows stranger with every passing week. What will that look like at the solstice, with nearly three more months of absurdity behind us?

A thought rises into my mind, gathering facts until my growl fades into a small sigh.

"I have a bad feeling about this," I grumble, flicking my gaze to the alley as we pass.

Nobody.

My tail lashes, clattering against the stone. Someone behind us yelps, but I don't hear a thud, so they're probably fine. It's far better than letting my tail wiggle or vibrate to burn away my anxiety, because either would look incredibly suspicious.

"Oh?" Lena's ears perk in her cap, swiveling toward me. Her eyes follow, tilting up to meet mine.

My lips twitch, valiantly battling the irritation at my core. "I want a bath. Usually means things are about to get messy. Or weird, really."

Verity snorts in a way I can best describe as unladylike. Though, given what she's said about nobles? Probably a compliment.

"Didn't you, ah, chase me after your bath, when we first met?" Lena muses, "Though, um. Hm. Maybe it's because things are… no, um, I shouldn't try and pick that apart, should I."

"Much appreciated," I drawl, smirking at her reddening cheeks. "And the bath can wait, anyways."

"Hm. Mind if I join you for that?" Verity chirps, flashing an easy smile. Her yellow eyes do not look at me so much as through me, searching our surroundings.

"Eh, sure." I spare another sweep for followers. Gods, that's a beautiful bloom painted on that building, with all the sprawl and whimsy I could ask for, but the purple's going to give me a headache. My gaze catches flickers of movement at the fringes, lurking in stretching shadows and hiding in the fading of Adamantine's sunlight.

"Left here," Ruby declares, and her voice hits like a brick to the face. Drags my focus back just as quickly, too. "I recommend that someone else initiate with Miss Cottonwood."

She turns sharply, weaving past a slow-walking cluster of people without another word.

"Um. I don't think I've ever heard Celine's last name before…" Lena says with a frown, turning to follow. "But why is she recommending that we, ah. Why us, and not her? Or Ivy."

"Ehh," Verity shrugs. "Best guess? She's not good with comforting people, and thinks one of us would be better… probably myself or you, Lena." Verity's eyes flick my way, lips curling upward, and I counter with a snort. "Ivy's sweet when she wants to be, but a victim of stalking calls for a softer touch."

"Ivy is right here," I say pointedly, lips still twitching and my tail flicking. Should her words bother me? Maybe, but they're right, and I'd hate to make Celine feel worse. "Not wrong, though. You two should lead."

Lena swallows, quite audibly, and takes a shuddering breath.

Verity clears her throat. "Lena, if you're—"

Lena nods, cutting back in a far firmer tone. "—I'll do it. Give me some questions to ask, and I'll. I'll make her comfortable.” The fire I'd first known her for is there now, a crackling certainty at the fringes of her words. "We know each other, so maybe that'll be more comfortable, right?"

---

"Helena! You're alright!"

Celine pounces on Lena with all the enthusiasm of a kitten, wrapping her in a hug and pulling her close. Wavy blonde tangles with curly red-brown, and Lena's squeak drags a smile onto my face. Celine's of a broader sort, and if not for the fox ears sticking straight up, she'd be utterly swamping my friend in that hug.

"By Elluvial, I was so scared when I heard you'd gotten stuck in there, and then you were gone for a week, and—"

"Celine! Um! I-I'm alright, please call me Lena—"

"They're friends, huh?" Verity murmurs, and I can hear the smile before I see it. "Do you think Lena knew that?"

"Doesn't seem like it," I drawl, mirroring her smile. My tail hangs above the cobbled street, carefully avoiding the puddle near Celine's doorstep. "Figure she'd mention that, otherwise."

"I was so worried, H— Lena! You're one of our favorite customers, you know, and I got so used to…"

Ruby clears her throat, and the chaos sharpens back into sensibility. "Miss Cottonwood."

Celine steps back, one hand slipping down to clasp Lena's in greeting. Her cheeks flush red, only deepening in color as her eyes shift across her surroundings. "Well, I should've expected the Dame would be here… Good afternoon, my lady, miss paladin, and, ah. Detective Gelson, right?"

My lady? Bah.

"Correct," Ruby says, nodding. "May we step inside to discuss further?"

She bobs her head vigorously, and I can hear her heart lurch up in its rhythm."Oh, of course! I don't have anything to offer other than tea, but…"

"Tea w-would be great, actually!" Lena cuts in, squaring her shoulders. Her ears twitch inside her hat, swivelling to focus on Celine. "And, um, I didn't know you'd missed me that badly… but. I missed you too!"

Lena dips out of Celine's grasp, pushing inward for a hug that starts stiff and ends rather cozily.

