Closed [Sanctuary] New Beginnings (Kavala)

[Reitari Windshadow]

Timestamp: 9th Day of Winter, 514 AV Reitari was finally starting to feel a bit safer. A little more confident in her surroundings. The past several days had been...unpleasant to put it mildly. When the Akalak scouting party had run into the band of slavers that had destroyed her life, Rei's world had ended. Literally. For three years, her existence had been at the whim of the slavers who had captured her. They controlled whether she lived or died...and she had longed for death many times during those dark years. Seeing the Akalak warriors slaughter the men who had stolen the last of her innocence had been terrifying. Reitari had never seen such fierce warriors before. She hadn't known what the strangely colored men wanted, and in her experience, someone attacking the band of slavers that had captured her was just as bad for her and the other slaves as it was for the slavers. Rei had been certain that the warriors would kill her too. Or at the very least, claim her and the other slaves for themselves. Instead, they had been brought to Riverfall, and freed. The money that the slavers had with them had been divided among the former slaves to aid them in rebuilding their lives. So had the personal belongings of the slaves that had been sold already. Rei had gotten the short bow that Dar had taken from her back. She didn't know how to use it, but she cherished it all the same. She had inherited it from her older brother. It was a link to her past. Her childhood had not been a happy one, but she wanted to keep hold of some small part of it even so. It had made her who she was. More than that, it had given her the strength to survive three years of brutal treatment at the hands of the slavers. The first day in Riverfall was still a blur. Her rescuer, a man named Tiarik, had brought her to a place he called the Oathmaster's Tower. She had been given a through physical examination there. She had been in shock at the time, and remembered little more than cold hands touching her, and a cold, impersonal voice telling her that she was too far along in her pregnancy to safely abort the child. Rei's feelings were mixed at the news. She had no love for the child's father. She didn't even know which of the slavers had sired the child. They had all violated her many times over the years she'd lived as their slave. Her nights were plagued by horrible nightmares where she relived everything she had suffered at their hands. And yet...the child growing within her was an innocent. It didn't ask to be born, and it wasn't responsible for the actions of its father. More than that...the child was hers. She hadn't asked for the child, but Rei didn't think that she could allow someone to take it from her now that it existed either. The other thing that she remembered clearly about that day was being told that she was now a Nakivak. Even now, it wasn't something she could bear to think about. Most of the other slaves had been freed when the Akalaks rescued them from the slavers. But for her, and the other four women that had been rescued...the slavery was only beginning. There were some definite differences in the circumstances Rei found herself in now. They needed her healthy if they wanted to use her as a breeder. So she didn't have to worry about getting enough to eat. And she didn't think that she would be at the whim of her master's ill moods. She wasn't likely to be beaten until she lost consciousness because the man who claimed her had had a bad day. Those were the good things about her situation. But...she would have no say in who took up her contract. Once she gave birth to the child she was carrying, and recovered sufficiently from the birth, any man who wanted her could claim her, and force her to bear his child. She would have no control over who used her, or how he treated her. She would be unable to say no. Still...it wasn't something that she had to worry about immediately, and that was good. She wouldn't give birth until late spring, and she's been told that she would be given two seasons to recover. So that meant that she didn't have to think about what was to come until late fall. That was nearly a year away. Until then, Rei could focus on rebuilding her life, and finding a place for herself in this beautiful city. The first step in rebuilding her life was finding a place to live. That had been taken care of in the form of this beautiful condo. It was a nice enough place. It was quiet. It was peaceful. And it was beautiful. More importantly, it was private. For the past eight days, Rei had hidden in her condo. Some of that time had been spent sleeping, and regaining her strength physically. The rest of it had been spent thinking, and sorting herself out. She had started to regain her emotional stability, and even made a few tentative goals. Rei had a place to live, but she wanted to take control of her life. She wanted to live for herself, and have the freedom to decide what she would and wouldn't do. She wanted her independence. It was something she had lost a long time ago, and she longed to get it back. For that, she needed a steady source of income, and for that, she needed a job. So it was time to go out and try to get one. Rei left her small, comforting condo. As she walked along the path, two of her neighbors saw her, and walked over to introduce themselves. One was a Nakivak like she was. She looked to be about Rei's age, and wore a gold bracelet around her arm that seemed to have some significance given the was she kept looking at it from time to time. Rei vaguely remembered hearing something about gold and silver bracelets when they told her she was a Nakivak, but she didn't quite remember what they had said about it. The second woman was several years older than her friend. She introduced herself as a former Nakivak. She was, in fact, the mentor of the other woman. Rei asked them if they knew of anyone who was hiring people, and what jobs might be available. She was told that she should go to the Riverfall Citizenship, Housing, and Labor Aid office to find employment. They also mentioned a place called the Sanctuary, which was a healing center for animals, that also trained and boarded horses, and offered riding lessons. As a Drykas, Reitari was very comfortable around horses. She wasn't especially skilled in riding, or working with them, but she loved horses. Working with animals, especially horses appealed to her greatly. And she would love to learn more about working with them than she knew right now. She was also disinclined to go to the people that enslaved her again and ask them for a job. She felt as though it would make her even more dependent on them. She also felt as though it would be like crawling to her master, and begging for a favor. Having a job was far preferable to not having one, so if that was her only option, she would take it. But she wanted to go to this Sanctuary first and see if she might be able to get a job there. So Rei asked for directions, and thanked her neighbors for the advice. The Sanctuary was north of Riverfall, and west of the main road. It was supposed to be next to the Suvan Sea, and "impossible to miss." Reitari's swollen ankles ached as she walked, and the lengthy walk left her feeling tired, and out of breath. She ignored both of these things. They were just two more discomforts, and three years as a slaver's play thing had taught her all about pain. There was no use in complaining about something that you couldn't do anything about, and thinking about how miserable you felt only made you feel even worse. Besides, the healer that had examined her had told her that swelling ankles and shortness of breath were to be expected during this stage of her pregnancy. A lack of energy wasn't uncommon either. At least she wasn't feeling sick to her stomach all the time anymore. Rei wasn't happy with the other discomforts her pregnancy was causing, but she felt that she could deal with just about anything as long as the morning sickness didn't return. By the time Rei had reached the Sanctuary, her back was aching horribly. But her neighbors had been right; the Sanctuary was impossible to miss. Rei had to stop for a few ticks to catch her breath before she was ready to continue. Then she began looking around to see if she could find someone she could ask about getting a job.

