Chapter 360: Trummelton’s

Words : 2856 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

Chapter 360: Trummelton’s Jadis realized their choice in dining establishment may have been a mistake as soon as she saw the building. Trummelton’s was, as Aurea had advertised, a high-class restaurant. Maybe a little too high class. Jadis had expected the kind of place that had waiters in suits and silk tablecloths. She had not expected a place with literal gold plates. The restaurant was located in an area where every store looked like it would cost a fortune just to walk through the door and somehow it managed to look even fancier by comparison. The building towered above the others, six stories tall and decorated with elaborate stonework and stained-glass windows. The double front doors had been gilded with gold and as soon as Jadis walked through them, she found the temperature in the building was the perfect temperature, like magic was being used to ensure maximum comfort for the guests. The décor was luxurious to the extreme, with marble floors and purple carpets. Silk tapestries and museum-worthy paintings adorned the walls while a pleasing melody floated through the air. To the credit of the host who greeted them upon their entry, the elf didn’t batt an eye at Jadis’ appearance or that of Alex. He simply escorted their group to the second floor where their table awaited them. No, it wasn’t the décor or the staff that posed a problem. The first issue came in the form of the other guests. Trummelton’s wasn’t the kind of place the average imperial citizen went for dinner, not even on special occasions. The clientele found within were of a far richer and nobler sort. The sort who had been sending letters to Jadis, inviting her to gatherings from day one in the city. The sort who were dead set on gossiping about her and her companions, and who had the means affect their lives on a whim. Dozens of nobles filled the lavish dining room as Jadis passed through, all of them staring at her without staring. It was actually impressive how they managed to maintain an air of polite disinterest in anything but their private conversations while also keeping tabs on Jadis’ every move. If it weren’t for her having multiple perspectives, she might not have noticed. But the fact remained that a lot of very wealthy, very connected people were all in the same restaurant as her for the first time and she did not think it likely that many would miss an opportunity to meet with her. The second issue with their choice of restaurant revealed itself as soon as Jadis and her companions made it to the second floor. The way the restaurant had been designed, the second and third floors were tiered balconies that overlooked the first floor, with the second floor on the north side while the third floor was on the west. There were three more floors with private dining rooms above, but those rooms were booked for months out and a last-minute reservation like theirs couldn’t manage a spot, not even with Aurea’s recommendation. Instead, the whole of the second floor had been reserved for their party, which meant their table was in an open space that was visible to anyone on the third floor, as well as good number of people on the first floor depending on where they were sat. Then there was the third issue. That little problem reared its ugly head the moment Jadis laid eyes on Vikwas and Senta. Aila’s parents had arrived at Trummelton’s a few minutes before Jadis and had already been seated by the efficient waitstaff, which meant the couple had arrived at the restaurant, been escorted through it and past all the nobles, and seated at one of the most extravagant dining tables Jadis had ever seen, all by themselves. For the decidedly humble, working-class pair, the experience could not have been easy, not if the nervous expressions on their faces were anything to go by. It probably would have been wiser to have had dinner at The Silver Lute or another, less opulent establishment, at least for their first meeting. Jadis and Aila had wanted to make a good impression, show Aila’s parents that she was doing well and there was no need to worry. Displaying their wealth had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now Jadis worried they had probably overdone it. By the way Aila was moving so stiffly, Jadis guessed she was feeling the same. “Mother, father,” Aila greeted her parents an awkward formality. “I want you to meet my... companions.” Jadis wasn’t entirely sure what word Aila was going to use to describe everyone else, but “companions” was probably the most diplomatic option. Senta and Vikwas rose to greet Aila, both giving her small hugs as they focused more on the gathering of women before them. Jadis couldn’t even imagine what was going through their heads, especially with the moment of hesitant silence hanging in the air. Fortunately, there was at least one among their number who had practice in smoothing out difficult social engagements. “It’s such a delight to meet you,” Eir practically cooed as she warmly hugged both of Aila’s parents, an act of overt familiarity that seemed to catch them off guard. “Aila has told me so much about you both! My name is Eir Aedraheill, but please just call me Eir.” Jadis wasn’t sure who was more stunned by Eir’s hug. Vikwas looked like he didn’t know where to put his hands while being