Open A refreshing heat.

[Timothy Mered]

27th Summer 514AV

Note to mods/gradersPermission to have my character standing outside the shop has been granted by Jed, Tim's owner.

Tim’s hair was glued to his forehead. Even in the shade, leaning against the shutters of Jed's Bed and Boxes, sweat glistened on his exposed collarbone. He smiled as two men went by. Their fancy clothes stained with sweat and a strange, stiff waddle in their step, as if they were in dire need of finding the nearest water closet. If he’d been more accustomed to the blistering heat himself, he would’ve seized this chance to flee. Surely no one was mad enough to chase after him in this scorching inferno. Then again, no one was daft enough to bolt either. And so he remained, sniggering as the high society worked harder and ran faster than they ever had in their life, fighting over spots in the shade or finding a coach home. Soon enough a burly woman with puffed cheeks and a bosom equal to her circumference spied his position, propped against the wall of Jed’s Bed and Boxes.

“You!” she screeched. Or she would’ve screeched if her voice had been up to the task. Instead, a coarse, husky bark left her mouth and only the wild gesture that accompanied it told Tim that he was supposed to move. In no particular rush to surrender his spot, Tim pushed his back from the wall and lazily strutted onto the street, hands buried into his pockets as he watched the woman, and the frightfully thin man that accompanied her, struggle to reach the blessed fleck of darkness.

“Are you alright dear?” the man asked. For someone his height, Tim thought the man’s voice was woefully gaunt.

“Of course not!” his wife and superior snapped back. “Don’t stand there like a stiff board, do something!”

“Do something?” the poor man replied feebly. Tim almost pitied the whisker-on-a-stick who, now that he’d managed to seat his wife, found himself exposed to a whole different kind of heat, emanating from the melting lump of fat in front of him. “Yes- yes…you’re quite right dear. Of course you are, my love. I shan’t rest until you’re comfortable. Surely a coach can be fetched or we- I mean, I of course, can find some refreshments in one of the nearby establishments. As a matter of f-“

“DO SOMETHING!”

Gobsmacked by the peppered ferocity with which his other half besieged him, the man looked quite relieved to turn his back on her in search for a solution. Almost at once, he found Tim staring from the other side of the street.

“Ahem. Dear boy…“

Tim only half succeeded in wiping a suppressed grin from his face before he gave the man full attention.

“Sir?”

“My wife and I find ourselves in a most uncomfortable situation and I was wondering if you would have the kindness t-“

“He’s a slave, Giles! Command him!”
Giles looked quite pale now and his height was greatly reduced by the words of his beloved.

Tim would’ve ran off to fetch water for any other person, but his amusement was too great and he considered he was doing Giles a great service if his tardiness would mean the end of the puffing, sweating swine that Giles had had the misfortune of betrothing.

“What shall I do sir?” he asked innocently.

Caught between two fires, both assailing his mind with equal vigor, Giles muttered a string of ‘ehms’ and ‘let-me-sees’ before deciding it was best that Tim would make haste to find some sort of refreshment.

Eager to put a stopper on the woman’s perpetual puffing and wheezing, Tim did as he was asked and headed south, down the main street on Dry Island, in search for the requested refreshments.

[Adelaide Sitai]