Just like that, Celine's heart calms once more, and I can see Lena's expression soften as she pulls away. Hugs are nice, aren't they?

"I believe we should step inside," Ruby states plainly, and the moment ends. Celine waves us inside, and we all file in.

Not before I feel yet more eyes on my back, though, burning through me like melted iron.

---

That, I think, is too much yarn. Distractingly so, suffocatingly even, with a room tastefully green and chairs nearly lathered in yarn-knitted and embroidered things.

At least there's not much of it on the floor. I eye the carpet with distrust regardless, and keep my tail curled up to avoid catching any yarn-lint. Just the idea of having that jammed in my scales almost makes me shudder... Gods, I hope she doesn't want to make a tail-sock for me or anything.

That combination of imagined textures changes the thought from an almost shudder to a full on tail-to-head shiver. All those bits of fluff, scraping against my tail… urgh.

There's also no chairs for people with tails, so I'm stuck leaning against a wall as Celine comes back with our tea. From this angle, I can see a guard eating a sandwich in her kitchen, and exchange a curt nod with them. Good to see that someone's keeping an eye on her for the right reasons. Or, better ones, realistically. I can't imagine it's pleasant to have a guard in your house.

"The ears really suit you, Lena," Celine says, smile flickering. She sets the tray down on a central table, fidgeting with the cups before stepping back. "Oh, and just a simple green today, no honey, if that's alright?"

Lena's ears, now freed of her muffling cap, tilt at a rather endearing angle. "O-oh, thank you!"

Ruby frowns down at the tea, and I stifle a snort. Can she even drink plain tea?

Verity beams as she often does, only stopping to sip her tea."We came by without warning, Celine— can I call you that? You can call me Verity." She winks, taking a second sip, "And as Lena said, tea is great!"

I just step over, pick up my cup, and enjoy my green tea in silence. A thousand different words tumble through my head, offers of comfort and reassurance that never quite feel right. I’d hate to make her feel worse.

My focus turns to Lena, and her eyes meet mine. I raise an eyebrow, she flops an ear.

"Ah," Lena clears her throat, "Thank you. And the ears are nice, now that I'm used to them. I wish I'd had more time before they came in, but…"

She trails off.

"The Delve happened," Celine murmurs, sinking into a plush chair. "I'm glad you're okay. That all of you are."

"That's sweet of you! Feeling better by the hour," Verity beams, twisting her free hand to show her long black nails. A flicker of orange-red magic stretches them out, and she wiggles her talons. "I'll never need tweezers again! And Ivy's got her new and definitely improved tail, so it's not all bad."

Celine laughs at that, hastily setting down her cup of tea. "Th-that's great, miss Gr… er, Verity! I did notice the scales, and…"

She gestures at my tail. My tail gestures back, and I offer her a tight-lipped smile. "And the tail. Didn’t think it would get any longer from exposure, but I’m enjoying this.”

"Mageblood traits are fascinating, aren't they?" Lena says with a smile, one hand up to stroke her ear. "I've been reading up on them. Did you know that additional limbs are—"

Ruby coughs. "There is city business to attend to. Lena?"

All at once, Lena stills. Her hand stops mid-stroke, the ever-churning cogs behind her eyes judder; a quiet that belies a slow-beating heart. "I was getting there, I just got… a bit distracted. We do have, um. Things to talk to you about, Celine. A-and then we can have tea and talk more!"

Celine's reaction, though, is the opposite: her heartbeat spikes, her lungs inflate, and even after several deep breaths, she remains unsettled. Her expression crumples, then unfolds into a tiny frown. "Oh. I-I knew you'd come here for something, especially with the Dame, the detective, and Verity all in one place. Which means you want to talk about… them. Right?"

My own heart lurches, and I quell the urge to hug her. Later, if at all, and Verity's already leaning forward to press her hand into Celine's. She murmurs quiet comforts and simple assurances, gently turning her palm upward.

"We do," Verity says gently. "Because—"

"—we're going to catch them," I finish with a growl, baring my teeth. It feels good to let out the stress curled within me, even if it is barely a hiss of steam from an overfull pot.

Lena draws a folded parchment from her pocket, turning it over and expanding it in her hands. "But. Only if you're comfortable sharing what you know, and…" She looks down at the paper. "You can stop us at any time, a-alright?"

Celine's eyes sweep across the room, seeking rest and finding none. A sigh becomes a shudder, but she nods. Once, then again, and she whispers, "I'm ready."

Verity eases herself back, hand slipping from Celine's slack fingers, and for a moment we're left with only the scratch of Ruby's nib on parchment.

Lena frowns, looking down at the notes. " M-may the Restoration guide your path. Could you tell me when this all… started?"

