Esmerelda’s eyes widened. Her mouth hung open for a second.
“Jackie?” Esmerelda prompted in an almost whisper.
Kate watched with disinterest. She had seen this more than enough to know it always sucked. But this ‘so-called’ Esmerelda was going through something every other fresh widower did, at least when Kate had been playing the messenger. First there was disbelief that something wrong had occurred. Then there was hope that somehow the recipient had misunderstood the messenger’s intent. Then came an encroaching horror and grief.
It. Always. Sucked.
But, it was Jackie’s business, not Kates.
Kate pounded her drink and resisted the sudden urge to belch.
***
***
“Jackie?”
Esmerelda asked in a whisper, barely audible over the tavern’s din.
Esmerelda’s lips were quivering. There was too much white showing about her damp eyes. Her brow was glistening.
She had begun to stink, but from the lack of reactions of those around me, it was clear they caught none of it. It was a ripe smell, of decomposing vegetation and grasping mud. My nostrils flared and twitched. Esmerelda saw my reaction although she misinterpreted them.
“Please stop joking,” Esmerelda said, almost pleading.
Kate chose that time to intervene with a restrained burp.
“Not a joke,” Kate said. “Don’t know what happened, exactly, but Marianne’s not here.”
Esmerelda’s brow twitched. The stench of grasping mud became reminiscent of rot.
Kate held up her hands as though to allay her. “Hey, yeah it sucks, but what would you have us do, lie?”
“Of course not,” Esmerelda said. She turned her piercing glare towards me. I swallowed, suddenly feeling as though I were swimming at a great depth. “Jackie. I trusted you–Marianne trusted you–and you just… left her? Abandoned her?!”
I forced myself to breathe, helping to calm my distraught heart.
“This was not by choice,” I said. “At least, it was not mine.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Throwing me under the cart, but sure, that’s fine. I made the decision to save you. Situation was messy. Didn’t get a chance to even see where the others got off to. I had to move so I moved.”
Esmerelda switched her focus to Kate.
“Sir Guardson? What caused this sense of immediacy that drove such rashness?”
Kate frowned, mouthing Esmerelda’s question silently. Before Esmerelda could assume Kate was mocking, I explained the question to Kate while providing an initial explanation. And if that explanation shifted more of Esmerelda’s ire towards someone else, then all the better.
“We were accosted by an alchemist,” I said. “During the altercation, we were separated and I twas wounded.”
As I began to explain, Kate tensed, as though she feared that I would reveal incriminating details. When I finished, she relaxed, if slightly.
“Yeah, that,” Kate said in agreement. “Just look at her arm. Jackie definitely got it the worst.”
Kate lifted up my left arm, the one that provided tactile sensations and obeyed my commands, one that seemed to be an actual replacement instead of the parasite I had previously for an arm. The only sign that the arm was less was its slightly transparent nature.
After some discussion, Esmerelda still appeared out of sorts.
At one point, a serving girl, the one related to Tiffany Digger, came by to refill Kate’s drink. When the girl’s back was to Kate, she sneered towards me. This reaction confused me as I had not done anything to earn this animosity. But then, I supposed that Tiffany had always disliked me. Jealousy made fools of many.
Eventually, Esmerelda directed her questions towards practicalities.
“Were any of these alchemist-types still alive when you left?”
Kate shrugged, “Not that I saw, but it’s a big place.”
“And how were you separated?”
“They ambushed us with a vapor of some sort,” I answered this time, shaking off the serving girl’s animosity. “It caused extreme fear and hysteria. Gregory and Marianne were fleeing the last I saw.”
“They’re probably still down there somewhere, but I had to get back. Jackie was in a bad way.”
Esmerelda paused, looking over me once more. The swamp-scent shifted to contain a hint of almonds. After she finished, she frowned. “You said Jackie was wounded, but she appears in good health.”
“Maybe now she does,” Kate said. “She spent over a day out of it. Had to carry her. Whatever it was that happened to her knocked her out hard. Took all my elixirs and luck to keep her breathing.”
The scent of almonds retreated, along with the worst of it. Esmerelda sighed and deflated, still appearing sorrowful.
“It appears that this is a matter of extreme misfortune. I am still bothered that half your group was abandoned. I doubt I’ll be the only one with such complaints either.”
“That’s the truth, “ Kate grumbled into her drink. “Not looking forward to telling Gregory’s dad.”
“I would imagine not… I am surprised that you have not gathered knights to descend once more. This failure must hurt your pride fiercely.”
