[The People's Market]A First Time for Everything(Caddy)

[Cassidy Finch]

8th of Fall, 512 A.V. Velvet found herself in a very good mood as she entered the People's Market through the north entrance. She had finished her daily chores and work early and had no extra duties to perform today, so she was given leave to spend the day as she wished; it was early afternoon so that meant she had plenty of time. At first, the slave had been uncertain as to how she could spend the day, knowing that wherever she went she would end up being demeaned or forced to work for somebody else. Velvet had next to no money either, so she had to find something that would keep her occupied and not cost her anything. The young woman found herself fascinated by the very idea of free time. For most of her life, Velvet had been given endless tasks and work with no chance to rest save for night time and the occasional meal. Now, she had nearly a full day to herself and no idea at all how to spend it. After much thought, Velvet had decided to see if she could find a way to better herself somehow. She was a fairly worthless slave, she had to admit. She had no real skills to speak of, and her only real asset was the odd amount of freedom her master afforded her. With this in mind, she set out to take advantage of her day off in the best way she could, by improving herself. If she were to earn her freedom from Sevris, she would need to be as close to a perfect slave as she could be. Velvet had weaved her way through the streets and canals of Ravok to the People's Market. Hopefully, one of the chefs had decided on presenting a live cooking demonstration that she could observe and learn from. That was her whole reason for coming here, after all; if she couldn't get a good glimpse of a real chef at work, how could she learn more than what meager skill she already had? Velvet continued to look around the market in search of any indications of such a demonstration, but it was very slow going as Velvet had to work through the thick crowds to see the different stalls and stands due to her diminutive height. After several minutes of claustrophobic searching, the slave had located a gangly, middle-aged man standing on a platform and dicing something on a cutting board. Hastily she began to make her way over to him, shoving people this way and that in the crowd carelessly. For a brief moment she felt a bit of worry that one of them would notice the branding on her right hand that indicated her status as a slave, but her desire to learn overcame her cautious nature; she dressed much like a free woman, so she was certain most people would treat her as such.

[Caddy Twist]

It was a normal day for Caddy, weaving between the crowds of The People's market place. Nodding to the weaponry store owener, to show that she wasn't interested in buying, Caddy left. As she exited the shop, she slipped the small pocket knife from her sleeve to her leather bag. Sighing, Caddy wandered around. Every day is the same. Everyday is boring. Caddy thought, walking slowly as she watched the crowds pass. Slipping her hand into a child's torn pocket, Caddy received a crudely sewn purse. It contained six marbles, two charcoal pencils, and a twig. Shrugging, she replaced the purse. The crowd took her to a demonstration, were she agilely wove through the mass of people, shoving to get a better look. Unlike most people Caddy had a way of observing more than the average Onlooker. So naturally when a slave mark breifly showed through the crowd, Caddy followed. It lead to a woman, maybe a few years older than her, with straight blonde hair, and grey blue eyes. It was easy to tell she was used to the work, her hands were calloused, her skin tan, and she had muscles. Most people, didn't have that many muscles just by doing an average person's daily work. This woman had obviously seen years of hard work, and it was easy to tell since she had a slave mark in her palm. Caddy kept close to her, feigning interest in the cookers demonstration. She could see that this woman had a habit of looking away when met directly in the eyes, typical slave behavior. Except not. Caddy could recognize submissive behavior from not, and she was far from submissive. Her stance was confident and daring with her legs spread so they were even with her shoulders, her shoulder were straight, her hair out of her face. The one and only thing that tricked most people, was her eyes. Caddy smirked and stepped forward for a little bit of fun. "You know run away slaves are sold for a large price." Caddy spoke in an authoritative voice, attempting to intimidate the woman. Caddy stepped forward so that she was standing next to the mysterious girl. Caddy came to a conclusion that she was a runaway because of her attire. She didn't wear as expensive clothes as Caddy's, though Caddy was by no means wearing expensive clothes, she didn't wear the usual rags that marked a slave in the city of Ravok.

[Cassidy Finch]

"You know run away slaves are sold for a large price." The voice came from somewhere in the crowd, the tone sending a dagger of fear into Velvet's heart. Why would anyone think she was a runaway? All she had been doing was watching a chef! If she were really trying to escape, she'd use her meager funds to find a way to sneak out of the city! Velvet looked around herself, her eyes wide with alarm and worry. If Sevris saw her being hauled back to his house by the guards, he would have her hide--literally. Much to the slave's surprise, the speaker turned out to be a young girl, apparently a few years younger than she was. Her attire clearly marked the girl as a free woman, and her demeanor was one that a city guard might adopt when dealing with a criminal. Doubtless, she was trying to scare Velvet for some unknown reason. The young slave gave the girl a once-over, estimating her. She was young, but clearly in a position in society above Velvet. The way the girl held herself indicated that she felt confident in her authority over Velvet, and so the slave instantly assumed that she also had the ability to punish her. With this new information in mind, the young woman lowered her eyes in the proper manner of a slave and turned to face the girl. Though her expression was one of meek submission, Velvet could not keep her right hand--the one bearing the mark--from clenching into a tight fist at her side. "I am sorry, Madam. I don't know what you're talking about," Though her words held the common humility that all slaves were expected to adopt, the way Velvet said them had an edge to it, "I am only here at the request of my master, Sevris Lazarin." If the chit decided that she would have her dragged off to her master, there really wasn't much she could do about it, Velvet noted with distaste. All she could do was try to convince the girl that she was an obedient little slave who would never run away. Still, it rankled the young woman that this girl was capable of ordering her around any time she desired and Velvet was having a hard time hiding that annoyance.

