Page 33 of Battling Bright
“Oh, yeah.She’s fucking tough.”
“You haven’t had contact with her until recently, have you?”
“I was locked from associating with Depfords.My father’s family liked all eyes on them, even if I wasn’t really a true clan member.”
“The Frostfires?”
“Yup.”She looked at her car and sighed.“Is it wrong that the things that offend me most are the spelling errors?”
He looked, laughed, and nodded to the experts who were using magic to remove the markings one handspan at a time.
He steered her onto the mansion steps.“Dorn has been alerted.”
She muttered, “Seriously, fucking does not have two k’s and a y.”
He laughed.She had warned Vaia that they were doing the walk-through, and based on the scent of lemon, the cleaners were already here, buffing everything to a high shine.Krys ticked the common areas that were already cleaned and restored to their original condition.She looked at Reynal.“You don’t have to shadow me.”
“Oh, this is fascinating.I am learning so much.”
“Right.Now we have to head upstairs and check on the babysitting rooms.”
“Lead the way.”
She nodded, headed up the stairs, and checked that all the rooms, bathrooms, and diaper genies were empty.She checked them off her checklist, and he shook his head.“I still can’t believe that with the crowd last night, you included childcare.”
She grinned.“All that screwing around leads to little people in most species.Parents don’t like to leave their little ones for the night if they don’t know when they want to go home.I am sure that Nylora had people to watch her little boy, but she felt better bringing him along and was able to remain relaxed throughout the evening.”
Reynal nodded.“That makes sense.I hadn’t considered it.”
“Once they are beyond the toddler stage, there is less attachment, and once they are in school, the families may have more connections, but if friends or family are attending the same event, the kids want to play together.This property has enough room for a bouncy castle.”
Reynal chuckled as they went through the sitting room, where Nylora had fed her son the night before.Krys picked up a pillow and put it on the rocking chair.
“Okay.Upstairs is good.”
“I am amazed that no couples sought privacy.”
“Oh, they did.The cleaners met them with a tray of water, coffee, and tea, then got them out of here and started their work around seven.”
“That early?”
“They are untethered kobolds.They don’t make any noise.They just entered the mansion and got to work.They have a house they call their own just outside the city.”
“When did they get that?”
“The fourth job they did for me.The house was rundown and about the cost of the property, but they bought it and began immediate renovations.”
“How many are there?”
“Six little ladies.Super talented and very fixated.They don’t want to be in thrall to a human or a building, but they love having one of their own and coming to help to get the itch out of their hands.”
They walked down the winding steps, and one of the cleaners saw her and waved without making a sound.
Krys waved back and gave a thumbs-up.
Reynal inclined his head, and they continued to the catering kitchens.
She spoke once they were in the catering space.“That’s the nice thing about mansions that were built for partying and decadence.Food is just another indulgence.”
