Had she known today would be the last day for her alone, she certainly would have thought twice about her actions. But she was no clairvoyant, and destiny had an unyielding grip; just like the ropes that now bound her hands together, which were long past the point of rubbing her skin raw. It was definitely a new take on how she felt about ropes, definitely a too unpleasantly intimate take.
She had tried not to go, but dragging her feet only resulted in bloodying up her knees and giving her brush burns all along the sides of her, which only aided in her soured disposition. But even as overwhelming and panic stricken she was at the idea she was to be sold off as a slave, property, as she was marched into the city, she felt herself feeling even more overwhelmed to the point of insignificance against the might and tower of the buildings of the great city. Only truly familiar with what cities looked like from afar, or from within the ruins of one, to see one standing so tall so proud had her gaping-
and also tripping over the metal shackles latched to her feet.
And soon she was eating the cobble stone. Not able to get up quick enough for her captor, there was a sudden kick to her ribs and the pain was winding. It was enough to draw her back to the present reality, but once walking again, she couldn't help but return to her gawking, only this time, she was a little more cautious in where she'd step.
It was about this time she had also come to realize eyes were upon her as they neared the town square near the Southern Matron River. There was a lot of things to look at there in the square, many trinkets glittering in the sun, many fine foods that, despite smelling heavenly, made the girl sick to her stomach. She was beyond hungry and found herself looking towards meat frying over a flame. What she wouldn't give for just a few bites of that chicken; but just as she was nearly trailing behind her master- a threatening position to be in, as she could surely fall again- she turned around and went to pick up her pace- when some strange bird came sailing right infront of her, leaving her gasping with a shriek.
The sudden swooping by bird not only surprised the girl, but the man holding her chains, and though frozen stiff in the moment, she wasn't frozen enough not to realize the man had dropped her chains. Quick thinking had her dropping her heels, and once the chain was in hand- the girl took off down the street.
Smoke gave a harsh cry and Gavin looked up, startled. "What's the matter?" he asked immediately- quietly though, wouldn't do to have these people seeing him talk to a bird- as the falcon swooped in to land on his outstretched arm.
Smoke clucked urgently and he turned- and saw a girl in chains taking off down the street, pursued by someone he assumed must have been the holder of those chains.
He gritted his teeth. He didn't like slavery. "Keep an eye out from above," he whispered to smoke, and the bird gave a sharp caw of confirmation before taking off.
Gavin set off after the girl and the would-be slaver, muttering curses under his breath. He almost lost them a couple times, but cries from the air kept him going in the right direction.
When he was in earshot he called out. "Hey! There a problem here?"
The chains made her get away sluggish, but she was determined not to be turned a slave. She had seen enough cruelty among the scavengers, and she'd heard tales of men as slaves. Women,s he could only concur, probably had it much worse. Though young, she knew enough that men had no good intentions towards a lady.
'Gods, these buildings are so tall!' she internally growled, finding herself running into whatever direction was open, but the second she rounded a bend, she ran full force into Gavin, falling ontop of him onto the cobblestone streets.
Though smarting, Vels was reluctant to stop her chance to escape as she growled, "Get out of my way." But the second she was on her feet and trying to run, her chain snagged around Gavin and pulled her suddenly back to him again.
This gave her master enough time to catch up, and by the look on his face- he was more than pissed as he stormed over towards the pair and grabbed a fistful of Vels's chains, while his other hand took a rough hold of her arm.
"Do you really think you could just get away from me?" he roared, mighty enough to have even the fiesty Vels flinching. "Learn your place!" And before she knew what was happening, the slaver kicked her down onto the cobblestone before she felt the weight of his boot on her back.
"Oof!"
It took Gavin a couple moments to orient himself. By the time he had, the slaver was stomping the girl into the ground.
Anger ripped through him. "Hey!" He grabbed the man by the shoulder and shoved him back. Smoke cawed from the air and swooped low, landing in front of the girl and taking a few hops toward her while a concerned clucking sounded in his throat.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Gavin growled, gesturing to the chained girl. "She's just a kid!"
Suddenly face to face with the bird that almost killed her earlier, she felt her heart in her throat as she jerked back. But the man's boot kept her down. The man glared at Gavin and looked the man over, but not before Vels realized what Gavin had said.
"Kid? Who are you calling a kid?" she growled, but that was quickly swallowed into her throat as the man grabbed her by the back of her shirt and forced her up.
"Kid? I don't see no nothin' here but a god damn slave. Why?" he looked the fool over before smirking coldly, "You got a problem with that? If not," he moved, his shoulder pushing Gavin aside, "Get the hell out of my way." And he proceeded to drag Vels with him.
Gavin's mind raced and Smoke gave a sharp cry, flying up to perch on his shoulder.
"Hold on," he said suddenly, throwing his hand out to get the other man's attention. Hating himself for it but not really seeing other options, he muttered, "If she's a slave- how much?"
The falcon gave a caw of surprise, whipping his head around to look at him.
Gavin ignored him, pulling out his purse and raising an eyebrow meaningfully.
The man glared back at Gavin and sized him up, as if to measure his ability to produce coin, and as if he could weigh the coin purse when produced.
"Whadya mean how much?" he growled, and kept a firm grip on Vels arm, even as she tried to pull away. But she too, was now glaring surprisingly at Gavin. "She's a fresh one." ANd he gave a snorting sniff before spitting onto the ground. Vels cringed. "Fresh, but a little dirty. I had to drag her here all the way from the ruins of Thaedes."
"I can see that," Gavin snapped back. "And I'm asking you how much?"
He jingled his coin purse meaningfully, shooting the girl a quick glance. That glare made something inside him shrivel up in a combination of guilt and real wariness. Huh. She was certainly a dangerous little thing, he could see that.
Though initially taken back by this man's rudeness, he continued to look Gavin over.
"How much you got?"
It was a lame attempt at a barter, but if he got enough money out of this little weasly man, well..
Money was money.
He arched an eyebrow. Not enough for a human life. He quashed that thought and answered shortly, "Ten gold. I'll give you ten gold."
It was almost all he'd brought with him, but his newest employer had offered him room and board in addition to a small salary, so he offered it up. If that wasn't enough, he'd find a way to get more. He couldn't just walk away from this girl.
Vels eyes went wide. Not that she could even fathom how much that was, but as she looked from Gavin to her captor, she fought just a little less as she saw him chewing over the option.
"Ten gold?" he eyed him up some more, cautious. "That all?"
Vels held her breath, looking to Gavin, if not a little spiteful he'd even stand here doing this in the middle of the street!
He let out a noise of frustration, shifting uncomfortably. People were starting to stare. "How much more do you want?" he demanded exasperatedly. Smoke cawed at him, flexing his talons, and Gavin winced slightly as the sharp points dug into his shoulder.
It was only then a tall, gruff looking man stepped away from a nearby stall. He had observed only enough of this exchange to realize what was going on, and his eyes went to Vels and looked her over.
"A new slave on the market?" came his gruff inquery. Vels' captor grinned.
"Yes, only the freshest sort. And she's young," he pointed out to the new man, seeing how he eyed her over. "Though scrappy, you can see she's got a lot of energy for all sorts of chores."
"Ten gold is something to scoff at. She's worth at least double. Why not give her to me for twenty five and we call it a day."
Gavin looked to the newcomer, scowling.
But okay. They wanted to barter, he could barter. "Twenty five for a flight risk?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "That seems like you'll just be losing your money, friend."
He turned back to the slaver and said bluntly, "Fifteen."
Which was all he had. Smoke clucked in his ear, calling him seven different kinds of fool.
The man eyed Gavin over darkly. But he was stubborn. Perhaps a bigger fool.
"Twenty six if we do this now to shut up this peasquawk."
"Thirty."
Smoke squawked incredulously and his own eyes widened. What the hell was he doing?
"Thirty," he repeated, almost against his own will. Oh gods, where am I going to get this money?
Though internally he might be freaking out, Vels eyes exposed all of her emotions too easily as she looked at Gavin.
"Thirty gold? Are you mad?" she squawked, but the sudden whack of her master's stick had her grunting out an 'OUCH!' while the man looked down his nose at her.
"Thirty gold?" he repeated, looking between the two. The other man hesitated, and turned to Gavin to see if the little pipsqueak was so sure of his amount.
Gavin gave a sharp nod. "I happen to represent a rather wealthy man," he said, hoping he sounded convincing. "I believe he'd be quite...pleased to purchase the girl." He nodded in her direction. Please, please let this work.
The offended face Vels made was only trumped by that of the cat-like grin of her master.
"I expect paid in full on the spot," he went on, hand extended.
Gavin- heart pounding- set about bluffing his ass off. "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, sir," he said. "Half now, half when I bring the girl back to my employer's estate."
He held out the coin purse. "Here's your first half. Do we have a deal?"
The man pursed his lips nad thought before snatching up the coin. He felt it's weight,t hen looked at Gavin. "ANd your employer is?"
"Master Jacobson," he replied quickly, hoping that naming the prominent merchant might help his credibility. And that, at least, wasn't a lie. "I was just heading back to the estate, actually. If you'll come with me..."
Vels looked angrily from captor to new buyer before she was tugged along and he said, "Very well. Lead the way, boy."
Though a little irked at being called "boy", Gavin didn't want to push his luck. He began weaving his way back through the streets to the rather large house he'd only just been guided to himself that morning.
"Perhaps...you should wait here," he offered carefully as he raised his hand to knock. It might be easier to convince his employer not to toss him out on his ass without the rather unsavory character breathing down his neck.
THe man kept a firm grip on his money, and the other on Vels. Both seemed to be glaring daggers at Gavin.
"Alright, but the slave stays here. You have five minutes. I'm a busy man."
"Yes. Right." Gavin nodded and knocked.
Almost instantly, a pleasantly plump woman answered the door. "Yes? Oh, Mister Hawke. Finished in the markets, then?"
"Um, yes." He cleared his throat and stepped inside, giving her a quick smile and gently guiding her back so they were out of earshot. "Look, ah- Martha." That was her name, right? He thought so, but they'd only been introduced that morning. "It seems I've created a bit of a situation..."
He explained as best he could, Smoke clucking and shifting on his shoulder, keeping an eye on the slaver and the girl.
"So, if you think I could convince Master Jacobson to give me an advance-"
The housekeeper held up her hand. Marching to the door, she gave the two strangers a quick once over. Gavin trailed behind her, clasping his hands behind his back nervously. "I've afraid the master of the house is out at the moment," she said primly. "However, if you'll wait here for a few minutes, I will see to it you are paid in full."
Gavin's jaw almost dropped as she spun around again, muttering out of the corner of her mouth, "You owe me for this, falconer."
Vels appeared nearly as meanspirited as the man that held her, but once the woman returned and said the money would be brought soon, Vels felt herself panic. She had never been a slave before, nor purchased as one, and was not about to become one now- so when the group seemed occupied, Vels suddenly smashed her foot ontop of her captors, who howled out in rage. Though as she attempted to pull away in hopes to escape, she gasped when she felt the chains tighten as she was drawn even closer to the wretched slaver.
And soon he had a handful of her hair.
"Let go of me!" she wailed, but the slaver was unyielding as he gave her a shake.
"You'd do well to keep that trap of your shut!" the man spat under his breath. "And that temper too, if you know what's good for ya. You've just been sold.. so soon you'll be another man's problem." And as she was stretched out, arms reaching in hopes to pry her captor's off her hair, she found herself suddenly looking over at Gavin-
and glaring, and glaring greatly.
"Hey, get off her!" Without thinking, Gavin started forward and grabbed the man's arm, trying to yank him off the girl.
"Some businessman you are," he growled, eyes flaring. "Don't you know better than to damage the goods you're trying to sell?"
He caught the girl's glare, and honestly it was a little nerve wracking. This little spitfire was his responsibility now. But, one problem at a time.
Too bad it couldn't just be one problem at a time. Vels wasn't about to let any of this happen, and when her captor's grip became harder as Gavin grippe donto him, she wasted no time in smashing her elbow into the man's gut, then moved forward like a snake, and bit Gavin clean on the arm.
She would be no one's slave today!
Yelping, Gavin jumped backward, trying to pull the man off the girl and the girl off him all at the same time. Smoke took off with a sharp cry, circling over their heads.
"What on earth-?!"
Martha had returned, a small coin purse clutched in her hand. She stared at the scene, eyes wide and mouth agape.
It was then Vels was eventually shaken off, but it only freed her to attempt a hard kick to either men's groin, and continued to pull and writhe against her chains.
"I'M NO SLAVE! LET ME GO!"
"Where did you find this girl?" Martha demanded of the slaver, holding the coins tantalizingly out of reach.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Gavin lunged forward and did his best to pin the girl's arms to her side. "I'm not gonna hurt you," he grunted quietly, keeping his voice low enough that only she could hear. "Just calm down long enough for us to send this jackass on his way, and you're home free. Got it?"
He really, really hoped she was in a listening mood. But he doubted it.
With a yelp, she struggled.
"Let go of me! LET GO OF ME NOW!" And without warning, she threw her head forward, hoping to butt his head with hers and gain at least a little bit of wiggle room to escape.
The man who originally captured her cringed but moved swiftly to Martha.
"The coin, please. Her origin is of little concern. The streets are littered with rats."
Her head connected with his nose and he swore, seeing stars. Martha shoved the money at the slaver and politely told him to get lost.
