PoP 14 Hasty Seams & Inbetweens 3/9

CHAPTER 3

"How heavy are those?!"

"How do you even walk?"

"Your back must hurt all the time!"

Anastasia had been hearing these unsolicited questions and comments for years. First as a trickle from Zarron's occasional guests and customers, then as a flood since running away and taking to the road after her mother.

Whether with their words, actions, or conspicuous restraint, most people she encountered would remind her she looked like a freak. But never had it been so relentless as now.

After the speech, they moved to a grand, tree-lined square next to the City Hall and sat at a table for a "Meet and Greet," the second of the three events the Mayor had planned. It was an opportunity for Portia and the twins to make a more personal connection with the townsfolk, the old badger had explained.

Under protest, Anastasia was squeezed in among them and every one of the hundreds of Brummelites queued up to meet her mother and the twins would pass her first.

Sometimes they willfully ignored her long enough for her to take in more of her surroundings.

The square was twice as deep as wide, clearly not a square at all. Such terms reminded her of the inaccuracies of common language and it bothered her that no one else commented on it. No wonder people couldn't agree on facts. They couldn't even agree to be accurate with the words they used to describe things.

Trees stood in orderly rows around the perimeter, trimmed to the same height, between nine and ten feet tall. They couldn't have been very old, considering the newness of the rest of their surroundings.

Most of the square was paved with rectangular cut stones, broken up by patches of manicured grass and benches, with a few other statues and fountains in the middle and at either end.

She mused at what degree of deliberate conquest of nature did a park become a square. Ratio of nature to tile, gravel and cobblestone? The difference didn't matter once the crowd had gathered over it.

The soldiers assembled to fill the steps of the City Hall while the Mayor, her mother, and Tatiana spoke. They seemed to be the city's fittest and best-looking, above the average of the ones they'd met upon arriving in Brummel.

Afterward, they served as an escort to the square, the shifting armor under a patch of sunshine, casting blinding flares with individual motion. Together, they made a moving path and a sparkling wave around the Mayor, her entourage, and the four Pridemoons leading them to seats on the same side of a long table.

The group of watchfolk then split into thirds, two flanking them for security and a third breaking off to corral the line of hundreds of townsfolk, each with their comments and questions ready for the vixens:

Her mother about her adventures, heroism, Zarron, and the many children, the twins about their banditry and reformation and herself, a world-class sorceress, about her breasts.

"Do you wear a robe because nothing else fits?"

"When you swim, do you float or sink?"

A teenage bovine girl meekly inquired: "Hi Miss. Are those full of milk?"

Some of them seemed to know she was a sorceror, either from gossip among the soldiers or the Mayor.

"Those can't be natural!"

"Did you do that to yourself? On purpose?!"

"Let me guess: a cursed spell book?"

"You're only able to walk because of magic, right?""Can you even move your arms enough to cast spells?"

Others did not know why she was there at all. That was even worse than being asked about her breasts.

"Are you an adventurer too? You couldn't possibly be."

"What do you do? Are you able to do anything?"

"I guess Portia rescued you too?"

She answered in terse blurts and frequent huffs that escaped the tension of her composure.

In planning for today, the Mayor had directed her staff to make all four Pridemoons presentable. A small army of tailors, hairdressers, and makeup artists were told to dignify Portia, accentuate the twins, and understate Anastasia.

And so her makeup session was barely a dusting and her powder-blue dress would qualify as an afterthought compared to the others, if it hadn't taken several more yards of fabric to fit her with anything. They had some minor success in redistributing the tremendous bulk of her chest to seem slightly less massive with skillful patterns that squeezed and spread, with the kinds of reinforced stitching usually reserved for leatherworking, when the standard-strength thread failed. It was a sliver of improvement at the expense of soft mass shifted to places she didn't expect it.

Anastasia had worn a few dresses but never one so constrictive. Zarron cared little for finery, nor did he entertain company often or for long, but sometimes Evangeline and her needed to dress up as part of his sales pitch. "Look what they'll grow into!" he would say, and clients would leer.