Kate’s grumbling gained in volume. “If we could even find where we left them. Place is a maze down there.”
Esmerelda rocked her jaw, glancing towards me.
“Yes. But some of us are better at tracking than others.”
This insinuation surprised me as I had never shared that tidbit with Esmeralda. It left me wondering just how much the woman knew. She always seemed a bit of a light-hearted fool at the surface level, but I was no stranger to hiding beneath a false show.
Kate scoffed and waved the bar for another round.
“Before you drown yourself completely,” Esmerelda said, nodding towards Kate’s cup. “What can you tell me about the path you took?”
“Whaddya mean?” Kate asked.
“I mean, which elevator did you take and which entrance did you use?”
“Eh? But… why?”
Esmerelda sighed.
“I think it is rather obvious,” Esmerelda said. “I will descend to find and retrieve her myself.”
My mouth opened and hung there, if just for a second. Esmerelda may have been competent, perhaps even more so than I thought, but to venture so deep on her own, for such a small chance of success, seemed borderline madness. I struggled to believe that she was serious.
“Pfeh,” Kate snorted a laugh. “Good luck then.”
If Esmerelda followed through on this, then this was worrisome for several reasons, only the least of them being my concern for Esmerelda’s well-being. Similar to Kate, I made an attempt to dissuade such a foolish course of action.
“I hate to bring up such a terrible thing, but how would you find her?”
What I did not have the courage to ask, but which likely came across regardless, was that a rescue mission may start in vain, if Marianne no longer drew breath.
Esmerelda frowned at me, piercing through my motivations with her swamp green and brown eyes. I thought for a moment that I had erred greatly, but then Esmerelda relented.
Instead of reprimanding me for selfish cowardice, Esmerelda pulled out an amulet with a small pale blue gem veined with green. Other than the coloration, it seemed plain.
“In this I have some advantage,” Esmerelda said. She gestured to the amulet and explained. “Marianne and I wear paired trinkets. It will draw me to its twin.”
“What?” Kate said, sounding surprised. “Why would you, no, how could you shell out for something like that?”
The trinkets, if functional, would be quite valuable. Especially if they remained connected through miles of stone.
Esmerelda put the amulet away and responded with a wry grin that seemed overly false and tight. “Well, a lady needs to keep at least some of her secrets… but I think it’s obvious how I came by my wealth?”
Kate furrowed her brow, then gave a boyish grin.
“If that’s the case, then your work pays better than I thought,” Kate said.
I shook off that byplay and raised a final concern. I would hate to see ill befall Esmerelda, especially after all she had done for me.
“Esmerelda,” I said, drawing the large woman’s attention once more. “There were beasts and vagabonds down below. Are you prepared to defend yourself on your way?”
Esmerelda gave something between a smirk and a snarl, although she did not show any animosity. It reminded me of a predator tasting air. Where the corner of her lip curled, it showed a cruel glint of tooth.
The scent of almonds washed outwards, enough so that Kate seemed to notice. A sneeze came from a nearby table.
Later that night, I stumbled upstairs to the shared bunk-room.
If one were to see me plod forward, they might mistake me for drunk. However, that was far from the truth. While I had imbibed in strong liquors, I had never felt the alcohol, merely the buzz of sugar mixing with severe fatigue. As it was, I was anticipating falling asleep in my own bed, as meager as that bed was.
But when I opened the bunk-room door, I was hit with waves of body odor and grease, as well as hints of feminine hygiene. With the medley of stink, I paused, adapting, resisting the urge to wrinkle my nose as stench accosted me.
During this time, I noted that the room remained empty. It was expected, as the tavern remained open for another hour or more.
Despite the stink, my eyes were closing of their own volition, even as I stood. I entered the room and opened the window and then turned to my bed.
The bed was un-made, sloppily so.
The sheets ruffled, the blanket tangled at the foot of it, the pillow yellowed with body-ash.
Why?
It failed to make any sense. There was no shortage of beds. Why would someone claim one already owned by someone else?
A thought occurred to me. I found myself drifting to the foot of the bed, where a trunk had been shoved beneath the frame. It no longer sat at a perfect angle to the wall. I checked the contents, but I already knew the results. It was more that I needed to weigh the extent of the violation to personal belongings.
Of course, the trunk’s keyhole was scratched and the trunk was unlocked.
I slipped my knife from my hip and gingerly felt about the crease. Nothing caught. It would be madness for the trunk to be trapped. Just to be safe, though, I took caution in opening it.