27th Summer 514AV It was blisteringly hot and the streets of the city were practically deserted. Merchants faded into the background, street vendors into the darkened alleys between shops and shopkeepers retreated wisely into the depths of their premises, lowering the stores to keep out as much of the heat as possible. It wouldn't be a good day for business anyway. Fine ladies and elegant gentlemen preferred trying on costumes when they were sure of not being boiled alive while wearing it. Adelaide turned towards Mercedes, who had not removed her stiff, black uniform. "Mercedes?" "Yes Sir?" "Why haven't you changed?" "You didn't say I could." "For goodness sake, use some common sense. What use will you be to me if you die of heat stroke or whatever it is." "I was born in Ahnatep." "At least remove the jacket." Mercedes nodded with a curt, "Yes Sir." and the stiff, high-collared death trap came off. Mercedes was sweating so much underneath it, that there weren't any patches. Her blouse was wet-through. Adelaide turned away. "I suggest you take off your skirt too. I won't care. Go and towel yourself... and bring me something cool to drink. Oh, and tell Wendy and Mercedes that I don't want to see them with their uniforms on. We won't get any customers today and, god knows, those uniforms are going to smell bad." Adelaide punctuated this with an irritable snap of the wrist, opening her white fan. Looking down at the street, peeking through the blinds of her boutique, Adelaide was struck by how much more beautiful the street looked when empty. The cobbles looked almost golden and steam was rising from the pavement where the fountain had only just been turned off. All the colours seemed to be fighting for supremacy, sizzling wildly under the sun, as though a group of wild animals were trapped in between the pebbles and the trees. Green turned lime, brown turned golden and yellow turned acidic, the rapidly disappearing pools of water by the fountain reflecting red and orange and turquoise. If she was a painter, Adelaide would have painted it. The world was hot, as if it was trying to flush out all the bad, but it was lazy and good and at ease with itself. The deadly heat brought Kenash more peacefulness and restfulness than Adelaide had known in a long while. Quickly, as though embarrassed by the futility of her efforts, Adelaide started to draw the lines of the street on the back page of her catalogue. The jagged stone and rickety wooden pillars of the houses, meshed together with the unruly, glistening grass between the cracks. Adelaide fanned herself ferociously and pushed back a strand of hair which had fallen into her face, out of the length of white linen she had bundled it up in. She was aware she must of looked odd, dressed entirely in white - white linen toga, white linen sandals, white in her hair, holding a white fan and, departing from the all-white ensemble, her heirloom - a gold torc - fastened around her neck. She wore no make-up. The weather did not allow it, and wearing it didn't improve her appearance: just made her look different. Today was not the day to be vain. She looked down at her poor efforts at drawing but resolved to continue. The clean, swift lines of the awnings and shutters, the uncertain, fast-disappearing glimmers of where water had been and the stately majesty of a tree, holding its own in the sun and casting welcome shade over a corner of the street. Dry Island, this certainly was. It was then that two ungainly creatures trailed into sight. And what a sight they were! Fat and thin. Short and tall. Ugly and, well, ugly. Such vulgarity, Adelaide noted with pleasure and pride. True, they were no slaves, but these two were no dynasty members either. Try as they might, it was people like this that ensured the difference between the simple freeborn and the elite, the 'them' and the us'. Such lack of decorum. No dynasty woman would go out in public if she were that size. Why, she looked more like a great big ball of flesh than a living creature! Adelaide put down her latest half-hearted attempt at art and pulled up the blinds slightly, in order to get the best of the spectacle. Looking down from Number 12 Dry Island, she watched the couple approach her next door neighbour at number 10. Noting that the woman might collapse at any moment, Adelaide suddenly felt a pang of pity and regret at her lack of charity, but was not moved so much as to draw away from the window. It was just then that Mercedes re-entered the room. "Sir, there aren't any refreshments." "Just get water from the pump then." "Sir. I mean the pump isn't working." "And the well? If you go directly to the source?" "It seems to have some sort of issue." "Oh, you're useless, aren't you?" "I can go and...?" "No. Let me. There won't be any customers in any case. Just try and find out why the tap isn't working." Adelaide waved the slave away and looked down at the street. The couple were now talking to a small boy, a little slave boy. Not resisting the urge to get closer to what was pure entertainment, and conscience that she was well dressed for the weather, Adelaide took no time in picking up her parasol (Unfortunately, red rather than white) and stuffing a couple of mizas into the folds of her skirt before leaping down the stairs, rather too fast for the time of year. Closing the door of her establishment behind her, she lost no time in putting up her parasol and moving leisurely towards the couple. The slave boy had just started moving away. "Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?" said Adelaide with a smile, fanning herself deftly with a flick of the wrist, "Only, of course, one has to be dressed for it." With a laugh and a polite nod towards the gentleman, she moved away, in the direction the slave boy had run, completely conscience of the woman's angry eyes boring into her back. Maybe, if she crossed him or caught up with him (He wouldn't be able to keep running for very long in this heat) he could inform her if the well problem was merely her own or if the neighbours were having it too.

[Timothy Mered]

27th Summer 514AV

"See?" The sweating swine said, "we should never have moved here. The heat, the awful, awful people. Look at them Giles! Do they never eat cake?" Giles considered that the wealthy would certainly have the coin to satisfy their appetite, if his wive hadn't devoured the city's supply of strawberry cake, her favourite. Just then, a thin-legged woman approached them, her figure slender and unfazed by the heat.

"Well, I never...!" his wive huffed and he suspected she would've told him to "do something" if he hadn't been pre-occupied by returning the friendly nod and considering abandoning his wive in favour of the lady. But he lacked the courage and remained, rather downcast, at his wive's side, praying for the whole business to end well and soon.

