Open A refreshing heat.

[Timothy Mered]

27th Summer 514AV

This lady, whoever she was, had proven herself to be lenient and friendly, words that he couldn’t apply to any other long-nose he’d come across. For some mysterious reason she had a habit of smiling or laughing at him, though not in any way that made him uncomfortable. Rather, the opposite occurred and as soon as one of her smiles faded, he longed for another to come so he could see it again. She smelled of flowers, the sort that you could close your eyes to and imagine yourself drifting amidst the clouds. He couldn’t stop a massive grin from parting his lips when she stifled her laughter. It was rather funny how she tried to be proper around him, as if he cared! It was funnier still that they were making each other laugh without speaking a word. Perhaps they didn’t differ so much after all.

Well, except her getting her panties in a bunch over a simple question. Typical Kenashian uptightness. Yet her words pierced him and he vouched to himself to tread more carefully the next time. It had all been so easy. She had been so easy. Her jokes, her curiosity, her smiles, even if only for a moment it had felt as if he’d been walking with a distant aunt. For a moment, there hadn’t been any barriers between them and they’d spoken openly.

Much to his disappointment, she showed her color. Insolent. Suspicious. Nuisance. Like lashes they struck him and he edged an inch further away at each of them. There came the rules again. The bloody rules. It was a miracle she didn’t claim they were for his own sake, like so many adults did. His frown deepened when she reminded him of his position and he took to turning his wristband and stubbornly looking the other way. Idiot, they are all the same.

“I’m Tim,” he said, not caring to elaborate on his full name. What was the point anyway? Everyone called him Tim, particularly the chin-ups who only used his name when they wanted something from him. He made a mental note to make his knightly title, when he should earn it, as long as possible just so to annoy the bloated knee-boots that ran this city.

His cold clothes weren’t a comfort anymore. They were just wet clothes and he could already hear Matilla complain about it, making it even less appealing to return to the shop. But I don’t want to stay with her either. And that feeling only increased when he witnessed the worst display of romance he’d ever seen. They could all see that the lady’s bosom was showing through her clothes yet these two, stuck up in their politeness, hadn’t the balls to be blunt about it. And then the baker invited her to stay the night. At this, he only barely managed to suppress a snigger, by concealing it as a coughing fit.

Gods, he’d never witnessed such a transparent attempt to get a lady into bed. Where he was from, even children half his age would’ve caught the hint, but not this lady. Unless she feigned ignorance and had no desire to stay with the baker which, he admitted, spoke in her favour.

“I am not in his possession,” he countered sharply. “I just help him out. Anyways, it’s been,” his eyes shot towards the ceiling and he counted the days on his fingers. “Sevun days.”

It took him a few more ticks to realize that she was related to the god-awful man that had sold him like cattle. If anyone in this town needed to be brought to justice, it was him. “Yes, very well.” he admitted through clenched teeth.

Eager to forget about the woman, who possessed an infuriating misguided pride at associating herself with the world’s worst romantic and the world’s coldest merchant, he barged over to the nearest wall and propper himself against it. As soon as someone would hand him a waterskin to fill, he would rush back to the melting couple and be done with it. Not that the pig woman would let him off without making another scene or two. He sighed. Were these people going to ruin his free days too?

[Adelaide Sitai]