I clenched my eyes and focused on calming myself. I counted backwards from five.
The contents had been fondled by dirty hands. My outfits had been unfolded, rumpled, several were stained by dirty fingers, and a spare tunic was missing.
Did the culprit think I would never return? They must have, to be so emboldened so carelessly.
I was thankful that I had been wise enough to leave nothing of value behind in the trunk.
I decided to deal with the matter in the morning, with a refreshed mind. While my annoyance could have kept me going for another few hours, I would be operating on fumes, prone to making mistakes.
I found another bed, a top bunk near the opened window. The sheets were dusty, but they were better than dealing with the other girl’s stink, and the crossbreeze from the window helped.
There was barely enough time for me to fume and wonder what this other girl had been thinking before I fell asleep.
… I slept far more deeply than I normally would have.
This would have ordinarily been fine and well within reasonable expectations. One has a harrowing ordeal, returns home, and then rests heavily.
The next morning, my face and scalp felt heavy. My sense of hearing and smell were muted. There was an overpowering scent of tar.
It took seconds for me to unpack these unexpected sensations.
Slowly, ever so cautiously, I brought a hand to my face.
Heavy. Damp. Sticky.
A growl escaped my throat. My teeth ached and my tongue longed for blood. My body tensed and shuddered while I wrestled my disgust and loathing. I tried to remember Mother’s lessons. I needed to understand the situation, the nuances, before I went and risked taking action.
Gingerly, I prodded my eyes.
My eyelids were largely unobstructed. I pried them open with my fingers and only lost a few lashes. It could have been far worse. Whoever did this could have suffocated me while I slept. That did not ameliorate my anger, but perhaps I would stop short of murder.
I opened my eyes and discovered more of my situation.
It was late morning, the staff already up and working; I was the only one remaining in this bunk-room.
The substance covering my face and hair appeared to be some manner of semi-solid brown oil. It was sticky and heavy and while not as bad as tar was still quite awful.
Did someone think this was a prank? I wondered. Or was it more of a hazing? Regardless, I knew my first course of action, and it was not revenge nor investigation.
I went straight to the communal baths.
It took two hours of scrubbing, shampooing, soaking, and rinsing, to finally get free of the substance, and even then I was forced to exfoliate heavily. By the time I left the baths, my skin and hair were still slightly stained and I could not remove the scent completely.
On my way out that afternoon, Tiffany’s relative caught sight of me and made a show of suppressing a laugh at my expense. Were that not proof enough, her palms bore the same discoloration as my face and I could smell her from yards off.
At least I knew who to blame. I would deal with her later.
Even without a delayed start that morning, I would not have attended the academy that morning. Kate had mentioned that my Guise might be weak in its current form, and I agreed that it felt shoddy. I feared scrutiny.
My Guise may have gotten past the so-called scryers which Kate informed me about, but in its current state, my Guise was more illusion and less shaped flesh.
In hindsight, falling asleep in that room had been risky for this reason alone. I had not tested if this new version of my Guise would remain active while I slept.
Fortunately my Guise had remained in place while I slept.
I still decided to expedite my search for alternative living arrangements. That led me to my first task that morning after I left Ma’Ritz.
I asked around until I found one of several community boards for Blossom Hill. These boards allowed residents to post fliers for miscellaneous chores and tasks and boot-legged services. Judging from how these boards tended to be tucked behind buildings beyond the view of the main-street, I doubted these boards were of good repute.
As for available spaces to lodge, there were none. In the affluent neighborhoods, one did not simply rent their lodging. The closest to that was Ma’Ritz, followed by a competing brothel.
It surprised me. There were no apartments to rent on this side of Southbridge.
That is not to say that there were no lodgings that could be rented, but that they were much more of an ordeal to obtain.
In Southbridge, there was an expectation for single entities to form a contract and live beneath the roof of a governess. As far as I could tell, these were managed homes where a widow or spinster could rent rooms without suffering injuries to their reputation. These contracts were only available in the long term, and required one or more letters of introduction.
This frustrated me.
I had a sizeable amount of fluid wealth, I could afford outrageous living prices. I needed a secure place to live which would avoid leaving me at the mercy of another party.
The inability to rent simple accommodations was madness. Utter preposterous madness.
With my initial failure upon Blossom Hill, I looked further afield.