[Caddy Twist]

The woman jumped slightly looking around for a mere second before landing her eyes on Caddy. Caddy feigned interest in the chef, but watched the woman from the corner of her eye. The chef didn't interest her. Caddy had never needed to cook, and truthfully it was too complicated and boring for her. And Caddy was all about excitement. The woman glanced her up and down, idetifying her as someone ranking above her, even though she was easily two to three years Caddy's senior. Caddy acted nonchalant for a second, studying her. As soon as the woman identified Caddy as a free woman, she looked down to her feet, hiding under her lids. Her hair fell in her face, but she didn't move to swipe it away. Her left foot stepped every so slightly closer to her right, and her shoulders slumped. Perfect slave. Caddy thought. Everything about her screamed Your in charge! Her face was shadowed, her confidence seemingly gone, absolutely perfect. Except for one thing. Her clenched, and partially hidden fist showed Caddy that this woman was very angered if not very annoying by having to do this so often. And she had been angry for a long, long, time. Not like someone who had been born into slavery, or actually not like any other person. This woman had ambition, she wanted something with her life. "Don't do that, you look like a abused dog." Caddy snorted, turning to the woman. "And by the way, I'm not going to turn you in, fake master or real." Caddy perked an eyebrow, showing she doubting her story about being sent by a master. This woman was too well dressed to be a current slave. "Your just lucky no one else observes people like I do." Caddy eyed the woman's fist waiting for it to relax. OOC : Hey if you wanted your character to learn stealth or thievery from Caddy. Just tell me because is you want those skills, now is a great time to turn in it that direction. It's totally up to you, but what are we planning on gaining out of this thread? If its just friendship I'm cool with that. We might have to wrap it up real quick though because I think its the end of summer. But if it is actually the beginning of fall (which would be a whole lot better), we have time. Just thinking that now our characters are more-so introduced to each other we have to figure out where we are going with this.

[Cassidy Finch]

The slave waited in tense silence for a moment as the chit studied her, looking like she was making a decision. After what seemed like an eternity, the girl snorted, "Don't do that, you look like a abused dog. And by the way, I'm not going to turn you in, fake master or real." In surprise, Velvet finally met the girl's eyes and rather loudly let out the breath she had been subconsciously holding in. She had eyes of two different colors, one brown and one green. The slave quickly shook off her surprise at the girl's odd feature and focused back on her words, "You're just lucky no one else observes people like I do." The slave felt her anger rising in her chest, and hastened to squelch it. She could not afford to lose her temper here, in a crowd this size. All that girl would have to do is raise her voice and Velvet would find herself in a very bad position. Regardless of this, Velvet could not simply ignore how this girl was acting. Was she trying to scare Velvet for fun, or was there another purpose? She hastened to fold her hands and hide her brand under her left arm so that passers-by would not see it as the slave's eyes hardened and she replied, "I have not run away from my master, and I never would," The lie came off of Velvet's tongue easily; truthfully, she did have a master. She just neglected to mention that she had considered running off several times despite how easy he went on her. "What do you want from me?" By the end of her question, Velvet's demeanor had changed entirely. The lack of confidence and the humiliating meekness that she kept as a mask were gone; the slave knew that this kind of defiance could be fatal if she showed it at the wrong time, but she could not stop herself. This girl was being cruel, rubbing Velvet's slavery in her face. Though she would never admit it aloud, that mockery cut deep into her and it reflected in her eyes, their cold, blue gaze boring into the girl with scarcely-contained fury. It really was a good thing that Velvet had hidden her brand from sight, or she was certain she would be found out by an onlooker and beaten bloody right there.

[Caddy Twist]

Caddy watched the woman flick a glance at her eyes. She knew it was unusal, she had yet to meet someone else with her strange two colored eyes. No matter how used Caddy was to the stares, the curiosity, and the mocking, she would never fit it. After the woman's brief interest in her eyes she spoke. "What do you want from me?" The woman asked, clearly annoyed with Caddy's toying. She was taking great risks, for all she knew Caddy loved the idea of slavery, Caddy could own her own slaves, and turn her in any moment. Or take out a whip and publicly punish her right then and there in the middle of the crowd. But she didn't know that Caddy detested slavery, it disgusted her. Mostly becuase she can relate. No she's never been a slave, but she's been treated like one, the one thing that kept her sane was the thought of Finn. Somehow, even though Caddy had never needed or wanted a friend, she didn't want to make enemy's with this woman. Changing her mood, Caddy lost her defiant stance, even though she was still taller than the woman, Caddy stopped 'looking down on her' mentally Caddy brought the woman's class up to her own, treating her like an equal. "A name." Caddy answered simply. "Mine is Caddy, Caddy Twist and your's is . . ?"