***

After a few dozen feet, Tim nearly tripped from exhaustion. His head was pounding, his legs heavy and numb underneath him and he considered that one chime more of running would be suicide. If the well near Master's shop hadn't broken down, he would've fetched some water there. Perhaps the fountain would suffice, but he didn't have a bucket to carry water and he doubted the woman would drink from his cupped hands.

He glanced around the street, eyes searching for a solution. Returning empty handed wasn't an option. He could outlast the woman, no doubt, and her husband too, but then some might mistake him for a runaway...

A lady, who looked more lady-like than any of the women he'd seen so far, carried herself towards him with great purpose. He remained standing, hands resting on his knees, too tired to figure out why she was heading after him. Any thoughts of running were cast out of his mind. The red parasol she carried made her all the more striking to look at. For a tick, he wished his mother had been like that. Beautiful, and gliding forward with such ease and elegance that one would assume the street to be made of butter, which wasn't a stretch of the imagination in the scorching heat.

Straightening himself, Matilla had taught him good posture was of vital importance, he looked up at the lady with curiosity, green orbs never flinching or retreating. "Can I help you Missus? Ain't it too hot for sumone of your...graciousnuss?"

[Adelaide Sitai]

27th Summer 514AV Adelaide was ambiguous to the heat. On the one hand, it really was too hot for anybody sane to be out of doors. On the other hand, it was gratifying to know how much better she was dealing with it than anybody else. It was also gratifying to know how right she had been about catching up with the boy. She hadn't needed to run, or rush - after all, doing so after a slave boy would have been difficult for her dynasty pride to stomach - but, she had caught up to him with ease. On closer inspection, he really was really rather thin, so much so that his green eyes seemed to eat up his face. "Hello." she said after a moment, looking at him, pensively with a smile which drew into a grin at the urchin's question, "I daresay it's too hot for anybody. Why? Do you dare to presume that you can handle the heat better than I?" she teased lightly, daring to look serious for a moment. She looked unblinkingly down at him then smiled again. "I think I can guess what you are looking for." She put a hand to her forehead and feigned concentration for ten seconds before looking back down at him, "Water? Am I right?" The acting was poor, she knew, but it amused her. Adelaide re-adjusted her parasol slightly in her hand then switched it to the other. Maybe she ought to have sent out Mercedes or one of the over girls in her stead, but then she would never have had the pleasure of seeing the odd-looking duo closer. "You know. Since we're looking for the same thing, I've got a deal to propose to you... Well, I say deal. It's an order because you can't really refuse." She smiled gently, "I have a... friend who has his business not far from here. His tap sources at a different well and I doubt that there are omnipresent," she paused, before adding by way of an explanation, "universal issues with the wells. If you hold my parasol for me, it's big enough so that we can both use the shade and then you can carry the water back for me." Adelaide felt that she was being rather generous. This way there was no chance of the boy mistakenly fetching water from some undesirable source and the fat woman wouldn't punish him any further. "By the way, I own the establishment next door to your master's." She added by way of an explanation, handing her parasol over to the boy, "I noted you speaking with the comedy duo back there. Any idea where they might have been from?" Note:I evidently have no idea how plumbing works.

[Timothy Mered]

Date here

"I daresay it's too hot for anybody. Why? Do you dare to presume that you can handle the heat better than I?"

Tim shrugged, "well, I haven't been needing that ma'am." He pointed at the parasol. "Besides, a good knight must be-" he glanced to the side before looking back up again, "-must walk for days in armer...I wan't to be a knight when I'm older." Even though he was acutely aware that there was an unbridgeable rift between them, his mind was too muddled to realise that his dream was never supposed to come true. Plodding through this heat in armour would be hell, but if that was what it took the become a knight, he would gladly do it.

Struggling to keep his concentration as she yapped on about parasols and water, Tim let his eyes slide over her. Her features were neither sharp nor rounded, curvaceous rather and he found himself staring for a little too long and a little too low. She smelled lovely too, though he supposed anything neutral was nice compared to the sweat that glued his hair together. The heat didn't seem to affect her as much and he was tempted to challenge her to a running competition. Not that she would accept, not even the blistering heat could dull his mind enough to make such mistakes. But she was nice enough, for a bog brat.