In the less affluent neighborhoods at the bottom of the hill, there seemed to be a word-of-mouth network that could be used to find spare bedrooms. Typically, one would go into a taproom, buy a few rounds and ask about, then have a local agree to host them for remuneration. This method was far riskier for women than men, but even for men it was not completely safe.
In Southbridge, it was not that inns were a foreign concept, but that travel lodgings were most commonly available in the mercantile quarters. I was still considering this option as I finished my search for the day.
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I had other options as well.
There was Kate, but there had been a gleam in her eye when I mentioned it to her, which somewhat scared me as she knew what I was. I doubted I could ever forget how she had slapped a collar on my neck, even if that had been in the past under separate circumstances.
There was also Laverna’s Cup, but that would significantly limit my personal freedom and would bind me to the crew more strongly than I was now. It would put me thoroughly at their mercy, and they were not a crowd that I would normally trust.
Then there was my current accommodation at Ma’Ritz. Even if I found a new living arrangement within the week, I would still spend several nights at Ma’Ritz, or I would have liked to. However, if I would continually risk vandalism, then I would rather sleep on a rooftop somewhere, or break into an abandoned living quarters somewhere.
This was why, after I finished seeking and failing to find alternative living accommodations, I returned to Ma’Ritz with the intention of securing my personal safety in the short term.
I refused to deal with someone vandalizing or pranking my body. I could not allow this to happen again, or I would be liable to commit great violence. My fingernails seemed to lengthen at the thought, my talons almost showing. I could feel the muscles in my arm and back tighten and flex in anticipation of slashing a young girl’s throat. The fact that I could visualize this so readily concerned me.
Was Kate rubbing off on me?
Having failed to find an immediate place to live, I returned to Ma’Ritz.
If I were to sleep here, then I needed to ensure the previous night would not be repeated. That was why I headed towards the back, where Ma’s office was kept. I was uncomfortable with this, and I had to continually self-motivate. Something about the woman was uncomfortable to be around, but in this case, the discomfort was worthwhile.
I paused after I reached the door to the Madame’s office. I fortified myself once more, and during this time I could not help but hear the woman within. Her breathing was always too-loud, and her chair squeaked and groaned.
I raised my hand to knock, but Ma’s contralto voice beat me to it.
“It’s unlocked,” Ma spoke loudly through the office door. “Just get in already and stop wasting time.”
She had a way with words.
I entered the room.
Every time I saw this space, I marveled at how a low tech world could derive a wall of security monitors. Of course there were differences in implementation, the monitors in Ma’s office were artificed mirror filled pipes and a final projection on an opaque screen. The image quality was grainy, blurred where dust had fallen within the pipework, but otherwise functional. They showed most of the brothel’s rooms, halls, dining room, and tavern floor.
Notably, one screen showed the hallway just outside of the office, which would have been how Ma had noticed my presence.
“Ma’am,” I said, giving a short curtsy. “Thank you for taking time to see me.”
“Just say whatever it is already. I don’t have time for your song and dance, girl.”
I blinked as she spoke. I had forgotten Ma’s blunt manner. A direct approach with her would be best.
“Last night after I retired, while I slept–”
“Crown, girl. I said–know what–don’t bother finishing. I know all about the sealing grease little Digger used on you last night. It made a mess in the bathing chambers, and shampoo’s not cheap. I’m inclined to have you pay for that, by the way.”
“What?” I asked.
“Not hard to understand, is it? You used more soap and water than most girls do in a week. Makes sense you’d pay for that.”
“And of the girl who made the original mess? Who assaulted me while I slept?”
“Assault might be a little much. Not like the peacekeepers’ll care, nor the knights. Although you do have that friend of yours…” Ma trailed off.
“Regardless, the entire fault rests with Tiffany’s cousin. It should be her that pays for cleaning the mess.”
“It’s Tiffany’s niece, actually, but sure. Makes sense.”
“Then why say I should pay?”
“Because you’re the reason I’ve been having so many irritating problems and headaches!”
“If you are referring to the mess, that is hardly fair.”
“That mess is just the most recent, even if it’s the least of it. I see from your daft face you need some help remembering. It all started when you caught the eye of the Garnets. Or was it the baron’s men? Either way, you caused problems with both groups and that was a hassle.” She held up her hands to stop me from protesting. “Now I know, you were only doing your job. It’s why I didn’t throw you to the curb. But the problems keep coming! Now Marianne is missing her shifts and I’m having to balance shifts, and to top it all off, Esmerelda just up and left! Abandoned a scheduled client last night and this morning too. She was a favorite in certain circles. Where’ll I find a girl like that? Don’t see you volunteering, and it’s not like I can use my own fat self. It’s all such a pain.”
