Completed Fish Bait (Yoona)

[Inoadar]

Inoadar

Inoadar did not run in the opposite direction from that which Yoona had taken, but it was at a considerable tangent, nonetheless. He hoped that she would be able to follow directions as efficiently as she assured him she could. If so, she would lead these "Fish Feeders" a merry chase. She would complete about three hundred degrees of a complete circle, bringing her to an agreed-upon location where he would intercept them.

There was a great deal of subterfuge involved in what he would say to these men. It was very nearly as important as the necessity for him to be well disguised at the time. This was the only reason he began to hurry in his direction. As he'd developed his skills to elude and infiltrate, he'd learned to stash small caches of items to aid in quick disguises. He made two different stops in this regard. The first was to grab a padded shirt, and some shoes that were made to look as if they had soles that were thicker than normal. The impression being that he was a chubby man, trying to offset his heavy appearance by using platform shoes to look taller.

Actually the soles were excessively thin, the uppers being embossed and worked to look like the edges where the soles began. Then, with his practiced slouch, and the tall hat he would pick up the second cache site, along with his gloves, he would really come off as a short heavy man, trying to look taller. He had recently filled the little finger and forward half of the ring finger sleeves on the left glove with rolled leather to give them the look of containing a complete hand. He could not have this maiming giving away his identity.

Someday soon, he would return to Tine's Exotic Goods to get the reversible clothes that were sold there. And he felt confident that Tine could figure a way to creatively combine the "false finger" and "finger blade" into one effectively surprising weapon where his little finger should be. He already was imagining ways he himself could make a poison injecting gadget out of the missing tip of his ring finger.

Inoadar smirked. He wondered if the Warden of the Black Hole had considered the "modifications" Inoadar would make to his tortured hand at the time he was chopping pieces off of it. As he made his way to the rendezvous site, he once again felt the strange sense of pride in having endured the ordeal in the Vitrax' prison. He knew he was stronger now for it. Not in the sense of actual physical capability.

But who could ever hope to intimidate him after such an ordeal?

He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks...Daegron!...The morpher he'd gotten to know while treating him at the NMSS. If the man could teach him just the rudiments of morphing...just enough to alter his hand to appear "unmodified" when necessary for disguise purposes...That could be of tremendous value to him. Calculations and bargaining approaches began running through his mind.

'NO!...' He shook this line of thought off. 'First thing's first...Yoona...The "Fish Feeders"...Clyde Sullins!...Vengeance!'...His smirk became a sneer and he was once again off for the rendezvous site.

He reached it with several chimes to spare. His path had been calculated to give him alleys of view to see the woman and her pursuit. He was aware of the long piece of wood bracing outside the wide door at the lumber warehouse. 'Barton's place!' he laughed. It was ironic how often the same man that had made repeated attempts to kill him, served to make himself useful to him.

Inoadar picked up the ten foot brace, propping it on his shoulder. He lay flat against the wall with it, listening for the chase. It arrived just a few chimes later. As soon as he saw Yoona go by, he stepped out and away from the wall, bringing the shoulder level plank right into the path of her pursuers.

There was alarmed shouting, the sound of skidding feet, and several hollow, wooden-sounding impacts. Inoadar and the three men fell in a cursing heap in the alley as Yoona ran on.

'Now for the lies...' Inoadar sneered silently, making sure to wipe the grin off his face.

x

[Yoona]

Though Yoona had come to familiarize herself with the ins and outs of the docks, the mental map in her head ever expanding with each newly discovered shop and bar, she was depending on Ruki's guidance to lead her in the pre-ordainded circle that she'd been instructed to run in. He kept himself a good distance in front of her at all times, his stubby tail streaking in the air behind him as he wove his way around stands and through throngs of startled people. Yoona kept up, wheezing a little with the pain that her aching lungs assailed her with but sprinting with all of her might. Occasionally she'd turn her head and peek over her shoulder, just to make sure that she was still being followed.

The men were hot on her trail, scrambling and huffing and all but tripping over their own feet. They were in well enough shape that they could keep up with her, and seemed hellbent enough on not being the first to tire out.

