32nd Summer 515AV
The Kenash Auction House
Early Afternoon
The Kenash Auction House
Early Afternoon
"Go home. You're ill." Marshal Sitai raised his eyebrows as he looked up from making a mark in one of his books and contemplated his niece critically, though not unkindly.
"I'm fine." Adelaide smiled, and wiped her brow which had started to glisten with sweat, "Why is everyone insisting on treating me as though I were an invalid?"
They were all too perceptive. Not that she didn't know that Marshal would be. He always was and, in a manner, that was why she was there - there was no judgement, but understanding or, even, disinterest. Marshal Sitai was quite happy to observe and understand, without offering advice or even looking as though he cared about his Niece's troubles. Yet, intrinsically, it felt like the best place to be. Irritably, Adelaide walked towards the window and looked out into the street outside the Auction House. The day was hot. Too hot. The Auction House was cool enough, really, and Adelaide was happy to spend a couple of bells with her Uncle, something that she had started doing with some regularity since her father's death.
"I will see him again."
"Hmm." Marshal didn't look up from his books, but out of the corner of her eye, Adelaide saw him frown slightly. There was no need to ask who she was talking about.
"It's time. That's all." she continued calmly, turning to look back out of the window, "I thought that I should stop getting attached to people since, eventually, everybody leaves. Or, rather, everybody leaves me. I killed my Mother when I was born. Naolom died. And now, father. It's strange to have no parents. You know, he saved my life after Naolom died."
"I know." Marshal still sounded vaguely indifferent but, as usual, void of judgement which was rare whenever she mentioned Naolom to any other member of her family. They still viewed her doomed romance with some disapproval.
"But, I was wrong. People don't have to leave me, do they? That's when I thought, I will see him again. I will see them all again. Even Naolom. And I will meet my Mother. Time is just a river. I need only find a way to sail down it the other way."
"Adelaide..." For the first time, Marshal looked up and a flicker of worry flicked over his face before reverting to the calm indifference, "You can't bring back the dead."
"No. I can't." But maybe I can stop them from ever dying. Or not. Maybe that's not the important thing. The important thing is knowing that, once, they lived.
It was then that Adelaide noticed the crowd that was gathering outside, around a small tent. She frowned slightly then flipped around to look at her Uncle.
"What's going on out there?"
Without looking up, Marshal Sitai informed her that a Jamoura had been captured. She couldn't help but feel there was a note of disapproval in his voice, possibly because this strange creature hadn't gone through his auction house.
"Go and have a look if it interests you. I'm surprised you don't know about it. It's been the talk of Kenash all morning."
"What about you?"
"I have other things to do than pay for a freak show."
"Is it a freak?"
"It doesn't have to be freak for it to be a freak show."
"I suppose not." Adelaide mused, "A freak show has far less to do with the subject and much more to do with the perception of the onlooker."
"Go and have a look. Let me know what you think."
"I'm fine." Adelaide smiled, and wiped her brow which had started to glisten with sweat, "Why is everyone insisting on treating me as though I were an invalid?"
They were all too perceptive. Not that she didn't know that Marshal would be. He always was and, in a manner, that was why she was there - there was no judgement, but understanding or, even, disinterest. Marshal Sitai was quite happy to observe and understand, without offering advice or even looking as though he cared about his Niece's troubles. Yet, intrinsically, it felt like the best place to be. Irritably, Adelaide walked towards the window and looked out into the street outside the Auction House. The day was hot. Too hot. The Auction House was cool enough, really, and Adelaide was happy to spend a couple of bells with her Uncle, something that she had started doing with some regularity since her father's death.
"I will see him again."
"Hmm." Marshal didn't look up from his books, but out of the corner of her eye, Adelaide saw him frown slightly. There was no need to ask who she was talking about.
"It's time. That's all." she continued calmly, turning to look back out of the window, "I thought that I should stop getting attached to people since, eventually, everybody leaves. Or, rather, everybody leaves me. I killed my Mother when I was born. Naolom died. And now, father. It's strange to have no parents. You know, he saved my life after Naolom died."
"I know." Marshal still sounded vaguely indifferent but, as usual, void of judgement which was rare whenever she mentioned Naolom to any other member of her family. They still viewed her doomed romance with some disapproval.
"But, I was wrong. People don't have to leave me, do they? That's when I thought, I will see him again. I will see them all again. Even Naolom. And I will meet my Mother. Time is just a river. I need only find a way to sail down it the other way."
"Adelaide..." For the first time, Marshal looked up and a flicker of worry flicked over his face before reverting to the calm indifference, "You can't bring back the dead."
"No. I can't." But maybe I can stop them from ever dying. Or not. Maybe that's not the important thing. The important thing is knowing that, once, they lived.
It was then that Adelaide noticed the crowd that was gathering outside, around a small tent. She frowned slightly then flipped around to look at her Uncle.
