bibliophile

@bespectaclednerd

Trent was aware Russell had moved back - they were neighbors, and as much time as he did tend to spend at work, he wasn’t oblivious - and well, he was rather looking forward to becoming reacquainted with his friend.

Not that they’d ever been close, but they had always been friendly, and he thought that counted for something. It wasn’t like he was particularly close to people in general.

So, he took a moment to write out a note and drop it in Russell’s mail -

Welcome back to the islands! Feel free to drop by any time I’m home, we’re due to catch up. -Trent

Simple, to the point, and best of all, no pressure of a specific invitation for either of them. That ought to do nicely.

Russell found the note later in the day, after returning from Leuda from an afternoon at Bookbound balancing the inventory and accounts. It was a nice, welcome surprise. He and Trent were certainly due for a bit of catching up.

“Oh, the former,” Mist replied casually, taking a step back to give Russell some room as he stood up. 

“As for what I was doing, I was just out taking a walk. Even during winter, it can be nice to get a bracing breath of fresh air. I had a feeling I might happen upon something interesting if I went this way. How about you, Russell? Don’t tell me you came all the way out here just to take a nap in the snow?”

Russell smiled wryly. Mist was the same as ever. “No, nor to get stepped on. I was just doing a bit of thinking, clearing my head so to speak. I suppose my thoughts got away from me.” He was likely to pace a hole into the floorboards of his house if he kept himself cooped up. 

Somehow, the words found her. 

“I sincerely doubt that.”

What was even the point in her discouraging him from that train of thought? Mary wasn’t sure. She steeled her heart and managed to look Russell in the eyes. “Age is just a number, isn’t it? If you love someone, you should be with them. Marry them, even.”

She had to look away.

“But maybe I’m too romantic.” She shrugged. 

Mary’s words were reminiscent of Evelyn’s and it made Russell subconsciously steel himself. After her very angry outburst at him, he was suddenly wary of broaching the subject. 

It had been a while since Lest had done any official training. He was worried that he was going to be a little rusty. Thankfully, Chief Grimoult seemed to be a sort of understanding person. And anyways, it was better to start training again now, than to put it off any longer.

Lest picked up the training sword with ease. One of the things the old chief of police had commented on was that he’d held it right on the very first try. It was a lucky coincidence- and served to explain why having a sword in his hand felt so natural.

If only fighting could be that simple. Often, Lest felt a bit frustrated by where he was. He knew he’d made good progress, but… He couldn’t help but feel like he should be better.

“Hm?” 

“Well… Chief Adalhard usually trained me right here… I also practiced a bit by taking on monsters in the forest.” He was a little confused by the question. Was the Chief thinking of a change of scenery?

“Just Chief Adalhard? I only ask because just from your stance, you seem experienced.” And Lest’s form was not entirely reminiscent of Adelhard’s form, suggesting he had learned elsewhere. Once he saw more of Lest’s form, it might be easier to discern, but right now Lest appeared to be an experienced fighter himself. 

Which made it all the more interesting to Russell.

Well well. It wasn’t every day that you had a chance encounter with an old friend. Sometimes, life dropped the strangest things right at your feet. Literally in this case, it would seem, as Mist finally came to a stop a foot or two away.

“Why, hello Russell! Fancy running into you here!” she said. “You know, the road isn’t the best place for a nap. If you keep lying there like that, you’re going to catch a cold. Or at the very least, have someone step on you.”

“I nearly considered doing it myself, to be honest.”

Russell smiled. “Nearly considered stepping on me or sleeping here?” He would get up in a moment as it really wasn’t good for him to just sit here. Slowly, he stood, dusting the snow from his cloak and thankful for the gloves that warded off the cold.

“Thank you! I hope that I’m able to become and officer you’re proud of,” Lest said. He meant it, too. He felt… somehow, he felt as though he was very behind the point he ought to be at. It only bothered him sometimes- like a small itch you weren’t allowed to scratch, so you just ignore it until you forgot. But… As long as he could be of use in some way, then that would be enough to satisfy him for now.

“And, um… thank you for the invitation to talk.” It seemed like the chief wasn’t going to ask him about his amnesia after all. That was a bit of a relief, honestly. He wondered whether or not the man knew… But he didn’t know how to ask without delving into it, so he simply let it be for now. If it ever became a problem, he was sure that the other man would bring it up. 

“I look forward to working with you from here on out!”

“With that attitude, I’m positive you will achieve your goal in no time. If you ever have any questions or wish to train, just let me know. I would be more than happy to pass on my knowledge. In fact, I have some free time later today if you’re available to train.”

It would be good, Russell thought, to get some practice of his own in. He could imagine the look on his former instructor’s face if he knew how long Russell had gone without practicing. The skill was still there, soaked into his muscles, but he was a far-cry from the active life he’d led in the army.

“I’m getting married.”

The words pierced through her chest like a gunshot. Married. Russell was getting married. Mary felt her mouth go dry. She swallowed hard at the knot sitting in her throat. Everything was freaking out as she listened to Russell explain the situation. 

Or rather, she tried to listen. 

She felt as if the ground beneath her had dropped an inch, leaving her floating for a moment before landing - disoriented and dizzy. 

“There’s-” Her voice cracked. Mary cleared her throat, willing herself not to cry as she addressed the man before her. “There’s no need to apologize.” She hoped she had imagined the tremble in her voice. 

“Congratulations.” Mary couldn’t meet his eyes. She couldn’t manage anything else.

Russell chanced a look at her, unsure of her reaction. It wasn’t what he had expected but he didn’t know what it was, either. What did it mean? What was she thinking?

She looked skeptical. “I can see it’s very involved.” Mary tried to keep any sort of sarcasm out of her voice. “But well. I can’t say as to how much it matters - that’s a choice for you to make. It just…”

Mary took a breath, just to keep her voice steady if anything. “From my perspective, it seems more important than you’re letting on. Is someone in trouble? Is there something bad happening?” She was prying too much, she knew. Russell could snap at her if he wanted to.

“I just want to help, if I can. I’ll drop it if you ask me to, but I want to understand. Please try to explain, if you can?”

He would need to come clean sooner or later. Better sooner than later, really. 

Like ripping off a bandage, Russell decided to just come out with it. “I’m getting married.” He tried not to look too closely at Mary’s reaction to this news, not eager to see the usual sort of joy associated with marriage announcements. He didn’t mind receiving congratulations from others, but did not particularly wish to hear them from her.

“That’s what the trip home was for. Ah, well, I didn’t set out with that intention. My family was having a spot of financial trouble and when I arrived, Vincent — my brother — explained his solution. An arrangement to the Bennett family, who we’ve always been close to. It’s part business, part expected. My father had already discussed this arrangement with their family when I was still small, though nothing came of it at the time.” Now it was all spilling out, easier to say now that the hardest part was over.