She turned to look at Gavin and the girl, raising her eyebrows. "Well this is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into."
And Vels wasted not a second as she sprung to her feet and lunged away and was off running- that was, until the chain snagged around Gavin's leg.
"Oof!" He went down, hard. And trying to get back to his feet only succeeded in further entangling his legs.
"Oi, kid! If you'd hold still for one godsdamned minute, I could get these off you," he grumbled, trying to get the chains off his legs.
Mistaking his reaching for his own legs was him attempting to reach for her own, she gave a cry and began to kick her boots at his face.
"YOU WILL DO NOTHING TO ME YOU MONSTER!" she shrieked, and by now it seemed a few nearby folk were beginning to look in their direction.
"Would you CALM DOWN!" Gavin shouted in return.
Before he could say anything else though, the housekeeper marched forward and wrapped her arms around the girls middle, hauling her inside. She was surprisingly strong.
The falconer stumbled to his feet, doing his best to follow
Vels squealed and struggled, hollering, "LET GO OF ME! I AM NOT YOUR SLAVE! LET ME GO! LET ME GOOOOOO!"
Martha put her down and slammed the door shut. "You." She pointed a finger at Gavin. "Deal with this." She turned on her heel and walked out of the foyer.
"Kid, hold still!" Gavin shouted, still trying to get the chains unwrapped from around his legs. "I don't want a slave! I DON'T WANT A SLAVE!"
It seemed shouting was her only form of communication.
To be tossed down to the ground like a sack of potatoes winded her, and did nothing to help the painful clamp of the ropes around her wrist and chains at her ankles, but when Gavin was shouting clean into her face the opposite, she found herself shocked for a moment- not just by his voice, but...
"By the Gods.."s he whispered, gaping at the ornate mansion that felt all too consuming around them. It took her another moment to register what Gavin had said, before she shot him a wary look and kept her distance.
"So you bought me to sell me then?" she spat her retort.
He blinked. "What- no. No! I did it because..." With a soft grunt, he finally got the chains off his legs. "Look, I don't like slavery. And I couldn't just leave you there," he muttered. Giving her a wary look, he took a cautious step toward her. "I'm gonna get those ropes and chains off you now, alright?"
But she simply took a step back.
"You expect me to believe that?"
He threw his hands up in exasperation. "What other reason could I have to buy you with money I don't have?" he demanded.
Smoke, who'd perched on an ornate candelabra was her entered the manor, cawed an agreement.
Her eyes narrowed, nose crinkling.
"And you expect me to believe that too!? Just.. keep your distance and let me go if that's your true intent!" she challenged.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I would, but I need to untie you to let you go. Which means you have to let me near you."
Blinking, Vels looked at him, and blushed only slightly at the truth in that statement. Still, she bared her teeth. "Just give me the tools to do it and I can untie myself."
He shook his head. "Fine. But you're going to have to follow me to my rooms."
She took a defensive step back.
"To your rooms?" Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"
He winced. Maybe he should have eased into that idea. "Because I have a metal file in there that could get those chains off," he answered, hoping she could hear the sincerity in his voice. Raising his hands he added, "Look, I'll keep some distance between us, alright?"
She kept her teeth bared as she thought, and quickly retorted, "Fine, but I'll use the file."
"Whatever you want kid," he muttered. With another sigh and run of his hands through his hair, he jerked his head toward the hallway that led to the servants' quarters. "C'mon, this way. And try not to get yourself tangled up."
"Kid?" she gave him a glare. "Who are you calling a child?" she challenge d while bundling the rope and chains into her arms.
He gave her a very dry look. "My apologies. I didn't realize you were a grandma in the body of a twelve year old," he grumbled, setting off down the hall. This was not how he'd been expecting the day to go.
A flap of wings heralded Smoke's arrival on his shoulder. The falcon shuffled a bit and preened, then settled, giving the girl a curious look.
She made a face.
"At least I dont have to apologize," she muttered. "My initial impression was right."
"And what impression was that?"
The instant the words were out of his mouth he knew he'd regret asking that question.
She shot him a glare.
"Stop talking to me and just lead the way," she growled between her teeth.
Yep. Regretting it.
"No need to bite my head off," he grumbled. He almost made a wrong turn before he drew up short and actually remembered where he was supposed to be going, bumping the door to the room he'd been assigned open with his shoulder.
He crossed to the satchel he had thrown on the bed, still unpacked, and started rummaging. "Here," he said when he found the file, turning and tossing it to her.
She hesitated before following him in, but once tossed the file, she wasted no time dropping everything else as she desperately worked at the chains.
"You know," Gavin observed, tilting his head as he watched her, "that may be easier if you just let me untie your wrists."
She was furiously filing away when he spot and she stopped and looked at him. She then looked down at her wrists, then up at him.
"And you won't try anything else?" she asked warily, angrily.
"On my honor," he said, raising one hand and giving her a crooked smile. Sobering, he added, "Look, even if I did- that file could be a weapon, if you really put your mind to it. I've got nothing on me."
Not something he would have usually said, but he really didn't want her freaking out every time he got within a yard of her. If that made her feel safer, then okay.
She stared at him, blinking a moment before pointing the file at him.
"Then hurry up with it. I don't want to spend another second in this this.. place!"
"Alright, alright." He knelt next to her, warily taking her hands in his and working at the knots. "It's called a house, by the way. Well, I guess manor would be more accurate." He gave her a curious look. "What sorta middle-of-nowhere place did that slaver snag you from, anyway?"
Her glare hardened.
"Less talking, more untieing."
"Friendly thing, aren't ya," he commented dryly, pulling the last knot loose. "There, done. Now-"
Before he could say anything else, the sound of someone clearing his throat drew his attention to the doorway. His eyes widened and he scrambled to his feet. "Oh, uh. Mister Jacobson. Hello." He gave a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck.
His employer looked from him to the girl and back. "Martha said there was a...situation she thought you should explain to me," he said slowly, eyebrows creeping up.
She snorted at such a comment, but when finally free of her ropes, she rubbed at her wrists. The skin would surely peel there. But she hardly had much time to think on it, when a new person entered and Vels took a step back defensively, her glare now focused on the new comer.
Silently willing the girl to behave herself- at least for a few minutes- Gavin did his best to explain what had happened.
"Course I'll work off the debt," he finished hurriedly. "I just-"
"What do you plan to do with her, then?" his employer cut across him, not necessarily angry, more curious. "If you bought her only to free her, where do you expect her to go?"
Gavin opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He actually hadn't thought that far ahead.
Vels had had enough silence for the moment and was quick to cut in, "Back to my home!" Not that she'd let on she hadn't thought far enough on how to exactly get there....
But this place..
She didn't like it. THere were too many people.
The merchant turned his attention to the girl. "And where is that?" he asked evenly. "How do you plan to get there?"
Offended, she looked this pompous man over.
"Why should I tell you? I can manage just fine on my own."
Gavin choked back a scoff and Jacobson just looked at her wryly. "Yes, I can see that," he said slowly, looking pointedly at the ropes and chains left abandoned.
That ticked her off.
"I CAN! It's not my fault that I-" But she paused right there, swallowing her words.
"Don't tell me you have no intentions of letting me go!" And her words cut right into Gavin. "Did you just buy me to give to this man?"
Gavin raised his hands. Oh great, again with this. "I am letting you go," he barked at the same time his employer commented, "I usually don't own slaves, thank you anyway."
Letting out a sharp breath, the falconer tried to make her see reason. "Look, I don't know where you came from, but it won't be safe for you to try to get back there on your own. Mister Jacobson is just pointing out that I'm...responsible for you now."
Which he was currently thrilled about.
"I hope this will not interfere with your work, falconer," his employer said simply, giving him a warning look before turning on his heel and walking away.
Gavin let out a long breath. "Great. Just great."
She was so pissed, but the second the other man left she shoved the file into his hand.
"Get these chains off me and get them off now! Once these are severed, I'll be out of your hair."
"Alright, princess, calm down." He knelt, eyeing her warily, and set about filing down the clasps around her ankles.
"How are you planning to get home?" he asked her after a moment, glancing up.
She looked about ready to spit on him.
"Stop worrying about me. I'll be fine."
"Alright, alright." One of the cuffs fell to the floor with a clank and he moved to the other. "I just don't want to be buying your freedom again in two days and working myself further into debt."
Offended, she snapped, "I'm not incapable! I was doing very fine on my own until I stumbled into that horrible man."
Gavin looked up at her, quirking an eyebrow. "I'm sure you were. But there's plenty more like him, and I'm thinking it was dumb luck that you didn't run into one before today."
"Dumb luck!?" came her shrill reply. "I wouldn't call myself lucky, or dumb!" And she gave an angered shove to his arm. "If anything, you're the one with dumb luck, city dweller."
"Oi," he protested the shove mildly. "I never said you were dumb, just that it's a fair good bit of fortune you haven't been caught like this before."
The second cuff came free and he stood, rubbing the back of his neck. "And just how the hell do you think I'm lucky in this particular situation?" he muttered, crossing his arms and looking down at her.
Elated to be free, she actually smiled before it faltered under his accusation. Her expression sobered as she frowned at him.
"You're a man of money. Obviously, things would be much easier for you."
Gavin barked a laugh. "A man of money?" He shook his head, chuckling as he stood. "Kid, all the coin I have only paid for half of what that slaver wanted. I'm gonna be working myself out of this debt for months."
He didn't sound bitter about it. In fact, he was smiling a bit. It's not like he really needed the money, he was working for room and board in addition to a salary after all.
Vels glared.
"Kid?" she looked as if she might hit him. "Stop calling me that, I'm anything but!" And she eyed him over, then towards the door. "Don't think I can pay you back... or will.." She hesitated, taking a step towards teh door before pausing, "Thank you." She muttered, before opening the door and glancing down the hall and wondering....
Which way? This house was huge!
Gavin shook his head, swallowing a chuckle. He moved up behind her. "You want some directions, ki- er, ma'am?" He couldn't help smirking a bit.
She turned around with a glare.
"NO!" But even after she spat those words out, she bared her teeth.
"Just... just point to make this a little easier," she growled.
He arched an eyebrow. "Why don't I just walk you out?" Stepping around her, he began making his way down the hall to the main entrance, pausing a moment to glance over his shoulder at the girl expectantly.
Vels paused, shocked a moment he agreed to help, but also still wary of that help. Though so far, he had been true to his word, she wasn't sure what to expect. This world, after all, was not her own. Sighing hotly, she followed swiftly behind him.
"You'd just better take me the quickest way," she warned.
He gave her a crooked grin. "Ma'am, yes, ma'am."
There were only a few turns to get them back to the front door, but he supposed it would be confusing for someone who was unused to such buildings. He stopped in the entry way, folding his arms over his chest and looking down at her expectantly. "And here we are."
She paused before hte door, looking up at him warily for a moment before stepping forward and slowly opening it. Though as it were when she followed him, in awe from the vastness and fanciness of the estate, when she had the view of the city again,s he felt her heart leap into her throat.
This place was so big, bigger than she recalled when sh ewas dragged through it-
Then again,s he had been fighting the whole way.
Gavin frowned a bit when she hesitated. Without thinking, he moved up and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you alright, kid?"
Tensing,s he jerked her shoulder away.
"I'm fine!" And she hurriedly stepped outside, but paused on the steps and looked back at him.
"Thank you." And she stared at him, lingering only momentarily before turning her back to him, to the house and out into the city, to the crowd. Drawing in a deep breath,s he knew she couldn't remain overwhelmed forward, and walked out quickly into the streets.
"Yeah, no problem..."
She was already gone.
Gavin hesitated in the doorway a moment, tilting his head from side to side. He couldn't help feeling...responsible for her now.
"Gods I hope she knows what she's doing," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with a sigh and turning back into the house.
She knew what she was doing.
She just didn't know where she was going. There were so many sites and new smells to see (and some of both she'd rather not have seen!) The streets were alive, friendly and bustling, and as she continued her way, she found herself at the town square, where many vendors had set up shop.
And the smells of the delicous, cooking food made her stomach rumble as she paused infront of a dumpling and bread shop, mouth watering.
With the girl gone, Gavin returned to his room to collect Smoke and headed out to the mews that his employer kept on the property. It was kind of strange to see such a green lawn in the middle of the city, but oddly comforting.
The ex-slave may have called him a city dweller, but it wasn't really who he was. Honestly, he'd much rather be in the countryside. But this was what paid, so here he was.
"Girl, you want a dumpling? Then you gotta pay. Two pence a dumpling, four for the bread." She used her cane to give the stone oven near her a rap.
"Baked fresh but an hour ago, so it's all still warm."
And the scents, heavenly, making Vels nearly drool.
"Two pence?" she tried to search her person, but any money she had collected back at Thaedes had long since been plucked and taken by her seller. She frowned and shook her head.
"I guess not today."
The woman's eyes then lit up as she gave an angered rap of her cane onto the cobblestone. It made Vels jump.
"Then be on with you, girl! You're scaring the customers away by taking up me precious sales space!"
Taken off guard, Vels simply obliged, and continued her way through the market, but was too overhwlemed by the smells to get too far. She was hungry- beyond hungry, and she couldn't recall the last time she had anything to eat.
When she noticed a small alcove between two shops, she slipped into the alleyway and moved to the end of it where a deadend allowed for some respite where she could sit, lean against the building, and dream about those dumplings at two pence a piece.
