After being scrubbed and splashed off, I enter the VIP bath as the wonderful feeling of being surrounded by water on both bodies almost makes me ecstatic.
Ah...The synergy of both bodies really brings a feeling of completeness...
I look to Serci, "It's the first time we've talked alone since leaving the forest."
Serci nods at my words. "Yeah sorry. The same busy capital always made it hard to get any time to myself. But it can't be helped when you are a core member helping run this kingdom."
"And especially when your side job is as important as being the princess's escort?"
She gave a deep sigh, "Yeah... She wants me to be by her side as often as we were back during our childhood. But because of my Keeper duties, we can't stay together all the time. The work only piles higher the longer I'm away and I can't leave the Keeper of Right alone to do both our work like that."
"That's right. You mentioned before that all Keepers work in pairs so what's your partner like?"
"Well uh... He is earnest... and strict. He doesn't take his job lightly but is often critical over first impressions. When he reads the reports on what the accused is being accused of, he is often harsh in his initial judgment, yet almost always gives a lighter verdict than that initial judgment would've brought."
"So, is he hard to talk to or is it just between you two?"
"Er... well... he is... difficult to get along with, but if there is one thing he is, it's loyal to the people. And considering he changes his initial view quite often; he does want people to live a good life. I've also seen him compensate the falsely charged generously when the charges were too much for the actual crime. This has made him rather beloved by all the innocent, but... he also makes a lot of enemies for that same reason."
"From what I've seen, any position you're the central enforcer of gets you a bad reputation."
She gives a dry laugh. "I'm guessing you ran into Relle..."
'This must not have been the first time.'
"Yeah, I ran into her yesterday, though we didn't get to talk much, Emeri told me some of what she knows about her too."
Serci gives a solemn air. "Yes, well... Relle joined while I was still young. She would act like a big sister to me and the princess, and even to Emeri when she arrived later."
"I heard she's a really friendly person but do you know why she took that hated job?"
She shakes her head, "I'm not entirely sure myself. She is always friendly to everyone but when it comes to her job as Keeper of the Home, I've only ever heard about her actions..."
Serci has a complicated look on her face.
"Something wrong?"
"No, well... She might have taken the job to...vent..."
'To Vent?'
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I thought of a moment between me and her where she acted similarly to the rumors of when she's working..."
"...I was still training to become the Princess's personal Knight at the time. One of the Knights of the same year had confessed to me, but I refused because I wanted to focus on my training. But after I said no, he didn't want to accept it, trying to pry out a reason for why I rejected him. That is when Relle steps in... She told me to leave so I don't know what happened after, but the Senior kept his distance ever since."
That reminds me of her actions yesterday. "Venting... I heard her mention yesterday about sexual harassment charges but is that something worth breaking a guy's nose over?"
She was silent, even the maids having complicated expressions, whispering something before something clicked in Serci's head, "Ah, right! I completely forgot you lived in the forest for your entire life! So... you wouldn't know the... feeling."
'Feeling? Is it really that bad?'
I may have tried to open up that box of emotions deep inside Veda's psyche once, but I didn't try to after because I had too much to think about.
'But what I felt before wasn't a good one, that's for sure.'
"The eyes of men can be overwhelming," began Serci. "Even more so for those like Relle who have big chests that gather more attention."
I take a second to examine my own figure once more. I'm tall but more than that, Veda's body was called 'well proportioned' as the tailor had mentioned once.
After telling of the eyes of others being overwhelming, I think back on the shopping trip, "I understand having a bunch of people staring at you being overwhelming considering what happened at the beginning of town, but it wasn't strictly men's gaze."
Serci's takes a deep breath before shrugging her shoulders. "Well you're absentminded enough."
'Ugh... It really must be too obvious when I'm focusing on my other's perspective...'
'At least she thinks I'm just being naturally unfocused.'
I give her a pout. "Well, if you're going to be like that then why don't you tell me how you became childhood friends with the princess?"
