As Gregory came awake, he smiled. He was trapped between his wives, but would never complain about that. Instead, he stroked their heads, kissing them the moment they stirred. Both returned his kisses happily.
“Elsa will be beside herself,” Jenn murmured, remembering their conversation with Lightshield the night before.
“We’ll have to be mindful that she’s around,” Yukiko said, kissing Gregory’s chest, “and we’ll have to be much quieter during the evenings.”
Gregory flushed, as did Jenn.
“Which is sad, because I enjoy hearing you both,” Yukiko giggled. “I won’t push either of you for so long while she might hear us.”
“Thank Aether for that,” Gregory said.
Jenn giggled. “Thank Vera, you mean.”
Gregory laughed as both of them looked at Yukiko, who grinned back at them.
“I think it’s third bell,” Yukiko said.
“Might as well get started,” Jenn sighed. “Morning routine, then to the city?”
“Get breakfast for all of us, Magi Squares, studying the book Greg’s been reading to us, Peaceful Fist, sparring, magic practice, and then, a quick rinse,” Yukiko said, reciting what they’d agreed on last night. “That’ll get us to about ninth bell, and then we’ll head into the city.”
A bell began to chime, and they all grinned, well into dressing for the day already.
Jenn went and rang for the servant, who appeared after a few minutes, looking bleary-eyed. She explained what they wanted and the man just blinked at her a moment before he bowed, then left.
“Do you think Elsa will be able to keep up with our schedule?” Gregory asked, feeling a hint of concern.
“After a day or two, yes. Once she learns when to wake and sleep, it’ll be easier for her,” Yukiko said.
“Are you awake?” Clover’s voice came from just outside the tent.
“We are. Come on in,” Jenn said.
Clover, Ling, Mindie, and Roshana entered the tent. “We weren’t sure if we were early,” Ling said.
“Perfect for us. Food will probably be a while,” Yukiko said. “Let’s get started on Magi Squares.”
~*~*~
“I’m glad we’re having Elsa be the maid,” Ling said, when they finished training. “I don’t care for that man.”
“I dislike him, too,” Mindie added. “He clearly doesn’t like… us.” The last word was paused, but her meaning was clear.
“Buldoun still has its fair share of bigotry,” Yukiko sighed. “I look human enough that I’m not given problems here, unlike the empire. I’m just ‘exotic,’” she said with some anger.
“Yuki… it’s okay,” Gregory said, softly touching her arm. “You can tell us.”
“It was my betrothed,” Yukiko exhaled, hugging him. “It was the year before I became a magi. When Father and I came to make deals, we had dinner with my betrothed and his mother. It was here in Anders.”
Jenn moved over to hold Yukiko, as well. Yukiko gave her a soft smile before looking over her friends and motioning them to join the hug. A moment later, she was inside the middle of a group hug.
“It was awkward. Abigail Yulin did not like me in the least. She saw my heritage more than my worth. Dan Yulin, my betrothed, eyed me like a dessert that he was being made to wait for.”
Gregory kissed her cheek, and Yukiko pressed on, “Father could see my discomfort, so he suggested that we separate. That way, Dan and I could speak privately while still being supervised,” Yukiko sighed. “They took one side of the room, and I went with Dan to the other side where a Go board sat. We started playing as we talked… his mind wasn’t on the game. I’m sure he was thinking of other things.”
“Ohhh…” Clover whined, hugging Yukiko tighter.
“He praised my manners, my father’s ability at commerce, and then complimented my looks.” Her voice became clipped as she put on a bad accent. “‘You are quite the beauty, Yukiko. While most might not care for how you look, I find you quite exotic.’ It was hard not to react, but I kept the disgust and anger off my face as I focused on the game. He saw me as a prize, not as a partner.”
All of them hugged her a little tighter, wanting to soothe her.
Yukiko chuckled darkly, then smiled. “Oh, how mad he was when I won. He didn’t shout or say things he shouldn’t, but I could see it in his eyes. How dare I, a mere exotic woman, best him? He asked for a second game, and I obliged. When he lost that, he stood up stiffly and stalked away, not saying anything. I knew then that I would be very unhappy with my marriage.”
“Your father didn’t try to break it?” Roshana asked. “He seems like he would.”
