TBATE Rogue

Chapter 5

Varay Aurae POV

At 06:00, I was now in front of the Helstea's main residence by the instructions of the Council in order to assist the new Lance of the continent, Eleanor Leywin, and her unique dragon bond, Sylvie if I remember correctly, in the journey towards the flying castle. The council had approved the last day, free for her to enjoy with her family and friends but now, it had come the time to bring her into the action.

Now, standing in front of the main door of this mansion, I knock at it with enough force to announce my arrival but gently not to break the door. A servant, an old lady passed by the age of 70 due to her gray and white hair opened the door. Her eyes widened for a second but managed to get a hold of herself faster than I anticipated.

"Lance Varay, good morning," she bowed her head as much as her old body allowed, "I was informed by the Lady and Lance Eleanor you will come, but I have not thanked you will arriving so early. Please, make your way into the Helstea mansion while I notify Lance Eleanor of your arrival.

Taking a glimpse at the interior of the mansion, I observed how dirty and disorganized the place was. The area was covered with fragments of glass from broken wine and liquor bottles, emitting a strong smell, and colorful confetti was scattered everywhere. However, I dismissed this aspect, my job wasn't to review the staff's job at keeping the place spotless but to wait and escort Eleanor Leywin.

"I am grateful for the hospitality, but I will wait outside. Please inform Eleanor about my arrival as fast as possible," I declined gently the offer so as to not offend the maid. The elder woman bowed once again at my words and excused herself to call Eleanor.

Not even 5 seconds after I stayed outside the door, I began to hear rapid footsteps coming from the mansion. The door swung wide open, revealing the presence of the Lance Messiah... in a way.

"W-What? Lance - I mean Varay, I didn't expect you so in the morning to come!", a young girl appeared in front of me in her pajamas, with messy morning hair and red eyes most probably from a lack of good sleep but with a very energic or rather agitated expression on her face. I recognized her immediately, it was the fresh new Lance.

The girl looked at me with a puzzled expression, not understanding of at I was looking at her until she checked how she looked. With a pitch "KYA!" or whatever that sound was, she stormed out from my sight and closed the door behind her with a so big *BANG* I really thought it had broken it.

I had to wait this time up to maybe 5 minutes or even less, by my time sense until the door busted once more with another *BANG* reviling in her beauty the Messiah. This time dressed in her uniform, straightened and arranged, gray to brown hair. At a closer look, she even managed to put on some little makeup.

"Ah, *cough* *cough* Varay Aurae, once again good morning," she said, trying to act brave and serious after that moment. After her obsidian dragon was revealed to me, I couldn't help but acknowledge the remnants of extraordinary festivities scattered around, connecting the dots of broken bottles, confetti, and her undeniable fatigue as evidence of an unforgettable after-party with her family. She hesitated to look into my eyes at first but managed to gather some courage.

"I told them I didn't want a big thing, but they didn't budge and went all out. And of course, things got a turn for the worst, and me, Mom, and-" -, she stops mid-sentence. "Sorry. Yeah, quite the party, and I didn't sleep enough.", she chuckled nervously.

I anticipated this, but it wasn't the time for such a conversation now. "We need to go now. The council is waiting for our presence." We were about to take our leave, but two new figures rushed from the mansion, a man and a woman. Judging by their similarities with Eleanor, I assume they are her parents. She turned to me and opened her mouth to say something, but I nodded my head in response. She didn't utter a word, but her eyes told an entire story, so I gave another 5 minutes at best to take her goodbyes.