Hands cold and slippery, he took the parasol into his right hand and held it high above them both. Luckily she wasn't very tall and he wasn't forced to tip-toe his way to the nearest well. "The chin-ups back yonder?" he nudged his head towards the fat lady and tall man, Giles. The woman was making a scene again, one of her shoes landing rather unceremoniously in the poor man's face. "Do something!" he heard her screech in the distance. Tim considered it a strange thing to say for someone who, by the looks of it, had done very little in her entire live. Between her and the lady with the parasol, Tim considered Kenash wasn't all bad. Once you got the hang of the local customs, live was easy. Not easy on the body, but simple enough to pass bells on end without being aware of any one particular moment. Now that the brand on his forehead didn't hurt anymore, it was easy to think of himself as a citizen rather than a slave.

"I noted you speaking with the comedy duo back there. Any idea where they might have been from?"

He shrugged again. " I dun know 'em, but they aren't from these parts, ain't from Sunbirth either." Without even looking, he could tell the lady's other shoe had registered a hit, as a drawn-out "aaah!" followed by a "calm down, love, please..." sounded. Unable to suppress a snigger, he turned to face the queer lady at his side and asked, "whereto?"

"I've only been 'ere a week," he added.

[Adelaide Sitai]

27th Summer 514AV Adelaide slipped her lower lip between her teeth and made a short clicking sound, but otherwise did not immediately say anything. He may not have been needing 'that', as he so flippantly put it, but he was rather the worse for wear. A Knight? She was not the sort to indulge the fantasies of slaves but far be it from her to crush a little boy's dreams so carelessly. "Good luck with that." He would never be a knight, she knew, but there was no need for her to tell him so. When he'd been a slave for longer then he'd find out for himself. Then he'd know, and he'd realise that his only ambition was to carve himself the best position he could in his master's household and maybe, one day, be freed. That said, his master being a Radacke, that hardly seemed even remotely possible. At this, she suddenly thought of something. Did the child live on the Whiplash plantation? Adelaide assumed that his master must, but maybe the child was left behind to tend the shop overnight. And maybe she was wrong to assume, maybe they lived elsewhere. His answer as to the duo's origins left her feeling mildly disappointed but she acknowledged that they weren't the type to come from Sunberth. In truth, they didn't look typical of anywhere. Possibly they were from Zeltiva or Syliras, but even in those most civilised (Ha!) of places, she didn't imagine many would put up with their sort of nonsense. This thought was aptly punctuated by a shriek of derision from down the street that made a woman in a shop they were passing by poke her head out around the door to see what was going on. "Are you from Sunberth? You've had a rough ride of a life, haven't you? Fortune has certainly favoured you, honour be to Ovek." she laughed lightly and was not surprised to know how little time he had been in Kenash, "Yes, I can tell. This," she gently tapped his forehead - such an ostentatious place to burn a mark; the cheek or the neck were always far more elegant, "This is newly branded." And, of course, he still had dreams. That was always the mark of a new slave, believing they might be able to escape, that they might have a future. Such a thing cast a light of optimism over eyes that, too soon, would be overshadowed with the certain knowledge of lifelong servitude. But that was life. Adelaide knew that Gnora had to ensure balance. Because there was day, there had to be night and, in such a way, because there were people like her, Dynasty members, there had to be people like him, Slaves. Fundamentally, there was little difference between them: Adelaide did not believe that a Dynasty member was essentially better than any slave, but she likewise knew that the gods had decided her destiny and the gods had decided his. Who was she to defy Gnora? Because there was peace, there had to be war. Because there was pleasure, there had to be suffering. In a way, Adelaide felt that she had as little choice to govern what Lhex would decide for her at birth as the thin slave boy in front of her. They both had parts to play, and Adelaide knew to play hers and not to upset the fragile balance of the world. "I know where we're going so you merely have to follow. To a patisserie owned by a friend of mine." She paused. It would be better not to engage in conversation, but Adelaide wondered if she had not perhaps stumbled on something rather useful so, as nonchalantly as she dared, she asked, "Do you live on the Whiplash plantation? With your master?"

[Timothy Mered]

27th Summer 514AV

Tim smiled. She was a really nice lady, kind with her words and pleasant on the senses. If there had been any undercurrent of sarcasm, he failed to notice it. "Once I am a knight, I'll help the poor and defend the weak," he said in a solemn voice, as if he could already see his own banner rustle in the wind, atop some big, bold tower in his mighty castle.