Gavin had just begun introducing himself to Jacobson's birds when Martha came to find him, seeking a favor. Seeing how she'd saved his neck earlier, he figured he owed her.
So here he was, out wandering the streets once again, Smoke circling lazily overhead. He wove his way through the vendors in the town square, glancing every couple of minutes at the list Martha had given him.
He was so absorbed in the little slip of paper he almost walked into the dead end alley before Smoke gave a sharp, warning call and he looked up, blinking. His eyes widened a bit. "Oh..."
What were the odds? Bending a bit, he clicked his fingers at the girl huddled against the building. "Hey, kid. Miss. Whatever."
Startled, she released a gasp when she saw him.
"You again?"
He tried a small smile. "Me again." He tilted his head at her. "I thought you were going home?" Was she a street urchin after all? She'd seemed pretty adamant about not being from the city.
"Yes well I-"s he went on, hastily, defensively. "I was just making sure I was going the right way. With these tall buildings," She went on, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked up. "It's just a little difficult, that's all." But then she quickly added, "I'll manage. You can go about your day."
But secretly she was hoping he'd... help. Even if she would never, ever, ever ask for it. Just a finger point, was all.
Gavin glanced up at a cry from Smoke, then looked back to the girl. "If you tell me which direction you're heading, I could probably point it out for you," he offered slowly. Nodding in the falcon's direction, he added, "Or he could guide you out. It's pretty easy to follow a peregrin, even with all the tall buildings."
He tilted his head, giving her a shrewd look. Now that she was out of her chains, all huddled up, and not looking quite like she was about to tear his head off... He frowned. "When was the last time you ate something?"
She made a face.
"Not too long ago? Why?"
But even through her bold face lie, her stomach growled loudly. She placed a hand over it, baring her teeth. "I just want out of the city."
But eating something.. would be nice!
Gavin sighed, straightening up and offering her a hand. "Here, why don't you let me get you something before I send you on your way?"
Martha wouldn't mind a couple pence extra on her errand run, right?
Vels shuffled uncomfortable, staring at him up and down before asking, "Why?"
He ran his other hand through his hair, letting out a sharp huff of air. "Because I'm not in the habit of leaving people to starve to death." His brow furrowed a bit. "Look, you want some food or not?"
She hesitated before looking away, huffing a, "I suppose if you're offering." But then she turned sharply to narrow her gaze on him. "Why are you being so nice to me? And if you keep saying you're sorry for me.." She went on, an accusing finger pointed his way before she sighed and just let it drop. "Never mind. Just... here, there's cheap dumplings back at the market. You just have to get me one and I'll owe you the two pence."
Gavin opened his mouth to ask how she expected to pay him back- then he snapped it closed again, shrugging. "Alright, whatever you say." He gestured back to the makeshift market. "Lead the way then."
She was perhaps in too much of a hurry whens he lead Gavin back to the dumpling woman, who glared at her then back at the man. she wasn't sure she wanted to waste her breath to shoo the girl away, just incase the better dressed man beside her was going to be a patron.
"So.. how does this work? Do I eat it firs then you pay or do you get it and pay or do you pay and then I get it or..."
Obviously, she had no real skills in the market place at all. The woman, annoyed, tapped her cane before her.
"You got a pence or two on ya do you? First the money, then I'll give away the food. That's how it works, girl."
Gavin stepped closer. "Excuse my...uh, niece." He gave the rather grouchy woman a quick smile, fishing the money out of his coin purse and handing it over. "She's from out of town. Two, please, madam."
Vels gave him a look, and would have hit him were they not in strange company. But when the dumplings were produced,s he felt her anger falter.
Gavin smiled and thanked the woman, then turned to duck out of the crowd of people around her stall. "Here." He handed the dumplings to the girl. "Take a minute and eat those, then let's see about getting you home."
She wasted no time in half eating one by shoving it into her mouth- which she promptly began to choke on by his words.
"What?" she forced herself to swallow down the half chewed dumpling. "I told you I'm fine finding my way myself! Just.. just point me in the direction to get out of this place!" ANd angrily, she worked on chewing the rest of the first dumpling.
"Fine, fine, whatever you say." He couldn't help the small, smug smile that crept across his face as he watched her. "Not too long ago my ass," he mumbled, shaking his head. She looked as though she hadn't had a proper meal in days. Weeks maybe.
Smoke came gliding down with a soft caw, taking up his customary position on Gavin's shoulder and cocking his head, eyeing the girl.
Vels just glared, but gobbled down the rest of her dumplings, wasting no juice in the process and licking her fingers cleaned. She even didn't seem to care they were piping hot. Though her belly burned, she moaned with approval. After a moment, she looked over at Gavin who seemed to be staring at her, and her glare narrowed.
"What?" She brushed loose strands of hair from her face. "I thought we were going to get out of this city now."
He gave her a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am." Arching one eyebrow, he added, "You've got to tell me where you want to go, though. Otherwise I can't give you very good directions."
Vels just glare and walked away, saying nothing for a moment before huffing, "Just OUT of this place!"
Gavin rolled his eyes. "Alright then. You're going the wrong way." He tapped her shoulder and jerked his head to the side. "C'mon, I can take you as far as the edge of town." Smoke cawed encouragingly, flexing his talons and making Gavin wince.
With a huff, she about faced and grumbled as she strolled next to him.
"You could have told me that."
"You didn't really give me a chance, kid," Gavin said mildly, rubbing the back of his neck and flashing her a crooked smile.
Smoke clucked and he said. "Oh, right. Not "kid"." He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Ya know, if you told me your name I wouldn't make mistakes like that."
She glared at him.
"Why do you need to know my name?" And she turned away, brushing hair from her face. "It's not like I look like a kid." Then again, she was barely an 'adult', though she'd be living on her own for ages. 'Kid' didn't seem to apply, in her book.
"No, not exactly," he agreed. "But you look young, so "kid" is the best I've got, until you give me something else to work with." He offered a small smile. "I'm Gavin, by the way. Don't think I ever actually introduced myself."
She glared at him for his reasoning.
"I'm short, not young, though perhaps I look so because you're really ancient?" she bit back, looking the man over. She brushed her hair aside. "I'm nearly eighteen."
Though for all she knew, maybe she was eighteen by now.
"Oh, nearly eighteen!" He put a hand to his heart dramatically, eyes wide. "My apologies, Elder," he said, dipping into a half bow.
Straightening up, he pointed out, eyes glinting, "You know, claiming a thirty year old man is ancient really just makes you seem younger."
She sneered.
"At least i means I ought to live longer." And she turned from him, still huffy. "So how much longer until we're out of this place?"
"Only if you don't get yourself caught again," Gavin muttered, frowning at the thought. "It's a big city, ki- ahem. It's a big city, just hold on to your britches."
He murmured to Smoke and the falcon took to the air, circling above them for a few moments before giving a sharp cry. "Maybe twenty minutes, if we don't make any wrong turns," he relayed to the girl.
"Wrong turns?" she asked, impatiently. "I thought you knew this place."
He gave her a dry look. "If by know, you mean, have been here for maybe three days, then yeah, sure." Gesturing up at Smoke, he said, "But we're not likely to get lost with an eye in the sky."
It was then she really looked to his bird, really gave it a good look before asking, "And he listens to you>?"
Gavin shrugged. "Well, yeah. Sure. Most of the time."
He forgot for a moment that he'd planned to keep that information under wraps in Connlaoth, just to be safe.
She looked up at the bird.
"I never met a bird that listened to anyone before." She peered at him curious, wary. "Do you use... magic?" The last part was asked in a low, whisper.
"No," Gavin answered immediately, eyes widening a bit at her. Then he let out a sharp breath. Well, who was she going to tell anyway? "Not exactly," he amended quietly, glancing around as though afraid they'd be overheard. "It's more like a- a talent, I guess."
Still curious, she found herself nodding.
"Talent? Is it something anyone could learn then?"
He considered it. "You know, I'm not entirely sure," he said after a moment. "It always came easy to me, so I just assumed..." He shrugged, then looked at her. "Why? You wanna learn?"
She felt a thrill bubble up inside her, blossoming into a sparkling eyed smile.
"You.. you could teach me?"
Aha! So she could smile. Lips twitching up in response, he shrugged. "I could certainly try," he offered. "But I don't think it's something you could learn in the ten minutes we got left..."
And that's when her smile faltered, and she realized she had let down some of her guard.
"Oh.." her eyes looked forward. "Well.. it's.. It's just interesting to know that you can."
Boy did she think that sounded lame.
"Hmm..." He eyed her sidelong. After a few moments of silence, he offered casually, "You know...if you really wanted to learn- well, Mister Jacobson has some impressive mews. I wouldn't say no to an apprentice, I could use the help."
And it might keep her out of trouble for a little while.
She stopped walking.
"Are you offering me a job?"
Gavin shrugged, still not looking directly at her. "It wouldn't pay a whole lot," he warned her. "Apprenticeships usually don't. But it'd come with room and board, so you could save what you earn."
He tried an encouraging smile, now looking at her. "And I could try to teach you to talk to the birds. What do you say?"
Her excitement was hard to contain, and her response was more or less a gush of enthusiasm.
"Yes. Yes, of course! I never had a real job before. What am I suppose to do?" and her question was asked a little breathlessly.
He blinked, surprised by her enthusiasm. Then he laughed. "Alright then," he said with a smile. "Well, first off we gotta get ourselves back to the manor." He waved an arm at Smoke, calling the falcon back to his shoulder.
"Let's get you to the mews, see how you are with the birds, yeah?" he suggested to the girl.
But Vels hesitated.
"Are you sure it'll be okay?"
Gavin shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, I'm a private contractor, technically. If I take on an apprentice, that's my business, my employer doesn't get a say." He gave her a quick smile. "Now are you coming or not?"
She nodded, following close at his heels. She didn't understand how this job thing worked, but she was eager to know.
"So do we start today? And what sort of birds can I work with? What will I be able to train them to do?"
He laughed at the flood of questions. "Yes, we start as soon as I get us back to the manor, you'll be working with mostly hawks and falcons, and hopefully you'll be training them to work as hunting birds," he explained as they walked, turning onto the street that should lead them back to Jacobson's place.
"Hawks and falcons?" her expression wrinkled. "But aren't they already hunters?" ANd probably much better than she was!
Gavin laughed again. "Well, yes they are. But we're training them to hunt on command, to work as partners with humans." He shrugged. "Their instinct certainly make our job easier though."
"And these birds... don't mind it?" she asked, blinking.
Gavin shook his head as they approached the door to the manor. "Nah, not as long as they're properly cared for. It's like a game to them, really. And they get plenty of food and pampering- most hunting Hawks even live longer than wild ones."
"Really? What do you feed them? I mean just raw meat? Squirrels? Or like... specialized food or something? LIke a .. hawk cake?"
"Easy, easy," he laughed, knocking on the door. "Save some questions for when I actually start teaching you, yeah?"
"Gavin? Did you- oh." Martha blinked as she took in the falconer and the girl. She quirked an eyebrow, while he coughed and smiled sheepishly, but all she said was, "You get the things I asked for?"
He nodded and handed over the groceries she'd sent him to get, stepping into the manor and beckoning for the girl to follow. "She's gonna be my apprentice," he explained to the housekeeper.
"Have you told Mister Jacobson?"
He winced and shook his head. "No...but I'll be paying her myself, and I really could use the help."
Not sure what to say, but shooting Gavin a bit of a glare- she just hoped this wouldn't lead to trouble again. She was kind of happy, for once, to have a reprieve from her typical, scraping to live, life style.
Martha gave them both another once over and shrugged. "The master of the house is out again. He'll be back for supper," she said carelessly, then turned and headed off to do...whatever it was housekeeper did, he supposed.
Turning to the girl, Gavin planted his hands on his hips and gave her a quick up-and-down look. Still too skinny. And dirty, but she could get a bath when she was done working. "You still hungry? I can probably scrounge up something for you before we get started."
Her eyes lit up.
"Really? You can do that?"
As if just getting food without fighting for it was some kind of magic, a fantasy.
Gavin blinked, a little taken aback by her surprise. "Well, yeah. Come on, I'll show you to the kitchens." If he could remember where they were.
Automatically he offered his hand, then withdrew it after a moment, remembering she didn't seem too keen on those kinds of gestures.
She followed after him, like a child, eyes wide as she took the place in.
"Are all homes this big?" she found herself whispering. It was a dizzying place at best, and the closest she had been to this before was in broken down rooms at her home int he ruins of Thaedes.
He chuckled softly. "No. Most aren't, actually. Our employer is rich." Ah, this was the door to the kitchen. He nudged it open a crack and peeked inside, saw the coast was clear, and slipped in, beckoning for her to follow.
"Alright, let's see what we got," he murmured, starting to rummage through the cabinets. "You got any particulat favorites, kid? Er-" He paused and withdrew his head to look at her. With a sheepish smile, he said apologetically, "I'm sorry lass, I don't remember if I ever actually got your name." It had been a bit of a hectic day.
She blinked, realizing he was, in fact, correct.
"Just call me Vels."
Her full name wasn't needed, though she never used it anyway.
"And I can't say I have a favorite.... er.. favorite what? Food?"
Normally she was just glad to have it!
He nodded. "Vels, then." Going back to his pantry looting, he said over his shoulder, "Well, then let's make do with some bread and cheese to snack on for now." Gathering enough for both of them- a little extra for her- he moved back and tossed her a smile. "C'mon, lets's head out to the mews."
