Chương 73: Introducing

I skipped out onto the street, looking around for Elica. I had asked her to meet me exactly here! There was no earl in sight, nor her retinue, nor any mountain of packages I had been expecting to have to ferry along in multiple trips. I stood with my hands on my hips, staring up and down the way, either of the roads at this intersection. To the north, west, south, and east, there was no sign of my roommate or her hirelings. All but one.

"Excuse me, lady?" A small child here, barefoot and wearing cutoffs.

"Yes?" I said, dipping a curtsy. The boy started to mirror me, caught himself, and bowed. It was adorable.

"Er, the other lady said she'd take a carriage back. Paid me a coop to stay here and tell that to 'the first sadistic sorceress to step out of a hellhole with no regard for others'. Um, is that-""Yes, that's me," I said.

"Thank you for letting me know."

"And you're... really a sorceress?" he said, with a certain tone.

"I'm not that kind of sorceress and I'm not going to kidnap you or poison you," I said. I tipped him an extra copper and then I vanished myself away through a burst of white light. I tumbled out onto the bedroom floor, rolling and giggling and kicking merrily. Lady Elica stood above me.

"What did you do today?" she sneered.

"I went flying, I went to a bar for some milk, had a cordon bleu and hot cocoa at a cafe, then I spent the next five hours shopping for chocolate." Vancy was sitting on my bed.

"Holy damn," she said, awed.

"Next weekend I wanna go with you. I can't even imagine that kind of chocolate."

"It was amazing. It should all be delivered by Oneday afternoon," I said, still giggling through my sugar high.

"I'm gonna share, promise." Rinnie was over at Elica's wardrobe, hanging up what looked to be a dozen new dresses in the wooden cabinet. Maybe my imagination? - she looked jealous like she would rather have been part of the chocolate expedition. I sat up abruptly, legs out in front of me. I planted my palms on my knees, and looked up at my roommate.

"Elica. I owe you an apology. I should have been much more clear and explicit earlier. The more energy I have to put into manipulating the doorways, the more of my personality it alters. When I moved all those people, it took away most of my manners, my consideration, and my concern for others' well-being. In the future, I will not try to do all that mass in one trip; even if I can manage it I still turn into a total bitch doing it." She still looked stiff, but her neck unkinked a little bit.

"You'd best," she said coldly. Man, I must've really pissed her off today. She's probably not used to having people walk away while she's crying on the ground. Not that I'm used to that either. Most of my life has been pretty easy, all things considered. Just, you know, a noteworthy handful of exceptions. Funny how exceptions are what set the tone for one's life. I lifted up off the ground, my feet swinging down as I drew upright, floating.

"I'm not sure I could spend hours and hours buying chocolate next Sixthday," I admitted.

"It was exactly what I needed today, but next weekend I need a different plan." Vancy sighed.

"I don't know any place fun to go in Hearstcliff. I've never been out of my county before I came to this school. If we were back home, though, I'd treat you all to the best perfumerie in all of Anquarry."

"So?" I said.

"Let's go to Anquarry." Vancy's mouth dropped open. I checked Elica and Rinnie, they had the same expression.

"What?" I said.

"My limitation is for weight, not distance. We could pop back to everyone's homes for a day, introduce your friends to your family, show off the sights, brag about the local attractions-" Elica stamped her foot.

"Yes!" she declared firmly.

"Next weekend: Perfumes! After that, we all come to my domain for feasts and shopping! We should grab Larianne and let her know what we're planning!" I held up a cautioning hand.

"I don't think this is an outing for a big group. Maybe it's the four of us, and we each get a plus-one? Rinnie counts as Elica's plus-one?" Rinnie looked uncomfortable with me making her decisions for her. She looked uncomfortable most of the time. If I wasn't volunteering her for this, Elica would do it for me, whatever. If Rinnie didn't want to be pulled into Elica's drama, she can walk out any time.... I think. I need to ask some more pointed questions about how Elica got this girl to act as her servant.

Elica cleared her throat.

"I need to get ready for bed. If you're not living here or putting away my things you should probably find your own quarters." Which just meant Vancy, since everyone else here was either roomed here or employed here somehow. Vancy stood and sighed.

