Ambrosine found Eurydice training with the young Lionguard recruits. Although officially retired, she just couldn’t keep her paws off the organization and kept herself fit by thrashing the youngsters.
“So where’s Mary?” Ambrosine called out cheerfully, causing the hulking charr to miss a beat and get a good poke in the thigh.
“You’re a snot,” Eury snarled, and proceeded to make the young Norn she was sparring suffer for his success.
Ambrosine slid her hands in her pockets and waited.
Once Eury was finished and had shed her armor and practice weapons, she stalked over and stared down at the guardian. ‘What do you want?” Her rough voice added an extra harshness to her tone, but Ambrosine was unphased.
“I talked to Mary last night, so now I’m hear to tease you.”
“You came all the way out here just to bother me?” Grizzled warrior or not, Eury’s face was always easy to read. Everything in the droop of her ears said dismay.
“No, I came out here to tend to Trouble and get some work done, but bothering you is a nice bonus.”
“Don’t you have an office at home to work in?” Eury started walking towards her current favorite lunch stop, muttering the words over her shoulder.
Ambrosine followed, stretching her legs a little to keep up. Her height was nothing next to a Charr who was also tall for her race. “Yes, but Jess is at home, and I never get any work done when that’s the case. I mean, a workout, maybe, but not work.”
The look Eury shot her was one of pure (albeit mock) venom. “I thought noble ladies were supposed to possess decorum, or something.”
Ambrosine shrugged. “You’ve seen the folks I hang out with. All noble decorum is pretend, anyway. They’re no better, they just pretend to be. Honestly though Eury, I’m surprised to hear of you involved in any sort of warband business.”
Eury shrugged uncomfortably, and snagged a chair in front of a little cafe. “Retirement doesn’t suit me. I could get back into the Lionguard, I’m sure, but not in the role I wanted. Not unlike the Orders, we’re still struggling to recover our numbers after everything that went down. Too many senior staffers went down in Scarlet’s attack, and I’d just find myself wrangling recruits full time. We’re also restricted to the Arch and the trade routes, and I don’t think that suits me anymore, either. I brought myself to the fight once. I’d like to do that again.”
Ambrosine was amused to note that the server came to take her order, but didn’t even bother to ask Eury. Apparently she had a favorite they were well aware of. “That I can understand. What are you going to do with Cato, though?”
Eury shrugged. “He can come with. Not like I haven’t been training him since he was a kit, and he’s been running around the Arch besides.”
It was hard for Ambrosine to swallow how Charr (and Norn, for that matter) were so….cavalier about their offspring and danger. Yet she also had to admit that said children were also quite capable, and so she always bit her tongue. This was not a world for coddled children. “I’m sure he’ll enjoy that.” She paused, taking advantage of the food’s arrival. “How’s Umbrage been doing?”
“Better. Your advice has been panning out. She still won’t really talk about what happened, so we’ve been trying the other methods. Breathing techniques and your other hogwash. Regular sleep and food have calmed her down a lot, too.”
Ambrosine ignored the slight to her methods. It was hard to get humans to take them seriously sometimes, never mind Charr. “I’d hoped so. It’ll still be a few months before I expect much out of her, though.”
Eury nodded. “We’ve all seen our share of bad things, but she’s really rattled.”
“That jungle is scarring without losing everyone you’ve been raised with since a cub. But you know that, you were there.”
“Speaking of. Did you really get dragged to Elona on an airship? …again?”
“Yes. They hate me. Jess concocted something for me though, so my internal screaming was quiet and I didn’t vomit out of anxiety. Mostly because I was three quarters sleep the whole time. It worked.”
“…well that’s good.” Eury chewed through her meat thoughtfully. “Thank you for helping me with Umbrage, by the way.”
“It’s only fair, considering you’re housing Cass at my request. You know I’m a sucker, anyway.”
“No,” Eury said slowly, “You’re not.”
Ambrosine shrugged and focused on her food. But ultimately she didn’t like leaving things on a serious note. Not right now. “…so. Where _is_ Mary?”
“Fishing with Cato,” Eury said, pinning her ears flat against her head. “But you should go mind your own business as soon as we’re done with lunch.”
Ambrosine grinned. “Okay. I need to make sure Cirice and Trouble are firmly locked up like the miscreants they are, anyway. I fixed the fencing but you never know what else they’ve figured out since.”
“You’re the one who jinxed yourself naming him that.”
“Don’t I know it.”
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