27th Summer 514AV Adelaide looked up as she heard a series of coughs coming from Tim. "Are you alright?" she asked lightly, "It's not easy to catch a cold when it's this warm, but somehow, I don't think you are above managing it." The boy was thin and if she was to judge by appearances, not above being liable to ill health. Waiting for Novak to come back, she cocked her head to the side and looked at the boy calmly. Yes, certainly not above being liable to ill health. Seven days... she wasn't surprised for there it was again. That anger, the insolence, the presumptuousness. "I'm sure he thinks that you belong to him and, even if he didn't, by the laws of this city, you belong to him," she said with a cheerless smile that denoted neither approval nor disapproval but was rather sad in its ambiguity, "And, whether anybody likes it or not, it's not possible to live outside of society. Live happily that is." She sighed. This child (Tim, that was his name she reminded herself, though it must have been short for something) this child was a problem. Not to her, but to himself. He had to rid himself of the wounded pride that Adelaide could feel him containing within himself. And the defiance! That sort of defiance could get someone killed. Now she realised that the horrible scowl that she had seen earlier had perhaps indeed been aimed at her and that she had not imagined it. In that moment, she couldn't believe her own vanity in believing that that sort of scowl could not possibly be destined for her. Evidently, it had been and now she had three choices. Ignore it, punish him for it or, most idiosyncratically, ask him why he seemed to dislike her so intently. "Tim..." she started. At that moment, Novak came back into the room. He passed her the towel with a smile and walked over. "Here," he slid a chocolate macaroon over the dashboard towards her, "I've been making a batch of them. You can tell me what you think." he paused, "I've just got to go and finish them. I'll be back and then we can talk properly." "Of course." she looked down at the chocolate macaroon with mild disbelief. How many times had she told him? How many? She couldn't even remember anymore. Maybe she could have told him once more, maybe he'd get it this time, but Adelaide realised it was in all probability a waste of time. Not only that, but it would hurt his pride to tell him he'd forgotten. He'd go all dark and moody again, all petulant, and sulk at her, make more remarks. So she merely smiled and thanked him, nor being able to stop herself from remembering that Naolom never forgot. As soon as he left the room, Adelaide picked up the macaroon and took it over to Tim. "Here." she said with raised eyebrows, still a little pained by the fact that her suitor and recurrent lover had forgotten, "Novak forgets. I can't eat chocolate." It was then, closer up, as she reached forward to take the little boy's hand and place the macaroon in it that she saw the bracelet properly for the first time and recognised the style. Her eyes focused momentarily on the little goat hanging from it, typical of the Benshira who were, above all, shepherds and nomads. Adelaide opened her mouth, about to ask about it, then stopped, closing her mouth again. Goodness - she must have looked stupid opening and closing her mouth like a fish with her see-through shirt, she thought, blushing slightly. What did it matter to her whether the boy was originally Benshira or not? Now he was a slave and that was the only truth worth knowing. "We'd better think about moving along in a couple of ticks," she said, showing no sign of moving herself, "I can't imagine that that good man and his lady wife should last much longer," she laughed at her own feeble joke, "But just think," she added, "If she had only thought about going a little further of the way herself, she could have come face to face with such a delightful shop. I don't know that she'd have been happier any place in Kenash." Adelaide turned around and went back to the pump, picking up the towel from the table and starting to vigorously wipe her front. "I think you'll find that you've never tasted anything quite like Novak's macaroons. He makes the very best and they are well-known to be the reason why the patisserie's so popular." She said with a nod towards the one in Tim's hand, "When you're finished you can fill up the waterskin."

[Timothy Mered]

27th Summer 514AV

“I’m fine,” he replied, trying to sound polite. Did she think him weak or frail? She certainly sounded very sure in assessing his well-being.

“I don’t care for your law. No-un’ ever told me ‘bout it.” he snapped back. By Yahal, he was trying so very hard to keep calm, to lay low, to remain polite, but he just couldn’t. At first he’d been too afraid to step out of line, but not anymore. She’d given him a good reason not to worry. She’d said it herself, he was Jed’s property, not hers, whatever she was called.

Ha! If she’d thought him insolent, she would see wrong she’d been. He would turn on his heel, tell her off and barge out without giving a bronze about her. She wouldn’t understand and he would savor her confusion-

“Tim…”

Her voice disarmed him and he could no longer tell if she was good or bad. In Sunberth, it was always one of the two but here…

She was somewhere in-between. Teetering between being like everyone else and being a fun, kind and caring lady.

Her hand grabbed his and placed the macaroon in it. Well, if she thought he would be won over so easily, she had another thing coming! Only a child would give in to such an obvious bribe, He stared at the chocolate. It looked delicious and if he didn’t eat it soon, it would melt. She wanted something from him, he could feel it in his bones. She was merely out to sooth him, to lower his guard only to seize him by the neck and make him do her bidding.

”When you’re finished you can fill up the waterskin.”

He succumbed. Within a chime he’d downed the snack and was licking his fingers. Part of him was enraged that she’d succeeded, but a larger part realized that maybe she wasn’t quite as devious as he’d thought.