As loathe as Yoona was to leave the fate of these horrid men to a strange man she'd just met, she assumed that he'd deal with them appropriately. And in her opinion, no punishment would be more appropriate than having them thrown into the lake, themselves, their limbs bound with chains, their mouths sewn shut...the voracious fish-beast would tear them apart. A fitting fate for men who had been condemning the innocent to the same death.

Ruki twisted his way down an alley, and Yoona followed suit, noticing how the paths seemed to be getting narrower and narrower. A few chimes later, the Chaktawe woman spotted a man peel himself away from a wall to go standing in the middle of the walkway, lugging a plank of wood with him. She assumed that it was the one who'd saved her, though he looked a bit heavier and shorter than she remembered, with a slouch that hadn't been there, before. A disguise? Smart of him. Looking to Ruki for confirmation, she noticed how the hyena had come to a stop off by the corner of a near building. He had lifted his head towards her, now. They were in the right place.

Having done what she was told to do, Yoona began to ease herself down to the floor to sit once she was well away from the men, and out of their line of sight. Then she seemed to think better of it, and straightened up, lifting her chin a little as she gained her breath.

The collision was an amusing one. The three men crashed into the disguised man, and all four of them went sprawling to the ground in a swearing, flailing, shouting heap. "Would you watch where the petch you're going?!" One grumbled, rolling over onto his stomach as he began to get to his feet. Another shoved at the disguised man.

"Don't bother. There's no time to waste on a clumsy bastard. We've got to catch that slave!"

"Right, right...gah, dammit, where'd she go?" A man grumbled, looking around.

OOCNice new post template, Inoadar! c:

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Inoadar]

Inoadar

It took a couple more "accidental" impacts with heads and ankles to ensure that the men had given up the chase and were now focusing their anger on Inoadar. "Dammit! Where'd she go?" one growled.

"She got away!" another snapped, spinning toward Inoadar, probably expecting him to cringe.

For himself, Inoadar acted as though he too was looking in the direction Yoona had gone. The fact was, he was only looking to be sure that she stayed out of sight now that it was his turn to deal with these buffoons.

The third said nothing, but stepped up and twirled Inoadar around, ready to lay into him. But the look on the disguised poisoner's face brought him up short. "Be glad that she did, you idiots!" Inoadar hissed, his eyes ablaze with disgust. "Or you'd be spending this very night in the Black Hole! It's only by the grace of Rhysol that she ran by here so I could intercept you before you ruined everything!"

He turned to look away, with an air of dismissive contempt, to add depth to his act. After a few moments, he gave a relieved sigh and turned back to face them. Their confused resentment was plainly written across their faces, and evident in the fact that their hands were still clenched in fists. Inoadar scowled, "Do you boys know what an "ambush" is? Did you stop to think how unlikely it is that a victim so newly saved from such a fate would return to the very spot where she is most surely going to be recognized and pursued?"

Realization began to seep into their faces as a bit of the angry color drained away, "W-wait a chime...are you saying this was a...a..." the first one stammered.

"A set-up?" Inoadar finished for him, with a mocking nod and few sarcastic hand claps. "Very good!" he sneered, looking at the men with a furrowed brow, as if unsure what to do with them. He seemed suddenly to come to a decision. "Hmmm...perhaps we can make this work after all...Okay look, you have undoubtedly heard that The Rising Dawn has been eliminated from our good city, correct?"

One of the men offered a tentative "Yes", clearly in doubt that he was about to hear a contradiction to this accepted fact. One of his cohorts broke in, "Are you saying they're still around? That we've been lied to?"

Inoadar shook his head in disbelief, "What? You think the Ebonstryfe is obliged to let you in on all their secret operations? I could go tell them you said so, if you really wish me to." He did not wait for the sudden fear on the man's face to be given voice. Also, he did not want any of the others to have an opportunity to actually ask for proof of Ebonstryfe membership. "Just be glad that I do not have cause to report back that you ruined THIS one."

