Oh good.

Liftoff is a bit bumpy and there's a bit where they almost skid across the ground but once they're in the air the flight is relatively smooth.

He wants to be able to fly again.

A servant meets them at the door, doing their best to hide their alarm at whatever turn of events resulted in their guest being brought back by an armored hero, covered in bruises.

Well, are the servants going to ask any questions about it? "Thank you," he tells the hero, and he starts to pull off the borrowed shirt.

That would be rude! He has another shirt on underneath, right?

Yes. "This belongs to - one of Lord Metcalfe's friends, I've forgotten which one."

"We'll see that it's clean and returned."

"Thank you."

Seeing Haru safely returned the armored figure takes off for parts unknown.

He goes to crash for the night. It's late and he's a bit beat up.

In the morning, an invitation is conveyed to him to have breakfast with Lady Oakhill in her private dining room.

Sure, he will drag himself into some clothes and to the manor for breakfast.

There's oatmeal and milk and bread and various jams and fruits.

"Good morning - I hear your last evening was rather eventful and I'd like to apologize for not heading such events off."

"I was expecting a tedious evening trying to kill deer, not highway banditry." Oatmeal and fruit, yum.

"I'd assume that was the plan but it seems Mr. Metcalfe wanted to get started on my least favorite courting season tradition a bit early."

"It's traditional?"

"More or less - not all nobility in the area will engage in such activities but a solid portion will take part in criminal activities and another smaller portion will attempt to stop them, or at least to mitigate the damage."

"Well, I guess I'm at least glad the vigilante law enforcement is traditional to match."

"There's an amount of similar activities outside of London's courting season but gathering everyone of courting age together teends to exaggerate the practice."

"Outside the season the relevant sort of young person doesn't have so many like-minded friends nearby?"

"Yes, and typically has to deal with any commoners they encounter on a more permanent basis, being on their own land rather than in London."

"And whoever's responsible for the Londoners is not interested in curbing this."

"The king doesn't have the influence to do so, even if he had the desire."

"Of all the situations in which to have an inadequate central monarchy."

"My understanding is that wars were a lot worse for commoners - and even today I expect that failure to properly govern does more damage than outright villainy, although they do likely stem from similar underlying causes."