"Did you hear?"
"Of course. Who hasn't heard that Lord Annan has another Mother Ratfolk sweetheart..."
"That's not what I meant."
"What else could it be? Spit it out. I'm off to the Tavern for a drink."
"There's been a massacre in the Rikaner Kingdom. They say the authorities couldn't find any Free City People, so they killed nearly a thousand civilians."
"My God. Have they gone mad?!"
"When were they ever sane?"
"That's terrifying... I need a drink to calm my nerves."
"You can still think about drinking?"
"I'm raising war funds for Free City! The more we drink, the more tax Free City collects, and the more cannons it can build!"
"That... actually makes sense. Come on, I'm going too!"
Gale watched the two passersby walk away, her crimson eyes flickering, then approached the Orphanage gate.
A Nun in a black-and-white habit stood in the Garden, surrounded by bouncing children. She sensed Gale's approach. The smile the children loved remained on her lips, but her eyes turned cold as frost.
"Ratfolk, you don't belong here."
"Don't be so wary. I'm just here to pick up Cathy."
Petite Gale and the tall Nun faced each other down.
"Aunt Gale!"
A clear voice rang out. Cathy ran over with several fish drawn on her face and stood before Gale, gazing up at her with innocent eyes.
If Gale hadn't once seen Cathy beat a teddy bear for fifty minutes straight, she might have thought the girl wanted a fluffy hug.
"Did the other children draw on your face?"
"Who would dare!" declared Cathy, boss of Free City's smartest person, ruler of the Orphanage, and daughter of Free City's Lord. Then her voice dropped a notch. "Who would dare besides Ivana?"
"Are you here to take me to see Annan?"
"Of