She had been hoping she'd get those snacks now, but as he walked away with an armful, her face fell a little. But then she realized she was just staring and moved to follow close at his heels.
"So we'll eat with the mews?" she asked, her stomach threatening to rumble again.
"Oh." He cursed silently and turned to face her with a sheepish look. "I'm sorry, I didn't think- You must be starving. Here." He nodded to the low table set against the back wall of the kitchen and held out the food. "We can take a few minutes for you to eat now," he said kindly.
She blushed when she realized she must be an inconvenience, but said nothing really and once seated with the food, she didn't miss a beat and began to shove what she could into her mouth.
She moaned a little.
"This cheese is delicious."
Gavin chuckled a bit, leaning against the table and folding his arms loosely over his chest. "It's just cheese," he noted with an arched eyebrow. Gods, she must really not eat enough. "I take it you don't get this sort of thing much back at...wherever it is you're from?"
She paused, cheeks puffed and full of cheese, as she looked at him. She swallowed ome down before replying, "You could say that." She licked at her fingers and went about, eating some more, and was finishing almost all of it in record time.
Shaking his head, Gavin gave a low, appreciative whistle at the speed she ate. "Come on then," he said when she'd finished, clapping his hands together. "Let's introduce you to the birds, yeah?"
She gave a nod, a little reluctant to leave this place that was so full of food, but she was equally curious of the birds.
"Where does this man keep them. The birds I mean,"s he asked, following close at his heels.
Leading her out into the manor grounds, Gavin gestured to the large, circular building he was leading her to. "In here. These are called the mews." He came to the door and opened it slowly, glancing inside. Looking back to Vels, he said softly, "They're resting now, so keep your voice down so we don't startled them," and beckoned her inside.
"Resting?" she paused. "Should we disturb them?" She knew she wasn't happy when anyone woke her up. Then again, it was normally not a good situation for her to be in when she was normally asleep, hidden somewhere from view.
"They'll be alright, there hasn't been a proper falconer around here and ages. They need the work." He smiled at her. "I just don't want to scare them."
With a low whistle, he called Smike in through one of the high, thin windows. The falcon swooped down to land on his outstretched arm and Gavin turned to Vels. "Alright," he said, "To start, I'm gonna have you work with Smoke here. It'll be good practice for you, and he'll set an example for the other birds."
He smiled and stroked the bird's back as he clucked, tilting his head to eye the girl. "Hold out your arm," he said, fishing an old handkerchief out of his breast pocket and handing it to her. "And wrap this around it."
"A handkerchief, What for?"
Gavin arched an eyebrow. "Right, forgot this it totally new to you. You see these?" He tapped Smoke's talons and the bird clucked quietly. " They'll dig into your arm something fierce. Now, he's not gonna try to hurt you, but he's gotta hold onto your arm somehow. And until we can get you a proper falconer's glove, a handkerchief is gonna have to do."
He held the fabric out again. "Go on, it's not gonna bite."
She blinked on it, and then peered up at him skeptically.
"And you think this little piece of clothe will help?"
"If you wrap it around enough times it should help." With a shrug, he added, "But if you'd rather just let him claw you..." and moved to withdraw his hand.
She just glared at him.
"Why can't i just use your glove?"
He blinked at her. "Because I need it." With a sigh, he muttered, "Look, here," and stripped off his overshirt, holding that out to her instead of the handkerchief. "Is this more acceptable, milady?"
She eyed it.
"If it were, you should try it and let me use your glove!" if anything, she was a stubborn thing.
"Gods save me from stubborn women," Gavin grumbled. He tossed the shirt at her and said briskly, "You're the apprentice, remember? You gotta work to get proper equipment." Really, he just had to go out and buy her a real glove, but it wouldn't kill her to be a little politer.
She huffed.
"What if this isn't enough and I get scratched?" but she moved to wrap it around her wrist anyhow
"Then I get you some salve to make sure it doesn't get infected and we keep working," he said easily. with an encouraging smile, he added in a slightly gentler tone, "Smoke knows what he's doing. He really will do his best not to hurt you."
The falcon clucked in agreement, shifting on his master's shoulder and fluttering his wings a bit.
"You ready?" Gavin asked with a tilt of his head, glancing up at the birds resting above them before looking back to the girl.
Vels sighed through her nose.
"Yes."
Although still grumpy, her excitement at what she was about to learn was winning her back over.
"And you'd better hope we won't need that salve."
"Here." He nodded at Vels and clicked to Smoke, bending so the bird could shuffle from his shoulder to the girl's arm.
Straightening up, he whistled, snapping his fingers at a red tailed hawk and calling her to his arm.
And the second the bird was on her arm, she stiffened, but in no means did her subtle fear stop the light from dancing within her eyes. And slowly a smile curled across her lips, as a warmth of pride swelled from her chest. She released a breathy laugh.
"Oh my God," she squealed. "I have a bird on my arm!"
Smoke clucked at her, a bird's chuckle, and Gavin smiled as he moved toward the door with the hawk on his arm.
"You do." He winked at her. "Not so bad, right?"
She remained frozen still before breathing, "What do I do?"
"Just keep your arm steady and follow me," he told her, walking out onto the grounds.
Her eyes widened, and she panicked a moment before slowly, ever so slowly following after him- being mindful where she stepped and how. Although the bird seemed content to perch where it was, he was a bit heavy and she.. still uncertain what to think.
Sensing her unease, Smoke shuffled his wings and chirped at the girl encouragingly. Gavin chuckled. "He says you're doing fine. Relax."
"He is?" she blinked and turned to Gavin.
He laughed softly. "He does," he assured her.
Looking around, he shrugged the bag on his shoulder a little lower so he could get at the practice life he's brought with them. "Alright. So it's your first day as well as this lady's," Gavin said, indicating the hawk with a nod, "so we'll keep things simple. Ready?"
Vels stopped when she was near him.
"Ready...?"
But she only nodded, straightening her shoulders.
"Alright." He looked her over. "First lesson: basic commands. To tell Smoke you want him to take off, just lift your arm, quick and sharp." He fished around in his bag for an ankle tie for the hawk he was holding. "Try that while I get this lady fitted out."
And she did just as he asked, gasping- and nearly shrieking, when Smoke took flight. But as she watched the bird fly, her eyes widened, as did her smile.
"Wow, look at her go!"
Finishing securing the hawk's ties, Gavin gave her a quick smile. "Now hold your arm out straight," he coached, adding a slightly pointed, "He will know that means you're calling him back."
"So.. Just like this?" she asked, arm out and she, tilting up a little on her toes.
The falcon circled back to land on her arm, tilting his head at her. Gavin nodded. "Very good, but most birds aren't as well trained as Smoke." He smiled. "How's your arm holding up?"
"Alright but.." she went on, with a breath. "I do feel it getting strained."
He nodded kindly. "When it gets to be too much, tell Smoke to take off and let it rest, just watch what I do for a while. I'll give you some exercises later that you can do to strengthen it quicker."
She nodded.
"I'm still okay for now." She wasn't about to let a little discomfort stop her from learning! This was quite exciting, and she peered at Gavin, asking, "So what's next?"
"Alright." He grinned at her. "Next we're gonna teach a bird to return to you. They are wild creatures at heart, so it's not as instinctive for them.
Lifting his arm sharply, he sent the hawk into the air. She flew straight, then stopped when the tether on her ankle began to grow taught, circling around them as she learned her boundaries.
"We let her figure this part out on her own," Gavin told the girl, keeping his arm out. "Once she realizes she's gotta come back- and starts doing it consistently- we take the tether off."
She watched the tether and the bird fly. But part of her wondered....
"It's like a leash." Her smile faltered. It didn't seem humane to her, even if she was still curious to the whole thing. But she considered if she were the bird...
She'd be quite upset by now. And her expression easily showed it.
Gavin caught the look on her face and whistled, giving Smoke a nod. The peregrin took to the air to circle with the hawk, guiding and coaching her.
He took a step closer to Vels. "Look, I know this must seem harsh to you, especially after...what you've been through today. But it's not hurting her, we're not even gonna keep it on that long. You see Smoke, right? He hasn't got a tether, he's perfectly free. He chooses to stay with me." He smiled. "We're trying to get this hawk to feel the same way."
She still frowned when she replied, watching the birds, "Yes... but the choice was never made without the tether..."
He sighed. "Yeah, you're right." With a shrug, he watched Smoke and the hawk circle over them. "Is this gonna be too much for you? I don't want to make you do this if you're uncomfortable with it." Not to mention it would make his job harder.
But it made it more uncomfortable when he questioned it.
"No... I just..... I'm not used to how any of this works." And though she frowned, she did her best to try to hide it, but she was a bit too distracted to focus on anyone thing in that moment.
Before Gavin could reply, Smoke and the hawk returned to his and Vels' arms, fluttering their wings and shifting their feet.
"Atta girl," he said, slipping the tether off his bird. Giving the girl a quick smile, he asked, "You want to name her?"
"Name her?" she asked, eyes wide as she blinked.
"Yeah." He grinned. "Birds don't have names for each other the way our lot does, but I like to give them human names. Like Smoke."
The falcon clucked and bobbed his head in agreement. Clicking his fingers, Gavin urged the birds to switch places so the red-tail was now perched on the girl's arm, eyeing her curiously. "Go on then- if you start to teach it to her now, she'll learn it quickly, she's still young."
"Hrm.. I don't know. What does one call a bird,"s he mused, studying the amateur bird.
"I've never really named anything before." She stared at the bird before asking softly. "Can I pet her?"
He smiled, amused and pleased that she wanted to do so. "Sure. Focus on her back and chest though, she may be a little skittish about her wings." He stroked two fingers from Smoke's throat to his breast to give her an example.
"And you can call her whatever you like. I just named Smoke for his color."
She let out a little sound of joy as she stroked the bird's breast feathers.
"She's so soft..."
The hawk clucked and let her eyes narrow to slits contentedly. Gavin chuckled, smiling crookedly at the girl. "Yeah, their breast feathers are mostly down. If you feel the ones on her back they'll be sleeker, smoother."
He glanced up, judging the time by the sun's position. "What do you say one more quick lesson, then we'll call it a day, huh? Get you a proper meal."
She nodded, still mesmerized by the bird.
"Alright. That bird you've got there?" He nodded to the animal. "Fort he next few weeks at least, she's gonna be your partner. You've got to build trust. Know her, and let her know you. To start-" He shooed Smoke off his arm and summoned the hawk with a sharp whistle so she flew to his gloved arm. "She's gonna come to you."
He took a few paces back, holding his arm steady for the bird. Meeting Vels' eyes, he smiled encouragingly and said, "Right, now call her. Whistle, click, I don't care how you do it, think of a signal and use that same one every time you want her to fly to you. Got it?"
"So do I.. do I just send her into flight?" she asked, tense and hesitant under his directions.
He nodded encouragingly. "Then call her back. It may take a few tries, she's still learning, so don't be discouraged if it doesn't happen right away."
Nodding, she gestured forward with her arm, flinching a little when the small bird took flight. She watched her fly for a time, mesmerized by it before putting her 'gloved' arm out and giving a few clicks of her tongue.
Naturally, the bird ignored her and perched elsewhere, but that only prompted Vels to try harder. STanding up on her tip toes, she continued to click her tongue and give an attempt at a bird like coo.
Gavin watched with a small smile when the small sound seemed to catch the hawk's attention. "Do that again," he encouraged quietly. "And hold your arm a little higher if you can- birds can be like lightning, want to have the highest perch."
She tried to keep her arm up higher, cooing a little louder.
The hawk seemed to debate for a moment, then swooped down to perch on the girl's arm.
"Good," Gavin praised. "Now hold your arm steady and come over here."
Still on her tip toes, she made her way lightly over to where Gavin stood.
"Now what?" she asked, licking her lips and staring at the bird on her arm.
"Now we get you a proper meal," Gavin said with a crooked smile, giving Smoke a quick whistle as he turned to go back into the mews. "We'll come back out here and work while there's still light after you eat."
Vels nodded enthusiastically, not looking back at Gavin, instead, focusing on the bird before moving her hand and watching the bird fly away.
"She's really fast at flying," Vels admired.
He nodded, looking between girl and bird with a small smile. "You should see hawks when they dive in for a kill. One of the fastest things you'll ever see."
"Do you think I'll get to see that?"
"If you stay on as my apprentice, sure," Gavin said, standing in the doorway and beckoning for her to follow him, letting Smoke swoop into the building to take up a perch a little ways apart from the other birds.
Stay on as his apprentice? Though excited about this job (though she would have been excited about any job), she had to wonder herself just how long this would last. This wasn't exactly her area of expertise, and though it was nice and all- would she really fit here and for how long?
She quietly followed Gavin, though her enthusiasm was not snuffed out by her own doubts. There was too much excitement going on for that!
Leading her back into the house, Gavin paused a moment and glanced down at himself. "I should change," he muttered, thinking it would probably be in his best interests to try to make a good first impression with the other servants in the house.
He glanced over at Vels and frowned, sighing, "And we'll have to figure out a way to get you some new clothes."
She made a face.
"What's wrong with my clothes?" She had fashioned them herself! And took as best care of them as she was able to! If anything, she prided herself in being able to achieve that much in her life. Well that, and not starving to death.