Not a word of thanks rolled of his tongue. He was far too stubborn for that. Still, he’d regained most of his former, polite demeanour. Careful not to spil any water he filled the waterskin and declared that he was ready. Before Adelaide could leave however, he grabbed her wrist to pause her. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled as he let go off her. Then, a spark of curiosity brightened his eye as they headed out. “What’re you called, miss?”

NoteThis'll be my last one for tonight or the quality will suffer, if it hasn't already o.0

[Adelaide Sitai]

27th Summer 514AV Adelaide watched him fill the waterskin, silently impressed by the care he took, hardly letting any water escape. If he took this sort of care with his work after only seven days, he was sure to make an excellent and valuable slave by the time he was grown. She looked away and went back to trying to dry her top. It defied the laws of physics. The sort of fabric she was wearing ought to have been dry by then, but still... she paused for a second and looked down. No, it wasn't perfect but neither was it grossly indecent anymore. It would do. "You're ready. Excellent." After quickly stooping down to drop the towel over the puddle that Tim's wet shirt had made earlier, she picked up her parasol and fan from the table where she'd left them then started for the door. When she felt something pull her back, her first feeling was of surprise, disturbed by the simple innocence but unabashed boldness of the movement that Tim had made. She didn't even think to pull her arm away as she usually did whenever anyone grabbed her wrist, though she had to admit that, in the past, it tended to be strangers in bars rather than children. "Sorry?" she repeated, slightly bemused. Was he apologising for the way he had acted or for grabbing her wrist? Adelaide didn't really know, but wondered why exactly he had grabbed her like that. Had she been moving too fast? Had he wanted to say something then, probably quite wisely, thought better of it? Adelaide, didn't know. "Sitai." she said with a smile, almost missing the question, "Adelaide Blanche Sitai." she didn't know what had prompted her to offer her middle name, but shook it off, "You can call me Miss Adelaide." Right. Now they really had to get going. They had already been some time and, if they waited much longer, Adelaide was sure that the man and woman whom the boy was supposed to be fetching water for in the first place, would somehow manage to melt. Or combust. Or evaporate. Either way, it wouldn't be pretty nor much of a tragedy. No. That was wrong of her to say. It would be a tragedy - the loss of a human life always was - and it was cruel of her to be unkind purely based on someone's appearance and their behaviour while probably quite distressed and irritated by the heat. Adelaide knew she had to keep such thoughts in check. They crossed into the kitchen where, taken by surprise, Adelaide found her wrist grabbed a second time, though this time by a much more forceful hand that made her accidentally drop the parasol which fell to the stone floor with a little clatter. Much more the type of grab she had grown accustomed to, on balance, the rude, boisterous one. She turned around and looked coyly at Novak, who pulled her closer and encircled her waist. "Are you sure you have to have dinner with your grandmother tonight? I'll be at home if you would like to come over. For once, I won't be sleeping in the study." he murmured, his breath tickling her ear. "No, really, I can't. It wouldn't be fair on her. Anyway, I'll see you at some point in the next few days, I'm sure." "Tomorrow?" "Or the day after." "I'll hold you to that." he chucked her under the chin with a light laugh then leant forward and kissed her. Adelaide responded gingerly, her left arm remaining by her side, her right hand resting on his chest before pushing away with a tenuous smile. She went to pick up the parasol where it had dropped to the floor and made her way out of the Kitchen and out of the shop, not stopping to look back and see whether Tim had caught up with her. When she was outside, she stopped and put up the parasol, immediately struck by how much hotter it seemed to be. "I think I can manage the parasol on the way back if you hold on to the water." she said with a note of irony as Tim followed her out.

[Timothy Mered]

27th of Summer 514AV

Sitai. Tim burned the name into his memory. Matilla had been trying to making him remember all the Dynasty names but he simply couldn’t keep track of them. Even less so since no faces could accompany his memory.

Miss Adelaide made a final effort to ruin his mental image of her by kissing the baker. The very one she’d been complaining about just a chime ago. Wrinkling his nose at the sight of the two adults kissing he wondered if the two would even notice him gone if he were to bolt. Even though their icky love only lasted three ticks, it was long enough for Tim to intently study the floor. Yes, quite fascinating. When he dared to look back up, Adelaide had already left the shop. After shooting one hesitant glance at the baker, he chased the red parasol, water in hand, until he caught up with Miss Adelaide again.

