Forgotten Embers

56. The Invitation

It was near evening when there came a knock on the door of the guest house, and she turned her head curiously to look when Ellis went to open the door.

"Benji!" he happily exclaimed, grabbing Benjamin and holding him aloft.

Avera chuckled. 'Some things never change.'

"Hello, Ellis," Benjamin said, greeting him gladly. "Is Avera here, and may I speak with her, please?" he asked, fixing his glassing after returning to the ground.

"Aye, my boy! Right over here!" Ellis enthusiastically replied, showing him in and down the couple of steps to the den area.

The room was decorated in blue, and she was sitting on one of the couches, the very couch on which she had spent the past three nights sleeping. It was comfortable, more than comfortable, actually, and entirely her own decision.

They had tried to give her one of the beds, despite having every reason not to, and she had steadfastly declined until they at last permitted that she should be allowed to sleep on one of the sofas.

There were three bedrooms, one of which had been given to Mira and Ellis, another which had been adopted by Vanguard, and the third which was occupied by Blackridge. It was Blackridge who had tried to insist upon her comfort and security in having a room of her own, and it was Blackridge who had eventually allowed for her decision to sleep on the couch instead, accepting the room with both gracious and overwhelming gratitude.

There was a second couch and a large padded chair in the den where she slept. Those were kept by Justice and Kypher, Justice having taken the chair and Kypher the sofa. Justice had insisted that he didn't mind the chair one bit, noting that he had slept just fine for some hours on the wooden chair in Webber's room only the day before, a comment which led to no less than the usual dose of Kypher's teasing harassment.

"Ah, Avera!" Benjamin said gladly, making a welcoming gesture.

"Prince Benjamin," she said with a smile, standing to her feet with a slight bow.

"Oh, please!" he said, throwing his head back and turning his eyes upward. "Such formalities are quite unnecessary!" he said, looking back at her and shaking his head with a smile. "However, I do have a request to make of you."

"Oh, really? A request?" she asked with interest.

'It's hard for me to believe that I would be of much use...'

"Yes," he stated, smiling. "You see, I have received an invitation to dine tonight at the house of Demetrius DelMont. I hope you don't mind if I ask you to join me?"

"Not at all!" she told him happily. "But... I don't understand. Is this Mr. DelMont one of the council members?"

Benjamin nodded. "He is a man from Laoce and their representative."

"Then, why invite me? I mean, I'm glad to go, but... I really don't know a lot about these things."

"It is important that I go," Benjamin explained, watching her kindly, "but Dorcus and Eliezer would feel better about it if I were not to go alone, and you, Avera, seemed the logical choice to go with me."

"I see," she said. "I'd be honored. I mean, I would love to go. I haven't gotten to go see much of the town."

"Good, then!" he said happily as he turned back towards the door. "I'll report back to the others and then we'll go. Thank you, Avera! I do appreciate your help."

"Of course," she smiled.

'Besides, after listening to all of Adrien's stories he's been telling these past few days, it would be nice to have an adventure of my own.'