Seeing that he'd struck a nerve, Gavin backpedaled. "Nothing," he assured her quickly. "Nothing's wrong with them, just- don't you want more than the one set?"
Her eyes flared again. "Whoever said I only had the one?"
She did have a second one, but she wasn't about to go all the way back to her 'home' to get it. Not that she knew where it was.
"Besides.. do you people with jobs not wash clothing?"
She felt foolish after she said it, but she wasn't going to correct herself on this one.
He laughed at that. Couldn't help it. "Of course we do," he snorted. "But what do you expect to wear while you're washing those, hm?" He nodded at her attire and quirked an eyebrow.
And if looks could kill, Gavin would be to hell and back.
"You pervert! How dare you ask a lady such things!"
He snorted. "A lady?" he repeated, looking at her skeptically. "Don't flatter yourself, kid. You're not my type."
Flashing her a quick grin, he turned on his heel and set off again. "C'mon, I'm starving."
Her face went red.
"I did not mean-"
She couldn't believe him and stomped her foot.
"Neither are you my type! And stop calling me kid!"
Biting back a grin, Gavin half twisted to look at her over his shoulder. "Alright, whatever you say, milady," he drawled, raising his hands in surrender. "Now are you coming to get some food or not?"
She huffed but stood her ground.
"Not at the expense of my pride!"
"The expense of your-" He stared at her, blinking incredulously. "What the hell are you one about now?" Gods, she was a prickly little thing.
She folded her arms.
"I'm not some sort of a joke," she went on, pouting more than glaring. "Although you're being very kind to me, I'd appreciate a little less salt."
Gavin sobered a bit. He supposed he could understand that. "Alright," he said quietly, meeting her eyes. "I'm sorry. Really. It won't happen again." He offered his hand again, trying for a small smile. "Come on, let's get you a meal." Maybe she'd feel a bit better with a full stomach.
Might make her less touchy. Certainly couldn't hurt.
"I don't need your hand to find the kitchen," she replied, curtly as she brushed past him. Although, she was heading in the wrong direction of the kitchen.
Tucking his hands in his pockets, Gavin called after her, "Fine by me. But it's this way." He nodded down the correct hallway innocently.
Swearing under her teeth, she bit into her lower lip and turned towards him, and hurried to walk at his heels.
"This house is too big," she muttered.
Gavin shrugged, turning to lead the way to the kitchens. "No arguments here," he said easily, then added with a wink, "But a big house usually means they can afford to overpay the help." He gestured between the two of them and quirked an eyebrow meaningfully.
She didn't get the gesture at first, but when it sunk in, her eyes brightened a little.
"You mean we'd get decent pay?"
Not that she knew how much she was going to get paid anyway! But the sound of more money made her a bit more than excited!
"I get decent pay," Gavin corrected. "Most of the first month's worth going to paying off the debt I've ended up with by buying your freedom, by the way. After that..." He shrugged. "Well, I'm paying you out of pocket, unless the master of the house decides he wants to take you on officially."
He glanced at her and hurried to add, "I'm not planning on shafting you, I just don't want you thinking I can afford to pay you the way Jacobson might."
She let that all sink in and went quiet in thought.
"Thanks for that.. again," she muttered, awkwardly. "If it'd help... I could find a way to get you the money for it."
She was a pretty good thief. She was certain there were plenty of people she could pick pocket from.
He flashed her a quick grin. "You're welcome. But don't worry about it." He frowned a bit and looked away as they approached the door to the kitchen. "Maybe not a popular opinion around these parts, but I'm not really one for slavery. I couldn't just leave you."
"Even still I'll repay you. I want to."
He shrugged. "If you insist. I'll help you find a job after this so you can do that." He pushed the door open and glanced around the kitchen. The smell of food indicated dinner had been prepared, but it seemed the other servants were either busy elsewhere or had already eaten.
"Job? But isn't this a job?"
Besides, she'd rather pay her debt her way.
"Yes, it is," Gavin said slowly, moving into the kitchen and beckoning for her to follow. "But considering I'm paying you out of my pocket, it seems rather counter intuitive for you to use that money to pay me back, don't you think?" Not that he really cared- he didn't need her to pay him back, he would have been working for Jacobson for a couple of months anyway.
"Yes but..." she bit her lip. "How much was it again?" she asked, fetching his arm. "To buy me."
"Ah..." He flushed a bit, still feeling guilty that he'd actually bought a person, even if he had done it to free her. "Thirty gold," he muttered. "Big my debt is only fifteen."
Never before had she ever pick pocketed so much. And she'd only ever seen a gold piece once.
"How many coppers would that be?"
"Oh, um..." He had to resort to counting on his fingers. "A couple dozen?" Eyes narrowing suspiciously, he looked at her. "Why? I'm not going to be paying you in coppers."
"What? Then how would you?"
He shrugged. "I'm thinking one third of whatever I get, and I'm getting paid in silvers."
"Silvers?" her expression brightened. "You mean... as in more than one?"
Though she could have kicked herself for asking such a silly question, but the idea of money at all, and a steady stream of it, was a miracle in itself.
Gavin chuckled, filling two plates with some sort of sausage mash that had been prepared for the servants' dinner and handing her one. "Yeah, more than one, ki- Vels," he assured her with a quick grin.
She blushed at that but yanked the plate from him, muttering a thanks as she peered down at the food.
"Is this meat?" Another thing that tickled her senses. She couldn't even recall the last time she had meat!
"Hm?" He poked at it with a fork experimentally. "I hope so. Smells like it, at any rate."
"Is that an insult to my cooking?"
Startled, Gavin almost dropped his plate as he whipped around to address the man in the doorway who he assumed must be Jacobson's cook. "Er, no, of course not," he said quickly, flushing a bit.
The cook's lips twitched a bit and he looked them over. "You're the falconer," he said to Gavin. "I saw you this morning. You," he looked to Vels, "I don't know."
"Me?" she blinked, as taken off guard as Gavin was. "I'm the falconer's apprentice."
Then she whispered to Gavin, "Are we in trouble?"
The cook grinned, shaking his head. "You're not in trouble, lass. Anyone who works in this house is welcome in my kitchen, long as I'm not busy." He breezed passed them.
Gavin gave the girl a quick smile, then addressed the cook. "Mind if we eat in here then?" He settled himself at the small table, adding, "I'm Gavin, by the way. This is Vels."
"Name's Myles." He glanced over at them. "Didn't know you had an apprentice."
"It's a...recent development."
"Recent as in this morning," she went on, with a gleeful smile, taking a seat beside Gavin and grabbing up a handful of the food in hand and stuffing some into her mouth.
"Oi!" Gavin protested, shoving a fork at her. "What are you, some kind of savage?"
Myles seemed to be ignoring them, but he thought he saw the cook's lips twitch in a smirk.
"What?" she stared over at Gavin, scooping up another handful. It wasn't like she needed it to eat! And she shoved the next handful into her mouth.
"Vels." He grabbed her hand, meeting her eyes. "Stop that. Here, just use this." He pressed the fork into her other hand, reaching for a napkin and shoving that at her as well.
She blinked, then moved to lick her fingers. "Why? It doesn't work as well as my hands do." But then she realized, a bit belatedly and sheepishly- she wasn't living on the streets right now.
"Guess I could use it so I don't choke," she muttered, and finished licking off her fingers and fumbling with the fork to eat considerably less large mouthfuls.
Giving a little sigh of relief, Gavin decided not to lecture her about manners. She wasn't using her hands anymore, so he supposed that was a step.
"This is delicious, Myles," he said politely, nodding to the cook who gave him a quick smile in return.
'Very much so!" Vels chimed in with a mouthful of food. "What's all in it?" she asked, shoveling more food into her already full mouth.
"Sausage, butter, potatoes, some onions." Myles shrugged. "A few spices and things. Nothing special really." He looked pleased though.
Gavin sighed, resisting the urge to tell Vels to swallow before she talked. Gods, this was going to be harder than he'd thought.
"Really? That's all?" she asked after a swallow. "It's really good." And she paused, only now realizing her plate was basically empty. And found herself hesitating before sheepishly inquiring, "Would it be rude to ask for more?"
Hearing that, Myles chuckled and crossed over to scrape some more food onto her plate. "Hungry little thing, aren't you?"
Gavin's lips twitched up on one side and he commented, "I'm just impressed you were actually worried about being rude." His eyes glinted teasingly.
Vels cut him a look before returning a nod to Myles.
"Thank you. The food is very good."
"Hey, it's always nice to get a compliment." The cook winked at her and moved away again.
Finishing up his own plate, Gavin stood and crossed to the counter. "Thanks," he said with a quick smile. He glanced back over his shoulder at Vels. "You done, or you want another plate?"
Trying to appear less 'savage', she cleared her throat and wiped her mouth off on the back of her hand.
"No, that meal was enough for now. Thank you."
"Then what do you say to finding you a bath?" Gavin offered. If they'd be sharing a room, which was looking pretty likely, he'd really rather she be at least somewhat clean.
"A bath? I didn't see any rivers nearby... Will it be far to travel?"
Both Myles and Gavin blinked at her, then the cook gave a cough that sounded suspiciously like laughter and Gavin shook his head, biting back a grin.
"No, Vels. There's a servants' bath in the house. Just down the hall?" He looked to Myles for confirmation, who nodded.
She looked between the two of them before she got it.
"You mean You have water inside?"
"Yes," Gavin chuckled, standing. "Hot water, if we're lucky."
Her eyes widened.
"Hot water?"
He nodded, moving toward the door and beckoning for her to follow. "If we want to go through the trouble of hearing it, yes."
"You mean like collect wood and light a fire for it?" she inquired, following close at his heels.
"Well we don't have to collect the wood, but yeah," Gavin replied, pausing a moment as he tried to remember door led to the servants' bath.
"Oh.. " she paused before him. "If you don't use wood.... Then what do you use to heat it?"
"No, no, we use wood," he chuckled, realizing how that may have been confusing. "WE just don't have to go out and collect it, it's already there."
"Oh." She blinked, and grew thoughtful. " but if we use some we ought to replace it."
Gavin gave her an appreciative look. "While I agree with the sentiment, that's not really how things are done in places like this." He waved a hand around to indicate the manor. "One of the other servants is in charge of that."
"Oh... So it's their job then?"
"Yes." He nodded. "Like working with the birds is our job."
She went quiet and left it at that. She'd have to get used to how these rules worked. Out where she lived, well...
There was really only one rule, and it was not to die.
Taking her quiet as acceptance or understanding, Gavin just led them to the door that he thought opened onto the servants' bath and knocked lightly.
No answer. Probably safe to go in then. "Now, the baths are separate," he said to Vels. "So when you're done, you think you know how to get back to the room?"
She stared at him with a blink.
"Uh.. which room?" She was certain she could find her way back to the kitchen, but not entirely sure she could recall the other rooms they had been.
"My room." He sighed. That had probably been too much to expect. "Alright. If you get out here before me, just wait, alright? I'll help you find your way back."
She nodded and just stood there, still not certain what to do. She supposed it would be self explanatory in the bathing room, would it not? She just hoped.
"Yes," she replied. "I'll just wait." And she turned from him with a sigh, staring at the door to her bathing room.
Gavin reached out to pat her head, hesitated, then drew his hand back. "I'll be quick," he promised, slipping into the men's bath and shutting the door.
As he left, she snorted in his direction. He was still treating her like a kid! She felt anything but. she supposed she could forgive his ignorance due to his kindness but still...
it irked her to be even considered some useless, unabiding child!
Disappearing into her bathing chambers, she took her time to figure out the bathing routine on her own, and may have taken longer than she ought to have as she was taking in the information about the room as systematically as a math problem.
Gavin had never been one to waste time, so he scrubbed quickly, grabbed a towel, and made his way back out into the hallway, folded clothes tucked under one arm and towel around his waist.
Maybe not the most proper thing he could have done, but he figured it wouldn't matter if he could get the girl and get back to his room quickly enough.
It seemed that may not happen though, as when he emerged Vels was nowhere in sight.
And he'd be waiting for a good time. For even as she was finished bathing and rinsing herself off, she found herself staring over at the window, curious at her surroundings as she got lost in thoughts over the horizon.
Starting to get a little worried- what if she'd hit her head or something and was drowning?- Gavin knocked on the door. "Hey, k- Vels. You okay in there?"
He's hear her movement in the bath at his knock. She was looking at the door now.
"Yes! I'm still bathing!" she called over to him, her voice a bit rude sounding but- she never liked being startled.
"Ah- alright. I'll just...wait here then," he mumbled, settling back and shuffling his feet a little awkwardly. He was getting chilly out here, skin and hair still slightly damp.
He'd hear her moving away, water splashing and eventually, she stepping out of the bath. It didn't take long for her to dry off most of her body- the air being dry itself, but her hair was a long mess plastered around her body, and was in a terrible need for a brushing. Perhaps she could see if she could buy one or something, or steal one from the market. For now, she just let her hair remain in knotted curls around her shoulder before moving to redress in her ratty, street clothes. Then she stepped outside, pausing a moment to realize...
"Why are you in just a towel!?"
Gavin jumped, startled by her shout, and looked down at her with wide eyes. "Because my clothes are dirty, and I just got clean," he said quickly, suddenly reminded of being caught stealing from the kitchen by his mother as a child.
Her face twisted in confusion.
"SO you're going to walk around in just a towel?"
