Hollem couldn't have been more pleased with his decision to rent the carriage. The horse would have, indeed, been an unpleasant ride for the entirety of the journey, especially with two people on its back. Not to mention a certain one would have been complaining the whole time, too. 

Not that he could have faulted Amia for it, but as he lifted his eyes to the slowly darkening sky above his head, he couldn't help but feel relaxed. It was a little cool outside, but the sun had warmed his skin just enough to remain comfortable. 

Amia was still snoring quietly beside him, and while he desperately needed to relieve himself, he couldn't find it in him to wake the guy so that he could move. They were nearly to the magistrate's house, at least, and just had a few more hills left from what he was told of the directions. 

The large apple orchard madam Maria had spoken about came into view a few minutes later, the trees dotted with oddly colored green, red, and sometimes mixed, fruits. 

I've never seen a green apple before... He wondered as he reached up, barely managing to grab one hanging from a low branch. It snapped from its holding with little effort, falling into his palm as the horses continued on their way. 

At least it would have likely fallen before it could have been harvested. He thought as he lifted the fruit to his mouth to try a small bite. His brow scrunched at the sour taste it gave, making him think that it wasn't ripe. 

It shouldn't have come off the branch so easily if it wasn't ready, though. It also looked fully formed and there were no visible issues with it...

"Let me see that." 

Amia's words made Hollem jump slightly, having not heard him wake up. Not really caring for the odd fruit, he handed it over right away, then watched as Amia sniffed the small portion he'd bitten off, then took a bite himself. He expected Amia to spit it out right away, but when his eyebrows rose with interest and he took another bite, Hollem frowned. 

"You actually like that? Surely it's not ripe. You will get a stomach ache if you eat it." He warned, earning a chuckle from Amia as the lad lifted the apple toward him slightly. 

"The magistrate brought a bushel of these the last time he visited. This one is definitely ripe, and pretty delicious." He said, making Hollem shake his head. 

"Why would he grow an apple that is sour instead of sweet? Surely the sweet ones are preferred." 

Amia shrugged at that before taking another bite, then promptly talking with his mouth full. "He said he wanted to see if it could be done." 

That made no sense to him, but to each their own, he supposed. If it made the man happy to desecrate perfectly good apples and turn them into such sour things, who was he to judge? 

"They are actually quite delicious when cooked. It takes away some of the tart flavor and brings back a decent bit of the sweetness." Amia said as he continued to work on the apple in silence. 

Hollem wasn't sure if he wanted to ruin other food by risking cooking such an odd apple with it, but maybe he would try it when they got back if the chef was keen on the idea. He also hadn't seen the odd apples at the brothel at all, so they must have sold out quickly and been well received. 

"Mmmphfh." Amia said as they rounded a corner at the crest of a hill and began descending, his arm lifting to point toward a large house far back beside a forest. 

"Indeed. I agree. That must be the magistrate's home." Hollem said, grinning as Amia elbowed him lightly in the side. 

They took a very brief to stop relieve themselves away from the orchard before finally making their way to the house. There was only a small old woman visible when they pulled up who was sweeping away on the front porch. 

When their horses came to a stop, she lifted her head and squinted at them, her eyes narrowing on Hollem first, before giving Amia the same look. 

"Why do I feel like she's sizing us up for a fight that we might not win?" Amia said as he slowly leaned back, hiding himself partially behind Hollem's larger form. 

The old woman eventually turned toward the door and hobbled inside. Hollem looked at Amia, frowning before hopping down from the bench seat. Before Amia started to follow him, but Hollem turned and reached up, grasping his waist to lift him down. 

"I'm not a fragile woman, Hollem." Amia chided, a light scowl on his face.

Instead of replying, Hollem just smiled and ruffled his hair. Amia shoved him, but it barely made Hollem sidestep before he chuckled and climbed the few stairs leading up to the door. Right as he lifted his hand to knock, Abel was pulling the door open, a wide smile on his face. 

"Hey guys, been a while. Come on in." He said as he took a step back and to the side, gesturing for them to come inside. 

