Chapter Text
Leonie followed Lorenz to a run down shed. A crumbling stone wall was next to the shed. Vines with thorns clung to whatever bit of stone stayed in place. Peeking over the wall showed her an old garden patch. The soil there was definitely sucked of all nutrients. Nothing would ever grow there.
Despite its decaying state, this bit of land was charming. From a distance it was clear the main estate was manicured and proper. This bit of land was discarded from the rest. “I never expected something so run down on your fancy land.”
Lorenz frowned at her. “It’s just an old garden. Gloucester’s have stopped using this bit of land for years now.”
Leonie looked over the slice of unkempt land again. A small bridge with a tiny creek running under had a dirt path winding out of the estate. “I can tell. But I prefer this over all that fancy stuff.” She gently kicked at the stone wall. “Still intact. I’m sure if you put some work in this would be a really comfy place.” Not that the space had to be changed. This was a temporary solution. Only needed to keep Claude’s little operation working.
“I’m sure it was quite charming back in the day.” Lorenz stepped over to the shed and pushed the door open. He instantly began coughing.
“Damn.” Leonie could see the dust escaping the door from where she stood. “I wasn’t actually going to put elbow grease into this but that’s a lot of dust.” She covered her mouth and nose before taking a step into the shed. A bunch of old gardening tools lay around. There was a single window where the sun’s rays could pick out every spec of dust.
“Perhaps I could take some time to clean this up.” Lorenz peeked over her shoulder. Leonie could feel his grimace. “Unfortunately I cannot start cleaning today. I need to send a request to the mint before going to visit them.”
Leonie shrugged. “Not a problem for me. I can quickly dust and gather up the tools. Then I’ll probably putts around at a tavern in the city.”
That grimace deepened at the mention of a tavern. “That is so undignified.”
“For you it is. For me it’s a great way to get drunk and work.” Leonie rolled her sleeves up. “You can go back to work or whatever.”
A pause. Then a nod. “Alright I will not get in your way. Please don’t stay long. The days are getting shorter.”
An odd thing to say. He probably didn’t want her sticking around on the estate for too long. Fine with her. She also didn’t want to stay for too long. But the unkempt shed was a health hazard. “I won’t stay longer than needed. See you whenever I guess.”
Lorenz looked confused for a second. Then made a motion that looked like a shrug. “Take care Leonie.” He waved before leaving.
Leonie got right to work. Nothing a few old rags couldn’t clean up. The shed was dusted before the sun set. The gardening tools now sat in one corner as opposed to the entire floor.
Now she could go get drunk.
Lorenz peeked out of his window. The shed was merely a tiny dot from his view. It was quite fortunate that the abandoned plot of land was within view of his room.
The first time he caught a glimpse of Leonie’s orange hair, he didn’t have time to go down before she left. The second time he was in the middle of work. The third was right before the sun set.
The fourth time he scrambled out of the house to try and catch her.
Leonie almost left before he reached the shed. He was in casual clothes and had to run in them. An absolutely less than ideal situation.
“Oh hey Lorenz.” Leonie casually waved at him. “I was just about to leave.”
Lorenz caught his breath before speaking. “Yes I am aware. However, I need to ask why you just appear and disappear.”
There was a puzzled look on her face. “Um so I can get to know the land?” That was supposed to be an answer not a question. “If I don’t memorize getting here I won’t be able to get around efficiently.”
That… made sense. “So you are simply going around to find your way here?”
“Yeah.” Leonie gave a lopsided smile. “Getting lost helps with finding your way.”
That’s not how getting lost worked. “Do you not have a map?”
Leonie tapped a finger onto her head. “The map’s in here. I learn faster if I just fuck around.”
Lorenz almost scolded her for her choice of words. But if he did, she would only curse more to annoy him. “Where have you been?”
“I go to different towns that Ignatz travels to and then I come here. Pretty sure I’ve seen most of central Gloucester at this point.” Leonie pulled the reins of her horse to the side. The horse followed the movement. “I don’t have any news and I’m sure you don’t either so I’ll leave now. Need to memorize a few more routes.”
Lorenz didn’t get a chance to say farewell. Leonie simply took off.
Getting lost didn’t sound efficient. Having a map would have made her work far easier. Perhaps carrying a map was cumbersome. Lorenz wasn’t sure how mercenaries worked. There was a high chance he was simply wrong about the assumptions he was making.
As he walked back to the estate, he came up with a suitable idea to help.
Lorenz spotted Leonie’s orange hair at the shed. He wasn’t sure when she arrived. For some reason she was stretching. Odd. She would have left right away. Perhaps it was important.
He didn’t run over to the shed this time. A brisk walk would be enough if Leonie was simply stretching. When he was close enough, she finished her routine.
“Hey you’re late.” There was that infliction in her voice. She was either serious or joking.
In trying to figure out which one it was, he squinted at her. “How can I be late if you just show up whenever?”
That made her shrug. “True but you should be prepared for when I show up.” So she was joking with him. Leonie stretched her arms over her head before reaching them out towards him. “Any news?”
She did have a reason for staying. Lorenz simply shook his head. “Nothing yet.” Hearing that, Leonie put her hands down. “I’m still waiting on the mint to get back to me.”
“Still? It’s been weeks. Can’t you tell them to hurry up?”
If he could get them to hurry up he would. “No. I don’t want them to become suspicious about it. Asking them was already a pain.” The mint didn’t care about his status. They begrudgingly accepted to inspect the coins.
Leonie groaned. “What good is being a noble if you can’t use your power.”
“Leonie please. We’re supposed to be subtle.” He wasn’t even going to attempt explaining. She didn’t care for all those details.
“Fine.” She crossed her arms with a huff. “How about learning to change peoples hair color? How’s that going?”
Lorenz groaned at the question. “Constance was better at nonsense magic like that. I used mine for combat. Not to change pink hair into a different color.” All of his attempts had been unsuccessful. It was also impossible to try and contact her. Asking other mages would raise brows. He couldn’t risk any kind of suspicion.
“Well if there’s nothing else I’m going to leave now.” Leonie turned to untie her horse from the post.
“What, are you going to go to another tavern?” That question wasn’t meant to be harsh but it definitely came out that way.
Leonie brushed off the question as she hoisted herself onto the saddle. “Of course I am. It’s the best place for information and jobs. Drunk people will tell you anything.”
“Don’t you also get drunk?” These questions truly were meant to be inquisitive but they continued to sound like some interrogation. Lorenz had no idea why. He hadn’t cared as much about what she did before. It was probably because they had to work together for the Alliance now.
“Yeah but never enough to be robbed. Plus,” She gave him that odd grin. “It’s a good way to blow off some steam.”
What was that supposed to mean? He understood blowing off steam when one was angered or upset but the way Leonie was grinning didn’t suggest that. Did he want to know what she meant? Not particularly. “You would say and do that.” He flicked his hand to her as a wave. “Just don’t get carried away. Oh right.” He fished the compass out from his pocket and tossed it over to her. “I thought you could use this.”
Leonie looked down at the compass with a perplexed look. Lorenz left without saying anything else. He had nothing else to say. Better to simply leave and greet her the next time she showed up.