Open An errand for a Slave

[Astreia]

Time: 1st of Spring 513 AV - Early Afternoon Where: The Flaxen District Tagged: Open Astreia knew that her master had asked her to be as quick as possible, but she guessed she still had not learnt her lesson. After a whole season under Waldemar's rule, her streak of rebellion had hardly dissipated. He had said with a sly smile that he would know if she took her time and expected her to take the quickest route across the cursed bridge into the celestial, then across the bridge of the beginning, since he needed the book as soon as possible. However, even if she was to expect punishment on her return, nothing could induce her to cross the cursed bridge. She hadn't been in Nyka long, but she had heard enough of the structure to not wish to go anywhere near it, even if she did believe that most of the qualms about it were pure superstition. She walked along the streets for a while, in order to get to the Eastern Quarter. Whenever she crossed a monk, she averted her eyes and walked stoically on, determined that she would make no dangerous encounters. She didn't forget that last time, she had returned to her master's house with her blouse completely ripped across her left shoulder and chest, after having apparently encouraged a man soon before dusk... her master had reacted angrily, but as much against her as the culprit, in fact she would hazard a guess at more so against her. She was a foreigner in Nyka and was not allowed to forget it. Any indiscretion was her own, and any violence done to her for it was a fitting punishment and life lesson. Finally, she arrived in the Eastern Quarter and, as she walked through the Flaxen District, she didn't think she'd ever seen so many pretty clothes In one place. Being a competent clothing designer and cobbler, she would wish that for her career but, unfortunately, fate had decided otherwise and she now found herself doing menial manual tasks she was little suited to for the benefit of a capricious and cryptic master. She stopped a few times, looking at the faces of the many slaves in the many shops in this district. They all looked happier than she was. Well, they weren't treated as she. At first, she remembered, Waldemar had been kind. He would ask her opinion on things and he had paid for relatively good living conditions so, at first, she thought her new slavery was not so bad. Suddenly that changed during the winter, her living conditions dropped drastically and though he was rarely physically abuse, he became very verbally so. Astreia, seventeen and naïve as she was, could not understand why. When she arrived at the shop indicated, she entered shyly. It was a bookshop, specialising in magical books, and though books often served to put her ease, reminding her of the hours spent in the great library in Wind Reach, she was distinctly ill at ease here. "May I help you?" said the shop assistant, a tall, blond man, curtly. "Waldemar Windthorn, my master, has asked me to fetch a book for him." she said quietly. "Ah yes. He said to expect an inarta." Astreia did not reply and waited as he went to get the book. In the meantime, she started looking around the rest of the shop with a light smile.

[Vladimir Balsam]

I was outside looking around. Maybe I will stop in at the bookstore. Vladimir could get lost while being in a bookstore. It always amazed him that he could just sit there and read for hours if he wasn't busy. He walked in and as he walked by the counter he heard:

"Waldemar Windthorn, my master, has asked me to fetch a book for him." she said quietly.

Vladimir heard her say. Hmmm, doesn't look like her master treats her very well, Vladimir thought to himself. He went to the back of the store and opened a book and started to read it. Vladimir was reading his book but also paying attention to the woman who was at the counter. I wonder where she came from. She looked human but she also looked like something else. Probably a mixed blood. Vladimir continued to read his book and watch her as he awaited for her to leave the store. He was going to try and find out more about her if he could, but he didn't want to scare her if he approached her.