hugged by such a gorgeous stranger, Senta looked like she somehow recognized Eir’s noble station and didn’t know what she was supposed to say in response, and Aila looked like a drowning woman who’d just been tossed a life preserver. “Nice to meet you,” Vikwas was the first to respond. “Yes, a pleasure,” Senta quickly agreed, her manners showing as much stiff formality as her daughter. “I—I didn’t think our daughter would have spoken much about us to... to any of you.” “Of course she has,” Eir dazzled the older human woman with her brilliant smile. “Aila was just telling me about the wonderful braided breads you bake for the winter harvest festival, the ones with the apples woven into them. It’s a shame we won’t be having any for this evening, but perhaps when we visit Red Tree? Ah, but I don’t mean to monopolize you. Everyone else is waiting to greet you.” With practiced ease, Eir turned and pulled Kerr forward with one hand, guiding the tall therion into her own introduction. Kerr’s introduction to Aila’s parents went surprisingly smoothly, as did Thea’s after her. In fact, there were no issues at all until Eir got to Sorcha. While the quality of Sorcha’s dress showed that she was an equal member of the party, there was no hiding the tracking manacle on the goblin’s arm. Jadis doubted the device was something that was often seen in a small country village like Red Tree, but Senta clearly recognized what it was. Vikwas probably did as well, though his deadpan expression was much harder to read. Whether they recognized what the device was or not, neither parent asked about it, though Senta was significantly more reserved with Sorcha. It didn’t help that Sorcha was feeling awkward about the whole situation and while she was trying hard to relax, she wasn’t particularly successful. And then there was Alex. “Mother, father,” Aila said as she took over the responsibility of introductions from Eir. “This is Alex. She is also our... companion.” “A delight... to... meet you...” Alex spoke in an imitation of Eir’s manners as she slid forward, her large tentacles silently carrying her along the marble floor. While Alex did not try to hug either parent, she did draw near them both and extended one of her human hands towards Vikwas to shake. Vikwas stared up at Alex, her head hovering a little over his due to the height her tentacles gave her. His stoic expression had finally broken, revealing a mix of worry and horror that was tempered by a surprisingly fierce determination. Nostrils flared, he hesitated for a brief moment before deliberately taking Alex’s hand in a firm handshake. “G—good to meet you, Alex,” Vikwas only stumbled a little over his words as he maintained eye contact with the Demon. That was all Vikwas said. His lack of commentary was something Jadis found hard to interpret, but the fact that he wasn’t running away screaming was a good sign. Aila had warned her parents about Alex during their private conversation that Jadis hadn’t been around for. She wasn’t entirely sure of what had been said, but she knew Aila had done her best to prepare her parents for the unusual meeting. Senta was less circumspect than her husband. “So you’re the demon that supposedly saved my daughter’s life?” she asked when Alex turned towards her. “Yes...” Alex replied simply in her usual way. “And you can talk?” Senta asked, the answer to the question obvious yet pressing forward anyway. “You aren’t some mindless, slavering spawn of Samleos?” “Yes...” Alex replied again, agreeing with the negative in Senta’s question. “Runar? Is that you? Goodness, it’s been so long!” Slowing her pace, the three of Jadis turned her heads to see a pretty young woman with long, black hair and a purple dress advance on them from the side from between two pillars. The noble was definitely human and didn’t look like she was older than twenty. She had a Greek nose, a little long for her face, but in a way that gave her character rather than taking away from her refined beauty. As she approached, she smiled showing all of her bright white teeth. Just behind her by a few steps paced an older man wearing a formal military uniform. He looked more like a guard or chaperone, rather than a family member or friend. While she spoke, the man remained silently and simply watched. “Lady Brunholt,” Runar rumbled gruffly as he stopped to let the young woman catch up to them. “What do you want?” “Oh, please Runar,” she tittered in a way that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Call me Elodie like you used to when I was child. You and my father have always been friends, haven’t you?” “Hmph,” Runar huffed in a way that made Jadis doubt the veracity of the woman’s assertion. “And Lady Severina!” The woman smoothly shifted her attention from the Valbjorn to the Seraphim. “It’s been more than a year since you last accepted one of my invitations to tea! We’ve all missed your enlightened presence, truly!” “Lady Brunholt,” Severina acknowledged the other woman with stiff formality. “I hope you are doing well. As I’ve apologized in the past, there is a demonic invasion currently threatening our borders. I have been occupied.” “Of course,” the noblewoman agreed with a broad sweep of her hand that seemed to encompass the many nobles who were standing within earshot but were not part of the conversation. “We all thank you for your service. It’s thanks