[Kavala]

There were people about, as always, but they all seemed to be busy wandering from one task to another. A groom lead a horse from one end of the horse yard to another while a konti in tan leathers worked young horses in the frigid cold of the arena where all their steaming breath painted something of a surreal image.

Reitari would find the horse gates unlocked, though not open, and she'd easily be able to let herself in to a courtyard of sorts complete with a bubbling fountain in the middle. To one side, a small smithy smoked in the cool morning air as a blacksmith worked over a forge bending horseshoes for the horse the groom had just lead across from one of the barns flanking the courtyard.

An urchin's voice interrupted Reitari's assessment, breaking off her gaze and drawing her eyes to the young girl's appearance. The girl was bundled warmly against the cool morning, though her hair raged free in an already tangled mess. Her little boots were warm but worn, functional but practical. Even her thick coat looked like it had seen better days. But it wasn't from the lack of quality. Once they had been fine garments. But no longer. The child's feral gaze studied the newcommers own more gentle orbs and gave Reitari the impression she was being sized up to be considered for dinner.

"What do you want?" The little girl demanded in a voice that was edged with violence. Had she physically had claws, they would not have surprised anyone, for her voice held an cannibalistic challenge anyhow.

"Megan Brightlin, you be nice." A voice said in perfect Pavi, gesturing in grassland sign with a blacksmiths hammer the motion for being in trouble. He broke into a smile, did the man, and pointed his hammer at the girl. He switched to common for a moment to address the visitor. "Sorry, my daughter has yet to learn manners. She'd more likely pee on your leg than say hi pleasantly." He said, pitching his voice to carry the distance even over the forge.

"Dad!" The girl said, indignantly in Pavi, her hand swirling a sign for annoyance. "I am guarding the gate! You said that was my job for a few minutes this morning while you put shoes on that horse!" She countered, folding her little arms over her chest and looking like a thunderstorm was brewing in her face.

