Wenammy grinned, thinking of multiple ways to use Anika Mermaid’s tail.
After some time of slowly walking along the busy main road, they finally reached the front of the Guild. Two stable boys came running from the stable on the left side of the Guild, and when the Princess and her maid joined the others in front of the Guild main door, the stable boys took the carriage with them, together with all the horses.
Alex opened the door and as he entered, the Adventurers in there shouted his name and raised his cups, greeting him. A servant rushed to prepare a table for him and his group, next to the table where Aya Martin was, seated on the curves of her thick and long tail. Maryam Martin slithered to get to her, with Alex being stopped every two steps by an Adventurer that greeted him. As the others sat on the table the servant prepared, Alex went to Aya Martin and got a tight hug and a kiss on his right cheek:
“Welcome back, Alex. I am glad you are sssafe and sssound! You didn’t face too much danger on your travel, I hope?”
“Too many, I am afraid. I was supposed to be dead by now, but as usual, no one is quite sure of how much I am able to do, and they underestimated me. I suffered three assassinations attempts, faced four Magical Voids with a bunch of Monsters coming from them, and an attack from a strange group. The life of an Adventurer is dangerous, and I may need to think about my work choices, considering I have you and this cute little girl to worry about.”
While Maryam Martin had her mouth wide open in terror for what happened to him, Aya Martin slowly nodded with a worried look:
“You know how much I dissslike your line of work, Alex. I already told you that with the money I am earning, you don’t need to work, I can take care of you.”
“I know, but there is a lead that I must follow before quitting being an Adventurer for Hire. Besides, I already told you that I don’t need your money, you should save it for yourself and this cute little thing here. I have more than enough for a lifetime. Or several in fact, as I discovered recently. I wasn’t sure of how much money I have, but it is a lot, and it’s increasing every day.”
Aya Martim raised her left eyebrow:
“You gained a lot of money asss an Adventurer for Hire? I wasss told that you are an amazing Adventurer, but I didn’t know you were expensssive.”
“Well, I am not cheap, but I am worth every coin. I gained money from other businesses that I need to tell you about in more detail, one of these days. For now, this big tongued girl over here told me that you were both thinking about moving. I also wanted to propose that to you, because I will return to Beliersia in the nearby future and I wanted to invite you and this little menace to go with me. I can hire some people to empty your shop and your house and get a caravan to transport everything to Beliersia. By the way, I sold your new set by a ridiculous amount.”
While Aya Martim was surprised by his words, Alex opened the bag that he was carrying on his shoulders and took a huge purse from there. He placed it on her hands and signalled with his eyes for her to open it. She looked through the opening and gasped. It was full of gold coins, more than she ever saw in her life. She slowly raised her head and asked:
“All thisss? Isssn’t thisss a bit too much? The lassst ssset didn’t earn me ssso many coinsss!”
“Yes, but your fame is reaching the ears of every Noble. I had dinner with the King of Beliersia and a bunch of Nobles, and the auction was a bidding war. The ones that bought the most expensive pieces asked me for a few days to gather all the money, so I had to wait a while before returning. I also had a few things to take care of, so I waited for them. If you have more jewellery ready, I can take those with me, because tomorrow I am going to the Castle of Bouria, and I might be able to sell a few in there.”
Aya Martin returned the purse to him and took a smaller one from her belt:
“Keep thisss for me, will you? I don’t want to go home with all thessse coinsss! I could be robbed! I have on thisss purse a few that I made while you were away, perhapsss they will do.”
Alex put the huge purse inside his bag again and opened the smaller purse with the new jewellery. He took them out one by one and placed them on the table, admiring them with his mouth wide open:
“No way! These are amazing, and at the same level of craftsmanship as the ones I sold in Beliersia! Are these a new set?”
“Yesss, I made them to celebrate your return. Or to pay for your funeral, whatever happened firssst. Sssince you are alive and well, they are a cccelebration set. I am getting quite good with thossse new toolsss you made for me, it makesss the job easier. I am now able to do the tiniessst detailsss without my handsss getting sssore or my eyesss getting tired.”
Alex slowly nodded while looking at a pair of earrings that were shining with the afternoon sunlight that was coming from the several tall windows around:
“Yes, that small lathe, the scissors and the pincers, together with the powerful monocular with a light incorporated were a nice idea indeed, one of my finest, actually.”
Aya Martin disguisedly signalled with her head to a puzzled trio on the table nearby:
“Why thossse three girlsss keep on ssstaring? I am usssed to sssee Okami and Ssshinatobe looking at me like that, but now you have three more that are jealousss of you?”
“Yes, that kind of happened during our voyage. A Mermaid, an Elfian and a High Fairy, all mad about me, and we were making plans for living together with Okami and Shinatobe.”
Aya Martin nodded in approval while glancing at her puzzled daughter that was munching a slice of bread:
“That’sss nice, now I don’t have to worry about you being alone with thossse two crazy girlsss! But how will you manage living with five women? Can you sssustain all of them, feed them, clothe them, and… keeping them happy, if you know what I mean?”
“I have a big house in Beliersia, plenty of rooms and a lot of money, so that is taken care of. As for the… happiness, the High Fairy, the Elfian and Okami don’t need me, they can… be happy together. But they already said that we could be…. happy together, at the same time, any time I wanted.”