"I think I can manage the parasol on the way back if you hold on to the water."

“Don’t worry,” he replied, “I think I’ll manage.”

Within chimes they returned to Jed’s shop. Giles looked even worse than Tim had remembered him although his features brightened upon noticing the waterskin in Tim’s hand, they were quite sullen still.

“Here,” Tim handed Giles the water, wisely avoiding coming anywhere near the woman.

“About time,” the lady fumed. She turned towards Adelaide and ominously warned, “never have children. They’re naturally vicious, gluttonous, greedy creatures.” She snatched the waterskin from Giles’ hands and drank.

Giles reached down the pocket of his waistcoat and drew a gold-rimmed miza from it. “Come here, my boy.” he stooped down to Tim’s height and pressed the coin into his hand. His wife rolled her eyes in disbelief but was too exhausted to say anything.

“Thank you sir, but I can’t take it.” Tim said.

“Why not?”

“Slaves can’t have...money?” he shot an uncertain glance at Adelaide. Could he keep the reward?

[Adelaide Sitai]

27th Summer 514AV They walked back to Jed's shop in relative silence. Adelaide did not attempt to make conversation and, in actual fact, ignored Tim completely save for holding the parasol slightly further out than it would have been had she been alone, in order to let the slave feel the benefit of the shade it offered. She had not exactly intended to ignore him, but she sensed that he did not wish to talk to her. He didn't like her and she felt there was nothing she could do about it. You couldn't force someone to like you, and it was best not to attempt to do so when that person was a slave - one had to be feared by one's slaves more than loved. Fear you could ensure. You could beat out insolence and whip it, cutting a slave's spirit, and indeed their back, clean in two. You couldn't punish someone for not liking you. They'd just like you less, with more grounds for doing so. No. This Tim was not worth bothering about. After a minute, Adelaide wiped her lips with her forefinger, slightly uncertainly, both feeling guilty and strangely not guilty. Why could she not be more simple to understand? Novak cared about her and that was the most important thing. In spite of his temper and cynicism, he was never violent, or at least only mildly and only very rarely. On top of which, he was intelligent, handsome, mature and an excellent cook. He had been there for her after Naolom died, brought her flowers, been kind to her and convinced her to go riding with him while she still considered herself prostrate with grief... and he got on well with her father. Sometimes she could think of nothing better than being safely in his arms, enjoying his embraces, but then why did she pull away? Why was she so difficult with him, always reluctant? No doubt he thought it teasing, and perhaps Adelaide had convinced herself that that was exactly what it was. Teasing. Maybe it was teasing. Maybe she was trying to find issue there was none out of loyalty to a dead fiancé. "In truth," she murmured very quietly, to herself, both joking and sensing how pathetic she was being, "I don't fancy the Draer estate. That is why. It must be why." 'I love Novak.' she told herself, rolling the words over and over again in her head - 'I love him. I love him. I love him.' Only, this was a different type of love so it took longer to get accustomed to. That was why she didn't recognise it as the same sort of passionate and torrid affair she had been experienced in Zeltiva. "Oh bother." The mountain of blubber was still able to speak, even as the sweat dribbled into her mouth... like some grotesque act of ventriloquism. What a talent! "Have children? Of course not." she lowered her voice slightly to say melodramatically, "I've heard they ruin the figure. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you?" Then, this slight not enough and in a spirit of cruelty she ill-recognised in herself, Adelaide continued, "If children are vicious, gluttonous, greedy creatures, it is usually the fault of the parents. It's all down to how they were brought up so it is wrong to blame only them. That said," she paused, before saying with a charming smile, "By your age, even the rudest, most greedy child tends to have grown out of their infant tempers. Still, the fact that you've managed to keep it up this long is nice to see, restores my faith in the endless patience of others. Excuse me." Adelaide turned on her heel and started to make a move back to her shop, when she heard Tim's probing question, the sad little plea, “Slaves can’t have...money?” Keep walking and that'll be the end of it, Adelaide told herself, even as she stopped and turned around. There was a pause as she looked at the coin pressed into the boy's hand. Not being able to find the words immediately, she shrugged, managing to toss her fan behind her as she did so. As she scrambled to pick it up, she waved her hand indicating that it had nothing to do with her before saying, "For Xyna's sake, it's a miza. What does one gold miza matter in the grand scheme of things? Take it." There was a brief pause as Adelaide flicked a speck of dirt off the fan, not looking up, "Goodbye Tim. I shall probably see you soon." Then, quick as a whip, Adelaide turned around and started walking away, breaking quickly into a run, hardly caring who saw her haste. She reached the shop and immediately slammed the door behind her, before keeling over and sitting down against it. There was a moment of silence which she enjoyed profoundly before, quite to her own surprise, she burst into tears. Mercedes ran down the stairs, her face aghast, her accent slipping quite a bit, "Sir? Sir! Are you alright? Have you brought back the water?" As Adelaide sat against the door crying, she saw that, in her haste to escape, she had left the waterskin with Tim. Laughing hysterically through the tears, she shook her head, "No. No." she motioned helplessly, "I'm fine Mercedes. Really I am. It's the heat. The stupid, stupid heat. I've just had too much of it - too much sun. I am silly, aren't I?"