"Five weeks ago," Celine says quickly, eyes flickering to me. "Just before the… everything with the puzzle box."

That long? And the guard hasn't caught them? I cross my arms over my chest, swallowing the growl before it escapes.

More scratching of pen and parchment. Ruby nods, and Lena's ears flatten. Pointed teeth rock over Lena's lower lip, and she says, "I'm sorry. We'll stop it, I promise. Ah… hm."

Her eyes flash around the room, and a hint of a smile works its way onto her face. "Oh! Would you like to knit while we talk? Would that help?"

Celine nods jerkily, and Verity's on her feet in an instant. Flashing her usual blinding smile, she says, "Good plan, Lena. I saw the basket. Would you like purple or brown?"

"Brown,” Celine murmurs, shifting in her seat. “I've been thinking of making a new scarf for Charlie.”

Verity's back with the knitting needles and yarn before Celine's finished speaking.

"Want me to start you? I'm a little rusty, but you can say a Paladin helped knit the scarf." Verity chuckles softly, holding up the long wooden needles. She makes a few motions, wincing. "…er. Maybe more than a little rusty, actually."

After a few minutes of fidgeting, giggling, and terse laughter, Celine's needles are clacking away. The noise scrapes at my ears, poking at just the wrong bits of my head, but sure enough her heartbeat drops down to something more comfortable. Maybe another hour, or however long it takes Lena to learn what we need, and we can hunt down our prey. An hour of sitting here with scraping needles, drinking tea and being normal while the truth devours my insides.

Bah. I’d go mad, dragged deeper by the clicking of wooden needles.

I down my cup of tea in one go; the heat barely tickles my throat, the steam slips free of my lips in satisfying wisps.

“I’ll leave you to it,” I say, giving Lena a sharp nod. Rather than stick around for questions I don’t care for, I stride out of the room and directly out the front door.

Inhale.

The air entering my lungs tastes of storms. Crisp, cold, and sharp, pressed firm against the gouging stress in my chest.

Exhale.

I ease the knots from my back, and let my worries free in a long, cathartic growl.

"Never thought it'd be easy," I admit to the open air, tail slack against the cobbled street. My back presses against the cold brick, a gap between painted flowers and climbing vines at the house's corner. "Doesn't make it pleasant, though."

Few things worth doing are easy, a memory echoes back. I chuckle, and the growl comes with it. This is worth it. Worrying, waiting, keeping quiet for now because those that hunt us could be anywhere. The thought is maddening in a way Delves have long stopped being for me.

Should I tell Lena, then? Not right now, obviously, but when I step back inside. Or maybe I should wait until the Manor, until she's safe… Bah. I'll tell her sooner rather than later. I'd be taking her choice, and I'll not be like my cousin, hiding things and pulling strings.

She deserves to know. Ruby deserves to know.

Minutes pass in sweeps of the streets around me, with only the clicking of my tail against the street for company.

And this time, I don't have to rely on my instincts. Glimpses of color and motion, faint heartbeats entering and exiting my range, all of them moving when they think I'm not watching. Easy to pick out from the regular crowds, even when those passers-by are doing their best to hide their own stares.

Knowing is better than not, and all that. Maybe we'll get enough from Celine to link things properly to Dongbaek, or—

The door beside me clicks open.

"We're, um," Lena's voice says gently, "We're done in here. Verity's doing some knitting with Celine, Detective Gelson is taking notes, and…"

"And I'm out here," I finish for her, my voice far coarser by comparison. "Got wound up."

"Oh," she says, and her cap-muffled ears come into my sight before the rest of her. She's standing there, hands clasped in front of her, brow furrowed in thought. It's hard not to look at her, with the light filtering through her red-brown hair and her turquoise eyes glowing in the soft shadows. "Are you, ah, doing alright?"

"Depends on how much you got from Celine," I drawl, shrugging. "And how alright she is."

Lena opens her mouth, and drops a veritable waterfall of words into my ears. "Gelson says we have what we need. A timeline, um... a few things that might've been suspicious? I can't believe someone would stalk Celine like that, though! Following Celine around, making sure they're seen but never getting close? Restoration bless her, and may Adamantine see the stalker caught."

My eyes flicker to the alley across the street, then back to Lena. Her lip is caught between her teeth, and a heat flickers in those turquoise eyes that seems quite familiar by now.

"I think they might be related to the ones following us," she murmurs.

A snarling laugh is ripped from my throat, loud enough to make Lena's heart lurch… and draw the eye of everyone walking by. Of course she knows. Of course!

"And here I was worried about telling you," I snort, tail lashing against the stone. "But you heard us, didn't you, or saw it yourself. Not bad."