Wrapped up comfortably in his daydream, Tim followed the lady wherever she led him. He blew a strand of hair from his forehead in a futile attempt to cool himself, but it made only feel twice as uncomfortable when the heat returned ticks later. His clothes were practically glued to his body, a small swamp had grown in his low boots and every inch of his skin itched with an uneasy warmth. Not even the red whatcha-call-it could keep beads of bodily juices dripping from his temple and when the lady spoke again, he struggled to set his mind to answering.

"I've lived in Sunbirth all me live." He wondered what gave it away. It was nice to think that tough looks set him apart, but he knew that wasn't the case. Not even mice would flee when confronted with his appearance, they'd sooner think him one of their own. It was a sad state of affairs, but unless he'd find someone to train him it would have to suffice. The brand added some ferocity, no matter how ugly most thought it looked.

"You've had a rough ride of a life, haven't you? Fortune has certainly favoured you, honour be to Ovek."

He halted, as if some invisible hand had latched around his ankles and frozen his frame. Lips set into a grim line, he considered her words, replayed them in his head. Fortune? Favour? She sounded awfully certain. "I was happy back there," he muttered, eyes fixed on some point behind the horizon. A scowl, carrying all injustice, fear and hate that he'd ever suffered, settled upon her, as if she was to blame for it all. As soon as it had appeared, it was gone, replaced by the look of one who accepted his plight with mild reluctance. Harley Fisher, Sylvester Mercator, they were the ones who'd driven him to this live. Away from home, expected to work every day without pay, but also with a roof over his head and a bed to sleep in, no matter how rickety. Live had been rougher then this at times, that was for sure, but it had been sweeter also. He wished he could still remember his mother's face, but every time he tried, it slipped away. Then, a different thought entered his mind, and a gleam of deviltry passed his eyes. "Everyfing from Sunbirth is rough. I daresay you wouldn't last for very long," he grinned.

Unflinching, he let her touch his forehead. As if he needed reminding that the brand was new, he'd just been about to forget about it. Nevertheless he continued to walk with her, enjoying the leisurely respite best he could.

"Do you live on the Whiplash plantation? With your master?"

He shook his head. "It's Matilla and Sander what I live with, in the shop. Master says I'll have to go there for a wedding though, to 'elp out." In truth, his mind had already ventured towards the patisserie. With a bit of luck, the lady might get him something sweet to eat and he decided to put on his best behaviour.

[Adelaide Sitai]

