Tempting Offer

Both Brightons took a sip of their tea, mirroring each other by sighing and placing their cups gently onto saucers on the coffee table in front of them.

“The report I received from Moira mentioned that you are in possession of a Shield of the Golden Rose, one that, from Moira’s description, likely originates from one of the scouts who first came to America. I am intrigued and would appreciate knowing the story behind how you acquired it,” inquired Lord Brighton with an air of genuine curiosity. “I would also like to inspect the item myself if you’d be so kind. Don’t worry, I do not intend to take it from you, call it a gift of good faith.”

John nodded as he thought, ’ Violet said you can pass your shield to someone else, and I need to keep her a secret too. I probably shouldn’t outright lie because they might be able to tell, so I’ll just tell the truth in a way that is kinda like lying.’

Clearing his throat, John looked from Moira to her father and back again. “I was given it by a friend. From what I’ve been told, the pendant belonged to a man named Walter Harrington. It was passed down to another person and then it remained at a family friend’s farmhouse. I don’t want to name them because they’re not part of the Abyss and I’d rather keep it that way; they’re good people and if I was the cause of something happening to them, I don’t think I could face my grandpa again,” John replied. “As for letting you look at it… I don’t want to lie, I was afraid you would take it from me, so I didn’t bring it with me.”

John shifted slightly uncomfortably, first under Lord Brighton’s scrutinising gaze, then again at the look on Moira’s face which told him she saw through him. John felt lucky that whatever thoughts she had, she decided to keep to herself.

The Lord hummed. “I see, very well,” he said, ringing the bell again, summoning Reginald. “Could you please do an index search for an Order knight named Walter Harrington, please? Leave the file on my desk if you find any information.”

The butler nodded before leaving the room once again. Lord Brighton looked back at John. “Usually, I would admonish you for being underhanded and hiding a Shield of the Golden Rose, however, you were forthright in your reasoning for not bringing it with you, and that honesty is something I appreciate. I was also only making a request to see the item, you are not under any obligation to show it to me. However, if you ever see fit, allowing me to inspect the item in the future would be appreciated.”

John nodded. “Sorry,” he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck.

Lord Brighton stood tall, his posture immaculate. He brought a loose fist up to cover his mouth as he let out a light cough. “Our next order of business. I wish to extend you an offer,” he started.

The man slowly and methodically paced in front of the unlit fireplace. “I wish to ask that you become part of the Order,” the man stated.

John was taken aback. “I-” he started but was cut off.

“One moment, allow me to finish. Typically, as an unaffiliated individual, you would not qualify to become a knight. Moira, however, has expressed that she would become your sponsor, which would qualify you to become a knight squire.

“Not only do you have the backing of the Warden herself but you have a connection to the lady herself; due to this I and several high-ranking members of the Order have spoken and agreed that becoming a squire would be below your standing. We would offer you the title of knight lieutenant, passing over both the squire and knight initiate ranks immediately.

“Ranking you any higher would likely cause upheaval. Not to mention that you are still untrained. As for your training, the Shield Warden vowed to undertake your training personally.

“Becoming an Order knight includes many benefits for your safety and the safety of your family and associates. Order knights are also compensated adequately by abyssal standards.

“Your duties would require you to attend to the Warden and join her on any assignments she has. During your training Moira will ensure your safety while in the field and will see to your training on our grounds. Due to Moira’s duties as a Warden in training, this will lead to you also learning extra skills which usually wouldn’t be covered if you were a typical squire.

“I should explain exactly what we do. Mundane people have no way to keep themselves safe against magic and our primary objective is to be the shield which protects them. To that end it has become prudent that we ensure that the two worlds remain separated. As a knight, you will help us keep mundane people safe.” The Lord came to a halt once his speech had concluded. “So I would like to reiterate, I wish for you to become part of the Order.”

Moira placed her hand on John’s shoulder, gently pulling his attention to her. “Before you answer, I know you said you weren’t interested before, but it’s very rare we make exceptions like this, and with you having a connection to the lady and your strange dragon-like powers, it seems like fate,” Moira expressed.

[Just a reminder of the quest you received the last time you were given a similar offer, you will gain the same ‘reward’ if you try to join them.]

John sighed and nodded. “I want to sincerely thank you for your offer, but my answer hasn’t changed. I don’t know my place within the Abyss, but it seems that Gaia would prefer that I go in my own direction.”

Gaia’s message reminded John of something else. “Oh, actually. I have a gift for you, Moira, though before I give it to you, I also have a question. You mentioned that one of your goals is to keep mundanes out of the Abyss. Does that mean that I would be in trouble for telling some of the people who are important in my life about the Abyss? And What about Alison? Are you going to, like, wipe her memories or something?” John asked.