“We discussed it. The agreements in place were long and binding. It would have broken our family to pay to break the betrothal,” Yukiko sighed. “He still asked me, but I told him no. I would deal with what must be and, in time, I would take over the Yulin family.” A sad smile came to her. “He laughed, hugging me, and promised to help.”
“That sounds like Hao,” Gregory murmured.
“But that all changed when I became a magi,” Yukiko beamed. “They broke with us. I never did ask Father what that cost the Yulin family. I’m sure he soaked them for all he could.”
“Ignore, remember, then repay,” Gregory said. “As your father has done time and again.”
“Yes, dear one. I’m so glad you remember that.”
“What is that?” Clover asked, wanting to know.
“My father has broken many families that have slighted me,” Yukiko explained. “He wouldn’t show that the slights were a problem, but he wouldn’t forget. When the opportunity presented itself, he would cripple them. ‘Ignore, remember, then repay’ is a motto for my family.”
“I could agree to that,” Mindie said. “I remember a number of people who’ve not been kind to me.”
“Feeling better now?” Jenn asked Yukiko.
“Yes… thank you.” She kissed Gregory first, then Jenn, before kissing the others’ cheeks. “We need to rinse and get going. Everyone, to the bath.”
Gregory stood still for a moment, then chuckled. “Quick rinses only.”
The others giggled as they headed for the bath. Clover looked back over her shoulder, giving him a wide grin. “Fine. Tail washing later, then?”
Gregory laughed along with them as his cheeks turned red, but he followed his wives and friends.
~*~*~
The bells of the city were chiming the tenth hour when they arrived at Warm Slumber. The taproom was nearly filled again, half with Warlin guards and the rest with partial eurtiks. The innkeeper gave them a nod when they entered, which they returned as they walked down the hall toward the private dining room.
Gregory knocked on the door, waiting for Lin to open it. Lin checked the door and greeted them as he stepped aside for them to enter. More greetings were exchanged between the magi and families as they took their seats.
“We’ve been told that we can substitute a staff member if we want to,” Yukiko said as soon as she was seated. “If you’re still okay with it, we’ll take Elsa with us back to camp.”
“Oh, that’s fine,” Umbrose said. “We can do without.”
“Giving her a taste of what could be, to help her focus later?” Yoo-jin asked.
“Yes. It’ll also make us happier,” Yukiko replied. “Our current staff is… not good.”
“Bigot,” Gregory said flatly. “And a little creepy. His eyes linger on them. Even if we didn’t take Elsa, we’d have to remove him.”
“I will look into it,” Hao said. “We might have upset the Yulin family with what we asked for in recompense for breaking the betrothal. Your servant might be a small reprisal.”
“Would they even know?” Jenn asked.
“Oh, yes. Your clan has been talked about a lot. Many have heard about how you swept the tournaments.”
“Will they be here?” Yukiko asked.
“I have already seen them. Dan Yulin didn’t wait long after to move on. He married the scion of another Buldoun merchant family. Together, those two families now control nearly a third of the trade in Buldoun.”
“That will make it harder on you,” Gregory said.
“If I was to continue as I have, yes, it would,” Hao chuckled. “I have already started changing the direction of my mercantile endeavors. I will let things slowly die here, while taking what I can for the next few years. By then, my other plans will bear fruit.”
Yukiko shifted as if about to ask something, but instead, she settled back.
“We have some time before lunch,” Yoo-jin said, cutting in. “We’d like to hear more about your friends. After lunch, I was thinking that we might have a small girl’s day, if you’re amenable?”
“I would like that, Mother,” Yukiko smiled. “It would also allow me to get to know my sister-in-law.”
“That will leave Gregory with us,” Hao chuckled. “I’m sure we can find a diversion for a few hours.”
“Father,” Yukiko said sweetly, “if you take him anywhere like Felina’s, I will be unhappy.”
Hao blinked, then held up his empty hands. “Ah, so he told you about the party? We will remain away from such establishments, Yu.”
“Good.” She turned to look at Clover. “Clover, why don’t you begin?”
“Me?” Clover nearly squeaked, her ears twitching. “Uh…!”
“It’ll be fine,” Jenn said softly. “You’re just telling our families a little about you, our dear friend.”
Clover took a deep breath. “Okay… umm… let’s see…”