[Timothy Mered]

27th of Summer

“I’ve heard they ruin the figure. You wouldn’t want that to happen, would you?”

“Not to mention the agony and toil that comes with birthing the miscreants!” The fat woman wholeheartedly agreed. She wasn’t of an unfeeling character and pitied the lank, thin lady. She would surely suffer horrible pains with such skinny hips. It was much better to be of a solid stature when shouldering through life, Bertha thought.

By your age, even the rudest, most greedy child tends to have grown out of their infant tempers. Still, the fact that you've managed to keep it up this long is nice to see, restores my faith in the endless patience of others. Excuse me."

Only now did she hear the sneer in that wenches’ voice. Fuming, she was about to unleash her weight worth in vulgarities when Giles stepped in.

“Mind your heart, Plummy my dear!”

“Mind your own business!” she snapped back.

Undeterred Giles mused, “maybe we should make it two for the boy? He does look awfully skinny.” On the latter, Bertha agreed, though little of it showed in her retort.

“Two?!”

“He looks very sad.”

“If it is melancholy you want, look to your poor wife,” Plummy cried. “Left to burn in the heat in tattered rags! My husband, spending good money on slave strays whereas I am ridiculed behind my back! Whispers and rumors, I hear them and they sting me like a lash. You’re a cruel man to bereave me of needs! You’re cruel man! Do you hear?”

Tim remained frozen like a statue, the solitary coin weighed the world in his hand. It wasn’t an awful lot, but it was his. His property.
For Xyna's sake, it's a miza. What does one gold miza matter in the grand scheme of things? Take it." There was a brief pause as Adelaide flicked a speck of dirt off the fan, not looking up, "Goodbye Tim. I shall probably see you soon."

Relieved, Tim looked at Giles to release him and the man gave a small nod in return. As he turned, he noticed Adelaide hurry inside. She seemed quite distressed, though he couldn’t tell by what. It was easy to call and end to this antic and enjoy the company of his shimmering gold companion. Too easy. It was his day off, and perhaps his only day off at it. What was life without a little adventure?

So instead of turning left and entering Jed’s shop, he went up to the shop Adelaide had entered. Not two paces away from the door he could hear muffled voices. One sounded alarm, the other was a mess of words and sobs and…laughter?

Curiosity seized him. He considered putting his ear to the door, but even with so few people about, that would surely be noticed. He needed an excuse.
He looked to the miza in his hand, a plan forming in his head. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and knocked. Once, and if, the door would be opened he’d offer his miza to Miss Adelaide as change for the macaroon. Not a tick after he’d let the knocker drop, he knew it was a terrible lie.
But it was too late to turn tail and run.

