Wolfram leans into his Vatti’s touch with a small smile. Maybe he’s getting a little spoiled with all these affectionate gestures, but he can’t help it. “It did, Vatti. I’m also glad to have been able to help Herr Faust and Master Stolas find their way to you.”
If they were going to be discussing inside the church, he should probably clean up. Wolfram turns to their guests. “Please allow me some time to tidy up the interior, then. I’ll rejoin with you both shortly. Let’s go, Friedrich.”
“Not like I can really head anywhere else.”
He rolls his eyes and makes his way inside. His bed was already made (meaning the pews were separated with blanket and pillow folded neatly at the end) so he merely picked up the linens and, with a precarious balance on one foot, opened his trunk of possessions to put them away. He makes his way down into the basement to fetch the necessary refreshments. Stolas liked sweets, right? While they may not have the ingredients for that ‘parfait’ thing, he can get out the pastry bread, jam, and clotted cream.
“You look like you’re having fun,” Friedrich says.
“Do I? I’m just doing the usual.”
“Maybe it’s because it’s the first time in a while someone you really didn’t know dropped by. Lately, it’s mostly been your friends, right?”
“I guess,” Wolfram replies. “But… I think I’m also just happy that Vatti has someone else he can talk to, even if it’s mostly business. He seems well-acquainted with Herr Faust.”
“So you’re happy your dad has friends.”
“…More or less. Don’t tell him, okay?”
Friedrich snorts out a chuckle. “Secret’s safe with me, kid.”
With a nod of understanding, he watches his son and Friedrich return into the interior of the church. Now turning back toward his companion, he gestures for him to the well for the time being. The conductor leans on the lip of the well, now facing his guest.
“But of course, I had a stranger customer come to me recently. Poor lass, she died from the negligence of her parents and her younger brother killed her accidentally. She had a lame leg, but still had to work. Got trampled over by one of the carriages, may her soul be at rest.” Mär’s just relieved they were able to get it over quickly. “There was a history of abuse in the family, which included the livestock – so they joined her. It was somewhat hard because I don’t….understand animals too well but I had a basic understanding.”
Really, it was strange to see a maiden, no, a young child no less than ten years old, with an assembly of deceased farm animals behind her. But it ended up to be an interesting story in the end, with a twist toward the end. Something to talk with Amethystos about whenever he came home probably. “But: she had a cute revenge tragedy, along with fitting background music– quite similar to…Ehrenberg’s daughter’s revenge tragedy haha.”
“There’s another I want to tell, but I suppose I’ll wait till Wolfram calls us back.” He squints at the younger necromancer, “speaking of Wolfram, you didn’t try anything on him–– did you?”
“If you mean by scaring him, no – not yet, I’d prefer his first impression of me to be good. Besides, I wasn’t the first to meet with him, isn’t that right Stolas?” Asutsuo eyes his guardian with a smirk playing on his lips. “You didn’t scare him when you encountered him, did you?”
The owl demon puffs up his chest, a huff escaping his beak. “It wasn’t intentional, I flew past him quickly while trying to search for your home. Spooked him a bit, he forgave me though.” Another huff leaves the demon, “You ought to put some signs around for the travelers going through these parts, Märchen. I’m sure your husband wouldn’t mind bringing some from Hades? Otherwise we’d probably would’ve wandered around for hours.”
“It wouldn’t be fun for his husband though,” Asutsuo notes, while rubbing at his chin, “he does enjoy to get a rise out of people sometimes – scaring them especially if I remember from one of Lord Thanatos’s tell tales.” Scaring the living shit out of people was one of Amethystos’s notable hobbies, beside making sexual advances to his spouse. I’ve walked in on them too many times now that I’m used to it, he recalls Thanatos telling them once. Asutsuo hoped he’d never have to witness either.
“Ah, the poor girl, hope she got the retribution she deserved. Did the rest of the family have it against her? The – not fit to be parents type? It’d be horrible either way, I hope you’ll tell us when we’re discussing stories inside.”
Asutsuo’s gaze glances toward the church’s entrance, then meets with Märchen’s gaze again.
“Oh, right–– I received your recent letter concerning the King. I’m afraid I’ll have to decline, I’d prefer to keep my head thank you. I wouldn’t want to anger to his consort either. As much as I do like your prank, I don’t want to use more of my life span then necessary.” Asutsuo chuckles a bit now, his expression amused, “ But really, a whole group of undead people offering themselves to the King and then falling to his feet without a scrape of flesh? Our pesty bone demon might be better for the job, but she can’t divide herself into twelve separate people.”
