The Heartstone Saga by Archibald Bradford (pdf to ebook reader txt) 📗

Nameless and Milly shared a laugh, it wasn’t often the Gigas told a joke, or did an impression as was the case.

After having so much fun dealing with the snooty messenger, she was in a good mood.

Some time later they arrived at the address specified to find a palatial home in an upscale neighbourhood  past the market district, the streets sloping upwards as they city neared the base of one of the mountains around the city.

They were greeted in the entryway by a narrow-hipped woman in her late forties wearing a dress with a shocking neckline that went all the way down to her naval.

“So glad that you could make it, Aegis Armstrong! I was worried about the short notice. I am Kathryn Jacobs.”

She held one hand out daintily, palm down and fingers draping.

“Thank you for inviting us.” He murmured.

Unsure whether he was supposed to shake her hand or kiss it, he hedged, gripping the ends of her fingers and wiggling them side to side with all of the grace of the small town kid he was.

His social misstep was forgotten immediately though when Nina made her presence known.

“I was told there would be beer.” She declared flatly despite having been told no such thing.

The councilwoman was unsurprisingly taken aback by the giant’s brusqueness, her arm falling away from Nameless’s awkward handshake.

“Ah, of, of course. The bar is over there, we have a lovely selection of wines and spirits for you to...”

She gave up as Nina stomped past, her massive hammer cutting a broad swath through the crowd as scandalized people scrambled to get out of her way.

Ophelia opened her mouth to apologize for her bond-sister’s rudeness, but Nameless squeezed the small of her back with his hand and very slightly shook his head.

Just as she had said earlier, Nina had flatly refused to wear anything different than she normally did, not even putting on shoes.

She was doing nothing less than being herself, and Nameless was done apologizing for that.

Well, except for that poor messenger; if they saw him again he intended on apologizing.

Having picked up on his emphatic reasoning through their bond, Ophelia recovered quickly.

“Councilwoman Jacobs? I would love to hear more about your fundraiser.”

She was the only one amongst them with any experience in human high society, so they followed her lead.

Milly put her arm around Nameless’s shoulder, she was dressed just as Nina wanted: with generous side-boob, and tall as she was she stood out in the crowd, drawing a great many appreciative looks.

Erica was wearing one of Ophelia’s gowns, though it was a tad too large for her so it was draped on her body like a silk bed sheet rather than a dress.

Everyone that mattered agreed that she looked delightfully slutty in it, and all of them were looking forwards to getting her out of it again once they were back at home.

They were also the only ones that knew that Kar’s knives were strapped to her upper thigh underneath it.

Their hostess showed them to where the bulk of the people were, a massive ballroom that wrapped all the way around a courtyard with a garden full of Blomma at its center.

They weren’t the only monster girls there either: a great many Flutterby moved amongst the party goers, laughing and chatting elegantly.

Now Nameless understood what Ophelia was talking about; her ‘sisters’ gowns were far more elaborate than hers, to the point of absurdity.

“They look like they should be standing on top of a cake.” Erica noted.

She might have felt self-conscious in her borrowed dress, but through their bond she picked up that Nameless also thought the Flutterby’s outfits were a bit much.

“This is where I leave you.” Kathryn said, either ignoring or missing the Katje’s comments; “Please, mingle. There are a great many people here tonight that have been dying to meet you.”

Nina came back, two frothing pitchers of beer held in one hand and a foam mustache already on her lip and cheeks.

“Cool. Here’s hoping they don’t piss me off. Otherwise they will be dying to meet my weakling.”

She tipped one of the pitchers up, taking a long draw while the other sloshed beer over her shoulder.

“I can’t take you anywhere.” Ophelia sighed, but she was smiling.

Once again their hostess didn’t know what to say to the Gigas, so instead she smiled weakly and made her escape.

What followed was exactly what she described: so many people wanted to talk to Nameless that there was an odd sort of line forming across the room.

As the evening wore on the young Aegis rookie was a bit overwhelmed with meeting seemingly every person of note in Garland, and a few from other cities besides.

“A magnificent piece, may I?” A stout man with a walrus mustache noted, gesturing at Nameless’s hip.

In response he gripped the hilt of Erica’s claw tight and brusquely shook his head.

“You may not.”

Nina belched and nodded, halfway through the second pitcher of beer.

“My bond-sister’s claws are for cutting up bad guys, not for strangers to fondle.”

One of the quirks about Gigas, they loved to indulge in drink on occasion but they couldn’t get drunk.

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it held her heartstone.” He gave a short bow of his head in apology towards Erica before speaking to the Gigas; “Are you the crafter then?”

Nina measured him, for once impressed that one of the dandies, as she called them, at this shindig seemed to know something about her trade.

“I am. You know which end of a hammer you’re supposed to hold?”

She said it a bit drily, the hammer at her side far too large for a mere human to even lift.

He chuckled though, unoffended.

“Aye, I am a smith