Serci was a little stunned by the sudden request before trying to change the subject.
"A-alright," stammers Serci as she starts getting out of the water, causing me to turn away. "that's enough conversing! You leave in about an hour and I doubt you've said your goodbyes to everyone!"
'Guess this ends the streak of getting people to talk about themselves.'
I would complain about her dodging the question but she's right that we've been in here for a bit too long. "Fine, but you better tell me about it the next time I come to the capital."
Serci tries arguing against that deal as we proceed to be dressed by the maids. The added weight of the chainmail being quite noticeable.
--------
Leaving the public bath with the Sapphires, we all move to enjoy a meal. We found that the members of the Griffon's Folly had been one step ahead of us with extra seats set and food ready.
Gradon gives a hearty laugh. "You guys oversleep or something? You should know the early bird gets the worm and what-not!"
I answer. "I let them get extra rest as they're still not used to the new training regimen on top of a nice long chat in the baths."
"Well hurry and sit before the food gets cold!"
With no further words needed, everyone gets a chair. But that was the start of a battle of its own as the food was set up as a free-for-all. The meat was first to go with bread vanishing after, leaving mostly veggies by the end. Jikani was the most upset as her skewers were gone first but she wasn't alone in her depression as Gin lost his plate of cubed meat to Gradon.
When it calmed down, I began to wonder if these guys would be willing to answer some questions about themselves. "So, what made you guys choose the name, 'Griffon's Folly' as your group name?"
Gradon gives me the fattest grin as he sets down the drumstick he beat Falin to.
'Looks like he loves telling this tale.'
'Might end up being a long one.'
He confidently clears his throat. "At the beginning, we were like most adventurers! We meet other adventurers and become temporary allies to find synergy, skills, and companionship! Unlike those who start with a group of friends like the Frozen Sapphire, we were all solo adventurers still looking for allies to call our own. That is until our third quest together, to slay a beast that wandered from the western plains outside Ubran, the West city of the Farengar Federation. We were the first people to take the quest of extermination, all those who attempted gathering information on the beast being caught and killed by the creatures of the mountain the beast took up residence..."
Falin interrupts him with a devious grin. "If you haven't guessed, it was a Griffon."
Gradon glared at Falin. "Don't spoil the story!" But Yirm continued shortly after.
"Griffons are born in the mountains in the Renon territory yet this one was separated from its family, pretty tragic but it made it easy for us as it wasn't fully grown."
Gradon shifts his gaze to Yirm as he shouts for him to stop spoiling the story. Hyrm was the next one to steal his team mate's thunder.
"And after identifying it, we decided killing it then and there would be for the best. A Griffon often has multiple nests if it gets too comfortable and we didn't want to look for every single one."
Gradon gives up on making a grand story seeing as everything was spoiled, his eyes on Gin who is the last member that hasn't spoken.
And Gin gave a similarly devious grin that everyone else had before finishing the story.
"Gradon got injured the most in that battle, but despite the flesh wound, he didn't have any broken bones. Which is where he got his title of 'Steel boned,' for being lasting against a Griffon for over half an hour. We then took the Griffon corpse back with us as proof of subjugation, turning the parts into our weapons of three years as we took up the name of 'Griffon's Folly'."
Gradon's trying to hide his soured mood by stuffing his face full of bread while his party members all have a laugh at his expense. He must love telling the story but Falin whispers in my ear of how he over-dramatizes the story with unnecessary details every time he tells it.
It could've been a while before Gradon gets back in a good mood, but when Sapheir offered to tell of their first time meeting me, Gradon bounced back.
I was also curious about how they would depict my arrival, not much of a 'grandiose tale' like Griffon hunting but the different things I did with the party against the Hobgoblins would probably be interesting enough.
After one last tale to end our meal, we head back to the training hall to continue their training as I'm not sure when the letter will arrive, but when it does, I will use that as the sign to head out.