The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 153 - I’m Not Paranoid! There *Is* No Such Thing As A Sweet Snake

Chapter 153: Chapter 153 - I’m Not Paranoid! There *Is* No Such Thing As A Sweet Snake

--->

"Shall we begin with a tour?"

A young and cloyingly saccharine voice echoed within the empty entrance hall. Dima found herself staring fixedly at the well polished stone floors, trying to spot any sign of recent construction dust or wear. Anything to make the experience feel *natural* and not like a feverdream.

But there wasn’t even a partial footprint from the entrance - or a single scuff on the stone. The place was new but it was also all too immaculate.

"As you probably know, the first floor will primarily serve as a reception area and a meeting space for visiting Guild members."

The brunette gestured to some already placed furniture meant for the gathering spot. A half dozen elegant chairs and a well waxed table were arranged in a grouping. The backs of the seats were carved with the Guild’s serpentine motif, just like the one on the faces of the building.

’Everything looks as if it has been staged by an expert designer. Even though the rest of the place feels too empty, it doesn’t feel odd that these are placed right here. Which... is itself odd?’

The former liaison was having a lot of trouble finding a fault - even though it felt like there should be one. She worried that she was looking for something where there was nothing... that she wished for a sign of smoke so she could find the fire that had to be there.

"When did these furnishings arrive?"

She had an instinct that things were simply *off* and so decided to ask that question.

"Oh, I can answer that. Everything was delivered to the estate and arranged to be moved here this morning. My lady and the Dame Goltbred thought that this spot seemed best."

A mortal servant answered as she appeared, coming in from a back entrance with a tea tray. She set it on the table and divided out the two cups - as if she’d done it for the pair a thousand times. The young brunette teenager smiled and spoke directly to her personal attendant.

"Thank you."

The Coiled Serpent member felt a little out of her depth but nodded and repeated the expression of gratitude. She’d had men offer her drinks plenty of times before during work, but she did not come from a family rich enough to have *servants*. She was also pretty sure she had not seen many people in her time thanking them for their tasks.

The tea she took a careful sip of was wonderfully fragrant and delicious... though the uncontrolled moment where she felt that this was the perfect setup for a trap ruined her first sip.

’There hardly seems like a need to have arranged all this just to poison me... right?’

Her eyes cautiously shifted between the prodigious newcomer to the Guild and the person who served the drink. The standing woman was tapping her finger against her lips while dazed off in her own thoughts.

"I don’t quite remember seeing the building itself before this morning. Isn’t it amazing what a construction Guild can accomplish?"

The casual comment, delivered as she set the teacup down, made Dima’s skin crawl... and she was glad that the servant had the presence of mind to wait for her to swallow the liquid! She didn’t know *that* much about the methods of the Earthen Fellowship or the smaller operating construction guilds...

But she did know that buildings did not just sprout overnight!

"Yes, it turned out quite lovely. The acoustics are particularly good."

Elua er Goltbred continued the conversation without letting the silence lull for too long. As if to make the point, her voice carried cleanly over the table despite its soft tone. She gestured in the direction of part of the empty first floor.

"Though for the reception we should probably do some custom sigil work. That is, to make it perfect for negotiations or... other private conversations."

The heiress seemed oblivious to how her words made Dima’s heart stop. Something about how she spoke the last words reminded her of being pressured much too near the train tracks. When they finished their cups, the young girl led her toward the sweeping staircase that led up the multi-floor building.

The manager found herself counting the stairs while trying to find some flaw in their alignment. But like everything else so far, it was all perfect. The emptiness of the building only emphasized its perfection.

No echoing footsteps of workers trying to finish a wall or hang a door. No strong lingering scent of fresh paint. Just a surprisingly vast, pristine space waiting to be filled with activity to be overseen by a branch manager. A great opportunity!

’As if such things are given so freely! That is clearly why I think something *must* be afoot. After all, I-’

"The second floor will house our research facilities and the library."

The cheerful voiced brunette explained to her lucky victim while breaking the woman out of her negativity. They only stopped to look around briefly at the empty corridors that led to many pre-sectioned room until they continued up the stairs.

"And of course, both of our offices are on the third floor. Would you like to pick which one you prefer?"

Once again, the woman had a seemingly unwarranted inkling of a trap being sprung. Something about the question reminded her of an ancient story she once read. Former enemies met to hash out their differences. The more devious one offered the man to pick from two cups of the served wine.

Both cups had been poisoned. The moral seemed to be, in her opinion, that people of ancient times were insane.

The mint-eyed teenager led her to examine two office spaces that were, just as she feared, identical in almost every way. Their size seemed the same. The two window placements were not any different in comparison to doorway and wall lengths.

One set even looked down onto essentially the same view of the street below. Even the desks were carved with matching serpentine motifs. She stopped herself from searching them both for dangerous rituals carved into the wood... but only just barely.

"The rooms are... exactly alike."

Dima admitted with a calm enough voice, despite not feeling relieved in the slightest. She just knew that something was amiss. Her womanly intuition was screaming at her. It was even more certain when the short teenager had ’pride’ in her *friendly* voice.

"Oh yes. The Goltbred family wanted to ensure proper accommodations for both the branch manager and research coordinator. Though, if you have any necessary preferences..."

The implicit reminder of who had funded this building made Dima’s stomach clench. Was that what was wrong with everything? Now... she was being *allowed* to choose - being given the ’illusion’ of authority. She gestured to one of the offices, trying to sound decisive and coming up with a reason on the spot.

"Perhaps this one? The window with the morning light seems better for early paperwork."

"Excellent choice! I was truly hoping you’d select that one."

The smile on the heiress widened and the former liaison felt like she was staring at a viper! It didn’t help that everyone over this last half year or so started calling the young trainees ’little snake’ all because of the girl’s existence.

Dima loathed snakes... as much as she feared them. And she really wished that the top sigilist Guild on the continent could have been named after something different.

’Things never work out so lucky in my life. I always have to work hard... and still don’t get everything I want.’

The woman pointed across to the other room with a deceptively calm voice and pose.

"Why wouldn’t you want me to take this one?"