He shook his head and waved dismissively as if getting himself back on track. "Anyway...You may also have heard of Nolan Parnell? Owner of 'Ino Vations'?" he asked, with a tone of encouraging them to think things through.

"Y-yeah-h..." one of them said hesitantly, "Wasn't he arrested?"

"Yes...for treason. He was released a few days ago. Lack of evidence, they are saying. The fact is, there was plenty of evidence. Enough to believe he is one the central figures in the regrouping of these rebel bastards." One of the men was about to speak, but Inoadar raised a hand to cut him off with an impatient huff. "Before you ask why, consider how much more there is to gain by letting him go and watching him, as opposed to torturing him to death and having all his connections go into hiding."

They nodded as if they had known this all along. Inoadar could tell these men would enjoy hearing him give a grudging concession to them, however false. He was only to eager to exploit this. They were obviously brutish clods, looking to amass a name for themselves, through something that put them at little to no personal risk. Inoadar injected a tone of annoyance into his voice. "Now, as much as I hate to admit it, you men are in a unique position to help us." Now the hook to their pride. "We probably should have done this to begin with..."

The men straightened up as if ready to bask in impending glory. Inoadar repressed a sneer. They were putty! "You will be able to recognize a number of new recruits into these subversive ranks, since there are a number of your intended victims among them. We believe they are meeting there, at 'Ino Vations', keeping written records, probably memberships and logistics. They will all be in code of course, but if you can get hold of anything that doesn't fit with shop ledger writings, grab it and bring it to the temple. Your reward will be spectacular, I promise."

Their eyes gleamed with unbridled avarice. It was time to drop the other shoe. "We have been concerned that they have spotted our surveillance teams. We will withdraw our personnel. You men wait a few days for things to relax, and then see if you recognize anyone going into the shop. If you do, you will have to judge if you think you'll have time to report to the temple so we can mount a raid in response. If we can catch this group, or find their records, you will receive due credit for your part."

There was agreement and eagerness on all their faces. Inoadar could see it in their eyes though, that they wanted the big haul, ALL the glory. He would see to it that they found the shop untended as if closed for the night. He would see to it that the lock was improperly closed to allow easy entry. He would see to it that Miro's explosive scrolls, clearly written in "code" differing from ledger style, would be easily found. These men would be unable to settle for only assisting. They would go for the big score.

These idiots had brought a colossal threat to the city through their "fish feeding" stupidity. Their "reward" would indeed be spectacular...

OOCYes, Amolina made it for me. Now that Ino is back in his "right" mind, i went back to it.

x

[Yoona]

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Ruki ventured, craning his neck so that he'd be able to peek out from the corner of the building they were standing near and get a better look. From this distance, however, there wasn't much to make out; just a few indistinguishable moving shapes.

Yoona strained to listen, keeping herself pressed up against the wall. 'No...not really,' She replied with a frown. 'Those men seem startled, though. And there's...mention of the Stryfe, I think, but everything else is too distant to understand. '

"Huh. ...What did that guy say his name was, again? Jason? Nalon...?

'Nolan, I think it was.'

The hyena nodded a little at this, as if approving of the name the man had given himself. Personally, Yoona was just happy that she managed to remember it in the first place; it'd been carelessly thrown into the midst of his religious babbling, and would have been overwhelmed entirely if she hadn't chose to commit it to memory.

After a few chimes, the business seemed to have ended. Nolan had finished consorting with the men, who exchanged occasional smug glances as they stood by and listened to his words. They'd suffered a loss, but an opportunity had made itself available to them immediately afterward, as if the universe was repaying them for their misplaced slave. Money and glory were surefire ways to happiness, after all. Nodding and giving the disguised man their thanks, they turned on their heels and went on their way, nudging at each other and snickering as they went. Though she'd been expecting it, it felt as though a huge weight was being lifted from her shoulders as Yoona watched the men vanish. '...It worked...'