27th Summer 514AV "The day you're a knight, the poor and weak will be very lucky." responded Adelaide with a small smile, letting the boy misunderstand the double meaning of her words. She knew that she shouldn't let these sort of potentially dangerous fantasies pass, but still she didn't say anything. What could one small boy do? The young woman knew that even the slightest sign of encouragement could spur a slave into action, but she also knew that Jed Radacke would surely stamp out any nonsense that had wormed its way into the slave's head. Still, the thought of this destruction of the boy's childish innocence perturbed Adelaide slightly and, quite against her better judgement, said, "If I were you, I wouldn't mention these... notions," she stressed the word calmly, "To your Master. I don't think he'd be very supportive." Well, now Adelaide knew she'd messed up slightly, realising that hiding the harsh truth of reality from the boy would do him more harm than good. She blew out testily, the heat starting to irritate her profoundly and flicked a droplet of sweat off her forehead. Luckily, the pastry shop wasn't much further. She did frown a little when the boy mentioned having been happier in Sunberth. That perturbed Adelaide quite a bit. What on earth could he mean? Sunberth was, she had heard, a terrible, violent place and certainly, she felt, it was better to be a slave in Kenash than a freeman in that city, seemingly forsaken by every god save Rhysol. When she had lived in Zeltiva, it had not been unknown to see someone from Sunberth limp into the city one morning, raving about all the dastardly things that went on out there - whoring, murder, rape, violence and theft. A place with neither law nor morals. The boy was just being contrary for the sake of it and Adelaide turned to tell him so and say something on the nature of Sunberth when she noted the slave's scowl. It was gone seconds later and, unaccustomed to any sign of defiance or dislike, she wondered if she might have imagined it. It was a very hot day and hallucinations were not out of the common so it wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination to suppose her eyes were playing tricks on her. Still, as she turned away from him to wipe her brow, she couldn't help but narrow her eyes slightly and consider that someone probably needed to teach the child to know his place a little better. Not last long in Sunberth? Adelaide wasn't sure whether she ought to be angry by this impudence, but couldn't stop herself laughing. "It's certainly difficult to say until one has been in that sort of situation." she murmured, "But I also think it's important not to judge a person too quickly, don't you?" She was disappointed to learn that he didn't live on the plantation. Yes, that had certainly scuppered the plan she had hastily put together. She'd have to find someone else. At that point, the patisserie came into view and Adelaide picked up the pace slightly, not waiting to see if the boy could keep up but rather expecting him to do so. Not to her surprise, the patisserie was one of the only shops on the street that was both open and actually had some sort of clientele. There was always someone somewhere eager to buy one of Novak's macaroons. Smartly, she stepped into the shop and down the two front steps, gesturing for the boy to join her before taking the parasol off him and snapping it shut. Set slightly into the ground to assure more coolness when it was hot and thus preventing some of the cakes from melting, the patisserie was still a little too warm but welcomingly fresh after the heat outside. "Good morning Reena. Where's Novak?" Adelaide asked the blonde haired woman behind the counter. Reena was about to answer when the man himself stepped out from the back room, wearing an apron and covered in flour. Adelaide stepped forward to greet him, kissing him once on the cheek then smiled. "I've just come to ask, or rather beg, for some water. The well in our sector isn't working. I'm hoping everything's alright around this way?" Novak nodded and made a move to hug Adelaide, who stepped back with a little laugh. "I'm all sweaty and disgusting and, on a day like this, I feel like being in close proximity to anyone is something best avoided. Now, about this water." It was at that moment that Adelaide saw Novak notice the small slave boy who had entered his shop. "Oh no, now really." he snapped loudly, making sure the boy could hear, and sighing, "Adelaide, can't you make your slave wait outside? There are already enough people in this room as it is." Adelaide paused then slowly shook her head, "First off, he isn't my slave. I commandeered him. Secondly, I feel to do so in this heat would be cruel and unnecessary. For goodness sake, it's not as if he's in rags and plenty of people come in with a slave or even send a slave to fetch things for them. It's not unusual." Novak nodded and smiled, the smile completely transforming his face and immediately making him seem more likeable, "Fine. You can use the pump in the utility room. Do you have something to carry the water in? No? Well, then I'll lend you a waterskin. I think I have one somewhere in the office. You can bring it back to me this evening." "Not this evening, I'm afraid. I'm having dinner with Grandmother. I'll send someone over with it tomorrow morning." "Or you can come yourself." Adelaide smiled wryly and stepped into the back room, making a small gesture so that the boy would know to follow her. She then went through a door to the left into a small room next to the Kitchen, where there was an iron pump. "I'll just go and get the waterskin." said Novak, leaving them. With a gesture of assent, Adelaide watched him go then turned to the pump. "Come on," she said to the boy, "We could both do with freshening up a little."

[Timothy Mered]

27th Summer 514AV

"The day you're a knight, the poor and weak will be very lucky."
Tim nodded in agreement. He' d save as many as possible from squalor and build a new town from scratch where everyone was friends with each other and where people never lied or stole. Yes, that would be best. He vaguely wondered if anyone had tried something like that before. Maybe such a place already existed! "I'd like to 'xplore too," he added, "see the cities in the North 'n South."

Though he barely knew her, Tim could tell she was being sincere in warning him against Jed. It bothered him. He didn't like keeping secrets, even less so from his Master. Is she trying to win me over? Jed will let me go, eventually...right?

A wave of energy rushed down his spine. Was that what she was trying to tell him? That he'd never be free? The more he thought about it the likelier it appeared. Why, after all, would Jed let him go? He'd never said anything about it. Tim had just presumed that it worked that way. People were good, after all, and if only he worked hard enough, Jed would set him free.

"But I also think it's important not to judge a person too quickly, don't you?"
"I guess," he shrugged. In truth, he didn't know what her talents were but he doubted she had the street smarts required to last in Sunberth. If she were to walk into that shykehole now, he imagined, she would be assaulted and stripped of her possessions within chimes. The worse you looked, the safer you were in Sunberth.

The scent of sweet bread awakened him from his contemplations. Silently, he followed her inside the cool shop. He hardly even noticed Novak or Reena for he was too pre-occupied studying the many sweet-looking tarts, cakes, pastries and other such delights.

"Oh no, now really."