There were definitely strange customs in this place!
"Not for long, if I can help it," he grumbled. "Come on, let's get back to the room." He set off downt he hall, gesturing for her to follow.
She did so, a bit awkwardly as she looked him over before sighing and turning her eyes towards the walls.
"Is there some sort of brush or comb I could use on my hair."
She didnt' want to admit it's been over a week since she'd brushed it last. Then again, it probably looked worse than that.
"I'm sure I have something," Gavin said over his shoulder, making a turn and then pausing, before turning around and turning the other direction. Yes, this was right. He thought.
Oh good! So quietly she followed him. She was beginning to get very tired from their day, and found herself yawning the longer they walked.
Glancing over his shoulder as they finally reached the right door, Gavin gave her a kind smile as he opened it. "Been a long day, huh?"
She sighed.
"You could say that again. I feel like I could sleep for days."
"Hang on to that thought," Gavin chuckled, moving into the room and rummaging around in his things for a moment before emerging with an over large shirt and a comb with a few broken teeth.
"Here, use these." He handed them over. "I'll see what I can do about getting those clothes washed."
She blinked and looked at the shirt, then up at him.
"You expect me to wear this?"
He arched an eyebrow. "Until we can get you a few changes of clean clothes, yes. At least to sleep in, it's better than nothing."
She took the shirt and held it up against herself. If anything, she might look like she was wearing a glorified flour sack. At this thought, she frowned.
"And what about my clothes.." she began slowly. "Where am I to wash them? Although I'm not sure they'd be dry enough by tomorrow if we were to do that now," she added hastily.
"Well, you can wear that." Glancing at her, Gavin smiled a bit and added, "We can cinch it with a belt or something. I can give your clothes to Martha to wash, and she'll get them back to you once they're clean."
"So... you're saying I'd be stuck in this thing?" she asked, a bit incredulously, but well...
He was right. Her clothes should probably get clean.
"So... I'm not the one washing them? You know I can wash my own clothes," she added, a bit defensively.
"I know you can," Gavin soothed. "But that's how things work around here. You'll be busy working with me, and Martha's in charge of assigning the washing anyway."
"Too busy to wash my own clothes?" she asked. She couldn't believe that one!
He shrugged, chuckling. "Not exactly, but definitely busy, and tired, once we really get into the swing of things. Trust me, you'll be glad of the break."
"Tired? But there's no labor involved."
Gavin laughed at that. "Not yet, but you've barely had an hour of training," he pointed out.
"And? How long will this training be, exactly?" she asked back, with a slight bit of bite to her tone. It had been a long day, after all!
"Until I think you're good enough to work with a bird on your own," Gavin told her bluntly. "Now get changed. Been a long day, I'm ready for some shut eye."
She gave him a look.
"Get changed... with you looking?" Her look became threatening.
He rolled his eyes. "Of course not. Here." He put his back to her. "I'm not looking, alright?"
Obeying, she sighed once she had finished dressing into the long shirt and held her dirty clothes in hand.
"Okay, now what?" came her impatient query.
"Now you turn around," Gavin said, arching an eyebrow at her as he turned back toward her. He nodded toward the door. "And toss those clothes in the corner, we'll get them washed tomorrow."
Sighing, she obeyed, arms folded over her chest.
"But why tomorrow? And what will I wear until then? Just this shirt?"
"Look, we'll get hot an extra change of clothes as soon as we can, okay? Until then I'll beg some breeches from one of the other servants or something," Gavin tried to assure her, dropping the towel and rummaging through his things for a fresh set of clothes.
"You'll do what?" she asked, turning around angrily. When she saw Gavin's bare ass, however, she gasped and looked away. "Why didn't you warn me you were still dressing!"
His ass was now something she could not unsee!
Flushing and straightening up, Gavin started to whirl around- then realized that probably wasn't the best idea. "Well I told you to turn around!" he snapped, feeling inordinately embarrassed. "Gods, what are so pissed about this time?"
"What do you mean pissed? I'm livid! I own not a thing in the world except for those clothes! It's the only thing I can get defensive about!"
He paused in pulling his shirt over his head. "I'm not telling you to get rid of them, Vels," Gavin murmured. "Just let someone wash them for you."
Tugging the hem of his short to settle it, he added, "Besides, once we get you another set they won't be the only things you own anymore."
She held her breath, pouting.
"I.... they'd better give them back," came her snappy reply, but it sounded more like a whimpering dog trying to sound vicious more than actually being vicious itself.
Gavin resisted the urge to roll his eyes and chuckle. "No one is going to steal your clothes," he assured her instead- refraining from adding that no one would want to steal those rags.
She huffed.
"Fine."
Her arms were still crossed.
"So... what are we doing now?" And she wanted to peak again, but didn't. "Are you dressed yet?"
He seemed to be taking forever!
"Oh. Yeah, you can turn around," Gavin said belatedly.
"Now we get some shut eye." He paused a moment, then said with a huff," You take the bed." He'd manage alright with some blankets on the floor.
She turned around, but she was no less haughty.
"The bed?" That did take her by surprise as she looked from it, then over to him. "Wait.. what... you want me to sleep in a bed?"
He blinked at her, confused by her apparent confusion. "Yes...?"
She looked to the bed, then back to him.
"Are you sure?"
Beds, to her, were a luxury only found in dreams...
Or, only found in burned down manors with rotting lumps in them. Even still, it was a rare treat to be offered to her, and her eyes might have shown it.
If he'd been a little reluctant to give up the bed before, he certainly wasn't now. "Yes, I'm sure," Gavin said kindly.
Frowning, she moved over towards the bed. But once seated on it, she found herself sighing, and grateful for the reprieve of sleeping on hard floors or dirt. She wiggled her toes, bare feet feeling the plushness of the rug at the bed's side before she studied the fine quilt work she now sat upon.
Smiling a little crookedly at her, Gavin said, "Here, just toss me a blanket, would ya?" He bent to collect his travel pack and make a sort of pillow out of it.
She went to pull the pretty quilt from the bed when she noted a folded, knit blanket on the foot of the bed. It looked warmed, and was certainly more easier to offer than the quilt, so she leaned forward, plucked it up and tossed it his way.
He caught the blanket and unceremoniously plopped onto the ground with a murmured, "Thanks."
Wrapping himself up, he flopped back onto his makeshift pillow and muttered, "Get some sleep while you can, we're up at dawn."
"Dawn? Is that because birds get up early?" she asked curiously, turning towards him from where she lay.
"Sometimes," Gavin mumbled through a yawn. "But it's really to make sure we get a full day of work in."
While Gavin was quite sleepy, Vels' mind was rolling over what tomorrow would bring.
"How long are we expected to work?"
The falconer resisted the urge to groan. "Do you mean per day, or in the time we're here?"
"I don't know... I've never worked before. But I meant tomorrow... but I never thought to ask how many days.... Will it all be a long venture?"
"I'm contracted to be here for the next four months," Gavin mumbled, turning on his side. "We should be working eight or ten hour days."
She opened her mouth to ask a question then closed it to think it over.
"Four months at eight or ten hour days...." She stared up at the ceiling. "I can't say I have an opinion on that." She didn't want to reiterate this was her first job.
"Good." Tiredness made Gavin shorter than he would normally have been. "Then get some sleep."
She still remained fidgeting in the bed. There was too much going on for her to consider sleeping.
"How long did you say you've been doing this? And how long for this new boss of yours?"
"Four months," Gavin grunted. "Been doing this since I was a lad, 'bout fifteen. Now please, Vels, go to sleep."
She paused to consider it, and didn't quite get why he was so eager to get to sleep.
"Are you really that tired?" she asked. Her tone, in no way, hinted she herself was tired. In fact, she sounded like a perky student, which she was.
"Yes," he groaned, pulling the blanket up over his head. "I'm an old man, remember? Let me sleep."
"Old man? How old are you?"
Oh dear gods. Did she ever stop asking questions. "Thirty," he grunted. "Although I suppose to you anyone over twenty is old."
"You got that right," she told him smartly, and studied him from where she lay on the bed.
"You don't look that old."
Then again, she didn't rightly know what differentiated a thirty year old from forty, or even twenty. She wrinkled her nose as she tried to think about it.
"You should take the bed," she said suddenly, standing up. "I might not sleep for another few hours and I see you're about ready to pass out. Besides, I'm used to hard floors over lumpy beds."
"No, no, I'm fine," Gavin mumbled, waving a hand at her. "I'm...so tired the floor will do just fine. Don't...worry 'bout me..." He was actually about ready to fall asleep in the middle of a sentence.
She watched him sleep for a time, but by the time morning would come, she wouldn't be there.
Waking up a little later than he normally would, Gavin took a few moments to remember why he was sleeping on the floor.
"Alright, Vels," he groaned, rubbing his neck. "Up and at 'em, let's get moving-"
He twisted to look at the empty bed. His eyes widened slightly. "Oh, damnit."
Unable to sleep, Vels found herself slipping outside of the mansion and into the streets. She had never properly been in a city, and finding herself with some time to herself, used most of the night and early morning to look around. And of course, lost track of time...
and where she was.
He was so going to get fired. Barely on day on the job and he was already making his excuses to his new boss when he couldn't find Vels in the manor and realized he'd have to search for her on the streets.
Gavin whistled to call Smoke from the mews, murmuring quietly to the falcon before sending him off to look for the girl from above.
"Gods, when I find her..." He was muttering to himself under his breath as he followed the bird, scowling.
Vels was trying to use landmarks to find her way back, however, everything looked the same in this city. So many stone buildings and shop lined streets. She eventually found her way down one road where a man noticed her look.
"Are you lost, my child?" the old man asked.
Vels turned, and at first, didn't realize he was talking to her, until she noted no one else was around. She frowned.
"Yes, just a little." She approached his stand. "You're from this city?" She saw the man's brow's raise and inwardly cursed herself. Of course he was! "I'm trying to get back to my job-"
"Finding one's path is my specialty," the man went on, drawing out something from a nearby glass. It looked like a pendant, for it was, dangling off a chain.
"Really? So you can help me then?"
The man nodded.
"What is it you seek?" he inquired, still holding the pendant as gravity kept it still and hanging over his table.
It was at that question Vels remember she didn't even know! The place where she had stayed.. the name's the people....
"I.... I work for an important man."
No doubt there were many important men!
"So I see you are very lost," the man informed her. Vels nodded and watched as the man began to swing the pendant. "Don't worry... you will soon find what you seek..."
And soon Vels found herself becoming lost int he swinging pendant- and the city was soon sounding very, very far away.
Smoke caught sight of the girl and gave a sharp call to Gavin. Then the peregrin circled, indicating the spot where Vels and the stranger stood.
Giving another caw, Smoke dove down and raked his talons over the man's scalp, not quite understanding what was happening but realizing it probably wasn't going to end well for Vels.
The man let out a cry and dropped his pendant, but when he did so, Vels dropped to the cobblestone road.
Gavin turned a corner just in time to see the girl collapse. "Vels!" He darted forward and knelt beside her, lifting her wrist to feel for a pulse.
Letting out a quiet sigh of relief when he realized she wasn't dead, he lifted his head to glare at the man, raising an arm for Smoke to use as a perch. "What the hell did you do?" he growled.
The man was winded when he responded, "She just wanted to find the path!"
"Like hell! What did you do?!" Gavin gathered the girl ionic his arms and stood, taking a wary step back.
"All of us are lost, but she looked right for help," the man went on defensively, but there was a sinister air about him.
Gavin took another step back. "How do I wake her up?" he demanded. On his shoulder, Smoke gave a harsh cry and flexed his talons threateningly.
"I can not say! You broke the calling!" the man protested.
Gavin's eyes went hard. "You ever seen what a pissed off falcon can do to a man? Particularly his eyes?" Smoke gave a piercing shriek and ruffled his wings.
His voice dropped to a low growl. "Wake. Her. Up. Now."
The man hesitated, licking his dry lips.
"If.... You insist..." And he hurriedly reached for a hidden dagger under his robes then grabbed for the girls wrist, with the full intention to slit it.
Smoke shrieked and darted forward, claws raking across the man's forearm. Gavin reeled back, knocking his hand away.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
The man snarled and tried to ward off the bird.
"What you told me to do, sir!" the man wailed.
"Smoke, back!"
The falcon cawed and circled back to land on Gavin's shoulder, clucking and glowering at the stranger. "Cutting her is supposed to help her?" he demanded.
"If you were lost and someone cut you.. would you not seek a new path?" the bald man hissed.
Gavin really wished he knew more about whatever had happened to Vels.
"Fine," he spat. "Fine. Just- not her wrist. Her palm." There were more nerve endings there anyway, and he felt he'd better be able to yank her away if he had to and not risk hurting her more.
The man hesitated, before nodding.
"Very well then." And he paused a moment before striking hard across her palm, like a viper.
And just as he had promised, it broke the girl from whatever had fainted her, as she jerked awake suddenly with a scream and grip to her palm.
Blood? She blinked. What was... She looked around, uncertainly.
"What.. what's going on?"
"Oh thank gods!" Gavin hugged her against his chest rather spontaneously, looking at the stranger over her head. "How did you get here?" he demanded of Vels, still keeping his eyes locked on the other man.
Vels had no idea what was going on, and found herself pushing to give herself some more space.
"What are you going on about?" And she winced when she bumped her bloodied hand off of him. It still stung fresh with blood.