She waited for a couple of chimes, watching and waiting for something to go wrong, for the men to return. But they didn't. Moving a bit cautiously, Yoona removed herself from the wall and went trotting back over to the disguised man, Ruki padding alongside her with his head once again lowered. "It is done...? It work? They no come back...?" She asked, looking towards where the men had walked off. Then she was quiet for a moment, vigor returning to her still-dampened face. "It work...! Wretches! You trick them good."

This was followed by another silence, in which Yoona seemed to be arguing internally with herself over something. Her eyes laced with uncertainty, she turned to look at him, and blinked. Once, twice. Three times. "...Thank you."

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Inoadar]

Inoadar

Inoadar felt a curious compulsion to return the woman's thanks. After all, the dunking in the water resulting from his intention to rescue HER, as part of the plan Rhysol had set for him, had been what had finally freed him from the lingering madness he'd been afflicted with during his stay in the Black Hole.

He offered a somewhat clumsy bow, "uhh...You're welcome...Look, like I said, I'm not really interested in a slave, but you need to play that part until this is done. For the next few days you ought to be seen around my shop. These men in particular need to see you there. That will reinforce the notion I've planted in their minds that there's a valuable secret contained inside my shop. They won't start looking for a couple of days, though."

They began walking toward the part of the docks where 'Ino Vations' was located. "There's another detail I need to get straight with you. I have a sort of slave named 'Burke', and a young girl named 'Vera' that work at the shop. You need to meet them, so you'll all know each other. I have an ulterior motive with this plan I'm hatching. You don't need to know all the details, but I DO need you to do one thing for me...well...two actually."

He hoped he wouldn't have to threaten her with her slave status to get her to cooperate. "I will need help removing some of the stock from the shop. I will rent a hand cart to move these things to a facility I have some authority with. Some of it will need to stay, for the appearance of normality. Helping me do this is the first thing. The other is to befriend Vera, so she will leave with you at a moment's notice. I can not be there to give this word, but it will be very important to me that she be clear of the shop when the time comes."

He thought about telling her of the fire scrolls and how they could be ignited at any time. How the greater the destruction they caused, the greater the responsibility he hoped to hang around Clyde Sullins' haughty neck. But he figured that she'd be shocked and make a fuss, or refuse to help. The he'd have to threaten to turn her in to the Ebonstryfe. But he was worried that she'd be quick enough to realize that she could counter threaten to expose his plan. They'd be at an impasse, and with her being a slave, she'd have nothing to lose.

It was another reason he did not endorse slavery. You either had a dispirited wreck of a lethargic human, cringing and doing inefficient work, due to focusing more on their own misery than what needed doing. OR you had an angry, brooding cur, waiting to get back at you, their only obstacle, the threat of death, which is not much of a deterrent to someone who knows they will live under the heel of tyranny for life.

Inoadar had always assumed this was why Rhysol had the wisdom to enact the law that put slaves above foreigners and non-citizens. To give slaves the knowledge that their lives could still be quite rewarding and satisfying, if they kept their place. Right now, this was what he needed from Yoona.

He looked at her. "When this is finished, I will call us even.You can go or stay, or whatever you want."

x

[Yoona]

Yoona kept her pace on par with the man's own, walking alongside him while keeping a reasonable distance between them. Ruki stayed at an empty spot next to her for a while, but after about a chime he lifted his head, giving the Chaktawe woman a sort of nod before his form seemed to dissolve into the air. It was a goodbye-wave, if nothing else. The hyena would return when he felt the need to, though it was likely that he'd be leaving her alone for a few bells. Yoona had long since become used to the guardian's habits.

She listened intently to Nolan's words as he explained himself and his wishes, occasionally glancing over at his face. 'So he needs me around the shop to further the ruse...seems simple enough.'

Then she mulled it over some bit, and as the man continued to talk, Yoona noticed something. He'd put himself in danger to save her life, but all of these plans and methods, though involving her, revolved around his own personal needs. She'd heard nothing so far that addressed her own, apart from her now temporary slave status. The Chaktawe woman was master-less, which equated to being homeless. What little worldly possessions she had were at that wretch Issac's abode, and as eager as she was to see the look on his face when he saw her alive, she had no intention of lurking around his quarters. Yoona supposed that she could always ask Nolan for a place to stay...and yet, the idea bothered her. She didn't want to take advantage of his kindness, and he seemed to be, to her, a person who offered help and compassion sparingly.