A pause.
“Esmerelda left?”
I had known she was planning on doing so, but I had also thought she would make preparations, or at the very least say farewell. Instead, we parted with some unresolved bitterness between us.
“So you didn’t know about that either.” Ma sounded slightly mollified. “She had always been so reliable too. Either way though, the blame for that is yours.”
I wanted to dispute that, ask how, but if I did so then she would invent a reason which would solidify her own opinion even further. Instead, I needed to parry the blame to a near target. It was a similar tactic that I had used with Esmerelda.
“It was Sir Guardson. She set us upon the excursion to the Under, and the subsequent decision to return without Marianne.”
“Yes, yes, I know that. But why was that illuminated and blessed scion looking this way to begin with?” She stressed the words to convey scorn.
I canted my head. The woman sitting in her chair, straining the seat with her girth, stank of stress and anxiety. There was a hint of worry there as well. As her establishment and livelihood was in no sign of obvious danger, I came to a conclusion.
“You fear for Esmerelda’s and Marianne’s safety.”
Ma deflated just slightly, although her gimlet eyes remained just as sharp. “Yes. That I do. As would any reasonable friend and colleague!”
“I believe Esmerelda is more capable than she appears.”
“Don’t have to tell me that. I know it… still worried,” she muttered.
After a pause filled with Ma glaring at me, seeming to dare me to say something, she seemed to reach some internal decision. She then swiveled her chair to point at a slate hanging from the wall. It was composed of a crude calendar and shifts chalked in. There were several notable holes in the schedule.
“You want me to stop that petty bullying?” Ma said.
I nodded, as that much should be clear and safe to admit.
“Then you’ll help with this. Since you helped make the problem, it’s the least you could do.”
“I will not debase myself by working–” I began.
“-yeah yeah, I know. No whoring for you, too good for that. Whatever. I’m talking about picking up Marianne’s shifts. I can shift another of the girls to help step in for Esmerelda. Still a pain though. Having to explain to patrons why their favorite’s gone and they have an ill-experienced substitute. Count yourself lucky you’re only running drinks. It’s me that’s suffering here.”
That did seem fair. And it had been less than proper for me to denigrate the source of income for both Ma and many of her employees.
“Will I have any other duties?”
“Maybe. Might need security again later in the week.”
In recent months, the peacekeepers and the knights had been competing to police the hill. This had significantly improved the safety of Blossom Hill, especially at nights. And as the peacekeepers could no longer connive with criminals to shake out vendors for ‘their honest due,’ which was essentially a protection racket by a different name, things had been much improved. Ma had no longer felt compelled to provide additional security to the establishment’s environs.
“Why would I need to work security again?” I asked, suddenly concerned.
“It’ll either happen or it won’t. Now get to it!” She clapped her meaty palms to make a juicy smack.
According to the schedule, my ‘shift’ had already started by the time I had left Ma’s office.
The fact that she had an open slot for me on her calendar meant that she was expecting to convince me to work even before I dropped by. It also meant that she had to have had incentives prepared beforehand in order to convince me. It left me wondering if the sealing grease had been something she was in on, just so she could conveniently put an end to a little harmless hazing.
It gave me something to think about as I made my way to the tavern.
As I walked past the kitchen, a familiar husky voice called out in greetings.
“Kitten!” Cook called through the closed swing-doors. “Come, come in! This one insists.”
I slowed down but never stopped, planning to continue past the kitchens altogether. “Unfortunately I am behind schedule,” I answered. “Might we hold our discussion for later?”
“Perhaps,” Cook answered in a sly tone. “But this one received a message in your stead while the kitten was gone.”
A message? I had not been expecting anything of the sort, although I supposed that ramifications for the failed excursion had yet to make themselves known. Even then, though, there was no reason for a message to be left with the Kaiva kunbeorn. Not unless the sender knew more about me than they should.
“I suppose my duties will hold for another minute,” I said.
I pushed through the door to the kitchen. A wave of spice and something else washed over me. The scent came rich and pungent, reminiscent of curried fish, despite the fact that fish had never been on the menu of this landlocked city. Strange. It tickled my nostrils, making me sneeze.
I sneezed, then sneezed again, just barely covering my face in time, angling away from the sauce pots and prepping table. My cheeks warmed and I had trouble meeting Cook’s eyes.