[Adelaide Sitai]

27th Summer 514AV Adelaide had gotten up, declining Mercedes' help, and made her way to the little spiral staircase leading up to the Showroom, still slightly tearful, when she heard the knock at the door. Looking down, she was thankful than she had had the good sense to pull a blind across the door with the glass window in order to keep the sunlight out for, now, it also kept out prying eyes. "Mercedes. Can you see who that is? If it's a customer, show them in immediately. If it's a deliveryman with my new silks then come up here to get the money then be sure to send him quickly on his way. I doubt he wants to stay in the heat very long." she sighed, "Go! Go. I can compose myself readily enough." If Mercedes thought this unlikely, she made no show of it and Adelaide sat down on the staircase, from her usual vantage point - where she could see who came in without being seen herself unless, of course, whoever was at the door looked directly up at her, which usually meant that it was someone who knew her and her shop well enough to know this usual spot. Mercedes went to the door and opened it a crack, looking down at the small boy outside with something akin to surprise. "Yes Miss?" she said, raising her eyebrows slightly. Adelaide was annoyed to note that Mercedes was completely blocking the outside. She had no idea who was there, until the boy spoke. She stood up and walked a couple of steps back down the spiral staircase, "Let him in Mercedes." she continued the way down with half a smile, frowning slightly, "I hope you've brought the rest of the water, whatever the Lady hasn't consumed. I realised I'd forgotten the waterskin with you." Adelaide wondered why she refrained from calling her 'The comedy act' or 'Whale' but didn't make much of it. There was only so much mean-spiritedness she could express and, besides, it was a sign of ill-breeding to be rude or make fun of people directly to their face. It was something much better done behind their backs. Now, cooled down, she could see that she had perhaps acted wrongly to a woman who was no doubt accustomed to being made fun of. Adelaide knew herself better than that and knew better than most that there were far better things to make fun of that someone's appearance. Still, it didn't trouble her consciense more than a couple of ticks. "Don't stand in the doorway. You're letting the cool air out." she snapped then, more kindly, "Can I help you?" Mercedes looked a bit taken aback by this conversation and wrinkled her nose slightly, looking at the boy with mild disdain. This amused Adelaide greatly - that was what happened when one had an Eypharian slave... they could not help but judge themselves superior to the other slaves when, in fact, they were openly disdained by most. This, in spite of their six arms. "Mercedes, you can return to the shop floor now." The slave nodded and bowed her head slightly before walking to the spiral staircase and making her way up it. Adelaide crossed her on the way down, so that she could comfortably talk to Tim on the same level. "Well? You don't appear to have the waterskin with you. That's careless." she sniffed slightly, hoping he wouldn't notice her slightly red eyes, especially in the dark coolness of the entrance hall.

[Timothy Mered]

27th of Summer 514AV

The door opened, a woman with dark hair, gilded skin and several arms scrutinized him with her eyes. She smelled nice, like roses.

“Yes miss?”

He wasn’t a Miss! Maybe the woman was blind and the gods had made up for it by giving her extra arms. Or maybe the heat had gotten to her and it was just a slip of the tongue. But the look she gave him was a very deep and long one, surely she hadn’t failed to notice that his hair was short and that his chest was flat? “I am a boy,” he snorted. He was about to say more of it when Ms. Sitai called from inside.

“Let him in Mercedes.”

Only then did Tim notice the woman’s brand. It was different than his, prettier too, even for something as girlish as a flower. Wiping his forehead in a futile attempt to appear remotely proper, he stepped inside and allowed the cool air to fill his lungs. It was almost as good as drink fresh water on hot days like these. It allowed him to think more clearly too.

This was a stupid idea.

At least the shop was nice. Much less cluttered, and appearing quite a bit larger too. Whatever Ms. Sitai did for a living, her shop seemed to be thriving. Maybe Mercedes was to blame for that. Tim gawked at the strange, six-armed woman once more. How on earth the poor girl managed was beyond him. Tim had hit his thumb instead of a nail with a hammer often enough, and that was while using just two hands. He sincerely hoped she would never think of working as a carpenter or she'd end up with six sore thumbs and no income.

“Don’t stand there in the doorway. You’re letting the cool air out.”

He shuffled further into the shop, the door clicked into the lock behind him. Ms. Sitai dismissed her and she left, but not before giving him a dirty look again. Tim briefly dipped his nose under his arm-pit, did he really smell that bad?

“Well? You don’t appear to have the waterskin with you. That’s careless.”