Aya Martin muffled her laughter:
“Pfff! You lucky bassstard! Pleassse, introduce them to me, I want to know more about them and make sssure they dessserve to be at your ssside!”
Alex got up and held her hand, walking to the table where Anika was frowning at him, followed closely by a puzzled Maryam. A servant came rushing and helped on joining the tables, and as Alex was seating, he introduced the grinning Lamia woman and her daughter to his group. Aya Martin rested her chin over her palms with her elbows on the table and spoke to Anika:
“I sssuppose you are thinking about what isss my relationship with Alex, aren’t you?”
“Not really, I already know that he takes care of you and your daughter because he feels somewhat responsible for…”
Anika immediately stopped talking and turned bright red when she noticed the sad face that Aya had. She took her head from her palms and said with a serious look:
“You are quite rude, Mermaid. Maybe I should jussst eat your head and rid Alex of your nasssty company. I had a lot of trouble reassuring Alex that I never consssidered him resssponsible for what happened to my husssband. Alex did what he could to sssave everyone in that caravan, and my husssband bravely helped him. Alex almossst died on that day, and we are both lucky that he didn’t, because he alwaysss made sssure that we were well and able to live without worrying about our future.”
Anika felt her throat getting dry and she made an effort to speak:
“I am sorry, I didn’t think properly about my words. I didn’t want to be rude, I think I was just jealous by seeing the way he was smiling at you while caressing your daughter’s head… I… kept on thinking that I also want a daughter and to have him with me like that…”
“You may need to think properly about your behaviour, Mermaid. I won’t accept sssuch a jealousss woman near my dear Alex, for asss much you sssay you like him. I alwaysss dessspised your kind for how possessive you can all be, not realizing that your jealousssly can ruin a man.”
Anika faced the table and slowly nodded in silence. Everyone was silent until Pearl spoke:
“I like this Lamia, Alex! She is straightforward, quick to react and she was able to easily shut the mouth of the babbling Anika! And she is also very pretty, not only her face, but her scales are amazing! I can tell that you take good care of your skin, don’t you?”
Aya Martin made a slight smile:
“You can sssay that, but I alssso cheat a bit by usssing the ssskin productsss that Alex buysss for me on hisss travelsss. Thossse are sssupposed to be only good for my face, armsss and chest, but even my lower half became ssshinier after I ssstarted to ussse them on my ssscales.”
Pearl vigorously nodded:
“I know! I also use those! My skin is so smooth now, way more than it used to be! We visited the building where he makes those products, the process is amazing!”
Aya Martin faced Alex with a puzzled look, and saw him shaking his head to Pearl Pearson:
“You make them? Now, you really have to explain that to me!”
Alex frowned at the red-cheeked Pearl and said:
“That is a subject for another day, Miss Aya. For now, let’s drink, eat, and celebrate our safe return. Little Maryam here said to me that she was hungry, and she only ate bread until now.”
Alex signalled a servant to bring food for them, and Aya Martin whispered on Alex’s left ear:
“That’s why you sssaid you were earning money with other businesses, right? okay, I will wait for your explanation, I know how much you like to be sssecretive about you.”
Alex gently bumped his head against her forehead and said:
“I am still waiting for your answer about moving to Beliersia.”
Aya Martin glanced at her daughter, that was happily chatting with Bethany Mathews, and whispered:
“I think I will accept your offer. Ssshe likesss that Dog-kind friend of her, and you know how thingsss are for usss, Lamiasss. We find our life partnersss when we are very young, and even if when he growss up, that Dog-kind choosesss another woman inssstead of her, ssshe will sssuffer, but at leassst ssshe wasss happy with him for sssome time, and that isss what a Lamia aimsss for, happiness, even if for only a few yearsss. Who knowsss, maybe he choosesss her and they live happily ever after. I know he isss alssso crazy about Maryam, and hisss parentsss like her asss well.”
Alex smiled while looking at the little menace that was pointing an accusing finger at an embarrassed Anika as if she was scolding her.
“She is an amazing kid. You and your husband did a good job with her. It’s a pity that he is not here, he would for sure be proud of how she is.”
“Yesss, I am sure he would. Don’t be ssso gloomy, Alex, thisss isss a celebration. You and your group returned from a very dangerousss Quessst. I am just guessing, but that girl that seemsss to be having problemsss getting used to the noise around, isss the Princess that you are essscorting?”
Alex made a slight frown:
“No, that’s her lady’s maid. A stupid, annoying, proud brat. The Princess is next to her, the one that is laughing by seeing your daughter mocking Anika and Wenammy.”
“She isss pretty, I hope she will be a fine Queen, one day.”
Alex shrugged and continued whispering:
“Maybe if she learns how to think before speaking. I fear for her in the court, those scheming, bad-mouthing Nobles will eat her alive, if she doesn’t learn. She is way better than when I met her, and she made quite an effort during our voyage. She slipped a few times and returned to her old ways, but at least she realized in time she was doing that and tried to avoid it. Time will tell. I did my best to warn and to teach her, now it’s up to her.”
Aya Martin glanced at the disguised Princess that was hearing all the conversations around in absolute silence, as if she was indeed, learning.
The diner prolonged way past Maryam Martin’s bedtime, but she was having a blast and didn’t want to go home. Tiredness finally took the best of her, and she was almost sleeping on the table even with all the laughing and cheering around her when Aya Martin finally managed to convince her to go home, because she was dead tired, and she had to wake up early for School.