Hollem followed Amia. The first thing he noticed was that it was a pretty clean home, which was surprising considering two men lived there. Maybe the old woman is the house keeper? He thought as he saw her glaring at him standing near where the entrance to the kitchen must have been. 

"Is something amiss, ma'am?" He asked, curious as to why she seemed to dislike them already. 

The woman pursed his lips and then licked them, lifting her gaze only slightly, as if she were deep in thought. When she seemed to have decided what she would say, she lifted a... shovel? and pointed the end at him. 

Isn't that heavy for an old lady? 

"I can't decide which of you I should hit with this." She said, as if it was the most normal thing to say in such a situation. 

Hollem frowned, looking sideways at Amia before stepping in front of him slightly. 

"I can assure you that we mean you no harm, ma'am." He said awkwardly, lifting his hands a little. 

The magistrate, Kirin, walked in at that moment, shaking his head as he reached over and took the shovel from the old woman. "I would say don't pay her any mind, but you definitely should. She'll find another weapon soon enough, though I'm not sure which of you she'll decide to target with it yet." 

Hollem couldn't believe that the woman was that aggressive, but she proved him wrong when she stuck her foot out right as Kirin walked by, heading toward the kitchen. He tripped and stumbled, but was seemingly used to such a trick because he didn't fall and, instead, regained his balance with a frustrated sigh. 

"Will you just go back to your home, madam? I can assure you that I am not defiling your prodigy when he doesn't wish me to." Kirin nearly yelled.

Hollem felt his face heat slightly at the same time the old woman snagged the shovel back and smacked Kirin's right ankle, making him curse and hop a few steps before disappearing into the kitchen. 

"I... have no interest in your prodigy?" Hollem stated hesitantly as he started side-stepping toward the kitchen, making sure that Amia was right behind him the entire time. 

The woman just rolled her eyes and stomped away, disappearing up the stairs faster than someone her age should have been able to. 

"Why is she so mean?" Hollem asked as he walked into the kitchen. 

Abel grinned and shrugged, but Kirin scowled. 

"She'll beat you senseless if she doesn't approve of you." He said, making Hollem frown. 

"She's only just met us, though." He said as he accepted the glass of water Kirin offered him. 

He nodded, but sighed at the same time. 

"She thinks that Abel is far too good for me and that I do terrible things to him." He said, making Abel lean over and press a kiss to his cheek. 

Hollem felt his face warm again as he glanced sideways at Amia. They had done some very terrible things the previous night that would, no doubt, get him physically reprimanded by the old woman. 

"Don't worry too much, I've hidden most of the things she could use as stabbing weapons, so you just have to worry about blunt force if she decides to go after you." Kirin said, making Hollem confused. 

"But... aren't you the magistrate? Can't you do something about her?" He asked as he sipped at the cool water in his glass. 

Kirin glared at Abel at that question, making the young man blush. 

"Someone likes having her around... and lady Lelynn has enough money to pay her bail for any basic charge I could post against her a thousand times over." He said as he picked up a bowl of cut fruits and gestured for them to follow him. 

Hollem did so after handing Amia the remaining half of his drink. They all sat down at the dinner table. 

"So, what brings you all the way out here?" Kirin asked as he took a bite of a slice of reddish-green apple. 

Hollem eyed the fruit suspiciously but then watched as Amia took a few slices and started munching. 

"We were out getting supplies yesterday morning and saw Lauriette at the rat poison dealer. I saw her purchase something, then hurry away. When we intercepted her as she got back to the brothel, she had no extra items on her person." 

Kirin slowly nodded, but didn't say anything, likely sensing that he had more to say. 

"That woman that you gave us to clean, Matilda, came up right away to fetch her, as if she were waiting for her to return." He said, drawing a raised eyebrow from Kirin and Abel, the later man leaning forward on the table with interest before he spoke. 

"She must have passed it off to someone or hidden it where it wasn't proper to search." Abel said, making Hollem nod as he reached for a small bundle of grapes. 

"We can return the day after tomorrow to see if we can find some clues as to where the poison has gone. Has she had any contact with your uncle, Amia? You said that he was causing trouble before, too." Kirin asked. 

Amia quickly shook his head. 

