Rick walked ahead of everyone else. While he didn't know what the reason the duchess wanted to see him was about, he respected Charlie, or Jenn as she now seemed to prefer to be called, enough to not ask any questions. She wasn't the same girl that he'd met on the hike before, especially with how so many respected her, so long as they were aware that she was the Blue Rose.
Yet, even for those who didn't know that she was the Blue Rose, she seemed to command at least some respect, even though Rick wasn't completely sure why. As she certainly made plenty of mistakes that he'd seen. One being thinking that Shirley and him would not have any problems when they were reunited.
Although, to be fair, Rick hadn't expected Shirley to have found out about his wife already, nor to have such a negative reaction to the news.
Though, he did see that Jenn had changed in ways that were still becoming apparent to him. She seemed to be able to handle most problems that came up quickly and kept the peace whenever something came up, but at the same time, she almost seemed to keep herself distant from others. A fact that Rick couldn't help but wonder about, as if she was supposed to be the leader of her people, he'd have expected that she'd have learned to be more open and social than she seemed to be currently.
In regards to his own problem with Shirley, it had been three days since they last spoke, which Rick was just fine with. He wasn't sure if it was because of how the fight ended or if it was that Shirley hadn't approached him to try and reconcile what had happened, but regardless of why Shirley had stopped speaking to him, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that unless she approached him first, he wasn't going to talk with her at all. As, if Shirley was going to take that stance on the age of the women he preferred, then he doubted that they were going to work things out in any meaningful way. No matter what he may or may not do himself.
He wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to accept his marriage to Maelia, but that was her choice and he wasn't going to try and make her get used to it if she didn't want to.
In fact, if she kept feeling like Maelia was the one who pursued him, then he doubted that he was more than willing to let the rift between them grow. As it was up to Shirley to decide if she wanted to work things out. If she did, then Rick was willing to let the fight from three days ago be as if it never happened. However, he had a feeling she wasn't going yet done with her crusade of the kind of women he preferred.
Yet, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe he shared some blame in the current situation. While he knew that he hadn't actually done anything wrong, he couldn't shake the feeling that he should have at least done something different. Something that would have at least kept things from getting so far out of hand. Even though he was convinced that the ball was in Shirley's court, he couldn't help but think that there might be something that he could do to mend the rift between them.
However, since the fight, he wasn't really that interested in trying to make peace with his sister. If anything, he was determined to follow her lead and let things remain as they were. After all, it wouldn't be fair for Rick to lose the woman he'd fallen in love with just because his sister had a problem with the marriage.
Rick couldn't help but smile as Shirley tried using the fact that they hadn't exchanged rings as a sign that they weren't really married. Although, part of him wondered what her reaction to learning that Jenn was the one to have officiated their wedding. While it was possible that she'd already known that fact, Rick had a feeling that she wasn't aware of that. At least given how she was still willing to talk with Jenn, a point that Rick had a feeling would have changed if she knew just how involved Jenn had been in the wedding.
Although, on the other hand, that likely would have just given her more fuel to declare that the marriage wasn't official or real or whatever.
Part of the reason why Rick was travelling ahead of the group was because he wasn't interested in hearing whatever Shirley had to say. As while she wasn't speaking to him, he knew that she probably would be 'talking to herself' while rehashing the argument they'd had as well as asking other's to pass him messages, even though he was standing right next to her.
While it was rather childish, he couldn't say that their mother had been any different when she got upset about something. Which made Rick wonder just how grown up some people really were. Especially when it came to behaviors they had when they were upset about whatever.
Glancing behind him for a moment, Rick wondered what any of the others in Jenn's 'unit' were talking about. His fight with his sister had actually delayed their departure from that village for an entire day. Something he wasn't sure that Jenn had planned on, but he wasn't that concerned about it. Especially given how no one seemed to know the reason why the duchess even wanted to see him. Although Rick supposed it was because he had been 'her' slave when he'd escaped and he could see her thinking of him as her property, even though he never thought of himself that way.
Then there was the fact that he was confident Jenn hadn't revealed his presence to the duchess, otherwise she'd likely have wanted to 'speak' to him earlier than this. Which merely made it likely that there was one of Jenn's people who was sending the duchess information. Something that Rick wasn't sure if he needed to tell Jenn, or if he should really. After all, if she couldn't figure out something like that, he wasn't sure that he should be helping her out when she clearly wasn't that aware of issues that she really should be. Especially if she was going to actually try and lead these people. Something that Rick had his doubts about Jenn's ability to do.