She managed to plant her elbows on the table and hunch forward enough to hide some of their size against her knees. It invited stares down cleavage that was not accented the way the twins were, but the position made it less obvious that she was by far, the biggest of the four of them.

Mayor Kruda stood at the same side as her, shaking every hand with banal pleasantry.

Not everyone commented on her breasts, her role, or even said anything at all. Some just gave an awkward smile and nod. Some eyes got lost in her cleavage, then apologetically ripped away. A few managed not to notice her at all. They were her favorites.

Normally, she could rely on her mother to step in with her sharp wit when the comments got too irritating, but Portia sat two seats away and was the one they all wanted to meet.

Titania was between them and Tatiana past her mother at the far end of the table, giving her no neighbor to talk to. That was the Mayor's arrangement and a logical one. The twins, as pretty as they were, had made enemies and needed to stay close to her mother. She didn't consider at the time that the silent twin being at her side meant she would be alone against the crowd.

What else would anyone have to say to her, besides commenting on her appearance? She looked like a freak and hadn't done anything for Brummel. Yes, fourteen out of sixteen missions since joining her mother relied on her magic for their perfect executions and some acknowledgement would be nice but she'd asked not to be called out.

When she had asked that, it was under the assumption she would not be taking part in any of this.

* * *

"Why do I have to do this?!" she had asked, both her mother and Mayor Kruda.

All of them had first met the Mayor five days ago, on the night they returned to Brummel. Her office was secured for impromptu meeting by twenty, tense and armed soldiers before any of them walked in the door.

The badger woman was on the far end of the room with Sergeant Rolf, the ermine from the gates. There were also several assistants in states of dress that suggested their evening plans had been interrupted. Portia led by stating that her plan to reform the twins was non-negotiable and that she wanted to claim the reward for their capture in the form of a permanent residence in Brummel for their family.

Mayor Kruda did not back down easily but offered some compromises: short sentences, then community service. Her mother insisted there was no time for either. The four of them couldn't stay that long.

In a brief but tense moment, her mother reminded them they could fight their way out if they had to.

Eventually, the frustrated Mayor mused aloud: "If these bandits looked less like boys and more like their mother, I imagine they might get away with a public apology."

Portia considered, watching several other faces in the room light up. She noted, then ignored the silent protest of the twins.

"We have time for a public apology."

A breakthrough. They watched Ellen Kruda and her team strategize in real time how they were going to sell this to the townsfolk as something in their best interest. Her and her mother had similar conversations about planning rescue missions and it was oddly fascinating to witness the same kind of strategizing for a social situation.

They broke for the evening, with a plan to meet again the next afternoon to discuss the details.

The follow up meeting had only ten guards but other new faces, an eclectic cast of personalities and styles whose presence was explained soon enough.

"A full makeover for the twins. All four of you in dresses and makeup. A public appearance of the whole family: A speech from Portia and a public apology from whichever one of you can talk. A couple of hours of organized handshakes with the locals and afterwards, a cocktail party. One day of gracious socializing to get our two biggest criminals off the hook, plus a nice, big house in town to call home."

When her mother didn't immediately respond, Mayor Kruda added, "I won't assume how familiar you are with how government operates, but I assure you that for all your fame and beauty, you won't get many deals that good in this life."

"All four?" Anastasia spoke up for the first time.

"You're part of the family! Part of this legacy of heroes!" the Mayor replied. "Besides, it's important for the next generation of little girls to see that even someone with your impediment can make something of herself."

She recoiled. "But I didn't do anything."

"People have seen you, dear. They're talking about the amazing Portia and her THREE lovely daughters. There can be no disappearing now." Kruda replied, her tone lower and firmer.

She turned to her mother then. "I don't want to."

The badger stopped what she was doing and placed her hands on her hips.

"The people of Brummel will have questions if they don't see all four of you on that stage tomorrow. We're getting your sisters off because they were poor, misguided teens without a family. If we're going to sell this redemption story, we want to show they have a family.