"Sorry, I just... I've only been here for a few hours and I don't want to leave. How did you get the custodians to clean your bathroom? They won't get mine."

"No custodians, I magic it up," I said, bragging just a little. I floated towards my bed like a smug little shit, manifesting a silk nightgown over my clothes.

"You can magic away dirt?!" Vancy gaped again, impressed all over again. Transcontinental travel, or spot-free tiles, equally impressive. I settled on the bed.

"Basically. What I do is pull up some water, and then I lift everything up off the sinks and floors, and run the water over every surface at high speed and strength to scrub up every speck of dirt, then I run that down a drain and put everything back. It takes like fifteen seconds." Vancy clasped her hands together.

"Your first perfume is on the house, please take care of mine. I don't know how to clean things! Nobody thought I would need to know! It's not easy, I thought it was but there's all kinds of stuff to know!" And if I'm being entirely fair, nobody has ever taught Natalie anything about how to scrub a counter or polish a fixture. That's all stuff I know from being working-class American, not aristocratic-class Hearstwhiler.

"I'll get you and Larianne's bathroom tomorrow," I said to her.

"Hell, Rinnie, if you tell me which room is yours I'll get yours the day after, just in passing." Rinnie looked oddly calculating.

"Sure," she said. Wonder what that's about. According to Lady Hanje, this was a "cannot miss" event. One of the senior matriarchs of the Grennick House was hosting a charity dinner for refugees from the Lecight pogroms. Discreet inquiries had assured me that, yes, this was entirely a sham and the charitable nature of it all was a front for a fairly bold in-the-open grift. As was to be expected from House Grennick.

But, even though not a single copper clip was going to alleviate the suffering of orphaned refugees, this was still a society event not to be missed. Three weeks ago I had thrown my birthday party. It had left ripples in the landscape of Hearstcliff social events. As it had to: this is the Harigold name. Of the seven Central Houses, this was the one that never brought the core family to Hearstcliff.

Harigold was only represented in the city by cousins, great-aunts, the various seconds and thirds and steps and removeds. So while the other six Central Houses, the six Great Houses, fifteen Lesser Houses and a vast sprawling tangle of Minor Houses all tussled back and forth for influence and attention, Harigold only committed a few distant relations to keep our name current.

The core of the family- Father and Mother, my aunts and uncles, first cousins, my few nieces and nephews- all stayed rooted with the land and its people, and from Hearstcliff were only visible as an aloof presence that circulated a lot of money and never seemed to touch anything directly. That's not nearly how Harigold sees itself, but distance creates different perspectives. Anyway, three weeks. Enough time for people to have processed that Harigold was making the social scene.

Second in line for the duchy, not a remove in sight. Enough time for the gossips to adjust to the news, and for them to start circulating questions about me- questions I need to get out in front of. For a relevant side note: we had six weeks until the Spring Fashion Week hits. One of two days of the year that everyone's vendeuse in Hearstcliff all gets together in a handful of buildings and interacts directly. Fashion Week sets the strategy for the next six months.

Right now, people were putting together their priorities and their wish lists and establishing their goals, all the things that need to be established before strategy can be set. So if I am going to to be part of this and not just get run over by this, I need to be part of this planning stage too. Unless I want to get run over again and again like I did with the Deans. House politics seeps into everything; if you're winning the big game, everything else in your life is easier.

If you're losing the game, everything in your life gets harder. If you try not to play, you're going to lose hard. It took me a while for Lady Hanje to hammer these lessons home to me, but it helped that she had concrete examples from my personal experience. I am summarizing hours of arguments as she slowly beat it into my head that this was something I have to do.

The twenty-first century part of me was ready to scoff at social convention and forge my own independent path, convinced that I know better than everyone else. Ladies! Free yourself from Fashion Week! You have nothing to lose but your crinolines! But I'm not the first person to come along and think that I'm smart enough, special enough, and stubborn enough to turn my back on all this.

Every few years there'd be another eccentric that wanted to believe that they don't have to play the game and walk the social tightrope. Every one of them came to a bad end in different and surprising ways. I've got too many irons in the fire to risk that. I sat in the carriage, rehearsing my instructions. I had my directives for the evening- anything I picked up that had a snake theme needed to be supported from the bottom not lifted from the top. Always curtsy first as if I were the lower station.

