My Little Engineer

Chapter Seventeen: Twitterpated

"I'm so glad you could join me for dinner," Edmund said, his words echoing off the high ceiling. "It gets a bit lonely in this big house."

Hugo stared up at the tall wooden beams stretching upwards and the hanging crystal chandelier. "I bet."

"Do you have any kids?" Varian asked, putting a fork full of chicken and rice into his mouth. His cut finger had a bandage on it now.

The question seemed to dampen the old man's spirits. "I have one son. He works for Ulla actually. He goes by Flynn Ryder, though that's not the name I gave him."

"Oh, he's like a lieutenant, right?" Varian asked. "I think I've seen him before. Has a goatee?"

"Sure does. It's his favorite part about himself. Such an odd son." His voice lowered. "I can't let them know my favorite part about myself is my beard."

"Hey, you have a really nice beard," Hugo said, and Varian shot him a look.

Edmund's face brightened. "Oh, thank you! I use a great brand of beard oil."

"Real sleek." The blond pinched his lips together to keep from laughing.

"Why does he go by Ryder?" Varian asked after hitting Hugo's shoulder.

"He hates the name I gave him."

"What was the name?" Hugo asked between bites.

"Horace."

The blond choked on his food.

"I-it's a great name," Varian said weakly, giving Hugo a look that said, say anything and I'll murder you.

"Yeah, well, he never visits. It's just me and the maids."

"Well, thanks for letting us stay here."

"Of course, did you two run into any trouble on the way over? Things have been getting real rowdy lately in our sleepy little village."

"Just some of Donella's fighter pilots."

He looked intrigued. "She must know you're with Ulla. She always hunts down anyone she thinks is connected to that woman."

Hugo looked sheepish then.

"Yeah," Varian said carefully, "probably just 'cause of Ulla."

"Well, let me know if you need anything. I'll have the maids show you to your room once you're done eating."

***

"Hugo, people keep recognizing your plane," Varian hissed pacing over embroidered carpet.

"What?" He sounded taken aback as he sat draped over a luxurious chair in their massive room. Next to him was a glass table with a bowl of grapes on it that he was snacking from.

There was just one but very large, plush bed with drapes hanging around it in the middle of the round room. Big windows lined an entire wall and a delicate glass door led onto a balcony while red carpet lined the floor.

Varian bit his lip. "A green biplane? Come on. When have you ever seen anything like Olivia?"

The blond popped a round fruit into his mouth. "I'm sure there's something that looks like her out there."

"I doubt it. Back at Port Sundrop, Gunner probably recognized your plane in the air when he set up that ambush, and today, Donella's men knew it was you."

"So, what are you saying?" he said, mouth full. "I should toss her out and get a new plane? Ain't gonna fucking happen."

"No, of course not! I was thinking, since we need a delivery logo anyway, maybe we could, I don't know, give her a repaint?"