"Here, let me see that," Gavin murmured, reaching for her hand. He whistled and Smoke soared away.
But she jerked her hand away.
"What? Why?" She shielded her hand protectively. "Did you do this?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously on him.
Great. Of course she blamed him.
"No, I didn't," Gavin muttered, then pointed. "He did. Said you asked him for help, and when I got here you were passed out cold."
"Who?" Vels made a face, because the bald man was no longer there. In fact, his entire cart and tent were gone.
"Wait- what the-?" Gavin turned in a circle. "There was a- a- I don't know! Where the hell did he go?"
At that moment Smoke returned, clutching a long wrap of bandaging in his talons. Gavin murmured thanks as he took the fabric and gestured for her hand again.
"Tch," she curled a lip at him. "Does that mean you're gonna keep playing dumb and get out of explaining this to me?" And she held up her hand to remind him of the cut. "Although... it's strange I don't remember.." And her face scrunched contemplatively.
Gavin took her hand and started bandaging it. "Look, I don't know what happened. I went out to look for you, and when I found you you were unconscious and there's was this- this man. Said you asked him for directions or something and that's how you'd passed out."
He shook his head, tying off the bandage. "I couldn't wake you up. He cut your hand, and that seemed to do the trick."
She looked at him as if he were crazy and raised a single brow.
"And you expect me to believe that?"
...Okay. It did sound kinda crazy.
Gavin shrugged. "Believe it or not, that's what happened." He frowned at her. "Why'd you leave, anyway? You had me worried."
"Leave?" she blinked, and look away, frowning. Leave...
It took her sometime to recall what he was asking, but then her eyes flashed with recognition. "I couldn't sleep."
He arched an incredulous eyebrow. "And you decided wandering a strange city was a good idea?"
That made her angry.
"I'm not a child! I've lived alone most of my life. And wandering is what I do."
"Not anymore it's not," Gavin retorted, quiet but firm. "Having a job means you have a responsibility to your employer. In this case, me. You can't just go off like that."
Vels still glared at him.
"What?" She placed a hand on her hip. "Are you saying I can't do what I want because you're my employer? Tch." Her glare narrowed. "How is that better than what the slaver was gonna do? huh?"
He sighed an dragged his hand down his face. "No. I am saying that you need to check in with me for things like that. I don't care if you wander the manor on your own, but if you're going out into the city you need to at least tell me."
Still miffed, she asked, "Why? What does it matter where I go?"
"Well, for one thing- apparently you get yourself lost."
"Lost!?" She could have laughed. "I wasn't lost! I never said I was! You.. you just made that story up, remember?"
But she began to wonder...
Had she been lost?
"You know what? Fine." Gavin tossed his hands up, causing Smoke to squawk as he was almost dislodged. "I'm going back to the manor. Come with me if you want." He turned on his heel and started to walk.
She glared at his leaving form. As if she'd follow after him after all that! She turned from him and simply walked the other direction. Ha! If he was going to be mad and stubborn, so could she! Although she hadn't realized the very same man Gavin talked about was watching the pair of them from within the crowd. And once Gavin was well enough away, he slowly began to follow after the girl.
Smoke clucked.
"No."
Another cluck.
"No. I'm not going back. I've stuck my neck out for that kid enough already."
A screech in his ear.
"Gods!" Gavin yelped and swatted at the bird. "Go on then! Follow her if you like her so much!"
Huffily, the falcon took to the air and soared away, back toward Vels.
He made a mistake before presuming nobody would care for a girl like that. Seems she had some sort of an older brother type following her. He smiled when he saw them fight, not without some aid of his own. He was letting his anger chimes vibrate from where they were hanging loosely from his hand at his side.
Once the pair were now separated and the charms placed back inside his robes, the bald man continued to follow after Vels very, very carefully. His magic had to be discrete in order to work. It's fabrics, though light, could easily be broken. But they were very, very much effective and as potent as could be.
It was this sort of game play he enjoyed the most, and knew this girl would cost a pretty penny. She was of age, still possibly a virgin, and was what most men were seeking in this time of war as far as slaves were concerned. Though slavery in Connlaoth itself was much less than that of the southern countries, it still very much prevailed.
Vels didn't know she was being followed, that was, until she caught sight of the bird. She huffed.
"Really? He's sending his bird out to chase me?"
Well, she knew one place a bird couldn't so easily follow, and so when she rounded a bend, she slipped inside the nearest building and decided to just camp out there, waiting for the bird to pass.
Smoke was at least as stubborn as his master. Perhaps even more so. And his sharp eyes could pick out the suspicious figure tailing the girl.
He cawed at her when she ducked into the building, then circled above before coming to perch just above the door frame, just out of sight.
The bird was not missed by the man tailing her. He cursed and hung back, waiting to see if the bird would leave, or the girl would try exiting the building elsewhere. It was a stand off of sorts, but it seemed the girl lost the patience race as she peeked her head out the window, noting the bird was out of sight.
Hesitantly, she crawled back out from the building and looked around. She didn't see where the bird was perched, just knew it wasn't following her in the sky. So she took back tot he streets, looking over her shoulder once before disappearing behind a bend.
Smoke kept tailing her, trying to keep out of sigh this time even as he watched her pursuer.
As it was before, she had no idea where she was going. This 'city' was a dizzying place to be. Humans moved like cattle through narrow, stone smoothed streets. And the smells coming down this side of the alleyways was rancid.
Even still, her stubborn pride fueled her onward. One hand covered her nose and mouth while she continued to push pass more people until she came into a more open ended and less populated leg of the street. In fact, she breathed a lot easier here- considering she finally found an area where there wasn't another person in sight!
As the girl entered the open area, Smoke have a quiet cry and circled above her head, then swooped down to make a pass over her, trying to land on her arm as he would have with Gavin.
Startled, Vels jerked back, arm raised defensively, only to find herself with Smoke suddenly perched on her arm. Her eyes widened as she swallowed back a scream tht turned into a gargled growl as she looked every which way for Gavin.
Not seeing him, she gave her arm a shake.
"What do ya think yer doin'? Go back to your master's arm."
Smoke gave her a dry look- or as dry as a bird could get- and clucked, shuffling his wings. His attitude was quite clearly disapproving and he took to the air again, circling her head before flying off a few yards, then coming back to her arm, urging her to follow.
She flinched on his return, shaking her head.
"No! Go back to your master!"
Smoke cawed at her and shook his head, evidently frustrated. This would be much easier if she could understand birds the way Gavin-friend did.
He shuffled his wings and looked back over his shoulder warily, trying to find the man who had been following her.
Frustrated, Vels just let the bird remain perched.
"Fine! Just stay on my arm! See if I care!" And she turned her back on the direction they had come and began to storm down another ally- only to nearly bump into the man from before.
"You!"
And before she knew what was happening, she felt a prick at her side, and turned to watch a thin needle being pulled out from her. Her vision was quick to blur, and then she slumped onto the ground.
He knew it.
Smoke tried to cry a warning, but too late. He took to the air in a whirl of feathers, dodging a grabbing hand before he soared off to find Gavin.
Birdless or not he wasn't about to give up his prize. Throwing Vels over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, he took to the back streets and clung to the shadows, keeping watch over head to ensure the damn bird did not follow.
Gavin recognized Smoke's cry and immediately started toward the sound, following the soaring shoe with his eyes as he ducked and wove through crowds.
He rounded a bend.
Left right.
Then right again.
Looking up at the sky, he saw nothing, and smirked as he stepped into a small building on the eastern side of town. It was a quaint location, with a dull name that indicated it was a potions shop . It didn't readily look open, except a small candle flickering in the window- which was an odd time of day for osmeone to have a candle lit.
Smoke saw the shope and swooped low over the door silently. Gavin caught the gesture and slowed his pace, approaching cautiously in an attempt to peer inside without being spotted.
The single candle was the only light afforded, but it wouldn't give away too much to what was going on within. There was movement, that was all that was certain- and the girl was too far gone to make a sound.
Great.
This was just fucking great.
"I am in so much trouble," Gavin muttered to himself. He gave a whistle for Smoke, then slammed the whole of his weight into the door, hoping to break it open.
But the door didn't budge, bolted from the inside; however, the action did alert the man to Gavin's presence and he'd hear a curse and someone scrambling from within.
Gavin snarled. "Oi! Touch the girl and you're dead!" he shouted, pounding on the door again.
Smoke screeched, then gave a noise that was almost exasperated and flew at the window, before veering upward at the last moment. Gavin hesitated.
If he broke the glass, he might hurt the girl. Of course, if he waited much longer, that might be a moot point.
But the kidnapper had other plans. He wasn't about to wait for the young man to barge on in, so he stuffed the girl, good and hidden before slipping out through a coal shoot a block down the road. It sucked his hide away had been found, but maybe after the heat died down, he could get the girl back or- at the very least, continue with his 'day job'.
With a low growl of frustration, Gavin tucked his head and threw himself at the window. The glass shattered in a rain of glittering shards and he rolled across the floor, wincing as he felt the jagged edges cut his skin.
Scrambling to his feet, he looked around quickly. "Vels? Damnit, lass, where are you?!"
She wouldn't answer. She couldn't. But the room was dark and eerily silent, reeking of the fading scent of a snuffed out candle.
Gavin was suddenly alerted to Smoke's presence when the falcon swooped low over his head, cawing. He perched over a corner and Gavin hurried forward, catching sight of the unconscious girl.
"Little idiot," he muttered quietly, checking her pulse with a quick sigh of relief before he scooped her up.
She made a soft noise as he picked her up. But it was hard to tell if she was awakening, or reacting to some sort of drug that kept her heavy, like a sack of potatoes.
Without any other real idea of what to do, Gavin slipped out through the broken window and started jogging back to his employer's home.
Hopefully someone there could help her.
And even as he traveled with her, it was evident something was up, for Vels did not once stir.
Gavin reached the manor in record time and pounded the flat of his palm against the door. "Hey! We need some help out here!"
OOC: It's been so long I can't recall much about his patron, but I'll just summarize them getting inside lol
Of course the pair were welcome inside, Vels taken to her own place to rest as she remained unconscious. Heated compresses were applied to her head, hoping to fight off any damage that might have befallen her, but it would be hard to tell what, if anything, had effected her during the whole ordeal for she still remained fast, fast asleep.
[Oh whoops! Sorry!!]
Gavin found himself pacing outside the door where Vels rested. They wouldn't let him in the room, but his employer had been kind enough to give him the rest of the afternoon off, considering the circumstances.
Gods. He was lucky he hadn't been fired.
He wanted to go back to Serendipity.
Growling, he raked a hand through his hair, worried eyes flicking to the door.
A day almost had passed and it was night fall again when she stirred. She made soft noises at first, before she awakened to a sharp pain in her belly and before she knew it, she was rolling out of bed and vomiting on the floor. And not just once, but three good hurls.
He heard a disturbance, but wasn't sure if he was still blocked from the room. "Vels?" He knocked. "Lass, you alright?"
Her only response was a swear, and groan. She shivered. What the hell had happened!?
Gavin was pushed aside as a maid bustled into the room, trying to shoo him away.
But even as the maid's intentions were innocent, Vels had awoken into only the Gods knew what, and suddenly she was kicking and screaming and rolling clean off of the bed, grabbing a nearby candelabra and holding it defensively, barking for the maid to get back and not to touch her. Her eyes were wide. Where was she!? What was going on!?
And then she saw him and pointed the object at his face and narrowed her gaze.
"What happened!?" she hissed. Clearly he was to blame!
"Get back, she needs space!"
"I didn't-" Gavin was pushed from the room ad he blinked as the door shut in his face.
What just happened?
Except Vels was having none of it. She refused to be calmed and grew so angry she ended up breaking a vase, maybe two. It was hard to tell but she eventually found her way up and out the window, trying to escape along the window's ledge.
Storm suddenly swooped low, calling to the girl as he curved over her head as though trying to herd her back into the building.
She wasn't sure who to trust or where to go or what even just happened. The bird startled her, and she lost her footing, shrieking as she barely grabbed onto the ledge as a few loose shingles slipped out beneath her, and disappeared towards the ground. It was only then she realized just how far up she was and her heart was in her throat as she pressed herself as best she could against the side of the building.
The bird called again, perching on the window ledge as though trying to call her over.
She looked at the bird, heart hammering inside her chest. What was he doing? Why did he keep following her? And what was going on?
Storm clucked low in his throat, a sound raptor's used to calm their chicks, and shuffled in place, trying to urge her back into the safety of the house.
She looked from the bird, and followed to what seemed like where it looked.
No one had followed... there was no immediate danger.. except..
she looked down and immediately regretted it, closing her eyes tightly and resting her head back against the building and trying to stave off the fear that kept her frozen in place.
Gavin had dealt with enough scared animals in his time to know when to keep his distance. From the doorway, he called softly in the direction of the window. "Lass? Can you hear me?"
Vels tensed at the voice, then turned to look at him, eyes still wide as she pressed herself against the side of the building.
"Lass, c'mon in." Gavin could see Smoke and arched a questioning eyebrow. "You're gonna hurt yourself."
Vels cringed.
"First tell me what happened!" she barked back at him. "Why can't I remember how I got here?!"
"I don't know, littlething," Gavin sighed. "You were unconscious when I found you, I don't know what happened. I brought you back here for healing."
Vels face twisted in confusion.
