As we neared the Duke's house, we ran into Harris and Karlan. Harris looked really angry, and he said that I somehow ruined his event, which is insane! First of all, I'm not the one who got his fundraiser cancelled. Second, and more importantly - his fundraiser was barely planned! I pretty much laid out all their work for them, planned the whole even from scratch, yet somehow I ruined it all? He didn't have any plans for snacks or entertainment or anything else party-like! Karlan said he was on my side, and he tried to convince Harris to see that his party wasn't very good, but he would hear none of it.
With that subject rudely shoved aside by Harris, Ratyn tried to speak up about Nila and how she ties into the whole fundraiser thing. She asked if he's trying to pull off a party just to impress her, and he said that it's none of her business, and that the townsfolk giving money to the hunter's guild is anyway more useful than giving money to the orphanage. I just want to stress this - he thinks that his event was both going to earn him a lot of money, and impress his daughter who hates him? When he didn't even think to hand out goodie bags? This man is insane.
Because it was clear that Harris wouldn't take any advice about his own fundraiser, I offered him a deal. I told him that his fundraiser was going to be cancelled (and that he could ask Lestran to verify that), and offered him to come to the party Gina and I were planning. I said that he wouldn't have to stay for long if he didn't want to, but that if he could come as a friend, then I would owe him a favour, anything he wants that isn't tied up with money. He didn't want that, so I offered to throw in that I would help him plan his own party in his style, and he still refused, apparently he thought I was trying to play a trick on him.
I turned around back to the group and saw that Christopher and Aggma were gone, and Sett and Ratyn said they had gone inside to talk to the duke. Ratyn looked pretty sad after the whole Harris-Nila thing, but she didn't look like she wanted to talk about it at the moment, so I didn't bring it up. I figured it would probably take a while for the others to finish inside the duke's palace, since Christopher usually talks a lot and Aggma talks really slowly, so I may as well get some errands of my own done meanwhile. I asked the others if they needed anything from the market, they said no, and I was on my way.
I found Dick and Glen at their stand in the market and told them about Gina's plan to throw a party at Lady Trudgeon's orphanage. I asked them if they would like to help arrange the beverages for the party, but they said that they were already committed to going to the fundraiser. I tried to explain that they could do both, because the party was in the fundraiser, but also separate from it, but they didn't seem to understand. Then they also made some excuse about not having enough stock for a party, so I dropped the it. I went to a couple other friendly merchants in the market, but got similar responses from everyone.
Disappointed, I went back to the duke's, and arrived just as Christopher and Aggma exited the building. They said that they had arranged for the duke to come to the orphanage's fundraiser, and Christopher looked really proud of himself. I suspect he pulled some trick, but I don't really know what it could have been. Did he use his magic? He did claim that "he can do anything" with it. Anyway, we went back to the orphanage and told Lady Trudgeon the good news about the duke coming to the fundraiser, and Nila joining the security team. She looked exhausted, but at least she was still happy to hear the good news.
We decided to split up and meat in the morning before the fundraiser, and I decided I had one more errand to do, after getting my afternoon tea - which by the way was great, as tea at Kai's Tea House always is. Anyway, I asked around a bit, and found found out where Ratyn lives. I walked up to her house, and she let me in to talk.
I wasn't sure where to start with her, so I asked her if Harris had done something to her. I wasn't sure what I was expecting her to answer, but she had asked my the same question about Martha so it seemed like something that's acceptable to ask. She said that he didn't do anything and it's just his behavior that makes her angry, which I totally get, that man can be a pain to deal with sometimes - but she seems to get hurt way more than everyone else.
I asked her if there's something on her mind that she needs someone talk to, I said that I wasn't sure if it's because of her quarter-ferret heritage that I just couldn't read her like I could the others. She then revealed that she isn't quarter-ferret, but actually quarter-elf, and the red markings on her face are a thing called "tattoos", that are colorful ink drawings that don't come off from the skin, and that somehow they mark her as a bad person.