Promise nothing, suggest everything. Do not answer any questions about Fashion Week, direct all inquiries to Lady Hanje. Do not let anyone talk smack about Harigold, Griefir or Pinking- the Development faction needs support. It also needs allies- try to build favor with the Aumerje, Skyback and Ebonder Houses of the Independent faction, and the Grennick, Kinghand and Nhullit Houses of the Federalist faction. The carriage ride was nice, smooth and swift. And, I had the whole thing to myself.

This was a fun new development for me, I was used to only traveling with my family. Or, since then, with Yheta. But he's not attending this because his uncle will be here and it would be too strong a Snairlin presence if both of them were at this event. Also Yheta is more likely to get suckered into some Grennick ponzi scheme and lose a small fortune. I sit quietly and enjoy the rocking of the passenger rig, letting my senses stretch out wide.

Sorcerous essences flick by as we ride past- I can feel sparks of silver or copper from people's pockets as we pass, the shape of cotton and flax. I can almost hear the non-voices of brass hinges and wooden doors, all underscored by the voice of STONE that intoned over all like the crashing of a somewhat-distant waterfall. And the air all around us, cradling all things in its moving winds. Anything I could not sense for myself, was merely a void in the air that I could feel readily enough.

As we went, I could feel the neighborhood moving upscale. More silk than flax, more gold in people's pockets. The wood was better cared for, the streets were better swept. We were not at the heart of the high-end district, but near enough I suppose, when the carriage pulled to a halt outside the address I'd given. The driver dropped to the ground and hurried around to open my door, and I let him take my hand and help me down the running-board to the ground.

I was done up in a big way, I had conjured hard for this one. The dress is brilliant red and white, from kermes dye and bleach lye. I've got silver and platinum jewelry, dyed-leather accents, and absolutely everything is tailored to perfection and fitted with incredible exactness. After all, I had created it for myself just an hour earlier. Anyone that does not know my tricks is going to see this costume as a remarkable investment, made to really showcase the power and wealth of the Harigold family.

Nobody needed to know I was cut off and getting by on my own. The design was up-to-the-minute fashion, and had an amazing amount of intricate detailing and attention-work. My hair was drawn around into an intricate style to frame my face, highlighting the strong accents I've applied with makeup. And every bit of it was held in place and kept perpetually perfect by nudges from solidified air that pressed like cool stone.

Most of the other carriages had already delivered and departed, my coachman found a few other drivers to sit and talk shop with while I made my way up to the front door. There was no point in me being early- since this isn't my party I'm not emplaced for the receiving line, I'm at the mercy of the heraldic progression for introductions.

I enter, and greet the servants, who are surprised to see that I have no hat, clutch or parasol to check in- I've protected myself from aerial attacks with a shield of stiffened wind, and I'm not carrying anything with me anyway. I walk straight through to the receiving area, and find a handful of folk that I should be on better terms with. Gentility, dames and knights all get introduced first, then barons and up the order of landed nobles.

So the only people still sitting and waiting their turns in the parlor are the most highly-ranked among them, which makes them the most important ones: my peers.

"Hello all, sorry I'm late," I said, whisking into the parlor with a broad smile.

"I was a guest at the royal behest for the past three years and I just couldn't get away!" and just like that I laughed off a long imprisonment like it was a bad dinner date.

"Ah, the lady Harigold!" exclaimed one young woman. She wore a ruffly wedding-cake dress in a deep pink that really suited her, and fluttered a folding hand-fan with alternating green-and-black stripes, the Grennick house colors. Her dress was embroidered in a pattern like chandelier's arms, or like a serpent's scales, and her bright pink gloves seemed to be a dyed snakeskin. I curtseyed to her, and she back, as she approached. She reached for my hands and I took them from beneath, squeezing her palms in greeting.

She smiled, and I saw that I had just passed about three tests in rapid succession. I also saw that her cuspids were filed to points.

"So good of you to arrive, princess," she said.