No matter how much she'd changed since she'd left Earth.
_
Ralph felt stunned. Not only had Lily only seen Embris for just a moment, but she'd already declared to him what she thought of her.
While Lily's voice wasn't loud enough for anyone else to hear, he didn't need others to have heard it, as he was confident in what he'd heard. Regardless of if he could understand why she said it in the first place.
Though, he wondered if there would be more problems now that Feon and Cinder were heading straight for Embris, despite Riewis' clear objections. It seemed like those two didn't remember that they were supposed to be waiting for whatever it was before they would be cleared of suspicion of whatever it was that Riewis suspected them of.
Whatever it was still wasn't quite clear to Ralph. It almost felt like she hadn't fully formed what the reason was herself, but Ralph found himself more drawn to the girl who seemed to have more authority that Riewis. She hardly looked like she was even ten, but Ralph wasn't going to judge. Especially if it helped them out in ways that he hadn't even thought that they'd need until Riewis had gone off on them like she had.
Ralph watched as two of the women who had accompanied Riewis held Cinder and Feon back from climbing the stairs to where Embris was. Though, Ralph could see even from this distance that she was torn between something. While he couldn't be certain, he had a feeling she was supposed to remain where she was but she wanted to rush down the stairs to her siblings.
Regardless, he wished he had some popcorn to eat while watching the scene unfold in front of him. He felt that it was the best entertainment he'd had in quite some time. Especially since they didn't have anything electric in that world, meaning that he couldn't even listen to the radio at any time, as they didn't even have that invented quite yet.
The biggest problem, though, was that his interest quickly faded when Embris didn't move while Cinder and Feon were held back at the base of the stairs, meaning they couldn't go further, even though it was clear that they wanted to get past the two women who were blocking their path.
When that happened, Ralph sat down on the floor, not seeing much point in just standing there while they waited for whatever to happen before they could get whatever problem Riewis had with them resolved.
Then a door opened near Embris and a figure walked out. Ralph wasn't sure if it was a girl or a woman, but she wore a mask and a hooded tunic that covered her face and didn't even let her hair show. Though, when everyone kneeled in front of her, except the women holding Cinder and Feon back, Ralph knew this was someone important. Possibly even the Blue Rose Beth mentioned when she'd told them everything she'd learned about the people here.
While it was possible that they were about to escape this predicament, Ralph couldn't say that things weren't about to get worse. All he could be certain of was that their fates were in this person's hands.
"What is going on?" the figure asked, her voice sounding like it was echoing around them, yet at the same time as clear as crystal.
Riewis immediately explained what she assumed Ralph and his friends were doing here, using Cinder and Feon's attempts to reach Embris as evidence as to how they were there to cause trouble.
Or at least, that's what Ralph heard, as he hardly paid attention to the exact words. Instead, he found himself mesmerized by the mask the figure wore. He wasn't sure why but he felt like it was familiar, even though he'd never seen it before. He couldn't say what it was about, just that it somehow felt like he should know something about it. Though, what that something was, felt like it was just out of his reach even though not by much.
"We came here looking for-" Tim started to say, but was cut off by Riewis.
"Silence!"
"No, you be silent!" the figure commanded Riewis. "You had your say, now it's their turn to be heard."
Riewis looked at the figure as if she couldn't believe what she'd just heard, but clamped her mouth shut, her face turning red as she complied with the order before casting a glare at Ralph and his friends.
If Ralph was to guess as to what had just happened, he'd say that they'd just made themselves an enemy. Not because of anything they'd actually said or done, but rather because the figure had kept Riewis from continuing on her verbal assault on their intentions for having shown up at this settlement.
Tim looked between Riewis and the figure, before taking a breath and starting over. "We came here looking for our friend Charlie, hoping she might be here or if not here, at least some hint as to where we'd be able to find her."
"Do you always let your twigs speak for you?" Ralph heard one of the women behind Riewis remark, which brought a round of laughter from the others who had escorted them to this room.
"What? Are you afraid that we might have something important to say?" Wes remarked with a grin, sounding almost like he was trying to pick a fight to Ralph. Especially with the flippant comment he'd made that sounded like it should have been Ralph's line.