She offered me a seat, and I told her that she isn't a bad person, from what I can tell. She was on board with helping the orphanage, and saving Zachary, and helping Nila as soon as she found out about her, and that in general she just seems like a nice and helpful person, even if she isn't the most friendly. Then she told me a childhood story about a creature called "the Thalaweh", a fey creature that crosses over to the material plane and causes everything it touches to wither and rot, without realizing the pain it causes to those around it. She likened herself to the Thalaweh, saying that she killed and hurt people, and everywhere she goes she just causes harm - and she thinks that Harris is the same. She learnt to recognize the pain she causes others, and it pains her to see the harm people like Harris cause without even noticing.
Ratyn insisted that it makes her a bad person, that she can't be helped, and that she needs to deal with her past actions by herself, despite them haunting her in her dreams.
I tried to cheer her up, telling her about the feywild, how time doesn't flow like it does here, moments come and go, and with each moment you have a chance to rid yourself of the old you and become someone new. She can remember the things that past-her did in her life, but she doesn't need to keep carrying them today if she doesn't want to, and she especially doesn't need to suffer because of them. She said that it's a cute philosophy, but that it isn't how things work, so she gave me a children's toy and sent away.
I know that she's wrong, but I don't know how to show it to her. Maybe if she saw the outside world, not one tied into the rigid society if in this plane, she would realize that she can live with herself? Maybe taking her with me when I go back to the feywild will help her?
All these thoughts swirled around my head as I went back to the Greenhill Inn for dinner, and to give Gina the bad news about no one coming to our party, and that we may as well cancel it.
The day of the fundraiser is here, oh boy.
I thought I would be more excited, after all I had worked for it this past week. But knowing that Gina and I had to cancel our plans for the party and that so many of our friends won't be coming made me sad. Plus, I had to wear a shirt.
When we got to the orphanage, Lady Trudgeon gave us our assignments: I volunteered to watch over the kids during the event, Gina was in charge of getting the food from the kitchen, and everyone else got their stations. Sett was put in charge of security at the front door of the orphanage, so I gave him one of the sticky bombs Ratyn and Aggma got us, and I asked him to call for me if Harris showed up.
As the guests started arriving, Gina introduced me to two of her new friends, Fay Wylders and Igun Verdel, two of the friendly witches she met at The Boot. They were happy to come to the party, though they said they didn't bring any money, instead bringing lots of fun! Igun cast a spell that summoned a few dozen spectral cats, while I chatted with Fay, who invited me over to The Boot for tea some day. Zachary came next, and he thanked us again for saving him over at Juniper Grove. He told us that if we're ever in Blind-by-the-sea, we're invited to stop by his house, and his wife will make us her signature eel stew.
During the event, Potin' tried to sneak off into the donations room, where Aggma was keeping guard, but I managed to distract him by getting him to play with Aggma's horns instead.
Dinner was next, and it was a delicious dish of venison on mashed potatoes with mulberry sauce, with and peach and almond sorbet for desert. It was one of the best meals I've had in Tilley so far, probably sixth or seventh place. Martha arrived during dinner and sat across from us. She seemed to ignore me, thankfully, instead talked to Aggma and Ratyn about the gem they found. She said it was something called a Larysine crystal or something like that, and that someone in Owlchester might know more about it. I'll admit I didn't listen to her much, the sparkling apple juice was just fascinating at that exact moment.
After dinner, I snuck outside the orphanage for a moment. I found a pair of badgers, one of whom was called Philippe (or maybe Pphilipe, it was confusing). I offered them a bit of the venison, and in exchange cast a spell on them, to look for Harris near the town garrison and ask him if he's coming to the fundraiser in the end, that I would be happy to see him there.
Back inside, Patrick Singalong started the main event. He invited Lady Trudgeon and Christopher for the first dance, and it was beautiful. They had a matching suit and dress, and as the bard reached the final verse of the song, their clothes seemed to catch fire and transform into different garments. The next dance came up, and the crowd joined in on the dancing. After making sure all the kids were still eating, Gina and I also shared a nice dance. It's so good to hang out with her, I know I said it before, but I barely saw her this week, and It's so nice to see her smile.
When the dance and food was done, I went back to take the kids to bed, but before we could get very far, Harris appeared at the door. He was drunk and angry, and he seemed to be making a scene with Sett, Ratyn and Nila. I tried making my way to them, but when I was halfway through the dance floor, the earth shook.
Something exploded somewhere in the building, people started screaming, and I thought I saw a shadow running out of the room where the donations were stored.
This day was going so well despite my mood in the morning, but I guess that's ruined now.