"You found me like... what?" she couldn't believe it as she gape. Things were beginning to make sense now, jsut a little, as little memories began to come back.
"There.. was a strange man.. following me," she went on, trying to recall. Then anger brewed in her belly. If he was to blame... oh the revenge she'd plan against him!
"Easy, lass." Gavin continued to hold his hand out to her. "If you get too angry out there you're gonna fall off the ledge. Just come back inside."
She knew he was right and, despite her inability to trust anyone well..
She at least somewhat trusted him.
Biting into her cheek, she took a moment to steel herself before moving to inch her way closer to him before taking his hand and jumping inside.
But hte second she was in, she retracted her hand and looked at him suspiciously.
"So tell me what happened. I remember you chasing me through the city with your bird.." she glared over at the bird outside the window,t hen back to Gavin. "But I do know it wasn't you that dragged me off. There was some strange man... but that's all I remember."
A creepy man,s he should have added.
Relieved she was at least inside, Gavin took a step back to give her space.
He shook his head. "Wish I knew, lass. I didn't get a good look at him, and by the time I got to you, he was gone."
She regarded him carefully.
"So... you found me then?"
Awkward. Did that mean he saved her life? Strange.
He nodded. "Ah. Yeah. I did."
Vels made a face. She wasn't sure how to take that bit of information, but as she began to recall events leading up to her sudden memory loss..
She supposed it made sense. She glared as she looked him over.
"Then what. You need to explain to me because I don't like not knowing what happened."
Gavin shrugged helplessly. "Well, then I brought you here, and then you woke up, and then you tried to climb out a window."
Vels made a face.
"How was I to trust you? I still barely know you!"
He shook his head. "I'm not asking you to trust me. You asked what happened and I told you- believe it or not, up to you, lass."
Vels grimaced. She hated not knowing and needing to trust someone- even less than ignorance. She eyed him over skeptically before looking away as she huffed.
"So if it's true.." she went on, avoiding eye contact. "Does that mean you rescued me?"
At that idea, she looked his way, her face scrunched in confusion. He didn't look the hero type.
Gavin rubbed at the back of his neck as Smoke clucked in what seemed like amusement. "Well, I wouldn't say that," he muttered, glancing away.
SHe looked irritated.
"Then what would you say?"
Another shrug. "I...helped. Couldn't very well leave you there, could I?"
"Helped?" she grew impatient, folded her arms across her chest. "Helped with what? Kidnapping me?"
Gavin arched one eyebrow. "Do you listen at all when other people speak? I said I brought you back here. Why would I have tried to kidnap you, then bring you back safe?"
She didn't like him arguing with her and continue to glare at him.
"So then what? Do I.. Am I suppose to owe you now for rescuing me?" she had no idea how this worked. This was so weird. She was always by herself, kept to herself. Did she even owe him anything for this? She was employed by him.. wasn't she? Did that mean something would happen in the long run? And now her head was hurting from all of this thinking!
Gavin shook his head. "You don't owe me a thing, lass. I mean, outside of apprentice work, I guess. If you're still up for that."
She looked at him, making a face before looking away.
"You mean to work with the bird."
It was more of a statement than a question. She sighed before muttering, "I'm sorry." It was obvious he was trying to help. She just wasn't sure what to think of all of this or... the fact she actually felt bad for what happened and he had to deal with this too...
It was new territory for her and she wished she was back out on her own- even if it meant this nice roof over hre head was no longer there. she felt much more at home when it was just her and nothing more.
"I do." He smiled and reached his hand out to her again. "Ya don't have to be sorry, lass. Come here, and let's get you something to eat maybe, yeah?"
Something to eat? Her stomach growled with sweetness. She blushed.
"I.. suppose I could eat." She tried not to look.embarassed, but her stomach just growled even louder as she fidgeted .
"You're.. too nice." She avoided eye contact as she muttered those words, but it was a way , atleast for her, of saying thank you.
Gavin chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I dunno about that. I just don't much like leaving people out in the cold, as it were—anyway, for the time being at least you are my apprentice. You're my responsibility."
Smoke clucked in that comforting sort of way again.
The falconer nodded back over his shoulder at the door to the room. "C'mon. Food's downstairs."
She nodded and followed quietly, and in the silence she tried to salvage a bit of her pride.
Once they were downstairs, however, she felt some of that easily melt away at the smell of the food.
"Ansgar's name, the food smells amazing." Her eyes grew a bit large as she took in what was prepared. She considered just grabbing stuff up, but hesitated and looked to Gavin to be sure what was 'proper'. It was so strange to have rules about eating...
But she felt foolish enough already and her time here taught her enough to know there was much she did not know about these types of people.
"Well thank you kindly, Miss Vels."
Myles suddenly appeared through the door to what Gavin assumed was the pantry, giving them both a friendly smile as he set another covered dish on the small table in the center of the kitchen. Seeing that the girl was clearly eager to dig in, the cook chuckled and assured her, "We're not so formal about how the servants eat around here; grab a plate and fill it with whatever looks good, then find a place to sit."
Relieved--he hadn't been sure of the proper protocol either--Gavin shot the other man a grateful smile, then found himself flushing a bit when it was returned with a wink.
He cleared his throat and gave Vels a quick jerk of his head toward the food. "Go on, then. I'm right behind ya."
She didn't need to be told twice and moved forward with a purpose , lifting lid after lid to take in each delight.
"There's so much food here!" And she was all smiles as she turned to the two. "Can I really eat all that I want?"
Myles chuckled and nodded while Gavin smiled and cautioned, "Just don't make yourself sick, yeah?"
The cook laughed softly again, shooting him a look. "Mother Hen, I see," he teased lightly, and Gavin blushed again.
"Er...I mean, she's my apprentice. I gotta look out for her, don't I?" he tried to excuse quickly.
She gave the men both a sharp look.
"I might be homeless, but I'm not stupid. Only a fool would make themselves ill over food."
But the idea of scarfing food when she could was never far from her mind. Who knew how long this good luck would last. But the food smelled heavenly, and tasted beyond words. Or.. maybe she was just that hungry. It beat garbage or raw pidgeon any day.
"Still homeless?" Myles gave Gavin a pointed look. "Making your apprentice sleep on the streets, are you? That's too cruel."
Not realizing at first that the cook was playing with him, Gavin gaped before hurrying to protest, "She can stay here if she wants! I mean, I assumed--I'm not tossing her out on the--!"
Myles's laugh cut him off, and he flushed deeply as he realized he was being teased. "Oh, you're too easy," the other man chuckled. With a wink for Vels, he said in a stage whisper, "Try not to take advantage too much, lass, the poor man looks as though he might have a heart attack if you tease too much."
She had her eyes on them, wary at first, but as the banter continued, she slowly began to smile.
"I'll keep that in mind." And went back to biting into another piece of the food spread out before her. Gods this food was good
Myles chuckled and Gavin smiled a bit to himself as he tucked into his own food. He closed his eyes with a soft groan of appreciation--it really was good.
"You remember how to get to your room?" he asked his new apprentice after a couple of bites, eyeing her sidelong. "We'll have to be up early tomorrow, you should get some rest when you've finished."
"I-" she began to state her case of being confident, but thinking about the route made her frown.
Swallowing her food, she looked to him. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to be shown again."
Gavin gave her what he hoped was an understanding sort of smile and nodded, shrugging away from the wall where he'd been leaning. "Alright. I should turn in soon myself, I can show you on the way."
Bidding farewell and goodnight to the cook, he stepped back out into the hallway with a jerk of his head for the girl to follow.
She followed after, eyes curious as they went.
"I still can't believe how big this place is."
No matter how many times she could look down a hallway, there was just so much detail, and so much to take in- a detailed painting hung, an ornate urn or vase, even the clean, swept flooring.
He chuckled under his breath and nodded as he led her back down the halls toward the small room he'd been allowed to give her. "Yeah, I know the feeling. Never really lived in a place with more than four or five rooms, myself."
And even that was a bit of a stretch, when he was younger.
She stared at him curiously.
"What kind of place did you grow up?"
His step faltered a moment, and he snapped his head around to look at her over his shoulder. Then he shook his head and looked forward again.
"A...farm. Not in Connlaoth. Serendipity, actually. I'm just here for work."
"Serendipity?!" She nearly tripped over her feet. "Really?" She shook her head. "You must really like this job..." Why else would anyone choose to work in this war torn land?
"Like is...a strong word," Gavin muttered, and reached up to run a hand through his hair--a habit he'd had since boyhood when he grew uncomfortable or distracted. "Frankly, the pay is better here than anything I was getting back home. Because of, y'know...everything going on around here." He shrugged. "People are less willing to come do work in Connlaoth nowadays, so when someone wants a job done, they're willing to pay more?"
Was it a little underhanded? Maybe. But Gavin knew he was worth the money his employer was dishing out for his services, and frankly he thought the risk of his beastspeaking being discovered was more than enough compensation in this particular country.
Vels studied him a moment as she nodded.
"We all do what we must to survive..." Which was precisely how the pair found themselves together. It was an interesting turnof events to events as she simply presumed she'd have to live out most of her days in the ruined city.
She noted he seemed uneasy about it and frowned.
"Sorry for prying.... I was just curious. Just seems Serendipity would be better than all this."
"Oh--no, don't...It's fine." He offered her a smile as they approached the room that had been assigned to her for the duration of their stay. "Honestly, I don't think I disagree with you," he added with a wry twist of his mouth, lowering his voice a little. Just in case.
Fetching up against the wall beside her door, he gave it a quick nod. "I'm just two doors down the way. You need anything between now and morning, come and find me, yeah? We're up at dawn to start with the birds."
Vels stared at him, finding herself smiling back, even though awkwardly, as she nodded.
"Yes, at dawn." her smile grew a little more. "To play with birds."
Gavin grinned at her and, without thinking, reached out to ruffle her hair. He caught himself and snatched his hand back quickly, but the smile stayed.
"Exactly." He gave her another nod before turning to head to his own room. "G'night, Vels."
How long had it been since she had a truly, good night's sleep? Vels could never tell you just how long it had been, and surely wouldn't that morning, at dawn, when she was still sleeping soundly, unaware or even unphased that she had a promise to keep. Yes, to play with birds. For now, she'd continue to count sleep inside her head, breathing softly as she remained asleep as the hour was passing.
"OI, lass! Rise and shine!"
Gavin banged on her door twice. Kid slept like the dead. "We've got work to do, Vels, up and at 'em."
At first she didnt hear him, but when she did she jerked awake and rushed to the door. Since she slept in her clothes, she was already to go.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I must have over slept!"
Gavin blinked, then laughed lightly, reaching out unthinkingly to ruffle her bedhead. "S'alright, it happens. And it's technically your first day, so I'll cut you some slack."
He stepped back, nodding down the hall. "C'mon then, let's get some food in you before we get started."
Vels was rubbing the sleep from her eyes when he ruffled her hair. She blushed, a hand finding awkward stay stands jutting out from her head. She found herself using her fingers as a comb, and winced when she hit a knot.
At the mention of food, her stomach growled. She placed a hand over her stomach and blushed again.
"I'm still not used to all this... like food being so easy to get."
He glanced at her again as he led them back toward the kitchens. "Well, food is just the start of things, I wager. We're also gonna need to get you some proper equipment for working with the hawks."
He looked her up and down, then added with a flicker of a grin, "Maybe some new clothes as well. Those...look like they've seen better days."
Proper equipment sounded like a good idea. But then he mentioned her clothing and she made a face.
"It's not like I own a wardrobe. " it was all she got!
Gavin chuckled again. "I figured, kid. There should be something you can borrow from one of the scullery girls until we can get you proper working clothes."
Vels shot him a glare.
"Kid? How old do you think I am?" She didn't like the fact he presumed she was just some child. She studied his face. He couldn't be that old, either... could he?
"You can't be older than eighteen," Gavin replied blandly. "Which makes you a kid to me. Suppose you'll have to get used to it."
Vels was shocked how accurate he was. She closed her lips firmly to keep herself from gaping.
"Well, you can't be more than in your twenties!" Came her haughty retort. So he couldn't be that much older than her.. right?
"Oh, I wish!" Gavin laughed again, shooting her a quick, wry grin. "Well into my thirtieth year, actually. So nearly twice your age, by my rough guess."
He patted her head lightly. "Now mind your elders. And step lively, we've got work to get done."
Vels felt ridiculous. Not only did she believe this man was only a few years older than her, turns out he was nearly a decade her senior!
She wasn't sure WHY this made her feel so awkward as she moved uneasily beside him, and found herself needing to look away, face flush deep scarlet.
She hated the fact even her ears burned. She fussed over her hair, as if that would hide the blush.
Either not noticing her sudden fluster or choosing to ignore it, Gavin whistled quietly to himself as he first led Vels into the scullery--where he begged the head maid for an extra set of clothes for the girl--then back through the manor to the aerie.
By the time they made it to the aerie, she felt much better. It was a silly, simple mistake and after all- he was still Gavin. He was so nice to her. It was still strange. So she said nothing as she stood beside him, eyes distant with thought.
Gavin pulled on his falconer's glove, passing the paste he'd lent to Vels before over to her with a bright, "You're gonna want that, lass."
He raised his hand and whistled, and in a flutter of gray and brown feathers Smoke was perched on his wrist. "Alright. How much do you remember from what I told you yesterday?" he asked, not really expecting her to remember much of anything—it had been something of a stressful day.