"What's going on out there?"
Without looking up, Marshal Sitai informed her that a Jamoura had been captured. She couldn't help but feel there was a note of disapproval in his voice, possibly because this strange creature hadn't gone through his auction house.
"Go and have a look if it interests you. I'm surprised you don't know about it. It's been the talk of Kenash all morning."
"What about you?"
"I have other things to do than pay for a freak show."
"Is it a freak?"
"It doesn't have to be freak for it to be a freak show."
"I suppose not." Adelaide mused, "A freak show has far less to do with the subject and much more to do with the perception of the onlooker."
"Go and have a look. Let me know what you think."
Twenty chimes later
The Tent by the Auction House
The Tent by the Auction House
The beast was huge. Easily eight foot, and possibly taller, though Adelaide couldn't tell while he was sitting down. As the crowds came in and pointed and laughed, then disappeared, she slowly started to move to the front, until she had both her hand holding the bars of the creature's cage. Almost in spite of herself, she felt a huge swelling of empathy for the creature, for the... Jamoura. With this growing empathy, she started to feel a certain aversion to the crowds around her, some pulling silly faces at it, looking for a reaction from the silent creature which, Adelaide couldn't help but feel, had an innate nobility about it.
"It's a monster!" yelled one gleeful woman, laughing with a couple of friends.
"Some monster! All it does is sit there." came a second voice.
"Not so tough now, are you!" And some sort of rotten vegetable went flying through the bars, landing squarely on the creature's shoulder. The Jamoura merely flicked it off, then turned it's head slowly away. The projectile had made a sticky patch of grease on his fur, which he absent-mindedly rubbed at with his hand.
"It's just a monkey. A big, fat monkey."
As the crowd dispersed, and was replaced by more groups of people - different people but all with the same cruel expression - Adelaide stayed still, her hands at the bars, looking at the animal.
"Freak! Freak! Freak!" A chant started up from the back, and soon eight or ten people were happily joining in viciously, "Freak! Freak! Freak! Freak!"
How was it able to sit there, taking it all? Adelaide knew the Jamoura to be gentle creatures. When she lived in Zeltiva, she had been friends with a family of them. A wise patriarch, his two resilient wives and a small brood, who she knew to have left Zeltiva to return to the Spires not long after she herself had returned to Kenash. She'd fallen out of contact with them, but recalled some good times enjoying their company in the University city. Yes, they were a peaceful race. Still, how did they do it? How could this Jamoura take the tidal wave of abuse while Adelaide could feel herself getting angrier and angrier as the crowds got wilder, their voices blending into one shrill note, their faces contorted into grotesque masks that, as time went on, seemed to resemble each other more and more. Her knuckles had turned white and she could feel her jaw clench. This was cruel. A slave was given more dignity than this, even if the dignity with which the Jamoura handled the abuse was something which Adelaide could not fail to admire.
"They can you treat you like a dog, but they'll not succeed in breaking you, will they?" she murmured to herself, "How could they? Even in Kenash, they wouldn't know where to begin."
"It's a monster!" yelled one gleeful woman, laughing with a couple of friends.
"Some monster! All it does is sit there." came a second voice.
"Not so tough now, are you!" And some sort of rotten vegetable went flying through the bars, landing squarely on the creature's shoulder. The Jamoura merely flicked it off, then turned it's head slowly away. The projectile had made a sticky patch of grease on his fur, which he absent-mindedly rubbed at with his hand.
"It's just a monkey. A big, fat monkey."
As the crowd dispersed, and was replaced by more groups of people - different people but all with the same cruel expression - Adelaide stayed still, her hands at the bars, looking at the animal.
"Freak! Freak! Freak!" A chant started up from the back, and soon eight or ten people were happily joining in viciously, "Freak! Freak! Freak! Freak!"
How was it able to sit there, taking it all? Adelaide knew the Jamoura to be gentle creatures. When she lived in Zeltiva, she had been friends with a family of them. A wise patriarch, his two resilient wives and a small brood, who she knew to have left Zeltiva to return to the Spires not long after she herself had returned to Kenash. She'd fallen out of contact with them, but recalled some good times enjoying their company in the University city. Yes, they were a peaceful race. Still, how did they do it? How could this Jamoura take the tidal wave of abuse while Adelaide could feel herself getting angrier and angrier as the crowds got wilder, their voices blending into one shrill note, their faces contorted into grotesque masks that, as time went on, seemed to resemble each other more and more. Her knuckles had turned white and she could feel her jaw clench. This was cruel. A slave was given more dignity than this, even if the dignity with which the Jamoura handled the abuse was something which Adelaide could not fail to admire.
"They can you treat you like a dog, but they'll not succeed in breaking you, will they?" she murmured to herself, "How could they? Even in Kenash, they wouldn't know where to begin."