"We also need to convince the people of this city that we should have a statue of their mother in public."

"Anastasia is the daughter who is NOT a criminal, Mayor Kruda," Portia stepped up with her jaw tight. "If you think you need to threaten anyone, threaten me."

The stout badger woman turned to her mother.

"Respectfully, Ms. Pridemoon, I'll be presenting two women to a crowd of what could be thousands, who would gladly send them to the gallows. The reason that's not going to happen is your stellar reputation and my experience. We must take every advantage to win over that mob. I trust you on the hero part. You'd be wise to trust me on the people part."

Her tone was polite again, but her eyes were moving too much under tightened brows. Anastasia noted the effortlessness with which the badger changed demeanor. "But it wasn't a threat. The statue goes back up, regardless. We owe you that. And we can find somewhere for your family to stay."

Major Kruda paused and watched Portia's posture soften, then stood silent for another long moment, rubbing her temples.

"What if, instead of a sad, little hovel on the outskirts of town, I could offer a bigger home, right in the center? Four stories. Less than ten years old. Its owner is an important developer in Brummel and also quite a big fan of yours.

"If I can promise him four Pridemoons on stage and at the Meet and Greet, I bet that would convince him to give you a most favorable deal, for this building to become your new family home."

Only when she had Portia hooked, did the badger turn back to Anastasia. "You can even skip the afterparty."

She glared to her mother, curling her mouth and nose in a sneer before grumbling: "How much bigger?"

"Oh, at least twice the size."

Ana closed her eyes and sighed with her whole lungs. "FINE."

* * *

Her seat at the table at Mayor Kruda's flank was the smallest of mercies, and she'd scooted her chair slightly closer several times, better to be not noticed if at all possible.

The Mayor fielded the occasional question about politics or local issues, but the crowd was most interested in meeting Portia and to a lesser degree, the twins. Titania would sometimes glance over with a wince of sympathy at the relentlessness of the singular line of questioning.

Other times, Ana would be awkwardly skipped and Titania would be addressed. She would cover her mouth and most people would get the message. When they didn't, Anastasia would lean in.

"She can't talk. Ask our mother or Tatiana," She'd say and point to the other twin.

The twins were turning out to be less of a problem than Anastasia expected, at least as far as their behavior was concerned. For all their defiance and attitude, they seemed to appreciate the gravity of the second chance they'd been given by their mother. Either that, or they'd just been so thoroughly dominated by her.

Their mother's humbling had them dipping their muzzles and eyes, flattening ears and tucking tails in any disagreement, and only Tatiana had much indignation left to give. Of course, she also had more ability to express herself than her silent sister.

What was more of a problem was how they fit into any of the rescues going forward. In the previous days, Portia had caught them up on the full situation, the ledger, the true breadth of their family and the outdated map and plan.

The twins were capable enough to help out and expressed that they would, but with her mother vowing to supervise them, the Invisibility tactic they'd been using so successfully for five months, no longer made sense.

She had been considering how to bring this up but as it contradicted some very public promises, perhaps her mother needed to see it fail on her own. It would build the case of splitting up rescue teams.

Multiple teams with different specialties and focuses, from the most able of the older siblings would allow Ana and Portia to better focus on the trail of Marmalade and her three Duodecaplets, and that would let them mend the rift with eldest sister, Evangeline, and the other nine Duos. With Eva and Duos on their side, they could stop Zarron for good.

How much time did her mother need to reform them enough to trust the pair on their own?

And while the twins had been less of a problem, she could admit to herself: she wasn't used to having to share her mother's time and attention.

They'd rescue family, spend some time together, teleport the rescuees home to the Pale Lands, and it would be back to just the two of them.

When not being addressed, Ana listened in on her mother's answers, many of them stories. Sometimes they were stories about adventures past. Some she recognized from their months on the road, but many were new to her. She mentally noted to follow up on the more interesting ones.

Others were actual answers to the same few questions about how she learned to fight with her body or convinced Tatiana and Titania to reform. The latter of which their mother was quite liberal with the truth.