“Apologies,” I said immediately. “I am unsure what came over me.” Although I suspected I had caught a scent off of Cook, considering that it grew stronger in her proximity.
Cook waved the apology off, uncaring. She set down a lid on a sauce pot and turned her attention towards me. She examined me, partially encircling as she did. She tapped my shoulder with a mostly clean wooden spoon. I was about to protest when she slapped the spoon against my tail-bone.
I jumped and twisted, almost yelping but not quite.
“Ha!” Cook laughed, her whiskers twitching, “Kitten’s face!”
“Inappropriate!” I stuttered. My spine smarted after that, even if it had been a light swat. I rubbed my lower back. “Why would you–”
“-Because kitten has changed. Closer to the air, this one thinks. This is desirous, I think. Your journey ended well?”
A quirk of most Kaiva was the way they spoke, even when speaking the same tongue as the humans. A quirk of some was to call me a ‘kitten.’ Likely, through some animalistic sense, they partially revealed my Guise. It may have been by scent, but I could not rule out that magic was involved.
“As you may have heard, our venture ended tumultuously. While I survived, half of our group is unaccounted for.”
“Yes, rumors have spread. Sorrowful…” She trailed off leadingly, waiting for me to take the bait. As this was all social posturing, I tried to hurry her along.
“Was there something specific you required?”
“Yes, yes. Does our arrangement stand?”
“The meat, you mean?” I had not required it this morning, but I had yet to eat either, still subsiding off roasted meohr from the day previous, along with the remnant of my jerky. “I had a late start this morning, due to unfortunate circumstances. Were you aware of this?”
Cook tsked. “Not as such, no. Should a serving be set aside for the morrow?”
I nodded slowly. “That would be helpful. But surely this is not the only reason you waylaid me. I do have things to do, and you did mention a message.”
She tsked again. “This one is not a secretary nor a courier. It was… irksome.”
An order was passed to the kitchen from the tavern floor. Cook waved it off, but her time was pressed.
“During your absence, a green-eyed devil stopped by.”
Belobog? I wondered.
“Your eyes say much. Recognition, yes? The devil wanted me to pass along that your friends will be absent for some weeks.”
“Truly?” I asked.
That seemed out of character for several reasons, and I struggled to think of a rationale to explain this. I supposed that Belobog might have wanted me out of her hair, so to speak. Especially if she had thought I would come looking for help. I narrowed my eyes.
I also wondered if devils were an actual thing in this world.
“Was that all that this devil passed along?” I added.
“No. There was more. This one would have hesitated to oblige to bother otherwise. A location was provided where my former employer is likely to be. Vagabonds from the pits have waylaid her and hope to trade–” she hissed and spat. “-as favors previously paid, this one requires your assistance.”
“Your former employer being a Kaiva aristocrat of some sort?”
Cook huffed with amusement.
For a moment, I was tempted to ignore the favor I owed. But in this case, I knew that ignoring Cook could be disastrous. The Kaivan had leverage. She likely knew I was less than human, and she possibly had evidence of my own misdeeds. Especially if she had spoken to Belobog.
No, ignoring Cook would be perilous. At least she had a location to give for the job.
From there, I put on my apron and began my shift, alongside one other girl whom I failed to recognize. She smelled like the residue left on my original bed. There was an animosity in her bearing, and it was likely that she had been in on the ‘prank’ which Digger had played.
Other than a few shoves and a spilled tray of drinks, the evening passed well enough.
Patrons came, ordered drinks, attempted to flirt which forced me to play along, and then there was the occasional order of food. I spent the shift working behind the bar, while the other girl worked the floor, where the orders were larger and the patrons more eager to part with their cee.
This arrangement suited me. Afterall, there were no pinching hands behind the bar.
It was just as the dinner rush began letting up that Kate dropped by. She saw me working the bar and immediately plopped herself down on a stool. I knew her well enough to ready her favorite drink, heavy on the pour.
She smirked for some unknown reason as I passed it over.
“Back to working as a wench?” Kate asked. She took a gulp and left a smattering of syrup and cream dripping from her upper lip. Her eyes opened wider. “Crown, Jackie, this is good! I know what I’m having you work as!”
I narrowed my eyes. It was incredibly distressing that Kate had seen beneath my Guise. Were it not for the efforts she had gone through to see me to safety and to retain my human identity, I would have taken steps to remove myself from the threat of exposure. However, Kate had demonstrated that she valued me, at least enough to risk the ire of Gregory’s family.