Tim shot an apologetic look at the baker and resisted the urge to tell him that the room could easily host them all if he didn't stand as broad and wide-legged as he did. It was good thing, he considered, as the man's demeanour transformed shortly after. Adelaide seemed to have that effect on people, he'd noticed.

Following her lead, Tim observed the small room. It smelled of soap and soaked cloth and Tim guessed it was a washing room of sorts, or had been used for that purpose recently.

"Come on," she said to the boy, "We could both do with freshening up a little."

Free from the prying eyes of the baker, Tim pulled his shirt over his head, crumpled it up in his hands and held it under the pump until it was soaked with fresh, cold water. After having given it a little squeeze, he put it back on, feeling much more awake as the cold cloth touched his skin. Quite forgetting that he was making a lady wait he, rather clumisly, cupped his hands, pumped and splashed some water in his face, and concluded by drinking some. When he was done, he stepped aside to allow Adelaide to refresh herself.

"Why did you ask me if I lived on the plantation?" Quite refreshed and alert, he rewinded what she'd said in his head. She didn't think too kindly of Jed, as far as he could tell, and he wondered why. "You're up to something, aren't you?" he inquired rather too sharply.

[Adelaide Sitai]

27th Summer 514AV Adelaide watched in amusement as the boy removed his shirt at high speed, as if his life depended on it, biting her lip to avoid laughing. In the heat of the moment, she decided that there was nothing quite so entertaining as a small child dripping with water and trying to act normal at the same time. All children, even when they were slaves, were, by definition, completely bonkers. They did odd things on the spur of the moment then just stood there, in quiet ignorance of the strangeness of what they had just done, or how beautifully humorous it looked. A small pool of water had started to form where the boy was standing. Then again, she supposed, in this heat, anyone would do the same. She noted a sort of wristband dangling on the boys wrist and wondered what it could possibly be. As he stepped away from the pump, Adelaide walked over, all thoughts of the wristband evaporated. She kneeled down by it and cupped some water in her left hand, splashing it gently over her face and neck. She strained slightly through a web of water that blurred her vision and passed her hand across her eyes. "The plantation? You shouldn't suppose things, especially when you're in your position. Many other people would consider such a question insolent," she paused, indicating that she herself considered it quite insolent, "Not to mention that asking things so suspiciously can be a damn nuisance. Rumours have caused more trouble to other than faults ever have." There was a small laugh of derision at that. "If you must know, I hate walking in complete silence, even with a slave. It puts me ill at ease, so I asked you a question to fill up that silence." Thus, she felt she had successfully dismissed the rather too pertinent question, her meagre acting skills playing a part. As she made a moved to drink some water, cupping it between her hands, it spilled clumsily down her front. "Oh petch." she muttered, realising that wearing white, what had seemed like such a wise decision when she'd got up that morning, was now rendered quite regretful. In this state, she might as well have not been wearing a top at all. "You... boy... sorry, what was your name?" she said quickly, "Do you mind going to see if there's some sort of napkin or tablecloth in the Kitchen? It's the room we just came in through." At that moment, Novak came back into the room carrying the waterskin. "Oh, Novak." she said with a laugh, "This is your shop so you shouldn't find my request very difficult. Can you find me a napkin or, preferably, a towel?" "I would be lying if I said that I haven't seen you far less decently dressed." he said, dropping the waterskin by her side, "And so would a great many other people." Adelaide flushed and made a gesture of annoyance, wishing that he'd take things seriously. He always had this infuriating way of being frivolous when she wanted him to be more serious and serious when the occasion called for frivolity, "Still, I'd prefer not to walk back to my shop like this. Believe me or not, I never aim to shock others." "You could always stay here. I doubt you'll get any business today. Anyway, In this heat, it will dry of its own accord in no time." he paused, "You're not usually so worried about what other people think. Or so prudish." "Too much time. For goodness sake, somebody fetch me something to dry myself with." She opened up her request to the room at large, and couldn't hide her irritation very well. When somebody else's slave was in the room, as Novak well knew, it was considered bad form to expose oneself. "Don't worry. I'm just teasing you," replied Novak with a smile, "I'll fetch you something." As he left the room once again, Adelaide made a short clucking sound. Realising that she'd momentarily forgotten the boy, she turned around and smiled at him. Nonchalantly and keen to reinforce the idea that she had asked about where he lived for small talk and no other reason, she asked, "How long exactly have you been in Jed's possession? I don't recall your mentioning it. I'm assuming you were sold by my Uncle. He does his job very well."