She sighs, hands still clasped in front of her. Even as her lip trembles, she nods. "I… ah, yes. I knew you'd tell me eventually, but. I asked Verity before I came out here, just to be sure."

"So," I say, once it's clear she isn't planning to say more. "Gelson says we have enough. Did they mention any plans, or are we going hunting?"

Lena opens her mouth, closes it, and frowns. "Actually, ah. Hunting is the plan. Gelson needs more time to… um. Never mind. We can talk inside."

More time to find where Dongbaek's hideout is, likely. Something I can ask later.

For now, though?

I smile. Broadly, toothily, stretching my mouth to bare more than any human should or could. “Let’s talk, then get hunting.”

Lena’s smile is a wavering, wobbly thing, but it is there. She steps forward, wrapping me in a tight hug. My arms come down around her, and my tail finds its way around her boots. Without armor between us, it’s far warmer, far softer; the murmured “I’m glad you’re okay, Ivy” only adds to the comfort.

And then we do actually get inside, because there’s work to be done. In the door, down the hall, and right back into the living area. Back to the yarn, sure, but Celine’s now in the kitchen with the guard, and the knitting needles aren’t nearly as bothersome. In the time I’ve been gone, though, Ruby has conquered the central table with her armies of parchment and armadas of notes.

Verity, though? Lounging in a chair and drinking tea, smiling as always. She raises her cup my way as I step in. “Hey, Ivy. Celine’s been a big help— I don’t know what Lena told you, but take a look!”

Settling back down into her chair, she takes a sip of her tea and uses her free hand to gesture at the table. “So, there’s a map somewhere in there, maybe a few. We think Celine must’ve seen something, assuming it’s related to our other mystery. Our stalker seems to be able to evade capture no matter what they throw at them.”

“Something?” I repeat, frowning. “So we don’t have any guesses?”

“No, um. We have guesses! But Celine didn’t really have answers,” Lena replies, lips pursed. “I didn’t want to press her.”

“That was the right choice, Lena,” Verity trills. “You did a wonderful job, and we do have those guesses!”

Lena flushes red, mumbling her way through a “Thank you.”

“Verity’s right,” I say, arching an eyebrow. I step forward, dropping into a crouch next to the table. “What do we know, then?”

Ruby looks up, eyes briefly landing on me before stopping on my claw. “Miss Cottonwood’s early week route traces through this section of the Wildflower District,” she starts, pointing at a spot on the map. I move my hand away, and hers begins to trace a route. “Midweek, additional deliveries are added for the Restoration Church Chapel, services in a Hero’s Chapel, and a meeting house for the Merchants’ Guild.” She taps two more spots and traces a new route, one that comes from the opposite direction. “And late week, one more location is added, two are removed, leading to...”

While Ruby draws that third route, I dredge out my own mental map and lay the three down on top of each other. It doesn’t take much work to cut out the bits she never walks by, and it doesn’t take much more to loop back around and realize something important: Ruby didn’t actually answer my question. Bah.

I snort, flexing my tail just for the satisfaction of it. "Should’ve asked a better question, then. What makes us want to look in the Wildflower District?”

“Ah,” Ruby says with a frown. “Miss Cottonwood has been stalked since around the time of the puzzle box’s initial theft. The stalker has made no attempts to make contact, enter her residence, or attack her. Therefore, it is likely she is being monitored, rather than pursued. The most probable cause relates to the puzzle box and Bitgarm Dongbaek, given our current situation.”

Our current situation. My eyes meet Verity’s, and she nods. Guess Ruby knows too, then.

Ruby pauses, eye fixed on a spot above Verity’s shoulder. “There are parallels. Assuming a connection, if Miss Cottonwood was a threat or held critical information, the stalker would have acted in some way. I believe that Miss Cottonwood saw something she was not meant to see, and it was connected to Bitgarm Dongbaek. However, we will need confirmation.”

Pausing again, her lips twitch. “Ideally from a culprit.”

“That’s a bit of a web there,” Verity muses, setting her empty teacup down. “But I can’t say I have something more sensible... and Goddess knows it would simplify our case. Maybe we could find Dongbaek’s hideout, too!”

“But the only way we can know is...” Lena says quietly, ears slowly flattening against her head. “If we, ah.”

I draw back that toothy grin, and this time, I let my recently-lengthened fangs out fully. “Is if we bait them out.”

“Yes,” Ruby says. Light stirs in her eyes, and her fingers drum along the table. “I believe it is time to re-enact a delivery.”

“You’ve bread my mind, Detective,” Verity declares, and Gods I very nearly want to strangle the woman.

“Bread,” Ruby repeats, her voice somehow flatter than usual. “I do not appreciate puns as humor.”

Bah. I’ll save the strangling for our prey, once Lena stops laughing.