Moira nodded. “If you were to reveal your magic to a group of mundanes or the wider world, we would be **** to take action against you. We can’t, however, stop you from telling individuals about the Abyss, so long as they keep it to themselves. We would strongly advise against it, though; having knowledge that the Abyss truly exists can be detrimental to anyone unable to protect themselves.

“As for Alison, she was pulled into the Abyss without warning, and though I did wish to replace her memories, using that kind of magic would have been dangerous while she was under the effects of arcane allergies.” Moira wasn’t able to continue before John cut in.

“Wait, what? She’s sick with some kind of magic thing? Is she going to be okay? Can I do anything to help her?” John asked. “This is all my fault.”

Moira patted John on the back. “She’s going to be fine, it’s no more dangerous than a common cold. Being in the barrier must have exposed her to a concentration of magic which her body reacted to. I already talked to her about it; her symptoms will be flu-like with the added effects that magic around her would be distorted slightly, as well as the possibility of some very basic and minor magical effects, things like cooling or heating water by a few degrees, a momentary breeze, a dim flash of light or any number of things similar to those.”

“So she’ll be alright? Good,” John voiced his thoughts, sighing as he internally noted that he should definitely check in on her again. “Thanks, that’s a little more reassuring… Back to the gift. I hope you see it as a thank you for the offer, as well as an apology for everything earlier in the week.”

John pulled out twelve paper roses, leaving two of the orange ones in his inventory. He turned to face Moira more and held out the roses. Moira had a light blush when John mentioned the apology, remembering not only the kiss they shared but also the metal underwear he’d taken. Seeing John holding roses, however, caused her face to completely redden.

Lord Brighton's sudden outburst of laughter made John jump, before startling him again by lightly striking his back. “What a lovely gift,” he said between bellows of laughter.

John’s arm was still extended with the roses so he used his other hand to rub the back of his neck. “I, uh… well, I got these from a quest the other day, each colour has a different enchantment. I chose enchantments I thought would be useful to you and the people you are in charge of,” John divulged. “Because I got them from a quest, you could say that Gaia herself made them.”

Moira looked at John in shock. “T-these are from the Lady h-herself?” she asked.

John nodded. “Mostly, I mean, I made the paper roses, I had to make them on a timer so they didn’t look great, but she fixed them and then enchanted them for me. There are some extremely useful enchantments on them too, ones I think you’re really going to appreciate.”

The Warden slowly raised her hands, one grabbed the wooden stems at the bottom, while her second hand cupped John’s. “Thank you, they’re beautiful,” she beamed.

Moira didn’t remove her hand and the two stood in silence while the Warden admired the roses. John could feel his face burning as he was very conscious of the redhead's extremely soft and warm hand holding his.

“I… uhm… I think you’ll like the peach one. Anyone who is touching it will find it harder to lie; basically, it’s like a truth rose. You’ll appreciate the black ones more, though, I think they will really help you. The enchantment on those creates an aura that soothes intense emotions. You have to leave the flower set in place for it to work which is why I gave you four of them,” John divulged.

The red of Moira’s face deepened but John could see a soft smile as she avoided looking at him. John explained the enchantment of each colour of rose, explaining his reasoning for choosing the quantities of each colour. As he spoke, Moira’s eyes occasionally flicked up to make contact with his but quickly looked away each time.

Moira’s father had at some point during John’s explanation sat down, carefully listening to everything that the roses could do.

“I must say, John, it is quite a shame that you wish to refuse our offer. I want you to know that the offer is outstanding so you may accept at any time in the future if you should change your mind.” The Lord took a sip of his tea and let out a content sigh. “Your gift is extremely generous, so I feel it’s only right to tell you that, like the stone Hemet bestowed upon you, you may use the Shield of the Golden Rose you have in your possession as a symbol that you are on good terms with the Order.”

Moira’s hand pulled away from John’s, allowing him to let go of the roses. She held them, looking down and tracing one of the buds with her finger. “T-thanks,” she muttered.

The Warden cleared her throat. “Yes, thank you. They’re beautiful,” she said, her confident tone returning. Moira turned to her father and then looked back at John. “I would like to speak to you about the Red Scales. I’ve already ruled out that you are involved with them from the… interview I had with you the other day. You have explained that you have dragon-like powers and I fear that, unfortunately, that might make you a target, much like Miss Kaen.

“We have created a small team which are currently investigating the issue and we are collaborating with Miss Kaen and by extension the Moon clan. The Red Scales threat level has been raised from low to normal because of the barrier we found you in as well as the incident from last Thursday.

“I’ve spoken with my father as well as some of the other higher-ranked knights and paladins as I thought there was an equal chance you’d accept or decline our offer, to ask that you be permitted to join the team working against the Red Scales,” Moira explained.

’This isn’t really my fight, right? But Moira thinks they could be after me, so would it really be smart to try and ignore it?’ he thought, sitting back down, and taking a deep breath. Wondering what he should do.

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