However, even should Kate care for me, these small tidbits of expected service were aggravating. But, it was not bothersome enough to risk an argument. At least not yet, while I remained vulnerable.
So I smiled and bore the implied denigration. If that smile never reached my eyes? Who could say.
After Kate’s arrival, much of my attention was consumed by Kate. While I still served other patrons at the bar, I was unable to lend them a diligent ear, so to speak. One patron complained loudly enough for Kate to notice. That patron left with a black-eye. Kate’s status excused much.
She and I chatted for the better part of an hour, with her growing slightly intoxicated, but never enough to slur. She complained of her mother’s reaction to her return, and that she was prohibited from crossing the city’s divide. It sounded soft-handed so far as punishments went, but I nodded sympathetically all the same.
At some point, she tossed a thin envelope down and pushed it towards me. The envelope was marked with an inked stamp from the academy. The front had two names scrawled across. One was mine, the other Marianne’s.
Before I could open it, Kate boasted.
“You’re welcome,” she said. “It’s a waiver, by the way. Stopped by the office to pick it up on the way over.”
A waiver for the academy then? That had not been discussed and definitely not confirmed. I would have rather kept my position there as it derived multiple benefits and opportunities. Dropping out of school had not been on the table.
“Is this… permanent?”
“Nah… but maybe? Guess it depends since it’s indefinite. We can get you back in no problem, but why do that? Your friend’s on there too, since she’s gonna be missing class for the next few whatever. Assuming she eventually shows up.”
“I see.” I found it difficult to avoid snapping at the thoughtless girl. She had thought she was doing me a favor, even if it came across as both pretentious and indulgent. And at the end of the day, I had been leery of returning to the academy where I may fall under scrutiny. I had yet to test the limits of my reduced Guise.
Eventually, I managed to act thankful for Kate’s thoughtful act.
Minutes passed. Conversation turned back towards the inane, interrupted by the occasional drink order or one of Kate’s needless boasts.
At some point, another group came to the bar, composed of several boys. They refrained from sitting. Instead they remained standing, almost hovering as I poured their drinks. I could feel their eyes practically molest my chest and I felt thankful that I wore a high necked collar. Their heavy cologne failed to completely cover the fact that their clothes were unwashed and their body odor raunchy.
I learned that their breath stank even more.
“Why don’t you carry those drinks back to our table?” one of the boys asked. This emboldened the others, if briefly.
“You’ve got the figure to work upstairs. We could, I dunno, put in a good word?”
“Baron’s got some room for a fresh face, yeah?” the third said with a grin. He said it as though he were offering me some favor, but all I could dwell upon was his lack of floss.
Kate, sitting nearby and with half an ear turned towards me, had enough of their failed attempts at flirting and she intervened.
“Idiots,” she spat. “You wouldn’t know the front of the baron from a meohr. Don’t act like you do.”
“Yeah?” the first one said. “Whaddya know anyways? Some trollop drinking her father’s–”
Kate, not liking what she was hearing, stood up in anger. Even though the boys were standing, even if they were not slouching, Kate loomed. She not only stood taller, but she radiated a sort of presence that left the hair on my arms raising. She felt like a predator. And the boys, as foolish as they were, still could tell that she was a woman of violence. It might have been her Marks on display, or the weapons strapped to her back and side, or perhaps just the insignias she bore. Regardless, at least one of the boys realized where things stood.
“Well, maybe we were in the wrong here,” the sleaziest of the boys said in an almost pampering tone. “But how could we have known you had your eyes on the wench?”
“Yeah? But I’m ready to step out back if you want. No need to get yelled at for spraying blood everywhere.”
I may have winced at that.
At least one of the boys remained dubious, but the smartest of them quickly bowed out and sequestered themselves. They carried their drinks themselves. They claimed one of the booths and put the rest of their orders through the other girl.
Kate kept half an eye on the group from then on, switching to a menacing glare every time one of them glanced her way. In this instance, I felt grateful for her possessive behavior, although I could see how it could quickly grow problematic.
At some point, the boys called over a woman from another table. She had been sitting by herself, seemingly waiting for someone who never showed.
The boys seemed friendly from what I could see from the bar, but admittedly, it only caught my interest because Kate commented on it.
“Idiot,” Kate said, more under her breath than anything else, derision and contempt in her voice.
“You mean the boys?” I asked.
She scoffed, “Nah, they’re just boys. Dumb for sure. But in this one I meant the girl. Shoulda kicked them to the curb or ignored them. Definitely not head over to sit with them.”
