CHAPTER 76 Mind the Furniture

CHAPTER 76

Mind the Furniture

Brownie

Brownie slapped the table then, drawing everyone’s attention. “Rufus! Don’t answer that question! ”

From the moment they’d sat down, Brownie had been on the edge of her seat enjoying the snacks and the drinks and the interrogation of her potential partner. She’d let her parent’s get away with verbally cornering Rufus and asking him all kinds of poignant questions because she’d also wanted to know more about him. If she wanted to do more than just pet the man, then she was going to have to figure it out sooner or later.

But!

“I want Rufus to say it to me first,” Brownie explained. “If and when we fall in love will be relayed to you after the fact .”

Linden raised a single eyebrow. “You brought a man to visit us before you were sure he loved you?”

“I didn’t bring him to visit you! You weren’t even supposed to be here,” Brownie countered. “I just came by to visit my cousins and have a nice home-cooked meal before going to the festival.”

Rufus cut in. “And I already happened to have a meeting with Guild Master Derek planned. So either way, I was going to be in the area.”

“A meeting to discuss if our Bronwynn is the culprit of an international poisoning spree,” Her mother said dryly.

“We both know that she isn’t guilty.” Rufus shrugged. Brownie smiled at her prospective suitor. He really was darling.

Then Rufus continued. “Though I’m not so sure about the Assassin Assembly at large.”

Her father’s hand curled into a fist on the table. “Say that again. ”

“I’m not certain if the Peldeep Assassin Assembly isn’t involved in some way with the molten ash vane case,” he repeated. “Which is only fair; I haven’t spoken with Guild Master Derek yet. I’m not fool enough to judge an entire family of rogues based on their bardic cousin.”

Brownie nodded. “Does this mean we can wrap things up and go visit my cousins before dinner? I was going to sing Mimi a bedtime song before she goes up.”

Her mother stood and summoned an oak staff from the next room. It flew into the priestess’s open hand, and she used it as a proper cane. After a bad fall last winter, her mother had been relying more and more on it. One too many times cleaning up poisonous foliage, her healer had told her, had left her bones a little too brittle and prone to break.

“I’ll walk you over to Andreas and Lucy’s house,” her mother said. “Your father will have a word with your suitor, alone.” That last wasn’t a suggestion, and a vine carrying two glasses and a bottle of red liquid bobbed over to the table. “We’ll see you both at dinner.”

And then her mother all but dragged Brownie out of the room by the elbow.

“I don’t know if it’s wise to leave them behind like that?” Brownie said.

Her mother stomped her cane down with vigor. “No need to worry, love. Worst that could happen is they come to blows.”

“I think the worst that could happen is father picking a fight with a level fifty-something general who blows up the building,” she shot back, but continued to let her mother pull her along.

“I’m sure Linden will mind the furniture,” her mother replied, with more hope than Brownie felt was realistic.

The entire compound was a series of houses that circled the main building, and each house had a full patio and walkway between. Brownie and her mother made their way through the back of their house, along the patio, through a family vegetable garden, around the main building’s patio, and then back across a small yard to Cousin Andreas’s house.

He and Lucy, the troll, were married with four children. Mimi was two, and the youngest of anyone in the entire family. That little troll had everyone wrapped around her tiny green hand, including Brownie.

“Aunty Marigold! Cousin Brownie!” Dennis the giant five-year-old rushed forward, laughing. He hit Brownie in a hug that would have crushed weaker mortals. Luckily, she had [Sturdy] ready.

“Hello, Dennis. How’re your knife classes going?” Brownie set her cousin down and started walking with him to the house. Lessons on weapons handling, reading and writing, [Silent Step], and improved dexterity started at five years old. Goodness knew Brownie had done them all herself.

And usually the kids were most excited about the sharp pokey part of their new schedule .

“I hit the target today three times .” Dennis puffed up with pride, and Brownie reached out to ruffle his hair.

“That’s brilliant.” Brownie nodded.

Marigold brought up the rear as they all entered the house. The entire place looked too delicate to house four kids, with ornate wooden doors and some paper walls, all on bamboo floors. But Brownie knew how much reinforcement magic went into every square inch of the house.

They didn’t want one kid’s tantrum to destroy half the building.

Everyone slipped into indoor shoes as Dennis yelled, “Mom! Dad! Aunty Marigold and Cousin Brownie are here!”

“COUSIN brOWNIE!” A tiny troll toddled about the corner, curly pink hair bouncing up and down. She was in her sleepwear and had her stuffie ready for bed. The child also tackled Brownie, but with much less force than her older brother.

Brownie laughed and picked up the little girl. “I’m here, I’m here. I promised you a bedtime song, didn’t I?”

Mimi nodded.

“Have you brushed your teeth?”

Mimi nodded.

“Said goodnight?”

Mimi nodded.

“And have you picked a song?”

“Can I pick a song too?” Dennis shoved his face in front of them.

Mimi stuck her tongue out at her brother and hugged Brownie around the neck. “Mimi first!”

“Yes, yes,” Brownie soothed. “Dennis, I’m going to go put your sister to bed; I’ll be there shortly.”

“Awesome! I’ll go tell Mom!” The boy shot off down the hall in a hurry, bumping a table at the end of the hall.

It, of course, didn’t even rattle.

“I want ‘Wings of Ash,’” Mimi requested, cuddling into her arms. “Peas?”

“Of course, sweet.”

She waved goodbye to her mother, who followed after Dennis. Uncle Graham was supposed to be playing a game of chess with Julep before bed. He was the lead administrative authority in the family. Between her mother, who was Uncle Derek’s personal assistant, and Uncle Graham, the lead paper shuffler, they’d get everything ready for Rufus in short order. Even if Brownie couldn’t do anything to help the beastman in his quest personally, she could at least make it easier!

Brownie hoped the dinner tonight went well.