'Perhaps I can bother him about it, later.'

He needed help moving some items. Befriending the small girl was a surprising task, but Yoona merely nodded and tried to keep the surprise out of her face. She was ambivalent towards children, just as she was ambivalent towards most people. Familiarizing herself with a child shouldn't be too challenging, assuming that the child would cooperate. And she seemed important to him, somewhat.

Then came the man's last words, which proved enough to bring out that surprise that the Chaktawe woman had been hiding away.

"When this is finished, I will call us even. You can go or stay, or whatever you want."

'Go or stay...?'

Go where...? Where'd he expect her to run off to? And what did he mean by "stay"? In the treacherous city? In his shop? So many vague things, so many questions...the sheer weight of them all was enough to make Yoona's head ache. "You speak thinking it's easy," She commented, her voice rising no higher than a mutter. "To go or stay. I'm thankful to you, but after today...no place for me. ...I don't know, really."

She was quiet for all of a few ticks before she spoke up, again. "I help you. Now, could you get this off?" The Chaktawe woman said, holding up her arms a little and shaking her bound elbows. "I like moving my arms."

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Inoadar]

Inoadar

Inoadar did a small double take. The woman walked with such upright dignity, he'd forgotten the chains were still on her. "Yes, of course, we will free you of those things. We will need to return to my shop to do it. This will be convenient, though. It will give you a chance to meet Burke and Vera. But for now, they will give legitimacy to your act as my slave. You should probably follow a few steps behind me." He said this without any hint that it might offend her to do so, as he increased his pace slightly.

They reached the shop without incident. Burke grinned broadly, welcoming his boss back, and Vera squeaked a greeting with delight, but remained at the equipment, clearly in the middle of some process. She knew you did NOT hug someone you cared for while in the middle of working with toxins. Inoadar went into the back room, quickly threw on a smock, and held a piece of litmus paper to his lips as he give her a light hug and kissed the top of her head through the paper.

They both looked at the paper, which turned a slight reddish tint. Inoadar joked a sudden choking fit and they both laughed. Then he told her in mock severity, "That's enough foolishness! Now back to work!" She copied his stern demeanor as she returned to the tubes and flasks, and he then went to one of the back cabinets and pulled a rolled-leather case of thieves' tools from a shelf.

Burke, in the meantime, had spent these few moments talking to the female stranger. His small-talk questions were posed with no thought that they might have made her uncomfortable. He simply assumed that she was a newly purchased slave. His eyes traveled the length of her body with obvious appreciation, and he was just in the process of asking if "the master" had wanted her only for his bed, or if she other talents, when Inoadar called for her to come into the back.

Any outraged looks that might have been on her face went unnoticed as Inoadar's focus was entirely on the tools and the lock, gauging and checking for the most likely size and set. He shushed her a few times, as she began to make comments, listening for tell-tale clicks and pings, as he stuck slim wedges and shims to block the drops of certain small bolts inside the lock. After several chimes, and several attempts, he finally got the exact path of pin exclusion he wanted, and then inserted a small rod with a particular set of bends and kinks amidst the wedges and shims already present. With a wiggle and few in-and-out jerks, the lock sprang open and the whole array fell to the floor with a metallic rattle.

"There we go. Now, we should get rid of these. Instead, I will use the set that was on Burke when I got HIM. You needn't worry. I HAVE the keys for those. They were on...him...Is something wrong?" He finally noticed that she didn't look entirely pleased with her situation.

x

[Yoona]

Yoona blinked at him to show that she understood, letting out a mental sigh of relief as he quickened his pace and went to walk in front of her. Finally, after so many bells, she'd be getting the godforsaken metal binds off of her arms; they were tight, holding her elbows together with the help of a lock, and the metal bit into her flesh every other time she so much as lifted a foot.