"That I did lass.... but that doesn't mean you need to growl at the visitors." He said with a cheerful voice in Pavi that had the lilt of all Drykas to it. He glanced at the visitor and gestured with his hammer. "Now find out her name, what she wants, and offer her a seat on that bench until I can walk over. I'm almost done." He said, then turned, switched to common, and addressed the visitor.

"I'll be over in a minute. If she bites you, swat her butt." He added, then bent over the shoe he had been molding to resume pounding on it.

The girl signed, placed her hands on her hips, and launched into an obviously prepared speech. "I'm Megan Brightlin. Won't you please take a seat? Can you tell me your name and business?" She said politely through gritted teeth. Then she gestured to a bench that was off to one side that overlooked the smithy and courtyard which opened between two horsebarns. "My father will be over in a minute." She added, gesturing at the blacksmith with no small amount of resentment.

[Reitari Windshadow]

The Sanctuary was clearly a busy place. Reitari watched as a groom led a horse from one end of a horse yard to another. A blond haired woman wearing tan leathers worked with young horses in an arena. The shade of the woman's hair made Rei think that the woman might be a konti. She had never met one until after she had been captured by the slavers, but Dar and his men had captured more than one konti during the years Rei had been kept by them. On occasion, she had managed to speak with the women for a few moments here and there. She knew little of the konti as a people, but she remembered learning that all konti were women, and that they lived on an island called Mura. Rei wondered what living on an island would be like. Surrounded by an endless expanse of water that sounded like it might even be as vast as the endless expanse of grass that was the Sea of Grass. To one side, Reitari saw smoke rising up from a small smithy. The horse that had just been led across the horse yard was there, waiting patiently. And a blacksmith worked over a forge, making horse shoes. It was obvious that the shoes were meant for the horse. For a few ticks, Rei simply took everything in. The presence of the horses made her feel more comfortable, reminding her in a way, of her life among the Drykas. While far from ideal, her childhood had been wonderful compared to the years that had followed. Reitari started when she heard a young female voice demanding to know what she wanted. There was a violence in that voice that startled Rei even further. She was dressed warmly, which was good given that the morning was quite cool. Her clothes, while showing signs of wear, were of good quality. Even Rei, who was unaccustomed to seeing truly fine clothes, could see that much. But far more startling than the formerly fine clothes, was the girl's fierce, feral gaze as she studied her. It gave Rei the impression that she was being considered as the child's next meal. An unnerving feeling that made Rei shift uneasily in place. The girl's name was Megan Brightlin. At least that's what the blacksmith called her as he chided her in pavi. He made the gesture for being in trouble. It was a sign that Rei knew well. How many times had she seen that gesture as a child? Far too many. Still, seeing it, and hearing the man speak her native tongue almost made her feel nostalgic. Then he switched to Common, and addressed her. Rei hesitated, mentally translating his words into pavi. She had a decent grasp on Common - three years living among bandits who spoke only in Common made learning the language a necessity. But...had the man truly said that his daughter was more likely to pee on her leg than say hi? Surely she had misunderstood his words somehow! "That's okay." she said bemusedly. She was unused to speaking in pavi now, so her words were spoken in Common. But she made the grassland sign for polite dismissal, indicating that the man's apology was accepted and the matter had been dropped. Reitari listened as the child protested that she was "guarding the gate," as she had been asked to do. Her annoyance and indignation were obvious to Rei. Her father's response was cheerful. Once again, he switched over to Common as he addressed her. And again, his words made Rei pause. She couldn't help but wonder just how well she had learned Common after all, and how much else she had misunderstood over the years. Had the man really told her to swat the child if she bit her? Reitari didn't have much of a chance to think about it, because the girl launched into what was obviously a practiced speech. Her tone was polite, but it was clear that the girl was being polite only because her father had told her to. "It's nice to meet you, Megan. My name is Reitari Windshadow." Rei said politely, in Common. Her politeness was unfeigned, and the sign that accompanied her words indicated sincerity, and polite interest. Rei moved to sit on the bench that was indicated; she was grateful for the chance to sit for a while. As she did so, part of her wondered why she continued to speak in Common when she knew that the child and her father knew pavi. Then she realized that it was simply habit at this point. When addressed in Common, she was likely to respond that way. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure to hear her native language spoken once more. "You can call me Rei if you like. I came here because I am looking for work. I am new to Riverfall, and I heard that I might be able to get a job here."