For the most part, the twins got out with their dignity intact.

"I forgive you," some said.

A discreet "You should visit me before you leave town," came from several women, most of them near her mother's age or older. It happened more to Tatiana, who could flirt back.

"I think I'm having your baby!"

That declaration came from a young, wolf woman to Tatiana and cut through everything else, catching the attention of their immediate surroundings.

"That's not possible, dear," Portia said. "Not between foxes and wolves."

"Not without magical intervention," Anastasia corrected to the excitement of the wolfess, the terror of Tatiana, the irritation of her mother, and the intrigue of others around them. She shrunk back and added: "If there was magical intervention, you would know."

With a muttered power word, she closed her eyes and opened them to reveal golden pupils, to the gasps of those close enough to see. After a few seconds she blinked it away. "You are pregnant. But there's no magic."

"Does it look like a fox?!" the wolfess clutched her fists to her heart.

"It looks like slimy, translucent meat with cloudy eyeballs."

The crowd was stunned, frozen and blinking as they all stared at her. Too many people were staring at her.

"Let's keep it moving, people. Others are waiting their turn." Mayor Kruda had noticed now, and the wolfess shrank with dejection.

"There's no magic," she repeated.

"Honey, I'm guessing you know the guy you need to talk to now," Portia offered a sympathetic frown.

The wolfess nodded with a grumble and moved on.

Each person got less than a minute with Portia but the line was so very long. The end was in sight when a young and small mouse boy stopped in front of Anastasia, his head barely higher than the table but atop it, towered a large conical hat.

"You're the wizard, right?"

Ana lifted her head from her hands. "I am."

The boy smiled and presented his palms, then steepled them. His hands danced intricately for a moment, a swirl of motion with fingers darting back and forth with mechanical precision. It was only an extended moment before he cupped his hands together, then outstretched them, lifting a single-stemmed, white rose, blooming from bud to flower before her eyes.

Anastasia sat up straight, knocking the table forward as she shook to attention. "Life Magic at your age is very impressive! Did you have a seed hidden in your palm?"

His warm smile widened and he shook his head, handing her the flower.

Her brow crinkled as she reached for it. "You're a Summoner then! And still a child!?"

She went to set it down, but Titania leaned in, shaking her head. She smiled at the mouse and took the rose from her fingers.

First, she offered it to her nose. Ana crunched her brow, a side eye to her sister before she leaned over to sniff it.

Titania smelled it herself, exaggerating her pleasant reaction, then broke the stem above the last thorns. She brushed aside Ana's hair and slipped it behind her ear.

The boy smiled at the silent twin. "I knew you'd be nice."

Titania winked before she turned her attention back to Portia's conversation. His came back to Anastasia.

"There's so many big gestures in magic. Is it hard?" He bit his lip and paused. "For you?"

For the question to come from an innocent mind made it more palatable. "Sometimes. There are spells I could do when I was your age. Now I can't."

"Like what?"

"Elemental magic you'd use in warfare has the most flamboyant gestures. Grand gestures for grand effects. I wasn't learning those as a child though. The one I miss most is Clairvoyance. I used to spy on my sister. Now I..."

The boy shifted with excitement. "Wow, clairvoyance?! At my age?! I bet you know so many spells, you don't even need those other ones."

Anastasia pursed her lips. "They would help. But yes, I know a lot of magic."

He grinned eagerly. "Will you teach me something?"

She cracked a smile. "My mother and I are on an important mission. If I have time before then? Then yes."

"Okay, let's keep it moving!" one handler called out, and Ana and the mouse both glared. He offered his hand and winced as she leaned in enough to shake it and hold it as she spoke.

"I don't know how long we'll be here or where our address is but if I have time, I will find you. Maybe we can learn some things from each other?" Only then did she release him. He nodded with a giddy smile before stepping past Titania right to her mother.

"Hi, Miss Portia! I hear you don't like magic? Why not?" he said. Her mother glared back at her and Ana chuckled with a shrug.