LOREN
Great. It seemed that Renaud just needed a place to hide from the sunlight. And some privacy: Loren was under no illusion that the actual bed would see little use, given that he didn’t even think the other man slept. Nodding, the summoner just turned to trudge up the stairs. ”It’s nothing, really. As I said, we have rooms to spare, and if I didn’t offer it to you, I’d be worried about you out there all alone in the cold.” It was a little bit of a joke, since the other man was much more likely to burst into flames than perish from the cold, but the Launceleyn didn’t know if he’d actually managed to convey any humor.They’d probably had a lot to discuss, but already his mind felt like mush, and without at least a short period to rest he’d be pretty much useless. At Renaud’s questions, though, Loren paused, looking down at the toys in his hand. ”Oh. No. Sorry. These belong to my half-sister and my nephew. They’re ten and four. You may or may not see them around. I usually don’t, since, well, they’re avoiding me at the moment. As for me, no, I’m very much childless, and very much single.” He wasn’t really sure why he added that last part, besides overnight brain bringing up something that had been bothering him subconsciously. Still, he had bigger issues to worry about. The summoner frowned, trying to remember the last time he’d actually seen either of the children. It might very well have been Edy’s funeral, which was worrisome. Once he’d slept and gotten the other man sorted out, Loren would go find them. Enough was enough. Beatrix could throw as many tantrems as she liked, but the summoner drew the line at putting her and Jace in danger.
However, since the Launceleyn had mentioned his relatives, he might as well mention all the other houseguests. ”Other than Beatrix and Jace, uh, those are my half-sister and nephew, don’t know if I mentioned that, you might see a few other people. Peter, Abasi, and Aonghas. Peter was adopted into the Launceleyns, but the other two are temporarily houseguests here, like you.” He knew that he was muddling up these explanations to Renaud, but Loren couldn’t seem to help it. Covering up a yawn that threatened to escape, the summoner glanced over at the other man to see how he was taking all this.
Luckily, they came to an unoccupied bedroom soon enough. The Launceleyn pushed open the door, revealing a shuttered window, a small dresser, and a small bed. On top of the dresser was a small basin, currently empty of water. This was a guest bedroom, so it was pretty sparsely decorated and had very little furniture. ”I hope this is okay. If not, we’ve got other quarters deeper in the house. Also, I can probably get you a key if you’d like to be able to lock the door.” The bigger rooms had belonged to family members, and the summoner was reluctant to offer them up to someone who was still basically a stranger. ”You’re welcome to explore the house as much as you like, though this area is mostly bedrooms and I’d ask that you stay out of them. But the downstairs is fine. There’s a, ah, washroom down the hall, if you need it.” It wasn’t worth mentioning the outhouse or the bathroom to someone without bodily functions.
Scratching his head, the summoner tried to think if he’d missed anything. Then again, he could probably just ask. ”So. Any questions? About anything?” They’d covered a lot of ground in one night, so Loren figured Renaud might have a few things on his mind. The Launceleyn would do his best to answer what he could in his tired state, though he was swaying where he stood, and his eyes kept threatening to shut.
A beggar's book
outworths
a noble's blood