Once they reached Nolan's shop, the caution that the Chaktawe woman had been willing herself to keep at bay wormed itself into her head, again. As much as things had calmed down, she wasn't about to let her guard slip just because she'd been led to a place of safety.

Or had she?

A seed of doubt still lingered about in Yoona's mind, though it was far from taking root and sprouting into full-grown fear. It wasn't everyday that she found she could rely on the kindness—or self-rewarding helpfulness—of strangers. Yoona wasn't sure whether she'd been a benefactor of some sort of divine intervention, or if Luck had merely favored her, for once, but her rescue was something that was almost too good to believe. Even now she was still having trouble with believing it, and a small voice at the very back of her head was telling her that she needed to be careful.

The Chaktawe woman watched Nolan's other "slaves" as they walked in, observing their reactions and general demeanor with a neutral expression on her face. They both seemed pleased upon their master's return...happy, even. But where could happiness exist in a life of servitude? Then again, the man had referred to this grinning Burke as his "sort of slave." They weren't miserable, their skin didn't seem to be littered with bruises, and they seemed well-fed. The Chaktawe woman had to fight down the ghost of a smile that threatened to come to her face when Nolan went over and gave the girl Vera a hug. 'I was right, then. He cares for her. More than he's letting on, too.'

While the child and the shop-owner went over to some shelves and cabinets to fiddle with things, Burke wandered over and tried his hand at small-talk. Yoona kept her mouth shut, narrowing her void-like eyes at him as he went from question to incessant question, none of which she felt like answering. It didn't help that he was observing her like a piece of food, either, though there was no trace of carnal hunger in the man's eyes as far as she noticed. Still, it was awkward. The Chaktawe woman guffawed at his last question, her eyes widening in a mixture of shock and anger, but she had to bite back a scathing retort as Nolan called for her.

'Bedmate!? I'm no petching bedmate! The nerve of him...if I had my dagger, I'd have cut out his petching tongue!'

Yoona merely grumbled as she made her way past the shelves of beakers and vials, going to stand by Nolan as he toyed with some metal gizmos. In too much of a flustered huff to bother paying attention, Yoona crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at a nearby wall. Saved from a terrible fate, only to be drawn into one that was nearly as uncertain as the first...how wonderful. The comment about her binds being removed, and subsequently replaced, flew right by her short-haired head.

A few ticks later, the man seemed to notice her inward plight. She hadn't expected him to see it, or care in the first place, and she was just as sure that she'd brush him off, but the words came pouring from her mouth before she fully realized it.

"Your Burke. He speaks, but no thinking in his words," she replied after a moment, turning her head a little to look at the man out of the corners of her eyes. "As if he never seen woman, before. ...that's only one thing."

Yoona paused, then, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before continuing. "I said, already, that I help you. But what else? I'm not a slave anymore. All my things are with the Stryfe wretch...I have no things to keep, and no place to stay. ...But I'm alive. And that good."

Putting these feelings into words was hard. Working her way around Common was a bit harder, but she was trying her best.

"I guess...I feel...lost."

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki

[Inoadar]

Inoadar

Inoadar let her finish her brief speech, her broken common both strangely endearing and unfortunately unique in Ravok. "I doubt very seriously that Burke was not thinking as he spoke, though he may have said something that was mistaken. Unlike you, he has accepted his position in this town. And it is NOT a position that has broken him, in body OR spirit."

The poisoner motioned for Yoona to take a seat. He continued to stand, looking down, his expression somewhat hesitant. "I had really gotten the impression that you did not wish to hear another sermon on my religious philosophies. And I will gladly spare you, since I don't think you really listen to them anyway. But I will say, I believe we reap, in the present, what we sow, in the past. Burke has decided that his current situation is pleasantly acceptable. He has chosen not to fight the fate the gods have set for him. Are you saying he is wrong to do that? Is it your place to say such a thing?"