"I am Dame Artura Snopa-Grennick. My brother and I had a wager that you would not make it despite your RSVP, you know. Now he shall have my money for it. Well, let me introduce you around!" We had ranking members present from all the major houses, which was why this party was the one that Hanje insisted I join. Until Fashion Week, I was only to attend parties that were hosting all Houses, so as not to show favor or ostracize anyone.

After Fashion week, I would likely be avoiding parties hosted by Dominionist families, but for now i needed to demonstrate that I was open-minded about alliances. Dame Artura brought me around and I curtsied like a trained animal, did my best to memorize names as we went. Nobody else here was as highly-positioned as an earl, so I would be the last to enter.

There was a portly Duskare baronet who had the belly of a Santa and the eyes of a killer, he greeted me with the perfect amount of artificial geniality- not too condescending, not too cold. There was a Kinghand count-voivode, very tall and handsome, who held a glass of strong brandy and stood next to a sideboard with two empty bottles- he greeted me stiffly but neither his voice nor hands wobbled despite the brandy.

Freckentop was represented by a baroness with great hair and a winning smile; she admitted sotto voce that they could have sent someone more aristocratic but that she in particular was good friends with the hostess. Aumerje had sent two brothers, one a count and one his bachelor-heir, nearly identical save the gray hair on the count and the aura of sorcery I picked up from the brother. In the corner near the door was a slim, under-dressed countess from Eyellon, who was glaring across the room the whole time.

In the opposite corner from her was Baroness Grancine Tarratan, glaring right back at her. I greeted her cordially, expressed how glad I was to renew her acquaintance and my regrets that I would not be able to hang on her arm all evening, as I still had so many people to meet. I did my best, and Dame Artura with me, but people were led out of this room by heralds as their introductions came up.

I made what acquaintances I could in that short time, and the room winnowed down to myself and the counts from Aumerje, Eyellon and Kinghand, who all had a tense standoff as we four represented all four of the main factions. The Eyellon countess was called by the heralds, and then the Aumerje. The Kinghand count smirked as they left, his title edging theirs out slightly. That, or his family's allegiance to the same Federalist faction as the Grennicks was the deciding factor.

He toasted me one last time and threw back his brandy before he strode out the door to be called. Dame Artura took my arm and walked me along, patting my wrist gently.

"Don't worry, this is just a friendly charity event, a chance for donors to hobnob with people of station, like you. I'll be taking a side entrance in a few minutes and you can look for me if you need anything." Then she turned me over to a footman who led me to my mark, and with a few words described my approach, pause, pose and entrance. I waited until "Now introducing: Count Bradisrab Uajn of Spearbreak Ridge, Stableholt, representing the Kinghand family!"

was done, and gave him a minute to clear the runway for me. Three stairs up brought me to the doorway, so that from below I seemed to just appear, and I paused at the doorway.

"Now introducing: Princess Natalie Harigold, Earl of Falloweast, Countess of Caintwell, Countess of Raintall, Protector of Zhudten, Dame of the Realm, representing House Harigold!" The master of ceremonies had good pipes, he was doing this the old-fashioned way: shouting. I stood for a delicate moment, hands together modestly, smiling on all before me. There were a lot of people staring up at me.

Some in genteel finery or aristocrat regalia, but a lot in some natty but normal off-the-rack suits and gowns, indicating merchant families or moneyed commoners. I hit my mark, paused for several imaginary cameras to capture the moment, and then i pinched my skirt on one side and glided down the steps. Not a figure of speech, I let myself float on the air rather than trusting my balance on unfamiliar stairs. It only takes an inch of flight to make you the most elegantly graceful creature at the gala.

I had big shoes to fill, my knock-on titles alone made me the highest-standing noble here at this party. That was something I'd need to get used to: in all of Hearstcliff there's two dozen people who get introduced after I do. One of those is Nathan, two others are also crown princes of their duchy or march, and the rest are all members of the royal family.

At the bottom of the stairs, I was immediately glommed onto by an alderman of Hearstcliff who either did not know the proper rules of station and introduction or who hoped that everyone would assume he didn't know and would cut him slack. I cut him that slack. He took me by the hands and babbled about how good it was to see someone of my station taking such an interest in the plight of these orphaned refugees.