[Cassidy Finch]

Much to Velvet's surprise, the girl's attitude changed entirely when she spoke next, "A name. Mine is Caddy, Caddy Twist and yours is . . ?" This took the slave entirely off guard. This chit--Caddy, she said her name was--turned from being one of the typical free people, superior and cruel, into a friendly, almost warm person. Instead of introducing herself immediately, the young woman just stared at Caddy. Velvet couldn't decide how to feel about the girl. She was infuriated that Caddy would make a joke of slavery and then try to be friendly. Many of those she had served had acted similarly, but the majority simply took her servitude for granted. Caddy's little game deeply offended Velvet, and she found it hard to allow it to pass to the wayside. Perhaps more confusing was the girl's friendly manner. Why would she treat Velvet like an equal after clearly indicating that she thought of slavery as something to joke about? Several emotions crossed the slave's face as she considered how to respond. After several moments, Velvet finally made up her mind. "Velvet," she replied in a cool manner. Caddy's apparent change of heart did not erase her previous actions from Velvet's mind, and the slave would be alert for any sign of possible cruelty that might come from the girl.

[Caddy Twist]

Caddy knew her sudden change in demeanor shocked the woman, as she watched confusion, anger, more confusion, and mistrust cross over her face. Caddy gave her self a imaginary pat on the back, when The woman's fist un-clenched. "Velvet." She said, her voice still not relaxed. Velvet's eyes pierced Caddy's, until Caddy turned to the demonstration, trying to peer over the crowd. "So what do you even like about this stuff anyways? Its way simpler to grab a quick fruit from a shop, or a meal from the Silver Sliver." Caddy observed, choosing to ignore Velvet's hostile attitude towards her. It was just a joke. Caddy thought. Leisure Social things had always been particularly boring for Caddy. She's never found a reason to find a friend. But now, since she was bored, Caddy needed someone to entertain her. And a fellow woman would be perfect, despite both her and Caddy's obvious stubbornness.

[Cassidy Finch]

Velvet was taken aback by Caddy's sudden change of subject. Typically, she would be reprimanded for being angry, but this woman just dismissed it and continued on with the conversation. The slave grudgingly admitted that Caddy seemed like the kind of person she could get along with. "So what do you even like about this stuff anyways? Its way simpler to grab a quick fruit from a shop, or a meal from the Silver Sliver." Caddy observed idly. With a sigh, the slave resigned herself to being on speaking terms with the woman standing beside her. Velvet turned her eyes back to the chef as she took a moment to gather her thoughts. Caddy was hard to stay mad at, for some reason. She supposed it was because the girl was just so petching friendly. Velvet was used to people dismissing her or ordering her about, but Caddy did neither. "I want to learn how to make better meals for my master," She answered with a shrug, "I can't practice there since ingredients are expensive, so I came here to watch a real chef at work." Velvet studied Caddy out of the corner of her eye, curious about her. Why was the woman taking so much interest in a slave? More importantly, why Velvet in particular? It wasn't as if she had anything that Caddy could make use of, and she was not known as a great conversationalist, either. The demonstration forgotten, Velvet occupied herself with pondering her mysterious new companion's intentions.

[Caddy Twist]

"Money, Money, Money. Gold Miza's for this and Silver Miza's for that." Caddy mocked no one in particular, making a nasal voice. Grabbing Velvet's hand, she pulled her back form the crowd, near a spice shop close by. Caddy had felt weird touching another person with them knowing. She hadn't held her hand hard, because Caddy was not used to the firm touch, she preffered light, and probbing. Everything Caddy did with this Velvet woman, stepped way out of her comfort zone. If only Finn can see me now. Caddy thought, as she turned to Velvet. With Caddy's knowledge of Velvet so far, which was not much, Caddy had no Idea wether she was taking risk or not. "If you want the ingredient, no matter the price, you just take it." Caddy said, looking down into her blue eyes. Caddy did another alien thing, by holding the woman's gaze, and not flitting her eyes away. It was a habit of Caddy's never to hold someone's eyes because of her own. She stood out too much, and was too recognizable, so If she finds someone to steal from, she will never face them while they are facing her. She was a presumed 'Witch' after all. As people passed by the standing woman, Caddy demonstrated what she meant. Snapping her fingers by her waist, Caddy got an involuntary glance form Velvet, It was a natural human reaction, Caddy had watched it happen so often, when a human is talking to another and a sound suddenly happens close by, it is very rare that they don't cast a fleeting glance towards it. Caddy had learned though that most other races did not have that distraction, which had cost her a couple expensive steals. Reaching her hands into a passing man's pocket, she pulled an envelope. Holding it up, she twisted ti in between her fingers briefly before slipping it back into a passing woman's bag.