They got Shalan's address from the guild receptionist.
What Altaïr found a little curious was that Mr. Gordon and Ms. Hayata had not purchased any property in Mezeporta.
After all, they spent most of their time traveling and rarely lived in Mezeporta. For years, they had simply rented a Hunter Cabin at the local Guild Hall.
Lady Shalan, however, had spent quite a bit of money on a pretty little house in Mezeporta's Lynian district as part of her pursuit of what she called "quality living."
Not that she had spent more than a few days there...
—--
Following the route provided by the guild receptionist, Altaïr and Sajji made their way to the Lynian district and soon found the beautiful little two-story house.
Green ivy draped the neat redbrick walls, while colorful flowers bloomed across the roof and throughout the yard.
The little wooden gate, barely over a meter tall, was painted the blue of a clear sky. A small flower basket hung from it, and the mere sight of it lifted the spirits.
Gazing at the exquisite little building, so unlike the drab Lynian homes around it, Altaïr and Sajji exchanged looks.
"Lady Shalan really... likes gardening, huh?"
"Lady Shalan probably didn't do it herself, meow. The flower basket on the gate looks like Uruki handiwork, meow. Uruki gardeners probably tended the plants in the yard and on the roof too, meow."
Having studied under Shalan for a time and being, in a sense, half her student, Sajji knew his informal mentor rather well.
He could not picture Shalan holding a little trowel and hoe as she dug, fertilized, and weeded beneath the blazing sun. An Uruki gardener doing all the work while Shalan stood off to the side giving orders came much more readily to mind.
"You go knock. I'm afraid I'll trample the flowers and Lady Shalan will make me pay for them," Altaïr told Sajji, half joking.
Sajji scratched his ear, followed the stone path, which was far too narrow for a human, to the front door, and rang the small brass bell hanging beside it.
"Ding-a-ling..."
No one answered.
Sajji looked back at Altaïr, then rang the bell again. After a few more seconds, a somewhat impatient voice finally came from inside.
"Who is it, meow? Didn't I tell you to just put letters in the mailbox, meow?"
The door opened a crack, and a pair of round feline eyes appeared behind it.
When the owner of those eyes recognized the visitors, she froze for a moment, then pulled the door open. "You two, meow? When did you get to Mezeporta, meow?"
"Good morning, Lady Shalan, meow!" Sajji waved a paw in greeting.
Still standing outside the little yard, Altaïr raised the elegant glass bottle in his hand. "Lady Shalan, this is a fur-care ointment we bought in Port Tanzia. It's said to be made from rendered Gobul fat, and it works extremely well."
Before boarding the Airship, they had not known they would be coming to Mezeporta, so naturally, they had not prepared any souvenirs.
Pawdrick had strongly urged Altaïr to buy the ointment for Sajji. As a long-haired Felyne, Sajji needed regular grooming to keep his fur from growing dry and matted.
Sajji had not gotten around to using it yet and did not feel like bothering, so he readily volunteered it as a gift.
That approach did not work as well with Mr. Gordon and Ms. Hayata, since neither of them cared much about gifts. Lady Shalan, however, was different.
Shalan came bounding out and took the ointment from Altaïr's hands.
"Huh, meow? Gobul fat from the Sea Anemone House, meow? You have good taste, meow. Mine was just about to run out, and I was thinking of asking someone to pick some up for me in Port Tanzia, meow.
I'm quite pleased, meow. Come in and sit... Never mind, meow. I don't have any chairs you can sit on, meow. Let's go somewhere else, meow."
—--
Shalan led Altaïr and Sajji to rest beneath a large tree not far from the Lynian district, and even bought each of them an ice cream cone.
Altaïr's expression turned strange. He felt as though she were treating him like a child.
"We heard from the guild receptionist that Mr. Gordon and Ms. Hayata had gone out on a quest. Lady Shalan, why didn't you go with them?"
Altaïr did not dare ask directly, "What happened to your fur this time?" He feared touching a sore spot for the sensitive and beauty-conscious Felyne elder.
Shalan keenly noticed that Altaïr and Sajji kept glancing at her.
She hopped onto the flower bed beneath the large tree, folded her arms, and said indignantly, "Was that guild receptionist bad-mouthing me again, meow?
There's absolutely nothing wrong with me, meow! I was just a little tired, and Hayata told me to rest for a while, meow!
Honestly, why does everyone act as though every time I rest, it's because something is wrong with my fur, meow?!"
Despite her protestations, the veiled hat on Shalan's head and the small shawl draped around her did nothing to support her claim.
"Enough about me, meow. What brings you two to Mezeporta, meow? Did just the two of you come? You don't look like you're here to have fun, meow."
Altaïr briefly explained their current quest.
Shalan blinked and pricked up her ears. "Escorting the Diva? That Diva can be rather troublesome, meow."
Altaïr was briefly taken aback.
He had not come looking for information, but since Lady Shalan knew something, he could hardly pass up the opportunity. "What do you mean by troublesome?"
"Well, that isn't quite fair, meow. The Diva herself is fine. She's quiet, and she gets along well with Hayata, meow. The real problem is the group of Felynes around her. They often cause trouble behind the Diva's back, meow.
Years ago, something weighed on the Diva's heart and left her unable to sing. Those Felynes tried to get Dragonwood from a Yama Tsukami to make her an outfit, meow. They only enraged the Monster and caused all kinds of trouble, meow.
That was not the only time, meow."
"..." Altaïr's expression shifted.
He had a bad feeling about this.
Could the "bit of trouble" the Professor had mentioned refer to the troublemaking Felynes around the Diva?
Sajji also looked visibly uneasy. "If one Diva is already this much trouble, wouldn't putting two Divas together double it, meow?"
"Two Divas, meow?"
"Yes. The Diva from Dundorma is also here. It seems they're going somewhere together to perform a ritual through song."
"Now this is getting interesting, meow..." Shalan's eyes darted about as she thought.
The Felynes around the Diva spent all day in a feverish state, proclaiming, "Lady Diva is the greatest in the world!" and "Devote everything to Lady Diva, meow!" Shalan had always found them rather irritating.
The Diva truly was remarkable, however. Her singing could not only soothe the heart but also carried a mysterious blessing. It was somewhat like the encouragement dance of a Dancing Felyne, but its effect was far stronger and lasted much longer. That was why she was hailed as the "Diva" rather than simply a singer.
When it came to experience, ability, or renown, the Diva of Dundorma far surpassed the Diva in Mezeporta. Shalan desperately wanted to see how those Felynes would boast about their "little Diva" in front of Dundorma's "great Diva."
"It's decided, meow!" Shalan planted her paws on her hips and puffed out her chest. "I'm coming with you, meow!"
"Huh? But..."
"Just say I'm your Palico too, meow. Isn't it normal for a Hunter to bring two Palicos? With a great Palico like me around, the quest will go more smoothly, right, meow? I'm also familiar with that Diva, meow. If the Felynes around her try to cause trouble, I can help you beat them up, meow!"
Hearing Shalan's proposal, Altaïr felt tempted. As a bodyguard, he would have to remain close to both Divas. If the Felynes around the Diva really tried to start something, he would have a hard time keeping the situation under control. Lady Shalan, however, could probably keep them in line. From what he knew of her, seizing the moral high ground so she could bully others was precisely the sort of thing she enjoyed most.
"Let's go, let's go, meow. It's settled, meow! I'll talk to the Guild staff myself, show them my Palico rank, and scare them to death, meow!"