"Not that I know of, but he could have easily found her while she was out, which she was not supposed to be, by the way. Something is definitely fishy and I would not be surprised if all three of them were involved." 

I'm thinking the exact same thing. 

"Do you mind if we stay here for the evening?" Hollem asked as he noticed Amia yawn quietly behind his hand. 

He wouldn't mind driving the carriage back that night, but Amia would probably fall asleep again, even though he slept at least half of the way to the magistrate's house. He couldn't blame him, they'd been very active the previous night. 

"That's fine. There is a room at the top of the stairs on the left that isn't being used right now. Just remember to lock the door. Lady Lelynn will check, I promise. If you'd like to wash beforehand, there's a washroom right down the hall. Just pump the water into the tub, then unplug it to drain." He said, his smile tight on his lips before taking Abel's hand and disappearing outside. 

Hollem turned to find Amia already heading for the washroom, so he hurried to follow, especially since he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He slipped into the room and shut the door, sighing when he didn't hear anyone approach it from the other side. 

"I think I'm afraid of that old woman." He muttered before turning. 

That's a sight I'll never get tired of seeing. 

Amia was standing by the large tub, his shirt already folded sloppily on the counter as his hands reached for the buttons on his breeches. 

Why aren't we already back at the brothel and in my room? He questioned as he forced himself to behave. Instead of reaching for Amia, he scooted around him and began pumping the water from the spigot coming out of the wall. He'd never seen such an odd set up in a washroom, but it worked surprisingly well and no one had to carry water around to fill the tub. 

When it was at a decent level, he stopped and leaned back to sit on his heels, watching silently as Amia climbed into the tub, butt naked. Self control. That old lady will probably show up right as I reach for him... and he could use a few days to heal. I was kind of an asshole the other night. He told himself as he grabbed some soap and leaned over, dipping it in the water before lathering it into Amia's hair. 

The guy only protested for a few seconds, until Hollem started using his nails and really worked the soap in. Amia turned slightly and leaned against the tall edge of the tub after that, sighing with his eyes closed. 

He was just reaching for a small bowl to dip in the water in order to begin washing the soap out when he heard the door open behind him, freezing his actions. The faint knocking on the floorboards every few moments told him that the old woman had found another form of weapon, but instead of cower, he straightened his shoulders and handed Amia the bowl so that he could wash out the soap before turning to address the woman. 

"Can I help you, madam? We were just washing up before heading upstairs to rest before our journey back home tomorrow." He said, making sure to keep his body in front of Amia's as best he could, even though the important parts were beneath the soapy water. 

The woman was quiet for a long moment as he she leaned against the large fire-poker she's brought with her this time. 

"I expected you to both fit yourselves into that tub." She stated simply, as if she weren't suggesting untoward things between them. Not that she'd be wrong, but still. 

Hollem frowned and heard Amia chuckle quietly behind him. 

"We just wanted to wash up and get to bed. It's a day's ride back to where we live." He said with an awkward shrug. 

Lady Lelynn pursed her pale lips and lifted her chin slightly, eyeing them for another solid minute before letting out a rather odd sounding laugh. 

"I bet you two could teach that rabbit of a lawman how to behave. All he ever does is fornicate. I swear, if Abel were a female there would be too many children in this home to feed by now!" The woman yelled, stamping the fire poker on the floor for emphasis. 

Dear god, if only she knew. 

"I'm sure that he wouldn't do anything Abel doesn't want...?" He said hesitantly, not sure if he wanted to give the woman a chance to continue the odd conversation. 

 "Bah! He's got my poor prodigy brainwashed, but I'll teach him!" She said, shaking the fire poker in the air easily with her frail-looking hand. 

When Hollem just gave her an awkward smile, she grunted and grabbed the door handle. "Try to teach him a thing or two before you two leave in the morning, I am running out of weapons." She said before stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind her. 

Hollem slowly shook his head as Amia started laughing in earnest. 

"Shall we teach him something, hm?" He asked, only for Hollem's carefully-heald together mask to break. He, too, began laughing uncontrollably. 

"Dear god, she's going to beat us to death if we don't leave before sunrise."