The women behind Riewis looked like they were about to say something in response when the figure held up a hand, calling out, "Silence! I was listening to what our visitors had to say. If you want to chat with them, you can do that once we're done here. If you want to chat before we're done, then you're free to leave this building until we're finished here."
Ralph couldn't say that he'd have expected the response to what was said. If anything, he was expecting the women who seemed to be itching for a fight to tell the figure where she could stick it, but instead they bit their tongues and complied with what they were told, a few leaving the building for reasons Ralph couldn't explain. Just that they left without so much as a word to anyone.
When everything settled down again, the figure nodded, as if responding to a statement only she could hear. "So, what can you tell me about this friend of yours? And is that the only reason you came here?"
"It's not the only reason we came here, but it is the one that we were more focused on," Hannah answered, making Tim look at her in shock, as if he had expected to be able to do all the talking for them. Though, Ralph couldn't see Hannah's face, so he couldn't say what she might be thinking right then. "As for Charlie, we'd need a while to say everything we can about her, but the short of it is that she was taken by the Lost and we learned she'd been made into a slave but then she'd been bought by someone else before we could get enough money to buy her ourselves. That was the last we'd heard about her, but then we learned about this place and thought that maybe she would be here."
Ralph wasn't sure if telling them all of that would gain them anything, but he supposed it couldn't hurt either. Especially since there seemed to be a silence that remained after Hannah finished talking, making Ralph wonder if they might know something. Even though he was rather confident that if these people did know something that they weren't going to tell them what that was. It was possible that he was misreading the whole situation, but he'd at least be willing to bet money on it that what Hannah said had struck a chord with these people, even if they weren't going to admit it.
"Very well. You'll be able to look around our community looking for your friend. However, you will each have an escort with you at all times. If you lose your escort, even if it's for reasons other than you trying to lose them, you will be detained under suspicion of being a spy or saboteur," the figure said, making Ralph wonder if there was any way of appealing this ruling or if this was the highest authority that they had here.
While he couldn't be sure, Ralph had a feeling that if there was a level higher than this figure it wasn't much higher. Meaning that they were pretty much stuck with this ruling, even if they couldn't quite agree with some of the finer points of it. Including the part about if they lose their escort for reasons that weren't their fault, that they'd still be held to account for that.
Though, while he didn't exactly consider it fair, he couldn't argue that it was unreasonable. Especially given how there wasn't much of a chance for them to lose their escorts without it being their fault if they did. As the community seemed rather peaceful and Ralph doubted that any danger would come from this side of the gate.
Or at least any danger that would be from those that these people would be most worried about. As if something happened from danger of this side of the gate, Ralph had a feeling they'd be a little more forgiving if they lost their escort as a result.
"If you know any of these people, you're free to be their escort if you want," Ralph heard the figure say, which brought his attention back to her, but she was already going back through the door that she'd come out of at the start of this whole mess, making Ralph wonder just who she had been talking to.
_
Embris heard the words that the Blue Rose's stand-in said to her. She suspected that it was Oleania who was behind the mask, as Roesadra didn't pay much attention to her or any of those who were stationed as guards for them, but Embris was confident that she would need to find a replacement if she did go down to visit with her siblings.
A bit of a problem for her given how she wanted to talk with them so much, yet still had most of her shift to wait out before she could really visit with them.
Yet, that problem was taken out of her hands when one of the other guards who had accompanied escorting her siblings into the building came up to her without being asked. "If you want to be their escort, I'll cover for you," she whispered, glancing at Riewis, who was like Tchisa, intolerant of any conversation between those on duty standing guard.
"Thanks," Embris said, walking slowly down the stairs towards Cinder and Feon, who were still struggling to get past the guards who easily held them back.
Though, their struggles ceased once Embris reached the base of the stairs. "I'll be your escort," Embris told them, pulling them into a tight hug, partly wondering if she was dreaming that they were there. As it hardly seemed real for her that they'd been reunited again.
"Oh, and Lysean is here too," Cinder said, pulling his pack off his back, revealing their youngest sister who was sleeping soundly.
"You'll have to tell me how you guys came to be here," Embris said, feeling her voice getting choked up as tears started welling up in her eyes.