to the efforts of those like you and my father that those like me who have little combat ability can enjoy such safety and comfort as this. I only hope that you can spare me a visit in the future when you are less preoccupied with affairs of war and state. Even a paladin as mighty as you needs to take some rest from time to time.” As Severina reluctantly nodded her head to the darkhaired woman’s words, Lady Brunholt turned her attention onto Jadis. “Oh, where are my manners,” she purred, acting as though she somehow overlooked three giant women standing a few feet away from her. “I do apologize for not introducing myself! My name is Lady Elodie Brunholt.” With a smile, Elodie offered her hand to Jadis, though not in the manner of a handshake but instead as though she expected Jadis to kiss the back of her hand. It was an odd gesture, one that Jadis wasn’t sure was normal among high society or if it had any hidden implications since it hadn’t been covered in what she’d read in the etiquette book so far. Further, Jadis noticed that Elodie didn’t shift her attention between the three of Jadis’ selves. She kept her gaze solely on the body in the middle, the Jay self. “Jadis,” Jay said as she took the young woman’s hand. Deciding to just go with it, she bent at the waist to bow low enough that she could kiss the back of Elodie’s hand. “Of course you are,” the noblewoman smiled brightly. “There could hardly be anyone in the whole city who could mistake you for another. The last Nephilim. One whose beauty and power excel over all others. Truly, it is a pleasure to finally meet you.” “Yes, I suppose I am hard to mistake for anyone else,” Jay politely agreed. Jadis kept up a polite smile though she really didn’t have much interest in continuing the conversation, especially not with the way Elodie was phrasing things. Something about the way she spoke warned Jadis that the woman was saying more under the surface than her words appeared to mean. “I must say, I’m terribly miffed that I haven’t gotten to meet you sooner,” Elodie continued in her airy tones. “Everything I’ve heard about you thus far has utterly fascinated me. I dare say, I couldn’t believe half the things that have been said are true, yet now that I’ve seen you here tonight, I’ll have to give those impetuous rumors more credence! Aside from your mesmerizing beauty, the rumor I am most surprised to see is true is that you truly do have a pet demon that follows you around! Why, it even wears clothes and eats at the table like one of those trained beasts I’ve seen in theatre performances. Absolutely astounding.” It took an incredible amount of willpower for Jadis to keep her temper under control and not let her anger show on her face. She was close to picking the woman up and shoving her head down the toilet where it belonged, but her better sense won out and she managed to restrain her instinctual response. “Alex is my companion, not a pet,” Jay, Dys, and Syd all corrected with a deadly calmness that dropped the temperature in the air a good ten degrees. “She and my other companions are waiting for me, so you’ll have to excuse me, Lady Brunholt.” “Oh, I didn’t mean to impose,” Elodie smiled demurely, not showing any surprise or fear to Jadis’ unified speech. “I really should return to my own table. I simply wished to say hello to some old friends.” Jadis noticed that every noble around them had ceased their conversation, listening to Jadis and Brunholt. Jadis had no doubt that everything that had just transpired would be relayed across every noble household in the city by the time tomorrow’s breakfast was over. How much embellishment was added, however, Jadis couldn’t begin to predict. Elodie turned to leave, but before she could fully do so, she spun back around, the expression on her face one of sudden remembrance. “I almost forgot,” she said with another bright smile. “Lady Eir Aedraheill is with you, yes? Would you please pass along my sincere gratitude to her and her lovely mother and father for inviting me to the ball? I do so look forward to seeing them and you there.” “Sure,” Jay replied, wondering why her sweet priestess would invite a bitch like this to the planned ball. “I’ll tell her.” With that, Elodie departed and Jadis was able to continue back to her table uninterrupted. Once she had rejoined the party and taken her seats, Dys leaned close towards Eir’s side and whispered into her ear. “I ran into a noblewoman who wanted to thank you and your parents for inviting her to the party,” she said as she watched Kerr and Bridget tell Aila’s parents about the battle fought against the ice dragon. “She was a real shit-stain. No idea why you’d invite her. Do you know a human named Elodie? Long, black hair. Pointy nose.” “I don’t believe so,” Eir’s lips turned down in a contemplative frown. “I haven’t been involved in the invitations, anyway. My parents have been sending them out. What was her last name?” “She said her name was Lady Elodie Brunholt.” Eir’s frown deepened as she turned to look Dys in the eyes. “Brunholt? Lady Brunholt?” “Yeah, why? Is she someone important?” “Jadis,” Eir said, her voice tinged with concern, “that’s General Egilhard’s name. Egilhard Brunholt.” “Oh,” Dys murmured, feeling a sudden urge to scrub Jay’s lips with bleach. “Well. Fuck.”

Chapter 360: Trummelton’s

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