Chapter 11: Will you clean the house?

The noisy company stopped in front of the Untouchable's patio. They were silent under the owner's frown. They were putting off eating and washing indefinitely.

Strangely enough, there were no familiar faces among the new arrivals. No vigilantes, then?

After a brief hesitation, a parliamentarian was shoved out of the crowd.

- Um... excuse me... are you Untouchable? - He mumbled, looking around in a hysterical way and avoiding looking at his companion.

- Well, I am. - Yee Rhys didn't deny it.

- And... where is the chain? - Poor man asked uncertainly.

- Lost it.

- And we... er... here it is... looking for the girl... we can't find... er... can we check your house?

The bad feeling was getting stronger.

And memory, as if mocking, clarified that the last couple of years of meetings with the Lady consistently ended with a flight into the river. And if she decided to make an exception, it was clearly due to special plans for his body. I just wish I knew what they were.

- Check it out. - Yee Rhys tossed carelessly to the parliamentarian and stepped sideways off the path.

- Uhm? Thank you. - The latter hesitantly opened the gate and walked slowly forward, as if he feared that some venomous creeper was about to pop out from under his feet. The envoy approached the door to the house, pale and sweating. He was even shaking a little.

Yee Rhys almost opened his mouth in amazement. What on earth was being told about him to provoke SUCH a reaction? And this despite the fact that there is no real threat here and can not be.

On reaching the door, Parliamentary froze and hesitantly glanced at his companions. They all nodded at him, evidently begging him to hurry up and leave. The hero of the day mustered his courage, sighed deeply, and shifted the stick. As the support disappeared, the door swung open on its own, nearly stabbing the valiant volunteer by itself.

In the next instant, an indescribable aroma wafted from the courtyard.

The smell of moldy socks, burnt porridge, dead mice poisoned by that same porridge, rotten wood, and something else indistinguishable but worthy of its place on this list of aromas.

Inhaling carefully, Yee Rhys grimaced. The idea of even just going inside was causing panic spasms somewhere inside. No, we're fine outside. It's beautifully to cultivate under the stars at night. And in the rain, too.

Even the gang standing outside the yard was getting this ambery. Most went visibly pale, and a couple of the faint of heart threw up. And these were proud cultivators, tougher than anything?

The parliamentarian, on the other hand, fainted where he stood.

The young man crossed his arms over his chest and waited for the show to continue.

At last the nose-clamped fat man came to his senses, and, assessing the condition of his gang, ordered two of the lads who were holding out better than the rest to check the house. Yee Rhys squinted. Wow, these guys are three wisps. Considering the others only have one or two wisps, very good.

The chosen ones grumbled something unhappily, but obeyed. They walked to the mockingly creaking door, looked at each other, took a deep breath, and dove into the house like divers into a murky sea.

For a few seconds nothing happened. Then the messengers returned, one of them dragging a girl in the worker's clothes. Quite slim. One might even say pretty. But at the moment it was all spoiled by the blue-green color of her face and the cloudy look in which she was surveying her surroundings. How long had the poor thing been in there?

Yee Rhys was even surprised. It remained to be seen what kind of surprise the Lady was up to.

Under the happy murmur of the revived gang, the big guy dragged the air-grabbing girl to his own. The second pseudo-volunteer picked up his fainting companion in misfortune and followed the first.

- Please help. - The girl glared at Yee Rhys, sensing in him the only chance, however dubious, of escaping the clutches of the horde.

- What's in it for me? - He asked indifferently. He'd never been content to play the part of hero-lover, but now he had more important things to do. He saw no reason to pick a fight with a dozen cultivators for a fainting maiden.

- I'll... I'll do anything. - Blurted out the girl, who was about to be dragged to the gate. The gang grew wary.

Yee Rhys grimaced. And then he had a brilliant idea.

- Would you clean the house?

There was silence. Everyone froze.

Judging by the rounded eyes of the girl, choosing between cleaning THIS house and a rape, she was leaning toward the latter. At last the fat man wiped sweat from horror and hurried his men. A fight with the Untouchable was clearly not in his plans.

As the gate opened, however, a polite cough was heard from the sky.

- Kids, do you know what the punishment for rape is? - A soft, husky voice came from the sky. The children froze, staring at the soaring beauty in the Supreme Elder's robes.

Yee Rhys frowned. The play had moved on to the second act. And knowing the character of the Lady, there would be roles for everyone.

- There's nothing wrong. - The fat man reacted instantly. - It's just that my sister isn't well.

- Your sister? - Clarified the Elder. - Is that your brother, girl?

- No, no, no. - She shook her head frantically, somehow managing to slip out of the carrier's numb grasp and up onto the post of the gate. Uhm, that last wasn't a very good idea.

- This pervert is nothing to me. - The potential victim grasped at the given chance. - He's ruined a lot of girls' lives already. But the elders don't listen to us, because he pays them.

- That's all a lie. - The fat man got all agitated. - I didn't break anybody's life. Yeah, I've done it with girls. But it was consensual.

- I see. - The Lady looked at the young people. - You're contradicting each other. Except that I don't have time to conduct a detailed investigation. What to do? - The Elder acted thoughtful.

- Don't listen to him. - The girl grew bolder. - He's a known rogue.

- Don't listen to her! - The fat man cut in. - We had a little quarrel with her, so she says things. And in the evenings she...

- What do I do in the evenings?! I am an honest girl!

- And I am an honest young gentleman.

- Children. - The lady smiled softly. - Explain to me what an honest girl is doing in a strange man's house? And why did the honest young gentleman not go to save his lady himself, but sent servants?

- He is no stranger. - The girl was the first to be found. - We know each other.

Yee Rhys was nearly stunned by the outright lie. Their acquaintance had taken place after she had been dragged from his house. He still doesn't even know his guest's name.

- This fraud approached me and tried to steal from me. - A moment later, the fat man came up with what to say.

- What?! Steal?! - The girl turned to the fat man, making a fist for a lesson in manners. Only did not take into account that weakness after poisoning by household gases has not yet passed, because of which she shook a little and pushed the post a little harder than it should. The next moment the post broke and collapsed. The girl and a good half of the fence followed.

- You know what - the Lady remarked quietly from the sky - it seems to me more and more that I am watching a banal love triangle, where a guy loves a girl and a girl loves another guy.

Yee Rhys looked up with a nonchalant face, though the last words made shoulder blades itch and his back break into a cold sweat. It looked like the finale was just around the corner.

- A love triangle?! - The girl and the fat man agreed for the first time.