The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi


Number One Advisor

The conversation wound up with Gerardo epically narrating the tale of Ironridge once again, finally not perpetually flustered now that Wallace was gone. He got about fifteen minutes in before the Firefly Sisters started to fidget and grow restless, and eventually Melia cleared her throat. "Not to silence you, but if this is going to be a long story..."

"We are on the clock," Sirena agreed. "Nice to meet you, though! You should see us tonight!"

"Definitely," Melia finished, and bowing as one, the principals walked backwards through the doors to their offices and closed them, leaving everyone blinking.

Gerardo in particular looked hurt. "Was there something amiss in my tale?" he asked, glancing from friend to friend. "I'm loathe to brag, but I never considered my skills as a bard truly appalling."

"Those two have a problem," Valey replied, sniffing the air. "They're way too skittish about something. You saw them get rid of Percival earlier. I can't sense any danger, but something just caused them to spook..."

"Listen," Slipstream whispered. "Hear that?"

Everybody craned their necks, and something reached Starlight's ears. It was a tune, two tiny voices singing against each other, too muffled to make out the words but of similar cadence to the sisters they had just been talking to. Starlight tensed, the hairs on her back just starting to raise, when the door from the stairwell swung open and a stallion stepped through.

Old enough to have wrinkles and pockmarks visible on his coat, his nose was curved, giving his muzzle a hooklike appearance. His dull gray face was decidedly sarosian, complete with leafy ears and a withered once-red mane that was now a muddy, rusty brown, but that was the only part of him Starlight could see. Everything else was covered by a multifold hooded robe, decorated with painstaking ornamentation in the form of a quarter-moon neck clasp, skeletal bat wing effigies that were fully spread, and a pointy, multi-pronged crown emblemed on the back of his hood. Before he could even say a word, Starlight decided she didn't like him.

The stallion stopped short, seeing how many were in the antechamber and blinking, revealing a glowing device inside his hood Starlight realized was the source of the singing. "Good evening," he greeted, apparently oblivious to the time of day and sounding just as scarred and wrinkled as he looked, offering a toothy smile. "You must be the group from Ironridge I've heard so much about. Chauncey, Lord Percival's head advisor and chief of staff, at your service."

He didn't even bow when he said it, and Gerardo was the only one who could muster up a reply. "Pleased to make your acquaintance?" he asked, tentatively lifting a talon but clearly not expecting to shake. "You weren't looking for us, were you?"

"No, no..." Chauncey clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Us meeting is just a happy coincidence. We would have met sooner or later, eventually. I'm just here to dote on my favorite granddaughters. Are they in?"

After a shared glance to the principals' room, Gerardo nodded, and Starlight wondered just how keen the mares were on being found. "Excellent!" Chauncey proclaimed, strolling forward with a slow, purposeful gait. A hoof slithered out from beneath his robe, pressed the handle, and the green door opened to let him in.

"Hey!" With all of her old finesse, Valey yanked Starlight, Maple, Slipstream and Gerardo into a tight circle. "Just gotta say this before we get stuck with him or something," she whispered under her breath, barely loud enough for them to hear. "That guy looks like all kinds of nope, but I'm not getting any kind of danger or hostility from him whatsoever. Usually, I can get a really shaky estimate of how strong someone is even if they're not thinking of beating me up, and he's packing something stronger than your average civilian, but I think he's also legit friendly. Watch your butts regardless, but just thought you should know."

"Gramps!" Melia and Sirena echoed through the open door, sounding very pleased to see him.

"Good evening, children," Chauncey chuckled as Starlight drew nearer, pulling a basket from the folds of his robe and setting it on the desk. "Hard at work as always, I see. I brought muffins! Francesca from the kitchens made them just for you."

The sisters popped open the basket, each pulling up a still-steaming pastry with expressions of delight. "You're the best, Gramps," Sirena grunted around a bite too big for even her wide mouth.

"Oh, it's nothing," Chauncey chuckled, merrily watching them eat. "But girls! You have guests! Our esteemed visitors from Ironridge, sitting all alone in your lobby?" He curled a lip and raised an eyebrow. "How did this happen?"

Gerardo cleared his throat, standing up in the sisters' defense. "We were in the middle of a welcome tour from the good sir Percival when all of a sudden we were left here. He hasn't been back since, and we're slightly at a loss."

"Oh! Well, that's too bad," Chauncey said, stepping away from the desk, careful not to crack his wing effigies on the walls. "Come now, Melia, Sirena. Surely your work isn't that important. If there's anyone pressuring you you need off your backs, just let me know! How about a meet-and-greet?"

The principals paraded back into the lobby, both avoiding looking directly at Chauncey as they met the eyes of the ponies they had just been introduced to and introducing themselves again. With a perfectly-timed bow, they finished, and Sirena went on, nodding at the elder sarosian. "This is Chauncey," she began, "and he, uhh... We were in a bad way in Varsidel six years ago, until he found us, adopted us and brought us to Izvaldi. He gives us everything!"

"Charmed," Gerardo replied, for once the entire group grateful he was so willing to speak up. "...Is it just me, or is it quite socially tense in here?"

"Apologies. I can have that effect on others, though I assure you I'm very hard to disappoint," Chauncey said, still refusing to bow or even nod. "A tour, though, you say... Where did you have left to see? You should be more than free to come and go as you please."

Again, it was Gerardo who spoke, Maple and Slipstream looking unsure of whether talking would be safe and Starlight still wanting nothing to do with the stallion. "We came here over the sky bridges from the commerce building, through the theater, and that is all we've seen."

"So you haven't seen the hospital..." Chauncy's dark eyes brightened. "So you haven't seen the hospital! You must be the one I was told about who got on the wrong side of a Mistvale Monk." He stared straight at Valey. "That's an area many don't like for a reason. Fortunately, the royal physician I hired can unset most lingering effects with a single second of magic from his horn. Since Lord Percival wandered away, why don't I continue your tour for you? After all, I was heading in that direction regardless."

Gerardo looked uncomfortably at Maple, who glanced to Slipstream, who put her wings over her head and looked at Valey. Valey blew a spit bubble.

Chauncey made that clicking noise again, the faint sound of singing mares still emanating from his hood like a tiny music box. "Of course," he apologized, "I'm putting you on edge. Melia, Sirena! Why don't you accompany us and do the tours yourselves? I'll just be in the background."

"We have..." Melia's gloomy eyes widened.

"Lots of important principal work to do!" Sirena groaned, covering her eyes with a forelimb as if it was the worst thing ever. "Aaargh! But we so want to go..."

"I'll go," Melia firmly decided, putting a hoof on Sirena's shoulder. "You stay here and do the principal work."

"Awww... Deal." Sirena slumped, slouching back into the principals' room and then closing the door with record speed.

"The hospital is the next building over. It's this way," Melia began, sighing and leading the party out of the antechamber.