Nobody's Servant, Act 1

Overnight Ride [vore]

"So what's his deal?"

Nym looks up from his book, finding Yhana sitting upright; she is determined to pry this time.

All the same to him, he responds in an unengaged tone, "What deal?"

"Your brother, I mean," she presses. "I thought he was about to have an aneurysm on the spot or something."

"Would not be his first," the fox says, tucking the book away. "He gets so angry it's unhealthy; he's got all sorts of stents and springs in his head because of it, but you didn't hear it from me." His expression changes to a ponderous one for a moment, before that devious smile from earlier creeps onto his face once more. "Actually, I think maybe I'm the only person you safely could hear it from, so... yes, you did."

"You seem pretty unbothered by that," I interject. "I don't know how much I can say on penalty of whatever, but--"

"Literally anything you want to say, long as you're with me," he assures.

"--but even from a layperson's perspective, he just... unequivocally sucked to behold."

"All the more reason 'Long Live Leksan' is more heartfelt than mantra. His PR's so bad he leaves it to his favorite Warden to take care of that end of things for him."

"That wolverine guy? He's intense too though..." Yhana groans.

"What wolverine guy?" I ask.

"Warden Oleander, planetary administrator for the Nayre Dominion Archives," Nym explains with a derisive grandiosity, "and newly appointed overseer of the entire isle of Iyakamraa."

"Guy keeps busy..."

"Yeah, but he's such a kiss-ass I think if Jen ordered him to actually lick his boots he'd end up taking a bite. You'll be seeing and hearing plenty of him once we get to Iyakamraa."

"Some kind of announcement every couple of hours," Yhana adds. "I don't think he sleeps."

"Well no, he's got a lot of time to make up for if he ever wants to be as over-the-top as Jen. Give it another couple of decades, he'll get there."

"Let's hope not," I sigh. "One seems like plenty."

"Agreed," Yhana says, standing up and glancing out towards the setting sun. "Well, before I get in trouble for being too unpatriotic on public transport, I'm going to go scope out the sleeper car and conspire with myself in silence, I think. I could probably turn in early."

"You know what, I could too," I add, realizing how exhausted I still am. "Will you be alright out here, Nym?"

"Perfectly fine, I've still got plenty of company," he affirms, raising his book. I know the feeling well.

I turn to follow Yhana but she's already making her way down the aisle. I give Nym a polite nod to dismiss myself, and pace off quickly.

The next few cars are a similar scene, coach seating sparsely populated by passengers heading northbound. I catch some inkling of a conversation about parallels between the Archives and the Keepers from back when the latter held similar power, but I don't stop to eavesdrop, much as I'd like to.

I tail Yhana through a diner car and then a domed lounge, supported by metal filigrees in the triangular motif that permeates all the Dominion's amenities, and into the next, the first of at least two sleeper cars, based on my initial count during boarding. She studies the wall to her left as she slows down, eventually identifying her number on the second tier and pulling open the opaque cover on its hinges to climb in.