If I didn't know better I'd think he really believed that the money he donated here would go to a good cause. At a Grennick party, even. Their coat-of-arms is literally a snake in the grass. He seemed very proud of himself for being the very first to get hold of me, and he delightedly took me on a tour around the room to introduce me to his friends and business associates. They all seemed morbidly fascinated by me and my reputation, but nobody was asking any questions that were direct enough to be rude about it.

I was just getting boxed into a tedious discussion about the minutiae of trade agreements when Baroness Grancine came to rescue me.

"Dar-ling! There you are! You gentlemen don't mind if I steal the princess away do you? I promised some sultans a glimpse of her dimples and you simply cannot make a liar of me!" and she whisked me away. I was giggling, and she gave me a nudge.

"Don't smirk at me, you should owe me a favor for prying you away from those bores!"

"It's not you," I said gaily.

"It was the ships-man back there. All in on cranberry futures contracts. He's going to lose his shirt!" Grancine gave me an appraising stare.

"Really?" she said, glancing back.

"Hmm. Shame nobody has told him."

"By the way, I don't have dimples."

"Don't you? I never noticed. Now then, let's get you shopped around. This is your Hearstcliff debut as a guest, quite different from a debut as a host, and you cannot afford to get penned in by the merchant class right now. You already know most of our Development allies. There's a Greifir here that I'll bring you around- she's probably not in your consideration. She's only a lance-baronet but she's also captain of a paladin's order and her good word will carry you farther than most counts.

I'm sure she'll adore you. But we can't move to her too directly. Here, we'll start you with a handful of Federalists..." I was whisked through a number of introductions to Grennick, Goodskill, Nhullit, Elyrga, Jamiris and Kinghand dignitaries, some of them were nobles but some were clearly paying guests of the party and had stars in their eyes to meet a princess, even such a poor example as I am. Most of them just spun right by me but I latched on where I could.

"Wait, did you say Wirrel? Any relation to a Tiviti Wirrel that attends Hearstcliff Academy?" The Elyrga representative looked surprised.

"Oh? Yes, aye! I'm a second cousin, but I know little Tiviti! I had heard she was attending school here in town but it's hard to get a pass to visit students during the instruction year. How is the little darling?" I chuckled.

"Well, she's hard to call little, I'll say that. You heard she was in close quarters against the duende?"

"Oh no, she's not gotten.... you know?" the woman said, gesturing at her waist with a general indication of largeness. It was actually really fucking rude, but I'm here to court allies and not to tell snippy bitches that being overweight is not a personal failing as a person or as a woman. So I gritted my teeth.

"I won't spoil the surprise," I said with forced joviality.

"Do look her up at the end of the term." And then we moved on. Through a battery of Independent houses: the Aumerje, Skyback, Braige, Toil, Ebonder, and Uncin.

"Ah. Mister Wall," I said with a fierce smile.

"So good to see you now in person, without so much glass between us." He was still wearing a lot of purple in a cut that did not suit his beefy figure; it was the man that House Uncin sent to intimidate me when I first went to trial. The one that told me his associates could have me dead anytime, anywhere.

"Yes, Miss Harigold," he said uncomfortably.

"Princess Harigold, I'm afraid I must insist," Lady Grancine jumped in.

"Princess, I was not aware that you and Baron Revetment had met before." I held his eyes only.

"Haha, yes, Baroness. Baron Revetment and I found ourselves on opposite sides of a business arrangement but we managed to find an amiable personal farewell," I said.

"Quite," he said. He was sweating a little. I wonder what he's learned about me that has him scared. Could be a lot of things.

"Always happy to see you again, Princess. And, welcome back to Hearstcliff, I hope the city has been most welcoming to you." I smiled a little tighter and stepped a little closer.

"I have a request to make of you, Baron. It is an easy request, and I think we will both learn a lot from it."

"Yes Princess?" I bent the air around us so that we wouldn't be overheard. The sounds of the room grew muted for him and I.

"I know that it's too late to stop what you've started," I said.

"But I want you to keep tally. The casualties. As accurate as you can. It's going to be a lot higher than you expected." I took hold of Baroness Grancine and prepared to move away.

"Pardon me?" he said, still catching up.

"That's the favor. Just keep track of how many souls you really have on your conscience. Do that for both of us." And for once Grancine was pulled along behind me, and I did not look back.