Tim swallowed down a gulp and straightened up like a soldier. Outside, it had been easy to tease her, but inside the Missus own house, his tongue had glued itself to his palate. His eyes darted to the floor as he recovered from the reprimand and tried to think of an answer.
“I…” he began, “I wanted to-“

Scratching his nose, he reconsidered. There was no point in telling her his excuse. It would lose him his only miza and she could probably tell he was lying too. So far she’d been quite nice with him, but he supposed she too had her limits.

He swallowed again. “I thought I heard you cry. I wanted to know if you were alright. Are you alright?”

As bad as he was at lying, his voice was now rich with sincerity. Cautious, but bright-eyed, he met her eyes. A lump started to form in his throat. She’d send him away no doubt, and then she’d tell Jed, and then. . . bad things would happen.

[Adelaide Sitai]

27th Summer 514AV

Adelaide couldn't refrain from allowing a light smile, a shadow of a smile which only appeared fleetingly, to overcome her face as Tim sniffed his armpit with a strange simplicity, far from that of an adult who would have tried to make sure no one noticed. Yes - children were decidedly odd little beasts, as she herself had been. If she ever had one, she would write down its mannerisms and all the odd things it did: it would make for an interesting read.

Her eyebrows had slowly started frowning as he mumbled, failing to ask his question, before raising up suddenly as it came out. Why should he care? She knew that, to his mind, she was an oppressor, a pillar of a corrupt and unfair society: he was a child and they saw things in very simplistic terms, misunderstanding the finer points. Her initial reaction was to deny she had even been crying or to tell him, with no elaboration, that it was not a slave's business to ask questions.

"Don't you know? Us dynasty members - your masters, for want of a better term - have our tear ducts, or rather our lacrimal glands, forcibly removed simultaneously to our first milk tooth falling out. It therefore falls to reason that I could not possibly have been crying." the overly sweet tone of voice she had used for her initial question, the first three words, turned sardonic very quickly, complimented by an illusory smile which brusquely turned acerbic, "Jed ought to have told you. It was careless of him not to for then it would be easy for you to make an error of judgement and risk offending or, worse for you, angering someone. Luckily, I am very forgiving."

That was hogwash. Adelaide cried all the time and for reasons she could not always understand, or sometimes over the stupidest, smallest things. An old jumper, bought in Zeltiva, that had been ravaged by moths or a book in a shop with its cover missing and a large footprint on the back. Only, she usually had the presence of mind to do it in complete privacy. She thought she had had the presence of mind to do so to some extent until the small boy had appeared at her door. Children were naturally curious, but slaves ought not to be for their own sakes - that could be his undoing. Still, he seemed almost worried and Adelaide felt her demeanour soften, her dark eyes suddenly seeming less harsh and iron-like, as she was struck momentarily by pity for someone other than herself.

"Is not Jed likely to wonder where you are?" she stated imperiously but with more humour and friendliness than she had exhibited earlier, before adding in a murmur, "I would not like to see you punished though I imagine that many would think you in dire need of disciplining."

Maybe he'd think that a compliment and, in a perverse way, perhaps it was. He was rather lucky that, of all the Radackes, he had fallen on Jed. Mica and Bice Radacke had a reputation for enjoying breaking slaves. Something that rather perplexed Adelaide, who liked to be entertained, in a variety of ways, by her slaves. In fact, he was lucky. Full stop. Her own half-sisters were vicious slave-breakers and any member of the Rajor Dynasty was best avoided, grossly overindulgent with their love of punishment. It really was a bore to hear talk of it and often a waste of perfectly good slaves.

"Thank you for accompanying me." In spite of the laugh that accompanied her words, highlighting her usual insouciance, that truly was intentional perverseness. Thanking a slave was grossly unnecessary. Still, there were only the two of them and he had not been completely antipathetic to her sensibilities. The situation didn't call for the sort of authority which one should exercise in public, "Now I think you should fetch me the water you ought to have brought with you. I do not like carelessness in anyone, let alone those denizens of Kenash who cannot afford to show any. For you, it is a cardinal sin."

She half smiled and cocked her head to the side, making a mental note to conserve this image of the small slave. As an actress, it was always useful to note mannerisms of one that was not herself.

"Now run along. And be quick. It would only be a small overstatement to say that I am dying of thirst."