The young woman with the boys seemed somewhat withdrawn, but she gave a polite smile all the same to something one of them said. When a boy put an arm around her shoulders, she almost visibly flinched, at least to Jackie’s eyes.
“Unfortunately, this is not overly uncommon. The boys appear to be from a more affluent background, a higher social status. The young woman may fear offending the boys or their houses.”
Men and their hurt pride could cause all manner of problems for a young woman.
When I said that, Kate only scoffed.
“Yeah? Just watch them. You’ll see her leave with them, pretty soon.”
I felt discomfort as I watched the evening progress. While the booth they sat at was dim and towards the back, I still made them out easily enough. I could almost listen in on them through the tavern’s din, if I tried. The young woman was average, with the only notable feature being her curly hair and a splattering of freckles. She really did appear uncomfortable.
Finally, I asked Kate. “Do you think it wise for us to intervene?”
“Nah,” Kate said, indifferently. “Nothing to do with us. Maybe you could get that giant woman to drop by and scare ‘em straight. Could be fun to watch.”
During this period of downtime, the new girl had gotten close enough to eavesdrop, and she interjected after hearing Kate’s comment.
“Giant woman, you mean Esmerelda Bogswraith? If so, she ran out on us last night. Tiffany’s been having to fill in since. I hear it’s been rough for lil miss deviant here–” she referred to me, even though my left arm was no longer so deviant as before “-There won’t be anyone to cover for her. Heard even her bosom pal has run out, leaving her all alone.”
It was over the top. I exchanged a glance with Kate. She appeared amused.
“You piss in her drink or something?” Kate asked me, joking.
The other girl frowned at that, not liking the fact that we failed to take her seriously.
“You say that now,” the girl sneered. “I see the last night didn’t teach you properly.”
“Whatever,” Kate burped. “Want me t’kill her?” she asked.
The other girl flinched. “Wha–?”
I shook my head. I assumed Kate said that in jest, but one could never be certain. “No, that is unnecessary Sir Guardson. I spoke with Madame earlier tonight. There will not be a repeat of that little prank.”
“Y-yeah,” the other girl said. She made haste to get back to the few tables she had, sparing us from her lacking wit.
Kate remained until closing that night, keeping all sorts from lingering near the bar.
Before the last of the patrons left, the boys ended up leaving with the young woman in tow. She no longer seemed uncomfortable, but her eyes bore a glazed look.
I averted my eyes, ashamed at my own lack of intervention.
Kate, of course, saw the same thing, and she chose to remain uninvolved as well. Although she did speak with some venom regarding it.
Kate spat to the ground.
“Told you,” Kate said.
“You could always go after them,” I offered, hoping that she would end up doing so.
She remained sitting.
“Yeah… but no, gotta pick your battles, and I’m in hot water as it is with our recent ‘ill-thought-out misadventure’”
And what hope would I have in intervening as a barmaid, considering that not even Sir Guardson had the authority to intervene.
This excuse left me feeling no better. Only worse.
I watched the back of the woman through the door, one of the boys with an arm slung over her shoulders, steering her.
Talents:
- Athleticism I (4/9):
- Climbing I (5/9)
- Featherlight I (5/9)
- Inversion (3/9)
- Gymnastics (5/9)
- Stealth II (2/9)
- Trackless Tracks I (8/9)
- Area Coverage (7/9)
- Alchemical Immunity: (2/9)
- Unnatural Concealment: (2/9)
- Eschiver I (7/9) (+3)
- Evasion I (4/9) (+1)
- Impending Sense (7/9)
- Lucky Break I (5/9)
- Chance Encounter (5/9)
- Courtly Dancing: Treachery I (5/9)
- Flexibility I (5/9)
- Persuasive Lies (7/9)
- Her Flesh: (1/9) [new]
- Always Form: (1/9) [new]
- Her Love: (1/9) [new]
- Tangible Hallucinations I: (1/9) [new]
Spells:
- [slot removed] [new]
- Guise of the Kitsune I (3/9)
- Malleable Form: (7/9)
- Passive Enervation: (4/9)
- Tithes to Above: (1/9) [new]
Gifts:
- Obsession (5/9)
- Closed (0/9)
- Closed (0/9)
Removed: Mark from left mid-section. This was the Mark received when Myst Egg was exposed to a living metal by mistake. The Myst Egg was found in an hundeor den and was later taken hostage by Emboru. While indisposed in the shrine, this Mark evolved into something else.