His expression hardened, as if anticipating some sort of scorn toward that attitude. He squatted, drawing his face close to hers, his comments spiked with gestures. "Now, you can think what YOU like about that. If you want to keep fighting a culture that WILL have you in chains for your belligerency, I will not hold you back. If you think it some sort of racial favoritism, I applaud your perception." He clapped his hands sarcastically.

"It is all part of that philosophy, like it or not. This town DOES favor humans. But anyone CAN be a citizen. So, if you are a soul that has reaped punishment for a past life full of transgressions and defiance, you will be born a non-human, and the gods will see to it that stumble upon our city, or are taken captive and dragged here. If you are going to suggest that Ravok alone is guilty of slavery, I will try to keep my laughter to a dull roar. But if you are going to say that we abuse our slaves as normal policy, you are greatly mistaken."

He could see her getting set to offer up an argument. He assumed she would the Fish Feeders as an example. "Before you mention those fish feeding bastards, let me finish. There is no town, under any god, that does not have extremes of behavior and foolishness. Don't let the worst aspect of a culture oblige you to reject the overall good. The gods have chosen to afflict this town with a harsh test. And how we deal with it will provide them some cause to determine the nature of our next lives."

He stood again "I don't care for those idiots either. Or for how they have chosen to deal with this test. And you know what I have in mind for them. That is both their fate and mine. But, If not for their actions, I would not have broken free of the malady that has beset me for many days now. So they have accomplished a good thing while ALSO providing me with the means to avenge myself against a personal enemy of my own. It may go better for them in the gods' ledger than it does for me as a result. But I don't care. my course is set."

"Maybe in MY next life I'LL be the Chock-...uh...whatever..." he waved dismissively, "And YOU'LL be the citizen. Maybe you'll decide to LET me drown. Sure, I'll scream bloody murder and be full of hate for a while, but I'll get over it, unless I'm raised to have a completely different philosophy about making the best of my situation. Your situation is not as bad as you're telling yourself it is."

He pointed at Burke, who stood patiently with Vera, who nodded, hoping to help convince this strange woman to listen to what "Master Nolan" was saying. "Burke there is a slave, technically. But those idiots would not have dared throw him in the lake. He has more rights than a non-citizen who is "free". Now, I admit, I don't know exactly how you came to be here, but Rhysol provided ME to spare you. You now could become a citizen, then none could touch you. But only by embracing Rhysol as your god above all."

He shrugged, "But as long as you are unwilling to accept Rhysol, the protector of this city AND its citizens, as your god, with devotion and loyalty, Then you have no right to expect us to treat you in any way other than what serves Him, and us, the best. A slave does not have to embrace Rhysol, but they are rewarded for their cooperation with higher status than a foreigner. Too many foreigners come here with subversion in their hearts. And let me TELL you something...So did I, when I first came here. But as I found Rhysol to encompass my beliefs in strength and the culling of the weak from our world, and truly embraced him with my loyalty, He forgave my transgressions and welcomed me into His fold."

His look was suddenly intense, "In a way, we are very much alike. Neither came here with intent to serve Rhysol. And for that we both warranted death, or with luck, escape and exile. And we both came very close to that end. But for whatever reason, Rhysol has used me to spare you, as he provided others to educate ME. He saw my potential and gave me the chance to repent my treason. I have been through a harsh test of my own recently, and it has all led to this meeting, this chance....for you."

By now, Vera was at his side, hugging his waist, as he absently patted her shoulder, their affection plain to see. "Vera, too, was a slave. She is now on her probationary term to become a citizen. So, I say to you...you are not lost...you are Found! By someone who can relate to how you are feeling right now. I wish to give you a chance to see that this city is not the evil place the minions of other gods would have you believe it to be. Yes, there is harshness, there are strict expectations. There is slavery. But there is also reward, and beauty, strength, and recognition of it!"

He pointed at Burke again, "Burke is a slave, yes. But he can come and go pretty much as he pleases. And while not many masters PAY their slaves, it was his fate, and wisdom, to show me loyalty and earn reward for it. I now pay him an assistant's wage, and he has his own home. He is hardly a slave at all! Nor is he required to worship. He has accepted his fate."

He took a deep breath, then grimaced slightly, "Well I guess I gave you another sermon after all." He laughed, along with Burke and Vera. "Now, the choice is yours, make do or make trouble. But whatever you choose to do, for now, you can help me box up some of this stuff to move it to the NMSS." He began to collect certain items from the shelves. Burke and Vera hesitated a moment, with questions in their eyes. But at the word "research", they shrugged and set to helping.

x

[Yoona]

"He sure likes giving long-winded speeches, doesn't he?" Ruki muttered in wonder. The guardian was nowhere to be seen, but Yoona still heard his voice clearly in her head, as though he was sitting right next to her and talking into her ear.

'I think he likes to hear himself speak,' She replied.

"Well, he's definitely human."

The Chaktawe woman didn't respond to this, adjusting herself in her seat a little to see if there was any way to make herself comfortable. Comfort would be her saving grace; her limbs were still aching a bit from treading water, and Yoona wasn't sure if she'd be able to endure the entirety of the man's lecturing if the chair she'd grabbed only worsened those aches. After a few ticks of rocking, she decided that it was decent enough, and let all of her attention attach itself to Nolan's words. More religious banter...surprise, surprise... Yoona figured that he was enjoying it all, this opportunity to "educate" an "uneducated" being.

"Burke has decided that his current situation is pleasantly acceptable...Are you saying he is wrong to do that? Is it your place to say such a thing?"

The Chaktawe woman narrowed her eyes a little. No, she wasn't saying that the man was wrong. She wasn't really saying anything. His decisions were his and his alone to make. Sure, she'd criticize them all she wanted, but still.

Then Nolan was bending down, making sure that their faces were at level with each other. Taking this as an unwanted poke at her personal space, Yoona leaned away from him a little. Philosophy this, status that, gods and slaves, blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda, how much longer was he going to go on? Inwardly, Yoona groaned.

Oh, she knew well enough by now to know that a good number of cities were involved in the slave trade. It was a business; a shady, cruel business.

"Don't let the worst aspect of a culture oblige you to reject the overall good."

At this, Yoona actually smirked, though the expression was bitter and dry. 'I'll be sure to remember that when I actually see some good.'

And he kept going. The "past-life" nonsense resurfaced after a while, and Yoona found herself tuning that entire section out, not wanting to bother with it. The Chaktawe woman spent much of the rest of the man's speech trying to keep herself from looking as bored as she felt. He meant well, yes, and had his occasional point, but dammit, why did he have to go on and on?

After what seemed like forever, Nolan finished his lecturing. Then he laughed, his companions laughing right along with him. For the briefest of moments, Yoona found herself envying their closeness, and the effortless ease with which the two laughed. Her eyes flicked to each of them in turn, then to Nolan, and then down to her freed elbows. Rubbing at one with her fingers, she remained seated for a while.

Bah...what good would moping about do, now? She had all the time in the world to lose herself in her musings, but at the moment there were things that needed doing. Besides, she had an appearance to uphold. The Chaktawe woman nearly bristled at the thought of Nolan thinking her weak for pouting and complaining some more. So she slowly rose to her feet, smoothing down some invisible wrinkles in her bodice and leg wrap before walking over to some shelves. What did he want boxed, exactly? She didn't remember him specifying. With a shrug, Yoona began to sift through the various things, placing them alongside some boxes unless the man seemed to give her the approval to put them inside.

A few chimes of utter silence slipped by. Yoona's gaze drifted over to the young girl, after a while, her expression one of mild curiosity. The child calmed her, in a way; if a young one was fond of Nolan, then she could at least let some of her barriers down.

'It's a little early, but...he wanted me to bond with her. I might as well start on that, now.'

"You do work here, yes...?" The Chaktawe woman ventured, blinking at her. She then took a bottle of odd-looking fluid off of a shelf and shook it a little, holding it out to the girl. "You make these things?"

"Tawna" | "Common" | 'Thoughts' | Ruki